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Authors: Marisa Taylor
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she had only vague memories of all the family they had left behind. No, however Gerald solved the problem of the declining quality of builds, it had to be done subtly.
The solution was to start up his own building company, Moorhouse Architectural, specialising in more high-end builds, especially in the hills around Christchurch. It was a market Bill and Stan weren’t interested in, too many risks building on hills, fewer opportunities to make a profit. But Gerald had framed it as an extension of the family business, one for which he was willing to take all the risk. That is, he wasn’t asking them for any money. It worked, and Gerald was able to build houses his way, without worrying about when a client would make claims about being ripped off. It was a relief, it lifted a burden from Gerald’s shoulders he hadn’t realised was so heavy.
Running his own company gave him and Sylvia the freedom to let their children spend time with their cousins while they were growing up without having to worry that everyone was too much in each other’s pockets. Of course Lindsay’s unexpected pregnancy had disrupted the family. Alice had been the first great-grandchild on both sides of the family, and all the new grandparents were torn over being in love with baby Alice and worrying about Andrew and Lindsay being too young. But that was the thing with children, you could encourage them to take responsibility for their actions, but you couldn’t do more than that, they had to make their own choices.
Andrew and Lindsay knew each other through mutual friends while they were in high school, which was when they started dating. Both were doing first year law at university when Lindsay became pregnant. Gerald and Sylvia had offered their support for whatever Andrew and Lindsay wanted to do. Little Alice was a good baby, and they were upset to lose contact after the divorce. It was good to see Alice again, all grown up.
Boxing Day was the usual day for the family to pack up and go away for a holiday, and it sounded like Alice would be joining them in Central Otago for a week. It would be good for her, to meet some of the others, have a bit more time to get to know them properly. As much as Gerald and Sylvia wanted to spend that time with her, they had decided to stay in town, to enjoy the good weather and the quiet. They would see Alice plenty in the new year, especially as it sounded like she would stay at home rather than go flatting again. Lindsay and her second family were just five minutes’ drive from Gerald and Sylvia, and now that Alice knew where they were, she could stop in whenever she liked.
After the Boxing Day quakes, there weren’t many aftershocks at all. The city was quiet, the weather stayed hot and the skies were clear. Gerald and Sylvia spent their mornings in the garden, their afternoons inside reading and their evenings walking around the neighbourhood or up in the hills. Was this what retirement would be like? It wouldn’t be too bad, although in winter he would have to spend more time indoors. Christchurch just wasn’t amenable to gardening or walking from May to August, so a third of the year. But he deliberately tried not to think about it too much in those last days of 2010, he just wanted to enjoy the quiet while it lasted.
Looking Up
January 2011
Seismic activity tailed off quickly after the Boxing Day aftershock, and by early January it was quiet again. The days were hot and people were relaxing, trying to forget the upheaval of the past few months. The city had been lucky, in spite of what they had all been through, no one had been killed. Repairs would get underway in the new year, and the first anniversary of the quake would show how far the city had progressed. Things were looking up.
Alice spent a week with Andrew’s family in Wanaka, a holiday town in the Central Otago region. Andrew and Michelle had a house there and it was big, two wings, four bathrooms, a swimming pool and plenty of land,
The solution was to start up his own building company, Moorhouse Architectural, specialising in more high-end builds, especially in the hills around Christchurch. It was a market Bill and Stan weren’t interested in, too many risks building on hills, fewer opportunities to make a profit. But Gerald had framed it as an extension of the family business, one for which he was willing to take all the risk. That is, he wasn’t asking them for any money. It worked, and Gerald was able to build houses his way, without worrying about when a client would make claims about being ripped off. It was a relief, it lifted a burden from Gerald’s shoulders he hadn’t realised was so heavy.
Running his own company gave him and Sylvia the freedom to let their children spend time with their cousins while they were growing up without having to worry that everyone was too much in each other’s pockets. Of course Lindsay’s unexpected pregnancy had disrupted the family. Alice had been the first great-grandchild on both sides of the family, and all the new grandparents were torn over being in love with baby Alice and worrying about Andrew and Lindsay being too young. But that was the thing with children, you could encourage them to take responsibility for their actions, but you couldn’t do more than that, they had to make their own choices.
Andrew and Lindsay knew each other through mutual friends while they were in high school, which was when they started dating. Both were doing first year law at university when Lindsay became pregnant. Gerald and Sylvia had offered their support for whatever Andrew and Lindsay wanted to do. Little Alice was a good baby, and they were upset to lose contact after the divorce. It was good to see Alice again, all grown up.
Boxing Day was the usual day for the family to pack up and go away for a holiday, and it sounded like Alice would be joining them in Central Otago for a week. It would be good for her, to meet some of the others, have a bit more time to get to know them properly. As much as Gerald and Sylvia wanted to spend that time with her, they had decided to stay in town, to enjoy the good weather and the quiet. They would see Alice plenty in the new year, especially as it sounded like she would stay at home rather than go flatting again. Lindsay and her second family were just five minutes’ drive from Gerald and Sylvia, and now that Alice knew where they were, she could stop in whenever she liked.
After the Boxing Day quakes, there weren’t many aftershocks at all. The city was quiet, the weather stayed hot and the skies were clear. Gerald and Sylvia spent their mornings in the garden, their afternoons inside reading and their evenings walking around the neighbourhood or up in the hills. Was this what retirement would be like? It wouldn’t be too bad, although in winter he would have to spend more time indoors. Christchurch just wasn’t amenable to gardening or walking from May to August, so a third of the year. But he deliberately tried not to think about it too much in those last days of 2010, he just wanted to enjoy the quiet while it lasted.
Looking Up
January 2011
Seismic activity tailed off quickly after the Boxing Day aftershock, and by early January it was quiet again. The days were hot and people were relaxing, trying to forget the upheaval of the past few months. The city had been lucky, in spite of what they had all been through, no one had been killed. Repairs would get underway in the new year, and the first anniversary of the quake would show how far the city had progressed. Things were looking up.
Alice spent a week with Andrew’s family in Wanaka, a holiday town in the Central Otago region. Andrew and Michelle had a house there and it was big, two wings, four bathrooms, a swimming pool and plenty of land,
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