West Farthing: Round 2.2 - Garibaldi Family
Rhea was getting tired of having all her money go to the nanny, and Jasper and Jessica were almost old enough not to need afterschool care anyway. Rhea made an arrangement with her friend Stephanie to watch the kids after school and Rhea would network with some of her old contacts for the Pappas sisters.
Yes, the kids sure were growing up fast. Jessica was able to wear some of her Mom's old clothes, so at least Rhea could save a little money that way for a while.
Poor Jake though, the only thing he had to wear was some old running suits of his grandfather's. He never really complain, but Rhea could tell it bother him having to go to school that way.
Now that she had a little extra money from not paying a nanny, Rhea went down to the thrift store to pick up some "new" clothes for Jasper. She was glad the whole "retro" look was in,
The kids being older also gave Rhea a little more time for herself. She was an avid fan of nature and enjoyed bird watching.
She was as determined as ever not to be a typical "old lady", like that horrid Mrs. Crumplebottom who was always wandering in town muttering to herself. Ugh - Rhea would rather die then end up like that.
No, Rhea kept herself in shape and active. She certainly wasn't going to let her age or the fact that she was raising two teenagers keep her down.
Though Rhea had to admit, as far as teenager's went - Jessica and Jasper were pretty good kids. As soon as she was old enough, Jessica got a job as file clerk in a law office. Jasper loved to play games and had a real affinity for animals.
He also had an affinity for one of Jessica's friends - Kendra Walsh. He'd gotten to know her when she'd come home from school with his sister - and since Jasper loved making friends - they got to know each other too. It wasn't too long until Kendra was spending more time with Jasper than Jessica.
They had their first kiss one afternoon walking home from the library. Jasper was on cloud nine.
Since Rhea was the only parental figure around, she though she out to have "the talk" with Jasper now that he found himself a girlfriend.
Geez Grandma, I'm all set with that...can we stop talking about this now!"
Romance and career ambitions didn't come between the siblings close bond though. With her first paycheck, Jessica bought an MP3 player for them to share.
Rhea had her mind on the future though, she thought it was time to try to get the kids into West Farthing Academy - she knew they'd likely get decent financial aid considering their circumstances. The headmaster came over for dinner and discussed his thoughts on how TV affected the way kids learned. Rhea just smiled politely, remembering the many mornings her grandkids watched TV while she caught a few extra winks, and hoped the guy liked her pork chops.
Apparently he did, because he told Rhea he'd would be pleased to have two such well-rounded kids in his school.