#summer lenowski

[pixelnrd]

Taking their grandmother to visit her childhood home was one of the most memorable experiences of Mac's young life. They felt such a deep connection to their grandmother and their own origin; seeing where their grandmother had grown up had just excited them further to know more about where they had come from.

Back at the retirement home, Heather showed Mac some more of her preserved family photos. She pulled out a very old photo full of people Mac didn't recognised.

'This was my father,' explained Heather. 'And this is him with his siblings and parents. I never met my grandparents on my paternal side... they died before I was born, but I know their names were Eleanor and Gary. And that was aunt Clover - she was very impressive. Uncle Indigo, he passed away young too, it was terribly sad for my Dad. And Aunt Summer, her kids were my cousins and so much fun.'

'Where did they grow up, San Sequoia?,' asked Mac.

'Oh no... see, my Dad grew up in a hippy commune in Sulani, would you believe it. I think that's why he was always such a straight guy - like he was trying to pretend that wasn't his life. There aren't many photos from his childhood, but the ones I do have speak for themselves.'

Mac was fascinated by this bizarre hippy family that they had supposedly descended from. With their grandmothers photos in hand, they decided to take a trip down to Sulani, to retrace their hippy roots.

But when they arrived in Sulani, it was no longer a hippy commune. The township was filled with modern beachfront condos, a haven for retirees and the successful. When Mac showed up at the place their grandmother had told them about, there was no longer a bungalow but a great big glass house. It was like all history had been demolished and replaced.

Mac was disappointed, but they weren't deterred. Visiting the Sulani cultural centre, they hoped to find some kind of history on the origins of the Sulani community. And they weren't disappointed - there was a whole section dedicate to the origins of Sulani in the 1960s and 1970s, and the activism of its community during a time of political conflict and rebellion.

And there on the wall, was a picture of the house that Mac had seen in their grandmothers photo. It was a blue beach shack, and the plaque underneath read:

Original Sulani beach bungalow, built by Gary Lenowski c. 1970

Mac was chuffed to see that the Lenowski branch was being kept alive in history here in Sulani. Even though they could never know, they liked to think that their great-great-grandparents were cultural revolutionaries.

Mac sat on the beach and reminisced on what they had found. River, Clover, Indigo and Summer, the children of hippy revolutionaries. Gary Lenowski, who had built their home. And Eleanor... what was her maiden name? Where had she come from.

Mac pulled out their phone and googled the names of their great-great grandparents, and found themselves reading about The Dreyfus Family band...

[pixelnrd]

While River was visiting from Mt Komorebi a family reunion in Sulani had been planned. River travelled back to Sulani with his 3 children for the first time since his parents had passed away many years ago. Sulani has changed a lot, and yet it still felt so familiar.

He took his kids to see the house he grew up in, but on arrival was surprised to see how much it had been changed by the new owners since it had sold. River smiled to himself remembering the ramshackle hippy shack of his childhood that used to be there, so full of mess and activity. He wished his kids could’ve seen what it once was.

The family convened at Summer’s house. She still lived in Sulani with her 3 children, and had made a nice life for them all as a single parent. At Summers house River reunited with Clover, who was still very much her punk self.

Also at the reunion was their cousin Tanya and her two sons, as well as Jonathan, their beloved brother Indigo’s partner. It was the first time they had all been together since his death, and those who had loved Indigo most shared stories and anecdotes of his life while the teenagers and children entertained themselves.

It was such a heartwarming reunion for all the Lenowski siblings, to be back together in the same place. They took a photo to remember the occasion, with all the children and adults together as the last remaining members of the family.

[pixelnrd]

The wedding reception was a huge affair. Dustin and Kelly cut their cake, celebrated their first dance and partied the night away in style. Everyone they knew was there - the Sulani cousins had made it, and River’s sisters Summer and Clover were thrilled to be invited to celebrate the happy occasion. Dustin and Heather even included their 15 year old little brother Nori in the festivities. It was the first time they had all been together as one whole family.

River even took it upon himself to speak with April. He thanked her for supporting Dustin for so long, and for bringing up their children after he moved away. April was surprised by his contriteness but was pleased to receive his acknowledgment after all the years since their divorce. If anything it helped her frostiness towards her ex-husband thaw somewhat.

As the night wore on and everyone became rowdy on the dance floor, Heather noticed someone familiar. Lo and behold, to her surprise it was Jenny - here, at Dusty’s wedding.

‘You’re a sight for sore eyes,’ smiled Jenny. She looked so different to how Heather had saved her in her memories. ‘Sorry it’s taken me a while to come and say hi. Sister of the groom, you’ve been popular tonight!’

‘I didn’t know you would be here,’ said Heather honestly. ‘Did my brother really invite his entire high school year just to make some kind of statement that he’s still got it?’

Jenny laughed. ‘I think he wanted to rub it in my face maybe - I’ll flatter myself that he needed to prove to me that he’s better off without me, even after all these years.’

The girls sat down to catch up. Heather couldn’t believe it had really been 8 years since she had last seen Jenny. Jenny, the girl who had opened up her heart. Opened her up to herself. The familiar butterflies crept their way back in. It was like time had rewound itself, back to high school. She was still so pretty, and so flawlessly cool. Heather couldn’t believe she had ever been so lucky to be her best friend.

They shared their life updates with one another - Heather told Jenny of her travelling experiences post-college. Jenny told her that she was living in Copperdale, working as a style critic for a big magazine. Heather was hardly surprised - she knew Jenny would always do something cool and exciting.

As the night wore on and they continued to drink their wine, both of them revelled in each others company after so many years of discovering the world and themselves.

[pixelnrd]

From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Family stuff just fyi Hey little sister, hope the cheffing is going good. Wanted to let you know that I finally moved out of Moms place (so you can stop nagging me). Cool story - Mom and Dad bought us a house! Can't believe they were able to talk to eachother long enough to organise it. I feel a bit guilty 'cos its a real nice house but Mom said they wanted to make sure the baby has a home to live in. Speaking of the baby, Kelly is pretty big now so won't be much longer til it's born. Weird to think I'll be a Dad. Sad news though - Aunt Clover died. And so did Aunt Summer. It happened pretty close together, I only found out through Dad when he congratulated us on the house. I think he is pretty sad. Some other news - Angela is pretty sick. Turns out she has cancer. Mom is taking care of her. Think that's another reason she wanted us to get out of her house now so they can spend time together. She's pretty low these days. I hope the new baby might cheer her up. Dusty.

[pixelnrd]

Back in Sulani, time had finally caught up with Eleanor and Gary. They both passed away peacefully at home.

Their 4 children held a small private funeral for their parents, releasing their ashes to the ocean. Clover and River returned to Sulani to say goodbye, and they all held eachother through their grief.

River felt enormous guilt, returning home for the first time since he had left for college. He had never returned to see them, even though he had said he would. Time and work and his marriage had kept him from realising his parents were nearing the end of their lives. And now they were gone.

[pixelnrd]

After the wedding, an enormous reception followed with food, dancing, drinking and fun.

The Lenowski siblings were in top form, and Gary made a heartfelt speech wishing his son all the same love and success in his marriage that he and Eleanor had.

(This is an homage to The Wedding Singer 🪩🕺)

[pixelnrd]

The happy day finally came, when River Eli Lenowski married April Diane Jones.

The wedding was a huge affair, with family from both sides all attending. River's parents came up from Sulani with his siblings, so excited to see their son get married. Indigo was his best man, and April's cousin was her maid of honour.

The Lenowski's took up a lot of space with their large brood, and stood in direct contrast to the straight and serious Jones family.

[pixelnrd]

Young Summer was the only Lenowski sibling who wasn't pining for life outside of Sulani. In fact, she loved her family and their creative, alternative lifestyle. To nurture her creative spirit, she was gifted a polaroid camera, which she used to capture photographs of her family - though some were more willing subjects than others.

Summer was proud of her work, and decided that she wanted to be an artist when she grew up.