lighter times for a cursed family

December 2076, Maxwell Shaw is 31, Valerie is 36, Angelo is 5, and welcome baby Devon!

Maxwell Shaw lives with his wife Valerie and son Angelo in the old west end of Lake City, and they are actually just around the corner from his mother, Nina Shaw-Gothier. Things have been quiet for this family lately, which is strange since their family is supposedly cursed, and it only makes them all wonder if they're about due for another tragedy.

It is winter now, and little baby Shaw is keeping everyone waiting. Angelo started kindergarten just this fall and any day now, he's going to be a big brother.

But Baby Shaw doesn't keep them waiting much longer. Angelo says hello to his baby sister, Devon, who has dark hair and dark blue eyes, and already thinks her big brother is weird.

Maxwell works for the seediest people in Lake City and has proven to be the world's worst getaway driver and is put back doing work as a con artist, making a little less than he made before. He'll have to prove himself trustworthy before they'll let him drive again.

Maxwell's family desperately needs a bigger house, since this one only has two bedrooms and they've got the baby in their own bedroom at the moment. Unfortunately, it looks like they won't be leaving any time soon.

They live across the street from an old abandoned mansion called the House of Fallen Trees, and Maxwell is mesmerized by it. He thinks it would make an awesome gothic kind of night club, but he doesn't know where on earth he would get the money to buy it. He can't even afford to move his family to a bigger house at the moment. He likes to stand in front of it sometimes, and just stare.

He even walks around back to where there are real graves and his mother tells him that his father had family ties in Lake City, and was somehow related to these people. It's too bad he can't ask him about it. Toby Shaw died in a tragic bungee-jumping accident when Maxwell was only three. Damn Ramirez family curse!

The door locks and windows have been broken, and people stand around inside, in the dark, talking about how it's supposed to be haunted. How cool would a haunted nightclub be???

But for now, Maxwell makes due with Crypt O' Night, the commercialized wanna-be gothic club in the west end club district. Also where he saw a captivatingly beautiful girl the other night. Bella, she said her name was, but he didn't get her number obviously, since she was with someone. Believe it or not, this is new for Maxwell. He's cheated on girlfriends before, but he's never cheated on his wife. He hasn't felt the need until now. But how on earth would he even find her?

At Crypt O' Night, he's sitting next to a pretty blonde who's trying to chat him up. This is not unusual, as the ladies can't get enough of him for some reason.

And then he looks up, and there she is, Bella, like magic, like fate, and she says, "Hi Mom," to the lady in the beige coat.

He watches her walk away to have dinner with her mother, and wonders if she noticed him.

At the very least he has to get to talk to her, at least once. So he takes a seat near where she and her mother are having dinner, even though he's not hungry, which is kind of stalkerish when he thinks about it.

He's thinking he'd better get home, that it's getting late. And oh crap, he's late for work again, and that's no good after you've just been demoted! But then there's a fight on the dance floor and everybody runs over to watch. Could this be the perfect distraction for him to make his move?

So as the smoke clears, he says "Hi." She says "Hi." And she does seem to have noticed him too. She whispers her phone number into his ear.

Okay, but now he really does need to get home. So he goes, a smile on his face because he can't believe his luck, and he repeats her phone number as he walks the whole way home. To call or not to call? That is the question!

Meanwhile, at home, Grandma Nina has come over to help Valerie with baby Devon, just as she did when Angelo was a baby. Grandpa Ben comes too. Nina hopes it doesn't reflect badly on her parenting skills, but Maxwell tends to skip out on domestic duties whenever he feels like it. I guess Nina feels badly about that.

It's nearly 1:00 in the morning before Maxwell comes home, Valerie doesn't even see him change into his work clothes before he sneaks out again, late for work again like he doesn't even care. She's never been the brightest bulb on the tree, and she has no idea what he's up to, but whatever it is, she doesn't like it one bit!

No use trying to talk to his mother about it. She's only here for the grandkids, and besides, he's her only precious child now that Anjali is gone. She gets touchy about anything that might imply she was a bad mother.

So they'll just make due, the three of them, if they have to. Valerie sends Angelo off to kindergarten. Devon is taking her first nap of the day. Maxwell sleeps late, since he works nights. And Valerie has some time to run outside this way too small, falling apart at the seams house to see the season's first snow.

I guess Maxwell feels guilty the next morning, and Valerie was planning on bitching at him, but he was being so sweet! Changing a diaper, feeding the baby, being sweet to her! Is it guilt? Or maybe he's buttering Valerie up for something? Or maybe it's both?

Maxwell has an idea. He tells her, "We don't have to move out of this house just yet. " He wants to convert a walk-in closet into a very small bedroom for Devon, and he'll get rid of that ridiculously unprofitable counterfeiting machine and turn that closet into another bathroom, which keeps Valerie just happy enough to stay in this house a little longer. Because Maxwell has $8000 saved already, and he really thinks he can make a go of this nightclub business if he can save a little more money.

And despite everything, he does really love his wife. He thinks she's beautiful as well, and he's not quite sure he's willing to risk everything for a fling. (Maxwell is 160 with Valerie, 172 with Bella) Friendship, he tells himself. There's nothing wrong with having one more friend. So he calls Bella. It's just a phone call. He tells himself, there's nothing wrong with a phone call...

***

I totally didn't expect Maxwell to have a conscience! I swear, the next morning after meeting Bella, he woke up with all kinds of wants to flirt/kiss/talk to Valerie. We'll see where it goes. Maybe he's a changed man?... though somehow I doubt it ;)

I really really want Maxwell to buy that mansion and turn it into a sleazy nightclub! But I don't know how he'll get the rest of the money to buy it (he needs to put down $20,000 to get a loan for the $80,000). Maybe he can hold Valerie off a little longer? Or maybe he could get his mom to co-sign on the loan... LOL at Maxwell running a sleazy business with his mom!