Coming Home

Round 8 - August 2040

Last update/ Next update
Matthew Picaso is 41, Jessica is 39, Hunter is 5

I'll make it home again

I pray you'll fall in love again

Just say you'll entertain the possibility

I learned enough from my mistakes

Learned from all I didn't say

Won't you wait for me?

John Legend

Hunter wasn't doing so well in school. He didn't get what he was doing wrong. Maybe he should start asking his parents for help.......maybe he could even ask his dad. His dad was different now. He seemed.......happier. And that made Hunter happy. He guessed that the new baby was the reason. He didn't care what the reason was, he just knew that his dad was happy now and he was going to get to be a big brother!

His mom had been spending a lot of time on the phone talking to Ms. Ginger. She was going to help his mom at her hair shop. He figured his mom would be pretty busy with the new baby. But he knew that him and his daddy would help her out a lot too.

Little did Hunter or Jessica know that things were about to change drastically..........

"I have some good news......well it's good and bad, I suppose," Matt said.

"Oh really? What is it?"

"You know that new base that they've been working on in Three Lakes? They finally finished building it," he said.

"Oh, that's great! Why would that be bad?" Jessica asked.

"Because I've been given orders to go out and help set it up," Matt said.

"You're leaving? You can't leave. I'm about to have a baby! I need you here," Jessica said.

"I won't be leaving until January. I'll be here for the birth," he said.

"And what about after? Hunter is only five, he can't help me with the baby! And I have a business to run.......Can't they send someone else Matt?"

"Honey, I'm the general. It has to be me. I'm going to have a talk with Hunter. You know he's excited about the baby, he'll be a huge help. And you're strong, I know you can do this," Matt said.

"How long would you be gone?"

"For a year."

"A year?! Matt, this is crazy! I don't know what to say," Jessica said.

"This is my job, Jess. We knew that a time might come when I would have to leave for a bit," he said.

"Yea.......but I never thought it would come once you made general. Why can't me and Hunter come with you?" she asked. 

"Because we can't leave the house vacant for a year and you can't leave your shop. It's going to be fine. We'll talk every night. And I'll even buy a new computer so we can video chat too. It's going to be fine," Matt said.

"If you say so........"

The next hurdle Matt had to cross was telling Hunter. 

"How's school going squirt?" Matt asked.

"Ok........... I'm having a little trouble with math.....you think you could help me?" Hunter asked.

"Sure. Although I don't know how much help I'll be. Your old man isn't all that good at math," Matt said with a laugh.

"Oh I know you can do it," Hunter said smiling.

"I have some bad news squirt."

"What?"

"I gotta go away for a little while," Matt said.

"But why? Don't you like me and momma any more?"

"What? Of course, I love you and your mom! I have to go away because of my job. They are sending me overseas for a year."

"A year! That's so long!" Hunter said.

"I know. That's why I need you to do something for me."

"What?"
"I need you to take care of your mom and the new baby. You'll have to be the man of the house while I'm gone," Matt said.

"Really? I can do that! I promise, Daddy, I'll take good care of them!"

"I know you will son," Matt said with a smile.

"I know it's not manly.........but I'll miss you," Hunter said sadly.

"Oh there's nothing wrong with that, squirt. You want to know a secret? I'm going to miss you too."

Matt decided to take Hunter down to the sports park the next day. He was actually pretty good for a five year old. In fact, one of Hunter's favorite past times was playing sports. Maybe he would even be able to play in college. Matt hated that he was going to miss out on a whole year of Hunter's life..........

But it was his job. And working in the military sometimes meant time away from your family. So he would spend as much time with them as he could before his deployment. He all of a sudden regretted the time he had wasted with his head up his behind...........it was precious, time........you never knew when you would run out of it.

Jessica was still pissed that Matt was leaving. Oh, she knew that he didn't have a choice......but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"Remember our first date?" she asked.

"I sure do. I took you to Jemison's Pool Hall," Matt said with a laugh.

"That right. And you were so cute trying to show me how to play pool."

"Cute? Yea, it was real cute of you not to tell me that you were some kind of pool shark. You hustled me!" Matt said laughing.

"Hey if you hadn't been so eager to play knight in shining armor to my damsel in distress, you would have known that I already knew how to play," Jessica said laughing.

"Whatever. You were wrong!"

"Come on now, you got something good out of the deal. Me," Jessica said laughing.

"Yea, well don't think I'm letting you win today."

"I should surely hope not. Kicking your butt when you actually try is so much more rewarding," Jessica said laughing.

In the end, Jessica was once again victorious.

"I told you," she said.

"Dammit, how do you keep doing that?" Matt said laughing.

"It's all in the stroke sweetheart. I've got to take a pee break, your child is sitting on my bladder," Jessica said walking off.

He would never forget the day that he met her. Pretty, bubbly Jessica. He had felt drawn to her from the beginning. Then he got caught up in his career and wanted her around to complete his picture perfect family. And now he felt he had come full circle again and felt the same melting around his heart that he did in those first days. They were strong enough to survive this, they were going to be just fine.

* For those who may not follow the babble blog, you can see pictures of the base in Three Lakes here. Matt and Gavin Newson will be going over in January where they will stay until the next January. I've scheduled the Newson update for December so we'll get to see Gavin right before he ships out with Matt. Donna Foster is also a military sim, but since she's so much older than them I couldn't see shipping her out too.

* Matt really has been behaving better and taking more of an interest in Jessica and Hunter. I'm curious to see what his wants are going to look like once he isn't in the same house with them any more..........

* I'm still hoping the new baby will be a girl but I've had a series of boys these last few pregnancies. Maybe the birth of Andromeda is going to tip the scales.....Baby Picaso will be here in October which is only a few updates away :)

* The theme song for this update is actually a very touching song by John Legend about soldiers and their families. It was perfect for this.......