CHAPTER 5: ALEX DAVIS PETERSON

It had already been over seven months since the day Susan had announced she was pregnant with her first child. She had spent the first four months working at the law firm then begun her maternity leave when she was five months pregnant. Her first three months of the pregnancy were tough due to the morning sickness that would often result in either going to work later in the day or staying and working from home. During this time George had been doing most of the housework, taking his wife to work and picking her after work unless he was quite busy his driver would pick Susan from her office and take her home. Occasionally Susan would stop by the mall to do some window shopping for baby clothes but would still end up buying too many baby items including clothes, shoes, and toys. When it came to the kind of meals Susan would eat the craving span from various types of ice cream to cooked meals and junk food which George happily obliged to cook or buy the types of ice cream and junk food Susan liked from the supermarket.

When Susan didn’t go to work she spent the day decorating the baby room, preparing and arranging all the clothes and baby items to welcome their soon to be born child. She had been so excited eagerly waiting for the day when their child would be born to give him or her wonderful, colorful and beautiful life. She would spend the entire day in the baby room even took a nap enjoying and spending time with their unborn child. Susan and George had discussions back and forth on what the gender of the baby would be and if they liked a boy or a girl. For George’s parents especially his mother it had to be a baby boy in order to have an heir to inherit the family business enterprise, to Susan’s parents it didn’t matter as they would treat and spoil their grandchild as their own child. This was the same view shared with Susan and George. To Susan this was a wonderful blessed dream that finally came true; she had not only looked forward to life as a wife but also becoming a full time mother dedicating and devoting her entire life to her husband and their child.

On some weekends when George and Susan were home they would visit their parents or vice verse. Susan’s mother had been too happy and excited for her daughter who was soon to become a mother. Initially when news got to Susan’s mother that she was pregnant she could not believe it until she visited her to hear the news personally from her daughter. When it was confirmed she was excited and grateful for the wonderful blessings bestowed to her daughter. During the pregnancy period she accompanied her to the hospital, giving her advice and suggestions on what to do especially when she had the morning sickness and a few recipes of meals that would be good for her blood pressure, extra body vitamins and for her overall body including her weight. There were times her parents would visit her daughter and keep her company at home until her husband returned home from work, this was something that really helped her a lot as it gave her courage, strength and even more confidence in preparation of becoming a mother. George’s mother also visited a few times with her husband but their time spent together wasn’t as pleasant as it was with her parents. George’s mother would always find something to nitpick on the way Susan was looking after herself or complained about the meals she was eating that were not the best for feeding her baby. Even when Susan’s parents were around, she would still try to control Susan and her pregnancy telling her what she can and can’t do which drove Susan absolutely mad. Sadly for her when George was around that never happened as she knew the consequences and she was not about to have any confrontations with her son in front of Susan or her parents.

The last three weeks before the due date of their child, she and her husband had done one final check-up and were informed that the baby was very doing well, very healthy and that there was a possibility that Susan could be due any time from now. Two weeks went by quickly and the countdown began for when Susan would be giving birth which would be anytime soon. That didn’t take long as it had been predicted by the doctor; Susan had been doing some little work here and there at home when she started experiencing labor pains. She was quickly taken into the operating room and in three hours she had delivered a lovely and cute baby boy whom they named Alex Davis Peterson. Word was quickly delivered to George and his parents and Susan’s parents. When George’s mother was informed that Susan had given birth to a baby boy she jumped with excitement hugging her son and husband commenting, “She is useful after all,” a statement that got George opening his eyes wide open and in shock.

This news had not only been the greatest and the most joyful event to The Peterson family including Susan’s parents and her in-laws but it was a huge turning point in Susan’s life. For The Peterson in-laws it meant there will now be an ‘heir’ one who will one day take over The Peterson Business Enterprises. For Susan Rose Peterson it meant not only being a wife but taking time off from her career to being a full time mother taking on the full responsibility of not only looking after her family, but also being the family protector while nurturing and raising their son Alex Davis Peterson.

In the weeks after being released from the hospital, family and friends had visited The Petersons’ to congratulate the couple with their son. They had brought gifts ranging from clothes, diapers, shoes and toys, was truly a moment of happiness and joy for the family. A lot of the friends who visited Susan were already mothers and they were all excited giving her advice on motherhood including all the challenges and pressure she would be facing while raising her son. Although she had been listening attentively it didn’t really bother or scare her with what they were saying, the fact of just being a mother gave her enough confidence that she was going to be the best mother to her son. In the beginning weeks while at home raising Alex Peterson this had brought so much happiness and joy to The Peterson Family especially George’s mother. She would spend most of her time and days with Susan helping her with Alex but mainly controlling and ensuring that Alex was being raised according to her expectations such as an environment that reached and matched The Peterson Family’s high class lifestyle. Susan on the other hand focused on ensuring that her son was happy, healthy and made sure that Alex was going to have a wonderful childhood without any interruptions or manipulations from her mother-in-law.

Months turned into years and Alex was growing quickly; he was already walking, speaking, had even started learning to play the piano at the age of four as his parents had noticed that he loved music and drawing at the age of three. There were other family etiquette, manners, values, morals, ethics and virtues he learned throughout his childhood years from his parents including being kind, being honest, being helpful but most of all being polite and respectful to everyone. At the age of ten, Alex had grown almost as tall as his father looking handsome and charming especially with his blue eyes like his fathers’ and beautiful soft skin and round face just like his mothers’ with his black silky wavy hair. Everywhere he went with his parents and grandparents, he was the star and center of attention, always surrounded by people especially women which had started from the age of three. Although he was quite shy, his handsome looks and irresistible charm would always draw people to him, but that wasn’t all, once he started speaking his deep voice, his intelligence and diplomacy brought praises to The Peterson Family for the wonderful upbringing of a fine young boy something Susan, her husband and their in-laws had been very proud of as parents and grandparents.

At the age of sixteen (16) while attending high school Alex had become quite popular not only among the ladies but also with his peers and teachers, and although he had quite a number of people who liked him and wanted to be his friend, he was very picky and particular of the kind of people he allowed in his social circle. During his elementary and middle school years his parents mostly his mom and his grandmother had engaged him in various activities and competitions including math, spelling bee, piano competitions and sports events that included horse riding and archery. This was actually one and the only thing Susan and her mother-in-law agreed on as they felt it was imperative to have Alex become exposed to outdoor activities and events as it would help boost his moral, confidence, self-esteem and help him acquire more knowledge and skills from various activities and events outside of school. In addition to all he was doing, Alex had also picked up a few hobbies and interests of his own along the way such as drawing, tennis, chess and block building in middle and high school all of which he had earned awards, medals and honors. He would always be one of the top two winners for all the events and competitions that took place at school or in the entire Brighton City. His family expectations especially when it came to academics and competitions were that he was to always pass his classes and get high scores and to always be the top two winners in the competitions.

For Alex, it was pretty obvious his upbringing was strict, rigid and rigorous with very high expectations especially from his grandmother, George’s mother. From the moment Alex was born it was already written and confirmed that he was going to be the sole heir and inherit everything under the Peterson ownership. Although this was neither something Alex was willing to accept nor was it a role he was ready to take on, but he had no choice as it was already declared from the day he was born that he was to become The Peterson Heir of their Family Enterprises. Therefore it was imperative for him to start learning everything about The Peterson Enterprise at an early age, including training on proper etiquette, the morals, family values and ethics from his parents, the business opportunities, the family business partners, how to speak, act and think like a businessman, diplomacy, negotiations, trade, various skills and knowledge on business management, economics and everything else related to business. Despite growing up in a warm, loving and caring family, enjoying fun days and times with his parents, he also enjoyed some play dates with friends and having birthday parties until the age of ten (10) when his happy childhood life ended and his life took a different turn. His father, grandfather and grandmother begun grooming and preparing him for the takeover of The Peterson Enterprise, his entire life was now being planned, arranged, monitored and certain decisions were being made by his father and grandparents. This meant that he would be spending five (5) hours every day after school till his completion of high school at his family’s’ company to learn everything he needed to know that would prepare him for the taking over of The Peterson Enterprise.

As he spent time learning about the family business over the years as a middle and high school student Alex Peterson had already become knowledgeable, intellectual with a quick thinking mind and had acquired very high business management skills in management, economics and trade. He had learned all the required skills including how to run a business, import and export trading, various business negotiations and had even started taking part in drafting, writing and presenting business proposals for various businesses that had partnerships and wanted to be business partners with their company. Alex had not only become skilled in handling the company’s businesses but had become the youngest expert to ever work at The Peterson Enterprise.

In his last year at high school he excelled in all his subjects graduating with honors that would get him accepted in any top university of his choice. His family had already chosen for him to attend Brighton University since it was a very prestigious well-known university and his grandparents and parents had also studied at the university. They also felt it was the best university that was also known to have the best courses in Business Management and Engineering. Alex had actually hoped to take a double major that was Business Management and Law like his mother but his grandparents especially his grandmother had completely different thoughts and opinions on this matter saying that “law was not something worth learning and he would not be able to learn anything about business, investments or be able to acquire good wealth and high recognition.” This was a statement his grandparents always liked saying especially when it came to discussing his future and career prospects and also whenever Alex’s mother was around. It was quite hurtful to Susan not to mention the fact that she had really enjoyed being a lawyer and had been planning to go back to work once Alex started university. All Alex could do was smile, comfort his mother and accept his chosen fate.

After graduation, his summer vacation was spent working as a full-time intern employee before going to Brighton University in the fall. Although he had enjoyed spending time and working in the family business he was very excited about his new life as a student at Brighton University and the fact that he will no longer be living with his parents. At the age of nineteen (19) Alex was going to be experiencing for the first time a solo life on his own, living away from home, taking everything he had learned from his parents and grandparents and learning how to live an independent and responsible life that will prepare him for all that he was about to face in his personal and social life.