Freeman Legacy 2.0

It seems like time just sped up after Helena had her birthday. I mean, looking at it now, it seems like everything just happened one thing after another - a new thing every day. I know that's not how it was. Things take time, but it sure didn't feel like it at the time.

The first thing to happen was Houda. Yeah, she and Helena finally got together. I've only been telling Helena to get on with it for years. Maybe getting older made my sister stop moping around and just do something already. Or maybe Helena's new legal age got Houda to get off her ass and ask my sister out. Either way, they started dating, and let me just say they are nauseating.

Don't get me wrong, I like Houda. I think she's great and she's good for my sister. My issue was more that they couldn't stop making little heart-eye faces at each other. If they were any more lovey-dovey, their hearts would actually have popped out of their chests.

Not that I have room to talk. I know that Matt and I can get pretty corny ourselves - not to mention the near-constant making out. I didn't feel bad about that, though. It's pretty nice. But at least we went outside!

And by that I mean that any moment of spare time we had between us was spent together. I had my part-time job and school, and Matt was on most of the school sport teams. With all that, we had precious few moments to just hang out or go on a date, but we found time. And we spent a lot of it just talking. He's funny and sweet and he makes me feel special. There were times when I needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, and he was there for me. I know Helena didn't like him when they were kids, but the guy I met wasn't the snot-nosed boy who made a marker stain on Helena's favourite dress. He's the man that boy grew into.

Ugh. Listen to me, I'm getting all mushy. I need to stop before I start writing poetry about his abs.

The next big thing that happened also involved Houda and Helena. They took a weekend trip to the city. There was a romance festival happening and I guess they wanted some alone time. While they were there, Houda got down on one knee and proposed to Helena. Fortunately, she'd talked to me about it first and I'd helped her chose a ring. She was going to go for a simple silver band. Now, Helena would have liked that, but I found this brass ring made to look like entwined vines with a diamond set into a flower. It also came with matching wedding rings that were basically the same, but without the diamond. It was artsy and meaningful and really pretty, but not too complicated. Perfect for my sister. I knew she was going to love it.

What I didn't expect was for them to get married that night! They came home the next day and I rushed out to meet them, excited to see the ring on my sister's finger, and Helena told me they already got married! I was so mad! I mean, I was also happy for them, and if that was how they wanted to do it, then it was ultimately up to them. But I'd wanted to be the maid of honour, and see Helena in a white dress, and I'd wanted to be there to see it, to celebrate it with them. I think Mama felt the same. She was happy for Helena, but I heard her ranting to Papa later about not getting to see her baby walk down the aisle.

A few weeks later, Helena caught me in the morning as I was finishing up some homework.

"Houda and I have been talking about something," she said. As far as conversation-starters go, it was pretty ominous. My mind filled in a few options of what they might want. They could be thinking of getting a cat, or they might be planning to go on a crime spree across Canada. "We are planning to get our own place."

I think I'd have preferred the cat.

"It's just, we're married now, and we need a place for ourselves. We've saved up a little and we think we can afford a house across town." Helena looked at me and I could see that she wanted me to be okay with this. We've been best friends since we were little, and while this would change our relationship, she didn't want this to ruin it.

"I get it," I said. "Just promise I can come hang out whenever."

She laughed. "Promise." Helena's face lit up in a smile. "We've also been talking about kids. Not for a bit yet, we want to be a bit more stable before then, but within a couple years, you could have a little niece or nephew."

"Just know I'm gonna spoil them rotten," I warned.

It was weird with Helena gone. She took most of her paintings with her, and her easel. The only things left were the bed, the now-empty dresser, and her desk and chair. It was so strange going into her room after they left. It seemed empty somehow. Like there was life in it before, but now it was just waiting to be useful again.

Mama and Papa kept the bed there for when Helena and Houda would spend the night, which they did on occasion. But even that was weird. They'd show up at our place, have dinner, maybe stay over, then go back to their home. Suddenly my sister was a guest. I just needed to get used to it.

Sometimes I'd head over to Helena's house after school. It was this two-bed, two-bath house with some awesome balconies and the cutest yellow kitchen. Their bedroom had an on-suite, but the second bedroom was bigger, and I think they were excited about filling their new house with a whole army of kids. I know Helena's wanted to be a mom since she was young.

So it wasn't a surprise when, about six months after they moved, Helena called and told us that Houda was pregnant.

Mama was thrilled. She didn't stop smiling all day, and she went over to see the soon-to-be-parents all the time. I know she wanted grandkids, and I think she was feeling old. She was younger than Papa, but he'd always been healthy as a horse, while Mama had been getting sicker and sicker for years. But she insisted that she keep working. She didn't like to sit around and feel useless. And this news about a baby gave her new life. I just wish it had been enough.

I was outside, working on my homework, when Mama got home from work. She looked up at the sun, shading her eyes with her hand. "It's such a nice day."

With that, she collapsed. Her body thudded against the ground. I couldn't move. I didn't want to believe what was happening.

I think I cried out, made some kind of sound. Or maybe it was the feeling of his other half dying, of half his heart breaking, that brought Papa outside. He cried out at the sight of Mama, lying prone on the ground. He fell to his knees as he reached out for Mama.

"Dianna," he sobbed. "Please, no. Please don't go."

I broke down crying. I don't remember much of that afternoon, but I remember saying "Mama" over and over again. When I was little and I hurt myself or if Helena and I had a fight, I would call out "Mama" and she would come, kiss my wound, and make it all better. She didn't come this time.

We put Mama's grave out the back. She wasn't actually buried there - she was cremated - but there was something of her, still looking after us. Papa planted some flowers around her grave that he thought she would like. I think, in a way, that grave both helped and hurt Papa. It was a place he could go to let his feelings out in a way he didn't around me. But it was also a monument to her, where Mama would be, forever unchanged.

But to me, Mama wasn't a stone surrounded by flowers. She was the woman who took care of me, who loved me, who helped me love my hair when I came home in third grade and said I wanted to cut it off. She told me bedtime stories that she made up on the spot, and she put me in a time-out when I used toothpaste to "improve" her black skirt. She worked too much and she wasn't perfect, but she loved me and I loved her. And I wanted her back.

After Mama died, Papa spent a lot of time looking at the portrait of her that Helena finished before she moved out. It hung in the hallway next to Papa's. I'd open my door sometimes in the morning to find Papa standing there, not saying anything, not even crying, just looking at the painting.

Meanwhile, I needed to get out of the house, away from all my memories. I started working out again, like I had when I first became a teenager, but now I jogged around the block, along the river, anywhere that wasn't home. I took some days off school, which no one minded much since my grades were good enough that I could never do homework again and still pass all my classes.

When I got too tired to run anymore, or if he called me up, I'd often head over to Matt's place. I got to know his siblings better - his twin sister Gina and his little brother Caleb. Caleb had a weird sense of humour that could get me laughing no matter what, and Gina soon became a close friend. She would listen to me when I needed it, and even if she couldn't give me any advice, I still appreciated it.

I started hanging out with Helena. We'd meet up, away from either of our houses, and just talk. It wasn't always about Mama, but sometimes it was. Houda was going into her last trimester, and Helena was feeling the stress of a heavily pregnant wife and impending parenthood. Not to mention that she was also hurting from Mama's death. It was good for both of us to have each other. Papa didn't have that. Most of his friends his age had already died, and I know he didn't want to talk to his teenage daughter about what he was going through. I tried to make sure he knew I was there, while also leaving him alone as much as he wanted. But it was hard.

Still, time went on, and we found a new normal. It wasn't the same, but it was okay, just the two of us.

I came home one day with a project for school that he could really help me with. I knew Papa could program a computer with his eyes closed, so I enlisted him for this. He really got into it, and he enjoyed teaching me how to put all the components together, and all about gates and locks or something. We ended up making a cute little robot that spun around and waved its arms. It wasn't exactly going to get me first prize at the science fair, but we were both really proud of it.

Papa even tried to make me a cake the morning of my birthday. Mama always made our cakes from scratch, but Papa settled for a cake mix. It actually smelled really good. I woke up to the smell of chocolate cake and came out of my room just as Papa was pulling it out of the oven.

Which was also just as the oven and the cabinet next to it burst into flame. We had a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, which I grabbed, and started smothering the fire while Papa panicked. Though it looked bad, the fire wasn't actually that big. It was caused by a leaking tube and a spark from a bit of rust when Papa closed the oven door. At least, that's what the fireman who showed up fifteen minutes after the fire was out said.

But the cake was fine and so we had my small birthday celebration. I couldn't help but wish that Mama was there. It was so soon after that I didn't want a big party, and it was my first birthday without my Mama.

To lighten the mood, Papa pulled out a spinning noise-maker while he sang "Happy Birthday". I smiled at that, and blew out the candles.

In a way, I think my birthday actually helped me deal with Mama's death. I was older, more mature, or at least free of teenage hormones. I just tried to appreciate the memories I had of her, and to live my life in a way she would be proud of.

And I think she would have loved Matt. I wanted him to move in right away, but he was reluctant. He hadn't met Papa yet, and knew how important my family was to me, especially now. If we were going to live together, it would be with my father's blessing. I think I fell in love with him a little more when he said that.

Matt was nervous about meeting Papa. He insisted on doing it alone, which probably wasn't a great idea since from Papa's perspective it seemed like a strange man walked into his room and started talking to him. Fortunately, Matt introduced himself quickly and they got to talking. I was in my room, trying to hear through the wall what was being said.

I didn't hear much, but I did hear Matt get ridiculously excited when Papa said he was okay with Matt moving in. Matt told me later that they bonded over sports mostly, and I'm not surprised. Papa worked in tech, but he'd always been into sports. He followed most of the local teams and had his favourites in the major leagues. I'm pretty sure the reason we have such a big TV is so that he has something large to yell at.

I loved having Matt around. I understood now why Helena and Houda had been practically joined at the hip when they lived with us. He was so close now that I never wanted to let him go.

One day, Matt took me out on a date to the park. I hadn't been there since I was a kid. I used to play chess with old ladies. But Matt took me out further into the park, near the picnic tables. It was beautiful there. Cherry trees were in full bloom, and the willows swayed in the breeze. But we just looked at each other.

Suddenly, Matt pulled away from me a knelt down.

"I love you, Harrie Freeman," he said. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning and see your bed head and smell your morning breath. And I desperately hope that you want the same things. I also hope that you'll forgive me for doing this without a ring because I wanted to pick it out with you.

"Harriet Freeman, will you marry me?"

"Yes," I whispered, my voice having disappeared the moment he got on one knee. "Yes. Always. Yes."

With that, Matt swept me off my feet and swung me around. I laughed in joy, but my mouth was soon covered with his as he kissed me.

There was one thing, though, that Matt wanted to do first. He wanted to make sure that Helena didn't hate him for what he'd done as a kid. He would be her brother-in-law, after all, and he didn't want to make me choose between him or my sister.

I didn't think it would be a problem, but I made him promise that no matter the outcome, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker. I was coming to see that Matt had some insecurities. He had been so strong for me after Mama died that I didn't see what he needed from me. I promised myself that I wouldn't get so caught up in myself that I wasn't there for him again. I knew I needed him, but now I knew that he needed me too.

Besides, a trip to see Helena meant a chance for me to spend some time with my little niece. Houda had a little girl they named Britney. She's the cutest little thing I've ever seen. I'm so happy for my sister and her wife, and I'm excited to see Britney grow and learn about the world around her. Who knows who she'll be? She could be anything, everything. Whatever she wants. And she'll have a family around her who love her and support her.

We had dinner there, the four of us. Houda made us dinner, and we adults got to sit and chat while Britney napped upstairs. Matt and Helena had spoken before, and Helena had agreed to put their childhood differences behind them. She said she wanted to support me, and see me happy.

She told me all of this in the kitchen as we washed up. Britney had woken and started crying when dinner ended, and Houda and Matt had gone to take care of her.

"I love you, Harrie," she said, pulling me into a hug with slightly soapy hands.

"I love you too," I said.

I headed upstairs to get Matt and go home, and found him feeding Britney. Houda was in the bathroom and had left Matt with the baby. I have to say, it was really nice seeing him with Britney. It made me think of the future, when we have kids of our own. And I know that with Matt by my side, I won't have to worry.

When we returned home, however, it was to an unpleasant surprise. We found Papa lying on the floor of his room, still and cold. I couldn't help but remember how Mama had collapsed, how she'd hit the ground with a thud. Did that happen to Papa too?

I knelt by his body and put a hand on his shoulder. Unlike with Mama, I didn't break down. I didn't cry out to him or sob into my hands. I just let Matt help me to my feet and buried my face in his chest. Papa hadn't even known we were engaged.

I put Papa's grave next to Mama's. He would have wanted that. I planted flowers in front of him too, and added another sunflower to stand over his tombstone as one did for Mama. In a way, his passing wasn't as heartbreaking as Mama's, but that's not to say it wasn't sad. I went out there to cry a few times, but it wasn't the same. This time, I knew that he was going to find her, wherever they were, and they'd be together again.

After Papa died, we took a few months and remodelled the house. Our bedroom moved upstairs and the downstairs level was completely changed.

After Papa died, I didn't want to live in that old house anymore. It had been made for Mama and Papa. It was their house, but Matt and I aren't them. We have different needs in a home, and so our home is different from theirs.

We spent most of the months during renovation in a hotel, and we took that time away to plan our wedding. With the renovations done, we spent about a week cleaning the place out, and then got ready for the wedding.

When Matt first got his tux, he was worried that he'd look like a waiter at his own wedding, but I assured him that he looked good. He really did, too. The suit fit him well and the muscles he'd gained from working out filled out the jacket. Then there's the fact that he always looks good.

I was ridiculously happy when people started showing up. I pulled them all into big hugs, which my dress only mildly impeded. Houda and Helena were among the first to arrive. They'd gotten a babysitter for Britney for the day and were glad to socialize like they used to again.

Once everyone arrived, we went out back where a wedding arch and some seating had been set up. It was beautiful but not too fancy, and I thought it was perfect.

"Are you nervous?" Matt whispered to me as we stood at the altar.

"A little, but more about the wedding than being married," I said.

"Same here. I keep worrying that I'll drop the ring."

He didn't drop the ring, and our wedding went off without a hitch. We got through the vows and the I dos and made it to the kiss without anyone mumbling or forgetting their words, and all of a sudden, we were married.

I could hear Houda sniffling a little, and Mr Robinson, Matt's father, cheering from the benches. Matt told me later that he saw his mother wipe away a tear. But at the moment, none of that mattered much. We were married.

Most of the rest of the wedding was a blur for me. It was filled with people congratulating me and complimenting my dress. I remember that the cake was good. In a way, I understood why Helena and Houda went without the big party. The wedding was exhausting. But I liked it all the same. I could share with my friends and family this important day. Sure, my parents weren't there to see it, but everyone else who mattered was, and that's what's important.

Matt told me later that his twin sister Gina pulled him aside during the party and congratulated him privately. She said he was all grown up now, and she was glad he looked so happy. It reminded me of what Helena told me in her kitchen, back when we first got engaged. When he told me, I felt so lucky that we both had people in our lives who cared so much.

At some point, Matt and I managed to slip away and into the closet upstairs for a little alone time. Nothing really happened, just a prolonged make-out session, but it was a nice break from the chaos downstairs.

No, the real action happened later, after out guests left and we got into something more comfortable and into our bed. I won't go into detail, but let's say that I thought then that I was going to enjoy being married.

Yeah, I was going to like being married.
______________________________________________________

Whoo! I think that's the longest chapter yet. In case you can't tell, Harriet won the poll! Thank you to everyone who voted, I appreciate it so much. Like I said in the last chapter, I would have been happy no matter who won, but I am loving playing with Harrie and Matt. Which is why this chapter is so long. Seriously, it only covers one week in game-time, but so much happened!

I was honestly expecting Sergio to die a lot sooner than he did, but I was not expecting Dianna to go first. After she died, he was seriously just so sad. He spent most of his time crying under the covers, and going out to mourn her grave. Harrie actually lost the +5 sadness moodlet before Sergio did.

Matt and Harriet are super cute. She had the whim to marry him about 20 minutes after he moved in, and they both got a whole bunch of whims for each other. And while they were visiting Helena and Houda, they kept flirting and blowing kisses at each other. Seriously, the couples in this game are too cute.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. And I hope you will continue to enjoy this legacy. See you next time!