Chapter 2: Laying RootsFelix started dating Zolita Caliente, Constance and Laidley’s cousin, when both were only thirteen. She was the daughter of Dina Caliente, a socialite who moved from Oasis Springs in Arizona to escape the drama of her home life, only to find herself have the illegitimate son of a wealthy playboy. The two lovebirds met during music class in high school, with Felix being the star pianist and Zolita being a violin prodigy. They were so young that it only lasted two weeks, but they got back together when they were fourteen and have not been apart since. Gustav and Ishka’s creativity was certainly running through Felix’s blood.
That does not mean that Didier and Janja were not creative, they just did not pursue art or music. Didier was into sports, playing scrum half for the Newcrest High rugby union team. Occasionally he played on the mixed netball team with Janja and Constance. The girls were not the most…
skilled of players, but they had fun and Didier started looking at Constance as more than the confident friend of his little sister. Constance did not say much, but she was far from shy. She kept the smart Janja laughing throughout their entire childhood. She let the little genius rant and rave about space and aliens and the kind of plague she would creative if she was evil. Thank the lords there was not one bad bone in that girl’s body.
When Didier was in his senior year, he looked at his little brother and thought, “Geez, that boy is happy.” Felix and Zolita had been together for three years by now, making and playing music together. Constance was now sixteen and Didier could not deny how he felt any longer. Janja knew he was in love with her best friend, and though, “EWWW!” and “Just go for it already!” simultaneously. Constance decided that she wanted to become a stand-up comedian and make people laugh for a living. Being the confident girl that she was, and with the blessing of Janja, she rented an empty studio apartment with Didier. They went there every day after rugby practice to test out new material she wrote. Surprisingly, nothing happened between them and Constance was so disappointed. Didier, Felix, Laidley, Constance, Zolita, and Janja would occasionally use the studio apartment for gatherings, playing lots of loud music and drinking lots of “juice”.
Janja came over for a three-day movie marathon sleepover one Friday afternoon. Constance was talking about how Didier was the most clueless boy in the world, before Janja laughed and said, “And what is stopping you from making the first move?” Constance’s faced blanked. She stood still for one minute before she grabbed her coat and walked forty-five minutes to the Hilde residence. Her hair was messy due to the intense wind that afternoon. When Didier answered the door, he said, “The local homeless shelter is that way.” She replied with, “I’m supposed to be the funny one.” Whilst those two were off professing their love for each other, Janja told Laidley that she was not watching Final Destination on her own.
http://imageshack.com/a/img923/7978/OUcIyQ.pnghttp://imageshack.com/a/img924/8859/ZS9me0.png Didier went to a police academy in Windenburg after graduation. Laidley moved to Otago to study a double degree in Medicine and Surgery. He was never the genius type, but after dating Janja for a few months, he realised that he wanted to be a surgeon. She encouraged him to be more academic and use his creative mind in a logical way. Both boys were insanely romantic – they co-ordinated shipments of flowers, mixtapes, and skype calls to their girlfriends back home. Constance and Janja never felt alone.
The following year, Felix and Zolita moved to Spain to study at the Madrid Royal Conservatory on scholarships. She helped him with his Spanish. People often compared Zolita’s ability to Pablo de Sarasate and Felix’s to Franz Liszt if he was “a little more Swedish”. They won competitions and were critically acclaimed for their performances. Two compositions of Felix’s,
My Zolita and
Caliente, earned them enough royalties that they did not have to work for the rest of their lives if they wanted to. Zolita’s composition,
Burla del Amor, solidified her status as a virtuoso violinist. They became concert musicians together. Their travels led them all throughout Europe, but they knew that they wanted to move back to New Zealand someday. Despite all their time in Spain, Felix’s Spanish was still dodgy – Zolita blamed that funky accent of his.
By the time Constance and Janja graduated, Laidley was starting the third year of his double degree. Janja applied to study a Bachelor of Science at the same university as him. She decided on microbiology as her major and specialised in Environmental Microbiology. They moved into a small off-campus apartment together. Constance, however, did not pursue higher education. She moved to Windenburg to live with Didier, who just got promoted from being a Probationary Constable to a Detective. Windenburg was by no means a city, but it’s nightlife was a major tourist magnet and Constance took her chances on stand-up. She never made it international but was more than happy to be branded one of New Zealand’s best.
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