#back to jan it is i guess!“ *jan also instantly goes to the other side of the stage*

[echoes-of-mia]

here's a bit of ona with jan, kris and bojan all wearing their silly things ^^

(video by me)

[mother-snake]

🎶Guess whos back🎶 🎶back again🎶

It's me! With more Janus angst! Well, more fluff then anything... It's fluff (did you really think we could pass the 4 year anniversary of sanders sides and I wouldn't send something in?)

So!! The sides are having a huge party to celebrate 4 years. The living room is decked in all the colours of the rainbow. A mixture of all the sides music are playing through the speakers and all their favourite foods are set up. Everyone is in the living room, talking and dancing mostly but Virgil did climb on top of the fridge when Roman took out glitter. Well, everyone is in the living room except for a certain snake like side.

Janus didn't join the party. Hes still in his room in the mindscape. Not from lack of effort from the others. They knocked on his door for half an hour straight with no answer. So they just accept that Janus is going to miss this year.

At least all accept Patton.

Patton snatched Remus from the party and made him lock pick the door open. Patton opened the door slowly -so that if Jan was sleeping it wouldn't disturb him. Patton felt his heart drop when he saw the yellow side's room.

The walls were covered with scuffs and tears in the Victorian wallpaper, almost all the furniture was flipped and destroyed -burns coating some of the edges, Janus' prized record player was smashed to pieces and all of the light bulbs were shattered. Stuttering out a soft curse (holy smokes, fudge, sugar honey ice tea, etc) Patton summoned the others.

Instant chaos. Virgil immediately goes to "oh my god, Janus is dead. I need to pick up a larger work load. Thomas is never going to be able to lie again. Patton is trying to hold back tears and calm down Virgil Logan is looking throughout the room, deducing that there was a massive struggle, some things are burned but only in concentrated places and there is a small pool of blood by some shattered glass. The twins say that they feel some magic from the imagination in the room. The sides decide to follow the clues and go to the imagination to see if they can find anything else.

Luckily for them! The imagination works with a different time! 24 hours in the imagination is one hour irl. So they should be back for the party!!

When they enter the imagination the first thing they see is a bowler hat that is stained with blood and a set of foot prints. They follow it as well with picking up the hat.

Logan notices that the corner is burned and the blood is fresh -still wet and it hasn't darkened yet-

While walking they pay close attention to their surroundings and chat about what movies they want to watch when they get back to the party. The footprints are becoming scarce so they follow the occasional droplet of blood and torn piece of clothing.

They walk for hours with only the birds and setting sun to keep them company. They decide to stop and rest for the night when Logan almost falls in a hole that was hidden by the lack of light. Roman summons a few sleeping bags and sets up a fire while Virgil takes first watch. Switching throughout the night.

The next day continues more or less like it did the day before. Walking and talking.

This time ,after crossing a river, they find a yellow glove soaked in blood, some scales stuck on the fabric. If their hurry wasn't there before it was now. They quicken their pace even more. Leaving the forest they were in and moving into some plains, they thought they heard distant shouting.

"don't let me right now you monster!"

"you have no idea what I'm not capable of when I'm mad!"

"Sooner or later the others won't catch up with you!!"

All with the S' slurred and sarcastic tone that they knew oh so well. They walked up a hill to see Janus tied to a pyre, blond curls a mess and matted with dried blood, clothes torn and some scales torn off. They looked to the insane bastard that thought kidnapping the snake was a good idea to see not just one bastard. But over 30 bastards!!

Janus got kidnapped by a cult.

The cult was very stereotypical; black cloaks, a few sacrificed goats and white porcelain masks with painted scales on their face -wait a sec... Scales? Yes scales. Deceit has a cult devoted to him- and thats when it clicks for them. They want to sacrifice Janus to appease Deceit. This cult doesn't know that Janus IS Deceit. The sides face palmed when they realized how dumb these cultists are.

The cultists seem really annoyed with Janus' complaining so they gag him all while he was yelling at how he was going to skin these fucking people alive to make a skin suit -Remus was proud- but sadly. Threats don't mean much if you're tied to a pole and about to be set on fire. The people continue to prepare the dumbest sacrifice ever while the others try to figure out how to free Janus.

Virgil looks closer at the items the cultists have laid out. A spider corpse, an octopus tentacle, a bulls horn, a cats eye and a few crow feathers... This wasn't a Janus cult. This was a Dark Side cult. Virgil let out a heavy sigh and told the others his plan.

Remus and Virgil turned into their dark forms. Spider legs coming out of Virgil's back along with six more eyes sprouted, his hair also turned purple. Remus had oozing green tentacles rip from his back and his skin took a sickening green tinge, his white hair stripe also turned neon green. They teleported behind the cultists and let out animalistic growls.

The cult turned around to see the people they worshipped having a pissed off expression on their face and instantly knew they fucked up. They fell to their knees and begged for mercy all while Virgil chewed them out for kidnapping the actual Deceit -thats when that threat of a skin suit really sunk in- and how creepy it was to try to burn someone alive and to at least have some class when sacrificing someone- that went on for a while.

The other three snuck behind the cult and untied Janus, the second they untied his hands Janus ripped off the gag and turned into his dark form.

He grew six arms and his eyes glowed with a intense yellow. Golden snakes wrapped around his arms and then he let out a low hiss.

Janus sent the snakes to tie the cultists arms behind their backs and stepped down from the pyre. To be honest; every side there thought that Janus was going to murder 30 people and actually skin them, but that is NOT WHAT HAPPENNED!!!

No one expected Janus to yell at them like a disappointed mother for 2 hours straight and keep their mouths shut with his powers.

"-AND NOT ANOTHER THING! If you ignorant self centered pricks ever, and I don't mean ever, lay a single hand on another side again. YOU WILL ALL BE BURNED AT THE FUCKING STAKE!-" he went on for a while...

The ironic thing was that Janus was the youngest side so this was equal to hearing your toddler threaten arson.

After Janus was done he turned around and snatched his glove from the nearby table and changed back to his normal form all while mumbling about "some insane crazy assholes who fucking kidnapped me in the middle of scale care, fucking pricks." The other sides just followed him. Virgil and Remus changing back as they quickly caught up with Janus.

Remus could not stop laughing, Virgil was shocked that Janus could be a disappointed mother without having children, Roman was just amazed by the fact that the snake was still standing after some of those injuries. Patton wanted to give him a hug.... Ok multiple hugs... Fine he wanted to snuggle. And Logan? Logan just wanted to know more about the dark forms.

The walk was quicker back then it was to rescue the snake all while listening to Janus complaining that the pricks broke his record player and that they had the bloody AUDACITY to kidnap him! All they could think about was when Thomas called Janus the main mean girl and that they couldnt even deny it anymore.

When they made it back they patched up Janus and let him take a shower before sinking back out to join Thomas, who was just watching the office for the millionth time (pick another show sanders, I beg of you) he did perk back up when he realized that the sides were back. Then he saw the pissed off look on Janus' face... and he asked what was wrong. That set JanJan Binks off again as the others were getting a bit tired of hearing this again for the fifth time that day. So like how you distract a child.

They put on 'Chicago, the musical' and let the songs of Roxie Hart distract the snake. It worked, he shut up real quick!

The sides vowed to never let Janus get kidnapped ever again because that was.... An experience, that they DO NOT want to do again!

Thankfully the rest of the day went off well.

~~~~~

And that was an idea from 1am from someone who should be asleep! I was gonna make this angsty but all I could imagine was a pissed of Janus yelling at 30 adults.

I doubt you would want to use this but feel free! I hope this is as funny as my sleep deprived brain thinks it is!

(I'm sorry for any typos, it is very late)

(I got it! Just forgot to post it yesterday ^-^')

One, Yes. I love it. The beautiful angst... And ferral janus is something I absolutely die for.

(would say more but my brain has short circuited and I'm in boi, strict teach... But I'll put more later!)

[writethehousedown]

In My Head, We Belong (Crystal/Gigi) Chapter Two -- Zyan

a/n: hey guys! here’s chapter two. we’re doing the same thing as genie au, so this chapter is mostly crystal’s pov. :) in case you’re interested, i did a playlist for the fic, and most of these songs reflect the fic and the characters emotions, so it’d be cool if you listen to it while you read. as always, frey is the best beta and my sideblog is @chachkisalpaca

“Crystal!”

Crystal turns around, looking for Gigi’s voice in the crowd of people. She knits her brows in a frown, holding on tight to her umbrella. It’s not raining as much as the past days, it’s rather faint, but she’s got nice eyeliner for the first time in ages and she doesn’t wanna ruin it.

Gigi appears in her vision range a moment later, elbowing people to get to her. She doesn’t have an umbrella; instead she’s got a yellow raincoat slightly longer than her uniform. Crystal smiles a little, thinking she looks like a cute little duck.

“Hey,” she greets breathlessly. Crystal covers the both of them with the umbrella and starts to walk again.

“Whatcha doing with the uniform? Are you cheating on Widow with another restaurant?” Crystal asks with a giggle. Gigi laughs softly, shaking her head slightly.

“No, I’m just cheating on the night shift,” she replies nonchalantly, “Apparently Blair called in sick; she’s got fever or something like that. Widow asked me if I could cover for her just for today.” Gigi shrugged, trying to tame her wet hair.

“Oh, shit, I hope she gets better. She and Jan always put on a musical on Wednesdays, it’s everyone’s favorite part of the day,” she comments with a small smile.

Crystal doesn’t have that many shifts in the morning, only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the rest of the time she works nights, but she always looks forward to Wednesdays for Jan and Blair’s spontaneous musicals.

Wednesdays are also the days John comes by to have breakfast at the restaurant and Crystal elbows everyone on her way to serve him.

“The morning shift sounds nice and all, but I usually do most of my orders in the morning. I couldn’t sew to save my life when I’m tired, y’know?” Gigi says, Crystal then remembers about Gigi’s independent job as a designer and seamstress.

“How’s business going, by the way?”

Gigi smiles widely and pulls out her phone as she wraps an arm around Crystal’s bicep. She shows her a photo of a messy sewing room with five mannequins half dressed.

“So far it’s going great. Apparently there’ll be a lot of weddings in spring, because I’m mostly getting commissioned by people who are attending to a wedding. It’s nice though, I’ve always liked weddings.”

“Are you a romantic gal, Miss Gigi?” Crystal asks with a sneaky smile. Gigi rolls her eyes as she puts her phone back into her pocket.

“Not at all; it just happens that weddings are especially good for spreading my name around. There’s always that one aunt, you know which one, that goes around talking shit and doing condescending compliments that no one likes. She’s always the one to ask ‘where did you get that dress?’ in the most insulting way ever, though she secretly likes it. Once she gets the name she sends her children to find the designer on social media, because of course she does, and then she contacts me, and now she’s causing envy in her social circle, and her friends need to know who did that suit for her.” Gigi finishes her ramble taking a deep breath.

Crystal cackles loudly at Gigi’s rant, covering her mouth with her free hand to try and stop it. Gigi is possibly the most expressive person when it comes to telling stories, and she loves it.

“Oh my God, has any of that actually happened?” She manages to question between hiccups of laughter. Gigi shrugs.

“A couple of times,” she admits, and they both fall into a fit of laughter.

Laughing with Gigi is a nice way to start the day, it helps her distract from the fact John left her on read when she sent him a nice good morning message, and she’s not really sure if it’s good or bad, though it’s probably the latter.

*

The restaurant has a nice vibe in the mornings, with all the plants Widow bought to decorate the place along with the endless photos and portraits hanging from the walls, it looks more like a house with too many tables and chairs, rather than a restaurant.

Crystal comes and goes between the tables, serving coffee to men in suits, kind grandpas, and brings crying children a sweet treat as requested by their parents to make them shut up.

Jan is sad to hear her singing partner isn’t feeling well, but she still sings while she delivers orders nonetheless. Gigi watches her while she giggles and tries to record her for the restaurant’s group chat. Crystal has to admit that though she misses Blair, it’s interesting to see Jan trying to sing a duo all by herself.

When the performance is over, Crystal goes back to looking at the entrance every other minute, hoping to see John behind the glass with his fancy suit and charming smile.

She checks the hour in her wrist watch. 8:45 a.m. He should come in any moment, she musters to herself.

*

It’s 10 a.m. and there’s no sign on John yet.

Crystal is trying to block out the fact he’s left her on read and hasn’t appeared yet by trying to look interested in Jan and Gigi’s conversation.

The traffic has slowed down a little, and since all of their current customers already have their orders, the three girls are chatting near the kitchen.

“Jan, I swear to God spring has something that’s especially good for weddings, because yours will be the sixth dress I have to make,” Gigi says as she stares at the design Jan is showing her. “In fact, I was talking to Crystal about it when we ran into each other earlier today,” she comments and Crystal is now forced to actually pay attention to the conversation.

“I think it can be because people find it romantic to have a wedding when the flowers are blooming,” Crystal offers as an explanation, shifting her weight from one foot to another, trying to ignore how heavy her phone feels in the pocket of her uniform. “Whose wedding are you going to, by the way?”

“I think I have told y’all about my cousin Cheryl, the one that looks a lot like me,” Jan wonders. The name echoes through Crystal’s head.

“The UK girl that came for your birthday party last year?” Crystal asks, knitting her brows in a frown.

“Yeah, her! She’s getting married later this spring, and thankfully I don’t have to worry about the plane ticket because she’s, like, from the rich side of the family, so they’re paying for my flight.” Jan flips her hair a little and Gigi whistles.

“No wonder why you want such a fancy design. What? Are you gonna try to seduce one of her British friends?” She asks with a snort and the girls laugh. Crystal notices the scrutinizing look Gigi gives Jan and tilts her head.

Jan blushes a little and bites her lower lip.

“I dunno, I think I’ve already got someone here…” She leaves the sentence hanging in the air and excuses herself from the conversation by saying she saw one of her customers wave at her.

Crystal frowns a little and Gigi snickers, covering her mouth with her hand. She looks at Gigi with a slight frown.

“What’s so funny?”

Gigi looks at her with a smirk; her left brow is slightly cocked as she looks back at Jan.

“What? Did you not know she’s sleeping with Jaida?” She inquires, now looking at Crystal with her head tilted to the side, completely confused.

Crystal’s mouth hangs open for a solid minute before she gasps a little, looking back and forth between Jan and Gigi.

“No way!” She manages to say, and Gigi lets out a chuckle. “I would’ve never guessed. How’d you know?”

“Did you really not know? Girl, you’re the one that shares a shift with Yuhua, that bitch’s the biggest snitch ever. She told Brianna one time she had to cover for you and then Brianna told me. I thought you knew.”

Crystal blinks repeatedly, scratching to the back of her brain in hopes of remembering Yuhua telling her anything about it, but she can’t, she’s in blank.

“Apparently everyone knew but me,” Crystal mumbles, suddenly realizing how much sense it all makes. It’d explain why Jan is always shooing them when it’s her and Jaida’s turn to close the restaurant on the night shifts.

Well, she should’ve suspected something with such blatant signs, but if Crystal is known for something, it’s how oblivious she is.

“Well, everyone knows Jan has a massive crush on Jaida but Jaida herself,” Gigi comments softly, fearing that Jan would hear them.

Crystal sighs. Of course Jan and Jaida are sleeping together and Jan is the one pining. For a moment it reminds her of the ‘friends with benefits’ trope she used to read — and write, but that’s something she won’t talk about — in One Direction Fanfics.

“Imagine having a crush on someone you literally work and sleep with, but they ain’t got a clue.” She snorts, turning to see Gigi. Gigi’s looking at her with her lips slightly pursed, the emotion in her eyes is one Crystal can’t put a finger on.

Gigi parts her lips slightly, but shuts them almost instantly. She gives a soft sigh before excusing herself.

Crystal aims to go after her, but her phone vibrates and she smiles when she pulls it out and sees it’s a call from John, forgetting about Gigi’s weird behavior in a heartbeat.

*

John apologizes profusely for not having texted to tell her he had a super important meeting out of the city, but he swears he’ll make it up to her with dinner at her favorite restaurant. He tells her he’s picking her up and Crystal is grateful that she always brings another set of clothes to work; you never know when a bratty toddler will spill their lunch on you.

He arrives just when she’s about to finish her shift and waits for her by the entrance. Crystal sprints towards the bathroom with her bag hanging from her arm the moment her wrist watch indicates her shift is over.

She gets changed with a toothy smile, trying not to take too long, because punctuality is something John is greatly obsessed with, and re-applies her lipstick, feeling all giddy.

Gigi enters to the bathroom with her hair down, still wearing her uniform. She’s got her backpack on her arm and her raincoat hanging from her shoulders, Crystal smiles at the image she had that morning of Gigi as a little duck.

“Hey, what got you so happy?” Gigi asks with a little smile, setting her backpack on the counter.

Crystal cleans the edges of her lips before replying.

“My guy’s waiting for me; we’re going to have dinner together. Isn’t he cute? He wants to make it up to me because he couldn’t be at the restaurant this morning,” she replies with the excitement showing in her tone. Gigi rummages through her backpack, jerking her head up a little.

“Is he the guy in the dark blue suit? The one by the entrance?” Gigi wonders with her brows slightly knit in a frown. Crystal nods enthusiastically.

“Yes! He’s cute, right?” She repeats and Gigi smiles, though it looks somewhat forced.

“He looks very nice indeed.”

[mustangshelby04]

Boston Boy - First (Second) Best Christmas

It’s here! (It’s a little later than I intended it to be, but it’s here!) The first one shot of the Boston Boy series. It’s just a cute little Christmas story with Kate and Chris. Pure fluff. MERRY (Belated) CHRISTMAS!!

“Chris, it’s too big!  It’s not going to fit!” Kate complained. “Oh!  Ow!”

“Shit!  Fuck!  I’m sorry!” Chris cried, stopping his movements immediately. “Are you ok?”

“I’ll live.” Kate sighed. “It’s not going to fit.  We need to take some off the bottom.” 

“I guess you’re right.  I really thought our ceiling was high enough for it.”

The husband and wife duo looked at the tree that was about a foot too tall for their ceiling.  They had ordered their tree to be delivered from a tree farm upstate and Chris had guessed at the height they would need.  He sighed and grabbed the saw.

“Uh uh!  Do that out on the patio.” Kate said.

“Why?”

“It’s going to make an even bigger mess that I’ll have to clean up.”

“I’ll help.” Kate just stared at him. “Ok.” Chris sighed and dragged the tree out to the patio.

Kate turned and looked at the boxes and bags of decorations.  Her mother had sent up some of the family ornaments while Chris had brought some of his decorations from Boston.  The two of them had also gone shopping for decorations of their own.  She reached into one of the bags and pulled out the personalized ornament they had found.  It was a crescent moon with a baby Minnie Mouse sleeping on a pink blanket.  The moon had the words “Baby’s First Christmas” written on it and the blanket had 2016 on one side and Madison written on the other side.

It was the day after Thanksgiving.  Chris, Kate, and Madison had spent all day in Sudbury for the holiday the day before.  Kate’s mother had insisted that Kate spend the time up there with her husband’s family.  Kate hadn’t fought it too much because she and Chris were surprising her family with the annual trip to Disneyworld this year.  He had booked them resort rooms and gotten them tickets while Kate had worked it out with her parents’ boss that they would get the time off for it.  Her brother, sister-in-law, and niece were also coming on the trip.  The entire Allen clan would be invited every year from now on.

“This should do it.” Chris announced, dragging the tree back in.  He set it upright and the two feet he had cut off worked perfectly.

Kate grabbed her phone and turned on the Christmas playlist she had compiled on her music app.  The Bluetooth soundbar in the living room picked it up and the room filled with the sounds of “The Twelve Pains of Christmas.”  Chris let out a loud laugh as he and Kate worked to set the tree up in the stand they had bought.  When they finished getting the tree settled and watered, Kate grabbed the tree skirt and started pulling the tags off.

“What are you doing?” Chris asked.

“Putting the tree skirt on.” Kate said, confused he was asking.

“That goes on last.

“What?”

“The tree skirt goes on last.” “Why?”

That stumped Chris. “Because it does.”

“You don’t know why it goes on last?”

“I guess I’ve just always put it on last.  Why do you want it on first?”

“So I can get it situated on the stand so we can water it easily and not worry about knocking off the ornaments near the bottom.”

“Huh…. That makes sense.”

“I know.” Kate crawled under the tree and set to work adjusting the skirt while Chris pulled out the boxes of new white Christmas lights.

“Are you sure it’s ok we got white?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Some people prefer colored.”

“I’m not those people.” Kate slid out from under the tree and nodded at her handiwork. “I prefer pretty white lights for an elegant tree.”

“Me too.” Chris smiled and kissed her. “I’m really happy we’re getting to spend our first Christmas together.”

“This is our second Christmas together.”

“We weren’t living together last year, though.”

“True.” Kate smiled as she looked over at the baby monitor’s screen.  Madison was napping peacefully in her crib with the Disney lullaby playlist playing softly in the background.  She had finally transitioned from her bassinette to her crib the month before. “We did have her, though.”

“Yes, we did.” He pulled her to him and started dancing to a sweet rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”  This was one of Kate’s favorite things about Chris.  He would randomly pull her to him and start dancing with her.  It didn’t matter what they were doing, he would stop and dance with her.  It was so insanely romantic and so very much a Chris thing to do and she adored it. “So, Mrs. Evans, what do you want Santa to bring you this year?”

“More moments like this one.”

“Oh, that’s a good wish.”

“What about you?”

“That’s a tough one.”

“Why?”

“Because I have everything I want.  I have the most amazing wife in the history of wives.  We have a perfect little girl together.  I finally feel settled.  Even with the sporadic travelling for work, I feel grounded and settled.”

“Does it help when I’m there with you?”

“It absolutely helps.  More than you know.”

Kate nodded. “Ok.”

“Ok, what?”

“You’ll just have to wait until Christmas.” She looked up at him as they broke apart and started unboxing the ornaments. “Speaking of Santa, I don’t want to give him credit for the good gifts.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, when Maddie is older, I don’t want Santa to get all the credit for the good gifts.  He can have maybe one good gift, but he can have the credit for the stocking stuffers and some little gifts.”

Chris laughed, but stopped when he saw how serious she was. “You mean it?”

“Yes, I mean it.”

“Ok.  If that’s how you want to play Santa, I’m fine with that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.  It’s not how I grew up, but….”

“It’s not how I grew up either.  I just…. Look, we’re her parents.  We provide for her.  I almost died giving birth to her.  Some fake fat man in a red suit isn’t going to get all the credit for making her happy.  That’s our job.”

“Ok.  We’ll give Santa one good present and the stocking stuffers.”

“Cool.” The started hanging ornaments on the tree, meticulously picking the best spots for each one.

Chris paused, a Hallmark Beauty and the Beast ornament hanging from his hand. “Hey, what about an Elf on the Shelf?”

“I swear to god, Christopher, if you bring one of those demons in this house, I will throw it off the top patio.”

Chris laughed, slapping a hand to his chest and almost dropping the ornament. “I am so glad you said that because those things creep me the fuck out.”

Kate laughed and kissed her husband. “I’m glad we agree on that.” She paused, looking uncertain about what she wanted to say next.

“What is it, babe?”  

“What are we doing about Christmas with our families?  We’ve both got our traditions with our families, and we celebrated that same way last year pretty much.  But this year is completely different.  We’re married and we have a kid.  And honestly, the thought of all that travelling with her freaks me out because of the amount of shit we have to take with us wherever we go with her.  Just taking her to a grocery store is like packing for a week on vacation.”

Chris nodded.  Kate was right about how much stuff it took to travel anywhere with a baby.  It made him nervous, too. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Chris….”

“Kat, I promise we will work something out that works for everyone.” He gave her a grin and she sighed.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Christmas Eve, Kate and Chris’ penthouse was packed to the gills.  Scott and Lisa were staying in the office, sharing the pull-out couch; Carly, her husband, and three kids were in one of the guest rooms; and Killian, Maura, and Hailey were in the other guest bedroom.  Helena, Bill, and Jan were staying at a nearby hotel at Helena’s insistence.  The whole family had flown in from Orlando the day before.

Chris had insisted that Christmas be at his and Kate’s place this year.  That had been his solution for not travelling with Madison.  He was also extremely excited to finally have a family of his own and hosting Christmas for the first time ever really got him going.  Kate, Lisa, and Helena had spent the day cooking.  Chris had rented a couple of extra tables and chairs to accommodate everyone as well as some beautiful tableware.  He had worked hard setting the tables and making place cards for everyone.

It had been decided that everyone would open one gift that night and then go to bed.  The kids were excited to leave out cookies for Santa that night and Chris was excited to actually get to play Santa finally.  He and Kate snuck downstairs with the presents they had hidden in their closet and the nursery closet.  When they were done, the presents spilled out from under the tree.  They headed upstairs, checked on a sleeping Madison, and then closed the door to their room.

“I have a gift for you.” Kate announced, walking towards the bed from the bathroom after cleaning her face and brushing her teeth.  She was in an oversized Home Alone t-shirt and her hair was in a high ponytail.  

Chris held his arms out to her from his place on the bed and she climbed on top of him.  His hands instantly cupped her round backside. “You can’t wait to give it to me till the morning?”

Kate shook her head. “I’ve been holding onto this for a while now.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.  Quit distracting me.” One of his hands had drifted between her legs and his lips were trailing kisses along her neck.  

He chuckled and leaned back against the headboard. “Ok, lay it on me.”

“Ok, so do you remember a little while back you said it helps you stay grounded when I’m there with you?” Chris nodded. “Well, I started thinking about it.  I love to travel and I love being with you and I really love being a mother.  I don’t like being away from Maddie constantly.  Especially for work.  I still want to take pictures…. I mean, I really do love it, but I don’t want to do it as often as I have been.”

“You haven’t said anything.”

“Because it’s part of your Christmas present.  Shh.”

“Sorry.”  

“Thank you.  So, I’ve been talking to Danielle and she came up with a brilliant solution.  One that even I couldn’t have dreamed up.”

“What?”

“She decided to sell me a stake in her company and make me a partner.”

“Are you serious?” Kate nodded excitedly. “That’s awesome!  Congratulations, baby!”

“All of this means that I can pick and choose the jobs that I take.  I can stay home or go away with you or do whatever I want to do.  I’ll still have my own thing.  I’ll have a job and be making my own money, so I won’t be relying completely on you….”

“Which I’ve told you not to worry about.  You’re my wife.  What’s mine is yours.”

“Hush.  I’m not done.”

“Sorry.”  

“And the final part of all of this…. Which is leading to your actual Christmas present…. When we’re ready, we can grow our family.  Intentionally this time.”

“We haven’t talked about that yet.”

“No, we haven’t, but you want more kids.  I’ve known that about you for a long time that you want to have kids: plural.”

“What about you?”

“Until I met you, I wasn’t even sure I wanted kids.  But Maddie is amazing and you’re such a wonderful dad and I absolutely love being a mother.  More than I ever thought I would.  I want to give you more kids, Chris.  Maybe we can eventually move to Boston and raise our family there…. Where you grew up.”

“Really?” “Yeah.  I love Boston.  We met there.  We conceived Maddie there.  We got married there.”

“What about Virginia, though?”

“What about it?”

“You grew up there.”

“I grew up all over.  Kentucky, Illinois, Nebraska…. Virginia is just where I settled for a while until I found my permanent home.” Kate reached up and gently held Chris’ face, stroking his beard with her thumb. “You’re my home, Chris.  And Boston is where you’re happiest.”

He stared at her in wonder. “And just when I thought I couldn’t love you any more than I already do, you go and do this.”

“So, Merry Christmas!  We’re going to move to Boston and have more kids…. Eventually.”

Chris laughed, pulling her lips to his. “Best Christmas present ever.”

Tag List

@joannaliceevans-fanficblog

@jamielea81

@southerngracela

@kelbabyblue

@tfandtws

@lovinevans

@ajosieface

@introvertedmouse

@sullyosully

@deidrashouseofpain

@thevelvetseries

[lindaborgwardt-blog]

Meyer/Meyer family history A CONVERSATION WITH AUNT ESTHER IDA MAE (MEYER) SCHENCK - 1993

By sisters

     Linda L. Borgwardt

     & Carol Holmbeck

     2017

A conversation with our Aunt Esther, my Mother

 Back 24 years ago, my sister Carol and I took a day-trip to Reedsburg with her Aunt Esther … my mother, Esther Ida Mae (Meyer) Schenck. Our actual destination was the Green Wood Cemetery, where my mother’s parents were laid to rest. Carol went with us to see the cemetery, but more importantly, to learn more about our Meyer history. 

On our trek, Carol spent almost the entire trip questioning my Mother, and recording her answers. We learned a lot about our Meyer roots that day…. Thanks to Carol’s efforts for recording … and thanks to Brenda, Carol’s daughter, who back in  1993, tediously typed up both the questions and answers … thus, we have Aunt Esther’s memories for prosperity.

When I found this file in my computer 24 years later, I instantly knew this needed to be shared. I wanted to share it, so that others who were interested to learning more about our Meyer roots can.

Before I get started with the story, it’s important to explain how my Mother (Esther) is my Sister Carol’s Aunt Esther … well, Aunt Esther is my aunt, too. … If you don’t know our family history, you may ask, “How can that be?”

You see, Carol’s and my biological father was Arthur Henry Meyer. He was Esther’s second brother. He, and his first wife Vera, had seven children in ten years from 1937 to 1948: Dale, Roy, Ralph, Nina, Carol, Johnny and me … Linda. Because of a bad economy after the end of WWII, like so many others, Art had trouble finding work. And … because of Vera’s mental illness, which unfortunately was schizophrenia … due to no fault of her own, Art and Vera were unable to care for us.

Back in those days, adoption was pretty common for families who experienced a death in the family, financial difficulties, divorce, or any other unfortunate event. When these events occurred, there may have been very few options. And, the family had to make the decision to be split up, and the children were put up for adoption. That is why we seven were put up for adoption. There were no fall backs.

In the late 1940s, there weren’t many social programs to help kids out when families broke up, like there is today. Usually, if the kids weren’t taken in by family members, most of the time the kids would go to orphanages, and hope and pray … and wait … to be adopted. …. You might say that the orphanages were the social programs of that day.

Aunt Esther and Uncle Bill Schenck, along with both Art and Vera’s other brothers and sisters, tried to help care for us. Many relatives brought food and clothing. Others took us to their homes for a day, or two, or more. However, things were going south for our family of seven kids.

Consequently, all we seven kids were put up for adoption. Unfortunately, we were separated and placed into four different families. Three of the families did not have children. Dale and Nina went to the Beckmans; Roy and Carol to the Kiekhafer; and Ralph and Johnny to the Bovees. … As for me, I was adopted by family … our Aunt Esther (Meyer) and Uncle Bill Schenck, and I gained another sister, as they had a daughter of their own.  

So, what does this mean?  First, Aunt Esther and Uncle Bill were my aunt and uncle, and then when I was adopted, they became my mom and dad. So, now you know how Carol and I are sisters. … Oh wait … would that make us cousins, too?... Shhhhheeeewww! … I am glad I have straightened this out in my mind. Otherwise, I would be lost. Well, if I am lost, my kids will put me in the “home.” So, I guess I will never be totally lost. (Chuckle)

  The Purpose of our Trip was two-fold.

On this particular trip, again, the main purpose was to take Mother up to the Greenwood Cemetery by Reedsburg. Her dad, mother and youngest brother Frank (she always called him Frankie.) were laid to rest there, and she wanted to put flowers on their graves. Before my dad passed, every Memorial Day he and my mother would make the trip up.

The cemetery is located on the north edge of Reedsburg along Hwy. K (Myrtle St.) It is and about a 1½ hour drive from Afton, WI, where they lived. After leaving the cemetery, mother and dad would visit a few of Bill’s nieces and nephews, who lived in and around Reedsburg and Baraboo. Since my dad passed at the end of 1989, I became the person to take Mother up.

Mother and I would usually drive up there every year, or two. Back in 1993, my sister Carol was BIG into genealogy (well … still is), and was absorbed in digging deeper into our Meyer-Meyer family. This including Mother’s parents … our grandparents … Henry (Hank) Meyer and Emma (Meyer) Meyer. Carol is one of our family genealogists. Nina along with her daughter Tammy have also dug into the Meyer genealogy.

You see, prior to our trip, Carol had paid a visit to her mother-in-law Florence (Steininger) Holmbeck. She asked lots of questions about Florence’s Steininger-Holmbeck histories. Carol recorded her answers, and then asked her daughter Brenda if she would type up their conversation. Florence’s kids and grand kids were, and still are, extremely grateful. Therefore, we thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to capture Mother’s memories.

Carol was so excited to go with us. She brought along her handy-dandy tape recorder … we didn’t have palm cams then. She recorded all her questions and all of Mother’s answers. From the time I pulled out of Mother’s driveway, she started recording.

Can you imagine a person bombarding an 80 some-year-old lady with 126 questions? Well, Carol did. No … she wasn’t interrogating her (chuckle), but we sure had fun during the entire drive. Many of Mother’s answers, we pretty much knew the answers to. However, there were many questions that shed a new light on parts of the Meyer-Meyer history that Carol and I were not aware of.  

It was so wonderful to watch Mother’s face light up as she strolled down memory lane back to the good ole’ days. Her face was glowing like I had never seen before. And … it goes without saying, Carol and I enjoyed the entire trip … every minute of it.  Even after 23 years, it is still just as much fun for us to read Mother’s words … and … remember our special trip together with her.  

Also, just for reference…

Q – Questions asked by Carol

A – Answers given by Aunt Esther

L – Questions by Linda

Note -- Updates, corrections, add information to, or help clarify Mother’s story.

KEEPING TRACK OF THE MEYER NAMES

Now, keeping track of the “who’s who” of the Meyer-Meyer family ... well … was pretty confusing to me. Actually, it was probably the hardest part of all. … I have always been great with numbers, but names go out the window pretty quickly. For some reason committing those the Meyer-Meyer family names to memory have always been difficult, except Henry and Emma. I am not sure if it was the first names, middle names … or just the last names. (Chuckle) Therefore, when I tried working on our genealogy, I would have to call Nina or Carol. I felt like a dumb-nut almost every time. So, just so that we … especially me … can keep them straight, I am listing our ancestors. … As far as I know, the following list is as far as our genealogy has taken us backwards. … Oh, by the way, there will be a quiz at the end! Just kidding.

  GENEALOGY OF EMMA (Meyer) & HENRY MEYER

 Esther’s parents

Emma Dorothea Meyer (1878 - 1930)

Henry Wilhelm Meyer (1881 - 1961)

 Emma’s parents

Johann Peter Christoph Meyer (1838 - 1890)

Dorothea Magdelena Heitman Meyer (1844 - 1911)

 Henry’s parents

George Christopher Meyer (1830 - 1910)

Catharina Margretha Behn Meyer (1845 - 1922)

 Catharina’s parents

Heinrich Henry Johann Behn (1816 – 1899)

Catharina Dorathea Burmeister (1816 – 1896)  

                        Our Day Trip to Reedsburg

                     Emma Dorothea Meyer (1878 - 1930)

QUESTIONS

Q 1. Tell us about your mom coming over on the ship.

A. She came over on the ship with her family.

Q 2. Sisters and brothers?

A.  I think two families came over together.

Q 3. Do you have anything that shows when they came?  Do you know where they landed?

A.    No, they never talked about those things.  

Q 4. Where did they come from ... Germany?

A. Yes, Germany.

Note: Her obituary reads, “Mrs. Meyer was born in Hanover, Germany, May 6, 1878 and when three years old her parents came to America and her early youth was spent on  a farm near Loganville.”

Q 5. Did they ever mention any towns over there where they lived?

A. My grandmother’s obituary said Hanover, Germany.

Q 6. Did she (Emma) have a lot of brothers or sisters?

A. No, she only had one sister. She had a brother who died when he was young.

          Dorothea Magdelena Heitman Meyer 

Obituary 

Words from the obituary above.

Mrs. Magdalena Meyer, whose maiden name was Heitmann was born November 16th 1844 at Oberhalverbec Hanover, and was married to Peter Meyer in 1872. They came to Reedsburg in 1881. Later they moved to a place south of Loganville where her husband died in 1891. For nine years she stayed with her sister Mrs. John Westermann. Her last years were spent with her daughter Mrs. H. Meyer where she died Jan. 1st. She was subject to spasms ever since she was 21 years old in one of which she died while the family was away attending morning services at church, her hymn book was lying by her side. The deceased was aged 66 years 1 month 16 days. She leaves behind 2 daughters Mrs. H. Meyer and Mrs. Carl Bajen and one sister Mrs. Catherine Westermann.

           Note: Find-a-Grave

... indicates that Emma had three siblings, which the family never talked about it. Listed below are Emma and her brother and sisters in birth order.               

Three sisters & one brother in Emma’s family

Catherine Wilhelmine Dorothea Meyer (1875 - 1881)

Note: Catherine lived to be about 6 years of age, which is, coincidentally, the same year the family would have come over to  America.

Emma Dorothea (Meyer) Meyer (1878 –1930)

Note: Emma was three when her parents left Germany for America.

Ida Mae (Meyer) Blotkamp (1881 - 1963)

Note: Great Aunt Ida was the only surviving sibling of Emma’s.

Karl Johannes Meyer (1885 - 1886)

Note: Karl must have been born in Wisconsin; but only lived a year, or so, if that.

                 Ida Mae sitting and Emma standing      

  Q 7. What was your mother’s maiden name?

A. Emma Meyer

Q 8. What was her maiden name?

A. Her maiden name was Meyer, and my dad was also named Meyer.

Q 9. But, they weren’t related, right?

A. No

Q 10. Where did your dad (Henry) come from.

A. He lived in Wisconsin. I think he was born around Reedsburg, or somewhere up there.

Note: His parents came over on the boat in 1867. Their first child, William (Wilhelm) Henry Meyer while on the boat. 

                               Henry and Emma Meyer - 1902

Meyer Reunions of Old in Reedsburg (Dates?)

                                              Six children of 

       George Christopher & Catharina (Behn) Meyer

Elizabeth Meyer (1871 - 1961)

Herman Meyer (1874 - 1961)

Lena Teresa Meyer Riley (1876 - 1952)

August Henry Meyer (1879 - 1960)

Henry Wilhelm Meyer (1881 - 1961)

Edward Heinrich August Meyer (1883 -1970)   

Two sons not pictured: The oldest son was William Henry Meyer (1867 – 1867). When George Christopher and Catharina came over on the boat, their first born child died, and he may been buried at sea. I thought I read it somewhere, but I cannot confirm that fact about being buried at sea. Also not pictured, their second son, Fredrich John Meyer (1868 – 1948). According to records, he moved to Nebraska. http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Catharina_Behn_%281%29Family tree.

… Two of these reunion photos were my mother’s, and I received one of them from a cousin in Sauk City. Dah! … I can’t believe I didn’t mark them correctly. Now, I have no idea when they were taken. It could be at any wedding, like Esther (Meyer) and Bill Schenck in 1928, or possibly taken in 1930 after the death of Emma’s, Henry’s wife. … Or, for any other large family gathering.

Here are the people I can name in this large group: Aunt Lizzy (Elizabeth) is the second person from the left standing in front. The only person that I could identify as Uncle Gust might be the fifth person from the left standing in the back. The ninth person from the left is most likely my dad, Bill Schenck. Three heads to the right is probably my mother, Esther (Meyer) Schenck. Uncle Hermon is the one in front wearing the unbuttoned vest. Henry, is the seventh person from the right standing up. Uncle Ed is down in front on the left side wearing a buttoned vest. Aunt Lena is sitting down front in the dark top with a shining brooch. … If this photo was taken in 1935, the year Frank died at age, the little girl way up on top could be Bill & Esther’s living twin daughter Dolores. She would be about that age. It sure looks like her. Actually, she looks like the spitting image of Doreen, Dolores’ daughter

My mother wrote on the back that this was taken in 1928. She was married in 1928. Her dad, Henry, is on the left ... plus ... the others were 6 siblings, but she couldn’t remember who was who.

From left to right: Esther Meyer, Rudolph, Crystal Schultz, Raymond Meyer, Selma Shultz and little “Frankie” Meyer… per Esther’s writing on the back of the photo

Q 11. What were his (Henry) parents’ names?

A. His dad’s name was George, and his mom’s was Margarette, something like that. 

Note: George Christopher Meyer and Catharina Margareta Behn

Q 12. What were your mother’s parents’ names?

A. Her dad died when she was a girl.

Note: Johann Peter Christoph Meyer and Dorothea Magdelena Heitman

Q 13. Do you remember their names...?

A. I have them at home. His granddaughter has a tree. She went back on the Meyer’s side quite a ways.

Q 14. How many kids were in your family? I know you, Art and Uncle Ervin.

A. There were five of us.

Q 15.  Who were the other two?

A. Frankie died; he drowned. He was 15 years old. And, Ray … he is the oldest. He is going to be 90 years old next February (in 1994).

                                ESTHER AND HER FOUR BROTHERS 

PRIVATE RAYMOND HERMAN MEYER

 (1903- 2004) - In his Marine uniform

ESTHER IDA MAE (MEYER) SCHENCK  (1909 – 2004) - Age 16

 ARTHUR HENRY MEYER  (1913 - 1964)

 ERVIN AUGUST MEYER  (1914 – 2001)

  FRANKLIN (FRANKIE) MEYER (1919 - 1935) - Age 15

  Photo: This is of Ray, about 6 years old, and Esther at about 1 year old. My guess us, she is wearing her hand-made christening gown ... maybe .… Debra, Ervin’s daughter has that chair.  

Photo: Mother labeled this photo - 1925 .. a friend, Ray and Mother (Esther) in Madison. ... She was 16. Athletic Field in Madison probably doesn’t even exist.

Q 16. And, where were you all born.

A. We were all born in Wisconsin up by Reedsburg.

Q 17. When did you move down here (to Afton)?

A. I think it was 1939. We were married in 1928 in Baraboo.

Q 18. What brought you down this way? Was it his work?

A. Ervin brought us down. He was running a Singer Sewing Machine shop. Ray and Fola had moved down here, and we kept coming down o visit them. Art was down here, too. When my mother died, our family kind of broke up. We kind of followed Fola and Ray where ever they went. They lived on Bass Creek in Afton just west of the bridge. Ray built four houses along the creek.

Note: Uncle Ervin was certainly an entrepreneur. He went into business with his brother-in-laws Marx and Lentz. They built many homes in the Hawthorne Circle area. Both Uncle Ray and Grandpa Henry (Hank) worked for them. … Uncle Ervin had his own Singer Sewing Machine Shop and Antique Furniture Store on N. Main St., Janesville.

Today, the building is torn down. My grandfather, Henry Meyer would stay there often, and do lots of fishing along the Rock River. … Also, over a period from 1939 to 2001, Ervin ran many businesses: antique shops in Beloit and Janesville, and two separate resorts located around Hayward. ….. As well, he took an old barn south of Janesville on Oakley Rd., and turned it into Meyer’s sales. ... Uncle Ervin owned a cottage on Lower Eau Lake, which was about 20 miles north of Hayward off Hwy. 27. He owned it for close to 40 years.  His family and our family spent many a vacation there. Plus, there were many of my brothers and sisters, and cousins, and extended families, and friends, who would few days, or more at the lake thanks to Uncle Ervin.

Interestingly, when Uncle Ervin bought the tiny cottage and three hundred feet of shoreline on the lake, he sold part of it to Uncle Ray and Aunt Fola. And, they built their own cottage on the lake. There were so many memories made up there.

 That’s me at nine years old. 

  Note: This is Uncle Ervin’s cabin in the late 1980s. Over on the left is the mobile home my folks moved up to the lake. There was my dad’s pier on the left and Uncle Ervin’s on the right. About 100 feet to the right was Uncle Ray’s pier, and, his cottage is above that. 

Q 19. What was it like when you went to school? Was it a one-room school house?

A. I went to a Christian School through eighth grade. It was one big room.

Note: Mother told me that she went to a Lutheran school for eight years. Then, she attended 9th grade at the Reedsburg High School. In fact, Carol found her name in the book, and she was tickled to hear that. It is in the book THE HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY, WISCONSIN, about Sauk Co. which includes Reedsburg. Mother said that there wasn’t much work for her dad back then, so she quit and found a job so she could help her family out. That would have been right around 1924 or 1925. Again, times were tough as the United States was trying to recover from WWI.

https://archive.org/details/historyofsaukcou00west  

Q 20. Did you have to carry water and wood for the school, like you hear? … Like other people talk about it?

A. No.

Q 21. Did you attend a church up there?

A. Yes, we went to church every Sunday. I was in Sunday school. We were always Lutherans. My mother had a German Bible. She could read German.

Note: Mother told me that her mother, Emma, went to church almost every day.

Q 22. Who got to keep that (the Bible)?

A. I don’t know who has that. I think I gave it to Mamie, (Emma’s cousin) cause she could read German.

Q. 23. Did your mom speak  German to you a lot, or just English?

A. No, she just talked English, but my Aunt Ida talked German. She couldn’t speak much English. She was one of the older ones to come over with my mother. Every time you would go to visit her, she would give you a dollar bill. … I knew a few words in German when I was young, but I lost it. There are a few words I still know. I used to talk to people who only knew German, when I was little. Going to this German school; they taught both German and English.

Q 24. Where did your mom and dad meet?

A. I don’t know.

Q 25. How did you meet Uncle Bill?

A. It’s hard to remember. It’s been so long ago … I can’t remember. I think I was at a dance. My uncle was a dance instructor (caller of square dancing) and he would come down from Baraboo to Reedsburg, and  me up and take me with him. He wanted to make sure us kids behaved themselves. That’s how I got to go to dances.

Q 26. Do you like to dance?

A. Yes.

Q 27. Did Aunt Mamie have any kids? (Asked by Linda)

A. She had three. Two boys and one girl. One of them, Harold Schultz, lived in Janesville. The other one worked in the post office in Chicago. The daughter died.

The photo was taken on Bill & Esther’s wedding day … April 22, 1928 with Ervin & Frankie … Esther bought Bill’s suit for their wedding.

Q 29. Didn’t you say a cousin has the Bible?

A. Yes, she (Mamie) is the one who got the Bible. Harold, her son in Janesville might know where the Bible is.  Another cousin there in Janesville is an insurance man, I can’t remember the name.

Q 28. Who was Aunt Mami?

A. She was my mom’s cousin.

 Q 30. (Carol) I worked with a lady who is a Schenck from Reedsburg.

A. There is a family up there (Schenck) spelled the same.

Q 31. Her father has a farm there in Reedsburg. His son has the farm. Do you know we are related to the Schenck’s up there?

A.    Not that I know of.

Q 32. (Linda)  Who was that cousin that lived on the farm down towards Beloit?

A. I don’t remember. … (Subject changed) … I think my grandfather was buried in Loganville up by Reedsburg.

Q.33. What was Art like growing up?

A. He was very bashful. He used to fight a lot with the boys. I used to tell mother to  get after him. I used to catch him, and then she would spank him. Ha! Ha! Ha!  (Mother was laughing.)

Photo: Art, Ervin & Frankie, We think this photo was taken in the middle 1920s. Frank looks like he is five, or so. He was born in 1919.

Q. 34. Do you remember how he (Art) met Vera?

A. I know he met her in Beloit, but I don’t know how.    

Q. 35. (Aunt Linda) I thought he actually worked for a farmer?

A. Art had a girlfriend in Janesville, before he met Vera. I don’t remember name. I always liked Art. He was a likable guy.

Note: Donald Ahlquist, my brother-in-law, always joked about Art marrying the “farmer’s daughter.” You know … like the “farmer’s daughter story.” Don would laugh, and say, marrying the “farmer’s daughter.” You know … like the “farmer’s daughter story.”  We all would la ugh, and say, “Art found work on a farm, and had to married the father’s daughter.”  I have absolutely no proof. But, the story sounded good at the time. And, I remember chuckled about it. … And, I always believed it. 

However, it is a fact that Vera was living in Beloit with her uncle, the Beloit Police Commissioner. Aunt Martha, Vera’s youngest sister and 15 years her junior, said that when Vera was a teenage, she was causing lots of problems at home.  Of course, everyone knows that teenagers can cause lots of problems at home.  

Q 36. (Carol) I feel bad that I didn’t get to know him (Art). The others were old enough, and out of their houses, to make the contact. I was young enough where I didn’t have access.

A.    He was a nice person. He didn’t drink or smoke.

Q 37. Did he chase women?

A. Not very much, Ervin was the woman-chaser.

Q 38. How old is Ervin?

A. He is seventy-eight. (In 1993.)

Q 39. How old are you?

A. I’m eighty-four. (Again, in 1993)

Q 40. Do you ever wish that you had a sister?

A. Yes. My mother died when I was quite young. I grew up without a mother, or a sister. All I had was those boys!

Q 41. What was your dad like?

A. He was nice.

Note: His name was Henry Wilhelm (William) Meyer (1881 - 1961). I have very fond memories of him. My grandfather was quiet, and a very kind and patient sole. He seemed to always have a smile on this face, especially when fishing and playing Euchre. His laugh would warm all of our hearts.  

This was taken in 1951. I am three and sitting next to my Grampa Hank.

This was taken in 1959 of Grampa Hank. He used to fish about 100 feet from the shore just out from the cabin and catch 100s of pan fish. My dad, Bill Schenck, would complain, as he usually cleaned them all. When I was helping once in a while, my dad would have me throw the little ones back. Tsk!

Q 42. Were they all tall?

A. Dad was like Ervin. Art was 6’ 3”. Frankie was about the same.

Q 43. How did Frank die?

A. He drowned in the lake when he went fishing.

Q 44. Did they think he had a seizure?

 A. Yes … nobody was by him. Uncle George (Bill’s brother) an Bill wanted to take him (Frankie) fishing. He was 15. I (Aunt Esther) told them I didn’t want him (Frankie) to go. They left him alone, and went up to the house. When they came back, he was gone. He had seizures. He was the nicest kid.

Note: Mother and I visited Uncle George (Bill’s Brother) on his 100th birthday in 1999. He seemed to be quite sound of mind. We talked a lot about the past. Surprisingly, during our conversation, he brought up Frankie’s death in 1935. My dad had already passed in 1989, and had never talked about it with me. Uncle George told me that Frankie was fishing out on a pier on along the Baraboo River, and Uncle George and dad went back to the car to get some fishing gear from the trunk. The car was just up over a knoll and out of sight of the pier. Frankie had a seizure and fell off the pier, and went under the water before they got back from the car. Immediately, my dad went into the water trying to find Frankie, while my uncle drove for help. The firefighters came, and it took almost an hour to find Frankie. The current swept him under an overhanging bank. According to my Uncle George, my dad never got over it, and blamed himself the rest of his life for Frankie’s death. 

 Here are a few photos from Mother’s album of Frankie.

Little Frankie .... I think he was three or four here. 

Frankie with his mother, Emma.

Back: Frankie Meyer, Leonard Meyer (Ray’s oldest son,) a friend, Dolores Schenck (Esther’s daughter, front: Sandy Meyer (Ervin’s oldest daughter,) Then, there is Jean, Leroy & Joyce - all Ray’s kids  & a friend.

Ervin is on the left and Frankie on the right. 

This is Frank with Dolores (Esther’s daughter.)

Q 45. Did Frank always have those seizures, or did he get sick and then get them?

A. He didn’t always have those seizures. He got them after his mother died. He got them when he was in his teens. Mother’s grandmother, Dorothea Magdelena Heitman Meyer, had them, too.

Note: Mother said that Frankie would have several of them a day. It is really sad. And, remember, Frankie’s grandmother had them the day she died according to her obituary.

Q 46. Your grandma who came over on the boat had them, too?

A. Yes, I think she died from one, too, because she was alone at home. They went to church, and when they came back, she was gone.

Q 47. How old was she?

A. She was in her sixties, I was just small when she died. I don’t remember her. I do remember my dad’s mother, Catharina Margretha (Behn) Meyer, though. I remember going to her funeral.

                                                       Obituary

                             Catharina Margretha Behn Meyer

                                         Henry Meyer’s mother

  Meyer

Mrs. Catharina Margretha Meyer, nee Behn was born Jan. 7 1845 in Oldendorf, Prov. Hanover, Germany. She was baptized and confirmed in Nohrendorf by A. Goegling, Pastor. She was married to George Meyer 1867. The same year they came to America and located in Loganville. This union was blessed with seven children—5 boys and 2 girls: Fredrick of Spokane, Wash., Mrs. Lizzie Kutzbach, town of Reedsburg, Wis., Herman at Reedsburg, Mrs. Lena Riley of Albion, Neb., August, Lime Ridge; Henry and Eduard at Reedsburg. Her husband died 12 years ago. She made her home since that time with her youngest son, Eduard where she died Dec7, 1922, aged 77 years, 11 months after an illness of about 2 years. The deceased leaves to mourn for her, one sister Mrs. Westedt in Wanebeck near Hamburg, Germany, also 30 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. The funeral was held Saturday, the 9th of Dec. from the St. John’s Lutheran Church conducted by the pastor Rev L. Schneider

                            Obituary for Emma (Meyer) Meyer

 In Mother’s handwriting note above Emma’s obituary,

                        “Died in Madison Hospital recently.”

This was in the Reedsburg newspaper.

Mrs. Emma Meyer died in a Madison Hospital Feb. 26, 1930.  The funeral was held from the Lutheran Church in Baraboo and interment was in Greenwood cemetery, Reedsburg.   …  Mrs. Meyer was born in Hanover, Germany, May 6, 1878 and when three years old her parents came to America and her early youth was spent on a farm near Loganville. … On April 16, 1903 she was united in Marriage with Henry Meyer and five children were born in this union. Raymond of Janesville; Esther, Mrs. Wm Schenck of Baraboo; Arthur, Ervin and Frank at home.  Besides the family one sister survives, Mrs. Ida Blotkamp of Napoleon, Ohio.  

On another note: There were two different obits. Sadly, when I found the second obituary, I found Mother had written, “BD 11-4-28   Died 11-5-28” … The small article read,

“Twin Baby girls were born to Mr. And Mrs. Willis Schenck of this city at St.Mary’s Ringling hospital Sunday, one of the little girls passed away this morning. … 11-5-1928.”

Mother said that the doctor called her a “blue baby.” … Dolores’ twin was named Mary Magdelena Margareta (Esther’s grandmother’s middle names.)  … Today, “blue baby” means Mary had a hole in her heart. We don’t know if Dolores had a damaged heart. However, when my dad had open-heart surgery in 1985, he had three blocked arteries, and a valve needed replacing. I always said that he had a “tune- and a valve job.” He lived four more years. Anyway, it was during that surgery when the doctors found out that he had a small hole in his heart, like “blue babies.” They fixed it.

Note: Emma died at age 52. ... Here is interesting story. … My sister-in-law Cleo, Dale’s second wife, had cancer. My mother and I went to visit her on the day just before her passing. We had a lovely visit. However, on the way home, my mother said very quietly, “My mother (Emma) had a stomach that looked just like Cleo’s.” … Mother could not say the word “cancer.”

Emma had been taken to the Madison hospital for a few days prior to her death. But, back in 1930, no one spoke the word “cancer,” because it had a stigma, and was usually only whispered. If Emma had cancer, it was never mentioned. She could have had ovarian cancer. … Esther had a hysterectomy, and she said the doctor said it could have become cancerous. I was eight at the time. She was 47. When I was 42, I too, had a hysterectomy, and the doctor told me it was pre-cancerous.

Q 48. How old were you when your parents died?

A. I was 22 when my mother died in 1930, and my dad died in 1961.

Left: Emma Dorothea (Meyer) Meyer … Right: Esther Ida Mae (Meyer) Schenck … This was taken on Esther and Bill’s wedding day, April 22, 1928. According to my mother, this was the only picture taken of the two of them together that she had.

Q 49. So, your mother was fairly young when she died. What did she die from?

A. I don’t know. They took her to Madison and the doctors said that she was just “all worn out. She did too much.”

Q 50. So, everybody was pretty much older, except for Frankie then, right?

A. Yes.

Q 51. What do you remember about World War I? Do you have relatives who fought in it?

A. No, I can’t remember World War I.

Q 52. What do you remember?

A. We lived out on a farm near Reedsburg. They came to our school and told us about it. One of the neighbors picked all of us kids up and took us to town.

Photo: This is our grandfather on the right and his friend on the left. According to Mother, someone asked her dad to join the Wisconsin National Guard. Her mother was extremely upset, and begged him not to go.

Note: While looking up information on the Wisconsin Guard history, I found:

“The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry Regiments were mustered into Federal service on 30 June 1916 For Mexican Border service. The Guard Unit's Troop A and Troop B were mustered out of Federal Service on 20 October 1916 and 6 March 1917, respectively. The regiments were mustered out at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, on 19 January 1917 (1st), 28 February 1917 (2nd), and 14 December 1916 (3rd).”

Henry actually volunteered. However, after two days with the Guard, he was sent home, as he had children at home to feed. Consequently, his name was not entered into the Guard roles. That was the practice back then. Mother said that her mother (Emma) was so relieved he didn’t have to go.

Q 53. Do you remember if any of your brothers were in that war?

A. No, but Bill’s brother, Clarence Schenck, fought in it. His brother came home with some kind of disease.

Q 54. Was the Depression hard for you?

A. Yes, We didn’t have anything. No money, or anything. Bill worked wherever he could find anything to do. He used to go out to hunt and fish.

Note: Mother told me about when they lived across from a creamery. Dolores was a little baby. My dad would sneak ice cream out of the creamery for them every day.

Q 55. Did you live in Afton at the time?

A. No. (Reedsburg)

Q 56. When did you move to Afton? The house you lived in when I was little?

A. 1939. We built that house. Ray and Bill built it, because we didn’t have much money.

Note: The little house on Bass Creek. It’s size was 20’ x 30’. It was down two houses from the Afton Feed Mill. It was torn down in the late 1980′s.

Q 57. I remember you had a washing machine with a window in front.

A. The Westinghouse (washer).

Q 58. I have very few memories of me (Carol) as a little girl, but I remember you had a washing machine where you could see the clothes going around and around. Did I spend much time with you?

A. Yes, you used to come over once in a while. We would kind of take turns with the boys and girls. There were too many of you to have you at once.

Q 59. When Linda came along, did you pretty much care for her? Was Vera up to caring for her at all?

A. She (Vera) did some. It was mostly Dale that did an awful lot. He even tried to bathe her. It was somebody’s birthday, and he baked a cake.

Q 60. Dale tells a story about when we were building the house on Turtle Creek, that there was an army tent with an entrance, and that we kept a cow in the entrance to keep the heat in.  Do you remember anything about the tent when they were building that house?

A.    I don’t remember a tent.

(Linda) – I don’t think I was born yet. …

(Carol) – I’m not even sure I was…. Ha!

Q 61. Did Vera or Art have a Violin?

A. No, but my dad made a violin.

Q 62. Could any of them sing, or you?

A. I can’t carry a tune.

Q 63. (Carol) In the house by the creek … I can remember going into a bedroom and seeing a violin in the bottom dresser drawer.

A. It was probably Dad’s (Henry) ... Dolores took lessons on a Hawaiian guitar. Dad (Henry) used to play the violin all the time. I wanted it as a keepsake. I don’t know who got it. I don’t think Art had that one. My uncle made each of his kids one.  … My dad and his brothers used to have an orchestra.

NOTE: It probably was not an orchestra. Mother told me that he played at barn dances and weddings. … She was just tickled when she told me about her wedding. Her dad threw her a huge party …  you guessed it … a huge barn dance. You have to remember, the Meyer/Meyer family had lots and lots of relatives, and friends. Gramps put on a huge celebration for her wedding. And, she told me then, the “guys in his and played.”

Q 64. Q. Could any of them sing, or you?

A. I can’t carry a tune. Linda has a pretty voice. Linda won first place in a talent contest. Michael has a nice voice, too.

Note: I actually won five talent contest. Two in Footville during “Farmer Days.” with Connie Carlson, and three at Rock Consolidated in 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

Q 65. Do you remember any old history things that your family told you?

A. No.

Q 66. Was anyone in your family a bank robber, or cowboy?

A. No. The only thing that happened in our family was our grandpa committed suicide.

Q 67. Who?

A. Grandpa George Meyer (Henry’s dad).

Q 68. Do you know what the circumstances were, and why he did it?

A. They said he was very jealous of his wife. I don’t remember much. He shot at her first, but didn’t kill her. She lived for quite a few years.

Q 69. Did she have a male friend?

A. No, I don’t know how true it is.

Q 70. Is there any Indian blood in us?

A. Grandpa (George) was always saying that, but he was just kidding.

Q 71. Who was it who said that your mother wasn’t your mother?

A. Joyce’s daughter, Laura, who was looking up the Meyer family tree. She thought she found out that my mother was not my mother? 

  Q 72. Is it true?

A. No. Ray said he was right there when I was born. He said that they put me in a shoe box, because I was so tiny. They found on her records that things were all mixed up.

Note: I am guessing that she was a “preemie.”

Q 73. Who did she think is your mother?

A. She didn’t find it, but Ray says it’s not true. They have got my record up at the Reedsburg church. I was one of the first children baptized in the big Lutheran church. They have the record of my family, and when my mother and father were married.

Q 74. Then, you weren’t adopted and left on a doorstep?

A. No. In those days, they didn’t keep such good records.

Q 75. Did Ida Mae have any children?

A. No, she never had any children. She was married twice.

Aunt Ida (Meyer) Blotkamp at age 75

Q 76. Is she your mother’s sister?

A. Yes

Q 77. Older or younger?

A. Younger. I don’t know how much younger. Aunt Ida used to come on the train once in a while to visit us.  She came when Linda was a little girl. She used to take care of her (Linda) and walk with her down by the (Bass) creek.

Note: Prior to Great Aunt Ida’s passing, she was probably afflicted with Alzheimer’s. My mother and dad and I would often ride up to Baraboo to visit relatives. Mother’s Aunt Ida was on the list of stops one time. I was probably 10, or so. I remember watching Mother walk up to the door and knock. Aunt Ida answered the door, and would not let Mother in. Aunt Ida did not recognize her. …Most likely Alzheimer’s. My mother was pretty shook up about it, to say the least. Aunt Ida lived to be 82.

  Photo: When I found this picture, I was shocked. What shocked me was how much Mother looked like her. At age 92, she was the spitting image of her Aunt Ida. Mother would be proud.

Another thing … Mother told me something her Aunt Ida told her that she never forgot. My mother had sewn something she was very proud of. … Mother would sew dresses for Dolores, and for me. Some of the dresses were beautiful. 

Yes ... she even made me a matching bonnet.

... So, one day, Mother took something she had sewn up to show her Aunt Ida. … She couldn’t believe what Aunt Ida told her, “You will never sew as good as your mother.” … oowwww, I bet that hurt.

      Green Wood Cemetery, Reedsburg, WI

Q 77. (Linda) – Here we have the Cemetery. What is that cemetery across the road from Green Wood Cemetery – What is its name?

A. St. Peter’s (Aunt Esther is pointing out different parts of the cemetery where anyone can be buried, and where only the Lutherans can be ... buried.) My grandma is up here. My Mother has a sister buried down here (Catherine Wilhelmine Dorothea Meyer) near the end (of a lane.).  And, that’s where only the Lutherans can be (buried.) She decided when she was a little girl, she was going to be buried up near there (pointing out of the area.) Her name was Meyer.

Q 79. How far down would any of the relatives be?

A. My grandma is about halfway up the hill, where it says Schultz.

Q 80. What was her name?

A. Katherine.

We are getting out of the car to go look at head stones.

Photo:

Left: Henry W. Meyer’s stone

Right: Frank & Emma Meyer’s stone

   Q 81. Your mother and father’s names were what?

A. Emma and Henry. I know my grandma wouldn’t have a marker, because my folks never put one in. I don’t think this is it. I have a Katherine Schultz. She isn’t a Shultz anymore.

Q 82. Who is Uncle Doug?

A. My uncle, my dad’s brother’s:  Uncle Herman, Uncle Ed, Aunt Emma and Uncle Gus.

Q 83. How do you know if you are related, or not, to some of this other Meyer’s here?

A. I just know my relations. If you see a Donald Meyer, that’s a relative also. This is the small Lutheran church. The big Lutheran church is up there. (Mother points towards the top of the hill. Aunt Emma and Uncle Gus are buried here. (Linda began listing off different Meyer names that were listed below her parents to see if Aunt Esther recognized them.) I was at Aunt Emma’s funeral. Hers (headstone) is out further toward the front. There’s a Fisher. I used to go to school with Ida Fisher out in the country by Loganville.

Q 84. Here are Katherine and Edward Meyer.

A. That would be Uncle Ed and Aunt Katie. They did belong to St. John’s (Lutheran.)

Q 85. (Linda) Did you belong to St. John’s?

A. I belonged to St. Peter’s.

 (We get out again to look at more headstones.)

 Q 86. Who are these people? Their child?

A. Louisa is my Aunt and Herman is my Uncle and this is my cousin.(Pointing) Yes.

(Getting into car) 

A.  …. Two guys came from Germany, and they used to come and visited us when we lived on the farm. They settled in New York.

Q 87. Who was that?

A. Some relatives of my mother’s. I don’t remember their names, but I know they are in New York. …

  We are driving (Pointing) My dad built that house. 

This was taken before 1909 prior to the fire that burnt it down.  

Q 88. (Linda) What are the names of your cousin?

A. Crystal (?). Thelma, Edna Alma, Florence. They had two boys, one is now in Janesville. All got different names. Their maiden name is Schultz.

(BREAK) We stopped at Mother’s favorite restaurant in downtown Reedsburg for lunch, before we left for home.

Q 90. Who all had the flu?

A. Mae and my dad. They were so sick. They were sick at least a couple of weeks. We lived upstairs. 

Q 91. Who did you live above?

A. Skinners, our neighbors across the road, their boys set our house on fire.

Q 92. How old was he?

A. Eight or nine. Yes, it burnt to the ground. People at the church treated us really good. They gave us all kinds of things like quilts, dishes and whatever we needed. A girl told me in school that she had something to tell me, if I didn’t tell anyone. She told me what they (the Skinner boys) did as soon as I got home, I told my dad. He got some money out of it. I don’t remember how much. (Inaudible)

Photo:    This is the house that Henry rebuilt their house. Well ... it has probably been remolded ... probably several times. It was on the same spot where the former house that was burned to the ground. I did not take this photo. This was mother’s photo.

 Q 94. Did you have far to walk to school?

A. No, we lived maybe a mile from town. It wasn’t very far.

Q 95. Did you ever ride a horse?

A. No. I think we had horses. I don’t remember the horse, but I remember the cows. Dad used to go down to the barn and milk the cow every morning and night. We had chickens. We used to take eggs to town and trade them for groceries. We didn’t get very many groceries. It isn’t like it is now. I remember milk being seven cents a quart. The guy used to deliver it to the door.

                                    Stories about us kids

Q 96. What do you remember about Dale as a young boy?

A. I took care of Dale a lot. He wasn’t bad at all. I never had any trouble with him. Just once I remember getting into an argument with him. We always got along pretty well.

Photos:  Top: Uncle Bill with Dale and Roy sitting on his pier along Bass Creek.

Bottom: Two cutie-pies Dale and Roy.  

Q. 97. Do you remember anything in particular about Roy?

A. Yes, one time he was riding a bicycle in Afton, and hit a tree. It  knocked him onto the ground. I didn’t know what had happened. He came in the house, and acted like something had happen to him. I didn’t know what to do. We should have taken him to the doctor right then and there. He came out of it ok, though. But, I worried about him. He must have been seven or eight. … The time he was staying with us.

                                    Dale, Roy and Ralph

 Q 98. What about Ralph?

A. I can remember Ralph at your place down by the creek. (Turtle Creek) Your mother (Vera) picked up a great big stick, and whipped him across the calves of his legs. Boy, I bet that hurt. I remember that. … One time he came over, and he and I went fishing down by the creek. (Bass Creek) Ralph never got to come over as much as Dale and Roy.

Q 99. Why do you suppose?

A. I don’t know.

Q. 100. What about Nina?

A. She was over quite a lot. She used to come over to Delavan, too, and stay with us. One time, I bought these corn curls, or something, and those girls ate the whole bag. I couldn’t send her home. I had to wash all of those clothes.

Note: (Linda) I puked all over the rug, too. And, to this day I still hate corn curls. (Ha!)

                                      Carol at three or four. 

Q 101. What do you remember about me (Carol asking)?

A. You were a cute little thing. You had curly hair. It was natural and really curly.

Q. 102. Where did it go?

A. I don’t know.

Johnny at about one year old sitting on Uncle Bill’s lap.

                              Johnny along the Mississippi

                                    What a cutie!

Q. 103. What about Johnny?

A. Johnny … I didn’t have him very often. I wanted to keep him. But, Dale and they wouldn’t let me. It was too hard on me to take care of him. I have pictures of Johnny when he was staying with us. I remember Grandpa Charles Schenck (Bill’s dad) was living with us then Johnny was staying with us. Johnny was the biggest cry baby. Grandpa would shake him and hold him on his lap ... shake the buggy when he was in it.

So, was Roy. He was a real crier, even as he got older. He made the loudest noise. One time Vera and Art left him with me, when they went somewhere. He bawled all day long. I couldn’t get him quiet. He was just a baby then.

One time, we went up to Clarence’s (Bill’s brother in northern Minnesota) and we took Dale and Roy with us. Delbert (Clarence’s youngest son) was little. It was before he had polio. Delbert had a lot of toys. Roy stuffed his pockets full of those toys to take home. He didn’t understand that he couldn’t. We had some fun with those kids once in a while.

Photo: That’s me ... little Linda ... Mother had two colored pictures which were made from B&W prints. This one, and the picture of Frankie and Dolores. Although Mother said how she had them in color, I am wondering if Mother’s neighbor in Afton painted on them? The neighbor was an excellent painter. She made a pair of beautiful paper mache figurines for Mother, which I still have. Oh, I forgot our 1957 reunion photo.

Q 104. What about Linda before you got her for keeps?

A. I remember going over there to get her, and Nina would say that this baby belongs to them, and not to me. Linda was only eight or nine months old when I took her. I don’t know who took care of her over there. I guess they all did.

Q 105. (Carol) I think it’s amazing that we all lived when we were on the creek. (Turtle Creek)

 A. I brought plenty of groceries for you to eat, but there was no one there to fix it.

Q 106. No, I mean as far as not falling into the creek, because it’s all open.   I’m surprised no one drowned... 

A. Someone must have kept their eye on you.

Q 107. When you went to adopt Linda, when you went to the court house, was I adopted the same day? I remember being at the Court House, and I think you were there at the same time?

A.    Must be, I don’t remember.

Q 108. I can vaguely remember … was Art there sitting on a bench?

A. Yes, they had to sign you kids off. Art didn’t want to do it, but they made him.

Q 109. Who made them do it?

A. The lawyer … and that Vera had control of the kids. When they were divorced, Vera got custody, and had the say so of where the kids went. When she couldn’t take care of you, you were put up for adoption

Note: Vera told me (Linda) several times that she knew that she couldn’t take care of the seven of us, and that she “wanted better for all of you.” I remember seeing her when I was 14 down in Beloit above Ervin’s store on State St. Then, when Kristie and Michael were five and four, we met Nina at this motel on Hwy 51 near the bridge to meet Vera. Nina and Peggy were there. 

                             Peggy and Vera and a friend.

                Then, I visited her four times when she was living at the YMCA in Madison. Each time I saw her, I asked, “Why did you give us all away?” Her answer was always, “Because I wanted better for all of you.” 

As I sat typing this, I decided to look up what it was like economically back in 1949. After reading the information below, I understand better. It seems to me that I can accept her explanation.

A BRIEF LOOK BACK TO THE ECONOMY IN 1949

“Recession of 1949

     … was a downturn in the United States lasting for 11 months. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the recession began in November 1948 and lasted until October 1949.

The 1948 recession was a brief economic downturn; forecasters of the time expected much worse, perhaps influenced by the poor economy in their recent lifetime. The recession began shortly after President Truman's "Fair Deal" economic reforms. The recession also followed a period of monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve.

“During the recession the GDP of US

During this recession, the Gross Domestic Product of the United States fell 1.7 percent. In October 1949, the unemployment rate reached its peak for the cycle of 7.9 percent.

“Main causes of the recession

Many regard World War II to be the main cause of the recession. According to C.A. Blyth "the most important cause of 1948-1949 recession was substantial fall in the fixed investments".

“The severity of this recession

Maximum unemployment was about 7.9%. Change in Gross National Product GNP reduced by up to -1.5%. Department store sales fell 22%. The wholesale price and cost of living indexes fell 12 and 5 points. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession_of_1949

Q 110. But, when they got adopted, why couldn’t he (Art) say, “No, you can’t have them?”

A. It didn’t do him any good. They wouldn’t listen. The lawyer made quite a bit of money when you kids were adopted. He got so much for each kid.

Q 111. Do you remember who handled that?

A. I think he was from Janesville. I know I have it somewhere.

Q 112. How much money did each of the parents have to pay to adopt us kids?

A. I don’t remember.

Q 113. (Carol)There was a guy in town that was like a cousin to my mother, but he wasn’t blood line. My mother’s natural mother died when she was a girl. Her father remarried and that was Grandma Tillotson. Then, Grandma Tillotson had a nephew, Leon Stenerson, who sold insurance. It was my understanding that Leon knew Art and Vera and their circumstances. Because he knew Helen and Carl didn’t have any kids, he set them on to getting Roy and me. Were you aware of any of that?

A. No

Q 114. I was wondering how I got to where I was.

A. Well, Dale never should have never been adopted. He was too old.

Q 115. How old was he, thirteen or so?

A. Yes, thirteen or fourteen. But, they put it through anyway.

Q  116. Didn’t the Bovee’s and Beckman’s somehow know Art?

A. I don’t know if it was Art, or if Vera got a hold of them somehow.

Q 117. I was just curious on how word got out that these kids could be adopted.

A. There was somebody who wanted Linda because she was a baby. We took her up there, and she stayed with them a couple of days, I guess. Then, the lady called me up and said I had better come and get her. (The lady was a nurse and had hired a nanny to help take care of me.)

Q 118. What was wrong with her?

 A. She cried all the time. They couldn’t quiet her. She showed me where Linda’s room would be, and it was up on the third floor and they were going to have a special maid to take care of her. She would have had it really nice there. But, she cried, and she came back ok.

Q 119. Did they live in Janesville?

A. No, Beloit.

Q 120. Do you remember their names?

A. No, they were through Art somehow.

Q 121. The only thing I remember is that I think Art came over to our house a couple of time. 

A. I don’t think that Carl and Helen wanted him around.

Q 122. That was my understanding, he was kind of shunned aside.

A. I don’t think Beckman’s cared. The Bovee’s didn’t want him around either. It didn’t make any difference to me, because he was my brother.

Q 123. I can remember a couple of dinners all of us had afterwards. A holiday dinner, or something, and all of us got together at our house or something. That was fun. I used to have a picture, but I don’t know where it is anymore. It was around my mom’s dining room table. That’s my goal in life. To get all, every one of us together, before one of us dies. We always miss getting all seven.

A. That’s right; you haven’t been together in a long time.

Q 124. Since I was thirteen and we were out at Bovee’s, the boys were in the service and were home and in their uniforms.

A. I remember that. I gave somebody a picture of all three of them in their uniforms. I think I gave it to Joyce Bovee. You can ask her if you want to copy of it.

Q 125. (Carol) I’ve got the family one, with the three boys and all of us.

A. Santa Claus came in with one of those suits on. He was kind of a tall guy. He was somebody’s friend. You (Carol) ran and hid and would not come out while he was there. That was cute. I used to  wrap all kinds of little presents and put them under the tree so you kids would have lots of presents to unwrap. (Mother meant she would take presents to Art and Vera’s house.

Q 126. You guys must have done a lot for us. You had us over a lot.

A. If I would have had more kids myself, I probably wouldn’t have done so much. But, seeing you kids needed help, I had to do it.

                                        Reunion of 1957

1957 -- Dale, Roy, Ralph, Nina, Carol, Johnny and Linda

I have three photos from the 1957 reunion ... of the adoptive parents.  ... Sorry about the scribbling.

The picture above is actually Carol’s mom's house (Kiekhafer) - with her bedroom door right behind and the bathroom door to the left of that and the kitchen door to the left of the bathroom one.  It shows my mom's nick-knack shelf on the far wall shaped like a crescent moon that Uncle Lester made my mom and some point..

Parents: Helen Kiekhafer, Bill and Esther Schenck and Amy Beckman. Down front: Carol, Johnny and Linda

                   Reunion of 2007

CAROL’S WISH WAS GRANTED. ... for us all to be together 50 years later. ... This photo was taken in 2007 at the Water Tower Park in Clinton, when John Bovee came out from West Virginia for our 50-year family reunion. ... 

Meyer Group photo taken 2007. I count 73 heads.

[artificialqueens]

Duality, Chapter 2 (Crygi) - Metaluna

Chapter summary: Reflecting on an interesting day at work, Gigi goes to the bar with absolutely no intention of seeing a certain human.

A/N: Hi everyone! So I’m really bad at submitting on here, but feel free to read it on ao3 where i’m a few chapters ahead. tw for smut and light bloodplay.

thank you to Juno for beta reading and to crygijankiedoll-rps for making sure that my smut wasn’t too awkward since it was my first time writing it :’)

A few days later, Gigi sat in her office deep in her thoughts which were rushing through her head all at once to the point that she could barely keep up with them. The same string of thoughts were replaying themselves. The thoughts didn’t lead to Crystal, or any of the events from the night at the bar. They all led back to her humanity.

When Gigi was first turned, Nicky would constantly mock her for her sympathy toward humans. The first time she had to feed, she sobbed for two days, and starved herself for a week, only able to think about the look of fear in the woman’s eyes as the life faded from her body. Sometime in the past few decades, the empathy she held toward humans faded away entirely.

The more she thought about it, the more Gigi realized, it wasn’t that her humanity went away on its own, she forced it down deep inside of herself. There was no way she could be a killer if she maintained her sense of empathy that she had as a human, was there?

Why now, after nearly a century were all these emotions bubbling back up to the surface?

She knew the answer.

Crystal.

There was something about Crystal that made Gigi think of humans as more than an annoyance or a food source. She wasn’t sure what it was about the girl that had Gigi so intrigued, but she didn’t like it, just like she didn’t like thinking about her humanity.

Maybe she could attempt to be more human. As human as a 115 year old vampire could be, anyway.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Jackie walked into Gigi’s office nervously.

“Do you need something, Jackie?”

Jackie looked away. “Can you please do me a favor?”

“Maybe?”

“So, you know how I have a hard time with the visitations of kids and teenagers…?” Jackie trailed off.

Gigi groaned.

“I’ll do your filing for a week.”

“I’ll do it,” Gigi replied instantly.

“I’ll do your filing if… and only if, the family doesn’t request that I come in instead. So you better be on your best behavior.”

“I’ll be nothing short of a saint,” Gigi promised.

If nothing else, this could help Gigi practice her empathy toward humans.

By the time Gigi went inside the visitation room, the casket had already been moved into place. The girl had died of an overdose that the family swore was accidental. Gigi, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. Humans would much rather be in denial than to admit the truth. The mother even went on a tangent about how her daughter had been having a hard time in school before quickly changing the subject to the color of the floral arrangements.

Humans liked to claim that their loved ones looked like they were sleeping when they saw them in an open casket. This annoyed Gigi. Nothing about this girl looked like she was asleep. No matter how good Gigi was at what she did, the corpses were dead. They looked dead. Not asleep.

Whenever there was a sixteen-year-old girl, Gigi couldn’t help thinking about her sister. Even if this girl’s appearance was the opposite of her Nora’s. As she set boxes of tissues on the chairs lining the room, she began thinking about Nora’s sixteenth birthday.

Somehow she still remembered the day perfectly.

Gigi was so deep in her thoughts, she didn’t see the first person arrive. It was a girl, who looked to be a few years older than the body who Gigi assumed was her sister. The resemblance between her and the pictures Gigi was given was striking. The girl was dressed in an oversized flannel and jeans, with her hair in a messy bun.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you enter,” Gigi said.

“It’s okay,” the girl’s voice cracked. “I’m sorry I’m early. I just wanted to see her before anyone else.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Quickly, Gigi looked at the sign to see what the girl’s name was. Rarely did she remember. Nia.

“Are you Nia’s sister?” Gigi asked, walking over to the girl.

The girl nodded. “I’m Olivia.”

“Gigi.”

The girl stepped up to the casket. “Can you like… stand next to me? I’ve never seen a dead body, and this is weird. Especially because it’s her…”

“Of course.”

Off to a good start. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.  

“Thank you. It’s so weird, like… I was always told that they look like they’re sleeping… Mom said she’d look like she’s sleeping. She doesn’t look like she’s sleeping. There’s something too still, I think that’s the problem. I don’t know… But she looks good though. You took good care of her.”

“Thank you.”

As the girl gently stroked her sister’s hair, Olivia started crying. No, not crying, sobbing. Normally, this is the point Gigi took a step back. Instead, she stayed by her side and handed her a box of tissues.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Just as it seemed as though Olivia was calming down, she started crying harder than before. Gigi comfortingly rubbed the girl’s back. In response, the girl hugged Gigi. She didn’t hug Olivia back, but simply stood as the girl got tears on her favorite shirt.

“Sorry,” Olivia mumbled as she pulled away.

“It’s okay.”

“I can’t believe my baby sister is gone,” Olivia whispered.

Gigi could only take so much in one day, and by now wasn’t sure how to comfort the girl, other than with honesty. As she led Olivia to a chair she said, “I’m sorry. This is horrible, but it gets easier, the grief you’re feeling. Soon, you’ll be able to think about the good memories, instead of seeing her like this.”

“Really?”

Gigi nodded. The two of them sat together wordlessly until others started to file in the room.

“Thank you for listening to me,” Olivia said, hugging Gigi once more.

Gigi hugged back this time. “Of course.”

With the visitation well under way, Gigi took her spot in the back corner as she watched the family interact with one another. Nia’s loved ones were overcome with grief. Somehow, the entire time, Olivia managed to not only remain calm, but also was able to calm down her family members.

Right as Gigi was watching Olivia and another girl her age talk, Gigi felt the familiar urge to feed. She shut her eyes and clenched her first, desperately trying to ground herself.

Not now.

Somehow, Olivia noticed and came over. “Gigi? Are you okay?”

Gigi nodded. “Just ate something bad at lunch, I guess. Give me a minute?”

She walked off before waiting for a response. Once she made it into the prep room, she swirled the blood like a glass of wine. The thought of drinking the blood of someone who she knew something about made it almost difficult to drink. Almost.

The rest of the visitation was uneventful, but the entire time, Gigi kept watch over Olivia, making sure that she was okay.

Before she left, Olivia approached Gigi. “Thank you again. For everything.”

Gigi smiled as the girl walked away, not realizing Jackie was watching.

“Wow, you didn’t get a single complaint! Also, I could tell you were really good to that girl.”

“I just hate filing. That’s all,” Gigi said coolly as she walked away.

Even though Gigi knew that she had a lot of work to do, she sat at her desk, thinking. Absentmindedly tapping her pen against her desk, all she could do was think about the the past few hours.

Gigi knocked on the door of Jackie’s office. “Would you like to go home early? I have plans.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “You? Plans?”

“Do you want to go home or not?” Gigi snapped.

Jackie laughed. “Yes. It’s date night.”

“Every night with you and your wife is date night.”

“Come over for dinner sometime. Jan loves to cook and always makes way too much.”

Usually on the nights that Gigi had to hunt, she didn’t get ready as soon as she got home. Tonight was different, and she hated that it was because the thought of seeing Crystal excited her. She didn’t even know if Crystal would be there. For all she knew, she was getting her hopes up for nothing.

Normally, she did her makeup similarly to how she would do the makeup on a body of someone her age. It was natural and simple, but with some added eyeliner. Tonight she decided to do something new. Gigi hadn’t worn elaborate makeup since the 1980’s when she had her Madonna phase. As she opened the single eyeshadow palette in her possession, she realized she had no idea how to do makeup the way girls did in this decade.

Thank God for the Internet. Three and a half makeup tutorials later, Gigi was well-versed in cut creases and halo eyes.

Watching the makeup tutorials passed the time. By the time she finished, she was right on schedule. Staring into her closet, Gigi realized she suddenly hated every article of clothing she owned, eventually settling on a fitted leather jacket over a tank top.

Just as she always did, she took her same spot at the bar as she watched the patrons interact with one another. After silently judging the passerby, she found her mark, an athletically-built man who was a few years older than Gigi’s physical age.

Just as she was about to make her move, she felt a tap on the shoulder. Gigi was pleased to see Crystal standing in front of her. Taking her in from head to toe, Gigi saw how beautiful she looked, and appreciated her bravery in outfits and makeup.

“Hey!” Crystal greeted. “You’re out again.”

“So are you.”

“What happened the other night?”

Gigi shrugged. “Sorry about that. I realized that I had to go feed my cat, and now that I’m saying that, I’m hearing just how pathetic that sounds.”

Crystal laughed. “Your cat caused you to run away directly after making out with me and then biting down on my neck like a fucking vampire?”

Gigi stared at Crystal.

“I’m kidding.”

Gigi forced a laugh as she sat on a barstool. “I know.”

Crystal took the stool next to hers. “I’m glad it wasn’t me that made you run away.”

It was 100 percent you.

“Of course it wasn’t!”

“Good,” Crystal smiled.

After an awkward silence, Gigi asked, “Do you want a drink?”

“Sure.”

“What do you drink?”

“Jack and coke.”

Gigi waved the bartender down. “Two Jack and cokes please.”

Alcohol had absolutely no effect on a vampire. In fact, it tasted disgusting as most human food did. She’d only drank it a handful of times for appearance sake. Normally it was champagne or wine, she’d never had whiskey before, or Coke the way it was now. The thought of things being sweetened with corn instead of sugar was disturbing to Gigi.

The bartender set the two drinks on the bar as Gigi set a twenty on the table. Money accumulated when one had unlimited time and a high-paying job.

“Keep the change,” Gigi instructed.

“You tip so generously. You must be in the service industry.”

“Kind of,” Gigi said as she tentatively took a sip of the drink. Gigi had no idea what to expect, but she fully didn’t expect it to taste like fizzy paint thinner. As much as she tried, she couldn’t hide her facial expression.

“Not a whisky person?”

“Not quite.”

“You didn’t have to order what I ordered,” Crystal laughed.

“I’m not a big drinker. I never know what to order.”

“Got it. Also, how do you kind of work in the service industry?”

Gigi tapped the rim of the glass. “I’m a funeral director.”

“I mean, you’re servicing dead people.” Crystal realized how her words sounded. “Oh, shit. I mean. Uh…”

This made Gigi laugh. “I know what you mean.”

“Excuse me, I have to go walk off a cliff.”

Never had Gigi met a human she actually liked, even Jackie she merely tolerated. But, for some reason there was something about Crystal that drew her like a moth to a flame. Between that, and her attempt to be less callous, she was interested in continuing the conversation.

“No, don’t do that, you’re far too interesting.”

“You’re pretty interesting yourself,” Crystal said as she took a sip.

“You think so?”

Gigi had been called many things over the past century, but “interesting” was never one.

“Well, first of all, you work at a funeral home, which is cool as hell, second, you’re probably the baddest bitch here, and it’s like you don’t even know it.”

Yes I do.

“What do you do for work?” Gigi asked, not knowing quite how to respond to Crystal’s compliment.

“I’m an art curator.”

“You look like you work at an art museum,” GIgi said.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yes.” Gigi had no idea what possessed her to ask the next question that came out of her mouth. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Promise you won’t run away for your cat?”

Gigi smiled, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. “If we’re at my apartment, you can meet my cat.”

“I do love cats… Let’s go.”

The drive to Gigi’s apartment was mainly silent. Halfway through, Crystal placed her hand on Gigi’s thigh and continued to move her hand upward, rubbing deliberate circles with her thumb.

“You’re so cold,” Crystal mused.

“I’m always cold.”

“Just like your bodies.”

Gigi couldn’t help but smile at the offhand comment. “Something like that.”

Crystal continued rubbing small circles as Gigi shifted in her seat. While Gigi had sex in the past, it had been roughly two decades. The thought of possibly having sex soon made her nervous, which was a rare emotion. Why was she thinking about sex? For all she knew, nothing was going to happen… But what if it did?

Before she could think about it for too long, they arrived at Gigi’s apartment.

Gigi had just barely shut the door before Crystal started kissing her, the force behind Crystal’s kisses surprised her. Gigi blindly led them to her bedroom as she took off Crystal’s dress, tossing it aside, admiring her full breasts as she began gently playing with her nipples, focusing her attention on the one that was pierced, the silver jewelry glinting in the light filtering in from the window. As she guided Crystal onto her back, beginning a trail of kisses starting on Crystal’s neck, she felt her fangs protrude.

Fuck.

Thankfully, Gigi managed to retract them as she pulled away.

“Everything okay?” Crystal asked breathily.

Gigi nodded in response.

Crystal bit her lip. “Can I make a request?”

“Yes.”

“Rougher. Make me fucking hurt. Make mebleed.”

“That can certainly be arranged.” The look in Gigi’s eye had become that of a predator eyeing its prey.

Immediately, Gigi pinned Crystal against the bed, who tried to fight back. Crystal’s fighting was in vain, a human’s strength paled in comparison to that of a vampire’s. Gigi had such a tight grip on Crystal’s wrists, she’d cut off the circulation if she maintained the pressure too long. The power imbalance excited Gigi, who returned her attention back to the inviting column of Crystal’s neck.

“You like kissing necks, don’t you?” The question was innocent, a mere observation .

“I like biting necks.”

Gigi knew her next move was a risk, but she bared her fangs. If nothing else, she could glamour the girl and it would be like nothing ever happened. The thought of glamouring Crystal wasn’t appealing, but if she had to do so to keep the girl from panicking, she would do it without a second thought.

Crystal sat up, completely fixated “What… Are those ?”

“Remember when you said I bit your neck like a vampire?”

Crystal only nodded in response, unable to look away from Gigi’s fangs.

“You’re taking this rather calmly,” Gigi mused.

Crystal’s face flushed. “I may have a few… fetishes.”

“Do you now, darling?”

Crystal nodded again.

Gigi raised an eyebrow, lips pouting seductively, making sure her fangs were on full display . “Do you want me to keep going?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to bite you?”

Crystal took a moment to reply. “Yes. I think so.”

“You think so?” This was not a good enough answer for Gigi.

“I want you to.”

“Are you absolutely certain?” Crystal didn’t respond, the silence lingered between them before Gigi spoke again. “You need to use your words, darling.”

“Do it. Please.”

Regardless of what Crystal replied, Gigi knew she wasn’t completely sure what she was consenting to. It had always been a desire of Gigi to fuck a girl while drinking from her. Nicky always told her how incredible it was, but Gigi had never become close enough to a human to do so.

Crystal had closed her eyes in anticipation for what was to come. At first, Gigi was going to bite Crystal’s neck, the spot in which she was fixated earlier but then she got another idea. She stroked Crystal’s thighs as Crystal opened them in eagerly as she arched her back, lifting her hips to make it easier for Gigi to remove her thong.

Remembering Crystal’s request, Gigi ripped the delicate lace thong as if it were made of paper and threw the remains on the hardwood floor. Gigi started kissing Crystal’s inner thigh, lightly running her fangs up and down, licking the small droplets of blood left behind, stopping just before Crystal’s entrance, which she teased with her fingertips, feeling just how wet she was.

“Oh, darling is all of this for me?” Gigi licked at her fingers, savoring the taste, only imagining how incredible her sweet blood would taste.

“Just do it,” Crystal moaned.

“As you wish.”

Gigi sank her fangs into Crystal’s thigh as she entered Crystal with three fingers with no resistance, Crystal’s euphoric moan was music to Gigi’s ears as her blood flowed steadily into her mouth. Although she took more than she initially planned, Gigi ensured Crystal wouldn’t die of blood loss as she paused her drinking to murmur to the writhing girl below her.

“Oh, you have no idea what that moaning does to me.”

It didn’t take Crystal long to finish, between the euphoria of her blood being drank, in addition to Gigi’s skillful fingers building her up to her climax, Gigi didn’t have time to use her tongue, much to her disappointment. As much as Gigi wanted Crystal to fuck her, between the blood loss and the intensity of her orgasm, Crystal instantly fell into a deep sleep, her body drained from everything it had endured.

God, I missed sex, Gigi thought as she covered Crystal with the blankets and lightly shut the bedroom door.