Knowles Legacy, Chapter Three

Married life was good to Geoff and Ayesha. They made a great team. Ayesha started out being a whiz at collecting seeds and insects, which brought in quick cash. Geoff tended to go for gems, but he also found a nice little fishing spot where he enjoyed spending quiet evenings.

He found an abandoned mine waaay up in the back hills where he regularly found gems.

And he found his wife was already pregnant!

They headed to the library together to read up on this new venture in their lives.

 And before they knew it, the day arrived when the huffing and the puffing and the groaning and the screaming and the "What the fram did you do to me????" happened.

Geoff had arrived home from his day of collecting just in time to find his wife in labour. It was a little shocking - he'd never heard his wife swear like that before!

 "What do we do?" Geoff asked, completely forgetting everything he'd read.

"Just get me to that stork place!!!" Ayesha screamed.

Geoff deduced that she meant the hospital.

 So he got her dressed between huffing and puffing along with her, and called for a cab.

"Keep breathing, honey," he coached as he urged the cabbie to go faster.

"What the frinklendorf do you think I'm DOING?!?" Ayesha complained.

Geoff decided to shut up after that and just hold her hand. They made it to the hospital and Ayesha was escorted inside by efficient nurses while Geoff waited outside, pacing and trying to coach himself to breathe.

Finally, Ayesha emerged from the front doors, holding a bundle in her hands.

It was a boy! They named him Kimball, which means "royally good", which seemed to fit being as he would be the heir to their collecting fortune (when they made a fortune). He was given the traits of "Good" and "Brave", as both of his parent's were brave and his name meant "good". ;)

As they went home, Geoff thought about what a baby would mean in their lives now. They really hadn't had a lot of time to work uninhibited by "other obligations", so money was still tighter than he'd wanted it to be at this point.

However, by the time they arrived home, excitement had replaced trepidation, and Geoff cuddled his son happily while he and Ayesha worked out how to continue collecting together with little Kimball around.

So the days passed in their little two-room cabin while the rocks, gems, seeds, and insects were brought in.

Geoff and Ayesha took shifts with Kimball so they could each get out of the house. Ayesha was particularly happy to get out jogging (being the Athletic type) and looking for things in her path as she did so.

She was getting very good at catching butterflies that brought in quite a bit of money from the Science Center!

They soon had enough money to put up the rest of the walls on their big house and even to add a few windows and a door on the front side.

Kimball had a birthday and turned out to be quite the cute toddler, as toddlers go. He gained the trait "Loves the Outdoors" because he aged well - which Geoff knew would come in handy as his son grew to continue their Corrigan Bay legacy.

And with the hiring of a nanny - well worth the price to get both Mommy and Daddy out collecting - they soon garnered enough cash to move into the bottom floor of their new home! The old home was taken down - some of the doors and windows and fixtures were used temporarily in the new home to save on costs - and the family settled into the big house.

Kimball often entertained himself by chewing on his Daddy Doll's head while playing in his room. Geoff was a bit disturbed by that.

Both Geoff and Ayesha had quite taken to fishing by now, so they put a little pond off the back of their house where they could practice and bring in a few fish to sell down at the market, as well.

Geoff happened to be downtown on his own at the bookstore when his birthday hit. But at least the folks milling around joined him in his celebrations as he moved into the Adult stage of his life.

Very serious, this Geoff Knowles. A man with a mission. LOL

It was also soon going to be time for Kimball to grow up into childhood. This was one of the last pictures they took of him as a toddler - Ayesha wanted to always remember how innocent he looked sleeping in his little shirt.

The kitchen and house was being improved as they gained the cash to do so. They now had a food processor and more counter space to work with.

They even had a dishwasher, although Geoff cursed it as it often broke!

The living area was still wide open, although there were plans to add some walls to break up the space later on. But it was cozy enough, and Geoff liked the wallpaper Ayesha had picked out.

They took the front room as their master bedroom for now until they could get the upstairs floor finished. Kimball's room was in the back, facing the pond, and there was one bathroom between the two rooms.

The day of Kimball's birthday arrived! Geoff and Ayesha dressed up a bit and they had a family party.

As Ayesha placed Kimball on the floor, she looked into her toddler's eyes for the last time. *sniff* He was growing up!

And grow up he did! Happy, but slightly embarrassed by the fact that they snapped the picture of him while he was in his boxer jammies.

Life continued. Kimball did well in school and made his parent's proud. They were a happy family - so happy, that Geoff finally garnered the coveted Collection Helper! Small enough that it fit into a pocket, but highly powerful. Now Geoff and Ayesha could pinpoint exactly where things were in town with no running around guessing! Well - the cash just tumbled in!

They kept upgrading their home. Now they could afford fencing for the wrap-around deck and they finished off the windows and the top floor.

The added stairs off of both back deck areas and a door from the kitchen side for quick access to the pond.

Geoff was so excited by the Collection Helper that he'd work long into the evening collecting gems and space rocks. But with the beautiful vista of Corrigan Bay to enjoy, who would mind working late?

And it was always a happy site to see a meteor shower! That meant more space rocks to find and analyze and more chances of getting valuable income!