Chapter 27 (Tetris) - Can We Build It, Yes We Can!

Reversi played with the kitties for a bit before heading off to school.  They always put her in a good mood!

Being a stay at home mom could be hard work.  Since Tetris needed as much sleep as he could get, she was the one that woke up in the middle of the night to give Q-bert bottles, take him to the potty, or try to get him back to sleep.

It could be exhausting work.  Just a small nap, Nicole promised herself.

Meanwhile, little fingers got into trouble.

Tetris had done it!

"Once a great architect rises in the family, blueprints are drawn up to create safer homes for the survivors. With the construction company the architect started up, sights are set on rebuilding the community areas damaged by the catastrophe. Building supplies from other parts of the country are shipped in and distributed to those who need it. Together with the newly arrived City Planner, the region begins to make use of the quality building supplies stashed at formerly secret locations. The Architecture Restrictions are lifted."

"Daddy! You're home!" Reversi cheered, running out to greet Tetris. 

He smiled, leaning down to hug his little girl.  "Come on, we have some big news to tell mama!"

Nicole set Q-bert down for the 3rd time when Quay blocked her path.  She couldn't wait for Tetris to make their home larger! This old trailer home was so cram-packed!

Finally, she successfully made it to the cake and lit the candles.  "Happy birthday Q-bert!"

Tetris couldn't believe how much his young son had grown. 

"I have something to show you, honey," Tetris said excitedly one morning.  "Close your eyes!" he told her, leading her outside to the front yard.

"Okay, now OPEN them!"

Nicole stared for a moment in wonder at the addition. 

"It's not much now, but it's a start," Tetris promised. 

Nicole raced up the steps of the porch and opened the front door.   It swung inwards and she stared in amazement at all the hard work Tetris had done.  A fireplace! An open place to play violin! The kitchen!

The dining area!

Oh, and a cute little sitting area! 

Her gaze dropped to the family heirloom rug that now graced the front entry.  Tetris' great great grandpa Craig had made the rug for the family's matriarch Zoe when he first moved in so many years ago!  (Chapter 3 - First Flutterings of Hope)

"Tetris, it is beautiful!" she told him, wiping a tear from her eye. 

Tetris glanced sheepishly around the room.  "I would've done more, but everything is so heavy still. Maybe one day we'll actually be able to move those huge beds around!"

"This is a perfect start!" she assured him quickly.  "I love it!"

Reversi quickly crumpled the note from her teacher up and kicked it under the bus.  Stupid school.

Q-bert waved goodbye to the bus driver, again. 

It was so easy to spot a new student, bus driver Mandy thought with a chuckle, waving goodbye to the little boy. Again.

Both kids found something to entertain them after a long, hard school day.

I'm not sure which one of you two killed the couch, but thank you! Lol.

Nicole couldn't wait to prepare a meal in the brand new kitchen.

Pancakes, coming up!

"Have I mentioned how much I love the kitchen?" she asked her husband.

Tetris chuckled, while Reversi chimed in, "All the time mama!"

With Tetris at work and the kids at school, it didn't take long for Nicole to clean the house.  In fact, with the kids growing up, there were much less demands on her time.  She actually found time to relax with a good book.

BJ came home from school with Reversi.

While Q-bert got to play on the violin, she had to work on this dumb project for school. 

"No, don't put the tape there.  We should put it here, like this," BJ said, turning a piece around to prove his point.

"Ugh, this is so annoying!" Reversi pouted, flicking a chess piece across the board.

It's always nice to find a couple that truly loves each other.  Tetris couldn't keep his hands off his wife.

"The kids are busy playing," he said suggestively.  "Wanna go woohoo?"

Nicole giggled and the pair left the room in a hurry.

A couple the cleans together, stays together.  Although, I could certainly think of better things to do than clean up after the kitties at midnight.

Any excuse to be together, I suppose!

It was a big day!  Usually the family didn't host two family get-togethers in one round, but Nicole was so excited to show off her brand new kitchen, she couldn't resist calling everyone over.

"Place looks good," Urbain nodded his approval as he looked around.

"No mama! Don't hug me in front of them!" Reversi said, pulling away when her mom tried to hug her.  She didn't want her teen cousins to think she was a baby.

Tesira and her husband Matthew apparently needed to get a room, so they snuck out onto the small walkway adjoining the buildings.  It doesn't have a roof, so any time someone walks out, they put on their winter clothes, then step inside the door and take their coats and scarfs off again. Very impractical.  Tetris has a fix in the works!

Reversi couldn't wait to be a cool teen like her cousins!

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! You're home!" Reversi raced out and hugged him tight.  Thankfully poor Nicole missed it!

"Mama said we had to wait for you! Are you ready now?" she asked impatiently. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I'm sure they could have found a better place to play catch, but look at the cousins bonding!

The upstairs bedroom got a makeover, too.  It was perfect for her!  Bright, pink and cheery!

Since it was the weekend, Reversi called up BJ from school to come over and hang out.  They'd really bonded over their school project.

She tried to kiss him, unsuccessfully.

But BJ pulled back and help up his hands to ward her off. "Sorry Reversi."

She sniffed with indignation and flounced away from him. 

"Don't be mad! I just can't kiss you!" he implored her.

"Whatever, no big deal," she told him with a bright smile. 

But inside, it really hurt.  How lame was it that she blew her first kiss?

"Is she cleaning?" Tetris quietly asked Nicole.  "What's wrong?"

Reversi sighed. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just cleaning! Geez!"

Oops.  Good thing the family has gobs of money.

Oh no! Poor Kobe, we will miss you mama kitty!

Feeling horribly neglectful, Nicole hurried over and loved on poor Tigger.  Perhaps it was time to get another cat soon for the next generation of kittens!

"Hey mom, can we please get a dog? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

***

Reversi happened to glance out the window and saw BJ walking by.  "BJ?" she asked, stepping out on the porch and calling out to him.  "What are you doing here?"

"I felt kinda stupid about earlier. You know, the kiss?" he told her sheepishly.

Reversi walked closer, unsure.  "Whatever. It wasn't a big deal," she lied. "So what, you didn't want to kiss me."

"No! That's the thing! I did! I do!" he stammered.  "It's just.." he paused and lowered his voice.  "I'd had onions for lunch. I was worried about my breath."