"And to think that you both are divorced. Well, I am thankful that the man that tried to harm my grandchild is dead already. You have to bring him and my new grandchild to see me very soon," his mother said. Nicholas understood though, she did not like company at all, so very soon was probably after Astra had delivered.
"Of course," Nicholas said.
"I know I do not say this often, but you did well Nicholas, your father would be proud," his mother said. As a woman of a few words it was the greatest compliment he could get.
"Thank you mother," Nicholas said. They were both standing and viewing the party together.
"Aunt Iris! Nicholas! You guys should come let's take a picture!" Sarah shouted and they both went to take a picture.
"Daddy," Brian said moving towards him as they stood with the crowd.
"Did you have fun?" Nicholas asked and he nodded his head.
"Can I get a party for my fifth birthday?" Brian asked with a smile.
"Of course," Nicholas said. He hoped that by then he hoped that him and Astra will be together.
"Come here little guy," his mother said to Brian who looked at her with a smile. They seemed to bond well. Nicholas looked at his mother oddly because it did not seem like her style at her. In the birthday picture, his mother carried Brian on her hip and Nicholas smiled beside her.
"They look so cute. I have never seen Aunt Iris this free," Sarah told him when the party was over. His mother seemed to want to spend as much time with Brian as possible.
"Yeah, it seemed that all I needed to make her smile was a grandchild. I really should have done this earlier," Nicholas said and Sarah smiled.
"Well grand parents can not resist grandchildren," Sarah said.
"I remember she was quite cute with Theo too when he was a baby. Maybe she just likes children," Sarah continued and Nicholas nodded.
"Maybe it is because Brian looks so much like I did. She probably missed when I was a child," Nicholas said cheekily and Sarah laughed.
"Very funny. All in all, she looks very happy and I think that is very good. For all of us," Sarah said and Nicholas agreed. It was good.
Later that day, Yvonne showed Astra the picture of the birthday party and she saw Iris Michealson carrying Brian with a smile on her face, she looked so different from the stone faced woman that Astra knew. All hope was not lost then. Maybe she could be happy like Iris again.
~~~~
"You should meet with your parents Astra," Yvonne said to Astra. Two months had passed since the incident and Astra could say that she was better. She started to see a therapist and it was easier to talk to someone that did not know her before and was not biased. It was easier to talk since it was the person's job to listen. She was much better than before as she was no longer seeing him at night and during the day too. Going back to the way she was before was no longer a wish. Astra was able to understand that Ray was dead and gone and he would not come back, and no one would be hurt because of her. That was enough for her to start to love herself again. The baby in her stomach was growing and the bump was already visible. Astra had mixed feelings about the baby, but she was going to have her and love her as she did Brian.
She was not sure what to do with her parents though. She had a lot of emotional trauma from her childhood and they were not very open to her, they treated her a bit like she was not their child and she did not like that at all. Their abandonment was not the worst thing that happened to her that night, but it was very painful. She thought she had somewhere to go back to, but she was wrong. Astra did not both to try and contact her parents when she found out that Ray had sent them the pictures because she was sure that they would do the same thing without any provocation.
"No, thank you, Yvonne," Astra said to her cousin.
"Well I have been here for too long. I need to go home, and I cannot leave you here with Brian alone, you refuse to talk to anyone. This is not good Astra," Yvonne said. She sounded tired. Astra felt bad for being selfish then. She knew that Yvonne would have to go home sooner or later but Astra wanted her cousin with her.
"I will move back with you, that will be better," Astra said. She needed to start new, this town was not for that. Yvonne raised an eyebrow at her.
"What about your therapist? What about Brian and the child you are carrying? Are you just going to separate your children from their father because you are scared?" Yvonne asked. Fear did not even cover what she felt, it felt like it was undermined. She felt much more than fear, she was terrified, much less than she was before, but she was still terrified nevertheless.
"I am not still seeing my parents," Astra said. She had not made a decision of what she would do, but she was not ready to see her parents.
"Well they are here and you have to see them," Yvonne said. Astra raised an eyebrow at her. That made no sense.
"What do you mean?" Astra asked. She was confused.
"What you heard, your parents are in the living room. They want to see you," Yvonne said, and Astra stood up from her bed and went to peep outside her room, sure enough she heard voices. Her heart started beating faster.
"And Charise?" Astra asked and Yvonne nodded.
"What the tell are they doing here? They came all the way?" Astra asked. She could barely believe that they were at house. It seemed so unreal.
"Well I am not going outside," Astra said and crossed her hands across her chest.
"Very funny Astra. We both know that you are going to see them, you are curious," Yvonne said and Astra sighed. She did want to see them, especially if they were in her house. She was curious and it had been so long since she saw them.
"Okay, but i am not promising any changes," Astra said.
"No one asked you to," Yvonne replied with a cheeky smile.
"So you are my grandpa?" Brian asked her father and Astra's heart melted. Her son was seated on her father's lap and playing with his shirt.
"I am," her father replied. He looked so happy.
"I have never had a grandpa before," Brian said and all both laughed.
"I already have a grandma though," Brian said, he was looking at her mother, and Astra's mother saw her then.
"Astra!" Her mother shouted with tears in her eyes and she came to hug her. Astra felt tears come out her eyes as her mother held her. It had nothing to do with her mother, it was just the baby, she tried to convince herself.
"I am so sorry Astra. I am so sorry, we were so stupid," her mother said as she held her. Astra was not sure she had heard her mother say sorry before.
"You look so different. Yvonne told us all that happened. We have been looking for you for so long," her mother said and Astra did not restrict her tears then, she let them fall.
"I missed you mom," Astra said. Both her father and her sister came to her. Charise looked at her from a distance, Astra could see that the years had changed Charise.
"I cannot believe that you did that Astra! You disgraced us!" Astra remembered the words that Charise had used back then. She was so hurt by those words.
"I was pregnant," Astra said. Her parents knew what she was talking about that.
"I was pregnant and did not have any where to go with barely any source of income. I almost died mom, I almost died," Astra said to them. The wound was not still sore, but she remembered very well.
"There is no excuse for what we did back then, all that we can say is sorry. We are your family and we were supposed to stand by you, we failed," her father said. Astra could feel her legs shaking. For years she wondered where she went wrong with her family, she wondered if she was really their child. She wondered if she had been so terrible as a child for them to just abandon her.
"We are really sorry, Astra. I am personally sorry, I failed as an elder sister," Charise said. Her eyes were full of regret and there was no way she would not believe her. Astra's heart bled still, she was still angry about all the things that had happened in the past, but she could not change the past, only the future.
"Please find it in your heart to forgive us Astra," her mother said, and Astra cried then. Maybe it was time for new beginnings.