What Happened In Your Game Today?

How Does Your Garden Grow?, a NEW Erik Cantrell Save

While some thought Erik was simply too busy all of the time to be engaged with his children, they were quite wrong. His thoughts were often consumed with his offspring. He noticed, for instance, just how hard Jamison was working. He admired how his firstborn had stood on principal which led to his leaving Llama Studios. Erik congratulated him on it. He did worry that the youth was giving up his dream which made the father sad. He was very glad to learn Jamison had resolved his problems with the industry. He simply found his way into the world of the Independant Studios. Jamison's sheer talent, alone, was opening doors.

If Erik could find a way, he was hoping to create an independent academy of sorts, to offer awards to this group. They deserved recognition, and not simply at the box office which had no complaints. Ticket sales were through the roof. The Indie group had cornered a much-neglected market. Erik was proud his son was partly responsible for this.



For his fourth birthday, Erik also provided little Michael with his own basketball and hoop. He stood back and watched at the wee one checked it out.



Andrew was working hard at his studies. Seemed the second term was always the hardest, at least for Erik and Kayleigh it was true. At that time, they were very much wanting to finish their schooling so that they could begin their life together. Andrew managed despite his lackadaisical manner to earn a GPA of A+ for his first term, proving he was no slouch. He asked for little help, except for an opinion on his presentation board, but did take it personally whenever the Britechester Bats lost their soccer game. In that way he reminded his father of Aaron. The Bats did well at the top of the term, but then suffered a series of losses toward the end.

So far, Andrew's second term was going well.



One late afternoon, Brianna stopped by. Cadence was just leaving and buzzed her aunt inside the gate. "Auntie Bree," she hailed as the woman climbed the steps to the front porch. "So wonderful to see you."



"Is your father here? I really need to talk to him and my timing is just awful. I usually just miss him."
"Well, you're in luck today, he's just inside."
Brianna made her way into the house, walked through the dining room and into the kitchen where she found her older brother. "Erik, have you got a minute?"
"Sure, what's up? You look vexed. Something wrong?"



"I can't take all of the credit, Bree. Kayleigh is the main disciplinarian, I just back her up most of the time."
"Well, of course, I know that. I just need a man's perspective."
"So, what's the problem? With the boys, that is?"
"Spock wants them to suppress their emotions. All of the time. I tried to tell him how difficult that is. I had problems with that, too, despite my training in the Vulcan Way all of my life. I'm fully human. The boys are three-quarters human. What's marvelous, is they aren't afraid to give their mother a hug or even a kiss, from time to time. Whenever their father is near, I can see them tense up. That's no way to live."

"So, just tell him. But do it lovingly. Spock knows you're right. You may need to probe a bit, to find out what's undergirding his own fears on this. I'm guessing his own childhood wasn't spectacular. I can imagine he didn't fit in so well with the full-Vulcan kids around him, either. Sadly, by having them suppress their emotions, they are less likely to get on with the full humans that surround them at school. I should think, given his childhood, he would seek to avoid having them experience being an outcast, if you will. I can't imagine feeling so alone."
"You're right, you're right. Like all of us, he has his scars. Thanks, Erik, I knew I could count on you."
"Just be gentle with him," Erik said, as Brianna turned to leave. "We guys kind of stumble around, you know?"

https://i.imgur.com/vgBRH9K.jpg


All for now. Thanks for reading. This update comes to you from a hotel room in Boston. :)