Previously: Dallas is sent to Fort Hollow to build rockets // Shannon struggles to break up with Jake
Lucy once said she wanted seven children, but the truth was, she could barely handle two.
It rained far too much here in Washington. Cassie didn’t mind the rain. And maybe Lucy promised they would play outside one last time before bed. But then Eris needed to nurse, again. Growth spurt. She needed a bounce and a burp, and then she spit up. The little squirt aimed straight for Lucy’s cleavage and soaked her all the way down to the underboob. They both needed a change of clothes. Then the rain started. The downpour was too intense to bring the baby out. Too intense for a strong-willed, toddler, too, but try telling that to Cassie. “Why? Mama, you said. You said.”
And Cassie wasn’t wrong. Lucy did say, didn’t she?
There was no one to help. They worked Dallas to the bone here, twelve-hour shifts most days of the week. Her neighbor, Marlie, was eight months pregnant and ready to pop. It should have been so lucky to have a teenager next door, but Marlie’s moody teenage son scared Lucy and she would never ask for his help. Everyone else on base had somewhere to be and something to do.
So, sorry, teary little one, so it seems sometimes life doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would. So it seems, sometimes, you don’t get to play outside one more time before bed even though you were given a promise.
But they were so blessed to be here, together, after everything they’d been through. So blessed.
Meanwhile, Dallas is KILLING IT at work.
Maybe Lucy was killing it, too, in her own way, because somehow both girls had their bellies full, dry pajamas and diapers, and were fast asleep in their beds.
Lucy pumped a bottle for the baby’s night feeding, and she poured herself a generous glass of wine. She bought the ten-dollar bottles from the commissary, and she wouldn’t know one way or another whether it was good wine, but it sure did go down smoothly and took the edge off.
There was a bar next to the commissary where the soldiers went to play darts and cards in their downtime. She watched some of them now, stumbling through the rain to go get loaded. The only time Lucy had ever been in a bar was before she was old enough to drink. It sounded fun. She missed her friends. She missed dancing. She missed having Dallas’s parents nearby to help. She missed the South Carolina sunshine. She missed her church. There was so much to miss.
And she didn’t want to say that her mother was right, because she wasn’t right, but she wasn’t completely wrong, either.
Her glass was empty. She went to the kitchen, debating a refill, but no, she would get herself some ice cream instead. Eris will want to nurse again in the morning.
She would just spit it all up anyway, so maybe it might as well be formula. Lucy’s mother raised all three of her babies on formula and they turned out just fine. But wanting a second glass of wine was probably not a great reason to quit nursing, so this milk factory would carry on another day.
“Huh,” Lucy muttered, standing near the fridge, realizing that she hadn’t printed any new pictures in five years. Nothing to speak of for this blessed life, only schoolgirl memories of a simpler time. Now she had her kind, hard-working husband, a cozy military-issued home, and her healthy beautiful girls. And she kind of hated it here.
She was counting down the days until Dallas got leave to go home for his sisters’ birthday party.
And then? Well, Dallas was locked in with the ISCA for four more years. And after that? Where else does one go to build rockets if you’re a rocket engineer?
Maybe Lucy was killing it, too, in her own way, because somehow both girls had their bellies full, dry pajamas and diapers, and were fast asleep in their beds.
Lucy pumped a bottle for the baby’s night feeding, and she poured herself a generous glass of wine. She bought the ten-dollar bottles from the commissary, and she wouldn’t know one way or another whether it was good wine, but it sure did go down smoothly and took the edge off.
There was a bar next to the commissary where the soldiers went to play darts and cards in their downtime. She watched some of them now, stumbling through the rain to go get loaded. The only time Lucy had ever been in a bar was before she was old enough to drink. It sounded fun. She missed her friends. She missed dancing. She missed having Dallas’s parents nearby to help. She missed the South Carolina sunshine. She missed her church. There was so much to miss.
And she didn’t want to say that her mother was right, because she wasn’t right, but she wasn’t completely wrong, either.
Her glass was empty. She went to the kitchen, debating a refill, but no, she would get herself some ice cream instead. Eris will want to nurse again in the morning.
She would just spit it all up anyway, so maybe it might as well be formula. Lucy’s mother raised all three of her babies on formula and they turned out just fine. But wanting a second glass of wine was probably not a great reason to quit nursing, so this milk factory would carry on another day.
“Huh,” Lucy muttered, standing near the fridge, realizing that she hadn’t printed any new pictures in five years. Nothing to speak of for this blessed life, only schoolgirl memories of a simpler time. Now she had her kind, hard-working husband, a cozy military-issued home, and her healthy beautiful girls. And she kind of hated it here.
She was counting down the days until Dallas got leave to go home for his sisters’ birthday party.
And then? Well, Dallas was locked in with the ISCA for four more years. And after that? Where else does one go to build rockets if you’re a rocket engineer?
—
Imagine: Dallas, Lucy, and the girls, traveling home. It’s 3200 miles from Washington to South Carolina, and Dallas’s parents have money, so they’ll be flying. Lucy has Eris in the front carrier, and she pushes Cassie in a stroller, while Dallas lugs two rolling suitcases through the airport. Cassie wants every toy she sees from every shop they pass. Eris is sleeping peacefully, but Lucy is already worried that she’ll cry on the plane. Lucy put together little baggies of earplugs and chocolate for their seatmates who are still going to be mad that someone brought an infant on the plane. But, in the end, Eris doesn’t cry because Lucy sticks a boob in her mouth for the entire flight. But then someone else scoffs at Lucy for breastfeeding in public. Lucy can’t win. Cassie will get the window seat and she will love it!
Dakota is going hard for the title of “the fun aunt.”
It does Lucy good to be here with Dallas’s family, who always welcomed her as their own. She will always think of Lakeside Heights as her home, but since she can’t return there, this place is a nice second best. She loves the warmth and sunshine, the lush vegetation and classic old style, the friendly neighbors and southern charm. It suits her.
It also does Lucy good to see other people minding her children for a little while. It’s a deep breath of fresh air all around.
Man on the grill.
Down on the lawn, the the ladies set up a table for the birthday party this evening. The guests haven’t arrived yet, but Lucy says, “It’s okay if we pop open open a bottle a little early. It’s your birthday! Cheers!”
Delphie is super responsible and never touched a single drop of alcohol until today, her eighteenth birthday. (The same cannot be said for her twin.)
Delphie says, “It wasn’t too hard to wait. I guess I just didn’t really see the appeal.”
Lucy says, “Yeah, I was like that once, too.”
The table is set for guests to arrive. The mosquitoes showed up first.
Dakota is going hard for the title of “the fun aunt.”
It does Lucy good to be here with Dallas’s family, who always welcomed her as their own. She will always think of Lakeside Heights as her home, but since she can’t return there, this place is a nice second best. She loves the warmth and sunshine, the lush vegetation and classic old style, the friendly neighbors and southern charm. It suits her.
It also does Lucy good to see other people minding her children for a little while. It’s a deep breath of fresh air all around.
Man on the grill.
Down on the lawn, the the ladies set up a table for the birthday party this evening. The guests haven’t arrived yet, but Lucy says, “It’s okay if we pop open open a bottle a little early. It’s your birthday! Cheers!”
Delphie is super responsible and never touched a single drop of alcohol until today, her eighteenth birthday. (The same cannot be said for her twin.)
Delphie says, “It wasn’t too hard to wait. I guess I just didn’t really see the appeal.”
Lucy says, “Yeah, I was like that once, too.”
The table is set for guests to arrive. The mosquitoes showed up first.
—
Elsewhere, that afternoon, Shannon swung with her boyfriend on a spring green swingset, thinking, how weird it was that today was such a beautiful day, how the heat made the evening sky all hazy and golden, how everything looked so vivid and in bloom. Today should have been ugly.
Shannon knew exactly what she intended to do when she invited Jake here today. She picked this place, their old school playground because it was just right. They’d be surrounded by comfort and memory. But it was summer break, so the playground was empty. They would be alone.
“I don’t wanna swing anymore,” she said.
“What do you wanna do? We can ride bikes, or swim in the river, or we can go grab the fishing poles?”
“No, Jake. I mean…”
“I know, I know, you hate stinky fishing.”
“I mean, I want to see other people.”
The dumb grin washed clean off his face. “What? Like, date other people? And me, too?”
“Well, no. Not you, too.”
“What did I do wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You want me to be different?”
“No, no, you’re not getting it. I don’t want you to change. You’re fine.”
“Then why are you breaking up with me?”
“Because I just want something different. You can’t be what I want anyway. You couldn’t if you tried.”
“How do you know, you didn’t even let me try.”
“You’re just you, Jakie. And anyway, I want to date people. Lots of people. Lots of different people. God, why are you making this hard?”
“Hard? You’re breaking up with me and I’m making it hard?”
Shannon was frustrated. She didn't want to be mean, but he wasn't getting it. “I cheated on you,” she said.
The dreaded deed was finally done.
—
Delphie and Dakota pose for their last pictures as teenagers!
And one more with big brother Dallas.
Awww, all three of our Deppiesse babies are going to be all grown up!
Family and friends gathered on the back porch to sing and celebrate.
🎶🎵🎶 “Happy birthday to you…” 🎶🎵🎶
And… Dakota’s candles didn’t blow out, lol!
But like it or not, you still have to grow up!
And, as the YA transition goes, they look just about identical to their teenage selves.
Welcome to legal adulthood, Delphie and Dakota!
The cake was cut and festivities carried on. Thank you, Aldous, for being the only damn sim to eat anything from this very delicious spread we laid out for the party.
Why do sims never eat the party food?!?
The cake was cut and festivities carried on. Thank you, Aldous, for being the only damn sim to eat anything from this very delicious spread we laid out for the party.
Why do sims never eat the party food?!?
Dallas and Lucy catch up with cousin Natty and her fiancé, Charlie. Dallas and Lucy are fresh from their own wedding, while Natty and Charlie are deep in the planning stages of theirs. Their wedding planner says the waitlist is long. Charlie would be just as happy to elope, but Natty had her hopes set on something more traditional. So they'll wait.
The two couples made plans to meet up sometime since Fort Hollow and Sierra Nova were so close. Lucy had been longing for some more friends nearby, especially ones who have moved on past the partying phase of their lives. And Natty was glad that her cousin Dallas got along so well with Charlie. She knew her fiancé could be an acquired taste at best, and was intensely off-putting to some, so it was always a huge relief when anyone could tolerate him.
Shannon finally caught a moment alone with Dakota in the empty kitchen, as everyone else enjoyed the summer evening outside.
“Maybe it looks like I didn’t bring you a birthday present,” Shannon said, “but I did.”
Dakota looked around. “Yeah? Well, what is it?”
Shannon grinned. “It’s me. All of me. I’m all yours.”
“No shit, you did the deed?”
“Yup. Signed, sealed, and delivered.”
“Oh, wow. How did it go?”
“Not good, I think.”
“I’m sorry. Are you sad?”
“A little. But I know what would cheer me up.”
“What’s that?”
“Giving you your birthday present.”
Dakota cackled. “You know my entire extended family is in this house?”
Shannon shrugged. “I know, and I don’t care.”
“Well, then, we better go find somewhere to be really quiet.”
Since everyone was in the backyard, they went for the coat closets near the front door. They did attempt to be as quiet as possible in that closet, but Shannon gave Dakota a really good birthday present, which she intended to enjoy fully. And you know Dakota is never quiet at much of anything.
So, thank you, cousin Connor, for being a defiant little shithead and setting off the entire display of fireworks all at once, which brought all the grown-ups out of the house with fire extinguishers in hand and phones ready to call the fire department. It was a breathtaking, explosive, thundering display, perfectly timed.
—
age up gameplay notes:
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Dakota adds the lactose intolerant trait, and she’s not happy about it, either, lol! For my sims, their YA trait is 100% my choice (as opposed to random roll or inheritance, for example), and I haven’t played that trait on anyone before, so it sounds interesting. I figure since Dakota is always mad, she might as well be mad about something, lol! From her character values, she also earns “uncontrolled emotions” for all the times she lost her temper.
Her active trait earns her +1 health points.
She will continue to work on her musical genius aspiration, which she’s accomplished level 2 so far. She looks forward to starting a college rock band! (Please can we have a bands pack?!?) It’s also time for her to choose a second aspiration to work on, so she will choose knowledge/renaissance sim, as a nod to her TS2 LTW which was to max 5 skills.
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Delphie adds the lazy trait, because I checked her TS2 profile and noticed that she was meant to have it. I guess I never thought of her as “lazy” since she’s so high-achieving, but I suppose the two are not mutually exclusive. She thinks no one would have to clean up if everyone kept everything perfectly tidy from the start. From her character values, she earns “responsible,” no surprise, and she is also socially gifted.
Her good, perfectionist, and loves outdoors traits earn her +3 in health points. Girlie’s gonna live forever!
She finished the kindness ambassador aspiration in her teen years, which kind of isn’t a real aspiration. So I’ll let her take two more aspirations to work on, nature/eco innovator and family/big happy family.
They both grew up with great relationships with their parents, but Delphie had a better relationship with Dallas than Dakota had.
Hahahaha, I have a few sims who claim to want 7, 8 and even 9 children. They should thank me that I won't let them! Poor Lucy...but this stage is short, even if it's not short enough sometimes!
ReplyDeleteBut this lifestyle she and Dallas are kind of lumped with also seems incredibly lonely. Once the girls are at school, she might feel that even more keenly. :\ I hope Lucy can start meeting up with Natty more often.
Aw. I'm happy for Dakota but poor Jake!
I use Better Sims, which adds Lactose Intolerant (as well as some others) as a "reward" trait, rather than a personality one in CAS. I have a few LI sims as a result. It makes me laugh when they get the want to eat dairy anyway! But yeah, if Dakota wants something to be mad about, that'll work!
I guess Ambitious and Lazy are not necessarily mutually exclusive, now that I think of it. She could just think she has better things to do than pick up after herself or exercise too much, I suppose!
I feel like, in TS4 at least, I would really like to let one of my sims have a very big family. They can just hang out and age in the background and I can pop in very occasionally to push along relationships or careers. These days, I don’t feel as personally responsible to play every minute of every sim’s life, as I did in TS2. I think at some point around 200 sims in my neighborhood, I was like, screw it, that’s never going to happen, lol!
DeleteSo yes, somebody might get a bunch of kiddos someday, but I’m beginning to doubt it will be Lucy. Maybe Delphie? I always imagined she would end up with a bunch, and one of the possible future husbands I have in mind for her also wants a bunch. We’ll see.
Oh, that is a good idea to have LI as a reward trait. Like, how is that even a core aspect of someone’s personality? lol! In fact, wouldn’t it be so neat if they had a whole separate trait spot just for afflictions, bad habits, and character flaws?
Sorry for the LONG delay in replying, and thank you so much, always, for reading! ❤️