G 8 Ch 8 – Growing Up

It came as no surprise to anyone in the Avani household when Reagan learned she was expecting a few months after she and Hakkon were married.

Z’ah pulled Hakon to the side.

“I know you want a large family and that you’re hoping for twins. Especially since they run in the family. But you have to admit our space is limited, and well if you have a large family then Ismat might not be able to have a large one either if she decides that she wants a large family too.”

As worry started to cloud Hakon’s face Z’ah held up her hand “Reagan is a wonderful partner for you Hakon, and you already spent to much time living with crushed dreams, which is why I’ve arranged for a present for the two of you.”

Confusion gave way to curiosity on Hakon’s face and Z’ah sighed and then chuckled lightly “Sometimes I wish you weren’t so easy to read big brother. I’m having a house … a fully furnished house … built for you and Reagan next door, it should be ready for the two of you within a few months time.”

Z’ah was pleased by both Hakon and Reagan’s happy response to the news. She had no intention of telling them that most items being furnished where either still black listed or lifted from homes in other cities. As far as Z’ah was concerned like Killian they didn’t need to know.

Since it was still early, Z’ah left and went to have dinner with Killian. She was still struggling with how old he had gotten. In her mind he was still younger with the firm body of an athlete. As she finished her dinner she asked him if he was feeling okay, and if he wanted a hand with anything before she left for the evening. Killian paused on his way to the bathroom before responding that he was fine.

As Z’ah let herself out she tried to decide if she wanted to keep seeing him. He was no longer able to do more than hold her, and she still felt that having anyone to close was a danger to them and her as far as her job went. It was only just the previous month where she’d been picked up by the police again for questioning. Happily for her they hadn’t had any solid evidence to hold her on, and had to release her after a night in jail.

True to the contractors word the house for Hakon and Reagan was finished a little over a month after Z’ah had first told them about it. Upon exploring the house Reagan exclaimed that she ‘a mom to be’ approved of the house, it was very kid friendly. Reagan glowed with happiness, as she and Hakon made their goodbye’s before moving over to their new home.

About a week after Hakon moved out a very angry Z’ah called him on the phone demanding to know what was in the creepy pink soup mix. Hakon asked what was wrong, and Z’ah had to explain that within minutes of eating a bowl of the stuff Ismat had turned into a zombie and was standing rooted in spot as if frozen.

Hakon let out a snort and then explained to his sister that it was a rare but temporary side affect of eating the frozen pink soup which the packagers had nick named ‘frozen brains’. He told Z’ah that Ismat would be fine in a couple of hours and back to her non stop exercise routines with no lasting damage. Z’ah grumbled tersly that there had better be no permanent side affect or she would get the council to ban the stuff. Hakon sighed and swore on his life that Ismat would be fine.

True to his word a few hours later the affect wore off and just as he predicted Ismat went right back to her exercise routines. Z’ah ahd to privately admit that her daughters enthusiasm for exercise even made her look like a slouch.

Several peaceful months went by as the remaining Avani family members went about their lives.

Hadia always spent her free time focused on either her writing or her interviewing techniques. While Hayden was more often heard than seen as she constantly practiced guitar. Which was a relief to Z’ah because if Hayden was practicing she couldn’t start fights.

One afternoon as Z’ah was headed for the bathroom Hayden stopped her. “Hakon called, Reagan gave birth earlier today. They have a son and they named him Santiago.” Z’ah politely expressed her congratulations for her brother and his wife as she continued on to the bathroom. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for them, she just really needed to pee. Z’ah had noticed the subtle changes in her body indicating that she was getting older, along with the not so subtle ones like the need to use the restroom more often.

Still in her work clothes, Z’ah hung her latest ‘acquisition’ in one of the main bathrooms. She had run out of room in the locked room, and she was tired hiding everything in there. Locking the bathroom door so she could take a bath, she was almost startled by knocking on the door. Z’ah frowned usually no one was up when she came home.

“Mom” she heard Ismat call through the door “don’t forget I have the awards ceremony tonight and you promised that you would be there.”

Z’ah let out her breath, that was tonight?! “I’ll be there” she called back through the door, how could it be graduation already, it seemed as if Ismat had only just entered high school. Z’ah quietly sighed to herself, there was no stopping the march of time, she would need to call Killian and remind him to attend as well. When she called she got the answering machine and left him a message.

They arrived at the school and took their seats. Z’ah looked around for Killian but didn’t see him, deciding he must have forgotten again she settled back into her seat and didn’t give another thought to the absence of her old lover. Just as the principal started calling names Z’ah felt her phone vibrate, looking to see which phone it was she excused herself and stepped out into the hall way.

Noting the name displayed on the screen was that of the medical clinic Z’ah wondered if her mom was sick again. Answering the phone politely with an eye towards a crack in the door so she could watch the ceremony she replied that “yes” she was “Ms. Avani”. A male voice asked her if she knew a Bradford Killian. Z’ah only hesitated a second Killian never used his first name, he had always hated it. She replied that yes she knew Killian, there was a pause and the deep sadness of the man’s tone told her before he even finished his sentence what she had already feared but had refused to admit.

Killian was dead, that was why he hadn’t answered the phone or shown up. Z’ah didn’t remember leaving the school or driving home, but she knew she must have for she arrived home hours before her sisters and Ismat even left the school.

Once they arrived home, Z’ah had already pulled herself back together. She appologized to Ismat for leaving early and then broke the news to her. Ismat took it in stride, she pointed out that she had never been as close to Killian as Z’ah had been.  Ismat then went to change for the family gathering that was about to start to celebrate her graduation.

Ismat rolled her eyes and the guests, so she had graduated high school it wasn’t that big of a deal to her.

Z’ah could tell that Ismat wasn’t enjoying the gathering all that much even though she clearly had a rebellious streak going with the way she had chopped off her long braid that she had been so proud of. With Hadia’s help Z’ah convinced everyone that it was time to go, Ismat gave them a faint smile of thanks for their efforts.

The following morning Ismat confronted Z’ah.

“Mom, I know what I want to do for a career, and while I don’t need a university degree to get the job I want I think going to university will help me get used to being around crowds of strange people.”

Z’ah looked at her daughter, and read from her tone, her posture, and her nervous fiddling with her hair everything that Ismat hadn’t said in her obviously rehearsed speech.

Z’ah replied “If that’s what you want to do then do it. If you were hoping I would tell you no and make you stay home then I’m sorry but I have to disappoint you. If anything I hope you are the first one of us to get a degree from that prissy university.”

Ismat shuffled her feet as Z’ah explained that she had learned, while Hayden was at the university, that some of the university’s alumni had opened private schools that offered better education than the valley’s public school. The catch was that to get a student into one of these private schools that at least one parent had to be a university alumni.

Z’ah hugged Ismat and said “Go, and put their athletics department to shame hun. If the coaches are anything like I remember them then you already know more about fitness than they can teach you.”