Clouds up

Round 21: Winter 2013

last update/next update

Leontine Kirby is 71, Trent is 43, Megan is 41, Claudia and Victoria are both 12 and Rebecca is 4.
(Finn and Jacob are both 12).

Narrated by Victoria Kirby

Since Claudia and I turned 12, we have a lot more responsibilities around the house.



We're both supposed to help with Rebecca but somehow I'm always the one who gets lumped with the smelliest parts!

Then again, I don't help at all with the crops so maybe it all evens out. Plants are definitely Claudia's "thing" and even Dad doesn't do much out in the greenhouse any more. He was never really into it anyway and only took over because Grandpa wanted it to stay in the family. He'd be happy to know someone who was really passionate about it is in charge now.

No one is allowed in the kitchen though. Since Grandpa died, that's Mum's domain and Mum's domain only.

Everybody has to help with crating produce for the market! Our market is one of the most profitable businesses in Sullivan so it's a lot of work to keep up with demand.

Dad is the owner-operator now and Arianna minds the business for him when he can't be there. Last time she came into work, she was furious! She hadn't had a performance review in a while and Dad was still paying her the same rate as he was pre-promotion.

She changed out of her uniform, threw it at Dad and quit!

Dad was lost without Arianna! She's been there longer than he has and has always worked the register, so Dad had no idea how to use it. Even the most patient customers were quickly losing their cool.

After a few days, Dad figured some major sucking up was in order. He managed to convince Arianna to take her old job back (with a raise, of course).

And all was right with the world, or at least the market, again!

This is our usual gang, hanging out in our usual place - the playground at Sullivan Mall, after school. Jacob and Finn are the only other kids our age at school and we've all known each other since kindergarten.

We usually stay in the playground but sometimes we go upstairs to the karaoke club and play mahjong. The owner hates it when we come in. Mahjong is free - karaoke, food and drinks cost money and all we ever do is play mahjong. It's a pretty boring game if you ask me, but none of us ever have any money to do anything else.

Claudia thinks Finn has a crush on me. She says she's watched us and she can just tell. It's so embarrassing.

She says it a little too loud sometimes and I would die if he ever overheard.

I try to tease her back by saying Jacob has a crush on her but she doesn't get embarrassed about boy stuff like I do. She just shrugs it off.

Maybe Finn does like me though, I don't know. Sometimes out of the corner of my eye, I think I see him staring at me.

Then I turn my head to look at him and he's suddenly intently staring at the back wall or something.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if Finn did like me - he's sort of cute. But ever since Claudia started putting those kinds of thoughts into my head, I'm really nervous around him. I never know what to say any more and I'm always worried he'll try to kiss me and I'll be really terrible at it. I wish Claudia had never said anything and then everything would be back the way it used to be!

Notes:

• Claudia and Victoria are lots of fun. They are equally shy (4 points) but Claudia has had the want for her first kiss since she aged up and Victoria has yet to roll any romantic wants at all. So Claudia is apparently ready to get started and Victoria is a little more reticent.
• Jacob and Finn are both friends with both girls. Jacob hasn't got romantic wants towards either of them but Finn has the want to flirt with Victoria but he hasn't yet. He's not shy (I think he has 6 or 7 outgoing points) but it makes sense for this age group, so I'm quite happy with how it's turned out.
• Claudia and Victoria had a snow day this round and I took them out to the park with the boys but I completely cut that out of the update. Long enough already and what needed to be said was said. I did get some cute pictures though, so I'll post some of them in the outtakes at the end of the round.