The Pleasant Family pt. 5
Before they had much time to think about the burglary another event followed. They heard Cleo yowling in the bedroom and when they looked three little puppies were crawling on the floor.
They were all extremly cute although it was hard to distinct the two dark ones and they had to check if it was the boy or the girl they were holding.
Cleo and Jerry were almost inseparable by then, but they also made good parents.
The only problem was that Cleo had decided that since she had given birth there, the bedroom belonged to her. She had discovered the bed to be a comfortable place and Daniel often had to push her off when he wanted to go to sleep.
The puppies were a joy to everyone though. It was impossible to walk past them without picking one of them up.
Candy, the other female, was easy to make out because of her colour.
It had been almost two weeks since he had last seen Ashlee, which was far too long. David had no intention to split up with her despite of what had happened with Wendy, but when Ashlee arrived he got the impression that she wanted to prove that she was ready to fight for him. After he said hello to her she immediately suggested to get into the hot tub.
'Do you still like me as much as before?', she asked and her expression showed that it was meant as a serious question. David smiled at her. He was feeling stronger for Wendy than he did before, but Ashlee was the girl which made him think about the time when they went to college.
'I like you better. I'm so sad we didn't see each other for such a long time.'
It was the type of answer Ashlee wanted to hear. There were a few guys in the neighbourhood who found her much more attractive than David did, actually some thought she was rather irresistible. Ashlee loved David though and she was prepared to do everything that was necessary to keep him. Not that woohooing with him was a sacrifice - she also wanted him to be the first.
David would have preferred it to happen in bed, but apart from that he enjoyed being with Ashlee more than he did with Wendy.
With Wendy it had been a lot of fun, she seemed to enjoy woohoo a lot. Ashlee, well with Ashlee it was a completely different experience. She swept him away.
'Woohoo!', David needed a moment to take in what had happened. It was only the second time he had sex with a girl, but he had the impression that he would get a lot more of it in the future.
Back in the house he told her how much it had meant to him doing it with her, carefully avoiding to express that it had not been the first time. He was rather sure that Ashlee had already heard about him and Wendy, but it was no reason to tell her. She apparently had chosen to pretend she didn't know and he was going along with that.
Mary-Sue had a colleague over and in the evening they all had dinner together.
He enjoyed the conversation, but he would have rather been alone with Ashlee. Fortunately she seemed to feel the same and before she left they returned into the hot tub and woohoo'd again. To David it appeared like she wanted to make sure he would not forget her so easily.
The next day he was thinking about her all the time and regained his determination to be with her alone.
Wendy did not let him forget her either though. When she walked by a few days later and he greeted her, she didn't waste time and made it quite clear what she wanted.
He understood now what it meant to have a romance aspiration and he loved it and cursed it at the same time. He felt bad, because he didn't know whether Wendy was hoping for a serious relationship or just wanted the fun. He did not want to break up with Ashlee for her.
It was no contradiction to him that at the moment he and Wendy were actually more compatible and that she appealed to him more. David was thinking a lot about an aspiration change, because he felt that being a romance sim would make him unhappy in the long run. There could come a time when he and Ashlee would turn out to be the better couple.
Those reflections proved once more that David's personality and his aspiration did not always match, but they passed while he was getting more engaged with Wendy.
He still didn't think badly of Wendy for showing so openly that she liked to woohoo. It wasn't the only reason for hanging out with her.
When they got out of the hot tub, David called Lisa and Louise and invited them over like he had already planned before Wendy came by. He had not seen them for a very long time and did not want to loose them as friends. He would have regretted it in particular with regard to Louise because she was so close to going to college.
Lisa he gave a warm hug. He loved her since her birthday party, but there was no risk in being affectionate. Lisa probably wasn't interested in Alexander alone, but David was not on her list. David on the other hand had always found Alice and Louise much more attractive, which caused him to keep more distance to Louise. Every once in a while a couple formed in Pleasantview which was so perfectly matched that nobody wanted to interfere with them and Louise and Beau were one of them.
Cleo came outside to check on the visitors. Louise was a bit wary although they had a big dog at home too. One day when she had walked past the Pleasant house, Jerry had chased her down the street and she still remembered that.
She couldn't get enough of the puppies though and spent most of the afternoon playing with them.
Later he discussed pets and all the other changes that had taken place with Lisa. Time passed so quickly and there was never enough of it to keep in contact with every friend.
They had a great evening together. Lisa did not hold a grudge against Wendy for the way she had acted towards Alexander and they talked for some time.
Later, when Lisa and Louise had left, he understood why Wendy stayed on, although she had been at his house since the morning. She did not want to leave without another dip into the hot tub either. It seemed stupid not to greet her when she walked past the house and Wendy used this to make sure that he was spending time with her. It was a simple strategy, but it worked and she had become a more dangerous rival to Ashlee.
Sometimes it was hard to find them in the garden, but when they were in sight the family tried to train the puppies, which were growing and had become old enough to be given away. Most of the training was done by Jerry and Cleo though, who always knew where their young ones were.
It was such a cute sight when one of the puppies joined her to guard the van of the maid together with Cleo. Cleo was a watchful dog and always kept an eye on any stranger that came to the house.
The Pleasant Family pt. 6
They did not want to give the puppies to the adoption centre and after some discussion they agreed that they would give one each to Lilith and Angela if they wanted them, and ask Aemon, who already owned a dog and was a friend of Mary-Sue to take the remaining one.
When Lilith arrived she was warmly greeted by David. He had not seen her since the evening when she had invited him to her new home. His sister was still the most important sim for David and he would have regretted to leave for university without talking to her again. Beau and Louise had recently become students and David knew that the rest of them would soon be ready to grow up as well.
He stopped her apologies short and assured her that he could understand why she did not have much time for her friends and family at the moment.
Then Mary-Sue came out to greet her. It was strange to see her daughter with her big belly, a grown up woman ready to start a family. Lilith appeared very serious and Mary-Sue worried about her. She and Daniel were still not too happy about her choice and would have rather seen her with Brandon. She guessed they would have to learn to live with it though.
They had not expected her to begin a relationship with Ben, although thinking back Mary-Sue wondered if she had not been the first who predicted it. Lilith had talked about him, but had never mentioned what she felt for him and yet she had hated it when she saw him dating another girl. She still remembered her fight with Lauren well. It was as if she had guessed what would happen one day.
When they found out about Lilith's pregnancy, they could hardly believe it. It would have been less surprising if it had been Angela, with regard to Lilith they had not even been sure if she wanted a family at all. They had become very proud of her and had expected that she would try to be successful as an artist, getting pregnant so soon was definitely not what they had imagined. It was typical for Lilith though that she could always show a previously hidden side of herself.
Then Angela arrived and David showed the puppies to his sisters. They weren't forced to take one, but they both loved the idea and quickly found their favourite. David was relieved that they wanted a dog because it was very hard to give them away and he would have been sad if he would have never seen them again.
Lilith chose the white puppy named Candy.
She did not stay much longer, but after talking about the dogs for a short time, David had her promise that he would be invited to see her child and that it would happen before it was old enough to go to school.
Angela stayed on for a while and was talking to Mary-Sue inside.
Mary-Sue would have liked to have a longer conversation with her, but she was distracted by Daniel, who was in a very romantic mood. It was a bit unfair towards her because it had always been easier for him to keep a good relationship with their daughters. On the other hand she was very glad how their marriage had developed over time and how much affection her husband showed to her now.
The next day David invited Ashlee as soon as he was back from school. Since Wendy's last visit he had developed very strong feelings for her (and more physical desires), but an inner voice was telling him that Ashlee was the right girl. He had never asked her to go steady, but he was seeing her as his girlfriend and he did not want her to believe that he wanted to break up with her.
He wished his parents would not bring friends home so often because once again the house was full and he had no chance to be alone with Ashlee.
Then Aemon came round and Mary-Sue showed him the last remaining puppy.
They stayed outside for a while and Aemon was playing with the dog. 'So what do you think? Do you want it?', Mary-Sue asked him before she answered the phone.
'Yes. I love your two dogs and this one will be the perfect companion for Rover.'
Cleo and Jerry were watching them. It looked like they were aware that the last of their puppies would be gone soon.
David was a bit disappointed with the way the day had gone. He would have liked to spent more time with Ashlee, but first she got involved in a conversation with the friends of his parents and then left early.
It only strengthened his determination to be with her. He was longing to woohoo with a girl again and the idea to call Wendy and ask her if she would like to come over was passing through his mind frequently. But he restrained himself and decided to invite Ashlee again tomorrow.
He did not tell anyone about his internal conflict in those last days before going to university. He was struggling against his aspiration, which he saw more and more as a curse and which he did not want to accept as his destiny.
The next day Dyson, the younger brother of Lilith's former boyfriend Dirk, came round before he had a chance to call Ashlee. He could understand that those teens who had just grown up were eager to get to know new sims, although for David like for his friends they were like a reminder that it was time to make the step into adult life.
Then his mother returned home, this time in the company of Ben, Angela's boyfriend, and when David called Ashlee she had already gone to work.
So far his mother had more or less ignored her, but David wondered if she would run into similar problems if they remained together as adults. Mary-Sue was very critical about the men her daughters had chosen to live with and did not make it easy for them to become friends with her.
David did not really understand it. He liked them. While he was waiting that it would become later and he could call Ashlee, he practised his speech and Ben was listening to him and gave him advice.
Ashlee returned home at six o' clock and David waited until it was ten past and then gave her a phone call.
He came outside when she arrived and stopped her with a kiss before she had even reached the porch. When she could speak again, Ashlee, who noticed that David was a bit desperate, suggested that they should get into the whirlpool, but he told her that he would rather go inside.
His parents were in the kitchen and did not see them when they went into their bedroom. David was longing to woohoo with Ashlee, but he also wanted to talk to her.
'Did you never think about growing up and going to college?'
'No, not really. You know I am a townie, I guess I have a different attitude about growing up. Of course I think about it sometimes, but you never know when it is going to happen or if it is going to happen at all.'
'But wouldn't it be nice if we could live together and go to sleep together like this every day?'
It was probably the moment when David made his decision about wanting to live with Ashlee, because to him it appeared a very desirable idea.
'You know, if it was possible I would like to go to university with you very much', Ashlee said, when they were lying in bed after their woohoo. David caressed her hand.
'I don't see why it shouldn't be possible. I am going to inquire about it tomorrow.'
David regretted that he had not enough time to visit Enrique and his family, but he was sure that his father would understand that it was more important to him to give his relationship with Ashlee a solid foundation. He called him and promised that he would come and see them as soon as possible.
The following day he practised on the drum kit for a while when he returned from school. He had already received some scholarships, but he was hoping to get another one.
Then he called Ashlee again and asked if she would like to go on a date downtown. He could have taken a taxi, but maybe David believed that he could impress Ashlee with it and chose to take the car of his father instead.
They went to the No Issue, a bar that had opened not so long ago.
'I wish I could tell you how much I like being with you.' David really meant it. He had a hard time getting Wendy out of his head and he only succeeded when he was with Ashlee.
He was not confused, it was a conscious fight which derived from his conviction that it was the right choice. If he had followed his momentary desires he would have surely made more than one booty call to Wendy, but he was absolutely sure that it would lead him into the wrong direction.
They had met early and it was one of the reasons why they had chosen this place. It did not have the atmosphere of a nightclub and was a good bar for meeting in the afternoon. Most of the other guests were sitting outside in the small back garden though and they were more or less alone inside. It gave them free choice at the jukebox and they picked the songs they liked best and danced.
After a while they stopped. David was already longing to woohoo with her again and he asked if they should have a coffee and go back to his place afterwards.
They did not get to the point of buying a coffee. David became aware that this was one reason why he hesitated about giving up his romance aspiration. He did not want the longing for numerous romantic adventures with different sims, but he feared not feeling the same excitement and pleasure anymore.
'Cool. I didn't know you could drive a car.'
'Yes, my father showed me. Shall we go inside?'
Since they weren't really taking their hands off each other, it took them a while to reach the bedroom, but eventually that was were they ended.
They were making out on the bed when Ashlee asked him to stop.
'Don't worry about the phone', he said, 'I don't care who calls.'
'No. We've been together the whole day, I think I should go back home.'
While he got dressed, David decided that Ashlee leaving was a terrible idea and one he would find hard to bear.
'Come on, Ashlee, it's not even dark yet, do you really want to leave so early? I really don't want you to go.'
'I only thought we've been together for nearly the entire day, maybe you still need to do work for school or something. I could stay on if you want me to'.
Ashlee did not need much convincing and soon they were back on the bed.
'Don't you agree that this is a much better way to end the day?', he asked, 'Or was this the reason why you wanted to leave earlier? You would tell me if you don't like to woohoo with me, wouldn't you? I was serious the other evening, I want us to go to university together and I want to know it, if you don't feel the same way or do not enjoy having sex with me. It's not difficult to apply for a college place and a dormer for you and I would take you as a friend. I would like it to be more though.'
'I love you David', Ashlee replied, 'and I like making love to you. I guess I was worried that I might get on your nerves if I cling to you for hours on end.'
When they got up again, the sun was going down, but by then Ashlee had given up the idea of leaving early.
'If you want you can take a bath', David said, 'and when you're finished we cook some spaghetti.'
'Sounds great.'
'What have you been talking about?', Ashlee asked when she joined David and Daniel on the sofa.
'Oh nothing', David replied. He did not want to lie to Ashlee but he and Daniel actually had a very personal conversation, which he did not want to share.
He had sat down next to Daniel and they had chatted for a few minutes, when Daniel suddenly said to him: 'I'm not stupid David'.
'Of course you're not. Why should I think that?'
'I must admit it has taken me a long time, you had already grown into a teenager, but there came a point when I understood that you were not my son and then I also understood that I was the only one in the family who didn't know that.'
'Dad,..'
'Shh. Look David, I only tell you because I want you to know that I never stopped seeing you as my son or liked you less. I'm not even angry with your real father. It wasn't easy for me to accept that your mother was unfaithful, but it happened such a long time ago and I can appreciate what Enrique has done for you.'
'Whatever it was, you look happy about it', Ashlee said and moved onto his lap.
'Yes, I am happy about it', David replied and although he wasn't looking at Daniel, he knew that it was meant for him.
'And what happens now?', David had asked him when he had finished his speech.
'Nothing. I say we just carry on like before.'
'Alright. I have always seen you as my father too. I see Enrique as my father as well, but there is no reason why I shouldn't have two of them.'
'Don't tell your mother that I know'.
'Okay, it only seems fair.'
At this point Ashlee came in. David continued to think about his conversation with Daniel for a few more minutes but then turned his attention to her.
Daniel decided that he was only disturbing these two and went into the kitchen to make a salad.
'So you really mean it? You want me to go to college with you?'
'Yes, we could leave in less than a week, if you don't have any objections. Of course it could be all different when we grow up, but I want to do everything to make it work. I would even switch my aspiration for you.'
'You don't have to do that. I love you the way you are, you don't have to change just to please me.'
'Ashlee, I love you so much.' David began kissing her and instead of cooking spaghetti they spent the rest of the evening in the living room.
'Okay. We see each other in a couple of days then', David said when it was time to say goodbye. 'Me and my Mom pick you up and we all go to college together.'
The next days David stayed at home learning. He and Ashlee only met in town once more because David wanted to give her a present.
'It's a mobile, although it is really too late for it. I always hated it when I only reached your answering machine.'
Then it was time to leave.
'You be a good boy', he said to Jerry. Like Louise he would have liked to take his dog with him and it annoyed him that you were not allowed to keep them on the campus, not even if you rented a house.
He had already said goodbye to Daniel and there was only one thing left to do. David was frightened that the experiment could go wrong, but he had thought about it for a long time and had made his decision. He wasn't only doing it for Ashlee (actually he appreciated it that she would take him the way he was), there were many other aspects that had entered into his reflections. His father, Enrique, turning away from his previous lifestyle and starting to live with Kaylynn, his aunt Gabriella doing the same. They had not found long term satisfaction in their life as romance sims and he was convinced that it would be the same for him. When he had grown into a teen, he had been suspicious of commitment, seeing that it wasn't always genuine and did not guarantee happiness. But over time he had learned that it did not stop two sims from trying and he felt that he was no different.
He turned the machine on and stuck his head in. He had wondered for some time what he should choose as his new aspiration. It was not easy to make this choice and it stopped many sims from using the ReNuYuSensu-Orb. David was ready for a complete turn and in the end he decided on family aspiration. Fear to be brainwashed was another reason why this device was not used very often and David felt that you needed to be honest with yourself to achieve the right state of mind. Love and relationships were still what was most important to him. When he thought about it, it occurred to him that family was only a variation of the theme and actually a less substantial change than other aspirations.
He did not feel any different when the reprogramming process was over. He went to bed and the next morning Mary-Sue drove him to college.
Daniel met him again downtown only a day after he had turned into a student. Enrique was in the shop as well and he could almost see the positive side of him being David's father. They were like two buddies sharing their pride for this boy.
David looked very happy and told them that he and Ashlee had immediately fallen in love again after they became adults.