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3.26 Trust

Sep15

Fabian couldn’t be more delighted about Ada.

And Zahra couldn’t walk near him without getting a dose of what he thought of her.

He told everyone who would listen, over and over again, that he’d never been happier in his life.

Soon, it was Ada’s birthday

She grew into a vivacious little toddler with wisps of her father’s jet-black hair and the light green eyes — Susie’s light green eyes — that both parents shared.

Her first word was “play.”

But she meant something different than her parents assumed.

Fabian was working long hours as a beat cop, and even when he wasn’t working he was pulled off to work-related events like hangout time with Hank Goddard and the others at the diner. He spent a lot of time with his family, but as the long days of maternity leave crept on, Zahra began to feel his absence. When she wasn’t watching Ada, she was in the garden. Every day, she brought armloads of produce into town to sell to the farmer’s market.

It was there that she saw two people whispering to each other and casting her strange looks.

“What?” she demanded. “You’ve never seen fresh flame fruit before?”

“You’re Fabian Branch’s wife, aren’t you?” one of the asked.

“Sample,” she said, looking down her high-bridged Egyptian nose at them. “He took my name.”

“And I assume you’re all right with his… extracurricular activities?”

Zahra’s eye’s widened. “His what?”

She was waiting for Fabian when he came home from work.

“Agnes Crumplebottom! You’ve been seen with THE Agnes Crumplebottom? Behind my back!”

Fabian was dumbfounded. “Wha… huh? I what?”

“Don’t play stupid with me! You haven’t even been trying to hide it. People talk.”

Then it seemed to sink in.

“Oh my God, Zahra. I’m so sorry. It’s not how you think!”

“All right, then, how do I think, and how is it different?”

Fabian was silent.

Zahra’s throat caught. “Are you seeing her?”

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I love you. I love Ada. I never meant to do anything to hurt you.”

Zahra couldn’t even cry. Her voice was flat when she answered. “And it never occurred to you that cheating on your wife would hurt your family.”

“I….” He just stopped, shaking his head. “I’m sorry.”

Fabian was exhausted from a hard day of work followed by a harder evening, and he fell asleep immediately. Zahra just stood there staring at him, unable to face being so physically close to the man she had trusted absolutely.

She went downstairs to find Ada.

What would become of them now? What kind of future could she possibly have with her beloved daughter’s father?

After a while, she couldn’t think anymore.

The big decisions would have to wait until tomorrow.

(Oooookay. So the way this runs out on the other side of the computer screen is like this:

Aww. Fabian and Zahra are so cute together. And it’s sweet that he’s been waiting for her all this time! Let’s look in his relationship bar. Oh, I guess he wasn’t just pining away. There’s a heart under Agnes Crumplebottom. Sly dog. I guess they had a thing before he got hitched.

Hmmm. Didn’t I read something about the Generations patch doing something with romantic reputation? Those leftover romantic interests can really screw up your PC characters’ marriage. I’m supposed to do something about it then. How do you get rid of a romantic interest? Things seem to be going fine, so I’ll just have him call her up one day and…

OH CRAP.)

3.25 Welcome Ada

Sep9

Quick aside.

Ever wonder what happened to Lancelot’s ex-girlfriend Malika Williams? Well, let’s see. She married Gordon Lacy and had two daughters, Lisette and Beatriz, who I can’t tell apart. She reached a fairly high rank in the criminal career (yeah, criminal), then retired when her beloved husband died. These days, she’s keeping herself fit by taking long jogs in the park and trying to nudge her daughters out of the house.

She did just fine without Lance. But that doesn’t mean she ever quite forgave him.

Back to the Samples, Zahra spent most of her maternity leave in the garden.

The science center prized people who would make anything grow. And besides, plants were easier to understand than people most of the time.

As evening fell, she felt an all-too-familiar pain in her abdomen.

Meanwhile, Fabian was out at the diner, hanging out with his partner Hank Goddard and half the rest of the police force.

Zahra didn’t complain. The garden in the evening was peaceful, and it seemed like as good a place as any to labor. So she stayed out amongst the trees and growing things and tried to breathe into her contractions. After the unpleasantness of pregnancy, the pains of childbirth were almost a relief.

Then Fabian got home, and all hell broke loose.

“You’re having a baby in the garden! With the plants!”

“Yes… ooof…. that’s the idea.”

“Shouldn’t I take you to the hospital or something?”

“No, I think I’m fine here.”

“Is there ANYTHING I can do?”

“Just don’t…. oooof…. get in my way.”

Then his freaking out alerted the whole household, and Mom and Dad came out to worry about her too.

Family.

Meanwhile, inside, Charles was confused.

“Hey, Uncle Adjo, is Mom ok? She sounds like she’s in pain!”

“Ummm… She’s going to be fine. Really. Why, um, don’t we go play until your brother or sister is born?”

So Adjo distracted his nephew.

Then, at 11:15 PM, Ada Lovelace Sample came into the world.

Mom and baby are doing fine.

Dad is still recovering.

(Finally this kid is born! So much is going on simultaneously. I need a smaller household. Whew. Also, sorry for all the super-dark pictures. I’ve never come up with a way to light the back yard that I like.

Also, seeing as I went through childbirth in the last year, I can only wish it were as easy and straightforward in real life.)

3.24 Who You Know

Sep9

Adjo was sitting up reading in his teenager bed when Shanni poked her head in on the way to work. He had the kid’s room to himself now, since Charles was sleeping under the stars, but Zahra’s baby would be coming any day now.

“You’re still in your pajamas!”

He smirked at her. “Off to the grind, then? Put in your time for The Man? Another day another dollar?”

“If all that means I’m going to work, then yes. What are YOU doing?”

“Researching career options. You see, I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.”

“You want to be a bum?”

“It’s a movie quote, doofus. Say Anything. That movie was epic.”

At breakfast, he threw out his plans to Mom and Dad.

“So, the thing is, I want to be my own boss, and I think I can make it work. It’ll take a little bit to turn my guitar skills into something that can pay the bills, but I think I can have a working business up and going pretty quick. And, um, until then, do you mind if I stayed in my old room?”

“If this is your choice,” Lance said in a voice hoarse with emotion, “Then you know we support you.”
All right, now was the time to put his money where his mouth was. Or use his mouth to make his money. Or whatever broken proverb fit here.

He took out his guitar and began his life as a busker. For all his bravado, he had no illusions about how easy this was going to be. But he had to believe in himself.

And make a little money.

(Good grief. SO MUCH happened with the twins before the new baby is even born!)

3.23 Responsible Babe

Sep8

Shanni woke up that morning in the bedroom she had shared with Adjo and Charles for most of her school years, and she knew something had to change. The breakfast of leftover birthday cake from Charles’ birthday just underscored the problem.

“Wow, you’re up,” it was Zahra. Or possibly two Zahras stuffed together.

Shanni shrugged. “It’s not exactly the crack of dawn.”

“You usually sleep till noon when there’s no school.”

Shanni sighed. “That’s the problem, of course. There’s no school forever. I have to figure out what to do with my life.”

Zahra nodded, trying to be sympathetic. She knew this had to be a hard decision, but she’d known what she wanted to be when she grew up from about the age of eight. “What do you think you’re good at?”

“I don’t know. I party pretty well. People say I’m a snappy dresser.”

Zahra raised an eyebrow. “People say you’re hot. I think they prefer the clothes off.”

Shanni choked. Should she blush or smack her?

“That’s not the kind of job I’m looking for. I need to support myself.”

Zahra looked up from her breakfast at met Shanni’s eyes. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to. You know that.”

Shanni smiled wanly. “Thanks, sis.”

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

She could do this.

It was no big deal to support youself. Everyone did it. Well, almost everyone.

She needed something to symbolize the new, stronger person she was going to be. So she turned into the tattoo artist’s office instead of the styling salon, as she’d planned.

She was emerging from her cocoon.

And she was the new stylist at the salon. Start time 9am. No problem.

With Zahra’s permission, she moved out of the kids’ room and took over Cycl0n3’s old room downstairs. It had been empty since Cycl0n3 married Zahra and moved upstairs.

She wasn’t going to live with her family forever, but better to stick around until the time was right.

3.22 Interlude

Sep6

The Sample household at night. The moon is high, and many Sim thoughts drift to romance.

Their house is perched on a cliff overlooking breathtaking views of the ocean. That part is fine. They picked the real estate for those views. But unbeknownst to the family, which tends to focus on itself, that cliff stands over makeout beach. This is the hot spot where Sims sneak out to make sweet nothings with their lovers.

Tonight, Yumi Sekemoto feels her blood warming. She has a new sweetheart, and you really are never too old.

He makes her feel so young.

Why does he make her feel so young? Because her new sweetheart is….

Michael Bachelor!

Seriously?

Seriously?

This is a real Harold and Maud thing. Yumi is an elderly elder — she doesn’t have more than 2-4 days left. Michael just graduated from high school. I hope dating Shanni didn’t scar him for life.

(I have got to spend more nights looking to see who his hanging out down on the beach. This stuff is hilarious.)

3.21 While We’re Doing Introductions

Sep6

I don’t think Zahra was ever introduced properly, and she’s the heiress. Smack me with a wet noodle. So, without further ado:

Zahra Sample
Traits: Brave, Can’t Stand Art, Genius, Good, No Sense of Humor
Likes: Chinese Music, Fish and Chips, Turquoise
Lifetime Wish: Become a Creature-Robot Crossbreeder

I wasn’t exaggerating when I described her as a geek with no social skills. Though I’m a bit grumpy about the Genius trait. I pushed her toward mad science because I thought Logic would be used there, but apparently it’s Fishing, Gardening, and Handiness. So I suppose if I used Midlife Crisis to tinker with her traits, I’d be breaking the rules of the legacy more than I am now.

And her husbands:

Cycl0n3 Sw0rd Sample
Traits: Absent Minded, Computer Whiz, Couch Potato, Inappropriate, Genius
Likes: Electronica Music, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Black
Lifetime Wish: Chess Legend

Fabian Branch Sample
Traits: Computer Whiz, Excitable, Friendly, Genius, Hates the Outdoors
Likes: Latin Music, Autumn Salad, Pink
Lifetime Wish: Forensic Specialist: Dynamic DNA Profiler

See what I mean about Cycl0n3 and Fabian? Zahra’s taste in men is pretty clear. Fabian appears here in an outfit I didn’t keep very long. I think he’s adorable in his police uniform, but he’s a really difficult Sim to find any other flattering attire for.

And that pretty much covers Generation 3.

3.20 Shanni Becomes a Woman

Sep4

Adjo and Shanni’s birthday was fast approaching. Shanni kept good grades and would be graduating on the honor roll. (Yeah, Shanni’s always been a better student than Adjo, believe it or not.) But she was all-too-conscious that her twin had one thing she wanted terribly: someone to share it with.

She floated a family birthday to him, but he rejected it soundly. He had important plans with Toya. If she didn’t do something about it, Shanni would be aging up by herself.

She spent the last couple of days before graduation talking up guys, in search of a date for the important day.

But it didn’t go too well with VJ Alvi. Apparently, he wasn’t too thrilled with how things had gone with his brother.

Arrrgh! It wasn’t fair! How dare he reject her!

As the day approached, it was looking very much like Shanni would be ringing in her birthday alone. She couldn’t believe it. She worked so hard to be appealing to men, and here she was without someone who cared about her. Adjo, who always seemed to slouch through life, had what she wanted most in the world.

Then she remembered Mortimer Goth!

They’d hit it off so well when he came over to hang with Adjo, but nothing had really come of it. She grabbed the phone her birthday evening and gave him a ring. He was glad to come over.

He romanced her with stories of his family’s money, and Shanni hung on his every word. She imagined moonlit cruises in the Bahamas and sparkly, gem-incrusted gifts. It was good to have a boyfriend with money. Not that he was her boyfriend yet, exactly, but she was sure he would be soon.

Then it was time to celebrate her birthday.

“Oh,” Mortimer said. “I didn’t realize you were so much older than I am.”

“I really have to be, um, somewhere else right now. Sorry to bail so quick! I’ll call you.”

So Shanni aged up alone after all.

Also not a look she’s likely to keep.

When she’d dried her eyes from crying all night, she made a resolution to herself. She would never let a man make her feel like that again. Boys were for fun, and she’d have fun with them. The new adult Shanni was not going to be anyone’s booty call.

And here we have Shanni’s adult look:

Shanni Sample
Brave, Great Kisser, Neurotic, Mooch, Hopeless Romantic
Likes: Chinese Music, Key Lime Pie, Yellow (though red looks so good on her)
Lifetime Wish: Heartbreaker

3.19 Adjo Becomes a Man

Sep4

Adjo’s birthday was coming up. Becoming an adult was a frightening prospect. What did he want to be when he grew up? He was a mediocre student, and nothing had ever really jumped out at him in his studies.

He called Toya as soon as they got home from school.

“Wanna go on a date?”

“Sure! Where should we meet?”

“It’s a surprise. You’ll see.”

He picked her up and took her to the French Bistro for a high end romantic dinner. She was surprised. No one had ever tried to do something so extravagant for her.

“Wow! I’m not even dressed right!”

“We can take a few minutes and change.”

“So, I want you to know that I’m going to wait for you,” Adjo said. “By the time you graduate, I’ll be making enough of a living for the two of us.”

Toya raised her eyebrow. “You know, Daddy….”

“It’s OK,” he said firmly. “I want to do this on my own.”

As she got off work, Layla caught sight of her son pouring his soul out to his girlfriend. She shook her head ruefully, but stayed out of sight. Toya was a sweet enough girl, but she hoped Adjo knew what he was getting into. It’s not like anyone could talk sense into a youngster in love. She’d moved across the world to be with Lancelot because he had honest eyes and big biceps.

They changed into their formal clothes in that magical Sims way we won’t discuss here.

Adjo headed toward the bistro, but turned back to gaze meaningfully at Toya. “Will you wait for me too?”

Toya beamed at him. “Of course I will silly.”

(Adjo ain’t got the style gene. I have no memory of laying out this outfit for him. But Toya surprisingly didn’t do too badly.)

Everything went perfectly.

Now he just had to make something of himself.

A piece of cake.

Um, right.

And not a bad age transition, all told, but here’s how he ended up:

Adjo Sample
Brave, Charismatic, Family Oriented, Friendly, Over Emotional
Likes: French Music, Key Lime Pie, Lilac
Lifetime Wish: Super Popular

3.18 Charles Ages Up

Sep2

Charles was growing into a fine little (transparent) man.

And he was still the most popular member of the Sample household.

Lancelot, who was usually a pretty sharp guy, showed some senility over his little grandbaby.

Layla once followed a rotten stink into Cycl0n3’s old room to discover that Lance had been making tons of baby food and then just leaving whatever Charles didn’t eat in there. Ewwwww.

Shanni found him frustrating sometimes.

I mean, why was this little guy, who crapped amazingly stinky diapers and woke them up in the middle of the night, getting more attention than she was?

But she did her best, and sometimes she really enjoyed his company.

The Samples took his ghostliness in stride, and he was completely sheltered from any idea that he might be different from anyone else. Even if he sometimes unnerved his family with his otherworldliness, they never let him know.

(I don’t know if this shot would be as creepy if he weren’t a ghost baby, but wow.)

But other than the few very unnerving moments, and well, his unnerving voice, he was a typical toddler.

At last his toddlerhood came to an end.

And he was ushered into childhood by his whole adoring family.

Including Grady Elfman, the maid on Kate’s days off, who grabbed a slice of cake right quick and disappeared into a corner where nobody could tell him to work.

Charles immediately unrolled a futon under his favorite old tree in the back yard. He said he preferred the whole of outdoors to an ordinary bedroom.

But he also picked up chess with his mother almost immediately.

He had no idea why she was so misty-eyed she could barely see the pieces.

(Sorry, guys. I took SO MANY cute ghost toddler pics, and I couldn’t resist throwing them all in. Sadly, without Generations, there’s very little for children to DO, so I won’t have a whole heck of a lot more to say about him until he becomes a teen — which is where I am now in gameplay, so even I don’t know what there will be to say about him then.)

3.17 Trials and Tribulations

Sep2

When she’d been carrying Charles, Zahra wouldn’t have known she was pregnant if she hadn’t been as big as a whale. Cycl0n3 had made himself far sicker in anticipation than she’d felt herself.

That made this pregnancy a big, unpleasant surprise.

Over and over, she found herself running to the bathroom. She was sick constantly.

And that wasn’t the worst of it.

“Two weeks? I can’t go back to work for two weeks? You have GOT to be kidding! Can’t I just show up? Even if you don’t pay me?”

It was so beyond unfair. Between her unasked-for two days of honeymoon leave and her unasked-for maternity leave, which stacked on top, this child was going to be, well, a child before Zahra was allowed back to work. Zahra was crushed and frustrated. If she wanted to reach her lifetime ambition and reach the top of her career track, she should stop having babies.

(There’s some real-life feminist commentary in here about career and family balance. And, seriously, WTF? Why won’t the game let a character on maternity leave go back to work voluntarily? If you’re very far up on the promotion ladder, four paid working days off translates to a LOT of Sim-calendar time. This is a serious women-only career hit.)

Fabian was overwhelmed and delighted at the prospect of being a father so soon.

And he did the best he could to make it easier on Zahra.

But she felt like crap, and most of the time she couldn’t even handle being touched. Their sex life was a memory.

At least she could take her frustration out on the house and build a few skills that would help her when she finally got back to work.

Fabian, meanwhile, stayed out of Zahra’s way. And he started really paying a lot of attention to the maid, Kate Pistachio. After a couple of days of watching her as she moved around, cleaning their house, he approached her and asked her to meet him downtown.

Um, Fabian, does your WIFE know you’re doing this? The one who’s pregnant with your child?

They talked long into the evening. Fabian really turned up the charm, and soon Kate was telling him her life story.

Which he wrote down for his police report. Turned out their house was being cleaned by a Kleptomaniac with a list of customer complaints as long as your arm. He let her know he’d be watching her. In the nicest way possible.

Whew.