How Green Becomes Wood

"We have all summer," Dark said as they began the walk back to their home, "and as she gets bigger, there are only more things we will be able to do with her. Because she is getting to be a very big girl."

Daizi did the math in her head, "She's only about four months away from being a year old--if you don't count June because we're already in it. I can hardly tell how that's possible, but... She's a full baby now, not a newborn. She hasn't been a newborn in awhile."
 
"It is really hard to believe!" Alec gasped. "She's so old now!"

Xander snickered, glancing at Dark. "Indeed. Really old." He looked at Ivy in her stroller. "But, yeah, it is hard to believe she's that old already."
 
Dark made eye contact with Xander and then shook his head slightly, knowing exactly what he was getting at. Ivy wasn't aware they were all talking about her, she had fallen completely asleep, holding tight to her favourite toy--a little grey stuffed rabbit.

"I can't wait for her birthday party. Her last birthday was hectic and exhausting and painful, this one we'll be able to be prepared for." Daizi chirped cheerfully, proud beyond measure, "It's going to be a busy autumn, I don't care. I love our family."
 
"I can't believe we're so close to her first birthday! It's going to be brilliant," Alec grinned. "Better than our birthday!"

"As long as our eighteenth is the best birthday ever, she can have all the second best birthdays she wants," Xander said with a little nod.
 
"One year old..." Daizi murmured, her hand migrating to what, a year ago, had been rounding out into a baby bump, but was now sort of stretched and soft and different than how it was last January, before the possibility of Ivy existed to them. It was strange to feel her skin underneath her shirt and think about how this person who laughed and cried and gave kisses and played with toys had grown there, and vacated less than, but nearly, a year ago. A full year.

Somehow, her mind drifted to Doctor Who, which she occasionally watched with her husband--more so when they were younger, less so now--and how the main character would die and become someone knew, but was still the same person. That's how she felt. Initially, Daizi thought she had been three separate people since January. The version of her before her daughter's conception, the version of her who was pregnant, and the version of her who had given birth, but that wasn't quite right. There was the version of her before conception, and then there was the version of her who was so sick with her pregnancy, and then she was pregnant but okay, and then she gave birth and she was exhausted and fragile and scared, and now she was the version of herself she was now. That was five different people, and they were all her, and she felt both connected to them and utterly estranged.

As they walked, she moved her hand over Dark's on the stroller's pushbar: He hadn't become someone knew, like she had. He had changed, sure. In her opinion, he had blossomed. He had grown, he was learning to be more overtly playful, he was learning to be less serious. But she still knew him as him, he didn't feel like he kept turning into an entirely new person like she had, which she supposed was a privilege of fatherhood, the ability to gradually evolve rather than sudden regeneration, but, squeezing his hand, she thought about how even though she had become, rapidly, five different people--people who didn't even look the same--he had loved her throughout all of them. As each one, he loved her, just like he always had.

Feeling the way she squeezed his hand, Dark lightly bumped his shoulder against hers, looking down at her for a moment with a soft smile, before asking the twins, "It is two years away, or I suppose just over a year and a half away, but have you thought about what you would do for your eighteenth birthday? It is a big year."

"It'd be bigger if the US wasn't hypocritical with its laws," Daizi pointed out, amused not annoyed at the situation.
 
Alec and Xander could tell that there was some kind of inner communication going on between Dark and Daizi, and Daizi seemed to be thinking about something, but they didn't know what it was. Even if they did know, they wouldn't understand. It was difficult at best to understand something like pregnancy and birth, even when witnessing it as they had, without that kind of connection between spouses.

"Not really," Xander admitted. "I just know I want it to be a big one."

"Eh, what's the point? It's not like another birthday really signifies anything," Alec shrugged. "Not for real."

"Maybe not, but it can signify something for fake, and I'm down for that," Xander stated.

Alec giggled at that. "Alright, sure. We can celebrate that landmark somehow, but I want a quieter 17th!"

"Deal," Xander agreed.

As they walked down the sidewalk toward home, Lex was out in her front yard spray painting what looked like different designs in different colors on her front lawn. The shapes overlapped in several areas and seemed to be outlines.
 
It was surprising to both of them that Xander wanted something big but Alec preferred something more low-key, because had it been up to them, they would have guessed the opposite. "You have time before you get old to decide," Dark said, teasing Xander lightly. "Daizi's birthday is next, anyway. It is only a month from now."

"Don't remind me," Daizi chuckled, "I have no idea what I want to do. Maybe I'll have my friends over. Or," she squeezed Dark's arm brightly, "We'll go to the ocean over the week of my birthday, and then whatever we do will be lovely because we're on vacation!"

"That is a thought," Dark agreed, and as they approached Lex he stopped, watched her for a few moments, deciding what kind of neighbor he wanted to be, and then said, "Marhaban, Lex."
 
"We have a lot of birthdays to keep track of now," Alec mused, already wondering what on earth to get Daizi.

Lex looked up when she heard Dark and straightened with one hand on her back. "Hey, Dark and family." She raised her paint can in a salute. "Happy Father's Day to you, Dark!" She paused before asking curiously, "What does Marhaban mean?"
 
"Thank you," Dark responded with a nod, "It means hello. Well. It is one way to say hello. You may also say ahlan and a number of other greetings." He looked across her painted yard, and then said, "You seem to have been busy. It is a good day for yard work."
 
"Oh, then, Marhaban to you, too," Lex smiled. "I'm just glad you're still talking to me." She gestured to the yard. "I've been thinking about changing up the landscaping and doing less grass and more native stuff since it's supposed to be more tolerant of people who don't want to spend time on it, and I'm trying to figure out a good outline."

Alec peered over at the yard. "I think I like the purple best."

"The blue would be hellish to mow," Xander put in.
 
"Oh, native plants are wonderful!" Daizi said excitedly, "You get wonderful pollinators that way, I try really hard to only plant what helps them out, although not everything I plant is native." Since she couldn't see Lex's yard or where she had the colours, she provided some advice about what native plants she liked the best, including the ones she kept in her own garden, and where she knew they liked to grow. "But of course, since they're used to growing here, they'll probably grow wherever they like regardless of what you want."
 
Lex pulled a small, tattered notebook from her back pocket and made notes as Daizi talked, asking the occasional question about which plants liked sun versus which liked shade. She took Daizi's advice very, very seriously. "Thank you. After I've figured out what sort of shape I want, I'll start digging and planting," she said cheerfully. She glanced at Dark. "By the way, are you up for discussing that gate idea?"
 
"The gate idea?" Dark asked, squinting as he tried to remember what had been said about a gate, and Daizi tugged lightly on his arm.

"You had talked about making a wood and iron gate with her," She reminded him, "when we were on the way to the hospital."

It took a few moments, but eventually Dark's eyes widened imperceptibly as he remembered, "Right. Yes, of course, my apologies."
 
"You were rather distracted," Lex said in amusement. "I suggested a collaboration between our styles, and you - Daizi, that is - asked about a baby gate."

Xander glanced at his parents. "You guys talked gates on the way to the hospital?"

The rattle of wheels warned of Toby's approach as he rode his board down the sidewalk. He slowed a safe distance from them and popped his board up so he could grab it and walk with it. "Hey, Mr. Dark. Dr. Daizi. Good Father's Day!" he called as he walked past them, trying to give Daizi a polite amount of space. He'd been extra careful around her since nearly hitting her that one time.
 
Daizi turned her head to the side, "We had to talk about something. It's easier to talk about something that isn't overwhelming in a stressful situation."

"Did you have a reason for this gate? Or is it just to see theoretically?" Dark asked, trying to figure out exactly what the intention behind it was, "I would not mind assisting, but if you are just looking for help fulfilling some wealthy client's request somewhere, I would suggest there are other craftsmen more amenable to that."

"Selling his work takes the joy out of it for him," Daizi explained, "I have had him sketch our ideas for the baby gate, and we can send them to you. I think we just go caught up, which is on us, she is growing too quickly to delay with those things."
 
"I make my work to sell or use for myself," Lex said with a shrug, "or else I'd have to get a job that I liked a lot less, but I only take the work that actually interests me unless I really gotta pay the bills. I never look at whether they're wealthy or not, just if they can afford their request. If you want to work on the design with me, I'd love it, but it'll be sold eventually. Unless you want a cool metal and wood gate? I could use it on my own property if it doesn't turn out great."

Alec glanced at Dark. He didn't say anything as now was not the time, and he knew Dark didn't mean it the way it sounded, but "fulfilling some wealthy client's request somewhere" sounded shockingly prejudiced and classist to him. What if he'd said it where the Hollis family could hear? That would hurt their feelings.
 
Dark nodded, "I have nothing but respect for artists who do sell their work, and I do not mean to come across as if I believe those that do are sell-outs. My opinion is the way it is because I... find it difficult to..." He paused, searching for words he was satisfy with, "balance the fact all people are deserving of beautiful, quality art and belongings, but... for an artist to support themselves, it is only right for them to charge what items are worth, which means people of fewer means often cannot afford it, so although I rarely make anything for those I do not directly know and care for, when I do, I make it as donations or trades, because people with wealth can commission anybody, people without cannot. And that is why I can never be a professional artist."

"I'm not sure if we have a good place for a new gate," Daizi said casually, "otherwise I'm sure we'd be glad to install it somewhere."
 
"I can respect that," Lex agreed with a nod. "How about I draw up a couple of potential designs and give them to you when you give me the designs for the baby gate? If you like what you see and want to give it a try, great! If not, no big. Plenty of my project hopefuls don't end up getting made. Does that sound fair?"
 
"That sounds more than fair," Dark agreed, "and thank you. Despite my own beliefs I can assure you we will pay whatever price you deem fair, for better or worse we are the exact home I would not sell to."
 
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