Dear Chloe and Lola

[pascal_curious]

Dear Chloe and Lola,

 

So much has been going on here lately that I am afraid that I have neglected keeping up with you. I realize it is probably a foolish endeavor on my part, as every letter I send has been returned. I still have hope that one of my letters will make it into your hands.

 

Some of the excitement has been due to Jenny’s graduating high school. She graduated with honors and has been accepted SSU for the fall semester. She has gotten a summer job at the market in town. She doesn’t like the job very much, but she works hard anyway. She has already gotten a raise and promoted to key-carrier. I’m not completely comfortable with her closing up the store late at nights. She assures me she is safe and never leaves the store alone. She is still volunteering at the nursing home when she is not working and, despite the fact that her summer schedule seems to be very full, she still finds time for a boyfriend. I don’t really know much about this boy, but she seems to be very smitten with him. As her father I am, of course, going to worry. I feel very uneasy about her relationship with a boy that she has refused to introduce to us after 2 months of dating him. All we know about him is that his name is John. I have interrogated the boys about this mystery boyfriend, but none of the boys have met him either, and don’t think she met him at school. Jenny has such a bright future ahead of her, I hope she doesn’t get too deeply involved and ruin the opportunities she has work so hard to acquire.

 

Pascal finished his first year of senior high school without much incident. He has excellent grades and is taking as may advance courses as he can. He works very hard and I am very proud of him. He is extremely smart, but doesn’t have Lazlo’s ability to just float through life and be good at everything he does. Pascal has to work at it, and he really does throw himself into his work. I sometimes worry because he does not seem to have much of a social life. To him it is all about getting good grades so he can get into a good college and have a good future. Now that summer is here he is relaxing a little. He and Vidcund like to go camping overnights and play Dungeons and Dragons with their group of friends. I have a feeling that there is a bit of mischief they get into that I don’t know about, but I don’t worry to much. They are good kids and I don’t see them getting into any serious trouble. Their favorite campsite is not too far from the house, only about a 10 minute hike. I can look out the window in the evenings and see their little campfire glowing on the horizon. I fell better knowing that they are close enough to home that I can be there quickly if something should happen. Soon Lazlo will be old enough that his brothers won’t be embarrassed to have him tagging along. I have a feeling that the house will be all to quiet with the three of them gone on their little adventures.

 

Vidcund surprised me this school year by announcing that he wanted to try out for the Junior Varsity football team. His brothers and sister are not really the athletic type. I think that Vidcund is trying to set himself apart from his siblings as much as he can. Both Kitty and I were very surprised when he made the team as a backup quarterback. 

He never showed much interest in sports, other than watching them on TV. This is the first thing I have seen him really apply himself to, other than girls. I‘m sure being popular with girls had something to do with his desire to be on the team. 

I’d like to see him continue pursuing football when he goes to Senior High next year. It will be more of a challenge for him, but I know he is up to it. At least I know that he will be staying out of trouble for the duration of football season.

 

I am a little worried about Kitty these days. I know she really isn’t feeling like her usual self. She has lost a good amount of weight over the past few months and, while she is not an unhealthy weight, I am still concerned. When I asked her about it she told me that she is trying to “stay young and beautiful” for me. I know she has been feeling tired more often. I sometimes come home in the evenings to find her asleep on the sofa. I realize that it could just be middle age creeping up on her but normally she wouldn’t let something as trivial (her words not mine) as exhaustion keep her from being there for our children. I have asked her to take the time to visit her doctor but she says she is fine and just not as young as she used to be. She is always too busy being “Super Mom” to take time for herself. The boys are now getting old enough that she soon won’t have any excuses to neglect herself. It is time for some of us to dote on her for a change.

 

I hope that you are both well, and your mother also. I know you will be looking forward to beginning your next year of university, but don’t forget to enjoy yourselves this summer. Being successful and having a bright future is important, but not all that there is to life. Don’t work away your youth. Enjoy yourselves, there will be plenty of time to work in the future. I don’t want you to have as many regrets as I have.

 

Your loving father,

 

Glarn Curious

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[pascal-curious.livejournal.com]

For three days I tried to find a teen football uniform with no luck. Younz are just gonna hafta pretend Vidcund is a teen in that one football picture.

[iliveforsleep.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a very sweet letter and I see you envision Pascal has having always been more of a loner. I was getting sad reading the bit about Kitty. It is one of those things where I know what is coming (to a point) and I am not looking forward to it, but I know it has to happen.

[pascal-curious.livejournal.com]

I'm not really looking forward to the part about Kitty. It will probably be hard for me to write. I had a hard time deciding what exactly how I wanted it to be. I wish I could have left that part out, but it is too important in a lot of ways. Vidcund is going to take the whole thing the hardest, but you probably already knew that.

[petalbrook.livejournal.com]

I love the flashbacks into the past life of the Curious family, but they also make me sad for Chloe & Lola.