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The summer after he turned 16, Francis Kasher fell in love with not one, but two girls: the 1969 Chevy Impala occupying the corner of the car sales lot downtown, and Vivian Beaumont, one of six daughters of Roger Beaumont, owner of Beaumont dairy farm. The Beaumont girls were like royalty to sleepy, rural Napa in the late '60's, and Francis didn't make the cut. He was two years older than Vivian, although they went to the same high school. He would admire her from afar during class, ribbons tying back her strawberry blonde hair, so obviously pining that his mother would smack the back of his head to make him pay attention when the families ran into each other at the grocery. He could think of nothing better than having her by his side as he drove the Impala through the streets, his lovely passenger turning just as many heads as his new car. One of those dreams came true that summer. Although his mother warned him that Vivian was a distraction he didn't need, Francis would find any excuse he could to talk to her, eventually securing a job helping on her father's farm. He'd wake up before dawn to complete his duties at the family vineyard and winery, then sneak over to the Beaumont's farm to help milk the cows and shovel the stalls. The meager pay wasn't nearly enough to purchase the car, but the sweat made his skin glisten as he'd pull off his shirt and drape it over the fence while he worked, skin tanned by long days spent in the sun. Young Vivian didn't know what hit her when she finally noticed him, and she'd spend long hours sitting on the fence talking to him as he completed his chores. When the two returned to school after that summer ended, they were going steady. The rest, as they say, is history. The two were married in the fall of 1974, relocating to Los Angeles shortly thereafter when Francis decided to attend business school at UCLA.
Francis and Vivian decided to wait until after he'd finished college to start a family together, so Vivian began taking secretarial classes and eventually went to work part time in a secretarial pool. Six years later, Francis' heart was stolen again when they had their first child, a boy they called Liam. The attachment was instant, and it was hard for him to leave his wife and baby at home to go back to work as a firefighter for the county. His earnings, though meager, were enough for Vivian to stay at home for a few years before boredom eventually returned her to her job as an administrative assistant. After a series of miscarriages, the two decided not to have any more children, but scheduling conflicts kept Francis from getting a vasectomy. Liam was in kindergarten when Vivian discovered she was pregnant again, but by that time she'd learned to hope for the best while preparing for the worst. With Francis' blessing, she quit her job and returned home, taking it easy through her first and second trimester. In late December 1985, the Kashers welcomed their second son Dominic. He proved to be a handful, much fussier and more needy than Liam had been, and talk of the vasectomy resumed. Francis underwent the surgery in late January of 1986, but by then it was too late -- Vivian was already pregnant again.
February brought with it a week of torrential downpours in Napa, causing one of the most devastating floods in history of the small city when the Napa River swelled overnight from a modest tributary of San Francisco Bay to a wrathful Amazon, leaving devastation in its wake that stretched more than half a mile from Silverado Trail across Soscol Avenue and into downtown. The Flood of ‘86 took three lives, wiped out store inventories, and destroyed 250 homes. Most of the family's vineyard and winery was damaged or destroyed, causing Francis and Vivian to move back to Napa in what was supposed to be a temporary solution to aid with the cleanup and get the winery back on its feet. Emmett James joined the family on an unseasonably warm day in October, and with the newly forged closeness between Liam and his grandparents, Vernon and Lottie, it became clear soon after that the move to Napa would be permanent. Vernon began building a second, larger house on the property for his son's family, and at Vivian's suggestion of how to recoup the losses to the harvest from the flood, plans were eventually drawn up to take advantage of the booming tourism the area was seeing. When Emmett was four, the luxurious Bed and Breakfast on the property housed its first guests, and since then has become one of the most sought after vacation destinations in all of Napa.
Emmett's childhood, while slightly atypical, was a rich one. Though the family was often on the go, growing up with his grandparents on site proved to be advantageous. Emmett was very attached to his grandfather, who would take the boys out for long hikes in the woods behind their house, teaching them how to read tracks and which plants were edible. As a curious, social child, Emmett made friends easily, often being paired for play dates with the neighbors, forging lasting friendships with them that carried him through all of his years at school and continue to this day. His interest in music flourished at a young age, as his father had always been very musical. His first instrument was a trumpet he'd found stashed amongst his father's things in the closet. Francis was all too happy to hand it over, letting it serve as a distraction to keep his youngest son busy and out of trouble. Emmett had a natural talent that Francis felt should be nurtured, so any time Emmett grew tired of playing an instrument, they'd find him another to learn.
In middle school, he joined the marching band, and by the time he began his tenure at Vintage High School, he was focusing mostly on percussion instruments. He became drum major his sophomore year, the first to ever be selected at that grade level. He fought hard for his spot for the next two years, though he nearly lost it shortly after his sixteenth birthday when his beloved grandfather passed away from prostate cancer. Emmett has never fully recovered, but in the months that followed Vernon's death, he barely spoke at all, withdrawing from his friendships and his usual activities, completely disconnecting from the world around him. Unable to rationalize the loss, he really only went to school because he had to. His GPA took a massive hit, but his teachers felt sorry for him and did what they could to keep from failing him. He blew his candidacy for Valedictorian, but after encouragement from Lottie and his friend Madeleine, was still able to pull it together enough to pass the final exams and graduate. Lottie decided that the boys needed some time away from the winery, sending the three Kasher children to Europe to see some of the world before Emmett would begin college.
He decided to go to UC Davis, majoring in Psychology and doing several internships to try to gain some direction. He returned to Napa every summer, working as a cellar and harvest intern and helping man the front desk at the Bed and Breakfast. After witnessing a close friend recovering from being raped with little familial support, Emmett knew he eventually wanted to work as a Sex Therapist and Family Counselor. He chose to head to Chester, Pennsylvania to attend Widener University for its one of a kind dual program, where he could simultaneously earn his M.Ed. in Human Sexuality & Doctorate in Psychology, bringing him that much closer tot he AASECT certification he needed to work in a private practice. He supported himself by working as a TA, as well as picking up shifts at a crappy convenience store close to his apartment. It was there that he met Joanna Bahn, who completely changed his perspective on relationships. Soon, the two were inseparable, and after a year they moved in together, supporting each other through rigorous course work and stressful late nights. After bringing her home at Christmas, Vivian was convinced that Emmett had met his soul mate. However, after she graduated, Joanna accepted a job in Colorado. Having an entire year left of his degree, the relationship suffered the effects of distance, leading Joanna to break things off completely. Emmett was a wreck. Deciding to forego the doctorate in favor of graduating earlier than planned, he began to put in applications for teaching at the university level all over the country, simply wanting to get out of the apartment they'd shared. Right before he was ready to pack it in and move back to Napa, he received an offer from NYU, which he promptly accepted. Three weeks later, he moved into a loft in Hell's Kitchen, where he's lived ever since.
He currently teaches several introductory sections of Psychology, as well as Approaches to Gender and Sexuality Studies, keeping his course offerings to Tuesday and Thursday while he finishes his doctorate at Columbia. He leads somewhat of a double life, also playing guitar and singing in a band called the Mellow Dramatics, who are known for their secret shows and have a somewhat obsessive following, as well as putting out solo material under the moniker Pussy Panic. Personality-wise, he's still the same as he ever was -- he can be driven and professional, but once he's bored with complacency, he becomes very self-destructive. His recklessness is often a magnetic quality that has allowed him to surround himself with a diverse group of friends, while his natural charm provides the buffer between his actions and their consequences. On the surface, he is confident, classy and reserved, but underneath he's passionate and intense. He's not very good at saying no to himself, often indulging in temptations that he shouldn't. His intellectual side often battles with his artistic side, and every day provides an opportunity for one of the sides to win.
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