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August 2020:
Eric Lloyd is 62, Sunny is 61
(Darcy Chase is 27)

Darcy had planned to wait a little longer to tell her mom about the pregnancy, but after a week of keeping the secret, she finds that she can’t hold it back any longer. So one day when she comes to pick up Jackson after work she blurts out, “You’re going to be a grandma again!”

Of course, Sunny is thrilled by the news. She knows that Emma is done having kids, Ian and Nancy also say that they’re pretty much done after just two, Audrey doesn’t seem to be in a rush, and Anna and Madison still aren’t even engaged yet–so Darcy was Sunny’s only hope of another grandchild in the foreseeable future.

“I’ll need to get another one of these photo sleeves for my wallet,” Sunny says, opening the old, worn cascade of photos. She never misses a chance to show off her large family to anyone willing to stand still long enough.

“Here’s a nice house,” Sunny says. “Only a block away.”

“Why are you looking at houses?” Eric asks. “We have a house.”

“It’s for Darcy and Edwin,” Sunny says.

Eric is confused. “Are they planning to move?”

“Well, no,” Sunny says. “But with another baby coming, they could use something bigger. I’m just getting some ideas together for Darcy to look at when she has time.”

“Oh,” Eric says. “How…thoughtful of you, dear.”

Eric has been married to Sunny long enough to know to stay out of her way whenever she gets an idea in her head.

The summer has been too nice to stay cooped up inside for long, and there’s a small park right behind their house where Eric and Sunny like to take walks. Sunny has gotten into meditation lately, saying it helps her keep a clearer mind. Eric isn’t so sure about the clear mind part, but it does keep Sunny quiet for a few minutes, which is a miracle in itself.

Eric sometimes tries to make polite chitchat with some of the people he runs into at the park, but mostly they confuse or bore him. He knows Mona because she lives with Anna and Madison, but honestly, he can’t understand half the things that girl says.

Maybe he’s just turning into an old grump, he thinks. He constantly grumbles at the toilet because it’s backing up every couple of days lately.

And he knows Sunny has been keeping her problems with the washing machine quiet ever since the day he kicked it and broke his toe when the machine started acting funny.

But is it really him that’s the problem? So what if he prefers staying home and playing chess by himself rather than playing with the people at the park? At least this way he doesn’t have to listen to their boring stories about their grandkids or their digestive problems.

No, Eric decides, he’s not an old grump. He’s just at an age where he prefers to spend his time with people he actually likes instead of pretending to be interested in everyone else’s pointless stories. He’s lived long enough to have earned a little peace and quiet!

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• I realized as I was adding Darcy’s pregnancy updates to the schedule that I told you the wrong due date for her! I had glanced at my schedule and saw the update for her third trimester in January and said that was her due date. But she’s actually not due until April 2021. Sorry for the confusion!
• Eric got bored with everyone he tried to talk to at the park, lol! He has turned into a bit of a grump in his old age.
• Jason Lloyd and Lilly Do’s wedding is up next, and then this summer’s age ups–Baine becomes a teen!