A Note from Kymber:
Greetings, gentle reader… This is just a note to let you know that we have jumped forward in time approximately 5 years. Cesare approves immensely of this new direction.
So, here is a little update:
- Kara is near the end of nursing school, soon to graduate
- Bram is still out of town a lot with The Inheritance
- Jarah’s mental health continues to be questionable at times
- Kai is a teen, and you’ll hear from him personally
- Morrie and Michelle have been married and have twin daughters, Bonnie & Brynne
And, I think that is about it! 🙂 Please, enjoy!
Part 1: Bram’s Accomplishment
Dear Diary, as I was driving home from a long day of clinicals at the hospital, Bram called and asked if I would stop by. To be honest, it wasn’t my first choice for the evening.
“Are you in your scrubs?” he asked with an almost irresistible, crooked smile.
I didn’t feel like playing the flirting game, though.
“No, I changed before I left,” I said as I stuck my lower lip out to blow my bangs out of my sagging eyes.
His lips became a thin line, one eyebrow moving upward.
“You sound exhausted.”
“I am,” I admitted. “You have no idea what it’s like to go to lectures, then clinicals at the hospital, write papers, take tests you can’t fail or you have to take the entire course again, work a job, and keep up with life at home.”
He reached for my hand, which I let him take, then he squeezed my fingers gently.
“It sounds like a nightmare.”
“At least I’ll be done in a couple months. Then, I have to study for my licensure exam while I work full time.”
“I’m so proud of you,” he said, his thumb caressing my hand. “I know it’s been difficult. Are you glad you decided to do it?”
Through it all, I was. There was a great sense of accomplishment because no one could ever take my education away from me. I could finally be the parent I wanted to, taking care of my child on my own.
The downfall was, the child was now a teenager and acting out at times. I tried to talk to Kai about what he was going through, but he was unreceptive. It felt like I didn’t know him anymore.
“Why’d you want me to come over, Bram?”
He couldn’t stop the smile from taking over his face. He was literally beaming.
“I wanted you to be the first to see before it hits production.”
“Production?”
He felt for the counter, opened a drawer, and presented a book to me.
I was speechless, my words caught in my throat. I’d forgotten that long ago, he’d been working on a cookbook. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Well?”
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I ran into his arms, resting my chin on his shoulder.
He chuckled, snaking his arms around me, caressing the small of my back.
“It’s wonderful,” I finally choked out.
As he held me tight, he spoke about the time years ago when things were simpler for us, and we had our first romantic dinner at his house. I reminded him of his cooking lessons, and that he was the one who taught me all I know about food.
It was as if, in that moment, the old Bram and the old Kara were there. Why couldn’t it last?
Part 2: School Blows
…an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
Hi, I’m Kai. I guess you figured that out already, but how are you supposed to start a diary, anyway? Diary is such a stupid word, too. I mean, I’m not a fourteen-year-old girl.
Anyway, the diary is supposed to be between you and me, so I guess calling you that will be our secret. If anyone ever reads this, I’ll deny everything until I die.
“Did you see that? She looked right at me,” my friend Jeff said while we stood at our lockers in school.
“That’s because you tripped, dummy.”
“Uh-uh, her eyes met mine like she wanted me to ask her out.”
I couldn’t hide my smirk. And I didn’t really want to.
“You’re not even looking at her,” Jeff complained.
To tell you the truth, which I suppose is the reason for this exercise in writing, girls fascinate me, but I act indifferent. You see, they also terrify me. I mean, why do they always stand in groups? When you walk up to talk to one of them, they giggle, and their cheeks get all red. And they stay in the group!
The blushing is about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen… but I end up walking right past them because I can’t figure out how to get one alone to talk to them.
I might be single for life if this keeps up. Not that I’m in a hurry.
“Hi, losers,” our friend Jade said, joining us. “Roll your tongue back inside your head, Jeff. Sheesh, ya’ dog.”
“You’re blocking my view,” he growled. But, craning his neck around her, he could see the girl had gone to class. And we were in the hall alone now.
“I’m late for history,” I said.
Jeff grinned at us, and I knew we’d be blowing the rest of the school day off. Fine by me.
Part 3: Nowhere to Hang
…an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
Ditching school is our favorite pastime. I think my dad thought I would be interested in sports or something but team sports give me a rash. I don’t have the time for that kind of cooperation.
Anyway, I’ve managed to keep my grades passable despite my absences. I don’t take anything too hard.
“Your dad’s place is sa-weet!” Jeff exclaimed.
“Let’s go inside,” Jade added.
“Can’t. He’s outta town and I don’t have the privilege of a key.”
Jeff burst out in laughter. “You don’t have a key to your dad’s house? Ruthless!”
Yep, that one word pretty much summed up Bram Seaforth in my mind.
“Relax,” I said, “he’s afraid I’ll have parties and stuff with the house empty.”
“That’s still not cool, dude. I mean, it’s your home.”
I shrugged as I leaned over the railing and peered into the pond. “I never really lived here. He’s always out of town, and my mom is always gone because she goes to school and works.”
“Let’s go to your mom’s house then. You have a key for that, right?”
“Of course, but then I would have to explain to my cousin Michelle why I’m not at school, and she’s married to a cop, man. Think about it.” Talk time was over. “I say we hang at Milton’s garage. He’s working on some sweet wheels, and he’s been teaching me some things about cars.”
My friends agreed right away, but I had the sneaking suspicion they were eager to go anywhere that wasn’t a total drag. At least at Milton’s you could sit in a cool muscle car. We might even score some beer if we’re lucky.
Part 4: The Porch
…an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
I didn’t get home until after dark, but it wasn’t a big deal. On most nights, no one noticed, and if they did, I’d say I was with Jeff or Jade. They’d accept that answer pretty easily, and life would go on.
My mom wouldn’t be home from the hospital for a couple hours, so I plopped down on the front steps of the porch. The day hadn’t been bad, but I wasn’t exactly ready to face uncle Jarah yet. He was going through something again. I got up early every morning to make sure he was okay.
This morning was no different. I grimaced as I thought about how I’d followed him around for an hour before leaving for school with a bowl of ice cream, just begging him to take a bite.
Maybe tomorrow, he’d be better. You never knew.
The neighbor guy next door came outside on his porch. He did this every night around the same time for a smoke. It was the only time I ever saw him smoking, so I thought maybe he was sneaking it while his wife put the kids to bed or something.
The night air was chilly, yet I didn’t bother going inside to eat or see about uncle Jarah. Maybe I’m not a good person for being tired of things the way they are. Even so, I can’t seem to change how I feel.
And, to be honest, I think Michelle, Morrie, and my parents give me way too much leash even though I’d be pissed if they shortened it even an inch. It’s just the thought, I guess.
How can you have this many adults in your life without any of them knowing or caring where you are?
Note from Kymber
Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by to read! I hope you enjoyed hearing from Kai. I’m anxious to hear what you think about our next heir.
Thank you for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting,
Oh, it’s good to read the first excerpt from Kai, and also when I’ve read a whole lot of his gen already. I’m so sorry Kara taking too many responsibilites onto her has taken a toll on her son. He seems so lost.
Thank you, Jowita. Wow, you sure read a lot! Again, it’s soooo good to see you again. My heart did a little leap when I saw you’d been by. 🙂
Kai was definitely lost during his teen years. Kara needed to do what it took to become a nurse, but it did take a toll on Kai.
You write a lot of “thank you, Jowita”‘s, too, don’t you? 😛 I’m so happy to see you too, I remember coming by your blog when you had your big break and worrying you won’t ever come back to simlit. You know I’ve always loved your story. So I thought it was only good if I get to read it properly and not little bits. I did read a lot today and I’m so tired. But I try to get by as fast as I can, hence why my comments are so short. I think I will end my reading at the end of Kara’s gen, though, I’m just so tired from looking at the screen.
I do write thank you, Jowita a lot! hahaha I stopped doing it after a time. LOL 😛😛
Hey, I can understand that. It can be very tiring on the eyes to stare at the computer for long periods of time. I thought your comments were really good and I appreciate the time you took to binge and comment.
I’m so glad you are back.
Much love xoxo
Ooops, I missed this chapter for some reason! Now everything makes perfect sense.
Kai feels like it wouldn’t make a difference to anyone if he disappeared, which of course isn’t true but… parents need to show to their children they care.
It’s so strange that Bram and Kara love each other so much, yet they can’t really be in a relationship. I wonder what stops them?
The situation is less than ideal. Kara and Bram are still at loose ends with their relationship. It seems their lives are too busy for them to figure out where they stand as a couple. They both need to stop for a minute and smell the coffee. LOL. It’s so great that Bram got his cookbook published.
I have a feeling Kai is asking for trouble. Left to his own devices isn’t good, and he’s going to wind up In some real trouble if things don’t change. And Jarah…that guy needs intense help that he’s not getting. That’s going to end in disaster unless something is done. Let’s hope things improve, but I have a feeling this is the proverbial calm before the storm.
I hope things will change for Kai once Kara is out of school. I understand he feels like no one cares. Hopefully that will get better soon.
Thank you, Heather. 🙂 I hope things will change for Kai soon, too. You’re right that he feels like no one cares. I think Kara would be upset to know he thinks that.
[…] Did you miss Wednesdays’ chapter? Catch it here: 7.20: Dear Diary, Time Jump & Progress […]
That last statement hits home. Kids really do want guidance or to know someone cares. I remember a time when I put my foot down with my daughter and said “No” to an event she was begging me to attend. Once her friends were gone, she thanked me.
Thank you, Yes, I so believe what you say is true. And, I remember having instances like that with my own parents when I was a kid, and with my own kids, too. My parents always said if I needed to make them the excuse, I could.
I think poor Kai feels a bit neglected and in need of some love. It must be hard for him with everyone busy all the time or not in good mental health. I hope things look up for him soon!!
Thank you, Raymond. 🙂 You’re right about Kai. I hope things look up for him soon, too.
Wow! If it weren’t for the fact my teenage journal went missing from the trunk I kept it in down in the basement, I’d swear you read it. You really nailed that young teen boy angst with girls. I remember those days and have to smile. My fascination with those girls that smiled back was only surpassed by my complete ignorance of how to be cool and sophisticated like some of the other guys. I have stories of epic failures. It took a long time to master my dark gothic steampunk vampire persona with a love for Dragons that worried our dog, Brownie tremendously. Great chapter. You hit some very authentic challenges families and individuals face while trying to keep it all together.
LOL Thank you. 😀 I’m glad I was able to capture this in a relatable way. I was pretty much going on something my dad told me when I was a teenager; about how it was hard to approach girls because they always hovered around in groups. lol As long as your dark gothic steampunk vampire persona with a love for dragons is intact now, that’s all that matters. 😀
Yes indeed, all of my personalities are well integrated now. One of the things I learned was to trust and make friends with my girlfriend’s best friend. She was the one that carried messages back and forth and approved our friendship. Without a girl’s BFF approval, I didn’t stand a chance. Also, making a good impression on fathers was critical. I always explained that I was studying to be a scientist where I hoped to pursue a noble life and to have my girlfriend home before the deadline 10 minutes early. I avoided a lot of angry dad issues that way. Of course, mistakes were made. That’s why I remained without an heir to the family dynasty until age 27. 😏🤓
That is awesome. That’s a good point about having the girl’s BFF’s approval. You won’t get anywhere without that, it’s true. And, yes to fathers. You were very smart with them. There’s an heir now, that’s all that matters. LOL 😀
Ha haha! My son just doesn’t know how hard I studied to get him here and then keep him from getting himself removed from the gene pool due to excessive mischief.
LOLOL Ooooh, too funny! 😀
Kids, right?
You’re sooo right 😂😂
🙃😂😂
I have a picture of me teaching him how to properly pick his nose. These are important male traits so I started him as early as possible. It turns out he was far better at passing gas than picking his nose. Well, we take our victories where we can.
lol What a great dad you are! 😀 My dad taught me how to play baseball, and how to punch. haha 😀
You had a great dad! I’m glad he didn’t read the same child rearing book I did. Thankfully, when my daughters came along, I had learned my lesson and they learned art, music, and financial management using hands on experience with real money. I also told them if they were ever mistreated by a boy to beat him up and then no boys would ever bother them again. You have to show young boys who the real Alpha is then everything works well after that. 🦹🏻♀️🙅🏻♂️
That sounds familiar! lol My dad ran through everything a boy might say or try. lol Once my older sister was being picked on by some boys at the park (which was just behind our back yard and visible from our kitchen window). They were throwing mud pies at her and she was crying. My dad came running out of the house and I watched as he jumped the fence. Those boys saw him coming and departed rather quickly. LOLOL Later, when I was about seven, a boy picked on my older sister at the bus stop and I bent my Big Bird umbrella right over his head. The bus driver was pulling up and sent me home. But when I told my dad what happened, I wasn’t in trouble. He went over and had a talk with the boy’s parents. lol
This made my day Kymber.😊 You had the dad every daughter should have. And you were an awesome little sister if you sacrificed your Big Bird umbrella to protect your older sister. That’s the way it’s done. If some guy wanted to date my sister, he had to get my approval first. My sister still laughs about me trying to be her body guard. My older brother and I watch dogged our two sisters all the time so my dad had it pretty easy. He had to keep an eye on me tho. Mischief could break out in a moment’s notice.
I’m so glad it made your day. 😀 The sacrifice was real. lolol I’m glad your sisters had you. I always wanted a brother but it was just us girls.
My sisters will testify that having two brothers taught them how to deal with pesky people with no social grace. It wasn’t until later in life they realized all men are the same and so they were able to manage pesky men with no social grace without any problems at all. I hope they never write an autobiography. It would totally reveal why my mother called me Dammit Dan! 🤣
LOLOLOL Oh, how funny. Now, that’s an autobiography I need to read! xo
I think you would get a kick out of it. I have always enjoyed an adventurous life and my mother just wanted me to be considerate of others especially her because when she checked my pants pockets occasionally there were frogs or lizards I had just made friends with that day. ☺️🦎😳
Awww that’s awesome and so is adventure. 😀 I, too, collected little friends once in a while.
LOL 😂 I know just how fun that was to meet a new creature and enjoy their company, at least until dinner. I always wondered if the frogs and lizards had as much fun as I did.
Yes! I felt guilty and tried to take them back where I found them because I was afraid their momma’s would miss them lol Then there was the garter snake I threw at my sister that one time. She screamed so loud! I was my mother’s exasperation, and a tom-boy through and through. lol 😀
Snake charming and you had a Big Bird umbrella too. You were totally cool before cool made it to school. I bet you probably got a few Dammit Kymbers like I got Dammit Dans. I’m positive it was a term of endearment. 😉
LOL My mom never swore, but I bet she wanted to. 😂
Ha ha ha! My mother tried so hard to be a shining example and to me she was, but apparently since she didn’t drink alcohol, I forced her to use her only curse word, Dammit. She never used this word frivolously. No, she reserved it for my most rascally moments. 😁
hahahaha!! I always imagined what she might say to me if she finally just let loose. 😂
I’m sure it would be kind words firmly pronounced. 😁
Bwaaahaaaahaaa! 😂 Okay, I just snorted. Only a little.
Heh heh heee! It’s okay if you snorted a little. I don’t feel like the Lone Snorter anymore. Recently, I donated my thoracic spine to medical science to see if a certain type of massage therapy could lower dependence on medication. At the clinic the young student practitioner was to be graded on her technique and since I go everywhere my spine goes, I told the young lady and her grader that if I snorted she should get an A+. She made me snort three times, she passed her exam, and I was pain free for three weeks. I never underestimate the power of a good snort well applied. 😴🤭
I’m so glad it last 3 weeks! What a smart thing to do, donate your spine, I mean. 🙂 I see what you’re saying about snorting and now, I’m definitely all for it. 😂
I go regularly to physical therapy and chiropractic care along with visits to the Bone Doc and I found out about the school that does massage therapy for free. It really works to keep me and my spine happy and well adjusted without drugs. I read somewhere that when an INFJ snort laughs it’s just their deep intellect outgassing. 🤣💨 we are obviously in that Deep intellect group and I bet Cesare would agree.
That’s great that the massage therapy is free and it helps, too. You can’t get much better than that. And the INFJ snort laughs? I totally believe it! Cesare, of course, says he knew it all along.
Cesare is my hero. I want to be just like him when I grow up. I will admit that I’m a little freaky about people touching me. I had to have several doctors recommend massage therapy before I tried it and it was instant relief from those entrapped nerves. I couldn’t walk without a cane and just one session with the Chiropractor and the massage therapist and my life was changed. Now, I am in well baby check up mode to keep everything happily balanced out. Honestly, going from looking for a good wheelchair to looking for good trail running shoes has made a believer out of me. Staying healthy is far more than just going for check ups. So yes, even us hard headed stubborn folks can learn new things.
Oh my gosh! It’s like we’re twins! I’m really freaky about people touching me, too. Is that an INFJ thing? lol I’m really impressed by how much it’s helped you. That’s wonderful!
LOL, we are twins. I’m convinced. I think it is an INFJ thing. We like our space and we like to control who jumps into our circle. You can probably read my mind from way over there where you are. I’d say it would be too scary for a normal person to wander around in my brain mansion but you would probably get a kick out of it cause you would recognize most of what you saw.
I know that’s right. LOLOL So, both my dad and my son are INFJ’s, too. And, I knew that before they took the test. lol
Wow! I’ve never heard of a family of INFJ’s You might possibly be the most powerful family on the planet. Three generations, the triumvirate of deep ocean thought and boundless creativity. I felt it in my bones that you were the perfect partner to take over the world and save it from itself. I recently connected with Dot, a true and wonderful Dragon Sister INFJ. We are assembling on WP like a true superhero group. I may just start an INFJ WP café where we can all meet and plot against the evil forces of CHAOS or trade secrets to happy INFJ life. And get this, we all love cats so Cesare will get spoiled rotten if he hangs out with us.
I love that! What a great idea! Cesare is definitely all for this idea. 😀
Okay, I’m gonna do it. I’ll start putting it together. Do you want to be a co author? I have to get Cesare as the CEO if he approves. I’m think a Digital café theme where INFJ’s hang out and tell cool INFJ stories, show off any creative talent and all around good fun. Any ideas?
Woot! This sounds like fun. As long as Cesare thinks he’s in charge, he’ll be fine. hahaha What does co-author entail? I’m afraid I’m not very clever. You are the one with all the super great ideas. 😀
Co Author means you can log into the website as an administrator and post anything you want. It would be like your own blog. You can have full rights or limited rights based on your comfort level. That just means with full rights you can change anything you want. with limited rights you can post anything but not change the website except for your own content. So in effect we would both be moderators and Cesare could boss us around.
Cesare is going to do that regardless. hahaha 😀 This sounds like an interesting venture. I will follow your lead.
Okay. When it’s ready to view, I’ll send you a link and password if needed. Then you can see if you or Cesare want to make any changes. I was thinking since INFJ people need alone time after we fill up with people and noise experiences, I could make the website invisible so no one could find us and bother us, but then again…..🤔
LOL You guessed it, I just snort laughed. 😀 You can use my contact page to send me the link if you want. Do you have a Facebook? If so, I can send you a link to my profile.
I don’t have face book. Just instagram with three followers, LOL. No worries. This is gonna work great or my name isn’t Snuffleupagus! 😁
Uh oh. 😂😂😂
Your invitation to join the INFJ Cafe went out. I hope it didn’t get lost in the interweb cuz I just winged it out there. 🙂
Excellent! I’m sure it’s great! 😀
I hope so! It could be fun if it catches on. At first everyone got a page not found and I finally figured out that the sub pages were public and the home page was still private. I think it’s fixed now. Work in progress!
I think it will be a lot of fun, too. It looked fixed, and good to me. I shot you an email. 😀
Awesome! We certainly aren’t locked in to anything. We’ll have fun.
Right on 😀
🧛🏻♂️🧛♀️🐈. Now we can wear our vampire costumes and look totally normal.
IKR? No one will think a thing of it. 😀
Muwaaa haa haaa! That’s the best part 😎😎
I know that’s right! 😀 😀
So, I finally managed to get to the reading. It seems to me like things are… not great. Especially for Kai. I can see how it’d be hard to live with Jarah and with both parents being away as much as they are. Kara and Bram also don’t seem to have really figured out their relationship yet or am I wrong in assuming that? I can only hope things will look up for them soon, but then you are a writer and you need that juicy drama, ha, ha. 😁
Lovely chapter as always, Kym. 😊❤
Thank you so much, Louise. 🙂 It’s really good to see you! ❤ You’ve summed it up right, your assumptions are not wrong. Hopefully, though, even though I’m a writer, things will work out soon. haha
Time jumps always make me a little melancholic. Maybe the conversation between Bram and Kara kinda has that undertone always. Oh Kai … 🙂
Thank you so much. I can see why the time jumps feel melancholic. I totally agree that the conversation between Bram and Kara had that undertone.
Team sports give me a rash. I don’t have the time for that kind of cooperation. LOL
Why do Morrie and Michelle still live with them? I thought Morrie lived across the street.
LOL Thank you, Jes. 😀 Ooooh, that is a good question which is, I think answered in the next chapter. But I’ll just tell you. They do live across the street, but when Kara can afford it, Michelle cleans her house for her. So, Kai doesn’t really know which days Michelle will be there. Sometimes Michelle and/or Morrie are there to help with Jarah, too.
Ohhhh
😀 😀 😀
He’s such a teenager. Seriously. But also, so relatable.
I really wish Bram and Kara would work things out eventually.
Thank you, Violincat. It would definitely be good if they did. I alike your assessment of Kai, btw. 🙂
I love time jumps!
Kai seems quite different from the other heirs. I’m looking forward to getting to know him!
Thank you, CT. YAY! I’m glad he seems different. I look forward to exploring his voice some more. 😀
Aww!!! I want to wrap Kai in my arms and never let him go!😭
Thank you, Hillary. I know what you mean. I feel the same way.
Oh Kai … he’s actually probably pretty smart if he can skip school and still keep his grades up. He just wants someone to pay attention to him. It’s too bad he feels somewhat responsible for Jarah and his issues. He knows he has too much freedom, it doesn’t want his leash shortened. If the adults paid attention, he probably wouldn’t notice. I’m surprised Kara hasn’t realized what her absence is doing to him. I admire her pursuit of an education, but really, if she weren’t so stubborn, she could p’ve waited until he was a bit older. And Bram, I want to kick his behind for not being around more. He has the means to be there and chooses not to because Kara pushes him away. Those two know what growing up alone feels,like and yet Kai is essentially doing the same thing with absentee parents. *sigh*. 😭. If Kara and Bram could’ve come together before now, it would’ve been different. I almost think it’s too late for Kai even if they do find their way back to each other.
Thank you, Audrey. You’re so right about Kai and the situation with his parents. I hope it’s not too late for him. Let’s hope Kara and Bram realize what’s going on with him soon.