Joneses – 17.2 Bring It

“Ugh,” Kaleb groaned. “You’re cooking again?”

Kori huffed. “Hey! When you grow up alone with no one but a cat to cuddle up to, you’ll wish you learned to cook too!”

“Why are you so dramatic?”

Asia heard the twins fighting all the way upstairs; she thought they were so funny. They were the most un-twin-like twins she ever met. She thought they would grow up close and be each other’s best friend, but they fought constantly. Nothing malicious, of course. Just typical sibling rivalry. In a morbid way, she enjoyed it. If things got out of hand she’d step in. They were her last ones, and when they left there would be no more fighting. Part of her would always miss it.

“Good morning, my little chicken nuggets!”

Kori snorted. “Are you gonna call us that forever?”

She giggled. “Until I die!”

That was an interesting thought. Death, that is. Asia was nowhere close to it, but she was far removed from birth. “Middle-aged” would be her next descriptor although she was nearly there already. Just a few more weeks until things began sagging and little wrinkles showed up. Soon after that, the gray hairs would sprout. Unlike most of her peers, she looked forward to it. It was weird enough to be in the same age group as her oldest son. Despite being ready for future adventures and having plenty of life left to live, her life thus far had been full.

It all began with Jared. Growing up in a broken, dysfunctional home made her formative years stressful. One night, she had enough of the fighting and left home. Not for good, but just to clear her head. As she stomped down the street, she ran into Jared. He was a long way from home, jogging in Oasis Springs, but oh what a serendipitous meeting it was. When they began dating, his family welcomed her, and she felt so at home despite the environment being completely foreign. The unfamiliarity didn’t come from the fact that they were a legacy family; she thought that part was cool. The loving family environment was the part that was strange, and she fell in love with it and had to have it.

Jared and Asia’s life together had been an epic adventure. Shortly after Kolby was born, they found themselves caught in the middle of family drama. Jared’s brother, Jayden, went through a nasty divorce. Previously, they discussed moving out and growing their own family, but Jayden and his children were a mess. So, they stayed, placing their family plans on hold, and helped the other family stay afloat as they tried to piece their lives back together. The tragedy wrecked them, and Jared and Asia stayed much longer than either of them anticipated. Plans for their own family drifted farther and farther away. Asia was doubtful she would ever have a house full of her own children. But, eventually the new normal set in, and Jayden’s family were as good as they could be. Jared and Asia took the youth potion and finally struck out on their own to have the family they always wanted. Now, four beautiful children later, an even more epic journey awaited them. Asia did not know what the future held for them though she had some ideas. Whatever the next adventure, whenever she thought about it, she regarded it with the same sentiment each time: bring it!