Chapter 24 A Serpent In Eden

at # 1 Heritage Trail. - home of Kester Genester - gen 3, knowledge (continued from chapter 19)
A couple of weeks passed after Kaylynn's disappearance, during which Kester saw Bertillis whenever he got a chance. He found her the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal life. Her pregnancy had only added to his tender feelings for her.

Then Kester got a call from Dorian Kauker at the police station. Fishermen had found a body in the river. A woman's body. With long black hair. Dorian asked Kester to come down and see if he could identify her but warned him that it was pretty bad. She had been dead and in the water for two weeks. Kester went down and yes, it was Kaylynn. The police then began investigating to ensure there was no foul play. Checking records of the taxi service they found that from the Genester house Kaylynn went to the Pander house the day she left. Dorian visited that house and spoke with Monique Pander, the owner. She told him that Kaylynn was a frequent visitor to see Cassius and that on that particular day, Cassius was not in. Kaylynn waited a couple of hours then left again by taxi. The taxi company then reported that from there she went to #6 Heritage Trail, the home of Opalessa Genester. And they had no further records of a pickup at that address or anywhere near it. Opalessa was astonished when Dorian asked her about it. She said if Kaylynn came there she found no one home because Opalessa and Soressa would have been at work. (Which Dorian well knew since he was now married to Soressa and lived at that address also, but it had to all be formally put in the record.) A little information was given to the media and both TV and the newspaper had a "Have you seen this woman?" piece, with a picture of Kaylynn.. This elicited one new piece of info. A motorist saw Kaylynn walking on the big bridge over the river and stopped to ask her if she needed assistance. She told him no, she was only out walking for exercise. But he noticed when he looked back in his mirror that she was just standing and looking over the edge of the bridge. He supposed she was resting for a moment and enjoying the view. This connected to Opalessa's address also since hers was the last house before reaching the bridge. Since all indications were that Kaylynn commited suicide, despite the lack of a suicide note, the police closed the case. Kester wondered how long he could keep this news from his kids. What a burden for them to have to live with. Of course he was a free man now. But he would never be able to share more of his life with Bertillis than he did now since they could never legally marry. They must just snatch what happiness they could whenever time allowed. Yet he ached to have all his children under one roof with him. But he could not even do that. By the terms of Hester's legacy, no relative who had moved out or been born elsewhere could ever move in. Of course, he could always move out, but he had accepted the terms of the legacy and in honor must abide by them. At least until one of his children was old enough to take over.
He finally told his kids about Kaylynn's death when he realized that it was only a matter of time before they found out from someone else and he didn't want that to happen. None of them had any serious problems from it since she had never made any efforts to establish closeness with them. Celestial was even secretly glad that Kaylynn was never coming back but she said nothing to anyone of her feelings just as she had never told about how Kaylynn verbally abused her. So the children's routine soon returned to normal and for a short time there were three of them to play together.

The months passed quickly and Bertillis awakened one morning with the unmistakable twinges of beginning labor. Quickly she called Kester. He was at work but promised to get to her as soon as possible. Then she called her doctor.

But these babies didn't waste any time. Before any one could come to help her, Bertillis had delivered both infants herself.

Then she collapsed in shock.

The doctor arrived and checked her condition then administered the needed therapy.


By the time Kester arrived, Bertillis was herself again and could present him with a black haired, blue-eyed son who they named Keller.


And a pretty little blond-haired, browneyed daughter who they named Rosella.


Kester was happier than he had been in years. His only regret was that he could not acknowledge these children publicly and have them in his home. But he spent as much time with his second family as he could without neglecting his first.

Shortly after the twins birth it was time for Brewster to transition to teen and he looked just like his father did at his age except for lighter skintone and green eyes.

And fate gave him romance for his aspiration so he would be following in his great-grandfather's and great-uncle's footsteps as he traveled through life. But Kester planned to make sure he had a thorough understanding of his responsibilies toward the women he would love. And hopefully the knowledge to avoid what he had done as a teen. Not that Kester regretted Cosetta. But he did regret the ongoing secrecy about her.

A few months later, Kester got a pleasant surprise. Dr. Sebastian Mace, a new face at the hospital, approached Kester with an offer of partnership in a new pediatric clinic. Kester quickly said yes, of course.

Brewster happened to be present when this occurred and was very proud of his father. (And don't these two look almost mirror images of each other?)

About this time Bertillis got a surprise too. Chandler showed up on her doorstep. She hadn't seen him since she had become involved with Kester again. It had been over a year. And he had never come by her house before without her calling him. He had vowed to himself that he never would but when months passed without her calling he could no longer stay away. So here he was. And Bertillis found that she could not resist him.


Chandler was astounded to see the babies and made a lot of assumptions. First, that they were his, and second, that her pregnancy was the reason she had stopped calling him. He scolded her thoroughly for keeping it from him and insisted on setting up regular child support payments. As Kester had already done. Well, a girl could always use some extra money. But this advent of Chandler back into her life presented a problem for Bertillis. She found she didn't want to give him up. Anytime she thought about doing so, she wound up calling him over. And no way could she give up Kester. He was life and breath to her now. She didn't know how she could resolve this problem but meanwhile she just had to ensure that they never came at the same time. Which shouldn't be too hard since they both had families to care for. And she had made it clear that they should not come over unless she called them. After all, she had twins to care for and was exhausted a lot of the time. She had to snatch naps whenever she could. And now she had another complication. She was pregnant again.

And she was pretty sure that this time Chandler WAS the father. She had had a premonition when it happened. Just as she had when she conceived the twins. She couldn't understand it as she had been obsessive about using protection. She had never really wanted ANY children although she loved them after they arrived. Although she had to admit she had never bonded well with Cosetta. Probably because she was so young at the time. Ah, well, she sighed. Thinking about the past wouldn't solve her problems now. A few weeks later it was time for the twins first transition. No time for a party, Bertillis was just too exhausted all the time. Kester was constantly fretting because she wouldn't let him visit oftener. But she had to see Chandler once in a while and she had to get some REST. Being pregnant while caring for two babies was the pits. And she knew it was likely to get worse once they could get around by themselves. So with trepidation she assisted them through their transitions. First Keller.

Her black hair, blue eyes, and odd little ears, her father's full cheeks and mouth. Not much of Kester. Maybe the brow and shape of his eyes.

then Rosella

Kester's eyes and nose. Her father's blond hair and full lips.


Her little one bedroom converted country church was going to be a little inadequate before long. Right now the bathroom was doubling as a nursery. But she wasn't sure she could squeeze another crib in there. Her bedroom was full of her orchard of money trees, which had been her primary source of income until Kester started giving her a monthly check, so no room to put one in there. Both of her lovers had suggested that she move to a larger place but she liked her little out-of-the-way home, with no neighbors close enough to see what was going on. She thought she might be able to make a second bedroom in the skimpy attic, once the kids were a little older. But right now they would just have to squeeze.

At Kester's home a semblance of tranquility had returned. The kids had returned to their normal pattern of living and Kaylynn's absence was rarely mentioned. Or even noticed. After all she had been pretty much absent in spirit for years before her death. Kester on the other hand was doing a lot of brooding. He found himself regretting the secrecy in his life more and more every day. It was time to tell his other children the truth and make Cosetta more a part of his family.
So one Saturday at lunch when the girls were at their music lessons Kester told the boys the whole story of his teen years, the mistakes he had made, and the consequences. Though he emphasized that he did not regret having any of his children despite the disaster of his marriage. Then he told them of their younger siblings. Both the boys were thunderstruck and frequently forgot to eat as they listened and asked questions. Though they were both able to accept Kester's revelations it was the longest lunch in family history.


Later that evening Kester told the girls about their other siblings also though it was a much simpler discussion since they were only 8 and 12. He did emphasize to them that this was family stuff and not to be discussed at school or elsewhere.

Over the next weeks Kester's revelations were a frequent topic of conversation among the children. Cosetta's visits were more frequent and she was thrilled by her acceptance as a sibling. The younger girls liked having a big sister to talk girl stuff with. It did cause a bit of friction between the brothers as Prester, 18, sometimes felt compelled to lecture Brewster, 14, whenever Brewster would start going on about another pretty girl he had met.


A few weeks later on the 10th anniversary of her death, grandmother Hester's ghost appeared for the first time.

She wandered the house for some time, appearing to Kester with whom she had a long talk, expressing satisfaction of his discarding secrecy but reminding him that he could not move his second family into the house. Kester was quite thrilled with the meeting as he had missed his grandmother immensely and was glad to know that she was still watching over the family. Hester also spoke with each of her grandchildren. No jumping out of furniture to scare them but they were still all shaken by the event and hoped it wouldn't happen again. None of the three cared to share what Hester had to say to them.

How far will Kester go in dispelling the secrets from his life? How long will Bertillis be able to keep her double secret? What will happen when the twins learn to talk? Who will they call Daddy? How will these secrets affect the larger family? Stay tuned to All My SimChildren for the answers. Eventually.

Next episode: Another Gen 3 Wedding