The Broke Family pt. 4
The day of her age transition Joy spent mostly with Beau. It was Sunday, but he was not in the mood for the company of his friends.
The day before he had asked Louise out on a date. It was their first and Beau had made big plans for it. He was hoping that he would have a chance to kiss her before it ended and he was also going to ask her if she wanted to go steady with him.
Unfortunately the date was over before any of this could happen. He got so carried away holding and hugging her and when she suddenly told him that she had to leave he was sure that it had been too much. She had indicated right at the beginning that she would like to eat something and it occurred to him that he had completely forgotten to ask her what she would like to do.
Anyway, the date had not been bad, but definitely not special and he returned home disappointed.
For Joy it was still a long way before such teenage troubles would bother her. She had played with Beau until the afternoon and then she had been taken into the dining room and to her birthday cake. After she turned into a child the resemblance to Brandi showed more. They both had the same smile.
Brandi had been sleeping until it was time for Joy's transition and afterwards she had to pick up Francis, who was getting hungry. While she was feeding him she proudly looked at Joy. She was bright, entertaining and nice and one day she would be a beautiful woman. Brandis main concern was to see all her children happily married, but she also thought that they had the abilities to advance very far in other areas.
When she was a toddler, the baby had not really existed in Joy's world and Brandi took the chance to introduce them to each other now.
Afterwards Brandi played with Francis until he was tired again and then went back to sleep. It was not that late, but Maurice was already in bed too. He had trained all morning and after the short celebration that followed Joy's age transition he had gone upstairs.
At the time Maurice was close to a promotion and the rest of the family told him to work on it while they would look after the baby. He did object, but could not change their opinion and finally accepted that he would have a smaller share in the care of Francis than he did with Joy.
On the other hand he had to admit that while he loved all his children equally, Joy had been closer to him from the beginning. Already as a baby Francis appeared to be quieter and more serious.
Beau had watched Maurice playing outside with Joy and he felt it was a good time to tell his mother how much he thought their life had improved since Maurice was living with them. Of course the house was much better and they had much more money, but Beau also appreciated that Maurice had never tried to be anything but a good friend to him and Barry and curiously this way they were actually beginning to see him as a father.
On the day of Francis' first age transition only Charlene could come over because Dustin had some courses in the afternoon which he could not miss. Joy immediately ran up to her. She really liked her sister and since she had learned to use the phone she called her almost every day.
The age transition was a short and unspectacular event. Maurice insisted to take Francis to the cake. He had of course not been completely uninvolved in the upbringing, but much less than he had wished.
Barry and Charlene had also been talking on the phone regularly since her last visit. He had begun to see her as a family member, but he also admired her for her popularity and her large circle of friends.
Maurice had gotten his promotion at last and now he wanted to make up for the time he lost when Francis was a baby.
There was competition from Brandi though. Just as Joy had a slight preference for her father, Francis had a preference for his mother, maybe because they had been with each other more.
But when Maurice had more time for his son, they quickly grew close. Francis turned out not to be that different from Joy after all.
He was less playful than his sister but learned almost as quick as her.
Maurice had some time off and he convinced Brandi to return to work. Brandi understood that Maurice wanted to teach Francis and she also expected a promotion, which had been on hold while she was on maternity leave.
Maurice had almost forgotten how much satisfaction could be gained from training a toddler.
Joy was giving him another reason to be proud. She was doing extremly well in school.
She had not been in school long and already she got an A+ report card. It was fortunate that it was all so easy for her. She was not very keen on doing her homework and studying in general.
Barry had hoped to meet a girl he liked as quickly as his brother, but there weren't that many of them living nearby and his friends were mainly male. Lisa was one exception and Barry thought that she was as nice if not nicer than her sister Louise.
One day when she had come home with him after school they started flirting and it ended with them being in love. That Beau was in the room made Barry uncomfortable. The Simmon girls did look similar and the whole situation felt as if he was only copying his brother.
Beau had pretended to read the paper and not notice anything, but Barry knew exactly that he was aware of what was going on behind him.
Any further caresses were interrupted when Brandi called them to dinner. Joy loved to meet new people and soon claimed Lisa for herself.
Brandi had been with Francis most of the evening, potty training and playing with him and when she came to the dinner table the others had already finished their meal.
The next day was Saturday and her turn to stay with Francis.
For Beau it was a special weekend because he had finally decided to ask Louise on a second date. This time he wanted to do everything right.
'You don't have to go anywhere else later, do you?', he asked when they met, immediately wishing he wouldn't have said that. But Louise only smiled, although she understood the hint. She wanted this date to be better than the first one too.
They talked and had fun with each other until the restaurant was less busy and then Beau invited her to dinner. This date was taking a slower pace and he was not sure yet whether this was good or bad.
After the meal he relaxed a bit. Louise seemed to enjoy the date and even though it was already past ten, she did not not look as if she intended to end it soon. They went inside to play pinball. Beau wanted to kiss Louise, but it was good not to feel in a hurry.
They did not even finish the first game though, because Louise was a lot more outgoing that night and the way she smiled at him clearly indicated that she was also looking forward to kissing him for the first time.
Her lips were as soft as he had imagined them to be and she was holding on to him very tight. They forgot about the world around them until they were brought back into it by Ms Crumplebottom hitting Beau with her handbag.
It did not stop their date from becoming an absolute dream. Beau did not want to separate from Louise ever again.
He was sure he would never find a girl who meant as much to him as Louise and he felt as strong about her as Dustin had about Charlene when they were teens. Beau knew that adult life would bring about changes, but he could not imagine him and Louise falling out of love.
They stopped making out because they noticed Ms Crumplebottom approaching once more. She was a nuisance but Beau was far too happy to get seriously annoyed by her.
They sat down and had a coffee and when Ms Crumplebottom had left, they continued making out with each other. When they looked at the clock it was already past one and although they found it hard to let go they hurried home, hoping their parents would not get upset.
The next day Louise came over very late in the evening. Beau spotted her through the glass door but did not greet her because she looked as if she tried not to be seen. Then a lorry and with it a big parcel arrived.
Louise rang the doorbell and when he came to the door she told him she had a present for him. The Simmons were prosperous, but money did not mean much to them and if their daughters wanted to be generous they had no objections. Alice had bought a telescope for her boyfriend Alistair and Louise now presented one of those electric dance spheres to him.
Francis was still a toddler when Brandi got pregnant once more. She had discussed her wish to have another child with Maurice and they had been trying for it since Francis' birthday. Maurice loved Brandi's other children as much as his own and his only objection was that they should still get enough attention and space.
Despite her outburst of jealousy at Darren's house one night, seeing him with his wife had cured her from her love for him and there was nothing to interfere with the happiness of her marriage anymore. Even if it was not his life dream to have a large family, Maurice was a very suitable partner for it. He liked being among people and as a popularity sim the idea of a large clan appealed to him.
Brandi had told him that she had always wanted six children at the minimum and he had replied that if she wished to have more he would not be against it, given that Beau and Barry had grown up by then.
It was around this time that Barry fell in love with Melanie. They had become very good friends since he had come to her house with Beau one day. Eventually he had noticed what a beautiful pair of eyes she had and that she was generally very cute.
It took very little to turn their friendship into love.
Brandi had worked until her pregnancy showed, but was now on maternity leave again. She received the same attention from Maurice as before, maybe even more. He was looking forward to another member of their lively household.
Then Francis' birthday came. He woke up early in the morning and Brandi picked him up and bathed him. Her pregnancy had progressed but she felt reasonably well and enjoyed being at home with her children.
Dustin arrived at lunch time and greeted his little brother. He and Charlene had been very busy at university and they had not been able to visit much when Francis was a toddler. Dustin was sad that he had not seen more of him.
Then Francis was put into his crib, so that he would not be too tired when it was time to celebrate his age transition and Dustin started playing with Joy.
They had all been waiting for Francis to wake up, so that they could celebrate his birthday, but Francis did not wait for them. When Brandi put him down he walked into the bathroom to the potty and the next moment his age transition began.
Its suddenness did not impair the experience and Francis grew up into a happy child.
Charlene. who had joined them later in the afternoon, had hoped to play with Francis one last time while he was still a toddler. But he had been asleep when she arrived and so she was greeted by a schoolchild instead. She was very pleased with her little brother though and thought that he would surely be a real cutie when he grew older.
They all sat in the living room and then Dustin left and went back to the campus, because he still had course work to do. Charlene stayed on a bit longer. She cared very much to have a good relationship with the entire family, but when she visited them, she rarely had the chance to talk to Beau for any length of time and playing chess with him gave her the opportunity. Beau was very interested in her relationship with Dustin and eventually admitted that he was so curious because he was feeling very serious about a girl from the neighbourhood.
Since he had confided to her she was open too and told him that she and Dustin had recently made love for the first time. She assured him that he could trust in his feelings and that Dustin and her were the best example that a teenage relationship could continue in adulthood.
Brandi and Maurice on the other hand were good models for Barry, in case he needed proof that a relationship between a family sim and a popularity sim could work.
Sometimes, when she woke up before him, Brandi was lying in bed with Maurice close to her, his arm resting on her waist, thinking about her life and all the changes in it.
Thinking about the hardships of the past only made it clearer to her what a perfect life she had now.
When Brandi was in the last third of her pregnancy, the older boys had to help in the house or prepare breakfast for Joy and Francis in the morning. If the younger ones decided to bring friends home in the afternoon the house was filled up and out of consideration for their mother needing rest, Beau and Barry did not invite their friends over much during that time. Beau talked to Louise on the phone every day, but missed seeing her.
Joy, who was as playful as her father, loved having friends around. In the evening when she finished her homework she was very tired from the excitements of the day though and sometimes they had to pick her up from the couch where she was sleeping and carry her into bed.
Brandi, who was expecting to give birth any day now, smiled and looked at Joy. She had been reading to her, but soon Joy had not been able to keep her eyes open anymore.
The following night Brandi went into labour.
Philip was born at home and the children got up to see the baby.
Joy was the last to come downstairs. Beau held Philip out to her, so that she could have a good look at him.
After Philip's birth the care for the baby determined their life. Diapers had to be changed and Philip needed to be fed, bathed and cuddled and all this became part of the daily routine once again.
And of course Philip was making friends with the rest of family in this early period of his life.
Maurice had some time off and neither Beau nor Barry were required to help with the baby. After Philip was born they had more time to see their friends again. A short time later, when Barry visited Melanie, she asked him to go steady with her.
Barry immediately agreed, knowing that some of his friends fancied Melanie and would have liked to go out with her. But the main reason was that he fancied her a lot too. He promised her that he would take her on a date soon and she smiled, because she understood that he was planning to kiss her then.
During the time when Philip was a baby, Maurice's desire for Brandi increased again. They generally had a fulfilling love life, but of course there were periods when they were occupied with other tasks and did not think about it so much. At the moment the presence of his wife really excited Maurice.
They made a good team and the way they shared the care for Philip between them, looking after him was easy and did not exhaust them too much.
Because of Philip they also shared a lot of time.
Maybe this was the reason for his increased longing, which Maurice did not fail to communicate to Brandi.
They may had to wait until everyone, including Philip was asleep before they could make love, but it was always worth it.
The rest of the family had a happy time too. Barry was very popular and - like Beau - he had a lot of friends. Beau was extremly glad that he could see Louise more often again.
Joy continued to do very well in school (although she was usually the last to do her homework) and Francis' grades were improving too, after Maurice helped him with his homework and taught him to study.
Before long his grades were as good as those of Joy.
So the time passed while Philip developed until he was ready to become a toddler.
According to Brandi's experience toddlers were learning quick when you started teaching them right after their age transition and she practised the first steps with Philip on the first evening of his new life stage.
Philip was unusual though, because he was potty trained before he learned to talk or walk. His parents wondered if it was due to the smart milk they fed him, but even then it was usually the last skill a toddler achieved.
Walking he only mastered later when he got further teaching from Maurice.
While Maurice and Brandi were busy with the toddler, the teens had taken it upon them to look after their little brother and sister. Beau was particularly fond of Joy, maybe because she was the only girl in the family.
Beau had been waiting to ask Louise to become his steady girlfriend, but whenever she visited there were always others around and he did not want an audience. A short time after Philip's birthday he called her on his mobile when he was still on the bus and they met right after school. Apart from Barry only his mother was in, playing with the toddler, and the house was quieter than usual.
Already when he greeted her Beau knew that this was the perfect day to ask.
They hugged and then Louise turned round to walk into the house, but Beau stopped her.
'Wait a moment, there is something I want to ask you', he said. He caressed her cheek.
Then he began: 'I would rather ask you out here... We are seeing each other a lot and everyone knows that we are together, but I never really asked you to become my girlfriend. I do not want to go out with other girls, I only want you. And honestly, if I would see you with somebody else, I wouldn't know what to do. Don't you think we should go steady?'
Louise had hoped that Beau would ask her and she sighed a yes and snuggled up to him.
To Beau it mattered less than to her, and making her happy had been one reason for his proposal. On the other hand, feeling so serious about her, it seemed only natural to go steady.
He liked the idea of talking to friends and beginning a sentence with: 'Me and my girlfriend Louise..'
Inside Brandi was teaching Philip to talk. It was taking him longer than the other children and Brandi was putting a lot of effort into making him speak.
The other household members talked a lot to him as well and eventually Philip mastered it.
Dustin at College pt. 3
As Dustin had expected his mother still wanted more children. She got pregnant again while Francis was still a toddler.
The baby was born soon after Francis had grown into a school child. It was another boy, who was named Philip.
They did not meet Philip until he was a bit older than Joy or Francis had been, but then he made friends with them quickly.
Francis had taken a bit longer to warm up to Charlene, Philip immediately wanted to play with her. He demanded that she kept him company until he could hardly keep his eyes open and was taken to bed by Barry.
They were close to complete the first semester of their junior year when they visited home for Philip's birthday. It was then that Dustin first noticed a change in their relationship, although it later occurred to him that it may have started earlier, when their parents got married, because when they were on a date one night they had wanted to take romantic pictures, but suddenly they couldn't do that anymore when they were in the photobooth. He had wondered about it at the time - how could an action that was so easy and which they had performed several times before be impossible now? - but forgotten it later.
Generally it was nothing but a slight shift into a different direction. Their love was still as strong as ever and they were telling each other with their looks, but it was not the same as before. Maybe, he wondered, visiting the family so often was not without effect on them. He was still convinced that he and Charlene were meant to be together and so was Charlene, but when they visited home, they were both true family members and it was a bit odd. He felt that there used to be more desire in their love once.
They were far away from being unhappy or about to fall out with each other and since most days they were busy with their courses and other chores, they did not think about it much initially.
One day, very late in the evening, a big limousine suddenly drove up and stopped in front of their house.
A very serious looking girl came into the house and without saying a word put handcuffs on Charlene and led her back to the limousine. Charlene did not resist. There were rumours about a secret society on the campus and she recognised the llama symbol on the girl's blazer. Recently she had made friends with some girls wearing the same emblem on their jackets and she remembered seeing Sabrina Caine, a friend she made some time ago, with it as well.
She was driven off and eventually found herself in front of a villa she had never seen although she was sure they were still on the campus. It looked strange, mainly because there was a big thing in front of the house that looked like a mixture between a cow and a plant. Before she could look at it any longer more people came out of the house with her new friends among them. After a short welcoming ceremony they handed her a blazer like the one they were wearing and told her about the secrets of their society. She learned that it wasn't all about secret handshakes but that they also happened to be extremly rich and apart from getting access to a big fund she was also allowed to take some special items back with her that were usually only available to sims specialising in certain professions.
Although it was a very exciting event for Charlene and good for Dustin insofar as Charlene later used some of the funds to buy new furniture for the house, it did separate them a little bit more. When she returned home she was going to try the secret handshake on him, but he only looked slightly confused and shook his head. Although it was only a moment, it was felt by those two who were so used to immediate understanding.
Charlene decided that she would not visit the secret society anymore unless she found a way for Dustin to join it. She had observed a change between them too, but while the attraction for each other had lost some of its fire, they were probably closer than ever before.
Charlene knew that she could always rely on Dustin to support and help her, even if she did not need to ask it of him often. Her studies required more mechanical skills than she had imagined and he was a good and patient instructor.
There was togetherness and real sharing, profound love and affection, and all this made it even harder for them to understand, why the excitement in their relationship had lessened somehow. There were some really stupid and as such unimportant details, but they bothered and irritated them. Like one time when somebody mentioned woohoo in the hot tub, and they got very embarrassed, because as much as they would have liked to try it, it simply proved impossible to them. Then, another time, someone said that when you closed your eyes and then gazed at the others in a room, the person you were truly attracted to was surrounded by a glow of light. Others confirmed this (going as far as claiming that it was true for everyone that appealed to you), but when Dustin and Charlene tried, just out of curiousity, nothing happened and this depressed them more than anything else.
It totally contradicted their feelings, and to them it was as if something was interfering with their love from the outside and handicapped them. What was this punishment and why?
They tried to counteract it by showing even more affection to the other and this way the rest of their junior term passed. They returned from their exams late in the evening - both having them at the same time - and congratulated each other on getting excellent grades.
But they kept thinking about their relationship and without doing it consciously they were trying to write their term papers as quickly as possible to gain time for being together.
It was hard for Dustin in particular, because he had chosen a topic that turned out to be very extensive and rather uninteresting. But with some will power and effort he handled it and completed his paper shortly after Charlene. The first final semester had only just started and apart from the courses and a few assignments they had done most of the work.
One day when they were having lunch Dustin said to Charlene: 'Whenever we've been on a date we always had a great time. It's a pity, we haven't done it for a while. We have worked so hard, we really deserve it.'
Charlene agreed. 'Yes, you're so right. We should go out soon. I just wish my class would not be so late, because by the time we arrive downtown it will almost be midnight'.
They both knew that their conversation was not only about going out, but about their determination to rebuild their relationship if it's former perfection was showing cracks.
Then, a few days later, Dustin was in the kitchen when Charlene came downstairs. There was absolutely nothing extraordinary in this situation, but suddenly when he looked at her, he wondered if the weird developments in their relationship were not a sign that it was time to make the next step.
'How do you feel?', he asked.
'Great, why?'
'What would you say if we skipped class and I take you on a date instead, right now? Tomorrow the weekend starts and there is nothing we have to attend, we can stay out as long as we want.'
'Call the taxi, I will be ready in a couple of minutes', Charlene replied and smiled at him.
The Hub was still their favourite club and so they decided to start their date there.
Jennifer, who didn't really know them, watched the couple dancing close and thought that they looked completely removed from the rest of the world. They were a lovely sight.
'I like dancing with you when we are at home, but it's different when we're out. I feel like I'm in a dream. I love you Charlene, you are my dream girl and you always will be.'
They stayed on the dance floor for most of the night and it was already beginning to dawn when they stopped dancing.
Charlene lept into Dustin's arms and said: 'This was a great idea. I didn't know how much I missed going out until you mentioned it the other day.'
'I hope you're not too tired yet, because I would like to go somewhere else before we head back.'
'Me, tired? No, not at all. I would like to take a spin on the dance sphere, but then we can leave if you want to.'
Dustin watched and cheered Charlene, who had chosen the maximum level and was spinning at full speed. When she was too dizzy to continue, they called a taxi and took off to Goth Castle.
They went into the upstairs café and after they finished their coffee they were sitting at the table holding hands and looking at each other. The date had lifted their spirits and they were feeling very romantic and in love.
They got up to go outside, when Brandi came in. Dustin was very pleased to see her. It was like a sign that he had picked the right moment.
'Hi Mom. You wouldn't know how glad I am to see you just now. Would you like to stay out with me and Charlene for a while? I might have a surprise for you later on.'
'I would really like to Dustin, but I'm on my way to the hospital - half of the world's population seems to be sick today - and only stopped here for a quick coffee. So what's the surprise?'
'If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise anymore and apart from that it is too early to talk about it. But I promise I give you a call tomorrow and if everything goes right, you will really like it.'
Charlene had talked to Darren Dreamer and when she returned to Dustin she asked him, where Brandi had gone.
'She left. She told me she had to work'.
'Pity, I didn't even have the chance to say hello to her.'
'Yes, I wish she could have stayed too.'
Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. 'This is the best day I had in a long time. Let's go outside and sit by the lake.'
Charlene walked down the steps to the park and Dustin followed her quickly, because when he suggested going outside it had been for a different reason than to hang out.
He caught up with her and grabbing her by her waist he swirled her around and towards him until she landed in his arms. 'Wait a moment, there is something I have to tell you..'
and with those words he fell onto his knees and proposed to her. He explained that she was the love of his life and that he wanted to get married to her after they graduated. Then he pulled out a ring and held it out to her.
Charlene was surprised for a second because she had not anticipated the proposal, but it was just right.
'Yes, of course, yes!', she exclaimed and looked approvingly at the beautiful ring, which she had put on her finger straight away. Then she returned into his arms.
As their bodies touched they noticed that something had happened in combination with their engagement. There was a feeling which was hard to describe, but they realised that it was exactly what they had known before and what had gone missing in their love for unknown reasons.
They stepped back and looked at each other.
Yes, there it was, that special something, the 'wow'-factor, or whatever you wanted to call it. Their love - which had always been there - flamed up, bright, sparkling and new.
They stayed at the castle for another coffee and then called a taxi to go back to the campus, but it seemed a very long distance and when they came to Bluewater, Dustin admitted that he wanted to woohoo with her badly and suggested to stop at the Martinez club. Charlene had been longing for him just as much. Although they liked the club, when they arrived there it did not appear such a good idea anymore. Even the separate bedroom seemed far too public. They really wanted to be alone.
Dustin smiled at Charlene and caressed her cheek. 'Let's get another taxi', he said.
When they finally arrived back home, it was evening again and they went straight into the bedroom. They had been up for a long time, but the coffee, the excitement of their engagement and desire kept them awake.
'Goddess, I missed this', Dustin said and Charlene knew what he meant. Making love that night was something they would always remember.
When Charlene came downstairs the next day she could not resist another test. She closed her eyes and then scoped the room. Dustin was sitting at the table and he was surrounded by a white glow. Charlene smiled happily. Whatever evil spell had been put on their love, they had managed to break it.
They both perceived it as their joint victory and at the same time a secret, not because they were embarrassed about it, but because it would have been too difficult to explain what exactly had happened. They had been together for a long time, so it was likely that someone would have pointed out to them that it was natural that routine would eventually stop love from being as exciting as it was in the beginning. Only they knew different.
The Broke Family pt. 5
Barry finally invited Melanie on the date he had promised her a while ago. They met at the Hub and went upstairs to the restaurant to start with a dinner. Many tables were empty, but it was still impossible to get seated and so they skipped the meal and went straight on to their first kiss. They both wanted it badly and there was no reason to wait any longer. It was a clear night and the many stars in the sky formed the perfect surrounding for it.
Barry had not needed Beau to tell him that kissing was great, because he had already observed that once others had done it the first time, they liked doing it all the time. It was something he completely understood after his first kiss with Melanie. They carried on all night and had a fantastic date.
Already as a child Barry had possessed a natural charm and Melanie could not imagine a better date than this. When they stopped kissing, Barry would look right into her eyes and soon they had their arms around each other again.
The older people looked at them, some of them wondering what they were doing in the club so late, some of them smiling because they remembered what it was like when they were teenagers.
Before their date ended they danced with each other and for the first time Barry was thinking about the future when he would grow up and go to college. His big dream was to begin a career in politics, but he liked living in a large family and wanted children too.
When they took the taxi home it stopped at his house first. Melanie got out with him and they kissed for a last time. Then she went back into the taxi, which was taking her back to Bluewater, thinking a lot about adulthood, marriage and family too.
Dustin and Charlene had completed their semester work early and were able to see more of Philip while he was a toddler than they had of Francis. Francis had been cuter, but Philip was a very loveable little guy and considered everyone he met his friend.
Dustin had snatched him from the ground as soon as they came in and Charlene had to wait before she could spend some time playing with their little brother.
In the beginning of this toddler stage Philip had been mainly with his parents, but when he had acquired the necessary skills he and the other children were playing more with each other.
Since Philip did not need her constant attention anymore, Brandi began to concentrate on her career. She intended to give up her job one day, but before that happened she wanted to reach the top level. She was not far off anymore and expected, if she used the time of her maternity leave for the necessary qualifications, to have a good chance to be promoted to chief of staff.
When she achieved her goal and perfected the required skills, Maurice congratulated her very affectionately. Brandi had always supported him when he had to train for his career and he had been concerned that she had enough time to study. Nevertheless he was relieved when it was over, because he had hardly seen any of his wife lately.
Philip's birthday arrived and Dustin and Charlene were invited home. Charlene concentrated less on Philip than on Francis. She liked Francis very much, but they had not become as close as she wished.
In the afternoon Maurice returned from work and went into the kitchen to talk to his daughter. In recent telephone calls she had hinted that something was wrong in her relationship with Dustin. Seeing them together, Maurice was assured that Charlene only worried, because she measured it by such a high standard. What they considered a slump would still be a perfect relationship for most others.
When it was close to six o' clock Barry picked up Philip and carried him into the living room. The rest of the family followed.
They cheered as Philip lifted from the floor and swirled into the air coming down again as schoolchild.
Afterwards the family, with the exception of Brandi and Beau who played a game of chess, sat in the living room and they spent the rest of the evening talking, until Dustin and Charlene had to leave.
They needed more space and a small house was erected to the rear side of the main one. It was only one bedroom with an adjoining bathroom, which was shared by Beau and Barry. Their old room belonged to Francis and Philip now and Joy had a room on her own. Usually Philip would go over as soon as he was dressed and play with her before they had to go to school.
Barry had always been very close to Philip too and he learnt how to study from him.
When they saw that the children were doing well without them, Maurice and Brandi decided to go out one day. They were lucky to have the whirlpool at the Lulu Lounge all to themselves and they spent most of the afternoon in it.
In the evening they went inside to have a drink at the bar. Brandi noticed how many women were giving Maurice an admiring glance over. Because they did not go out often, she was usually not aware about the attractiveness of her husband, who was generally considered one of the best looking men in the neighbourhood.
Maurice always remained faithful to Brandi though and would have never cheated on her.
Since it posed no risk to their relationship, Brandi was proud of her husband getting so much attention and when they came home, she reflected on her luck in marrying him.
Then Maurice entered the bathroom and she looked at him romantically. Of course other things mattered more than good looks, but they made a nice addition to a man who had other qualities too.
What Brandi admired most in him were his abilities as a father.
Francis had already made friends with some children in the neighbourhood, and after Philip had started school even more of them were coming home with them. He and Callista Goth became friends quick. Already at this age there were signs that Francis would be popular with the girls.
Brandi had expected to tell her family about her promotion first, but instead she ran into James, who was about to call on them when she got back. Brandi and James had all the prerequisites for being very good friends and it was strange that they knew each other so little. When Brandi visited the Simmons she spent the time with Mary and when James visited them he usually talked to his friend Maurice.
Brandi immediately informed him about her promotion though and James congratulated her on her achievement.
Then Brandi went inside and told the others. Afterwards James and Maurice sat in the livingroom and were talking to each other and Brandi decided to go to town and celebrate with a new style. Maurice was sitting on the sofa and when she came in he turned round and looked at her admiringly. 'Do you like my new look?', she asked. 'Oh yes, definitely! You look great.'
'I'm really tired though, I feel like I spent a lifetime in that clothes shop', Brandi fell back onto the sofa and stretched out on it. Maurice still couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked very elegant and absolutely gorgeous.
Their peaceful family life was disrupted when the house was burgled one early morning. Fortunately they had installed an alarm system when they moved in and the police arrived shortly after the break in.
Philip had woken up from the noise and came downstairs. Barry, who had been watching the fight, tried to distract him, because the fight was vicious and probably disturbing to his younger brother.
The burglar was close to getting away a few times, but in the end the policewoman managed to arrest her and led her to the car in handcuffs.
The whole family was awake by now and because it was near dawn and they were all too upset to go back to sleep, they stayed up and began their morning routines. The burglary was on their mind the whole time though. Even if nothing was stolen, it was an experience that left them feeling vunerable.
Joy and Francis had remained upstairs and did not see much. Barry had been awake before it happened and when he heard the noise he had gotten up and run over to the main house.
The experience really depressed him for some reason. He thought that the burglar actually looked like a nice person and he could not understand why she was doing such a thing. His father had died before his birth and so he was completely unaware that he used to distribute the goods that came from such break-ins. And although Dustin had mainly worked as a courier for them, he also used to have acquaintances among these type of people.
The children worried and were asking questions, but Maurice was always able to cheer them up and he managed on this occasion too.
Beau had already been a bit low before the events of that night and in the afternoon he called Louise and asked her on a date, knowing that this was the best way to cheer him up.
Louise had recently changed her hair and although he liked it, it was a bit irritating too. He had known her with the same hairstyle since she was a child.
Yes, he had known her as long as he could remember and it seemed that they had been going out with each other for a very long time.
There was no weariness in this thought. Right from the start he was convinced that this was the girl he was to marry one day. She was the one he wanted.
Louise showed to him that she was thinking the same and it felt great to know that he was everything to her.
Of course much time of a date was always spent kissing and caressing, but he liked talking to her too.
Usually they went out to a club or a bar, but this time they had preferred to go to the park and they squatted on the ground and talked until late into the night.
'I like being with you so much', Beau said when they kissed goodbye. It was true. It did not matter where they were meeting, he always had a great time with her and used to be in a good mood for days after.
Dustin at College pt. 4
Charlene had her course late and so she did not notice that Dustin had been going out a few times when she was at class. It was not because he was bored. He had met some of the students who had returned to Pleasantview and through them he had got in contact with some of the people who belonged to the secret society on the campus. Charlene had told him that it was not important to her, but she was too much of a popularity sim to not enjoy belonging to some in-crowd. The students he met had turned out to be very nice and even if he still didn't know what to expect, he was a bit curious about the secret society now.
Some evening soon after Dustin heard a car stopping outside. Apparently pulling strings had worked.
A guy, who looked like he had been at university for a long time (actually he looked so old that he could have been one of the professors), came in and gave Dustin some shouting. Dustin smirked and pretended to get angry. 'What do you want? Who are you anyway?'
'Shut up and turn round. I have to arrest you'.
Although he knew it was only a game, Dustin did not like being handcuffed. He was very glad that he had never been arrested during his career as a teenage criminal, but he had seen it happening to some of the others and the handcuffs provoked unpleasant memories.
But then he relaxed. This period of his life was over and this was going to lead to some fun or at least an interesting night out.
'So this is the big secret', Dustin thought when they arrived at the villa. It was huge, but did not look very extraordinary apart from the weird plant outside, which had a head like a cow.
But then a big crowd of students came out and cheered him and the whole event became more entertaining.
He spotted Sabrina, who he had met at Aemon's house. He had left when he felt that Aemon wanted to be alone with her, but before they had been chatting for some hours and he really liked her. She had been friends with Charlene for some time and he believed that she was one of the people who had wanted to bring her into the secret society.
After they had given him a suit complete with the secret society blazer they showed him the house. 'You will see a few things, which you have never seen before. You can take them with you, but then you will have to find out by yourself what they do', Danielle explained to him. Danielle Greaves was a nice and friendly girl and he talked to her some more, before he picked up the phone and called Charlene. 'I just call to tell you that you don't have to worry about me. I'm on my way home, I see you soon.'
The limousine took him back home and when he went in and Charlene looked at him and spotted the blazer, she smiled.
'Come here,' he said, 'I want to show you something'.
He put his hands on his hips and began a weird hop. Charlene grinned and did the same.
Afterwards they shook hands and put a finger over their mouth.
'I hope this will teach you that you can not keep secrets secret from me', he smiled and kissed her.
Shortly before the semester ended they went shopping in downtown. Their former attraction had returned and this had been their main concern, but they became curious why they were detained from some acts which were no problem for other couples (or had been for them like taking romantic pictures).
The complex set of rules that guided the social structure of their world were not defined on paper, but being firmly rooted inside them, only made them harder to break. Charlene felt that she and Dustin were unfairly discriminated for no apparent reason, but at least it didn't always apply.
George had looked up from his counter when he heard the noise. This was the first time a couple was woohooing in public during his shift, but he had heard similar stories from his workmates.
Charlene didn't really care that they had been noticed.
and neither did Dustin, who was following Charlene out of the clothing booth. He grinned at George and indicated that it had been worth the stir they might have caused.
'Don't you want to look at the swimming trunks?', Charlene asked. 'No, it's alright, I'm buying them'.
When he was dressed again, he came up to Charlene and put his arms around her. 'Now this was really something', he smiled.
'Yes, it was', Charlene smiled back. Neither of them had carried a strong wish to woohoo in public, but the thought that they might not be able had been on their mind and bothered them.
Before they went back to college they had a look at the new pet shop in Bluewater and there Charlene had a strange encounter with her father, which lowered her enthusiastic mood. He pushed her off when she embraced him and acted alltogether as if she was a total stranger. She simply couldn't understand what she had done to make him so angry with her.
Maurice couldn't understand himself why he was feeling so bitter. When Charlene and Dustin got out of the taxi he suddenly realised that his daughter - who he had seen many times since she became a student - was an adult and he felt like he didn't know her anymore.
Charlene tried hard to find out what bothered him and when they were talking Maurice understood that she had hurt him when she did not care to tell him personally about her engagement. She and Dustin had called Brandi the next day and of course she passed the news on to him. But as her father he would have deserved to hear it from Charlene.
Charlene wondered if his reaction, which was very unusual behaviour for him, was due to the same social misapplication that she noticed in her life with Dustin. Why did it have to happen to them? Was it possible that it was for the sheer fact that their parents happened to be married to each other?
They now investigated this more out of scientific interest though. Most important was what they were feeling for each other and in this respect their relationship was cured. The others had talked about a glow, when they explained the scope room phenomenon. When Dustin looked at Charlene she was a shining star, bathed in a blinding white light.
They had to wait until the barriers that restricted them were removed and they could act out of their own free will. When the new liberty swept the Pleasantview neighbourhood, they were one of the couples who profited most from it. They had recently bought a hot tub, but they had only used it when friends came over, because on other occasions it had a tendency to depress them. To be restrained by an unknown force from even cuddling with the person you loved most was not a nice feeling.
They had heard from others that something strange was going on and when the came back from their courses the next day they headed straight for the tub.
'It looks like it's gone', Charlene whispered before she kissed Dustin tenderly.
'It certainly does. We've never been able to get this close.'
Charlene went on to explore the situation and concluded that they had really missed out so far.
Dustin wished he could spend the entire day making out in the hot tub with Charlene and then he realised that he could. Nothing was stopping them. They had both completed all the work for the semester and had no other appointments.
Once again Dustin gained a spot on the Dean's list and he was in a splendid mood when he returned home after his exams. Charlene was not in. Her test had started later and she would be away for most of the day.
So Dustin went upstairs and began with the work for his final semester straight away. A streaker came to their house, but seeing that Dustin was fully concentrated on his term paper he quickly left again. Streaking was no fun when you were ignored.
Dustin was more than pleased with himself. By the evening his term paper was almost done, he got excellent grades and another stipendium. Everything was set for him and Charlene to have a bright future.
He completed his term paper on the first day after his exams, which was his absolute record. There was still a bit of work to be done, but he would have a lot of free time to enjoy the last days at college.
Charlene returned home very late in the evening. She was exhausted from her exams which had taken all day.
Dustin was tired too, but he had waited for her to come home and hear about her results.
It was good that they both finished their college work early because their new liberty distracted them quite a bit.
'Dustin stop it! You have to go to class in a moment.'
'Mmh', Dustin mumbled and started to kiss her neck.
Charlene had her courses early in the morning, but Dustin didn't and when they began to cuddle on the sofa there were only 15 minutes left before he had to leave.
'Don't you think it would be a good idea to get dressed?', she asked, looking at him in a way which did not let it appear like a good idea at all.
'Mmmh', Dustin replied and rubbed his nose against hers.
'Dustin, it's time to go to...', Charlene, who found it increasingly harder to retain a sense of duty, reminded him.
'Yes, I know..', he murmured, before he sank into her arms.
Charlene was neither willing nor able to remind him of his classes again.
'I guess I have to rush now', Dustin grinned. He gently lifted her, dressed quickly and ran off, knowing that there was hardly a chance to get to his course in time, because it started in ten minutes and it took almost an hour to get there.
Sometimes Dustin thought that it had not been a bad idea after all to rent a house instead of living in a dormer. The relationships of some of their friends had gotten a bit mixed up lately, but that was not what he was afraid of. He fully trusted Charlene and was sure about his own faithfulness too.
They needed to cook and clean in their own home and while it was more comfortable in a dormer, where the cooking was done for you (and hopefully the cleaning too), he felt that those tasks were bringing them closer too. The way they co-operated made everything easier, even the cleaning, which they both didn't like much.
The final semester was close to completion and all the work was done. It seemed like a good time to renew their friendships and finally go out with a few people again. Lilith and Ben looked like a good set to have a look at some new places downtown.
Lilith was one of Charlene's best friends (best best friends since she had so many best friends) and already when they were teenagers they had sometimes thought about forming a band. Charlene had once played the bass and was sure she could still do it.
Their first attempts at singing together did not turn out too well, but they didn't care and had a lot of fun anyway.
They sang in mixed couples the whole evening. While he got ready to sing a duet with Charlene, Dustin noticed that Ben and Lilith were throwing strange glances at each other. It was not the first time this evening and he was wondering what it meant.
The hot tub had no depressing effect on them anymore and it became one of their favourite spots when Dustin returned from his class.
They did some more studying although there wasn't really a need for it.
They met some old friends and made some new ones.
This way the last of the semester passed and then they took their final exams and their time at college ended. There were only a few more days before they would leave the campus and move back to Pleasantview.
The Broke Family pt. 6
Some time later pets arrived in the neighbourhood, but apart from at least one of the children asking for a puppy or a kitten each day, it did not affect their life much. Maurice worked hard for a promotion during that period, hoping to fulfil his life dream of becoming a hall of famer, but Brandi carried on with her studies too. She had discovered that she liked learning. She realised that she could become a real master in a skill when she put her mind to it and it was very satisfying. When they had their day off, Maurice was practising his speech and Brandi used the quiet atmosphere to read, until the children returned from school - usually bringing a friend or two - and the house became lively and a bit chaotic. This was the state of affairs when another big change was taking place in Pleasantview.
While some couples apparently remained unaffected, others seemed to notice it straight away and Brandi and Maurice were among them. No announcement was made, no law was changed, but when Brandi talked to her female friends about it, she told them that the awareness of a difference hit her suddenly from one day to the other.
When Maurice came back from his training that day, he immediately understood when she gave him that certain glance and he followed her in the bedroom where she was getting undressed.
He took his clothes off and joined her on the bed. This was already totally new to them. Yet, once they were sitting there naked, it seemed so ridiculous that it had never occured to them to do this before.
They spent a long time cuddling and making out before they woohoo'd with each other. When they got up later, Brandi decided (although she never had reason to complain) that whatever had changed with regard to their love life it had definitely added a new quality to it.
It did not take long before everyone started talking about the change in the neighbourhood and among it the rumour came up that not only adults were affected.
Beau did feel a difference when he was with Louise and he would have really liked to know whether the rumour was true or not.
He was seeing Louise almost every day and it seemed only right that if teenagers were at a greater liberty now, they should be the couple to find out first. They were among the oldest teens too and already beginning to think about going to college.
While Beau was still pondering how he could communicate to Louise that he might like to woohoo with her before they grew up, Barry decided to act.
It was Sunday and the whole day they had visitors. After the children had left in the early evening, some adult friends came over and Beau had invited Louise and was out in the garden with her. Nobody took notice of Barry making a phone call.
Afterwards he went out on the street and waited.
When Melanie arrived he immediately walked towards her and greeted her with a long kiss.
Then he started talking to her in a low voice.
Melanie first looked a bit doubtful, but then she smiled at him and they went into the house, slid quietly past Maurice who was in the hall talking on the phone and up the stairs.
Barry and Melanie were the first teenage sims in the history of Pleasantview (and the rest of the sims world they knew) to woohoo with each other, although the fact that they had set a record was not what they had on their mind.
Barry had not expected Melanie, a family sim, to be so at ease. She rid herself of her clothes without any hesitation and immediately snuggled up to him when she joined him on the bed.
It made him like her even more than he did already.
The other guests had left and the house was a lot quieter when they went downstairs, but still nobody noticed where they were coming from.
They sat down at the dinner table and Beau was actually surprised to see Melanie, because he had not known that she was there. They did not betray in any way what had happened between them. Melanie was talking to Maurice and Beau. Barry was quietly sipping a coffee and did not say much.
He did not show it, but he was thinking about his first time the whole evening.
And so was Melanie.
Brandi was the only one who had an idea what Barry and Melanie had been doing. She did not need to see it to know what her boys were up to.
Aware, how she and Maurice were affected, she understood that it would be useless to preach to them. It was more important to give them advice and prepare them to make the right choices (even if it was not appreciated and Beau and Francis hastily left the table when she started the topic).
She only worried a bit about Joy. She would soon be old enough to turn into a teenager and then she would be the youngest one in the neighbourhood. She was outgoing and playful and would surely try to enjoy her teenage life to the full. She was bright, but would it guarantee that she acted wisely?
Beau did not find out, but the brothers were close and Barry did not keep his secret from him for long. He would have been happier for his brother had he not wished to make this experience himself so much.
He and Louise had already begun to make plans for the future and did not doubt that they would remain a couple when they went to college.
Even without Barry telling him about his woohoo with Melanie, Beau would have known by now that they were not like the previous generations. It was hard to ignore the feeling of longing inside him and a few days later he was making a phone call to Louise.
It was not unusual to invite her of course, but he had been quite clear about his intentions and was now waiting outside with an expectant smile on his face.
When she arrived he could not stop his eyes from wandering from her face down to her chest.
He told her how much he loved her and that whatever happened between them today, she did not need to worry that he would respect her less or treat her differently afterwards.
Then he went upstairs to the bedroom of their parents (they had long ago started to see Maurice that way) and Louise followed him.
Downstairs, the school bus parked in front of their house, then a car stopped behind it and Maurice returned from work, bringing a friend along with him. He had received a large bonus that day and wanted to celebrate a bit.
Suddenly the house was full of sims and they could hear them talking and laughing downstairs. He dressed down to his underwear and Louise did the same and joined him on the bed, but when he turned towards her, he could see that she was not comfortable. By no means did he want their first woohoo to become an unpleasant memory for her and he immediately assured her that she did not have to do anything she did not want.
Louise admitted that with all the others in the house she could not relax and kept worrying that someone could come into the bedroom. So instead of their first woohoo they had a pillow fight. It was quite admirable of Beau to take it so well, considering how much he desired to be with Louise.
Meanwhile Barry did not see why he should not continue making love to Melanie, now that they had done it the first time. When he asked if he and Beau could have more comfortable beds, Brandi could guess his reason for it. She was planning to buy them a bed when they went to college, but after discussing it with Maurice and talking to Barry, they bought new furniture for the garden house where the boys were sleeping.
Since then Barry and Melanie often disappeared in there when she came over.
The door was locked when they were inside and Beau could very well imagine what was happening in there.
Not being able to get into his room did not annoy Beau too much, but despite all the liking he had for his brother, he wished he would not have asked Melanie to come over so often. Barry did not show off, but they were all these little gestures between them and Beau felt slightly envious.
'Are you alright Melanie? I did not do anything wrong earlier, when .., you know?'
'No, it was great', she whispered (but Beau could still hear it) 'I'm just a bit tired'.
One day he simply couldn't take it any longer. Once again he had invited Louise over in the afternoon and when they hugged and kissed, his desire became almost too much to bear. He was unable to think straight.
In the early evening Lisa came over and he lost hope that he could be alone with Louise without being disturbed. His longing was too great though, and he asked her if she would like to go out for a couple of hours.
They went to Enrique's club in Bluewater and since it was relatively early it happened to be empty. Louise headed straight for the whirlpool but before she went in, she put her arms round him and kissed him. 'Why do you keep your clothes on? Don't you want to join me?'
This, she did not need to ask twice. When he joined her in the pool she asked him to move closer and Beau was surprised how differently she acted this evening, especially since they were in a public place even if there were less people around than at his home.
Louise was shy and serious, but she was a teenager and like the others affected by the recent changes in the neighbourhood.
They began to kiss and when Beau was pressing his body against her, he could feel how his erection was finding its way out of his swimming trunks and towards her crotch. Louise whispered that she felt all funny in her stomach and then all her previous restraint melted away. In that moment this shy girl did not care in the slightest were she was or who else was there. Again, Beau did not need another invitation when he understood what Louise wanted from him.
He had not expected their first time to happen that way, but it filled him with the most tender feelings for his girlfriend.
When they returned Lisa and Barry were still standing outside. Barry had not seen Lisa for a long time and had almost forgotten how much he liked her.
Actually he fancied her more than he used to and he felt that Lisa had already come over with the intention to flirt with him. It was not that the girls had not liked him before, but it seemed that the story of his woohoo with Melanie had already wandered through the neighbourhood and that it had given him a certain fame.
Barry discovered that he had truly fancied Lisa (and not only copied his brother) and they fell in love again that evening. He thought that she was more attractive than Melanie. His love for Melanie was stronger though and he realised that he felt committed to his relationship with her.
Louise stayed until midnight. Beau would have liked to ask her to sleep over, because he was already beginning to miss her when she left.
Maurice spent most of his free time practising his skills. He was close to reach the top of his career and fulfil his life's dream.
For the teenagers the new freedom may have meant the most radical change, but it altered the life of the adults substanstially also and despite all his training it became a cherished routine to woohoo with Brandi as soon as they were both back from work.
'Tell me, do you like my body?', she asked him one day.
'Oh by Goddess, yes. Did you really expect I would give you a different answer sitting before me in this pose? You are not only beautiful, I think I am married to the most desirable and sexiest woman in the neighbourhood.'
Actually, he had thought only the other day that looking at Brandi it was hard to believe that she was the mother of six children.
She was incredible. One moment she was in bed with him, passionate and playful like a young girl,
and only an hour later you would probably see her repairing something in the house with more efficiency and speed than a professional service. Maurice had good mechanical skills, but usually the children looked for Brandi if something was broken in the house.
Then Maurice's big day came and his wish to become a Hall of Famer was fulfilled. He was usually cheerful anyway, but from then on it was almost impossible to put him into a bad mood.
He greeted Francis and smiled over to Philip who had recently started to wear a head scarf and looked like a little pirate.
His promotion was big news but apart from that their life had become a bit quieter again. Beau became aware that he not only would go to college soon, but that Joy would be growing up before long too. The children weren't bringing so many friends home at the moment and it allowed him to spend more time with his sister.
If he did not see her for a couple of days he began to miss Louise though and so he invited her out again on Friday evening. It was already very late when they arrived downtown and in the beginning Louise kept throwing anxious looks at Mary, who happened to be around as well. She told him several times that it was too late and that she had to leave, but she stayed and it became one of their most memorable dates. They were both not the type for it, but they turned into the centre of attention and everyone grouped around them when they played kicky bag.
Later they withdrew to a corner of the dance floor and danced.
Tonight Beau did not feel like a teenager or at least he could not imagine that it would be much different to be an adult.
It was early morning when they left the Lulu Lounge, but it was not the end of their date.
Since it was not late anymore but early, Louise had no objections against staying out and they headed for the Bluewater wellness centre. They had planned to get into the whirlpool, but it was occupied and they were surprised to see by whom and what they were doing in there.
Wendy Kim was a townie girl, who was quite flirtatious, but also fancied by a number of teenage sims. They would not have expected Patrick to be her company though. He was a family sim and apart from going steady with a girl named Jasmyn, he was very close to Louise's sister Alice.
Being witness to Patrick's first woohoo was a bit unsettling and Beau was slightly worried that it might have irritated Louise.
He went to the bathroom and checked himself out, coming to the conclusion that he had no reason to be unhappy about himself.
Louise came into the bathroom a short time later and Beau used the chance to ask her if she would go upstairs with him.
Beau told her that as much as he had liked making love in the whirlpool he was longing to woohoo with her 'the proper way' in a bed. They were both naked and being able to have a good look at Louise's body for the first time was a promising start.
She looked so fragile and tender and he tried to be very chary and gentle. It was not easy, because he was very excited too.
It had not only been their longest date (lasting a whole night and an entire day), it also sealed their future for Beau. He was planning to get engaged to Louise as soon as they went to university.
She was almost a member of the family and when they all went out one day, Louise was invited too.
Dustin and Charlene visited one day and they could hardly believe what Beau and Barry were telling them. Dustin laughed when Beau said that he did not intend to wait as long as they did to get engaged, but he had no doubt that his brother was serious.
Dustin at College pt. 5
They wanted to spend those last days celebrating with their friends and they started straight away. Ben and Lauren immediately went into the hot tub and blocked it for everyone else for the next two hours. Apparently Dirk and Lilith had lately become fond of each other again, and Charlene was a bit surprised when Dirk made some attempts to flirt with her. She stopped him short with a disapproving glance and searched for Angela, who she had not seen in a very long time.
There were a few more strange glances on that day. Lauren and Ben completely ignored everyone else, but you could not say that of Dirk who seemed to find a special interest in watching them.
Apparently he and Charlene had missed some important news about their friend's lifes, Dustin thought to himself.
That something was going on between Ben and Lilith he had gathered though. When Ben and Lauren finally stopped occupying the hot tub, Lilith went in and joined Ben Gardener. To his and Charlene's surprise Angela acted as if she didn't notice when her boyfriend was moving up to Lilith and put his arm around here. But Ben Jenkins who was standing nearby, immediately walked up to the tub and after hissing something into her ear, Lilith jumped out with an expression that mixed shock and surprise.
Ben did not get loud, but there was an agressive tone in his voice when he talked to her and he looked like he was going to hit her.
After some quiet arguing between them, the disagreement seemed to be resolved and nothing disturbed any of them from having fun for the rest of the evening.
One party followed the other. When they visited their friends, Willow told Charlene that Orlando had not wanted to wait any longer and left earlier in the day.
The next day they met most of the others again, when Lilith gave a party.
Charlene and Lilith had a glass of champagne together and talked a bit about the future. They both wanted to be artists and hoped that there would be an opportunity to work together one day. Lilith told Charlene that she was thinking of joining the police first.
'Already when I was a child, especially when I felt bad, I dreamed of becoming a heroine, a kind of supergirl. I think I need this as proof that I really can achieve everything I want. When this is done I want to concentrate on painting and music.'
Apart from going to parties they made love to each other a lot, although in those last days they were almost always interrupted by uninvited guests who chose to appear in the most inconvenient moments.
No matter when, whether late at night or early in the morning.
'Man, I will definitely not miss that about college', Dustin said to Charlene when another streaker appeared in their bedroom.
'Do you realise that this is most likely the last time we make love in this bed?'
'I can't promise anything, but you could be right. I was going to ask you earlier if you want to leave tonight or tomorrow morning.'
Brandi and Maurice had helped them to get the old property where the Calientes used to live and a brand new house was waiting for them there.
The shower broke on the last day and while Dustin repaired it, Charlene cleaned the bathroom again. They had already tidied up the house and were beginning to pack up their stuff.
In the afternoon Charlene called the family and some of her friends and invited them to a graduation party.
Lilith was pleased to see Charlene's father (who, in her opinion, was pretty much the perfect man) and Charlene was glad as well. Whatever had gotten into him at one point, their relationship was now back to its former level. Maurice appreciated that she had invited the family for her graduation.
Then Dustin came with a bottle of champagne and they were toasting each other on their success. Brandi began dancing with Maurice, making it clear who owned that man, although it was unlikely that any woman would have dared to contest her.
Afterwards Charlene had a glass of champagne with her father and they were talking about the house. Maurice told her that it still needed to be furnished but was ready for them to move in otherwise.
Dustin thought that tonight the strong resemblance between Charlene and her father was showing more than usual. Maybe it was because she had put her hair under her graduation hat.
His brothers were in the hot tub together with Ben and Sharlene and he could not really talk to them. He chatted with his mother for a while and was going to talk to Lilith when Charlene was giving him signals to follow her upstairs.
The robe she was wearing was not exactly a sexy outfit, but this didn't matter to Dustin who could still revel in her beauty.
'I thought you said earlier that this was the last time we would make love in this bed..'
'Sshh. I feel bad about leaving all our guests alone, but I really wanted to be with you once more.'
Charlene had agreed with Brandi and Maurice that she would go back with them after the party and stay at their house. In the morning she and Dustin would meet at the new one.
So it was agreed and when the party was over Charlene swirled into full adulthood and after saying goodbye to Dustin for tonight, she got into the taxi.
Dustin knew it was only for one night but he still hated to be separated from her.
Before sunrise the removal firm arrived and packed up the furniture and the house was almost completely empty now. Dustin had a last glance at it, remembering the day he arrived there. He felt that he had realised most of the dreams he had at that time.
When everything was done Dustin called the taxi which would take him back to Pleasantview. Their college time was over and a new life was waiting for them back home.