Rotation 3: Chapter 3: The Bray's

   The Brays are a rather simple family in part due to the fact they only have two kids but this simplicity won't last with the baby soon to be born. Regardless of the family's near expansion, Billie and Ida Bray are two kids who rather live in their own world. Billie caring for books far more than most things while Ida would just rather have fun and gets bored easily. William and Barbara have been blessed so far with no losses unlike the other families of their community and they hope it stays that way. 

    Billie has formed a close friendship with Adolphus Fairchild, which is good for both boys as friends are always needed and Adolphus is going through a rough home situation following the loss of his mom. The two bond over school, which Adolphus as a teenager no longer attends and other activities like being swung around in the yard. The two will hopefully have a strong friendship ahead of them as heirs to two of the three founding families. Both were close with Michael Estmore, but with him gone due to the fire, it seems the weight of Bourneford only rests on their shoulders now. 

    Barbara is blessed when she delivers a cute little happy baby boy. They decide upon naming him Calvin Moses Bray, a solid name for a boy who will grow up on a small dairy farm. Barbara is quite pleased to deliver her third child, William is just happy his wife is alive especially after all the tragedies that have struck many of the families in Bourneford. Calvin should have a nice life ahead...if his body and mind both are prepared to fight for it. 

    Once recovered, The Brays make their bedroom come alive again with their passion and desire for another child. After delivering Calvin, it only reminded Barbara how much she dreams of a larger family...specifically one with 10 kids. It is a bit too late for this want to become a reality as William and her approach elderhood but hopefully they can conceive at least one more time.

    It is joyous in the Bray household when Barbara discovers three new calves in the pasture. This means there will finally be milk and thus money! The woman so excited gets quick to work, Barbara Bray has always struggled to be an idle woman. No matter the weather or her mood, she gets out there as she knows this is how their family will finally be able to make some money of their own. With hopefully a new baby on the way they will certainly need it. 

    Finding joy and pride in motherhood is something sort of new for Barbara, of course she loved her children and being a mother before, but with Calvin she just feels not only experienced but also actually prepared. As she looks into his eyes, she is reminded of that new feeling and it only makes her want to become pregnant again stronger. She wants to truly embrace her new found maternal feelings, give herself a chance to follow through on what her mind seems to be pulling her towards. Little Calvin is also quite an easy and adorable baby, one who is easy to love and want to spend time with. 

    When Barbara finds out she's pregnant, she feels pure joy and a type of surprise that only reminds her of youth. When she tells William, he too is happy about the prospect. With the cows now producing dairy that means more money which means they will actually be able to support more children. Billie and Ida seem rather neutrally positive about the prospect of a new sibling, not too excited but claiming to be excited yet it's hard to read on their faces. William just says it's because their kids don't understand fully how great this news is, but Barbara feels disappointed in them. Wishing there was something she could do that could change their minds...nothing seems to work.

    With Barbara pregnant and feeling more feelings than ever, William steps up with helping his wife care for the cows. The business which he mainly runs on his own also is quite the focus of his. The family has waited so long for this and it means they will finally be able to bring in not only money but also the respect that William especially craves for from his peers. There certainly is a bit of competition between the founding families in the pursuit of being the most successful and the best, William not only feels this competitiveness but he desperately has an itch. He wants to be the one to supply his children with the best of the best and a name that carries meaning. 

    Ida is rather a quiet little girl, struggling with making friends at school, most of her nights look like her doing her homework then just reading until bedtime. But one day she brings home Isabella Drake from school and the two seem to really hit it off. For Isabella and Ida are not only similar in personality, but they also share quite similar personal histories. Their parents both moving here for dreams of success and a better life for their children, but the two girls don't focus on that for long...as it's rather boring adult stuff. They would rather play tag and throw a ball around the yard which they actually do for hours until it's time for Isabella to go back home. Ida, sad when her friend leaves, has to be reminded the girl only lives across the street. 

    Calvin ages up into an adorable toddler, which makes sense considering the appearances of his parents. He looks a lot like his father which is all his mother can think about when she looks at her precious little boy who is now already a toddler so fast. William enjoys having such a young one around the house again, reminded of how much he enjoys the toddler phase. He can just spend hours of the day with his third child, teaching the boy all the skills he might need in life. 

    The hard work of the Brays feels like it finally pays off when their business hits Rank 1. Of course, they're aware it isn't that much of a feat compared to the state and statuses of the other Bourneford businesses, but for them this feels like enough for now. This only pushes them to want to work harder especially as Billie is close to being a teen. His parents expect that as the heir, Billie will likely want to get more involved. They don't want to force him but also there isn't much of a choice in Bourneford especially as the community is in need of someone who sells milk and cream. 

    Before she knows it, her pregnancy is almost to an end. She loved being pregnant this time around and when her water breaks one morning in the kitchen, she feels anticipation mixed in with that awful pain. It's a bit of a long labor, longer than it was with Calvin but not as long as it was with Billie or Ida...at least that's the case in her mind, she is too tired to figure out if her memory is serving her right. Regardless of the state of her mind, it is focused on the right thing because once her fourth child takes his first breath she feels immediate happiness and maternal relief. She decides upon the name of Otis John Bray, Otis is a name that not only suits the names of his siblings but follows the trend of short simplicity. With having Billie, Ida, Calvin and now Otis, she feels a sense of accomplishment. While some may think she should feel accomplished, Barbara doesn't feel that especially because she finds a few weeks later that she wants another. 

    William "Billie" Bray Jr. ages up into a teenager forcing his parents to reconcile with the quick passing of time. He decides he is a knowledge sim, similar to his father in the sense he wants to be well accomplished in all skills. He actually gains the Genus trait in addition to his previous trait of Over-Emotional, his father especially upon noticing more of this intellectual vigor is so proud of his son. Billie actually looks quite adorable in his new dapper clothes and Barbara just gets emotional at the sight of him. How could he already be a teenager?!

    With now having four children and the eldest being a teen, Barbara is reminded of her own mortality. She and William are getting closer and closer to grey hair themselves, something which likely doesn't excite either of them. One morning as Barbara gets up and looks in the mirror, she is reminded that she is no longer the young woman she was when she moved here. When she looks at her hair, the same hairstyle she's been doing before Billie was born she feels the urge for a change. Something new and more sensible....of course still a bun as that's core to how Barbara expresses herself but it's done differently now. 

    Sadly, life isn't kind to the Brays. As you, the reader, may remember last rotation the Brays got struck with a heavy case of the flu which they were able to overcome so quickly at the start of this rotation I found no reason to comment on. But it seems to have left the body of Ida Joan Bray rather weak, so when a new illness got brought home...likely from the schoolhouse it hit her hard. Also poor little Otis, so young and delicate, came down with it as well. The family was in a stressful state for days when finally Ida and Otis both passed, leaving their loved ones in a state of pure grief and shock. Barbara quickly feels that she is going to be sick and runs to the outhouse, puking as she cries. The loss is just unbearable. 

    Without a church and parish graveyard, the Brays, similar to the other Bourneford families, lay their loved ones to rest in their backyard. Ida felt too sick for the scene while William and Billie mourned at the two graves. The loss hits them all differently, Barbara feeling physically ill, William turning quiet and Billie feeling a sense of newfound strength but he too cries...especially for Ida. His only sister, it was just them for quite a while of their childhoods, it was something that bonded them and now it's just him and a toddler. The whole experience is a hardening one. 

    Following the losses of two of children, Barbara has been in a state of physical illness and grief. It's so bad she often struggles to leave her bed, leaving William and Billie to manage the animals and the household. All of them thinking that this illness was from the grief and weight of such heavy a loss. But one morning as she sits there, Barbara comes to the thought she might be pregnant. The last time they did the marital deed, was before the deaths and the timeline would make sense. She doesn't know how to feel about the news...it's all too dark. 

       Billie noticing the state of his mother makes an effort to spend time with her especially as she has been beginning to feel better. It does seem to work as the pair spend hours just talking, she enjoys that he is so much like his father in personality yet looks so much like her. The time spent chatting has given Barbara an important reminder to live and find a sense of positive emotion again. She has to do it not just for herself or her two living children but also the baby inside of her. 

        Barbara's changed perspective has brought her back to her old self, focusing on the cows and their concerns again. But even though she does feel back to how she used to be, there still is something different. Not only in perspective but also with how something she simply just can't describe. She just feels as if she sees things differently, she clutches Calvin tighter at night as she rocks him to sleep, she feels things more physically with her hands. There is a new sense of maybe engagement with the experience that is humanity. She doesn't really know but she does feel it. 

    Calvin's experience of the losses of his sister and younger brother has been very minimal due to simply how young he was and still is. His presence and youth is important to remind the whole family to keep pushing...to keep living. A rather easy toddler, Calvin is the closest with his father and elder brother who did much of his caretaking as Barbara felt ill. But that has been beginning to change which he certainly loves, as more attention is always better.

    The rotation despite the travesties ends on a rather high note, with William getting the business to Rank Two. This is an accomplishment especially after everything the Brays have gone through. William feels a sense of pride in himself but it just doesn't feel the same with everything that has occurred. He has maintained a strong face and mindset for the sake of his wife, but he also feels the pain deep down. Especially losing their only daughter has hit him hard, he hopes though that things will be better for them in the future. The only comfort he has is knowing there's a chance for better.