8.42 Brady’s Crazy Scheme

Before Alayna and family left, she was supposed to hire a landscaper to replace Owen’s flowers, but she decided, because she would no longer be living there, the decision should be left up to Brady and Viviana. Viviana finally secured someone after Julian’s birthday, and she couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

Brady loved being a father. It became him. Each night, before he retired ahead of everyone else, he read a story to his children:  the firstborn and the unborn. Viviana would have joined them anyway, but she thought it was precious that Brady would want to read to the baby.

Brady and Viviana rarely thought about their age difference. He thought about it more than she did, but he didn’t dwell on it…until recently. He, Alayna, Roland, and Owen all had an important birthday coming up very soon: Three days for him and his siblings, and two days for Roland. He wasn’t afraid of getting older or even dying, but he felt cheated. His life had practically just begun, and now it was coming to an end. He knew he would live longer than his siblings because of his active lifestyle, but he wanted to be young and vibrant for his wife and children. It was on his mind all day at work on Monday. When he arrived home, he got an idea, but he needed everyone to be on board, so he called Owen and Roland over.

“Hey guys! Thanks for coming over so urgently,” he said.

“What is so urgent, Brady,” Owen asked.

“All of us have had a great deal of good fortune come our way recently, right? Look at you, Owen! You just discovered that you have children! Yeah, you had some painful moments, but it was good news and your life is better for it, right?”

“Yeah…absolutely,” he said hesitantly.

“And you, Roland. You and Alayna have your own house now! You’re the king of your own castle! That’s extraordinary!”

Roland agreed hesitantly too. They both were trying to figure out where all this was going and why Brady was so excited.

“And me…I just got married and having children now. It’s not fair that our good fortune came to us at the end of our lives, right?”

“Right,” Roland and Owen agreed.

“I mean, why do we have to be old to enjoy the good things? We deserve to be young and happy, right?!”

Brady spoke as if he were an instigator in a group of protestors, and Owen and Roland responded to him that way.

“Our elder birthday is in three days, and yours is in two Roland. I say we all drink the Potion of Youth and get our lives back! Let’s start over and enjoy the good life for a while, and then we can get old. Whaddaya say?”

“I’m in,” Owen said.

“Me too. I’ll have to convince the lady though,” Roland said.

“She’ll do it. I know she will,” Brady said. “Ok! It’s set then. When I see you all tomorrow night, we’ll be 40 again!”