Chapter 3: The Tevellyn House

Bridget rubbed the sleep from her eyes, hoping the plastic over the insulation had kept any harmful dust out of her eyes and lungs as she slept. It had been their first night in the new building that would eventually grow into their main house. For now, though, it was just a newly insulated room that they’d hurriedly moved their bed and night stands into.

Bridget was eager to get the drywall and painting done as soon as possible; ideally within the week, despite how busy the season was for the garden. It had been two months since her last period, and she was fairly certain they’d soon be meeting the consequences of their cohabitation – or perhaps one of their many sleepovers before Altman moved in.
They wanted a family, and sure enough, they were getting one! It wasn’t long before Bridget had to trade her usual overalls for loose-fitting dresses and the race was on to get the house ready for a new arrival.

It was also an especially important season for the garden. Autumn meant big harvests, fallen leaves to collect and mix into the compost, and fertilizing the soil before it became covered in snow. Bridget spent as much time as possible getting her hands dirty, but she knew she couldn’t do it all herself with their new family member on the way.

In anticipation of her make-shift ‘maternity leave,’ Bridget showed her new husband the ropes of the garden and her composting system. If they had food going bad in the fridge or plants dying, she’d toss it into the bin attached to the sprinkler system. “You know I hate to waste anything,” she’d say with a smile. After some time in the composter, they could use their scraps as fertilizer. Before winter arrived, they would need to generously distribute this combination of ‘black gold’ and colored leaves to replenish the soil for next year’s crops.

“Can you put meat or fish in there?” Altman asked once.

“Well, meat and fish can be tricky,” Bridget explained. “Since this is a metal, lined bin, it probably wouldn’t attract too many pests. But it’s still best to only use pre-cooked meat and run it through the food processor before tossing it in, to help minimize bad bacteria.”

“I used to love fishing, you know,” Altman reminisced. “As a kid, with my dad.”

“Oh?” Bridget smiled at him. “You’ve never mentioned that.”

“I was pretty good at it, actually.”

“There’s a fishing spot up in the hills, but I haven’t had a chance to go check it out.”

“Really?” Altman’s eyes lit up. “Some of our plants would really benefit from having those extra nutrients in their fertilizer,” she smiled at him again.

That adventure would have to wait, though, as the months leading up to the birth were busy ones. As Bridget’s belly grew, Altman had to look after the crops more and more as well as put the finishing touches on their new building and assembling furniture for the baby. They started small; it was a simple one-room building where the family would sleep. For now, the original cabin would continue to serve as the kitchen and bathroom. They didn’t have a lot to spend, but it was plenty spacious enough for Bridget’s bedroom set, a new loveseat and the woodland-inspired crib and bookshelf Bridget had picked out.

Phase 2 would add a bathroom and a proper bedroom. Once their bedroom furniture was out of the way, Bridget and Altman could move the kitchen so that the original cabin could serve as a studio, office or kids’ playroom. For now, though, they would have to settle for their two one-room buildings, because the baby wasn’t going to wait any longer!

After a miraculously easy at-home labor, Bridget and Altman welcomed Emery Tevellyn into the world.

-----

The next baby didn’t want to wait either; they made their presence known before Emery’s 1st birthday. Bridget and Altman bought Emery a few toys to celebrate, but most of their spend went towards a high chair and a second crib, which would stay near the kitchen next to Bridget’s easel, until the next baby arrived.

“I told you she looks like you,” Bridget mused while making pancakes a few weeks after Emery’s birthday.

Altman smiled. “She does, doesn’t she? I thought maybe as she’d get older she’d start looking more like you, and she’d just have my coloring.”

“Seeing your skin tone, eyes, hair color, nose and face shape wasn’t enough to convince you?” Bridget laughed.

She scooped up two pancakes with the spatula and put them on a plate for Altman. He grabbed a fork and paused, looking at his plate.

“I’m not upset,” Bridget bumped her shoulder into his playfully. “I love it, you know. I wanted to have kids with you, not clones of myself.”

Altman looked a little relieved. He kissed Bridget’s cheek, then took his food to the table.

“Besides,” Bridget added. “I want at least four more – one of them is bound to look more like me.”

Altman nearly choked on his pancakes. “Four more?!”

“At least,” Bridget glanced over to make sure he wasn’t actually choking, then returned her focus to the pancakes. “They’re apple, are they okay?”

Altman’s coughing tapered off. “At least four more?” he wheezed. Before moving in, kids had come up in conversation and he learned that Bridget shared his desire to have a family. What they hadn’t discussed was how much of a family she wanted.

“Oh, goodness, was that what made you choke?” Bridget asked earnestly. “I thought I put too much apple in the pancakes, I’ve just been craving apples and carbs… I think I’ll put peanut butter on mine…” she trailed off, distracted by her brilliant idea and a sudden urgency to find the peanut butter jar.

Altman calmed his voice before he spoke again, but he was holding his fork firmly upright. “Bridget, you want at least 5 children?”

Emery stirred in her crib and started whimpering. Altman put down his fork, got up, walked over and scooped Emery out of her crib. “It’s alright baby girl, mommy is just talking nonsense,” he turned back to Bridget. “You want at least 5 kids?!” he shout-whispered at her.

Bridget was trying not to laugh; she could see Altman was genuinely shocked and freaking out a little. If it weren’t for his sharp tone, she might not have picked up on his panic. His eyes were wide, but almost looked glazed over. The combination made it clear that he was having trouble wrapping his head around the idea.

“We have two one-room cabins!” Altman added, bouncing Emery lightly. She snuggled into his shoulder. “Why are you smiling like that?!”

It was in times like these that Bridget’s broad sense of humor worked against her. Despite her best efforts, she still hadn’t reclaimed a straight face.

“Was it a joke? Oh,” Altman sighed. “Oh, it was a joke… Scared me half to death.”

His words put an end to Bridget’s struggle; a more neutral expression came naturally now. But when her brow furrowed while she tried to find her next words…

“Ohh Watcher, it wasn’t a joke,” Altman’s eyes grew wide and he started bouncing the baby again. Emery’s eyes widened, too; her head was jerked away from her father’s shoulder as she unwillingly wobbled around in his arm. “Mommy wants a lot more babies, Em, you hearing this craziness?”

“Alt, calm down,” Bridget finally said softly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to spring this on you. I want a big family… We’ll figure out the money. With both of us gardening and if you start fishing, we’ll have plenty of food to feed ourselves and money to expand the house. Emery has barely cost us anything so far… We’ll be fine.”

Altman thought it over and slowly stopped bouncing Emery. She seemed happy about this and settled back into his shoulder.

“Okay,” he finally said. He didn’t seem entirely convinced. “But we need to take a bit of a break after this one is born… build out the house a bit before we have a third, alright?”

Bridget beamed at him. “I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you too,” Altman laughed uneasily.

He put Emery in her high chair. Bridget grabbed some homemade baby food out of the fridge and served it to her. Emery gurgled happily and tried to scoop it with her hands. Both parents watched her, smiling. Bridget rested a hand on her stomach. ‘We will be fine,’ she reassured herself.

Altman’s logical nature was a good balance for Bridget’s passionate, but sometimes impulsive one. Where Altman used his head, Bridget followed her heart. It was part of what they admired about each other and why they worked so well. When Bridget was feeling overwhelmed or emotional, Altman was her voice of reason, and when Altman was anxious about a lack of information or how to deal with his feelings, Bridget could calmly comfort and support him.

But Bridget was confident in her desire to have a big family, and even more so when she looked into her children’s eyes. As Emery happily bobbed around on the floor nearby, Bridget held Matthew close and watched his little eyelids struggling to decide whether to stay open or closed. His tiny lips hung open and his voice came out in soft coos every few breaths. Seeing them… being with them... Bridget knew she would make things work. Some financial stress and other bumps in the road would be inevitable, but all the strife and struggle in the world would be worth it to give her children the life she dreamed about in this beautiful place.

-----

Bridget and Altman didn’t have to think very much about delaying their next pregnancy. There simply wasn’t enough time, energy or privacy for them to spoil each other as much as they used to. They prioritized generating income and time with their children, but they fit in time for themselves where they could.

As much as Altman loved reading, it didn’t pay the bills. Instead of relaxing in bed with a book, he often got up early to go fishing. During the warmer months, he went to Cinnamon Crest Falls, near their home. He went fishing less as it got colder, but even if the pond at the Falls had frozen, he would sometimes take his gear all the way down to the river’s edge at the other side of town for a much-needed break. The community garden was Bridget’s place for respite. Her trips were usually in the evening and like Altman, her trips were less frequent in the colder months, but she went year-round. The visits kept her from going stir crazy or missing the plants too much. As strange as it was, Altman had seen Bridget talk to her plants from time to time and found it rather endearing. She cared about each and every one of her plants as though they were her pets, and her deep care for living things was part of what he loved about her.

It became routine for them to wake up early so Bridget could start on the gardening work while Altman went out to fish. He’d return to get the kids up and fed breakfast, then entertain Emery until Bridget was ready to take over in the afternoon. After lunch, it was story time, and they could get through a book or two while Bridget did some quick cleaning around the house. Bridget didn’t mind cleaning up the fallout from lunchtime when she could hear Altman reading with Emery. She loved hearing the way his voice changed when he spoke through a smile. He was almost always smiling when he was talking to Emery, but especially when he would read to her.

-----

Emery and Matthew made parenting look almost easy. They slept well, their hunger was fairly predictable, and they were sweet, affectionate kids. Emery became a bit more precocious the more words she learned, and Matthew became more of a trouble-maker the more mobile he became. But overall, Altman thought they must have been some of the luckiest parents in the world to have such great kids.

Since they were so well-behaved, Bridget and Altman had found the time to work on improvements to the house, including the addition of a small hallway area for extra play space and more room for the cribs. The new bathroom was coming along nicely; the outer walls were finished with time to spare before winter set in, which would mean they could focus on the interior while the crops and fish were dormant.

The kids having their own space and playing so well together in combination with their parents’ desire to cozy up in the cold winter months had an unplanned consequence, though.

Bridget was pregnant again, so they had to adjust their renovation plans. Bridget and Altman’s master bedroom would have to wait.

They finished the bathroom over the winter, then began framing walls for another bedroom. Instead of the master next to the bathroom, though, it was for a small bedroom off the play area for the kids. It was ready by the end of the following summer – just in time before the baby arrived.

Bridget gave birth to another beautiful baby girl, who they named Aria. True to her name, Aria was a much noisier baby than her older siblings. Her happy gurgling and singing were fine for the most part, but hours of non-stop baby sounds were bound to annoy everyone once in a while.

With little argument from Emery and Matthew, the new bedroom became Aria’s while the toddlers shared the main room with their parents. Emery would need a proper bed soon, but until then, it was better for everyone’s sanity to have the baby in her own space while she enjoyed the sounds of her not-so-little voice. Since they still didn’t have a master bedroom, Bridget and Altman had no privacy. They were constantly “on call” for parent duty with two walking, talking toddlers – that got along especially well when they were getting into trouble – and a baby that made it difficult to know when she needed something or was just making noise. It especially weighed on Bridget; it was taking longer for her to lose the baby weight and it was clear that she wasn’t as happy. She was still a great mom, but Altman was worried that she felt even worse than she was letting on.

Altman decided to prioritize getting the master bedroom built. It would mean skipping a few fishing trips, but also gave him the perfect excuse to get Bridget outside and focused on the garden since he could watch the kids while he worked. Getting dirt under her nails would do her good. He wasn’t concerned about her weight, but he knew she was happier when she was healthier, which meant more active. In addition to reconnecting with the earth at home, Altman also encouraged Bridget to take more trips down to the community garden. His encouragement was effective, and he thanked the Watcher that Bridget was back to her happy, healthy self by the time Emery’s birthday came around. Things weren’t about to slow down – with no school in town yet, Bridget and Altman would have to make sure Emery had every opportunity to learn practical skills that would support her through her life and help her earn a living.

Emery excitedly blew out her candles, eager to start her childhood. Based on the books her dad had read to her, childhood was sure to be full of new adventures, going places and learning new things! She took to painting right away, but wasn’t quite old enough for gardening with her mom or going fishing with her dad.

With the master bedroom nearly complete, Bridget and Altman moved Aria’s crib back into the hallway. Emery was thrilled to have her own room where she could play and read in peace.

Next, Bridget and Altman turned their attention to moving the kitchen. Emery was an invaluable help for watching the kids. She occupied Matthew for hours as they played together and would always fetch one of her parents when Aria’s singing turned to screams. Granted, she was never happy about the latter. Emery usually stormed out of the house, calling to alert her parents that the “shrieking grub was doing it again.” But at least she wasn’t taking out her frustration on the defenseless baby in her crib.

The new kitchen was done just in time for Aria’s 1st birthday. The kids were excited for the cake and even more excited about their new playroom in the cabin. Bridget and Altman, on the other hand, were just glad another major renovation was done before another baby arrived.

-----

The following summer and fall, Altman began taking Emery to Cinnamon Crest Falls and teaching her to fish. She was a natural! Altman was always impressed at how well she took instruction and seemed to enjoy their trips despite how quiet and still you had to be. When she was in a chatty mood, Emery could keep her voice down and was very good at making up stories to pass the time.

Still, Altman worried that there weren’t other kids for her to meet and play with. It’s so important for kids to interact with others their own age, but the town’s growth was, well, nonexistent. The number of households seemed indefinitely stagnant. He decided to bring up his concerns to Bridget.

“Don’t worry,” his wife told him. “I ordered a computer.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Altman scoffed. “Well, she can meet people online when she’s old enough,” Bridget replied matter-of-factly. “We can set permissions to keep her on certain sites and I can periodically check her chat history for the first little while to make sure it’s appropriate.”

“I don’t know, Bridget,” Altman groaned.

“I know,” Bridget sighed. “You hate computers. But we shouldn’t shelter the kids from them. We want to keep their opportunities as open as possible, right? The internet opens up the whole world for them.”

He grumbled about it, but ultimately accepted her reasoning. It wasn’t a replacement for in-person social interaction, but it would be better than nothing.

That didn’t mean he had to be happy about it when the computer arrived, though.

The computer was put in the playroom, which allowed Emery to continue helping her parents look after her younger siblings. She played some games on the machine, but mostly used it to practice her writing.

Aria looked the most like her mother out of the three and had the same green eyes. Her love for singing to herself and making up songs intensified in her toddler years. Needless to stay, she took to the xylophone even more than her siblings had.

In the winter off-season, they had the most opportunities for family time together. All three children seemed to love the outdoors no matter the weather.

With all the major renovations done, Bridget and Altman were finally able to enjoy more time with their three children and the excitement of having another on the way. They added another kid’s bedroom and had plans to build a third after the baby arrived. It finally felt like they had the space they needed and all of their furniture had a proper place.

Altman began to teach Emery to play chess and read more with Matthew, who had (adorably) memorized a few of the books and could often be seen happily flipping through them, narrating out loud to himself. So far it was unclear whether Aria would share any of her parents’ or siblings’ interests. She was new to the whole ‘moving around on her own’ thing, after all. As all tots deserve to be, Aria was mostly just happy playing and being. And her parents were more than happy with that.