Spring 2012 - Cormier

Rich (33), Tosha (33), Rosalyn (1)

Rich couldn't believe the big day was here.  His little sister was headed off to college.  With the way she had struggled with her grades, he wasn't sure if this day was ever going to come.  But she had worked hard to improve her grades and even won a scholarship based on her college interview.  He was very proud of her and knew if their mother had been there to see this day, she would be too.

The household was going to be different without Violet.  This would be the first time in their married life that Tosha and Rich weren't sharing their house with a teenager.  The quiet of her being gone, the absence of her friends coming in and out of the house took some getting used to.  Rich and Tosha weren't the only ones who had to adjust.  They lost track of how many times they would look out the window to see Bryan pass by, looking at the house with a lovesick puppy look.  It was obviously hard on him to be left behind in high school because he was a year younger.

  Even though they would miss having Violet around, Rich and Tosha were glad to be their own family of three for awhile.  And they were going to be staying as just three for awhile longer.  Their attempts at trying for another baby had failed for now.  Tosha had been disappointed, but not surprised when their first attempts didn't result in a second pregnancy, but she knew that it had taken awhile for them to get pregnant with Rosalyn and it would probably take awhile to get pregnant again.

Things would happen when they were meant too and it was probably for the best that they didn't have a second child right now.  Rich was still out of work and if Tosha had to take time off work for maternity leave, money might be tight for awhile.

The school was desperate for another teacher since the passing of Ms. Ebadi, so much so that they were willing to reinstate Rich to his former position just as if he had never been let go, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be a teacher anymore.  He felt like this might be the perfect opportunity to go in a different direction and try something new with his life.  He considered going into construction, but that turned out to be a fleeting thought.  What he really wanted to do was become a writer.

He discussed the idea with Tosha over pancakes one morning. Would they be alright financially with just her income while he pursued writing a novel?  It would mean that he could stay home with Rosalyn while Tosha was at work instead of hiring a babysitter.

They thought they could manage it, at least on a trial basis, so as soon as Tosha went to work and Rosalyn was down for her nap, Rich sat down at the computer and started writing.  He had so many ideas flowing through his mind that he wasn't sure where to start.

The more he typed, the more passionate was beoming about literature and film and he knew he needed a better workspace than the kitchen table.  Even though he knew they should probably be putting their funds towards building a nursery for the baby, he sold the hottub, bought a big screen TV (for inspiration), a recliner, and a proper desk.  He had the wall separating Violet's old bedroom from the hallway torn down, making the space more open and built himself a den where he could work (and relax).

He was really enjoying taking the time to pursue new hobbies, in addition to writing and studying film, he was taking an interest in cooking.  He was improving his skills and learning to make new recipes to surprise Tosha with when she came home from work.

Sometime he would have a cooking show on in the background while he wrote, trying to immerse himself in all of his new hobbies at once.

It was a great relief and a great sense of accomplishment when his novel was finally complete.

He was just about to tend to Rosalyn when he got the call from his publisher saying his book was being published and it was expected to sell well.

It was an exciting moment, the following morning when the first copy of his novel was delivered to the house.

Rich made sure to find a very special place on the bookshelf for it,

before turning his attention back to caring for Rosalyn.  He was lucky she was such an easy baby to take care of.

As always Tosha was glad to return home from a long day at work.  Her career had had its ups and downs over the season.  She'd discovered a few new underwater species.  With her first discovery she made the mistake of not crediting her supervisor and got a demotion.  After that she learned that brown-nosing was the way to get ahead (or keep her current position) and named the second species after her higher-ups and was returned to her old position.  Who knew there was so much politics in oceanography?

She noticed she was feeling a little off and wondered if maybe the second round of trying for another child had done the trick.  She took a pregnancy test and recieved the happy news, she was pregnant!

She started showing early and was delighted that Rosalyn would be getting a little brother or sister.

Hopefully the sale of Rich's novel and the money from her promotion would be enough to add another bedroom or two onto the house.  Otherwise she might have to convince Rich to part with his new bigscreen TV.