Sagehen Mesa Part 15 - Anton's Family

 ***Note from the Overlord: One thing I love about the open world is, when I switch households, the members of the household aren't always home but instead going about their own business in the world. When I switched to Anton, here's were I found him.***

Whose wood these are I think I know.

His house is in the the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow. (Robert Frost)

Hello, Anton here.

The last time I spoke was last summer. A lot has happened since then. Hannah and I were seeing each other, but we both decided we would be better friends than lovers. Not long after that, Tess took baby Sondra and left her husband Cliff. Cliff's a mean-spirited sort, and Tess has finally had enough. Her son Clancy left with her. 

Soon after that, Tess and I met and it was no time at all that we knew we were meant for each other. We quickly married and I moved out of Guadalupe's house and into the one Tess was renting from the McDowells. 

Man, I wish Tess wasn't such an indoor girl! She's really missing out here. As far as I'm concerned, this is the one good thing her no-account ex has done. Granted, I think it was just dumb luck the he was drilling and tapped into some hot springs, but he claims the townspeople are free to use this hot pool, so I'm taking him at his word. I'm sure he wouldn't be thrilled to find me here, but he doesn't need to know. 

I'd best be headin' home. It's getting late. 

Domestic life is the life for me. I don't understand how my dad never took to it. Tess is so good with the baby, and she and Clancy are really close. 

Baby Sondra had a birthday awhile back. She's more fun to play with now. 

She looks so much like Cliff, it's kinda scarry, but I won't hold it against her. I'm laid-off from being a lifeguard due to it being the dead of winter an' all, so I'm in charge of most of the childcare duties. This gives Tess a chance to sculpt and meet her deadlines for the clients commissioning her work. 

Clancy and I get along just fine. I'm not his dad nor do I want to be. He's kind of like a little brother to me. 

We spend quality time together, mostly napping while waiting for supper. . . .

. . . but we've had some pretty good talks too. Clancy has taken an interest in fitness and athletics lately. He's letting his hair grow out some. He says his girlfriend Jolene likes it that way. 

He's currently working at the grocery store part time to help pay the bills, which makes me feel bad. I need to get out there and get a job, but I'm just not cut out for a W-2 job. I need to be able to work flexible hours so I can help Tess with the baby. I'm thinking of trying the photography gig again. After all, Sagehen Mesa is a much different place than Bridgeport. 

Clancy is making an effort to mend fences with his dad and little brother. He met up with Tim the other night, but the results were mixed. He and Tim were enjoying some foosball, . . . 

. . . but then Tim made a mean-spirited comment, and Clancy sunk to his level. 

Tim started hollerin' so Clancy decided to call it a night. As he arrived home, he says he saw some weird lights in the sky, and the next thing he knew he was abducted by aliens. 

Come on, aliens?!? I bet he and Tim got into some of Cliff's booze. I decided it was best to humor the kid, though. He needs an adult male to believe in him. 

He and Jolene will be going to prom soon, so hopefully that will take his mind off the "abduction." If not, we may need to send him to Dr. Ellen. 

I can't seem to get the idea of photography as an income source out of my mind. I've been taking  lot of pictures around town. It's very pretty covered in snow. The snow has been heavy this winter, and the kids have taken a lot of snow days. I hope this doesn't harm Clancy's academics. 

I'm thinking of taking portraits of the townspeople and important landmarks. We'll see how it goes. Come summer, I might be back to lifeguarding. 

 

I asked Josie what she thought of my idea, and she was encouraging, so I might give it a go. Josie is always full of good advice. 

Tess says it was Josie who encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone in working with wood and try stone. Stone sculptures are worth more, but they also cost more to make. 

We saw a bump in our income after Tess started sculpting in stone, and she finally got those fancy kitchen appliances she'd been wanting.