Chapter Ten - Motherlode

Tamsin's old mailman had finally transferred. She kept an impersonal relationship with the new one. She had hated feeling paranoid when she went to the mailbox. "I won't hit on this one", she vowed, "...I guess."

Meanwhile, Cory had informed Tamsin that she was moving on from baby-sitting. She was a young woman now, and wanted to try her hand at more challenging full-time work. She hadn't pinned down a job yet, but she was actively searching. Cory really had become Tamsin's best friend, and they spent time together regularly. The new baby-sitter that the service had assigned her was... ...less than ideal.

Moonlight had taken up scouting. She was becoming more and more erratic. It was a period of huge changes at 2 Kat Road.

The biggest change being: Tamsin had conceived a child during her visit to Egypt. She was distraught. She didn't know how to act. She was handling the second pregnancy much more comfortably than the first, but it distracted her from Moonlight, who was really feeling the lack of attention. She was becoming more resentful of her mother. As with her first pregnancy, Tamsin threw all her energy into her work. Somewhere, amidst all the draining struggle of parenthood, she still had a dream of inventing something that would change the world for the better. She wanted to help the environment. She wanted to save the Earth.

Time flew by. She was in labour again. She was calm and sensible this time. She took a taxi. The entire trip to the hospital, she lectured the driver about the inefficiencies of the the gasoline engine. Her mood was dropping. She wished Youssef, who knew of the child but was far too poor to come to Tamsin's aid, was with her. He was a noble man. If he could have, despite having only lust for her, he would have helped her raise the child. Instead he sent a sizeable cheque. Tamsin knew he had sent her everything he had.

Penny is born.

The morning after she gave birth, Tamsin walked into the kitchen in pain. She was tired, she was angry with the hospital for not letting her stay as an inpatient. She would write a letter of complaint.

Moon was already up, talking aggressively into space. When she noticed Tamsin she said:

- "It's Leafie's birthday today. Did you know that? He's having a party. I can't go. Because you're making me go to school. Not fair, huh?"

Understandably, Tamsin was confused. She was too tired to argue.

- "Okay bub", she said, "That's cool. I'll make sure his party goes well."

Moonlight departed on the school bus about 30 minutes later.

At midday there came a knock at the door. It was Cory.

- "Hi Tamsin, I'm here for the party!", she looked around quickly, "Do you think it was a good idea to give Moon the day off just for a birthday party? Surely you could have held it this afternoon?"

It took Tamsin a good few seconds to work out what Moon had done. She was glad Cory would be there, and braced herself for more guests to arrive.

Cory went to the nursery to meet Penny properly. "I don't know what this family would do without me", she thought to herself, cradling the one day old protectively. It was true, Cory was much more aware of the children's needs than Tamsin was, despite not living with them. Whenever she visited, the kids were cared for. That much wasn't guaranteed when it was just Tamsin at home, beset as she was with mood swings and depressive episodes.

Tamsin was relieved to find she knew most of the guests. She'd never met Cleo before, though. At first she had assumed Cleo was Jimmy Ropata's date, but Jimmy was still tragically, miserably single. "I wonder why we didn't work out", she had thought to herself, forgetting, momentarily, the pregnancies. She was sometimes very angry still to be single at her age. She was so earthy and positive - she told herself - so why didn't men leap at the chance?

Jimmy, however, was becoming flagrantly desperate. It was a shame. He even, to everyone's embarrassment, propositioned an old friend of the family, Margo Tumeke, who was openly gay.

As each guest arrived, Tamsin explained to them what had happened. Despite all her apologies, and having had quite a good time, they left unimpressed. They had expected to spend time with a birthday girl. Tamsin, for her part, had completely forgotten about Moon's birthday. The fake party, and her forgetting, had made her feel sick and hurt.

She called up Youssef, and they talked at length. Youssef said he was saving his money to come to Riverblossom Hills one day. He wanted, more than anything in the world, to meet his daughter. His support, even from a distance, made Tamsin feel stronger.

She waited for Moon to come home, glaring out into the night.

Moon got home very late, dressed up in her fairy costume. She was sullen. Tamsin gave her a ten minute lecture, while - in Moon's head - Leafie patrolled the stairs for trolls.

Moonlight becomes a Teen.

Moonlight imagines Leafie becoming a Teen.

Later still that night, Leafie sat in the kitchen silently. He had been told to wait there. Moonlight was getting changed. She walked out of the hall, into the kitchen, and took an apron out of the drawer:

- "Leafie", she announced, "It's time there was a mother in this house."

Chapter Eight - Two Parties

There were always more bills. But now that Tamsin had decent savings, she was finding them much less of an issue. She was still depressed, and still dressed to impress. Although she had grown close to her daughter, she still had a guilty sense that she didn't love her daughter.

Moonlight was often pushed into the background of Tamsin's day. Cory came over sometimes, unpaid, to check that Moonlight was being cared for. To the degree that Tamsin was motivated, she looked after Moonlight: Feeding, changing, the obligatory snuggle.

Anyway, sometimes Moonlight and her entourage creeped Tamsin out a bit.

Sorting her mail after breakfast Tamsin found an invite to a party at Jed Barracks's house. She'd only met him once, briefly, but she decided she and Moonlight would go. It would mean a walk in the sunshine, and she needed to get to know more people. The only company she had was Cory, who, she had to admit was becoming a dear friend despite being only a teenager.

Tamsin also wanted "adult company" again. It had been a long time. She seriously considered leaving Tamsin at home, but decided to make a go of being a good parent.

The party was... ...weird. The house was ill-lit, and instead of playing music, there was sport on the television. Jed was making rather unappetising looking nibbles.

Tamsin spent most of the evening talking with the only other guest to show up, Jimmy Ropata. At first she had mistaken him for his father, Russell, who she had met at the hospital a few weeks earlier. Where Russell was mature and opinionated, Jimmy had a sexy glow of youth about him. He made for nice conversation. Unfortunately he had to leave for work.

Tamsin was left alone with Jed and Serge Barracks, and a television. She was getting tired, and dreading the trip home, so she tried to make conversation.

- "So, Jed, what do you do?"

- "I was stationed in Symria for two years", he replied.

- "Oh", she replied. Then she added, "I did oppose the invasion. I mean, we haven't really helped anyone, have we?"

- "I think you should leave", Jed said.

It had been an odd moment. Tamsin relaxed when she got home. She would have to find an excuse to call Jimmy. He seemed like a nice guy. He had probably paid more attention to Moonlight at the party than she had, it was obvious he was good with children. Maybe she needed someone like that?

The idea struck her like a bullet. She'd just been to one party, and checking the calender she wasn't wrong - it was Moonlight's birthday! She'd throw a birthday party and invite her friends! She even went out on a limb and invited Perseus, not expecting him to come. He was Moonlight's father, though. She figured she sort of had to.

He was the first guest to turn up. He and Tamsin exchanged an uncomfortable greeting.

The party started to come alive when people she and Moonlight actually liked arrived. Perseus, throughout the party, made no attempt to get to know his daughter. Jimmy, however, did.

Moonlight became a Child

A cross-eyed child.

After the cake was dished out, Cory dragged Tamsin aside. She was upset that Perseus had been invited. She said everyone in town had heard him bad-mouthing his daughter.

It wasn't long into the evening when Perseus snapped. He had been moody all afternoon.

- "You just had fucking cake, you heifer!", he shouted at Moon as she helped herself to more food.

In that moment, any doubt Tamsin harboured about her love for Moonlight fled. She ripped in to Perseus, insisting that he leave her home. Cory, for the first time, was impressed by Tamsin.

Moonlight was less happy. She understood that man was her father. She understood that Tamsin was her mother.

Her parents were fighting.

She snuck outside, and played with her doll in the porch-light. "Leafie", she had named him, because her mother liked leaves so much. She felt happy with Leafie, and sad with her mother.

That night Tamsin could hear Moon chattering away to Leafie. She felt pleased with herself. The party had been motivated by selfish desires, but in the end it had lit that spark of loving loyalty to Moonlight that she had sought. Little did she realise what had happened.

Moonlight had snapped. In her head, Leafie was there. All her senses told her so.

Reality was a different matter.

++++

Challenge Notes

Due to her rough childhood, Moonlight has developed the Can't Stand Art trait. I'm eager to get to the heir, and so I'm going to be angling for Tamsin to meet up more with Jimmy. I found it really funny that SP has shoved Jimmy into exactly the same career as his father. They look very alike in their uniforms.