postcards from (probably not) your biggest mistake

November - December 2087.

#1: you're not my husband  

Aurora Harris met Clark Beech, as romantic as this sounds, when he stopped by to talk to her about her taxes. 

She wasn't aiming for a romance, of course. 

Joel has been gone for a little over two years now. Sometimes she still imagines herself waiting for him to come home from deployment, when in fact the war is long over and everyone has been home from even the furthest reaches for years. Two years for a grieving widow is not that much time, she reminds herself. But when Clark asked her out on a date, she felt compelled to give him a shot. As friends, to start. She’d like to go out with him as a very handsome friend. 

And, ugh, admitting that she found him so handsome made her feel like a cheating trollop. She would have to get used to that feeling eventually, unless she wanted to be alone for the rest of her years. At barely 42 years old, that could end up being a long time.  

They had dinner at the art gallery, and they spoke about their families. Aurora told him about her two little ones, ten-year-old Zach and four-year-old Rebecca. Clark had two grown daughters, Dominique was twenty-eight and Ariel was nineteen. Dominique was actually in the military. "I know we were terrified of losing her," Clark said. "I can't imagine if it had actually come true. You have my deepest sympathies." 

And the ex-wife? He had been divorced for years now. It was old news, and he was over it. "But I always wanted to grow old with someone," he confessed. "Sad how things turn out." 

Indeed, Aurora thought. Sad was an understatement. 

Going back to his apartment after dinner was probably getting ahead of herself. Truth was, she'd enjoyed talking to him and they didn't know where else to go. 

Truth was, also, being alone in a handsome man's apartment made her feel awful. So she escaped to his bathroom and gathered up the courage to end the evening. She hoped he wouldn't take it too badly. If she had met him in another year or two, things might feel very different. 

Aurora went home, and her mother was still awake, so they had a long chat about it. Aurora couldn't say the date was a success. Unless taking a first step counts as success, then maybe it was one.

#2: the one that got away

Nothing to see here. But I bet you just thought the same thing I did! LOL, sims!

But it would have to be immaculate conception with this one, though. Leilani is still a virgin. Probably she just ate some leftover scrambled eggs that had been left in the dorm fridge for too long. 

Meet Leilani Kapule, one of this year's freshman at Sierra Nova University. She comes from Sulani, where she's the first of her siblings to leave the island. She's friendly, creative, and sweet as pie. She's studying fine arts.  

She takes a liking to Andre right away. He's a senior this year, a pre-med student. He's more experienced and worldly than any of the other boys here on campus. He wants to be a doctor and he's spent time working for Greenpeace. She finds him so interesting.  

He's very kind and generous. He compliments her on her art studies, though she knows she's not very good yet. She's not even mediocre yet. She can tell he's a good person at heart. That's the most important thing.

Andre always thought he was a good person, too. However, he’s still hung up on the whole ordeal with Selena last summer. He still sees Luis flirting shamelessly all around campus, which makes Andre furious, assuming that he and Selena were still together. A couple of ugly words later, and Andre finds out that Luis and Selena are no longer an item. He didn’t hear it from Selena first because they’ve been out of contact since his big reveal, that giant awkward blunder. Oh, how he wishes he could take that back! 

Meanwhile, in San Catalina, Selena is out with her girlfriends, drinking drinks and venting their woes on a random Tuesday. She's a little tipsy but not wasted. She's lonely, sad, thinking about chances missed. Should she call him or shouldn't she? 

"Call him," Summer encourages. Because that's what friends are for!

So that was how, just as Andre and Leilani were getting to know each other, an old haunt comes back into his life. 

He couldn't say he was completely happy to hear from her again. It was complicated. Selena wanted to tell him all about the breakup, and about how Luis was already dating other girls. (Which Andre knew, but didn’t say so.) Andre cringed, remembering the sting of rejection, thinking about his overzealous confession last summer, wishing she wouldn’t bring it up at all. But, of course, she did. “And you loved me?”

Loved, past tense, she asked. He was unclear about all that now. In love, he had said. But not love. Maybe it was just a crush? A crush that had now turned tender and sour.  

"I wish we could still hang out the way we used to," she said.  

"Well," he said, "the move out east got postponed for another year. I’m still around. Do you mean it?" 

"Yes, absolutely! Can you come out to Honey Pop?" 

She didn’t hesitate, although it was the kind of thing that was easy to say while tipsy, while you assumed it wasn't actually a possibility. But, yes, she said, without hesitation. Maybe that counted for something?  

Then she said, "I miss your friendship."

And he felt disappointed again. "That’s all?"

No, that wasn't all. She has friends. There was more with Andre than just simple friendship. Unfortunately, they never got to explore what that "more" might be. She’s still not ready for anything serious, she wants to be clear. But she doesn’t want to let him slip away without seeing if there’s anything there. What if? Would he be willing to take it slow? See how it feels? 

"Oh man, it’s midterms week." 

And maybe that says a lot about how over the whole situation he was, that flunking his midterms was a more pressing concern than getting another shot with her. 

"Midterms? I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was midterms. Don’t stress out about it. Maybe I can help you study?"  

He was still a little prickly about the whole thing, while also curious about seeing her again. There was a time when he couldn't think about anything else but Selena. He felt himself torn in two. She just broke up with Luis, her first love, a four-year relationship that consumed most of her youth. She’s healing. It was a process. Can’t he give her that? Of course he can—he’s generous and good. Which also makes him a bit of a doormat. 

So they went out one evening soon after. 

Spending time with her was as wonderful as it had ever been. They didn't do much studying. And perhaps he'd score a little lower on his midterms this semester than he might have otherwise. But he spent the evening reconfirming all the reasons he used to think they'd be great together. They had a lot of fun, and he was glad he hadn't missed his chance with Selena after all. Maybe his earnest blunder at her graduation party wasn’t such a mistake?

Then back at the dorms, being the good boy that he is, Andre had to let poor sweet Leilani down before they ever had the chance to get started.  

#3: grand opening of: goodbye, profit margins!

Last we heard from Justin, his little business was growing much faster than his cozy country cottage could handle. With projects all over the house and his computer gear taking up half of Benji's nursery, it was time for this fledgling little business to finally fly the nest. Goodbye, profits! 

But the rent on this building was surprisingly reasonable. Since there were no other tenants on the market for retail space, his landlord made him a special deal, and the building was just what he needed. The bottom floor of this building has big showy windows for his someday showroom. He even got ahead of himself and put out a "coming soon" sign by the front door. He'll have to make a lot of furniture to fill this showroom!

Upstairs, he has all the space he could ever dream of for his workshop and blogging studio. 

There's even room for that fancy (and large!) new fabricating machine he had his eye on. He never thought he'd have the space to actually buy it. Expensive, though. Goodbye profits, indeed. He's back to break-even again. 

And fortunately for is family, this place also has a full bathroom with a decent shower so he can come home from work smelling fresh and clean. Between the scavenging for supplies, sawdust, and paint explosions, this is very messy work. 

Justin's landlord runs the other shops on the lot. There is a bakery, and a gothic/vampire themed bookstore—neither of which make much money. These stores are the work of Martha Booth (mom to Bentley, Josie, and Anthony, and wife to Joseph). Martha is married to a top brain surgeon, so she can afford these wonderful and frivolous pet projects. 

More than just a bookstore owner, though, Martha aspires to become more of a publisher. Of course, she had dreams of writing and publishing her own novels, once upon a time, but that never quite materialized over the years. Instead, she will make deals with other authors from all around to sell their books here in her store. 

Since Justin’s parents kept hanging around the property, his mother, Cynthia, decided that she was too young for full time retirement. Also, she's always loved books and coffee. So she took an open position at the bookstore café. 

Martha actually hates interfacing with the customers, so that will be Cynthia’s job instead. Martha prefers the behind-the-scenes business, and she also loves baking cakes for the bakery. 

#4: not the favorite: 

Selena has had her share of ups and downs this year, but with any luck, she hopes to end the year on an upswing. Her senior internship from last year, cooking and bartending at Riley Sky Suites, decided to keep her on after graduation. It's a decent job. Perhaps she's too young and naïve to know that decent jobs are hard to come by, or perhaps she's super confident in her culinary skills, or perhaps she wants to get back at her ex for moving on so quickly, or perhaps her new boyfriend is just that handsome... So much for taking things slow!

However many bad reasons it might have been, Selena would like to claim that she's not the type to mess around on the job. But one slow Monday night, Andre comes in to visit after his classes, and that was how the two of them ended up in a quiet hotel room... 

Naked, under the covers. 

What's worse? Her boss walked in at the height of their passionate rumbling and tumbling under the sheets. Seems they triggered some kind of security alarm when they snuck into a room that hadn't been properly checked out.  

Bryson was embarrassed and disappointed. He expected to find a couple of rogue teenagers, not one of his own employees! Selena and Andre got a stern lecture and a penalty on her pay for the night. But Bryson was a generous and forgiving man—he didn't fire her. 

However, she was so mortified she almost wished that he did! 

While she wouldn't try to excuse her behavior, she has to say that if it had been her co-worker Jewell caught in bed with a boyfriend, Bryson probably would have just kept walking. 

Jewell is often invited to the gym to workout with Bryson for fifteen extra minutes after her lunch break, and it's clear that she's his favorite. 

So maybe, on a subconscious level, Selena knows that this senior internship job is not her forever job. She can probably look forward to cooking in many finer kitchens than this one some day, but she'll still need her boss to write her a favorable recommendation letter. So she bites her tongue, makes a sincere apology, and gets her saucy little butt back to work!

#5: November/December birthdays 

Robbie McCullough turns 18 years old, and hardly looks a minute more mature than he was as a teeanger. 

Austin Turner also turns eighteen, and somehow, does look more grown up.

Sweet little Clementine Halston celebrates her first birthday.  

And a sadly-not-preggy-yet update, unfortunately, there still no luck for these eager bunnies. Pat and Lara are beginning to wonder if they should call an end to the quest for baby #3, or should they start to talk about fertility treatments? 

other November birthdays: 

1: Emily Miller is 6

4: Cameron Gibson is 35

8: Drake Cannon is 20

12: Delilah Gibson is 6

16: Eric Powell is 16

19: Austin Turner is 18

23: Anthony Booth is 14

24: Bradley Sizemore is 47

26: Robbie McCullough is 18

27: Chantal Powell is 40

28: Nathan Lind is 38

29: Patrick Nova is 37

29: Riley Hathe is 37

29: Aaron Phoenix is 7

30: Calvin Banks is 21

November anniversaries: 

11/4/2055: Adam & Heather Thompson — 32 years

11/6/2083: George & Blossom McCarthy — 4 years

other December birthdays: 

1: Aurora Harris is 42

2: Kelsey Huffington is 13

3: Toby Harris is 48

5: Beth Tyler-Trudgen is 7

6: Jeremy Nova is 72

8: Clementine Halston is 1

9: Alana Fortney is 56

12: Tessa Morton is 40

14: Christian Sanders is 41

16: Stephanie Nova is 28

18: Beau Jackson is 24

18: Tyler Jackson is 24

21: Ashley Deppiesse is 48

27: Devon Shaw is 16

28: Aura Jackson is 55

December anniversaries: 

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Probably fair that this lot got the cobwebs, since I never play it!

This is such a pretty neighborhood, but even pretty neighborhoods have that one rogue corner where somebody dumped a used tire and a bit of trash. 

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gameplay notes: So, I had it in mind that Selena and Andre might like to take things slowly, but they must have had their own ideas. They made it an even bigger surprise for me, because there was no "first time" notification when they started. So they must have snuck off and done it on another occasion while I wasn't paying attention!

Funny enough, I tweeted a bit ago about a couple jumping into bed together despite my plans for them. It wasn't actually Selena and Andre I was talking about, but another couple. All my crazy sims can't seem to keep their clothes on! 

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