20 - Choices

Maia spoke with Charlie Ray a bit longer, but mostly about inconsequential things, and it was quite late by the time Maia returned home. Her mind spun with all she had learned, although she knew this was only a small part of the puzzle of her past.

But she was a witch! Not that Maia knew what being a witch entailed exactly, but at least she was starting to collect some of the missing pieces of her life.  Maybe someday she could visit Shang Simla, and possibly find out more about who she was and what it all meant. And she had blood relatives besides her children and grandchildren somewhere out in the world, too! Did any of her sisters look like her?  Did her parents still think of them? Would she ever meet any of them?

Despite the questions that chased through her mind, Maia finally fell into an exhausted sleep. She slept deeply and long.  Unfortunately, it was Kimberly and Cosmo’s birthdays, and she had forgotten to pick up the cakes! 

   

A quick run to the market fixed that, and Kimberly and Cosmo were able to have their birthdays.

    

    

    

   

And they were able to learn to drive at last.

    

   

Kimberly had grown into her telescope, and spent a great deal of time outside taking notes of her findings in the galaxy.

    

   

   

Kimberly had managed to discover a star, but what she was still searching the night sky for was proof of extraterrestrial life.  She hasn’t managed to find any aliens up there yet, but she’s certain she’ll meet one someday, even if no one else will believe her.

    

While Kimberly was outside searching for alien life, Cosmo was usually in the garage, making her own scientific discoveries. Cosmo hoped to eventually establish a way to travel through time and space, as well as find a way to create life out of inanimate scrap metal.

    

Natalie and Peaches’ birthdays were next.

   

   

No one was really sure why Natalie insisted on wearing lingerie to her birthday party.

   

    

Peaches developed a sudden liking for neon colors and circus clothing.

Despite Maia’s worries about her daughter’s wild behavior, Natalie was still going to graduate. She ended up being voted Most Likely to be a Rock Star, as her half-brother Romeo had been.

    

Peaches was named Valedictorian, but she was also voted Class Clown.  I’m thinking it was her random choice of headgear.

    

Both Natalie and Peaches decided, unsurprisingly, to go into performance careers; Natalie as a singer, and Peaches as an acrobat.

Both of them worked performing for tips at the park, just like Maia had done when she began her career as a magician.

    

Natalie also did some sing-o-grams on the side to gain more experience and become more well-known, but she couldn’t wait to put that part of her job behind her and start performing on stage.

    

    

Some nights after work, Natalie would meet with Cole. It appeared that their relationship was more than just teenage rebellion; they were still in love, and planned to marry as soon as they had enough simoleons saved up to buy themselves a new home.

    

Peaches did well as a mime.  All those years of staying very still in her doll form had helped her perfect her human statue act.

   

And speaking of her doll form, sometimes she’d revert back to her IF form to perform her “Living Doll Trapped in the Toy Box” routine.

   

Alisha and Peanut became teens soon after.

  

   

   

   

Both were eager to learn to drive, so Maia taught them both right away.

    

   

Unlike her other children, Alisha decided not to sign up for any after school classes, and got a part-time job instead, working at the day spa.

   

Peanut spent a lot of her free time cooking and planning meals for the entire family. She even helped bake the wedding cake for Natalie and Cole’s upcoming nuptials.

    

Soon, Natalie and Cole had saved up enough to get married and buy a home in Starlight Shores. 

   

Peaches was going to move in with them for awhile, too. Once again, it was time for Maia to say goodbye to another child and her IF.

   

 

Now that Natalie and Peaches had moved out, Maia knew it was time to have another baby. The nursery had been empty for far too long. But she was torn, knowing she wouldn’t be able to travel while pregnant, and part of her longed to go to the Forbidden City and attempt to find her biological parents. Hopefully, she could discover more about her past, and what her new future as a witch might mean to her and her ever-growing family, and she wasn’t sure if she would be safe doing so while pregnant.

  

But Aashif was in her bed, waiting for her. Maia needed to make a decision immediately.  Should she try for a baby with Aashif right now and risk the consequences, or should she wait until she returned from Shang Simla?