Some other Bluewater families, starting with
The Jaquet Family
For the Jaquets it wasn't easy to adapt to the new neighbourhood. Although they had actually lived in Bluewater - they way it used to be - for a long time, it changed a lot when it connected to Pleasantview. It was like a new town.
Gilbert's father, Xavier Jaquet, used to own a small restaurant and as soon as Gilbert was old enough he started to work there. Then his father disappeared and eventually, after waiting in vain for his return, they decided to sell the restaurant.
Gilbert felt that his mother had never seriously expected that her husband would come back. He had never understood his parents. He had wished that they would be like other couples, like the parents of some of the friends he had as a teenager, but while they never considered separation (or so he thought) they did not even seem to like each other very much. By the time Xavier left the family his mother had become serious, almost grim, and looked much older than she actually was.
The only thing that still interested her at this time was money and she convinced her son to open up a bakery trying to turn it into a thriving business.
Not much later the big change came to Bluewater.
Time was known to be fluctuating, but space and matter were generally stable and therefore Bluewater had always been in the direct neighbourhood of Pleasantview. They were only separated by a river that expanded into a lake. There had always been a bridge, but for a long time the village and the town had always treated each other as if they didn't exist.
So maybe the change was taking place mainly in the minds of the sims living there and that again was not so unusual.
Suddenly everything was different. The community - as they turned out to be in the same municipality - decided to put the shops in Bluewater up for sale and the sims from Pleasantview began to realise that it was actually quite convenient to go shopping there. The sims from Bluewater on the other hand found out that Pleasantview and its downtown area had good places to go out.
One of the first people from Pleasantview that Gilbert met was Nina Caliente. She had bought a small clothes shop in Bluewater and was running it together with her sister. Gilbert was a romance sim and always interested in such. He fancied the girl who worked in his café, he fancied Florence Delarosa, who was a good friend and who he had helped out in her shop, when she was having a hard time and there was a neighbour named Arcadia Parker, who he fancied as well. But Nina was very attractive and by her own statement a romance sim too.
They became friends and when she invited him to her house one day, she clearly indicated that she was looking for an affair with him. She flirted with him all evening and they were kissing too. When Matthew Cox, an acquaintance from Bluewater, was asking Gilbert to accompany him to the Caliente house, he was looking forward to see Nina again.
But the day did not end like he expected.
He had no idea that Matthew and Nina had lately become quite fond of each other.
Actually, he believed that Matthew was trying to get together with Dina and he was slightly confused when he did not see any of Nina for most of the afternoon and was the one who spent the day with her sister. It occurred to him that he had not seen much of Matthew either, but at this point it did not make him suspicious.
This rapidly changed when Nina was basically cheating right in front of him. Of course he could not see what was happening inside, but the noises coming from the upper bedroom window down to the front lawn, where he was playing chess with Dina, were unmistakable.
Gilbert was furious. Sims were generally known to be prone to jealousy, but Gilbert despite his laziness had a hot mediterranean temper. He was not even that much in love with Nina and more than his heart it was his pride that was hurt. First, she had flirted with him to a point, where it was clear that she was more or less ready to go all the way, and then she had pushed him away for someone, who was neither very good looking nor very pleasant. Actually, at this moment, he could not see any good points in Matthew.
Dina tried to stop him, but before she could get hold of him he was already running up the stairs. When he entered Nina's bedroom, he passed Matthew and the fact that he was wearing nothing but underwear as well as the expression on his face proved that he and Nina had just woohoo'd with each other. Gilbert regretted it later, but he was so angry that he slapped Nina.
Afterwards he calmed down and they began talking, with Nina trying to explain her behaviour. She was not very good at it, but Gilbert understood, although it did not make him much happier, that she really liked Matthew. A while later, Matthew joined them and apologised to him.
When Gilbert was back home, his anger returned and for the coming weeks he found some relief in doing mischief to the Caliente sisters. Throwing over the trashcan turned out to be particurlarly effective, because on top of annoying Nina, who was very tidy, it also brought along cockroaches as another nuisance.
One night, when he was about to do just that, Nina came out of the house, wearing nothing but a nightgown. She looked quite sexy and although he could see that her flirting was basically nothing but an attempt to apologise it still pleased him.
Despite ending with them woohooing with each other, Gilbert could not completely forgive Nina and he was also aware that their first woohoo (his first ever) would most likely be the last too. Not even the thought that he got his revenge on Matthew did lead to any real gratification. Nina had not really wanted it, he could feel that, and in that respect she had sacrificed herself more than she had cheated on Matthew. After that night they remained friends mainly by talking on the phone.
Some time afterwards he heard that Nina was pregnant and that Matthew had moved in with her.
Then, apart from a new haircut, not much happened in Gilbert's life. He fell in love with Arcadia Parker but it did not result in anything. She was very busy and he hardly ever saw her.
He and his mother were still running the café and bakery, but he never developed a true interest in the business and it was not very successful either. The property had a good value and the house they lived in did too, but they had very little money that was available to spend.
It did not raise his enthusiasm for his business, which was time-consuming despite making no profit, and he rather spent his days in town, hoping to meet some nice women.
There were quite a few attractive ones about, but there was none which really set him on fire.
To his own regret it was Nina who he still felt for the most. Gilbert had never considered Nina a true romance sim and indeed she was married to Matthew now and already had her second child with him.
The night in her old house seemed a long time ago and Gilbert thought that Nina had changed a lot since then. It was obvious that the marriage was doing her good and she appeared much happier and satisfied than she used to. It made her unobtainable, but also more attractive, and Gilbert noticed that he was beginning to fall in love with her.
He would have wished it to be different, but his feelings did not obey and when by chance he met her in town twice within only a few days, they were growing stronger than ever. Like his love for Arcadia they would remain without consequence and only serve to make him unhappy.
He tried his luck with Katie Moore and there was a chance to start an affair with her, but it was clear that he was not her first choice and that she had other lovers who she liked better than him. Gilbert was not sure if that was what he really wanted.
When he met Melissa Fancey he knew what he had been looking for. They hit it off straight away. He met her at the Lulu Lounge and after talking in the hot tub for some hours he already had a crush on her.
The way she acted Melissa seemed to return his feelings and they got very close although it was only their first encounter. Gilbert felt that there was a strong chemistry between them and that Melissa could become the special someone he had wished to find.
Melissa did in fact like Gilbert very much and she wished he would have kissed her. He looked like he wanted to, but maybe he was afraid to scare her away if he was too forward (the fact that Arcadia had come into the club could have been another reason).
Gilbert had to leave soon afterwards because he had a job and had to get up early since he and his mother had finally decided to sell the bakery.
But a few days later he invited Melissa over and on their second meeting he didn't hesitate to kiss her anymore. He had never felt like this for another women before, not even for Nina.
Meanwhile, Denise Jaquet was slowly gaining her life back, at least that's how it felt to her. She was not even sure if she ever had a life before.
She was not so young anymore when she met Xavier Jaquet, but innocent and inexperienced and it was easy for Xavier to talk her into an affair with him. When she got pregnant as a result and her parents, who had some influence, insisted on marriage, he obliged but with regret. He soon began to neglect Denise and turned his attention to other women. Eventually Denise got so scared of entering a room and find Xavier cheating on her yet again, that this fear remained in her for a long time after his disappearance.
Only slowly did she begin to understand that she was longing for romance too.
Denise had fine features and her face was still beautiful despite her age. When she dared to try a new style, her attractiveness matched that of younger women and Robert McArthur was the first who found this out.
They had met at the supermarket where Denise had shopped for some goods for the bakery which they still owned at the time. Robert soon began flirting and when she was about to leave he brought her face close to his and gently kissed her. 'You're a really nice woman, you know that?', he whispered.
Denise smiled happily. Maybe Robert wasn't good looking, but he was young and strong and she was longing for passion and caresses. She had wasted almost her entire life in an unhappy marriage, before she realised that she deserved this as much as anybody else. She could not even remember Xavier kissing her, not like this anyway.
One evening when she was downtown playing cards, she was chatting about it with Ms Crumplebottom.
'I don't know if I should really get involved in such a relationship. Robert is much younger than me and after all I am still married since there is no reason to assume that Xavier is dead', Denise pondered.
'Go for it, dear. Be happy', Ms Crumplebottom replied. Denise was surprised, because Ms Crumplebottom was generally known to be a woman of strict morals who she like to enforce on other sims. Ms Crumplebottom, who noticed her expression, smiled.
'These youngster ought to behave. You've seen with your husband what happens if you let them loose. But an older woman like you has the maturity and firmness of character to deal with such matters.'
Denise kept thinking about Ms Crumplebottom's words and in the end she decided to invite Robert over. They were dancing and Robert held her close, running his fingers over her back. She put her head on his shoulder and sank into the flow of the music. She knew that her son was thinking differently, but to her Xavier leaving his family was the best that could have happened to her.
Robert was a serious person and the qualities that Ms Crumplebottom had assigned to older women were what attracted him to Denise. He also found her very good-looking and desirable and didn't think she looked old at all. Actually, Denise had improved a lot and there were many men who did not spot immediately that she was an elder. Yet, she could be caring and motherly, but Robert enjoyed that much the same.
She was treating him to some cake and afterwards he got up and pulled her close. Their kiss was more intense this time and Denise was overwhelmed by a physical desire that was probably only stronger, because it had been buried inside her for so many years.
For a second Denise worried what her son would think if he would find her kissing another man. But Gilbert was at work and would not return for some hours.
Maybe it was a good thing that Gilbert didn't see it, but at the moment he was too engaged in his own affairs to bother much about his mother. He had chosen to get into sports and usually had to work on the weekends when the matches were on.
The first weekend he got a break he invited Melissa on a date. He was thinking about her all the time and was longing to see her again. He was determined to make it a great evening for her.
It proved not to be hard, because they both had very similar ideas regarding the best way to spend time together.
After some long passionate kisses they danced, but Gilbert was longing for more.
When they stopped dancing to kiss again, Gilbert really began to wish for a more private surrounding.
'Would you like to come back to my place?', he asked.
'You devil! What are you planning?', she replied, directing a very seductive glance at him at the same time.
He smiled. 'Shall I call a taxi?'
Neither of them cared that it was only their first date. It wasn't only Gilbert who thought that their relationship was special. Melissa felt the same way about him and when they went out, where the taxi was waiting, they both realised how much in love they were already.
Back at the house they immediately went upstairs, where Gilbert's bedroom was situated. 'I'm so glad I met you. I feel really good with you', Melissa said. Gilbert pulled her a little closer and gently caressed her shoulder. He was in a great mood. His interest in romance would have probably led to more affairs, but there was a part of his character which prevented it. While of course it mattered to him to find a woman attractive, it was also very important that she really fancied him. He did not want to be just somebody, a second or a third choice. He wanted a woman who really cared about him and this is what he found with Melissa.
Their first woohoo was wonderful and Gilbert looked tenderly at Melissa, who had already curled up on the other side of the bed and fallen asleep. He carefully lifted the blanket and moved over to her, resting his head on her shoulder. Then he fell asleep as well.
Denise liked Robert McArthur very much and she was almost ready to woohoo with him. But then when she was out in town with her son one evening, she met Edward O'Donnell. They got on immediately. He was cheerful, confident and interesting to talk to.
Someone served a meal and when they sat down to eat they were soon involved in a lively conversation. Denise noticed how pleased she was that Gilbert seemed to like Edward as well. Before they left, Denise told him that she had really enjoyed talking to him and asked if he would mind if she would call him one day. He said that he would be very glad if she did.
Over the next weeks they talked on the phone a lot until one day Edward told her that he would really like to see her again. They arranged to meet at Goth Castle. When they arrived the café was very busy and so they decided to walk up to the dining hall and play a game of darts. While she was talking to him Denise thought that he was still very good looking for his age.
He was also very charming and when he began to compliment her Denise felt like she was sixteen again. She told him that he was wildly exagerating, but her heart was beating up to her throat.
'No, honestly, I think you are an amazing woman, Denise', he said, looking more serious now. 'I have not had such a good time in years.'
'What a man!', Denise thought.
They flirted the whole evening and when Denise went home she was in an exuberant mood. She did not know Edward very well yet, but she doubted that she would discover something that would change her opinion. She was the type of man she could envisage as a partner for life.
At this time Gilbert did not see his mother very much. She had returned to work as well and her shifts were going late into the evening. By the time she returned, he usually was upstairs together with Melissa.
They were seeing each other all the time and spent most of it in bed.
One early morning, when Melissa got up to return home before she had to go to work, Gilbert watched her and suddenly he realised that he did not want her to leave, not then and not on any other day.
When she was about to go downstairs to take a shower he jumped out of the bed and stopped her. 'Wait Melissa, I want to ask you something. Would you move in with me?'
For a moment she looked sceptical and Gilbert was worried that she would reject his proposal. She was a romance sim too and maybe she was scared of such a commitment.
But then she smiled and embraced him. 'Yes, I would love to move in with you. Actually, I could get my stuff over tonight.'
'The sooner the better. That's fine by me', he replied.
The decision had been so spontaneous, that he could not ask his mother what she was thinking about it, but it wasn't really necessary. He knew that she was very happy that he had found a girlfriend and actually hoped that he would finally get married.
Denise was happy for herself too. Her relationship with Edward developed and when they were talking again on the phone one day, he asked her if she would like to go on a date with him.
They met at a small restaurant downtown.
'I'm so glad you came. I've been thinking about you all the time', he said and hugged her. Denise did not know what to say. There was so much tenderness in his embrace and she felt like never before, so safe and secure.
Edward made it no secret that he fancied her. 'I did not dare to hope that at this stage of my life I would still find such a nice and pretty woman to go out with. My wife and I got divorced a long time ago and since then I've been living on my own. I didn't mind. I had my books and my friends and I thought my life would continue like this. But I have to warn you. I'm falling in love with you and I may pursue you for a long time to come.'
'Oh Edward, you can not say that!', Denise exclaimed. 'We've only just met and you don't know me yet.' Her words could not hide her pleasure though. A whole new world opened up to her.
Xavier had fancied her too, at least a long time ago, before they were married. But more than love he was driven by physical desire and lust and he had soon started to press her to woohoo with him. At this time Denise did not wonder about it much, she thought it was the way men were.
It was all so different with Edward who admired her and treated her with respect.
Inside, they started to dance and Edward was looking deep into her eyes. 'You have beautiful eyes and such a fine face', he said.
As a reply Denise moved a bit closer to him. 'Hey, be careful. I may be an old man, but I'm not dead yet. If you are so close to me, I can not make any promises with regard to my behaviour.'
'And then you would kiss me?', she asked and moved her face towards his. 'Yes, this could happen', he said just before their lips met for the first time.
The Jaquet Family pt. 2
After her date with Edward, Denise had intended to go back home, but she was still in such high spirits that she decided to stop at the café by the swimming pool. Maybe it was destiny which gave her the idea, because she met a little dog there, which had come past the house one day. She had hoped that he would return and when he didn't she had been searching for him.
He was a stray, but a very cute little dog, and she was hoping to adopt him. On the night after her first date another household member was added to the family.
Tucker proved to be less behaved than she had hoped. The pets had only recently come to the neighbourhood (and no-one knew wherefrom) and nobody had bothered to train him yet.
Denise was outside filling a hole that Tucker had dug into the front lawn, when Edward arrived, carrying a rose to thank her for the nice evening.
Denise invited him in and they spent the afternoon talking in the living room. In the evening, Gilbert, who had been in bed until then (most likely in the company of Melissa), came down and Denise asked if he and Melissa would like to go out to town with them.
She wanted Gilbert to get to know Edward better, hoping they would get on well.
There would have been a good chance for it, had the evening developed differently. Since Edward did not push her, it was Denise herself, who wanted to take their relationship to the next level. She had to admit that she was hoping Edward would want to woohoo with her. Denise could not stop smiling. Feeling his hands on her and kissing him was fantastic.
She was completely unaware that Gilbert could spot them from the inside and he didn't like what he saw at all.
He tried to have a good time with Melissa, but he was very distracted and caught himself turning around all the time, checking for his mother.
While Denise and Edward were falling in love and floating on a wave of happiness, Gilbert got increasingly tense and nervous.
Eventually Denise asked Edward if he would come back with them and stay overnight and after his initial surprise he happily agreed.
Gilbert's temper had risen and by the time they returned home, he was filled with rage. Denise had not noticed it and it wasn't until she walked past him and saw his distorted angry face, that it caught her attention. She had not expected that her grown up son would react so strongly to the situation.
She only lifted her eyebrows, but the gaze upon him was saying: 'Don't you dare to start trouble!'. Gilbert would have liked to, but although he was extremely angry with his mother he still respected her too much not to obey her.
He knew he was wrong to condemn her for being with another man. He did not even know if his father was still alive. She deserved to be happy. And yet, seeing her acting like this was almost unbearable. She had done her best to hide his father's affairs from him, but it was inevitable that he found out eventually. His mother he could trust to be faithful and commited to her husband though, regardless of everything his father did. He could rely on her keeping the family together.
Gilbert tried to brush these very unpleasant thoughts away and asked Melissa if she would come upstairs with him. He did not want to see any more of Edward and Denise tonight.
When they were alone, Denise was showing Edward the bedroom.
'And? What now?', he asked and smiled at her.
She grabbed hold of his hands and giggled nervously. 'Oh, don't make me say it. You know. I want to be with you tonight.'
Her woohoo with Edward led to the discovery of sensations and feelings, which made her understand why so many sims were keen on doing it.
She was too happy to regret that she had discovered those pleasures so late, but she was very thoughtful when she got up. Was it too early to ask Edward to live together? How would he react if she asked him?
Edward was so impressed with the woohoo with Denise that he would have most likely agreed to anything.
But when they looked at each other they noticed that they were both fit and energetic and not finished with their lovemaking yet. Denise admired Edward's firm body, which was not showing any signs of age.
Edward found her body very desirable too and after some cuddling and kissing they woohoo'd once more.
When Gilbert was alone with Melissa he calmed down and could appreciate the fact, that he was living with this fantastic woman lying next to him. He was so glad he found her.
His anger faded and was replaced by more pleasant emotions. Melissa had already taken off her clothes and her naked body excited him. There was a special atmosphere that night, almost as if it was their first time together.
It was also the night when Gilbert started his own family, although neither he nor Melissa were aware of it.
After he had stayed the night, Denise did not wait long before she asked Edward to move in. She had no time to loose and although she didn't know Edward very well yet, she fully trusted him.
Edward told her that he had been living alone for far too long and that he could not think of anything better than spending the rest of his life with her.
Denise had not discussed her plan with Gilbert. She was aware that her son would be against the idea, but he had to learn to live with it. She did not want to compromise for the sake of someone elses happiness anymore.
Melissa was easy about the new family member. She and Denise weren't friends yet, but she appreciated that Gilbert's mother was always friendly towards her and she quite liked her.
One day Denise felt the need to talk to Melissa about her experience and warned her that while she could understand how nice it was to be intimate with someone, there was always a risk involved.
Edward smiled, because Denise was talking as if Melissa and Gilbert had not woohoo'd before. He wondered if she really believed that. It was impossible she didn't notice how often they disappeared into the upstairs bedroom.
Denise was actually more interested in her own life than that of her son at the moment. Living with Edward was like a second spring. If she had known what it could be like to love someone, known that such emotions existed, she would have never held out with Xavier for so long.
'Denise, this short time that we have been living with each other has been the happiest in my life. I know that it will be complicated, but I want to marry you. You do not have to decide immediately. It is my promise that I will propose to you as soon as you are a free woman.' Denise had never bothered to find out about Xavier's fate and she wondered what she had to do if it became necessary.
Gilbert tried but he could not bear seeing his mother with a new man. He reasoned with himself all the time, telling himself that he could not blame her, the way his father had treated her and that she deserved some happiness. As soon as he came across them his temper was rising and he couldn't stand the sight of Edward. He knew all along that he was wrong, especially with regard to him, who kept his calm even when Gilbert was becoming obnoxious. It only made it worse. Gilbert was not happy and he wondered if it wasn't time for him and Melissa to move on.
'Have you been sitting here the whole time while I was asleep?', Melissa asked. Lately she felt very exhausted and her whole body seemed bloated. She was sure she was going to be ill. Maybe she should take a day off work.
'You didn't sleep that long. And yes I was sitting here the whole time. I was wondering if we shouldn't get our own house. I think I am going to get promoted soon and then we would have enough money.'
It was Denise though who got promoted first and had thereby reached the top of her career. As an elder they did not let you go very far unless one had long been working in a career. The pay was still lousy and Denise considered opening another business.
Although it pleased him a lot to hear Melissa talk so fondly of him it couldn't appease him. He still hated Edward's guts and tried to avoid him.
And then one morning a big surprise awaited Melissa when she got up in the morning. Now she understood why she had felt so tired all the time. She never got sick, but the belly showing on her was sufficient proof of her state.
Soon after Gilbert woke up and she walked over to him and hugged him. 'You are going to be a father, love.'
Gilbert tried to become fully awake and understand what she was saying simultaneously. First he did not succeed but then the fact that Melissa was pregnant slowly reached his brain.
'Melissa, I had no idea. I didn't expect this, when did it happen?'
'I calculated the time and I have an idea, but I didn't know myself that I was pregnant. You know I was a bit low, but I thought I had caught a cold.' Gilbert had a vague idea himself.
He began looking for a new home the same day. It would be an advantage to have the child's grandmother around, but at the moment he didn't get on well with Denise either and he doubted that she was prepared to become the caretaker for a baby.
A few days later when they went to bed Gilbert said: 'I think I have found the perfect place. It doesn't cost much and it is only a short way down the road.'
Melissa didn't mind living where they were now. She liked Denise and got on well with Edward too. But she already had to restrain Gilbert a few times, when he was about to start an argument and although she didn't understand why he got so upset about the situation she accepted that he couldn't live with it. Some part of her was also looking forward to have her own home with Gilbert. Denise would have loved to see them getting married, but neither of them wanted it. With a child on the way it was predictable that Denise would bring this topic up more often.
Edward was standing in the living room on the evening they were leaving. Gilbert was aware that he would have liked to see him apologise to his mother and he felt very bad for acting so irrational the whole time since Edward had moved in.
'I will call her when we arrive. I'm sure she wants to see the new house', Gilbert said.
Edward nodded. He understood that Gilbert was making an effort.
Then he gave his mother a short hug and went outside followed by Melissa who had been upstairs packing the last of their belongings.
They had agreed with Denise that they could take some of the furniture. Gilbert didn't know yet that his mother had also transferred some of their savings to his account so that they would have a comfortable start.
It was only a short way, but they had lots of boxes and bags and so they went by car. After she had closed the door Melissa had one last look at the house and its inhabitants and for a moment she was really sad. Under different circumstances it could have been very nice if they all lived together. She would miss Denise and Edward and Tucker as well, even if he tried his best to be annoying at times.
The Tinker Family
If the Jaquets had problems to adapt to the new neighbourhood, it was even harder for the Tinkers. Wanda and Stephen Tinker got married right after they had grown into adults. Making toys was the traditional trade in both families and that was what they were good at. They never felt much need to learn anything else, because the family business ran well and they earned enough money without ever having to think about a job.
They were very sociable people but to the Pleasantview neighbours they looked rather oldfashioned and (although no-one would have said so openly) appeared a bit simple minded.
After they got married, Wanda soon became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, which they named Melody. Melody grew up amongst the toys her parents were creating. Most of the time they were a lot of fun - not always though.
Melody never grew quite comfortable with the Jack-in-the-box, even after she became a teenager. She was also not so comfortable with regard to her parents. She knew they were good people and she loved them, but sometimes she was embarrassed by them or simply couldn't understand their actions.
Due to the way they dressed they looked much older than they were (both having grown rather voluminous too), at the same time Melody felt that she was actually more responsible than her parents when it came to the family budget and how money was spent. They were lazy and eventually decided to sell the shop and run a home business instead. They received a large amount of money for the shop, but did not think of putting any of it aside. The house was far too big and so was the property even with a business in the back, and almost every simoleon was wasted on expensive furniture and every imaginable comfort.
Melody was sure that this way their fortune would decline quickly and worried that it could endanger her college education. She was determined to go to college.
To make things worse the relationship between her parents was declining too. They were often the first to meet any new neighbours and went out for a walk or into town a lot. Yet, people weren't much interested in them and it's possible that this negative attitude affected them eventually. They were suddenly looking at each other and noticed how much they had neglected themselves during this marriage which seemed so secure once.
One day Melody couldn't take it any longer. Her father was about to prepare dinner and she had a chance to talk to her mother alone.
'Mom, can I have a word with you?'
'Sure, honey. What's up?'
Melody did not know how to start. She did not want to hurt her mother and was not sure how she could express what she had to say without doing that.
'Mom, did you ever feel that Dad may not look at you the way he used to?'
'What are you talking about?'
Melody tried a different approach. 'Or did you never feel that you might look a bit different from the other people around?'
'Melody, I have no idea what you're getting at.'
Melody sighed. 'Mom, the way you look you're an embarrassement to every black sim. It reminds me of old films when black people were only shown as servants, cooks or nannies. I know you're not, but I have seen the way people talk to you as if you're really stupid. It's not only the way you dress or your hair, it's the way you walk and talk too.'
'Oh, that's silly, Melody. Do you think that people only judge a book by it's cover? And if they are, would you want them as your friends?'
'No, I don't think that. There are a lot of nice people here. But to tell you the truth, when you look at people just like you're doing now, you don't appear to be a very interesting person to talk to. I'm sorry Mom, I don't want to hurt you. It just makes me sad to see that you and Dad are so, I don't know.., so static.. Your life does not seem to go anywhere and I feel that neither of you is happy with it. There must have been a time when you were really in love and attracted to each other. Is it natural that it is all over after marriage?'
Wanda told her daughter, that she was far too young to worry about such things, but she could not forget what Melody had said. More painful than anything else was the discovery that Melody was ashamed of her parents.
Melody went inside. All this talk about appearance had made her think about changing her own style a bit. When she was finished she looked at herself in the mirror. She was pleased. Contrary to her parents she was a very active girl and she was in great shape.
'Maybe.. It would do me no harm to exercise a bit', Wanda thought. They had bought those expensive exercise machines after all and so far only Melody used them.
Her daughter enjoyed working out much more, but Wanda, after thinking a bit more about the conversation with her, had realised that Melody was not completely wrong. It was true that her marriage with Stephen was lacking excitement and that she was not very happy with herself. Once she did not mind Stephen being overweight and actually found him attractive that way. Then she thought that he looked soft and cuddly, but now he was just shapeless. And when she looked at the flabby bulge that was her belly, she did not exactly feel beautiful either.
'Mmh, that's actually not too bad'. She had trained intensively for a couple of days, but it still surprised Wanda that she lost the extra weight so quick. Her body was as firm as it had been when she grew up and she felt a lot fitter too.
After a trip to town her hair was taken care off as well. With the help of Melody she chose a different make-up and then she went into the bathroom to have a look at herself.
She was almost shocked to see how big the change was. Wanda Tinker would never be a stunning beauty, but the improvement was still massive.
'So what do you think about your new mother?', she asked Melody when she came out of the bathroom again.
'Much much better', Melody smiled. 'All you need now are some better clothes.'
Wanda was beginning to enjoy this and she asked Stephen, if he would like to go to the shops with her.
Before they went inside, Stephen grabbed her hands and smiled at her.
'I still have to get used to it, but I think you look really lovely. I like the way you changed your hair and to tell you the truth, I'm glad you don't wear this old hat anymore.'
The compliments from her husband encouraged her and exercising together with her daughter became a regular event.
Wanda did not realise how much this helped to preserve her marriage, because Stephen, although he did not really admit it to himself, had been straying with his eyes and his interest in other women had increased. One evening he met a young student named Sophie and being found attractive was a hard test to his faithfulness. Both he and Wanda were family sims, but like her he had the impression that life had passed him by.
One day Melody talked to him and he promised her that he would make an effort. Apart from starting to exercise as well, he and Wanda were trying to educate themselves, because that was another thing that mattered to Melody very much.
While they began doing all this for their daughter, they learned that it did in fact improve their own life and made them more active in body and mind. They realised that they had lived on without any plans for the future and those were forming now.
Other emotions began to stir too. Stephen had not found his wife so desirable in a long time and he realised how long it was since their last woohoo.
That her parents listened to her and that her advice turned out to be a good one was obviously a big boost to Melody's self-confidence.
She was beginning to dream of romance and hoping to find a nice boy who wasn't already going out with someone else (like some others she really fancied Beau Broke, who unfortunately was completely in love with Louise Simmon), but apart from that she was rather happy and satisfied with herself. When she checked herself out in the mirror she could not find anything to complain about.
To her it would have sufficed how their life had changed until then, but now that her parents had woken up, they did not want to stop there.
The growing attraction and desire led them to think not only about woohoo more but also about having another child. When they got married they had wanted a large family.
The house was big enough for another child, no doubt, but they had very little cash because all their money had been spent on it. It would have been problematic to even buy the basics like a cradle and a changing table. After discussing it for some time, they decided to sell it and move to a smaller place across the road.
Melody was not too bothered about moving, but it showed that her parents were acting more responsible now.
The first addition to the household was a cat. Mindy was loved by everyone immediately, but apart from the joy a pet was bringing into the house, the Tinkers were also planning to open a business again (selling the house there was plenty of money available to them now) and apart from toys they were hoping to provide the neighbourhood with some kittens as well.
The only thing Wanda wondered about was if she would be able to bring herself to sell them. Mindy was such a cute cat and her kittens would be just so.
On their first day at the new house, after Melody had left for school, Stephen came into her bedroom were Wanda was tidying up. He hugged her from behind and then they began kissing. Before long they were in their underwear and sitting on the bed.
'Do you think it's right doing this in Melody's bedroom?'
'She has not slept in it yet, it will not be her bedroom until tomorrow. Anyway, I can't wait anymore Wanda, I want to woohoo with you here and now.'
He bent over and kissed her very passionately.
After their woohoo Wanda snuggled up in her husband's arms. She could not remember it ever being like this before. Partly is was probably due to the exercise and being fitter than before, but there was another difference. For the first time Wanda felt like she was having a share in the spirit which had come over the Pleasantview neighbourhood.
'We have to get up, Melody is coming home from school soon', she said.
'Yes, I know. It's a pity.'
After Stephen got dressed, he went downstairs and played with Mindy. She seemed to be a very clever cat who would be easy to train.
When Stephen stopped cuddling her, Mindy jumped on the sofa and sat there looking like a queen.
Melody returned from school and shortly after Matthew Cox came over to greet them in their new home. He thought that the Tinkers looked as new as their house. Especially Wanda had improved a lot. When he had seen her for the first time it would have been unimaginable to find her attractive. He had actually believed that she (as well as Stephen) was close to turn into an elder.
Later he watched Melody, who was studying for school. Although he had changed his opinion about the older Tinkers, who he had thought to be simple minded fools before, Melody definitely looked like the brightest one in the family.
Instead of calming him down, the woohoo with Wanda had stirred Stephen's longing only more and he enjoyed the opportunity to see her naked. She wasn't overweight anymore, but still had a soft round shape, just the way he liked it.
As soon as the schoolbus had turned round the corner the next morning he went up to his wife and led her to the sofa.
'You know, we hardly ever see each other naked', he said. It was true. Even when the lights were on they were used to woohoo under the blankets and it was only lately that they - and all the other sims around - had discovered that it did not have to be that way.
Stephen thought that this was a very positive development. The reason for moving had been the decision to have another child, but it was not the only reason why he had become so enthusiastic to woohoo with his wife.
This time it was even better than the day before. Wanda was melting away as Stephen was taking her and she was glad that they still had a long time before Melody would return.
Melody did not stay home long after she returned from school. She liked learning, but she was in the new Pleasantview high school now and she found the courses there more difficult. As a result she was not in a good mood and decided to go into town, hoping to meet some of her few friends. She had no luck, but Ashlee Pons was there, who she had met recently at someones house. They played kicky bag for a while and were joined by another teen called Irfan.
Afterwards she went back to Bluewater, but on her way home she decided to stop at the pet shop. Originally they had planned to go down there with the whole family to decide on a mate for Mindy. Melody was in the mood for it though and she had the distinct feeling that she would find just the right cat.
Tao was a siamese whatever mix and she did not have to think twice. He was the one.
As if he wanted to prove it to her he climbed up the scratching post where he stretched his body and proudly looked at the sims below.
When they returned he showed Melody that he was also inventive. Some stray dog occupied the pet food bowl and Tao simply threw himself between the dogs legs and rolled around playfully. The dog first tried to ignore him but eventually got confused and turned away. Afterwards the food bowl belonged to Tao.
In the evening Melody told her father that she had difficulties at school and asked him to help her with the homework. It wasn't easy for Stephen, although he and Wanda had tried hard to make up for their lack of learning in the last months.
But it was a very memorable moment for him. He knew how important his help had been to his daughter and thought that it was almost the first time he had given her real support. He was proud about it, although there was also regret mixing in. That it had to be their daughter to point out to them that self improvement was necessary to bring up your children well, was unforgiveable. He wondered how he and Wanda had managed to be so phlegmatic and complacent for such a long time. They both wanted to be good parents.
Melody went inside to have some food and Stephen followed her and had a look at the cat she had bought. He was very pleased. His daughter was certainly making good choices.
After Melody had gone to bed, Stephen and Wanda could not resist to become romantic on the sofa again. The sex in the morning had simply been too good.
Stephen could not explain it, but when they went to bed and he moved closer to Wanda, he was sure that their previous lovemaking had not remained without result. It was like he could see it in her face.
He did not have to wait long before Wanda was showing signs which supported his guess.
One morning after breakfast, she suddenly held her stomach and moaned. Then she ran into the bathroom where he could hear her throwing up.
Wanda was soon linking her sickness with their woohoo on the sofa and although she still felt unwell she was smiling happily.
She shared her thoughts with Stephen, unaware that they were only a confirmation to him. It did not make him less happy about it.
In the evening they discussed the baby and the implications it would have on their life. Melody gazed at her mother wondering how sometimes a little push was enough to change things dramatically. It wasn't limited to her looks, her mother appeared so much more organised and determined now.
As expected it soon began to show that they were going to have another child. They had planned to buy a small shop after they moved into the new house, but they put it on hold for the time being since Stephen wanted to be at home with his pregnant wife.
They had also hoped that Mindy and Tao would follow their example, but they showed no intention to do so yet. They didn't get along so well in the beginning and even if they had become friendlier in the meantime, Mindy did not seem inclined to let Tao become a father.
Melody found that all of the teenage boys in Pleasantview were more or less attractive and nonetheless her choice was limited because they all had a girlfriend already. She always had fun when she went round to their houses, but she also went to town more. It was the only place where she could meet new sims, in school she would usually hang out with the ones who already were her friends.
Randy London was rather good looking and she tried to start a conversation with him. He was okay, but Melody felt that he was more interested in other things than what she had to say.
She did not fancy him that much, yet this made him a good test subject for her first attempts at flirting. Melody often pretended to be more confident than she really was and she was very afraid to make a fool of herself. Being rejected by someone she did not like too much would not be quite so painful.
Randy smiled at her though and said that she should just give him a call if she ever wanted to go out.
Melody had no serious interest in Randy and for some time she did not meet anyone else she liked. She and her mother became very close though and Melody talked to her a lot more. There were some brilliant minds in Pleasantview but even if her mother could not compete with them she was warm hearted and listened to her sympathetically.
Melody was already resigned that she would not find anybody until she went to college and then Alvin came along. Melody was outside when he walked past the house and when he saw her he began to linger and walked much slower until he stopped as if he had forgotten where he wanted to go. Melody took this as a sign that he was hoping she would greet him and so she did.
He stayed at their house the whole day and did not make it a secret that he liked her. He told her that she was the nicest girl he had met so far. Melody found it hard to sleep that night. It was the first time anyone had told her he liked her better than anyone else.
The Tinker Family pt. 2
Wanda's pregnancy progressed and she was carrying a big belly now. Stephen was glad that he was at home to look after her. She needed a lot of sleep and usually woke up being hungry. Stephen was cooking, but there were also many appliances in the house which broke repeatedly and he tried his best to repair them.
Melody had seen Alvin a few more times and really liked him. They weren't in love yet, but Melody could imagine him to be the one for her first kiss.
Her reflections on this soon became futile, because the next time Alvin came to her house and she greeted him, he bent forward and kissed her.
Melody had to turn away from him to sort her thoughts. She was shocked in a way, because she had always imagined the first kiss to be a very romantic moment which would let her float above the ground. On the other hand, although she didn't float, romantic it had been and a very warm and soft kiss, spontaneous and straight from the heart.
Alvin stood there smiling quietly to himself. He was very proud he had dared to do this.
Reasonably recollected she turned back to Alvin. 'This was quite a surprise', she mumbled.
'Did you like it?', Alvin asked.
'Yes I did', Melody replied and smiled.
Melody had come to the conclusion that it had felt very nice when he kissed her and she was growing very fond of Alvin.
They had fun together, but what she liked best about him was that he was so relaxed and openly said what he was thinking. He appeared so mature.
Even more she liked a particular smile which appeared on his face occasionally.
It was the way he had smiled at her before he had kissed her the first time and now he was gently pulling her towards him again. 'I'm not leaving here without kissing you at least once more', he said.
It was a much longer kiss than the first time.
She was growing ever so fond of him and felt all soft inside.
'That was really nice', Alvin said, 'would it be okay if I invited you on a date one day?'
Melody nodded. Her first date!
She went outside with him and watched him as he was leaving. She hoped that he would keep his promise.
Stephen and Wanda were awaiting the birth and were in a very tender mood.
Maybe if affected the cats, because they were finally becoming friends.
The next morning their child was born. It was another daughter, who they named Laila.
Melody got dressed and then went into her parent's bedroom to greet her sister.
'Hey you little girl. Oh you're so cute.' It was hard to tell with a baby, but Melody had the impression that Laila came more after their father.
It wasn't important anyway, she was definitely a cute little thing. Her mother looked very happy too. Melody was not concerned about having to share the attention of her parents with a baby. She was used to doing her own thing and although their life had improved in many respects, she did not spend that much time with them.
Alvin did not wait long and a few days after the birth of Laila Melody got invited on her first date. They went out early and decided to go to the Leisure Centre.
'I'm so glad you could come', Alvin said and gave her one of those smiles.
Alvin was very pale and Melody thought that he looked a bit unhealthy. He was still very handsome though.
She did not have much experience, but her attempts to flirt with him seem to work. She told him that she would never miss the opportunity to go out with him and that she was very glad to see him again too.
They had a coffee and flirted some more at the table. Alvin was not as forward as he had been at her home the other evening and Melody gave him some encouragement. They got on very well and she really enjoyed the time with him.
When she went to the bathroom she noticed that a big spot had grown on her forehead, but Alvin did not pay any attention to it and actually complimented her on her looks, so it did not bother Melody or stopped her from having a good time.
'I really like you Alvin.'
'I like you too', he said and caressed her hand that was caressing his face. They had gone inside to take a seat at the restaurant, but Melody decided that she was not that hungry.
They drank some punch and joked and played around. It was fun to be foolish, although Melody was more the serious type. It felt like she had known Alvin for a long time and they were already close friends after meeting only a few times.
'Do you know why I wanted to go up here?', he asked.
'Yes, to drink punch.'
But Alvin explained that he had seen this old woman in the restaurant, who apparently kept an eye on couples, especially young ones, and was attacking them if she thought they were behaving improperly.
'I wanted to kiss you and up here she can't see us.'
Alvin had greatly underestimated Ms Crumplebottom's instincts and as soon as they had their arms around each other, she came storming out of the dark and started to hit Alvin. They had not noticed her on the balcony at all, as if she had the ability to make herself invisible.
'Here, take this and this..', Melody said, imitating Ms Crumplebottoms attack.
'Ouch! Stop this Melody, that hurts.' He pretended to be angry, but it was not what he felt, because he was falling in love with her just then.
They ended the date with some dancing and agreed that they had the best time you could imagine.
The next day when Melody was at school, her parents were on the bed and in the mood for some romance. Laila had just fallen asleep and would not wake up for the next few hours.
'It's not that I don't want to woohoo with you, but I wonder if we shouldn't rather use this chance for a rest', Wanda said.
'Oh come on, we have not done it for a while and we can still sleep later.' Stephen was really longing to be with his wife.
Afterwards Wanda needed a moment to comprehend what had happened. They were both family sims, but Laila had only been born a few days ago and she was still exhausted from the birth as well as the pregnancy. She could not understand why Stephen had tried for a baby so shortly afterwards.
Already the next day she began to feel the symptoms of another pregnancy.
The cats had finally followed their example.
Since her mother was feeling ill and weak, Melody was taking a greater share in the care for Laila. She had to learn for school and for university scholarships, but she did not regret having to look after her sister. She had a very sweet smile and Melody loved to cuddle her.
Her father loved Laila, but Melody felt that he was in dire need of her support. He was not well organised and there were still a lot of fixtures in the house that required repair. Stephen often tried to do several things at once and ended up not doing any of them.
Her mother tired quickly, but when the pregnancy was beginning to show the sickness stopped and she could take over again, leaving Melody more time for school and her friends, especially Alvin.
He called her one evening and asked if she would like to go on an outing with him and some friends. When he kissed her and said hello, she realised how much she was in love with him. The last days she had been occupied with her sister and had not thought about him that often, but now she was very happy to see him again.
'Don't you think we should go inside?', he asked, 'you don't want to spend the whole evening out here, do you?'
Actually Melody had no objections against standing in the middle of the road with him. He had really nice soft lips and she liked his tender kissing.
They went inside to play some pool while some of the others had a meal at the restaurant. They were quite a big group and Melody was surprised how many student friends Alvin had.
She met some of the teens from town too, like Brooke Copur. She talked to a few of them, but most of the time she and Alvin were together and they hugged and flirted a lot.
They talked and Melody had just told him a joke, when he suddenly looked at her very seriously. 'I like you better than any of the other girls here in Pleasantview. Would you like to be my steady girlfriend, Melody?'
She said yes immediately.
The outing was almost as good as their date and she was very happy when she returned home.
Alvin had gazed at her romantically the whole time while they were dancing. Maybe to others he looked plain, but she thought that he was very appealing and handsome. His ease, his smile, being so grown up, there was so much she liked about him.
'Isn't it great that we can already look forward to another child. We waited so long after the birth of Melody and now number three is on the way. I am so deligthed.'
Wanda agreed although she was still thinking that he could have given her more time to recover. She felt very weak on some days and it was not easy for her to look after Laila.
Melody had gone into the bedroom to check on her. Alvin, who was over at her place like almost every other day now, followed her.
He kissed her passionately and appeared very excited to Melody.
'Laila has woken up, I think I should go and feed her', she said. She did not quite understand the pleading look Alvin was giving her.
'This is a nice room', he said and held her hands. Melody had the impression that there was something he wanted, but she couldn't work it out. She wondered..she had heard some stories from her friends... Could it be that Alvin wanted to woohoo with her? Melody was not sure if she wasn't too young for that.