the whole story, pt. 1

Nicole was born a beautiful baby girl in a hospital in Seattle to a working-class family, the third child in a family of four. She was quiet and slept a lot, a welcome change from her older brothers, and was very intelligent and curious in a few years, well-loved by a busy, growing Lake City family that was struggling to get by. Her father worked at Genie; her mother worked at Seattle Central Community College's library, but was thinking of quitting to take care of her children full time.

Exactly two years before, Eric was born in Portland, Oregon, who was loud and mercurial--just as prone to throwing a fit as to being utterly pleased with what was going on. He was problematic and tiring on his parents. He was the younger of two children, and his father worked business and was seldom home, while his mother provided legal consultation for the poor. His mother was frequently tired.