December 2088. Colette Marin is 31, Jordan Graham is 29, Maria Boone is 26, Johanna is 4, Felix and Milo Graham are 9.
previously: what if we had the most amazing life together?
Some angels on Christmas Eve. ❄️🌟❄️
Showing posts with label Colette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colette. Show all posts
boxes and squares #5.6: fuck you, thank you
November 2088. Colette Marin is 31, Jordan Graham is 28, Felix and Milo are 9, Maria Boone is 26.
Colette wouldn’t find them a better dad, because dating sucked and she was bad at it. That was what she tried to tell herself, anyway. But, if she really wanted to be honest, she wouldn’t find them a better dad because they adored him to the ends of the earth, and he was coming home, and there was nothing more these boys wanted in the world.
For two days, he wouldn’t answer her phone calls or texts. But at some point he answered the boys, and they filled her in on the news. She didn’t have any way of knowing for how long they knew before her. “Dad is coming home!”
She would never win against that, because their adoration wasn’t up to her. She thought she should have been mad about it, and yet, there was also some relief in losing that battle. It took too long to realize that maybe she never should have been trying to win in the first place.
Colette wouldn’t find them a better dad, because dating sucked and she was bad at it. That was what she tried to tell herself, anyway. But, if she really wanted to be honest, she wouldn’t find them a better dad because they adored him to the ends of the earth, and he was coming home, and there was nothing more these boys wanted in the world.
For two days, he wouldn’t answer her phone calls or texts. But at some point he answered the boys, and they filled her in on the news. She didn’t have any way of knowing for how long they knew before her. “Dad is coming home!”
She would never win against that, because their adoration wasn’t up to her. She thought she should have been mad about it, and yet, there was also some relief in losing that battle. It took too long to realize that maybe she never should have been trying to win in the first place.
boxes and squares #5.5: kill the fairytale (1/2)
26 years ago: Mick is 38, Adelaide is 30, Jordan is 2.
content warnings: implied terminal illness/cancer, verbal abuse, grief, intrusive thoughts, passive suicidal ideation
It was supposed to be such a beautiful life…
boxes and squares #5.4: togetherness
November 2088. Colette Marin is 31, Jordan Graham is 28, Felix and Milo are 9, Maria Boone is 26, Jack Phoenix is 39, Sophie is 65.
“Whoa, look at all the bugs,” Felix said. “Mom, did you bring bug spray?”
“I’m hungry,” Milo whined.
“I told you to eat before we left the hotel. I paid for breakfast at the hotel. I’m not buying breakfast out here because you didn’t eat the breakfast I paid for.”
“Can we play on the playground?”
“We did not fly eight-thousand miles to play on playgrounds. Wow, thirty-dollars a night. I wonder what the ROI is on those?”
Colette got out her phone and browsed a few real estate listings. The apartments were small, but some of them were very stylish. Too colorful for Colette’s tastes, but she knew tourists loved color.
boxes and squares #5.3: hindsight is a bitch (3/3)
November 2088. Colette Marin is 31, Lorraine Marin is 59, Felix and Milo are 9, Gabby Roseland is 16, Sebastian Gilmore is 38.
previously with Colette's mother: backstory // Mother's Day
content warning: cancer, sims behaving badly, infidelity, little bit spicy, no nudity.
Colette had sworn off dating forever after her last terrible failure. But the line for coffee today was absurdly long, and having no other idle interests than to browse the faces of desperate men, she opened up her dating app. There was something casually entertaining about swiping left, swiping right. Hot or not, like a game. She didn’t plan to connect with any of them. Lately, this app was only full of college boys. The only mature men were bald with beach balls for bellies. Not that a bald head couldn’t be very attractive on the right man, but these men weren’t attractive at all.
The line was still five people deep, all of them moaning about the places they needed to go.
Colette’s phone rang. At a glance, it was her mother, and Colette had no desire to answer it. She probably wanted money, or to turn her alliances against her brothers for some unearned sympathy, or maybe even a kidney. Colette wouldn’t be surprised if that ask came along someday.
There would be some ask involved in this conversation and Colette didn’t have the spirit for it today. She let the call go to voicemail, but her mother didn’t leave one. She called again. Then she called a third time.
Nobody calls three times without leaving a voicemail unless there’s something urgent to say. Oh, damn, it was going to be the kidney, wasn’t it? And there was no way Colette wanted to have that conversation with her mother in a line full of impatient people with nothing better to do but eavesdrop.
boxes and squares #5.3: hindsight is a bitch (1/3)
November 2088. Colette Marin is 31, Audrey Roseland is 48, Vicky Garth is 24, Darwin Hadley is 35, Felix and Milo are 9, Gabby Roseland is 16.
previously: so, I have been seeing someone… // going on a date with a doctor, she said
optional background music: “fake plastic trees” as covered by Phoebe Bridgers
* warnings: long (as it goes lately...), bad decisions, briefly NSFW: obscured toplessness, spicy memories (text-based), and obscured self-pleasure
The boys were in school for another hour or two, and they had their activities after. Colette had no showings booked, and neither did Audrey. Nobody wanted to buy or sell a house a week before Thanksgiving.
Colette liked this swanky lounge by the water. She liked the smell of new renovation overlying its aged frame. The place served coffees and croissants and an assortment of music. By now, even Colette was tired of pumpkin spice everything, but peppermint wouldn’t be on the menu until after the holiday, so she ordered a frothy plain cappuccino. Audrey took one last pumpkin spice latte in her to-go cup. “Thanksgiving is next week,” she excused herself.
“You do you,” Colette said.
“Friend,” was a loose term for Colette, as in “keep your enemies closer.” But Colette didn’t think of Audrey Roseland as an enemy, either. A competitor, sometimes—there was only so much premium real estate to go around—but they tried not to step on each other’s toes. And that Colette tried at all for this woman probably made her more of a friend than Colette ever had before.
“I really loathe that he’s fucking someone before I am,” Colette confessed.
previously: so, I have been seeing someone… // going on a date with a doctor, she said
optional background music: “fake plastic trees” as covered by Phoebe Bridgers
* warnings: long (as it goes lately...), bad decisions, briefly NSFW: obscured toplessness, spicy memories (text-based), and obscured self-pleasure
The boys were in school for another hour or two, and they had their activities after. Colette had no showings booked, and neither did Audrey. Nobody wanted to buy or sell a house a week before Thanksgiving.
Colette liked this swanky lounge by the water. She liked the smell of new renovation overlying its aged frame. The place served coffees and croissants and an assortment of music. By now, even Colette was tired of pumpkin spice everything, but peppermint wouldn’t be on the menu until after the holiday, so she ordered a frothy plain cappuccino. Audrey took one last pumpkin spice latte in her to-go cup. “Thanksgiving is next week,” she excused herself.
“You do you,” Colette said.
“Friend,” was a loose term for Colette, as in “keep your enemies closer.” But Colette didn’t think of Audrey Roseland as an enemy, either. A competitor, sometimes—there was only so much premium real estate to go around—but they tried not to step on each other’s toes. And that Colette tried at all for this woman probably made her more of a friend than Colette ever had before.
“I really loathe that he’s fucking someone before I am,” Colette confessed.
boxes and squares #5.2: come down from the clouds (2/2)
November 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Maria Boone is 26, Johanna is 4, Felix and Milo are 9, Nessa Phoenix is 38, Colette Marin is 31.
previously: climb club family // the plain-looking plucky friend // the blonde photographer // the boys always know first // they made vows
warnings: little bit saucy, additional spice linked elsewhere
Jordan had been distracted since Maria and JoJo came to join his adventure. He had skipped more climbing sessions than he wanted to admit. But now that they were settled, it was time to pick up the slack. “Go climb, my love,” Maria told him. “You’re not quitting this thing on my behalf. Isn’t it the whole reason we’re here?”
“So you guys check out the park. Nessa will show you everything, and I’ll meet up with you later for dinner.”
Jordan was quite proud of the skewers he’d grilled for the group tonight. It was his turn to make dinner for climb club after hours.
boxes and squares #5.1: live the fairytale
November 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Maria Boone is 26, Johanna is 4. (Flashback Jordan is 24, Colette is 27.)
* grab yourself a steamy beverage and a cozy chair, this one is long! 5100 words and 65 pictures!
** warnings: briefly NSFW.
What are you going to do in Nevada? Not stay there, Maria would soon find out, because Jordan mentioned the wild horses in Arizona and Johanna lost her little mind over the idea. So now they were in Arizona, scouting the canyons for wild horses. Among this and many other things she never would have guessed her life could include, there was the sound of yodeling on the canyon walls. Back and forth, a booming manly echo answered by sprightly little girl song, growing closer and mixed with laughter. He taught her to yodel. Maria never would have guessed that he knew how to yodel, but so he did, and now they both did.
* grab yourself a steamy beverage and a cozy chair, this one is long! 5100 words and 65 pictures!
** warnings: briefly NSFW.
What are you going to do in Nevada? Not stay there, Maria would soon find out, because Jordan mentioned the wild horses in Arizona and Johanna lost her little mind over the idea. So now they were in Arizona, scouting the canyons for wild horses. Among this and many other things she never would have guessed her life could include, there was the sound of yodeling on the canyon walls. Back and forth, a booming manly echo answered by sprightly little girl song, growing closer and mixed with laughter. He taught her to yodel. Maria never would have guessed that he knew how to yodel, but so he did, and now they both did.
Long after their sound gave them away, Maria saw them emerge around the bend of the trail, carrying back their sacks full of treasure. Would it be rocks, pine cones, sticks shaped like swords?
“Did you see any horses?”
“No, we found bugs! We’re gonna eat them!” Johanna’s face was bright with the idea.
“Oh, God, no! You can’t eat a bug!”
“Jordan said we can!”
She gaped at him in horror. He shrugged with a sheepish grin. “How’s it different from eating any other animal?”
Maria was prepared for there to be bugs on this wild adventure, but she never imagined they were going to eat them!boxes and squares #4.5: home is wherever you are, part 2
October 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Felix and Milo are 9, Colette Marin is 31, Maria Boone is 26, Johanna is 4, Lou Corelli is 29.
With Maria on the train and dashing back to her daughter, Jordan had a date to keep of his own. He told the boys he’d be a little late for their usual 4:00 chat.
“Hey guys, I’m here now.” In the background of their image, the normally sterile counters were cluttered with pans and bowls. “Oh, hey, did your mom cook?”
“She tried to make mac and cheese,” Milo said. “But the water kept bubbling over and she almost burnt the kitchen down, so she got really mad and dumped it all down the sink. But then it clogged the drain, and now she has to call a plumber. You should have seen the veins in her head.”
“Oh, no. So what did you eat for dinner?”
“Ok. Well, sorry I was late. I had a visit from a friend. She just got on the train.”
“Was it Maria?”
boxes and squares #4.1: first fall apart
October 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Colette Marin is 31, Felix and Milo are 9, Maria Boone is 26.
previously: wouldn’t we be the sweetest thing to ever not work out?
Okay, maybe it was for the best that you didn’t fall in love with this. There were a whole lot of people back in Wisconsin who would prefer that this didn’t work out.
previously: wouldn’t we be the sweetest thing to ever not work out?
Okay, maybe it was for the best that you didn’t fall in love with this. There were a whole lot of people back in Wisconsin who would prefer that this didn’t work out.
The first week of classes, Jordan might have easily said to hell with it. He was ready to call it quits and crawl back to his family in utter shame, because this wasn’t working. It was harder than he thought it would be. His arms felt like jello. He felt his muscles burn in places where he didn’t know muscles existed. His fingers gripped rock after rock until they could only tremble. To top it all off, he looked like such a shrimp next to these other beefy guys.
“But let me tell you a secret,” Maya told him, “We have less body weight to pull up. Just focus on your technique. Newbies always slip a few times. That’s why we have you on the short wall.”
“But let me tell you a secret,” Maya told him, “We have less body weight to pull up. Just focus on your technique. Newbies always slip a few times. That’s why we have you on the short wall.”
Jordan and Colette: a history
This timeline was meant to be a little freewrite for my own purposes, but since it’s written, I thought I would share. This is what inspired “the boys“ flashback story. And it also inspired another adorable little flashback drabble that I posted on Tumblr. There’s not much shockingly new information here—most of this has been mentioned or discussed in one place or another over a long long saga, but some of it may have been easily overlooked or lost in the mess. Maybe somebody might find it interesting to read?
Can you even imagine a time when Colette was carefree and happy? They were such babies. 💔
boxes and squares #4.0: the boys
July 2079 (flashback, almost ten years ago). Mick Graham is 54, Jordan is 19, Colette Marin is 22.
Colette came over to drop the boys off with Jordan at his dad’s place. Jordan stared at the babies like they were alien creatures. They were still wrinkly and pink and curled up like raisins. When she told him that he would need to take them sometimes, he imagined they might be many months older before that happened.
“Their formula is in the bag,” Colette said. “It’s already mixed, but it needs to go in the fridge. That’s important, did you hear? In the fridge. But they like it warm, just don’t microwave it. Tell me you’re listening?”
boxes and squares #3: what dreams?
October 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Maria Boone is 26, Lou Corelli is 29.
Soundtrack: “Dreams” by The Cranberries
Soundtrack: “Dreams” by The Cranberries
previously: what happened after Stephanie’s wedding // meet Lou
Before he headed out into the wilderness, while still in San Sequoia, Jordan stopped into a tattoo parlor in a quiet suburban shopping strip. Colette was never a fan of his only tattoo and forbade him from getting more. Why did he ever let her decide that for him? They weren’t married, and half the time they hardly liked each other.
Now, they weren’t together at all anymore and he wasn’t asking permission.
He wasn’t asking Maria, either, to be honest, though her opinion he absolutely cared about. This journey for him meant not letting women control his life anymore, and that had to include Maria, as well.
So, with a sizable chunk of his travel fund and a couple of ibuprofen, he settled in to commit vision to flesh. And he said a small prayer that Maria wouldn’t mind this one on him, because it wasn’t exactly small.
His travels would next take him up the coast and into the Cascade Mountains where he looked forward to being truly off-grid and out of cell reception for a few days.
Now it was time to go get lost and see what epiphanies he might find.
* briefly NSFW 😇
Before he headed out into the wilderness, while still in San Sequoia, Jordan stopped into a tattoo parlor in a quiet suburban shopping strip. Colette was never a fan of his only tattoo and forbade him from getting more. Why did he ever let her decide that for him? They weren’t married, and half the time they hardly liked each other.
Now, they weren’t together at all anymore and he wasn’t asking permission.
He wasn’t asking Maria, either, to be honest, though her opinion he absolutely cared about. This journey for him meant not letting women control his life anymore, and that had to include Maria, as well.
So, with a sizable chunk of his travel fund and a couple of ibuprofen, he settled in to commit vision to flesh. And he said a small prayer that Maria wouldn’t mind this one on him, because it wasn’t exactly small.
His travels would next take him up the coast and into the Cascade Mountains where he looked forward to being truly off-grid and out of cell reception for a few days.
Now it was time to go get lost and see what epiphanies he might find.
boxes and squares #1: go your own way
September 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Ingrid Thompson is 25, Maria Boone is 26, Colette Marin is 31.
previously: Jordan had plans to shake up his life // then Maria kissed him in the kitchen at work // he's not letting Colette tell him what to do anymore // and Ingrid conned convinced Jordan to drive her out to California
Ian and Ingrid have done everything together, every moment of their lives since they were born. Until September 14th, 2088, when Ingrid asked if he wanted to tag along on their epic adventure out to the Pacific coast, and Ian said. “Nah, I’m good.”
And Ingrid said, “Oh! Really? Right on, brother! Go your own way!”
my sweetheart #9: uprooted
September 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Felix and Milo are 9, Colette Marin is 31, Ingrid Thompson is 24, Maria Boone is 26.
“Find the only broken camper on Brindleton Main Street, parked next to a duplex. You really can’t miss it.”
Jordan found Ingrid’s camper, and hopefully it would mean a quick buck. Having spent half his savings on the climbing class, he needed more money. And fast. Ingrid said that she would pay him for the work, and he hoped she meant in actual money. He had nowhere else to go, and this was as good a place to park as any.
why are you here? #4: then go
previously: the last time she tried to hug him was a little awkward // Colette crushed all his hopes and dreams
There were two weeks left before the revised date of Stephanie’s wedding, which had Jordan occupied outside, much to Maria’s disappointment. She’d missed him while he was away with his boys. For the kitchen staff, it was still too early to start food preparations for the wedding, so their workload was the regular fare—catering orders and supper club prep. She wasn’t too busy to steal five minutes to go find him.
The weather couldn’t be more perfect, and everyone hoped it would hold for the wedding, but it was still too far out to know for certain. The barn was scented with the light fumes of fresh paint. Those would dissipate in the next two weeks. Banners of gauzy ivory chiffon draped the ceiling between hanging pendant lights. The lights weren’t turned on yet, but Maria knew when they were, it would be breathtaking in here.
Jordan stood at the back door, gazing out, absently, somewhere beyond the trees.
She stood next to him. God, I missed you, she wanted to say. Did you miss me, too? Did you remember me at all?
Instead, she booped his pink nose and said, “You’re sunburned.”
Oh, god, Maria, she said to herself, did you actually just boop that man on the nose?
Yes, she did. Thankfully, he didn’t look unamused by it.
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