Time passed and the 1900s became the 1910s the day Clifford grew into a teen.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49431259241_bbb22cf7ee_c.jpgAs always he was blessing to have in the house because of how much he helped out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469976266_f38af2b96a_c.jpgHenry followed his example, relieving Maggie-May of much of the work around the house giving her plenty of time to write. Unfortunately, none of the other books came close to the success of
Love in the Time of Burning Sim. Eventually, this lack of success led Maggie-May straight into Writer's block, so as soon as Abraham aged into a toddler she dedicated all her time to parenthood.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469573168_d95d6916b3_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469500063_c518a61647_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469993411_2dd831cfc8_c.jpgWhen she'd taught Abraham all his life skills and it grew closer to him aging up to a child, she and James tried for another baby.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469976296_22d7752e07_c.jpgA few weeks later she found out she was pregnant and not too long after that she gave birth to a baby girl. She and James named her Thelma Amellia Nolan( her middle name was taken from James's mother who had passed from old age shortly before Thelma's birth).
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469482773_db46d32767_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469500033_d75a0409bb_c.jpgShortly after that Maggie-May was hit with her fortieth birthday and a feeling of some minor dissatisfaction with life, so Maggie-May bought herself some nice clothes and gave herself a new look. It didn't help much, but it was something.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469482813_dc00c2ef26_c.jpgThe next few years blurred together until things changed the day Maggie-May threw a joint birthday party for Abraham and Thelma. Abraham became a child and Thelma a toddler.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49470226787_c99a6c06a7_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49470001901_e91cedc1de_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469508373_6839d00b00_c.jpgThe change didn't come from the fact that her youngest children aged up, no they remained pretty much the same and mostly entertained each other, so she didn't have to do too much for the party besides providing food and music.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49470001881_c4f93bc5c3_c.jpgNo, the change was two-fold: first, there was uneasy energy from all the adults and some of the teenagers and whispers of war, possibly the worst war in history on all their lips. It was hard to ignore, that is until Clifford started talking to a young woman named Vickie Hilton.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49470223732_234dd462fd_c.jpgThe meeting between Clifford and Vickie was the second major change. Their connection was instantaneous and they talked and danced all night. It was easy to ignore the whispers and focus on her eldest's joy. The rest of the party-goers seemed to ease up as well.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49470001846_6634dc62cd_c.jpgMaggie-May tried to make her observation of her son and Vickie subtle, there were even a few close calls, but still, she watched without his notice since her son couldn't take his eyes of Vickie. The closest call was when Clifford accidentally stepped on Vickie's feet during a waltz.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469508193_cc817c20fa_c.jpgFor a moment he looked away from her and into the crowd, his cheeks reddening, but then Vickie just laughed it off and they continued dancing. It was a wonderful sight to see and at the end of the night, they shared a kiss, barely hidden by shadows at the end of the evening.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49470001986_f6af92a9ea_c.jpgThe next morning Clifford was writing his lady love a letter and Maggie-May's heart was once again full.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49469519283_c2b7de37b0_c.jpgIf only life had remained so simple.
Author's note: thank you to lillka for Thelma's toddler dress and furento for Abraham's toddler outfit. Anything I haven't credited already belongs to EA.
