Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2.1

Soon after the triplets turned eighteen, Zasaka and Chris made a decision to use all the funding they had on completely rebuilding the house.  They went for a modern look, with spacious rooms, wide glass windows and wooden floorboards.  Unfortunately, they could not quite afford the windows they wanted at first, so settled for little box windows for the time being.

The downstairs; open plan living room/dining room/kitchen, one bathroom, and a potential spare room and/or study.

Upstairs; three bedrooms, one bathroom.

For a while, life was somewhat tranquil and joyful for the Meerkato family.  From selling a handful of her paintings at a local auction, Molly had scraped enough cash together to organise a trip to a quaint little town in France called Les Champs, famous for both its nectar making and artistic nature.  When Viola found out, she pleaded Molly if she could go with her

After Milly’s comment about her lack of motivation to go travelling, Viola had managed to get a part-time job as a Cash Register Specialist at the local bookstore.  She had almost enough money to afford the air fare out to France, so Molly kindly lent her the rest of the cash, and a few weeks later, they set off to Les Champs.

Molly was content with exploring the local art and history museums, absorbing in as much as the French culture as she could.

Viola on the other hand ventured around the town and the houses nearby, in hope of bumping into someone to practice her French speaking skills.  Her heart happened to skip a beat when she spotted a teenage boy, around about her age, standing outside a beautiful brick house.  Next to him was a skinny middle-aged lady, who Viola assumed was his Mother.

From what Viola could tell, the teenage boy was making excuses as to why he had not taken out the trash.

As soon as the boy’s Mother had disappeared back into the house, Viola walked straight up to the teenager and started speaking to him in full out French!  He seemed somewhat startled at first, but soon they were conversing about all sorts of thing, although Viola occasionally found it difficult to translate what he was saying when he spoke too fast, and likewise he found her accent hard to understand at times.

His name was Pascal Morel, and from what Viola could comprehend, it turned out he had a passionate interest in music and gardening and that his favourite food was pancakes (just like hers was!).  Viola found herself somewhat drawn to Pascal’s laid back lifestyle and chose to spend most of the vacation with him.

One afternoon, whilst Pascal was showing Viola how to make French crepes, Viola dipped her head forwards and pressed her lips firmly against his.  Pascal was surprised at first, but soon he was kissing her back passionately.

They had a bit of explaining to do when Pascal’s Mum walked into the kitchen and saw them!

Viola was not the only one to get somewhat lucky.

Back at the guesthouse, Molly bumped into a handsome Chinese man called An Chung.  He was somewhat shy, but once they got talking they really hit it off.

On the very last night of their stay in Les Champs, Viola invited Pascal back to the guesthouse, and her intentions were pretty clear.

It was not long until things started to heat up in the bedroom.

Whilst they made out, Viola tried to clamber on top of Pascal’s body as her hand reached down to his belt…

“Ah, non, non,” Pascal stated in his heavy accent as he pushed Viola away, leaving her flustered and confused.

“Don’t you want to… you know… do it?”

“Do it?” The French teenager queried as he looked over at Viola.

“Le sexe.”

“Ah, non, I have too much, ah, of the respect for you,” Pascal explained in broken English, “so far this has been the perfect summer romance, and I don’t wish, ehh, tout faire rater.”

Viola stared down shamefully at the bed covers.  She understood where he was coming from; they still barely knew each other, and rushing things could completely ruin what they already had.

“Ze kissing is fine, however,” Pascal clarified with a small wink.  Viola’s face lit up once again before she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and locked lips with him once again.  And, despite only kissing Pascal until the morning sun seeped through the window, it was a still a night Viola knew she would never forget.

The next day, she was saddened to leave Pascal and return back to Honeyset Valley, but she was determined to see her summer love again no matter what.

Unfortunately, the peace at home was abruptly shattered whilst the girls had been frolicking about in France.  One morning Zasaka received a letter from the Simville Government, which would change things forever.

Her hands were shaking violently as she sat down at the dining room table to read what they had sent her.  They began by congratulating her on her successful attempt of raising a family, despite being thrown into awkward circumstances.  However, as she continued to read on, it turned out that the Government cared as little about her than they did when she was younger.

As you are just about past your prime, and are soon to expire, it is mandatory that you select one of your offspring to continue on your bloodline.  Whoever you choose is not allowed to leave the land we gave you, and they too, must breed and raise offspring of their own, in preparation to someday pick whoever shall carry on the bloodline.

Zasaka’s head started to spin as the horrible acidic taste of bile crept up her throat.  She could not believe she had the agonizing decision of picking one of her own children to stay cooped up in the same old house- just so the Government could keep a watchful eye on the evolution of each generation- instead of flocking from the nest as she had hoped to start independent lives of their own.

There will be consequences if you fail to comply.

Zasaka pushed her chair back and sat up.  She scrunched up the letter before she marched into the kitchen, tears cascading down her face as anger flushed through her.  How dare they do such a thing, especially after how they treated her in the science labs…

“Mum!” A concerned voice gasped.  Mandy, who had just finished in the bathroom, rushed over to Zasaka and instantly pulled her into a hug, “Oh God, Mum, what’s happened?”

Zasaka knew Mandy had a right to know, so through tears she explained everything to Mandy, who listened intently and seemed just as disgusted Zasaka was at what the Government wanted them to go through.

“I can’t bear to pick which one of you will have to stay here…” Zasaka sniffed as she wiped her tears from her eyes, “Milly’s already saving money so she can move out, Molly’s got her heart set on publishing her graphic novels, Tia told me she wants be a brain surgeon, Viola’s got her heart set on travelling, and you…”

“I’m going to stay here and look after the legacy,” Mandy concluded with a small smile on her face, “I’m happy enough to start my own family, and who says I can’t juggle a career too?”

“Are you sure?” Zasaka asked with a serious expression pasted across her face.  She knew Mandy had always been friendly and willing to help others, but she did not want any of her children to be stuck in a repetitive rut for the rest of their lives.

“Mum, I’m happy do this for you.  You gave me and my sisters so much, so I’m going to do you proud,” Mandy promised as she wrapped her arms around Zasaka who was trying hard to hold back her tears.

“Thank you, darling.”

Zasaka and Mandy decided to keep the Government’s proposition a secret from the other girls, as to avoid causing them any trouble or worries.  Sooner or later, however, they were bound to find out the truth.

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