This family, Hemmingway, is known to those who have read my first story I published at TSR ‘Just Another Life Story’. Now and again we’ve seen them as well in the following stories where they were not the main characters but now it’s about time to go back to them to see what happened to this beautiful family.

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Mattie Hemmingway had been called after his grandfather from mother’s side, Mateo. He was Chester and Ilona’s oldest son.

He just had his birthday when his mother had twins. Two boys: Marvin and Chessie. His mother was very busy with the babies and her job. She had her hands full with the babies and Mattie knew it but he couldn’t help feeling lonesome. He thought that she loved the little ones better.

One year after the twins birth, Ilona was pregnant again and they had to move to another house, farther away from his best friend Raphael Lightkeeper. They only lived there for about half a year because then his mother came from hospital with triplets. Three girls: Jenny, Jessica and Joyce. They had to move again to a bigger house but, fortunately in the same street where his friend lived.

His father was working at the Hospital and had very irregular work hours. Often he had to work at night and then he had to sleep during the day. His mother was always with the babies at the doctors’ or she was feeding them. She had quit her job because she was too busy with the children. This boy felt very lonely. That’s why he used to be unhappy and bad humored.

Just before holiday started, his mother told him that Raph’s mom, Cynthia had invited him to spend holidays at Raph’s house.

So, he went to stay with his friend. He had grown very fond of Raph’s mother and even little Risto had his sympathy.

He liked very much to form part of that small family. It was always so peaceful and Raph’s mom was so sweet: she always seemed to have time for him even though he wasn’t related to her.

He even had learned to love the memory of Raph’s father who died before Raph was born. He had such a good time with his friend. He didn’t remember that he ever had been so happy in his life.

When holiday was over, he asked if he could stay a while longer. It was no problem for Cynthia. Her house was big enough and she liked the boy as well. She had noticed already that he had a difficult character but she could deal with that and kind of understood him.

Mateo’s mother felt relieved because she had one less to take care of. She really had her hands full with the 5 babies. Of course she missed her oldest son; more than he suspected.

As a matter of fact, he didn’t give her so much work because he went to school but she had so little time and when he was at home she felt always guilty that she couldn’t be with him more often.

They had moved to another house with a big courtyard where the babies could play safely.
Chester did what he could to help his wife to move the furniture and to take care of the babies, but he had his limits as well.

One day he didn’t come home from work. He often had to do extra hours but usually he phoned to tell her so. This time there had been no phone call and she became nervous. She phoned hospital and they told her that he had left already hours ago. She hired a babysitter and took a taxi to go to hospital. She found him halfway sitting in his car. He was unconscious and more dead than alive.

They took him to hospital and kept him there a few days and afterwards they brought him home where he had to stay in bed, resting and taking medicines during a few weeks.

Ilona had extra help for the household because she couldn’t manage all this by herself.

Fortunately these days were over now and her husband was fine.
Now he was worried about her. Lately she used to have nightmares. She was shouting in her sleep, saying things without any sense about smelling a fire and talking about children. He really was worried.

He was thinking of sending her to a psychologist. After the triplets’ birth, she was told not to have any more children and he thought that it could be the reason of her nightmares.
He thought it was ridiculous that Mattie hadn’t been home since half a year. That could as well be the reason for Ilona’s nightmares.

So Chester called Cynthia and asked her to convince Mateo to come home again. He hadn’t even been there when Chessie and Marvin had their birthday. They went to school as well. The triplets had their first birthday without even knowing their oldest brother!
It was quite a difficult task for Cynthia to tell the boy that tomorrow, after school, he had to go to his own family. She said that he always could come with her during the weekends but his real place was with his family.

Mateo swallowed that bitter pill like a man. It was more difficult when they came out of school and he knew that he couldn’t go home with his friend. He even cried some tears. It was difficult for Raph as well.

In the school bus, the boy sat next to his brother Marvin, whom he hardly knew because he had never seen him after his birthday.

To be continued….