Breadcrumb 12 - Ginger Bread

It didn't take long for our little Rye to take advantage of the situation. He dragged an old table to the front yard, took some pieces of cardboard and crayon and stood for hours outside. While he made Tiger bake and bake, he would sell every single piece of cake, cookie or brownie. Tiger's tidbits were of course a great success. They were delicious, no one could disagree with that.

It didn't take long for our neighbors (yes, the wealthiest of the wealthiest) to notice and stop by our house to buy something out of Tiger's kitchen. Though no one knew it was all Tiger's, as Rye just said it was all homemade. Providing the suggestion it was him who had made this. He never really lied, so there was not much we could do about it, I believe. When people askd if he'd made it himself he would just not respond verbally. He just smiled and collected the money. "Thank you, sir." "Thank you, ma'am."

Fortunately Tiger didn't mind. He liked the baking too much to complain, so he did what was told. His brother needed some blueberry muffins? He would bake them. His brother needed some vanilla pies? He would shove the mold in the oven.

And luckily his life wasn't completely taken by Tiger taken advantage of him. He also had a lot of time for his other new hobby. It had been at school were it started, when his school-teacher, Ms. White pointed us out his painting skills. If we'd ever thought about buying Tiger an easel. To improve his skills. She showed us some of the paintings the children had made in class, during their art hours. It was certainly noticable. So we took her advice, and since then Tiger would be found outside in the yard. He insisted on painting outside.

Which made me wonder if Tiger secretly was just as an outdoor person as Rye was. Because Rye certainly was. In his spare time he would, just like his small stand was outside, play in the yard. We had bought a trampoline and some other fun stuff for outside, so there was where you'd find him. Even late at night, so we had to order him to go inside.

While seeing the boys grow older and older, it made me realized that I had already passed my 30s. And suddenly I was in my 40s. That moment I understood that one of my biggest wishes would never come true. I would never have a daughter. I had always wanted a little girl for myself, but that would not happen. I put upt with it, however. Some things in life you would like to happen, just would not happen.

Around this time it was when Ace started to change a little. It seemed like he got a little restless.

We had built our own little shed in the yard with a staircase going down in a basement. I never came there, really, as there was not much too do or find. It was sort of a storeroom. Or so I thought.

But one evening, when I was doing the dishes I saw Ace going down and wondered where he was heading to. I put it the thought aside, but just days after I noticed him heading there several times.

There were some other peculiar events. Like Ace sleeping in on days we both had to work. I never saw him at the lab anymore, but maybe his schedule had been changed. What I told myself in the beginning.

But it all became stranger and stranger. Sometimes I was sure he had to got to work, but he walked into the kitchen as if he had time in the world.

And then one day he came home telling me he had quit his job. He was now working for the hospital. WHAT?!

So I decide it was time for me to find out what Ace was doing in the basement. I followed him.

And then I discovered what was going on.

Ace had started his own band. With one of our colleagues, Jord Layman. It was only the two of them, so they needed a third band member, but every other night they had been practising already. Ace had a dream. To play on parties, to play in bars. He thought he would become big, finally giving concerts to a wide public.

I wondered about midlife crises.

In the meanwhile our boys were growing older. Both with their own interests. Tiger stayed true to his painting and cooking; taking cooking classes at high school. Rye just got more and more interested in Bindi and Josephine Prattle.