The Dempsey Backstory

Nordhaven Part:

The Dempsey Backstory

The snowflakes gently glided down from the sky, compiling into an array of soft white clumps spread across the sparsely coated ground. It was serene, just what the Dempsey household needed. Harvey Dempsey turned away from the snowfall and continued scraping the sticky egg from the bottom of the pan. The sizzling was just as comforting as the slow dance of snowflakes outside, he thought to himself, a steady pace that he tried and often failed to emulate in this home. But his effort mattered, he knew it did. And this was now his home, even if he wasn’t sure he would ever feel confident saying that out loud. He wasn’t sure of many things any more, but he was practicing being present just like his ma once taught him.

Harvey stood in the newly renovated empty yet cozy cream colored kitchen. The shelves had gnomes and a few travel trinkets on them. Bright yellow flowers were strategically scattered about. Harvey thought it made the home warmer when he bought them at the market. He was still learning how to do this right. Before it became a home, this lot was an empty plot of ground covered in thick grass. It was purchased by ma and pop Dempsey who intended for it to be an investment for the kids — Harvey and the twins Tess and Tristan. They were to make it their own one day. The Dempsey kids have always been a close knit bunch. They were raised to share love and advice when needed and traveled together with their parents multiple times a year. But lately Harvey thought they felt more like his own children, which has been well… an adjustment  to say the least. There has been more outbursts and more bickering. Losing their parents changed all of their lives, forever. 

After enjoying his portion of what he could admit was a half-decent egg and ham scramble, he turned his headphones on and began cleaning up before he had to leave for work. The rhythm from the blues music had him falling back into the depths of his own mind. He started to reflect on the last year and a half. It had been so different than what he envisioned for himself as an idealistic seventeen year old. Upon graduating he was meant to travel to Sulani and Mt. Komorebi with his best friend and former football teammate Jetson. They planned to sail and scale all summer and fall. He dreamed of seeing the world and Fiona, his ma, knew it. She helped him buy his plane tickets in advance, sharing with him her own pictures backpacking through Selvadorada and enjoying Tartosa with Lars his pop. But instead of flights and adventures, five days before graduation on a scorching hot summers day, his parents vanished. And so did the most of the parents of all the other students at Crest Hill Academy. He remembered it like it was yesterday. Of his friend group, only one parent remained — J. Luna Yung, mistress, crone, and mother to Jetson and Juniper.

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