Absent-Minded Mistake

Monday morning, Alice woke up early and went out to the far side of town to apply for her first job. She’d never had a dream career in mind, but after careful thought decided a position at the local hospital would suit her best. She didn’t imagine she could ever be a doctor or surgeon (her grades at school had been ok, but not brilliant), but Alice liked to chat with people, hoping to put them in a good mood and/or making them feel more comfortable. She had excellent references from respected people from around town – friends she’d made in her young years – the hospital hired her immediately.
The next stop on Alice’s intinerary that day was to see how Jeb was coping since losing his mother last week. Alice had briefly spoken to Carey about him at Annabel’s wedding and the news then had not been good. Disturbingly, Jeb had not left his room since the day Latonia passed away.
When Alice arrived at the Carpenter-Rhodes’ house Carey answered the door and invited her inside. Alice immediately asked how Jeb was doing and whether she could see him. The look of sadness on Carey’s face did not fill Alice with hope. Carey explained that Jeb had still not come out of his room and didn’t want to see anyone. He wouldn’t even eat unless Carey left slices of homemade apple pie (just the way their mother used to make) on a tray outside his bedroom door.

It was very worrying, so Alice asked Carey to let Jeb know she was here if he wanted to see her. Carey delivered the message and then came back downstairs. She hoped Alice would be enough to entice her brother out of his melancholy state… Unfortunately even though Alice stayed and chatted with Carey until late afternoon, Jeb never appeared.

Feeling hungry and in the mood for a hamburger from Hogan’s Deep-Fried Diner, Alice left the Carpenter-Rhodes house when the sun started to set.

Walking away from the house she felt worried, upset and confused. Why hadn’t Jeb come down to see her? Why wouldn’t he let her comfort him during his bleak time? These questions and many more floated around in her head, leaving her feeling sad and lonely.
Luckily these feelings were alleviated somewhat when Alice got to the diner, as there arriving at the same time, by delightful coincidence, was her good friend (and postman) Donovan.

Donovan lived most of his lonely life by a routine. On Monday nights he always rang Hogan’s to place his order and then drove over collect it and take it home where he could enjoy his dinner without worrying about large numbers of people around him. He really didn’t like being around lots of people, but when he saw Alice walking toward the diner that Monday evening he was more than happy to make an exception.
Donovan could tell Alice was not her usual cheerful self, so he thought perhaps some company could cheer her up. And Alice welcomed that company whole-heartedly. Sitting in a booth opposite Donovan, Alice forgot her day’s troubles as they chatted and laughed about all kinds of things.

Nemm: “Time to check up on the another Newbrook girl. Just because she has left the legacy house does not mean she should be forgotten. How are you doing Annabel?”
Annabel: “There is no need to worry about me, I’m just fine. I live in a huge house and I don’t have to work at all… I just wish I had known before I’d got married how much older than me my husband is!”
Nemm: “Oh dear, has he got grey hair already?! Still… you didn’t marry him just for his looks, did you?”
Annabel: “No. Surprisingly I didn’t. I really do love my husband.”

As Annabel’s life seems completely sorted, we’ll turn our attention to the other Newbrook girl. Imogen was getting used to being the only one left in the family who was still at school. She missed having her cousin there with her a lot, but fortunately she had been blessed with the ability to make friends wherever she went (just like Alice). In fact, friendship wasn’t the only thing some people who knew her were interested in. Imogen was well known for her artistic ability since she’d won first prize in an exclusive competition when she still a child. That, mixed with her friendly nature, made her quite popular in school and a few guys would have liked to get to know her better. Only one had the courage to try though.
Joss Gee admired Imogen. Everyone knew who her father was and how awful and mean he could be. And Joss was impressed Imogen had remained strong and good dispite that.
Deciding to test the water (so to speak) one day, Joss approached Imogen in the school library. To begin he simply asked her about school, her art and stuff. Then he took a deep breath and asked if she would like to go home with him after school to hang out.

Imogen was surprised, but delighted. She’d never been asked to someone’s house before. Until recently she’d just thought no one liked her well enough to invite her to hang out, but since finding out what her father did in his line of work she realised maybe everyone was just afraid of him and what he might do to them. So when Joss asked, Imogen accepted and they spent a fun evening watching TV and chatting at the Gee homestead.
The same evening Imogen was hanging out with Joss, Alice invited Donovan over to thank him for making her feel better the other day after her unsuccessful visit to see her boyfriend. Knowing that Donovan didn’t like to be around lots of people and seeing as everyone else was out*, Alice thought he might like to spend an evening in just familiar company for a change. (*Lucas and Yana were both at work, Karri had gone to visit her parents and John had gone to see an old friend who’s health was failing due to old age.)
Donovan got out of the taxi which had brought him to 345 Riverblossom Hills Drive. He stood outside for a minute or two gathering his courage for the night ahead. He’d realised the other evening in the diner that Alice was one of the few people who accepted him the way he was and didn’t think him weird for mostly keeping himself to himself. He really liked Alice and it occured to him that maybe she could be the girl he’d been waiting for… the girl he could have a family with – something Donovan wished for desparately. So he’d decided tonight he would find out if Alice could ever consider marrying someone like him.

As soon as her guest walked through the front door Alice showed him to the kitchen, where the food her father had kindly prepared for them before going out, was keeping warm on the stove. Alice served it immediately and sat down with Donovan asking him how his day had been.
Seeing as Donovan had not been inside the Newbrook house since the renovation, Alice offered him a tour once they’d finished eating. Starting downstairs she showed him the lounge, the study, the home gym and the room which would be a TV room someday (when they could afford another TV).
Next they went upstairs. Alice pointed down the corridor from the top of the landing stating that the room at the very end was her uncle’s, but she never wanted to go in there.
She then showed Donovan the simply decorated bedroom which belonged to her parents, followed by Imogen’s room which displayed her numerous works of art. With a bitter tone Alice explained that Imogen had to keep all of her paintings in her bedroom as her ‘mean’ father would not allow her to hang them around the house.
Donovan was an art enthusiast and said he liked her work and thought it a shame her father did not admire it enough to show it off. He was surprised a father could ever not want to display a daughter’s talent with pride. But maybe that was just him… Donovan would of liked to have a daughter.
Finally Alice showed him her own room. She defended the empty room adjacent to hers as it was not finished yet. It would be an en-suite bathroom one day, but there hadn’t been enough money when the house was renovated to finish it. She then brought out the birthday present her parents had bought her for her birthday last week. A guitar. She’d always wanted to learn to play, but could never afford the guitar or lessons. Now she had a full-time job, she would be able.
Putting the guitar back in it’s corner, Alice turned around and declared that was the end of the tour. Donovan stood smiling at her with deep admiration. Alice smiled back. It was nice to have a friend to talk to. She’d been lonely since Jeb shut her out.

It was for this reason she did not pull away when Donovan made his hasty nervous move and kissed Alice softly on the lips. The feeling of warmth and excitement from that single kiss made Alice forget everything… she didn’t feel lonelyness in that moment. And as she followed up the first kiss with another and another, slowly everything faded away as they fell onto the double bed.

Being a postman meant Donovan had to leave early the next morning to do his round, so no one except Alice knew he’d been there all night. Waking from her slumber, for a moment she thought the night before had been a dream, but when she opened her eyes and saw her clothes strewn across the floor everything came clear. Guilt swept over her as she realised what she’d done and how it would hurt the guy she loved if he ever found out!
Alice went to the bathroom and got into a warm bubble bath. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about losing Jeb. She liked Donovan a lot. He was clearly a good man at heart and Alice knew she should not have lead him on by letting last night happen. The only guy for her was Jeb.
Getting out of the bath she suddenly felt a little odd and so sat down on the edge of the bath to compose herself. Realisation kicked in and Alice felt sick.
Moving back to her bedroom from the bathroom half an hour later, Alice heard voices coming from downstairs. One voice in particular was very familiar and as recognition of her boyfriend’s tones hit her, she almost had to run back to the bathroom again as a wave of nausea came over her again.

Alice was right. Jeb and his sister had turned up early that morning since Carey had finally managed to get Jeb to come out of his room. She’d told him the first thing he had to do was apologise to Alice for being so selfish and neglectful. She marched him straight over to make sure the couple made up.

Latonia’s death had not only caused problems for Alice and Jeb. Carey had sort comfort for her grief from a man, which had created a ‘little’ problem. Carey was pregnant, but followed in her mother’s tradition and would not tell anyone who the father was.
Alice eventually came downstairs. She knew she was just going to have to explain everything to Jeb and hope he could forgive her. The couple stood in the hallway to talk in privacy as everyone else was in the living room cooing over Carey’s expanding belly.
Alice didn’t wait for Jeb’s apology. She was too consumed with guilt, she needed to tell him straight away and know her fate.

Alice: “Jeb I know what I am about to tell you is going to hurt, but I cannot hide it from you. I’ve made a mistake and I’m begging you to forgive me…”

As Alice confessed her sins Jebs eyes glazed over in disappointment and pain. He couldn’t look at her and looked at the ground as Alice continued to plead with him.

Initially Jeb wanted to believe some of the blame for Alice’s actions lay with him. He had not treated her well and could not entirely condemn her for falling into the hands of someone who showed her the love he should have. Jeb was trying to work out if he could ever get passed this incident and give Alice another chance, when Alice dropped the bombshell that made his desicion easy…

Alice: “…but the worst part is I think I might be pregnant!”

Jeb waved his arms in the space between them, cutting Alice off. He couldn’t listen to anymore.

Jeb: “No, oh no! I know what it is like to grow up without a father. I will not stand in the way of your baby’s rights to have it’s father around!… Marry the father of your baby Alice!!”

With that Jeb ran out the front door, leaving Alice in floods of tears and her heart broken.

Next: A New Begining & An End

Anger, Sorrow & Joy

Life inside the Newbrook house continued on much as it had done before, until one warm Friday afternoon a particular moment was reached… Alice walked out of the familiar old school building she’d known for so long, for the very last time. Before the weekend was over, Alice would be too old to attend high school any longer.
Walking beside her that afternoon was her cousin Imogen, who was sad to think she would have to come back to school on Monday alone. Not that she didn’t like school, but since her last birthday (which had made the age gap between her and Alice seem smaller) their friendship had grown and they were now almost inseparable. Of course Alice still wanted to spend time with her boyfriend (Jeb) too, but usually took Imogen along instead of leaving her at home where she couldn’t have any fun without enraging Lucas.
On that Friday afternoon Imogen was again sticking with Alice as they walked side-by-side, chatting cheerfully to each other, all the way to the home of the Carpenter-Rhodes family.
Jeb had not been at school that day since all of the top graduating students had been rewarded with a trip to a theme park, located just on the outskirts of town. Not interested in socialising to the same degree as most teens his age, Jeb had spent a lot of his time actually studying, which meant his grades were very good.
Carey was the one who answered the door when Alice and Imogen got there. She still lived at home and didn’t have a boyfriend (Nemm: Probably due to her inexplicable way of scaring men off with inappropriate words of love… on a first date!). Never-the-less, Carey was a good Sim and liked hanging out with the Newbrook girls – of course she and Annabel had been best-friends since they were little girls.

This particular visit came with more purpose than just to chat. Alice wanted to hand deliver every single one of the invitations for her birthday party, which would be taking place the following day. As the oldest friends of the Newbrook family, of course every member of the Carpenter-Rhodes family were invited. And they gladly accepted.
Staying a couple of hours with their friends, until dinner time, the girls then said farewell to Jeb and Carey and started their walk home. As Imogen closed the front gate behind them, she quickly stopped her cousin and explained she had something on her mind, which had been bothering her all day.

Imogen had been told something at school by Eve Jones, which she was desperate to find out if Alice also knew and had hidden from her.
Since Imogen’s father had shown no interest in her, Imogen had done the same and never paid any serious attention to his day to day life. She did not even know what he did for a living as no one ever spoke about it. But now she knew… as Eve had told her a shocking story which confirmed it.

Eve’s mother (Mandie) had lost her husband a couple of months ago (Nemm: Just for the record, her husband was not Eve’s father. This is about Mandie’s second husband, as Eve’s father had died many years ago. Eve’s father was Trigger Broke, John’s older brother) and had left considerable debts, which meant Mandie could not afford to pay the bills. Her late husband had worked with a local gang of criminals his whole life and was quite respected in that circle. Knowing this, Mandie had approached them asking for a small loan, which she would repay by baking and selling cakes, pies and puddings to her neighbours.
Unfortunately, two day ago the lawbreakers had grown impatient for their money, so one of them went in search of Mandie to make her pay up. This person sent to scare her was Lucas.

Eve told Imogen how her mother had dropped a batch of freshly baked muffins off at the local spa for their clients and when she came out she was cornered by Lucas. He’d forced her to get into a car and then drove 10 miles out of town to a deserted plot of land and there he told Mandie to get out. He then warned her that if she didn’t repay the money she’d borrowed (plus interest) before the end of the week then worse things would happen. Lucas then drove away leaving the fragile, old women in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately for her, one of her neighbours had been fishing in a nearby spot and heard Mandie sobbing. He drove her home and eventually got the whole story from her. After which he immediately repaid the entire debt on her behalf and told Mandie she could repay him whenever she could afford it.

Imogen was glad Eve’s mum had such a generous and kind neighbour, but the information about what her father had done upset her immensely. She knew he was not the nicest person in the world, but hadn’t realised how cruel he could be to other people.
The news bothered Alice as well. In fact it made her very angry. She’d known for some time her uncle was into illegal dealings, but this!… Being cruel and hurting helpless old ladies was the final straw. She hated Lucas more than ever! And when she next saw him, she made him well aware of what she thought of him…

Alice: “You don’t deserve anything you have!… a devoted wife, a forgiving loyal family and especially dear sweet Imogen! If it wasn’t for her and poor Aunt Karri, I’d turn you in to the police right now!!”

At that precise moment the doorbell rang, announcing the first of the guests for Alice’s birthday party had arrived, so Alice had to walk away still fuming about her uncle’s behaviour. Leaving Lucas to reflect…
Which sadly was only a flickering thought that having a daughter had actually turned out to have one benefit… other people’s pity for her had kept him from a jail cell.
Lucas would not forget this argument with his niece. They were enemies now and only remained civil to each other when in the company of other people.

It would be pleasant at this point to be able to describe Alice’s birthday party as the usual fun, happy occasion, but alas her fight with Lucas was only the begining of her troubles, as tragedy struck halfway through the event.

It was the moment Latonia’s time came to an end, that the party also came to an unexpected premature close. Having your guests all gather round the ghostly form of the departed and begin weeping, is a sure way of killing any sense of celebration. Especially as the retiring Sim was such a long-term friend of the Newbrook family. Now an old women, she was leaving behind three children, one of whom had not quite finished his teenage years. And this person was going to find the pain of losing his mum so soon virtually too much to bear.
Even though everyone left early and even though everyone was distressed at the loss of Latonia, the birthday girl still had to accept her final moment as a teen and become a (young) adult. So for the second time in her life, Alice started the next phase of her life with no fuss or attention (Nemm: The first time was when she was a baby and Rimley had passed away at her very first birthday).

Change continued to happen as twenty-four hours later Annabel had her special moment and married Korey Ferrell in a simple (although no expense spared) ceremony. Since Korey’s family did not extend beyond his father and brother, Annabel only invited close family and friends. In light of recent events she almost postponed the wedding because she didn’t think her friend Carey would come because she’d just lost her mother. But Carey (forever inappropriate…) insisted Annabel went ahead as planned and she stayed long enough to watch the marriage ceremony than she quietly went home.

So Annabel got what she wanted in life. She moved into Korey’s house just across the street from the Newbrook homestead and gave up her job at the science facility to enjoy a life of comfort and leisure.

In an ironic coincidence, that very evening Lucas got exactly what he’d dreamed of too… he was promoted once more and named Emperor of Evil.

Nemm: “And these days you really do look evil Lucas. I can’t believe you are one of Rimley’s children!”

However Lucas isn’t really truely evil. He is bad, there is no mistake in that, but he does believe in providing for his family. Which is why he approached Yana a couple of days later to discuss renovation of the family home. As the eldest child, Yana had the deeds to the land, so all developments had to be passed through her. Lucas had saved up considerable amounts of money from some of his more lucrative heists and would get even more from them now he was emperor, so he wanted to put all of it into expanding their house. Yana agreed, so the construction commenced.

The new house had a larger kitchen and lounge, a study and a home gym, plus four bedrooms and two bathrooms with stairs leading up to the first floor. Overall it was much bigger than the old house, but the renovation had not left any money for purchasing new furniture to fill it with, therefore it was a little bare.

But there is now plenty of room for growth.

Next: Absent-Minded Mistake

Trio

With Annabel announcing her engagement to Korey, and there being three more birthdays looming withing the family, it was clear things would not be as they were for much longer. It was only a matter of days after Lucas’s breakfast drama with his heartbroken daughter, that it was time for him to accept his elderly years had arrived.
Working hard to keep tradition going, John had produced portraits of both Lucas and Karri, which could someday hang with all the other portraits of family members in, hopefully, a proper gallery room. But for now they were hung above the couple’s bed.

Not wanting any “silly, noisey” children at his birthday gathering, Lucas arranged for it to take place during a school day. Being the outdoorsy type, he held it at Lost Willow Park where guests could bring a picnic or have barbeque food straight from the grill.

Most of these guests were accomplices of his from work. Inviting them gave Lucas an opportunity to get better acquainted, which would improve his chances of promotion.
Also included amongst the guests were Karri’s parents, Heriberto and Carissa McQueen, who had come along at their daughter’s request. They had been very pleased with Karri’s choice of husband… up until the day of their granddaughter’s birth. These days they did not approve of their son-in-law very much, as it was no secret as to how he treated Imogen. But because they did not want to make things worse by saying something and upsetting Karri, they came along without complaint. Despite everything they knew their daughter was still in love with Lucas and would not leave him. She wanted his celebration to go well. And it did.

Returning to the house later, Lucas was actually pleased with his new look, as he thought it made him look meaner than ever before. And in his line of work that was a very useful advantage.

When Lucas went into work the following evening though, it was his successful party and networking (not his appearance) which earnt him a promotion to Super Villain.
But he wasn’t the only Newbrook earning promotions around that time. Yana’s career was developing well too and she’d been offered the chance to be Team Captain, which she hesitantly accepted. Recently Yana felt her years creeping up on her and although still determined to make it to the top, she wished it didn’t have to mean so much time away from family events.

Even on her first day as team captain there was a double birthday taking place, which she missed. Karri and Imogen shared their birthday with a joint mother/daughter party and everyone the family knew was invited.
Alice even invited the mail carrier, Donovan Flaherty, who she’d stopped to speak to a few times during his rounds. Donovan wasn’t keen on large groups of people and he didn’t have many friends, which often meant he felt lonely and as though life was just passing him by. So when Alice asked him to come over he agreed.

He didn’t really speak to anyone except Alice, but that was ok with her as she liked to get to know people well and always ensure they were enjoying themselves.
Like many birthdays before this, the kitchen was set-up for the important moments. Alice had insisted they bought two birthday cakes so that her Aunt and cousin could be cheered independently.
Aunt Karri went first. She was delighted to have so many good friends nearby and blew out her candles with a big smile on her face. For a while she even forgot she’d been upset earlier when Lucas had said he wouldn’t be at the party as he had to work.

She was deeply sadened that her husband had never come around to see that he did not have to be jealous of their daughter since Karri had more then enough love for both of them.
Once her mother had had her moment, Imogen stood in front of her own cake. After lots of cheering she made a wish and blew out the candles. Unlike her cousins, Imogen developed into a more curvaceous figure like her mother and grandmother (both paternal and maternal).

Instantly she was aware of her larger figure. Reaching her teen years meant she started thinking about love (as every Newbrook does – bunch of hopeless romantics) and finding someone to share things with. Certainly for this young girl, finding a man to love her was especially important since her own father did not.
But of course Imogen hasn’t gone completely without love from every man in her world. John was always good to her and tried to treat her equally to his own girls. And there was also Karri’s father, Heriberto, who adored his granddaughter. Imogen was his only grandchild as his son (Karri’s brother) had never married. Although they were not exceptionally close, Heriberto still showed Imogen he cared for her.

Karri was mindful of ensuring her daughter felt as much love as possible, hoping it would reduce the chances of Lucas’s attitude toward her from leaving emotional scars. Most Sunday afternoons she would take Imogen over to the McQueen house where they would chat with Karri’s parents for a few hours.

Sometimes they’d stay for dinner.
And even for Karri it was refreshing to spend a few hours a week in the house she’d grown up in, where love and security were felt in every corner. Here she could share her troubles with her parents or forget them altogether… for a little while.

 

Next: Anger, Sorrow & Joy

Love & Music

Everyone in the Newbrook family was proud of Imogen’s achievement. They were pleased to see her smiling and so happy… since her copy of ‘Bouquet In Repose’ had been awarded first prize in an art competition which her school had put her forward for. The judges praised it highly and had given it the most marks out of all of the other hundred paintings submitted. The prize was $1000 of art materials (to encourage the talented winner to continue their study) and Imogen was thrilled.
She was still euphoric the next day at the breakfast table. And in her excited state couldn’t help but tell her father all about it. Sadly Lucas didn’t have the usual feelings of pride most parents would have in that situation.

Imogen: “…and they liked it a lot. They said I’d captured the same essence the original artist had found. And they couldn’t believe I am only 8 years old!”
Lucas: “Well I can. Only a silly 8 year old little girl would be making this much noise this early in the morning, before her family have all woken up. And only a silly 8 year old little girl would be getting so excited about winning one small competition, which had been judged by ignorant school teachers who have probably never seen a piece of true art in their whole life.”

The light in Imogen’s eyes left, her heart dropped into her stomach and she turned her face away from her father as a single tear trickled down her cheek.

Clearly Lucas hasn’t changed over the years, but he never spoke to Imogen so rudely when other members of the family were nearby. Unfortunately most of them were pre-occupied with other things around that time.
Since expressing their feelings, Alice and Jeb had started to see more of each other. Quite simply, they were two teenagers in love who wanted to do all the usual things couples their age were doing. Jeb’s house was pretty small and his older brother and sister still lived at home so there wasn’t anywhere over there they could hang out in private. And the Newbrook house was always bustling due to two family units all living under one roof.
So Alice and Jeb found other places to hang out. They particularly like Azalea Acres Community Garden since no one went there much these days, which meant they could peacefully talk about things, enjoy cuddles on a bench under the beautiful, blooming cherry trees, and express their love with soft sweet kisses.

Both of Yana’s daughters were experiencing love in their respective relationships. Annabel was especially pleased with her boyfriend. Her feelings for Korey were strong as he was everything she could have ever asked for in a guy… rich, easy-going and on top of that he was cute. Annabel believed he felt for her too, so she went about her days contentedly, knowing her love life was sorted (…which should eventually give her the type of lifestyle she was looking for).
Still as flirtatious as before, Annabel went about getting know the people she met around town. One particular day she bumped into an old friend from school (and, of course, someone she had once dated), Marcelo Smith.

Marcelo had done well since leaving school and he was now a published author. His name was starting to become well known amongst readers of all ages, as he wrote for both young and old.
Whilst Annabel and Marcelo were catching up on things, a bright yellow Margaret Vaguester pulled up at the side of the road and Annabel’s gorgeous boyfriend, Korey, got out. He’d spotted the above-mentioned pair chatting and laughing as he drove past and immediately turned his car around. He didn’t like what he saw and was going to make sure his girlfriend knew it.

Korey: “I should have known…”
Annabel: “Oh hi babe. How…”

Annabel didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as Korey strode up to her and Marcelo, and spoke directly to the latter warning him of the consequences of getting friendly with the eldest Newbrook girl.

Korey: “I wish I’d been told when we’d first met that the truth is she only goes after guys with money!.. so you’d be better to walk away while you can.”

Marcelo looked from Korey to Annabel and decided to get away with haste. It was obvious from the look on Annabel’s face that she was on the brink of exploding!.. And she did. Grabbing Korey’s shoulder, she forced him to look at her.

Annabel: “How dare you!? And what on earth has gotten into you?! You’ve just humiliated me in front of an old friend and for what reason?!”
Korey: “Spoilt your chances of duping another guy to fall in love with you have I?”
Annabel: “Fall in love with me! Have you completely lost your mind!? The only guy I’ve every wanted to know felt something for me is the idiot standing in front of me. But I guess I know now how he feels… he doesn’t trust me… and by the sound of it, never has!”

Korey didn’t respond. Instead he started looking down at the ground as he realised how reckless and unfair he’d been, considering Annabel had done nothing to deserve it. Maybe his own insecurities had made him impulsive, as he’d been hurt by many girls in the past who were similar to his current girlfriend… but maybe Annabel was a little different.
Annabel wasn’t going to give him the chance to find out. She kept on yelling at Korey, demaning to know why he had done this to her.

Korey just continued to hang his head in shame. He didn’t know what to say and didn’t know how to begin to apologise…
From Annabel’s perspective it looked like her boyfriend did not care enough to even speak to her anymore. So with a final “I don’t think this is going to work” she walked passed Korey in the direction of the town square to see if she could catch up with Marcelo to apologise.

Having his girlfriend give up and start walking away from him brough Korey back to reality. What was he doing?! He’d made a huge mistake and couldn’t allow this beautiful, strong, independent women to not be a part of his life.
Korey called out to Annabel. He wanted to apologise so badly now, but she just ignored him and kept on walking. Thinking quickly, he made a hurried sprint to his car, grab what he needed and then commenced apologising… his way.

Korey played and sang ‘Belle’, the song he’d written for Annabel. The sound drifted and was caught by Annabel’s ears. She stopped and turned. Korey was looking at her sheepishly and she knew in that moment that he was in fact sorry.
Well, what’s a girl to do when the man of her dreams apologises in such a romantic way…

And it didn’t end there. The couple got into Korey’s expensive car and drove to his place. They went straight inside and well they…

Later when they were both exhausted, Annabel and Korey lay together in Korey’s bed gazing into each other’s eyes. Unknown to them both, each was thinking how lucky they were to have found someone so right for them. Annabel smiled at her man and said she wished there could be more moments exactly like this. Korey smiled back. He’d realised a lot in the last few hours and spoke without hesitation.

Korey: “There can be as many moments like this as you desire. I would like you to move in here… and marry me.”

 

Next: Trio

First Kiss

At the breakfast table one Saturday morning, Imogen happily chatted to Yana, Annabel and Alice about the school outing she’d been on the day before.

Her class had been taken to Octagon House: Historical Museum and Art Gallery. All of the children were asked to try to copy one piece of art that was there on display. And so Imogen was explaining to her aunt and cousins that she’d chosen ‘Bouquet In Repose’.

Alice: “That’s a really good idea. Do you have enough colours for it? I can always go buy a few more for you from the store, after I’ve been to city hall.”
Imogen: “Well, I could use more yellow… and maybe purple. I really like purple.”

Alice agreed to purchase the yellow and purple paint for Imogen later that day. In the meantime her young cousin would be spending the morning with Yana, who realised it wasn’t healthy for Imogen to be shut away in her room all day… especially on such a beautiful day. She invited her to the local swimming pool. Imogen would have contentedly played in her room and painted her picture, but excitedly accepted her aunt’s invitation since she hadn’t been swimming before.

At the pool Imogen had lots of fun and liked being out somewhere new where she could meet other people. There were a few children in the pool who she happily played with.
Yana and Imogen even had the pleasure of Annabel’s company that morning. She wasn’t really into actually getting in the pool, but instead enjoyed lounging on a sunbed watching everyone else splash about.

The time at the side of the pool also gave Annabel a chance to think about her situation, as it stood, with Korey. She had not heard from him since her unexpected visit and being invited to share his meal. It had gone well enough (apart from Korey’s brother walking in on them and then storming back out again), but nothing fantastic had happened that night… not even a kiss goodbye when Annabel left at the end of the evening! She was begining to worry there was something wrong with her. Had she been too forward? It had never been a problem for the guys she’d been out with before… but she’d never felt this way about any other guy.
Happily Annabel’s fears were put to rest later that very day, when she arrived home Korey Ferrell was there standing on the porch, ringing the doorbell. Annabel greeted him and invited him inside. She stopped inside the entrance hall and turned to Korey.

Annabel: “Why haven’t you come over to see me before now? I thought you wanted to hang out… get to know me better” (The last part said with a slightly flirtaeous look in her eye)
Korey: “Oh I do, but I was inspired after you left and I’ve been busy writing a new song.”
Annabel: “A new song?…”
Korey: “Yeah. And now it’s finished I’ve brought my guitar over because I thought you might like to hear it. It’s inspired by you and it’s called ‘Belle’.”

Annabel smiled and nodded, then lead Korey through the house to a room at the back. It was her and Alice’s bedroom, but it was empty at that moment as her sister was still in town.
Korey got out his guitar and gently strummed it. He sang to Annabel whilst she listened from the edge of her bed. The song created a very romantic atmosphere, so once it was over and Korey put down his instrument, Annabel knew she needed no more proof of Korey’s feelings. She walked over to him and brought her lips to his… just as she’d been dreaming of ever since their very first encounter.

A few miles away, Alice had finished her research for the school project and was just coming out of city hall. Waiting for her was Jeb, who she’d arranged to meet there so that they could consolidate the information they’d gathered and write their report. Jeb had been in the library the whole morning. He didn’t like talking to strangers, so Alice had volunteered to speak to the people inside city hall whilst he researched the background information.

When Jeb saw Alice walking his way, he smiled and waved at her. She smiled back and quickly thought how good Jeb looked that day. What she didn’t know was that Jeb was having similar thoughts about her… he thought about how pretty she always looked in pink and how her hair was a beautiful chestnut colour which he longed to caress.
The pair walked back to the Newbrook house. Along the way they discussed their project and how they were going to go about presenting it to their class on Monday. When they reached 345 Riverblossom Hills Drive they went into the lounge as everyone else was in the kitchen or the bedrooms. Jeb stopped in the middle of the room and in a burst of courage he turned around promptly and reached for Alice’s hand, gently holding it in his own.

Alice was surprised at this sudden action, but did not withdraw her hand. Encouraged, Jeb took a deep breath and spoke… “I love you Alice“. The words did not scare Alice. In fact they sounded so right to her. She smiled softly and replied, “I love you too Jeb“, then she slowly lead toward him, to share their first kiss.

 

Next: Love & Music

Better Acquainted

From early in her childhood years, Imogen sensed there was a problem with her father. He did not talk to her the same way everyone else did. He did not play with her (not that she ever asked him to) like her mother, aunt and uncle and cousins would. It did not worry her that he did not treat her like the others, it only made her sad when she noticed it upset her mother.
Not wanting to make things worse, Imogen tried to stick to the rules Lucas had given her, which is how she came to choose her hobby. She knew she would not be able to disturb her dad whilst pursing this pastime, so he could sleep during the day. Imogen hoped this would make her mum happier, and so, she proudly announced her plan at the breakfast table one morning.

She asked if she could have paper and paint to make pictures like Uncle John’s. Karri was more than happy to buy these things for her daughter if they would bring her joy. So later that day Imogen started working on her own little masterpieces.

(Nemm: Well… she will be. After a bit of practice first.)

Our little budding artist will easily be able to get help and tips from the other painter in the family. John’s dabblings with a paint brush paid off and he successfully completed his self-portrait, so he followed up with a portrait of Yana (before her last birthday).

For now, they were hung above their bed, but John planned to move them to somewhere else someday, along with Rimley’s paintings of herself and Hal; Probably once he’d finished the portraits of Lucas and Karri, which he was working on.
Yana got the good news she’d been hoping for when she went to work that day. Her coach didn’t want her to retire any time soon. He believed she had plenty more to give and might even reach the top one day. In the meantime, he suggested she push herself more than ever before, to reach her physical peak.
Yana knew she could do that. As soon as she got home, she went straight into the family fitness room and reminded herself of the reason for her strength… it was in her blood!

Both her father and brother had achieved The Grodiek Institute for Advanced Athletics plague for exceptional levels of athletic skill, so there was no reason she couldn’t do it too. (Nemm: In case you are wondering, Lucas was awarded his plague a short while ago. Every morning when he gets in from work he’ll spend a couple of hours pumping iron, of course, because he likes to look big, muscular and scarey.)
Yana doubled her training time. She got up earlier every morning to make her gym workout an hour longer. And she really focused when she was in the pool at work and after work.

Her evening swim got longer and longer, which meant she did not get to see much of her family during the week. She had no need to worry though… her daughters were growing up fine.
Alice was a social butterfly and made friends wherever she went. On top of that she tried to keep all of her relationships with people strong. Alice’s uncle Lando was a good friend. She wished he was the uncle who lived with them, not Lucas, because he was always nice to her and they would talk about all kinds of things.

(Nemm: I guess she has never seen his explosive side.)

Having had no children of his own, Lando was always happy to spend time with his niece. He would do what he could for her, and although Annabel wasn’t interested in getting to know him better like Alice (only because she has other things on her mind, she doesn’t have any problem with her uncle), Lando was pleased he could at least help her get the job she’d wanted.
Alice really liked to get to know people. She stopped the mail carrier one morning whilst he was delivering to the Newbrook House. His name was Donovan Flaherty and Alice instantly liked him. She found out Donovan wasn’t very comfortable talking to new people, but after a while they were chatting like good friends.

Alice couldn’t remember her grandmother, but from what she’d been told of her, she decided Grandma Rimley would have liked Donovan.
And then there were Alice’s closest friends… one of which was Jeb Carpenter-Rhodes. Realising they worked well together, Alice and Jeb quite often paired up when they were set group assignments at school.

Jeb would come home with Alice after school and they’d work on their project for a couple of hours, then they’d either watch TV or play catch outside together until it was late and Jeb had to go home. Alice felt sad when Jeb had to go. She wasn’t sure why but she always felt a little lonely for a while after he’d gone.

In contrast, Annabel wasn’t wasting her energy getting to know loads of people. She knew who she wanted to be better acquainted with… much, much better acquainted…
Knowing Aaron would be stuck at work for a few hours after her shift ended, Annabel took the opportunity to test the water with Korey, and see if he were interested in getting to know her better too. She walked across the road from the Newbrook house to where the Ferrell family live, as soon as she got home from work. Once she’d rung the doorbell Annabel stood on the doorstep calmly… that is until Korey opened the front door and, just like the first time she’d seen him, her heart fluttered a little.
She said hi and asked if she could come in. Korey did not hesitate. He stepped to one side and beckoned her inside. Annabel wasted no time to get to the purpose of her visit. She didn’t say much in words but Korey quickly got the idea.

He asked if she were hungry and if she would like to stay for dinner. He had just finished whipping up his favourite type of salad and would gladly share if she wanted some.
A short while later, as Annabel and Korey were about to sit down to their meal, they heard the front door open and close, and less than a minute later Korey’s brother walked into the dining room with his shoulders hunched forward and a very tired look on his face. It hadn’t been a very good day at the office, and the sight he came home to did not make his day any better.

When he noticed the other people in the room, who were poised ready to sit down to their meal, he stopped. He looked to Annabel then to Korey without saying a word. Then he made a deep sighing noise through his nose, turned on his heels and marched back out of the the room again, muttering something about “…stupid, lazy brother… always the one they want.”

Next: First Kiss

Parenting

From the day she became a child, the relationship between Imogen and one of her parents changed slightly. Her mum still remained her best friend and always helped her with her homework every afternoon after school.

She would also take Imogen to the park, where they would play hide-and-seek together (usually with Alice too, who Imogen loved to play with).
The change came from Lucas, who could no longer ignore his daughter as she could now talk and do whatever she wanted (within reason of course). It won’t come as much of a surprise though, to know he wasn’t particularly nice to her. In fact one of the first conversations Lucas had with Imogen included a list of things she shouldn’t do.

Lucas: “Don’t leave your toys lying around. Put them away as soon as you finish using them. Do not enter mine and your mother’s bedroom ever, no matter what! And don’t make any noise between 6am-7pm because I’m asleep during that time.”
Nemm: “Ummm… Lucas, be realistic! She’ll only be awake during those hours, as she’ll still go to bed at 7pm whilst she is so young. Look at her. She wouldn’t intentionally do anything naughty, and is one of the nicest kids in the neighbourhood.”
Lucas: “She’ll be even better if she doesn’t break any of my rules!”
Nemm: “It’s a miracle she has turned out as well as she has… considering.”

Moving on… before this writer really considers researching ‘How To Torture Sims As A Form Of Punishment’.

Other things were changing in the Newbrook house. The time came for Yana to say goodbye to her youth and welcome her golden years. As she blew out the candles on her birthday cake she made a wish…

She wished for more time to work on her career. As a result of recent disturbances (i.e. her father dying), Yana hadn’t achieved her lifetime goal of becoming a world famous athletic swimmer. She knew there weren’t many ‘mature’ competitors in the industry, but hoped her physical excellence would mean Coach would let her stay on for a few more years.

As a side-wish, Yana also thought of her eldest daughter at that moment. She was concerned about her lack of direction and drive. Although Annabel had found a job at the science laboratories on the other side of town, Yana knew it wasn’t what Annabel really wanted… but no one knew what that actually was.

Nemm: “Ok, this is the part where you enlighten me. What are you going to do with your life now that you’re all grown up? You can’t sit and watch TV all day everyday.”

Annabel: “That would be good, but I think I can do better. I love my family, but they’re so focused on their career or learning new skills. And I just can’t get excited about those things.”
Nemm: “So what will you do with your life?”
Annabel: “Well I heard from my friend Carey that a new guy just started working at the science laboratories, as head of the department she works in. Carey says he’s kind of cute, but even better… he’s rich! And he and his family (father and brother) have moved into 340 Riverblossom Hills Drive. That’s the house across the road from ours!”
Nemm: “I think I see where this is going but… don’t you want to fall in love?”
Annabel: The rest of my family are all about finding their one true love (which I know can happen, as it’s obvious my parents were made for each other), but I’d settle for a guy who has his own house, who works hard to bring in lots of money for his family and… errr… well, being cute on top of that would be a bonus.”
Nemm: “Ah well, at least you’re practical… sort of.”

So that is why Annabel got a job. Luckily for her, her uncle Lando could pull a few strings from his position to get Annabel a job in the same department as Carey and, of course, the new department head, Aaron Ferrell.

Annabel wasted no time getting to know her boss. Within a week she managed to get him to invite her over to his house for dinner. She thought this was a good step in the right direction. In the short space of time she’d known him, Annabel had determined Aaron was a good guy and fortunately his family’s wealth had not spoilt him or his values. Like most other people, he wanted to get married someday and have children to continue his family’s line.

Annabel decided that the fact he’d shared his personal desires with her so soon was a good sign. But she was a little confused when she sat down at the dining table later with Aaron and also Cruz, Aaron’s father. And they ate a simple meal of mac and cheese!…

Not the romantic meal she’d assumed they’d be having!?

When they’d finished eating she politely asked for directions to the bathroom. On her way back to the living room (where her host had moved to and started a cosy fire in the fireplace), Annabel came across someone she hadn’t met yet. She knew Aaron had a brother and instantly saw a resemblance in this person who was rummaging through books on a bookshelf, and just knew it had to be him.
It’s already known that Annabel is not the silly romantic type (as she clearly expressed earlier), but she could not deny that when this guy turned towards her and smiled, her heart skipped a beat…

Quickly recomposing herself, Annabel smiled back and casually walked over to introduce herself. The gorgeous blonde-haired guy with incredibly soulful eyes smiled again and then introduced himself as Korey Ferrell.
Annabel apologised for interrupting whatever it was he was doing and explained that she was on her way back downstairs. Korey stopped her though and said there was no need for her to go. He asked her what she was into and they chatted for a while. Eventually, in her usual confident way Annabel asked if he was seeing anyone.

He was not. (His response induced another skipped heart beat)
Realising Aaron was still waiting downstairs for her, Annabel said she must go. “See you around” said Korey.

The following morning after Annabel had woken up and had a shower, she sat on her bed and thought about the events of the previous evening. Annabel still shared a room with Alice, but they had moved into the bigger bedroom which grandma Rimley and grandad Hal had once had. It was a necessary move because Imogen needed her own room now that she was older, so the girls had given up their room and redecorated the bigger one to their young tastes.

Whilst relaxing on her bed, Annabel contemplated the mixture of feelings she’d experienced when she’d been at the Ferrell’s house. Her thoughts kept coming back to the same surprising thought…

Annabel: <thinks to herself> …I just didn’t think it would happen so easily.

Next: Better Acquainted

A New Chapter

The Newbrook family were again in mourning, due to the departure of their eldest member. Everyone was miserable, but Alice took it particularly hard since she had not been very old when her grandmother had passed away and did not remember her at all. Hence, the loss of her grandfather was the first tragic event in her life… and she mourned deeply.
She got off the school bus one afternoon and simply burst into tears, when she realised she could no longer go inside her home and share the events of her day with Grandad Hal. When he was alive, he and Alice had been close, and Alice liked to turn to him when she needed advice because she believed he was wise since he had lived for so long.
That afternoon when Alice was stood on the pavement in front of her house with tears streaming down her cheeks, it was fortunate timing when Karri came out the front door at that specific moment with a rubbish bag in hand, which she was taking to the outdoor bin. Seeing her niece was upset she rushed to Alice and hugged her.

Alice loved her Aunt, and was glad she was there to offer a shoulder to cry on. She thought of Aunt Karri as an incredibly resilient person, given her situation with Uncle Lucas… how she could continue to love him even though he refused to have anything to do with their daughter, was still way out of Alice’s understanding! It wasn’t fair to Karri and even less fair to precious Imogen.
These thoughts of sympathy juggled about in Alice’s young mind around the time of Hal’s death. And she concluded that someone had to take her grandfather’s place in Imogen’s life and show her the same love he would have. Alice took this responsibility on herself.

Both girls missed their grandfather a lot, but they found they could be happy when they played together… just like grandad used to.
Sadly Hal’s death had come at an unfortunate period in time. If he could have held on for just two more days, he would have seen his son-in-law’s hair lose it’s colour, his oldest granddaughter become a young adult and his youngest granddaughter begin her years as a child.
No one was in much of a mood to celebrate these important moments, but for Imogen’s sake they made an effort and invited a few close family friends over, as well as the only other Newbrook in the neighbourhood.
Despite never being especially close to his father, Lando didn’t take the news of his death well at all.

He hadn’t been over to see Hal in the weeks before his final day, due to work commitments. Lando had never married in the end (perhaps he was too afraid he would destroy another promising relationship or maybe he never felt the same way about any other woman the way he’d felt about Karri…). Anyway, without a family of his own he dedicated most of his time to his work at the local science facilities, where his mother had once worked.
The only other guests invited that day were the Carpenter-Rhodes family.

The eldest two children, Lavar and Carey, are both fully grown. The former more so than his siblings since he preferred to exercise his mind not his body. Lavar was like his sister in some ways, including not being very good in public… they usually could both be relied on to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, creating awkward situations for those around them. However, this did not stop Carey and Annabel being best-friends, which they had been ever since they met as children.
Jeb, on-the-other-hand (the youngest of Latonia’s children), was a little different from his brother and sister. Generally he kept himself to himself and didn’t enjoy being around lots of people. He liked his own company, but also occasionally the company of a close friend. He and Alice had become good friends, and they sometimes hung out together in their free time.
Although three people were starting the next phase in their lives that day, only one birthday cake had been purchased. John and Annabel chose not to make a fuss about their moment because everyone was still in mourning. So quietly John’s hair faded to grey and he accepted his aged look.

The night Hal had passed away, Yana had been promoted to Starter.

She had come home eager to share her news with her father, who was always happy to hear about advancements toward her overall goal. But this time she didn’t get the opportunity to tell him and some how it just didn’t feel as important as normal.
John was aware of his wife’s close relationship with her father. He knew she’d take his death harder than when Rimley had died. So he made every effort to comfort her. Even though he didn’t fully understand her drive to make it to the status of Superstar someday, he supported her because swimming had always made her happy.
The love between John and Yana was not only strong, it had grown even stronger over the years, as they realised how much they needed each other.

Now that both their parents were gone, they felt this need more than ever before.
Annabel began her young adult years and was so glad she wouldn’t have to get up and go to school early in the morning anymore.

She didn’t have the same desire as her mother to work her whole life through. Annabel had decided what she wanted from life… and it didn’t involve hard work or early morning starts.

With the other transitions out of the way, everyone gathered in the living room for Imogen’s special moment. Of course there was one person missing from the congregation. Lucas had chosen that particular day to visit someone in the neighbourhood… someone who his boss had requested Lucas ruffle the feathers of slightly because they had been spying on the gang and they needed to be dissuaded from sharing what they’d seen with the police. Lucas was more than happy to do this job, as he liked scaring people, plus it would be good (well, bad) for his reputation.
But the Newbrook family tried not to think about what Lucas considered more important than his daughter’s birthday. They just wanted Imogen to have a fun day with lots of joy, as they all loved her dearly.

Karri smiled at everyone as she held Imogen in front of her birthday cake. She knew things were not perfect, but she still loved Lucas and continued to hope that one day he would open his heart a little more and share the love he showed her with their daughter. For now she was content with what she had, since with the love everyone else showed Imogen, she had not been affected by Lucas’s neglect.
This was evident by the fact that Imogen became a happy, healthy child.

She was more like her mum the older she got. Mother and daughter both felt all emotions deeply. When they were happy everyone knew it. And when things made them sad, it took a long time to get over it.
Luckily up to now Imogen very rarely felt sad. Her father not noticing her was just a part of her life and she’d never known any different. Being so young she hadn’t really needed him… but when she starts school will she then realise what she is missing? When she watches school friends play with their dads at the park, will she notice a empty space in her heart? Or will she remain content with things as they have always been?…

Next: Parenting

Tribulation

On her way back from the supermarket early one sunny Saturday morning, Karri bumped into someone she knew very well. It fact this person probably has the most familiar face to Karri than anyone else in the world… it belonged to her mother, Carissa McQueen.

Mrs McQueen is a high energy type of person. In her youth she’d been a bit of a party girl, but since old age had crept up she’d had to slow down, and instead, now enjoyed brisk early morning walks. Overall she was a good women and found joy in everything she did.
Apart from one occassion after Imogen was born and then at her first birthday, Carissa had not seen much of her (only) grandchild. So since there were no special events happening at home that day, and the Newbrook family were simply enjoying their weekend, Karri asked her mum to come back with her to see everyone, particularly Imogen.
Initially though, Imogen did not want to be found. She was happily playing inside her toybox with every toy she owned.

However Imogen enjoys playing with others even more, so as soon as she heard her mother’s voice in the room next door, she climbed out of her toybox and waddled (…Karri has only just taught her to walk) through to the living room. There she sat in her usual spot at the back of the sofa, peering through the gap between said sofa and the armchair next to it.

Most of the family were there including Lucas who of course was not glad to see his mother-in-law because she was monopolizing Karri’s attention, when he really wanted to talk to her. Karri was enjoying time with her mum. She filled Carissa in on Imogen’s development, who was growing up fast. This little girl may be invisible through her father’s eyes, but everyone else loved her and thought she was special.
John was in another room that morning, working on something important. Whilst she was alive Rimley had told him how she hoped someone would continue with her plan to paint a portrait of every member of the family.

She’d completed one of herself and also one of Hal, during her lifetime. Now John was putting his years of practice to use, to try to create a decent portrait of himself. If that turned out alright then he’d start on one of everyone else.
Later that day, Annabel and Alice decided to spend the rest of their Saturday watching a film at the local cinema. On their way out of the house they came across Hal who was standing in the entrance hall, as he often did, starring mindlessly at the portrait which was hung there, of their grandmother. The girls looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. They would invite their grandfather to come with them, to try to take his mind away from the past and things that could no longer be.

But Hal did not want to go out. He hoped they enjoyed their film, but he preferred to stay home and rest. He gave both girls money to buy popcorn and then waved them on their way.
When the girls came out of the cinema later, they hung around outside for a while, discussing their family and stuff.

Annabel: “I’m worried about grandad. He seems more lost than ever these days. And he can’t get around as well as he used to, so he doesn’t go out much anymore.”
Alice: “I know. I’m so afraid of what will surely happen to him someday… I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for it.”
Annabel: “And Imogen loves him so much since horrible uncle Lucas won’t play with her or anything! It’s so unfair!!! She is so sweet, how can he not love her?”

It was true that even though his daughter was adorable and deserved to receive love from both her parents, Lucas was still too stubborn to give it. In his eyes, she was in the way because she took up Karri’s time when he wanted his wife all to himself. Lucas took his frustration out at work by picking fights with members of the gang who were above him in rank. Being bigger and stronger than most of them, he always won, which conveniently helped his reputation and earnt him promotions. So far he has made it to the position of Henchman.

But Lucas wasn’t the only member of the Newbrook family getting into trouble. The truth is as Annabel progressed through her teenage years her errr… well, desires for the opposite sex became more insatiable. She hadn’t forgotten about her first crush, Donte Moeller, but her teenage hormones forced her to get to know boys her own age. She knew a few from school and started arranging to go on dates with them. This included Max Lobos, who is captain of the basketball team.

Annabel liked athletic boys, especially those with muscular arms. But then again she also enjoyed the company of boys with brains, which is why she went on a date with Marc Ivanov, Truelong Community School’s chess champion.

Annabel is not the bashful type (quite the opposite actually). And most of her dates led to her and whichever boy she was with, cuddling on a bench somewhere, followed by making-out for hours.
It was during one of these make-out sessions Annabel lost track of time and stayed out after curfew. Only when her date caught sight of flashing red lights from a police cruser out of the corner of his eye did they hastily separate. Unfortunately Annabel was not wearing practical shoes for running (Nemm: Unlike her date who sprinted off… charming lad). And so she didn’t get far before the police caught up with her.

Nemm: “I have a small confession to make at this point. Annabel got in the police car to be escorted home to her disappointed parents, but… she never turned up! I looked everywhere for her but she’d disappeared along with her portrait icon. I continued playing until the next day (game time) hoping she’d just reappear, but she didn’t. So in the end I had to exit without saving and then play the last 24 hours of the game again. I tried to do exactly the same things I’d done before and even made Annabel stay out after curfew, but she didn’t get caught this time.”

Annabel: “Aaarghh!.. but I do remember disappearing and it was awful! I don’t want to see another police car ever again!

Nemm: “Well you’re safe now… but I’m afraid the bad news doesn’t end there. This is going to be quite upsetting, but I think you ought to go into the living room… … … and say goodbye to grandad Hal.”

It is true, death had finally come for the only remaining member of the first generation. The moment it’d happened Hal had been having a conversation with his son, trying to get him to accept his responsibilties where Imogen was concerned. And at the same time, he hoped to convince his son of the benefits of having two women in his life who would love him.

Nemm: “You were a wise old man in the end, Hal Newbrook. Wiser than many. And I believe you loved Rimley deeply, which is why you stayed with her your whole life and remained faithful to her even after she’d gone. Well, now you will have your reward. Go! Be with the one you love… she is waiting for you.”

The familiar darkly robed figure of the Grim Reaper materialised in the living room. It approached Hal’s ghostly white spirit and then guided him into the next world.
Before the Grim Reaper also disappeared though, there were things to be said…

Nemm: “Alright Lord of the dead. You’ve now got what you came for, so leave! And I don’t want to see your prescence here again for quite some time. This family is flourishing and deserve to live out their days fully… so go!”

Grimmy remained where he was, casting a chilling faceless gaze over the room.
A few words of wisdom… don’t try to order about an immortal creature from another realm! They will make you pay for it! In this instance, the Grim Reaper chose to linger a while longer to use a few facilities. First it wandered through to the bathroom where errr… well you can see for yourself…

Then went back to the living room and sat on the sofa next to Lucas.

Nemm: “Initially I suspected there was maybe a conspiracy going on between Lucas and Grimmy, since Lucas didn’t flinch. But then I thought maybe he hadn’t even noticed, as the Grim Reaper doesn’t really make any noise when he moves about.”

Nemm: “Errr… Lucas! I think you might want to consider going to bed now… as it REALLY is time for our guest to leave.”

Lucas looked around, then got up and walked towards his bedroom where his wife was already asleep. He looked back over his shoulder once… … … and his ‘sofa pal’ had faded back to wherever it came from.

Nemm: “Phew!…”

Next: A New Chapter

Granddaughters

Although Hal had, in time, gradually gone back to being his old self and resumed his normal activities such as going to the gym daily, inside, a piece of him was still incomplete. On rare occasions when no one else was home but him, Hal found he liked to sit in front of the TV and watch a familiar wedding movie.

It helped him remember times gone by, which in a strange way made living in the present easier for a little while.
Hal knew his beloved wife would have loved to of met their newest granddaughter. And she would have hugged and played with her, and made sure she felt loved. Of course Lucas was still ignoring helpless little Imogen, therefore Hal thought (in memory of Rimley somehow) he had to step in and be the male figure in her life, so that she didn’t go without one.

Having been a father to three children of his own and now three grandchildren, Hal was quite knowledgeable about Imogen’s needs, which made it easy for him to take care of her when Karri needed a break (and time to catch up on missed sleep).
Hal also spent time with his other granddaughters, observing their characteristics to see how they were developing. He is concerned about Annabel, as he can see part of himself in her behaviour. Her fixation with boys has not changed and she is still interested in pursuing Donte, even though he recently became a fully grown adult.
Annabel arranged to meet up with him one afternoon after school. They chatted about this and that, and also how Donte’s new job was working out. As he was explaining what his role involved though, Annabel was lost in her own thoughts of how cute Donte was…

Annabel: <thinks to herself> He has such an amazing smile!

Donte admired Annabel. Even though she was a lot younger than him, he wanted to maintain their friendship. Annabel wanted the same and she saw an opportunity to spend a day of her life doing something she actually wanted to do, instead of being bored at school all day long… She asked Donte to meet her on Friday morning at Lost Willow Park, telling him the school was closed that day for teacher training. Which of course was a lie but Donte accepted (whether he believed her story or not).
And so that Friday they met at Lost Willow Park, which is conveniently located miles away from anything else in Riverview, so they weren’t likely to be seen.

It was an almost perfect day to Annabel. Except she wished Donte was still the same age as her so she could of shown him how much she appreciated him (Nemm: …if you know what I mean).

Clearly the third generation are growing fast! It wasn’t long before Alice’s moment came for her to begin the next stage in her life, as a teenager. A huge party was planned for the occasion, seeing as Alice is quite popular and knew plenty of people to invite.
But first, a moment for her young cousin, who’s birthday arrived the day before Alice’s.

Imogen looks a lot like her mother, with a cute chubby face and dark hair. And to everyone’s delight she turned out to be the opposite to her father in personality, as she was sociable around people. She would happily babble away to everyone, about goodness only knows what, in that indecipherable (although adorable) baby language. These were the reason why she had grandad Hal wrapped around her little finger.

That evening Yana came home from work and announced she’d finally made it to the posistion of Rookie. Everyone was happy for her, particularly Hal who was very proud of his daughter’s athletic achievements. He was glad to see one of his genes being put to good use.

Alice’s big party started at noon the following day. There were many of the usual guests invited, but also a few new ones. Hal really felt his age that day, especially when he saw how time had also had it’s effect on an old family friend.

Latonia’s hair had gone grey (Nemm: I think this may be the best she has ever looked. Her hair suits her, and her clothes are finally more appropriate to her errr… shape). It really made a statement about how times had changed and that the youth in the neighbourhood had been passed to a new generation.
As for those new faces mentioned earlier, they included a couple of distant relatives from John’s side of the family. There was Eve Jones, who struck up a conversation with Alice.

Eve is Annabel and Alice’s cousin, and she is a bit odd. She would get stressed out over the smallest thing and kept telling Alice to make sure she checked all the windows were locked before she went to sleep at night, because you could never be too careful of weirdos (Nemm: Nice!… way to scare a little kid!). But Alice liked her anyway and hoped to get to know Eve better.
Annabel introduced herself to another relative. This is Monica Lothario (Nemm: Yes she is a descendant of the well-known Don Lothario. His granddaughter actually).

Monica was very friendly and really wanted to get to know Annabel (they are second cousins). She is also very slim and has a keen interest in exercise.
With introductions made, everyone continued to mingle and chat with old friends and new. And they also heartily ate food prepared specially for the occasion.
Then, at the appropriate moment, Alice stood in front of her birthday cake.

Her family and friends gathered around her and sang ‘Happy Birthday’.
She turned out to be a very pretty teen. Of course reaching this stage in her life meant her priorities became more absolute. Hence from here on whenever Alice met someone new or made a new friend, she mused over whether or not they could be her true soul mate.

 

Next: Tribulation