Chapter One Hundred Forty-Seven: The Next Generation
Grace was four years old when she announced that she wanted to be a scientist.
Lina was in the kitchen, making pancakes. Grace sat at the table, a crayon in her hand, a piece of paper in front of her.
"I'm going to study the stars," Grace said.
Lina looked at her granddaughter. "Like Uncle Leo?"
Grace nodded. "Like Uncle Leo. He's going to teach me."
Lina smiled. "He's going to love that."
Grace returned to her drawing. Lina watched her and thought about all the years ahead. The discoveries. The questions. The wonder.
---
Leo came for Sunday dinner, as he always did.
He sat on the floor with Grace, a book about constellations in his hands.
"This is Orion," he said, pointing to a picture. "The hunter."
Grace looked at the picture. "Why is he a hunter?"
Leo thought about the question. "Because ancient people looked at the stars and saw stories. They saw hunters and heroes and monsters."
Grace's eyes were wide. "Can I see him? In the sky?"
Leo nodded. "Tonight. After dinner. We'll go to the garden and look."
Grace clapped her hands.
Lina watched them and felt her heart swell.
---
That night, Leo and Grace sat in the garden, looking at the stars.
Leo pointed to Orion. Grace gasped.
"I see him," she said. "I see the hunter."
Leo smiled. "What else do you see?"
Grace looked at the sky. "I see a bear. And a lion. And a dragon."
Leo nodded. "Those are constellations too."
Grace turned to him. "Will you teach me all of them?"
Leo put his arm around her. "Every single one."
---
Maya was pregnant.
The call came on a Sunday morning. Lina was making pancakes. Ethan was reading the newspaper.
"Mama," Leo said, his voice different. Softer. "Maya is pregnant."
Lina sat down at the kitchen table.
"Pregnant," she repeated. "You're going to be a father."
Leo was quiet for a moment. "I'm scared."
Lina's eyes filled with tears. "That's okay. Being scared means you care."
Leo was quiet again. "I don't know how to be a father."
Lina thought about the question.
"Neither did I," she said. "But I learned. And you will too."
---
The family celebrated.
The penthouse was filled with people—Victoria and Victor and Katherine, David and his half-siblings, Lily and Jake and Grace, Emily and Hope, friends and neighbors and the particular chaos of a family that had something to celebrate.
Maya sat on the couch, her hand on her stomach, her smile bright.
"I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother again," Lina said.
Ethan put his arm around her. "I can't believe I'm going to be a grandfather again."
Lina leaned into him. "We're old."
Ethan laughed. "We're experienced."
Lina laughed too. "That's what old people say."
---
The months passed.
Maya's belly grew. She was tired and emotional and hungry all the time. Leo took care of her, bringing her ice cream at midnight, rubbing her feet, reading to the baby.
Grace talked to her aunt's belly, explaining the constellations to the unborn child.
"She's going to be a scientist," Grace said.
Maya laughed. "She's going to be whatever she wants to be."
Grace nodded. "That's true. But she's also going to be a scientist."
---
The baby was born on a sunny Tuesday in June.
A girl. Small and perfect and beautiful.
Leo and Maya named her Stella.
Lina held her in the hospital room, tears streaming down her face.
"She's beautiful," Lina said.
Maya nodded. "She is."
"She looks like Leo."
Maya smiled. "She looks like herself."
Lina handed the baby back.
"I love you," she said.
Maya hugged her. "I love you too, Mama."
---
Lina became a grandmother again.
She visited every week, holding Stella, singing to her, reading her stories. She watched her grow from a newborn to a baby to a toddler.
Grace was a devoted cousin. She held Stella's hand. She talked to her. She taught her about the stars.
"She's going to be a scientist," Grace said.
Lina smiled. "She's going to be whatever she wants to be."
Grace nodded. "That's true. But she's also going to be a scientist."
---
One afternoon, Lina sat in the garden with Victoria.
The stars were not visible yet, but the sky was clear, and the air was warm.
"Look at us," Victoria said. "Great-grandmothers."
Lina laughed. "I'm not a great-grandmother yet."
Victoria smiled. "You will be. Someday."
Lina looked at the sky. "Someday."
They sat in silence, watching the clouds.
"I never thought I would see this day," Victoria said. "I never thought I would be here. With you. With this family."
Lina took her hand.
"Neither did I," she said. "But we are. We're here."
Victoria squeezed her hand.
"I love you," she said.
Lina squeezed back.
"I love you too," she said.
---
That night, Lina sat on the couch with Ethan.
The penthouse was quiet. The twins were grown. Grace and Stella were asleep.
"How do you feel?" Ethan asked.
"Full," Lina said. "Not from the food. From... everything. From watching them grow. From seeing them shine."
Ethan put his arm around her. "They get it from you."
"Get what?"
"The shining. The confidence. The ability to love and be loved."
Lina leaned into him. "They get it from you too."
"Maybe. Or maybe they get it from themselves. Maybe they're just who they're supposed to be."
Lina thought about that.
She thought about Grace, the stargazer. Stella, the baby. Both of them perfect, just as they were.
"I can't wait to see who they become," Lina said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"Neither can I," he said.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Forty-Seven