[knock on the door]
Macadamia: I'll get it.
Lavender (from upstairs): Okay, I'll be down in a minute.
[opens door]
Macadamia: Oh, hello, how can I help you?
??: H-Hi, Macadamia...Mr. Snow...my name is Almond.
Macadamia: Please, call me Mac. It's nice to meet you, Almond. What brings you here?
Almond: Well, sir...Mac, I'm here because I wanted to meet you. I'm your son.
Macadamia: My son?
Almond: Yes, sir. My mother was a fan of yours back in the day.
Macadamia: I see. Hmmm...I suppose that's possible.
I stand there in confusion. Who is his mother? I know I slept with a lot of women before Lavender, but I just can't figure it out. I believe him; I can see he's telling the truth, and I do see the resemblance between the two of us.
Macadamia: Well, I'm glad you reached out to me...son. Come here.
I pull him into a hug. Poor kid. I wish I knew about him, I would have been involved in his life.
Almond: So, you believe me?
Macadamia: Yes, I can tell you're mine just by looking at you. Welcome to the family.
I can see the relief on his face. He was stressing out about this,; I could tell the moment I saw him.
Almond: *smiles* Thanks...Dad. Can I get a picture?
Macadamia: Yes, of course. You're family now; you don't need to be so formal.
Lavender (coming downstairs and around the corner): Who is it, honey? Oh...a fan, I presume?
Macadamia: Lav, this young man is my son, Almond.
Lavender: Oh, I see. *smiles* He looks like you...a little bit. Nice to meet you, Almond. I'm Lavender, your father's wife.
Almond: Hi, Lavender. Can I call you that...or..?
Lavender: Lavender is fine. Come on in, make yourself at home.
Lavender's POV
Almond stayed for a little while and met his brother and sister. He politely made his exit, clearly overwhelmed. He's a sweet kid, and very nervous. I would probably feel the same in that situation. After he left, I found Mac outside on the balcony.
Lavender: What's wrong, Mac?
Macadamia: I didn't even know. I feel like such a bad father. I wish I could have been in his life, ya know?
Lavender: I get it. I'd want the same thing. You wouldn't have known about Chantilly if we hadn't run into each other in town.
Macadamia: That's true. Are you mad?
Lavender: About the kid? No, of course not. He's a teenager, obviously he was born before you and I met, when you were still living the bachelor life. I'm not angry with you. The past is the past, nothing can change that.
Macadamia: Good, I was worried. I don't want to upset you again.
Lavender: I love you, Mac. Something like that isn't going to make me leave you, relax. At this point, I'm not going anywhere, no matter what stupid things you do.
Macadamia: Gee, thanks. You make it sound like I do stupid things all the time.
Lavender: Well, you kinda do.
Macadamia: Yeah, I guess you're right.
I hug him from behind, and I feel his tension melt away. He was truely freaking out that I would yell at him about this. We stayed out there for a while, just enjoying the nice weather and the quiet of the night.
.........................................................................................................................................................
This week we had several visitors. My brother, Astro, came by while he was in town. It feels like forever since I'd seen him, yet he's the same goofy kid that he's always been.
Later in the week, my old friends Cocoa, Poppy and Merlot stopped by. It was really nice to have the gang together like old times.
Lavender: Hey, guys, great to see you. Come on in.
Cocoa: Damn, nice house, Lav. I'm jealous.
Lavender: Hah, thanks. This is my daughter, Chantilly, and the little one is Aster.
Chantilly: Hi!
Cocoa: Hi, sweetie. You're a pretty little thing aren't you? I remember when you were just a little baby, you've grown so much since then.
Macadamia: Hey, Poppy. I remember you from the show. It's nice to see you again.
Poppy: Yeah, I remember. I was such a little fangirl back then. Merlot was a good sport about it, thankfully. I probably couldn't handle it if the roles were reversed.
Macadamia: I don't blame you.
Poppy: Hey, Lavender. I can't believe how much everything's changed. You are sure living the life now, huh?
Lavender: I know, it's changed a lot, but I haven't changed...much. A little less naive, less obsessive maybe, but the same more or less.
(Aster comes out of nowhere)
Aster: Hewwo. Me Aster.
Poppy: Oh! Why hello there, Aster. Where did you come from? What a little cutie you are.
Aster: I hide good, yeah?
Poppy: Yes, very good. (to Lavender) He's so precious. He I can see a bit of you in him.
Lavender: Yeah, I see it too. My little mischievous kiddo. You should bring your girls by sometime. They'd like that.
Poppy: Yeah, maybe next time.
The three of them hung out for a few hours before they had to head back home. I was glad we were able to catch up. I really miss having them around all the time. Sometimes life just gets in the way and makes it hard to put time aside for friends especially when we live a couple hours apart, so I'm happy they're still around when I need them.
.............................................................................................................................................................
Since that day, both of the kids had birthdays. Chantilly is now a teenager, and Aster is a child. I'm really starting to feel old.
They're growing before my very eyes, and honestly I'm not ready to see them go off on their own.
I need to savor the next years while I can.
<-- Chapter 9-7
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