Moving Around
Solveig comes into the house, her usual red cheeks brighter than ever. “The Gems are here! Oh, I can’t believe it! They were in time as usual, which is great. With the complex arrangements for the Active Papers to be handed out in order, I’m not sure what we would have done if the Gem had been late!” SiMobile Government isn’t known for its punctuality, but this time the Gems arrived in time. Solveig and Anselma do a rather wild dance, Anselma’s long dark hair neatly braided. Her large eyes sparkle, for now things will start rolling! She feels ready to burst with excitement, and finds it a little hard to look at Solveig and Bjorn. Both of them are filling in their Promotion Papers, and Solveig keeps a very close eye on the mailbox, hoping that the party invite will come soon…
Zahra and Michael fill in their retirement papers, Zahra looking a little anxious. When Tessa asks her, she admits that her main worry is that this short Active time in SiMobile hadn’t been enough. “I just don’t know,” she had said, a sad undertone to her voice, “I feel that my time had just been so short. When I look back, what have I actually accomplished? Of course, hobbies had been completed, job promotions had been received. Somehow that feels so empty though, and I feel so many regrets… There are so many Sims aimlessly walking along the streets, and some of them so young! They look like Active Sims, but they seem so lonely and clueless. I should have spent a lot more time with others, I realise that now. Michael said that when we’re retire we’ll still be able to talk to people. I hope so, as I feel I want to spend my last days amongst people, befriending them, helping them, giving advise like about careers or hobbies, mentoring people in the family…” She had looked dreamy then, and a little sad. Tessa’s eyes had looked like large pools on a cloudy day, filled to overflowing, and her lips had trembled in sympathy. Tessa and Erik were staying Active a bit longer, but she was dreading the day already! What if she really needed something? She couldn’t actively ask somebody…
Bjorn and Solveig were elated when their papers arrived. Both got Llama Flu, but just the Weebles Strain, and they had laughed it off soon enough. Solveig was the one that spotted the invite of course! The day of the party arrived, and both went off in high spirits. Anselma felt a bit lost that day, and she actually hinted at the unfairness of life to Keziah. Keziah just smiled at her and with her sweet voice said, “Oh, our time will come soon enough! Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere, and it’s actually quite relaxed to just hang around the house, getting to know people… Once we’re Active, we’ll be working and doing stuff all the time… The thing that worries me the most is having to work when the baby is still small, you know, it just feels a bit sad…” Anselma had smiled back, and agreed with Keziah of course, but inside she had thought Keziah was soft like Tessa…
“She should have had my mum, really,” she had grunted later, “I like Aunt Zahra, she is so pretty, and no nonsense, apart from the stuff lately about making a difference in SiMobile… She’s great fun though! Now, let’s find an empty bathroom, I just want to redo that one braid.” Anselma is often found in the bathrooms, chatting, or checking herself in the mirror, wondering if she will have to wait long for her Promotion opportunity. “The best thing about it is the fact that I can actually choose my own outfit,” she sighs, stroking her top smooth, checking its colour, and wondering which colour would suit her dark hair, grey eyes and slight tan the best. She would love some of those cropped tops, but she knows that there isn’t much chance of getting the family approval…
Soon Bjorn and Solveig return from the party. Bjorn is grinning, a special gleam in his eyes, and the name ‘Nadia’ is often mentioned. Solveig smiled, and says that Damian looks sweet, and then the days begin to fly by. Bjorn is gone for hours on end, hardly spending any time with the family. Anselma makes sure to hang around when he comes home, just in case he has met Ralph. She is desperate to know what he’s like, and she hangs on Bjorn and Solveig’s every word. Soon Bjorn and his sweet Nadia are married, sending pictures home of their sweet wedding. Anselma sighs as Bjorn leaves, partly with relief that she is one step closer to her own Active Papers to arrive, partly because the wait seems forever. Keziah’s eyes sparkle as she fills in her papers. She is still hoping to meet Nicholas somehow. Bjorn leaves in a whirlwind of emotions, leaving Tessa in tears, Erik grinning proudly, Solveig bursting with excitement as Erik will be calling her over a lot now, and Keziah will a sweet smile now her own papers have arrived.
It’s Solveig’s turn to be gone a lot now, and again Anselma hangs around every evening when Solveig returns. She feels the jealousy growing, as Solveig is full of wonderful stories of the stuff she and Bjorn discussed. Anselma loves her younger brother, and misses him, and to hear Solveig’s accounts…well, it grates on her! How she wished it was her turn instead, as she feels it should have been anyway, being older than Solveig and all that. She does value the Dynasty of course, and she does realise it’s an honour to be chosen to carry on the Dynasty It’s just…it’s losing her brother, and missing his fun and cheerful voice! It’s hearing and seeing Solveig get closer to him every day… Solveig hasn’t mentioned Damian very much, or given a very good description yet. She is obviously concentrating on her friendship with Bjorn, for that needs to be at the right level for her to apply for the Moving Permit. The fact that she is Bjorn’s sister doesn’t make any difference to the application. All the SiMobile Government wants to see is that you have one of the highest levels of relationship possible with somebody before allowing you to move in.
When the day finally arrives, and Solveig comes home, they all celebrate, apart from maybe Tessa. She is relieved to see two of her children married or getting married to other Sims, and therefore setting up new homes, building new families. The idea that she won’t see them again, or at least hardly ever see them again, makes her very sad. Anselma feels like rolling her eyes; honestly, she really doesn’t get her mum sometimes… Here she is, with four children, two married to other Sims, and one taking over the Dynasty, and she still weeps and wails! She watches Solveig fill out the papers, and actually feels sadness deep inside as well. Solveig was her little baby sister, and she had watched her take her first staggering steps after the blue cake had appeared. Now she’s off and they will both be busy soon. Until Anselma is allowed her Active papers she won’t even be able to call Solveig! She sighs, and wishes again for the Government to allow more people to be active. At least let us have different outfits, so even if it’s Mum choosing an outfit, I will have some input at least. She pulls a face, thinking about some of her parents’ friends whose kids grew up into dreadful looking adults. Potbellies, camo shorts, plain t-shirts… Anselma shudders, fancy some of those styles, she’s be mortified if hat had happened to her! She would definitely have protested strongly at the Family Meeting in that case, as she would just refuse to walk around in that sort of getup for longer than necessary…!
Anselma’s papers arrive, and she’s off! New outfits are tried, makeup styles are tested, jewellery comes out… Anselma loves it, and finds it hard to be with Keziah! The sad news had come that Nicholas and his sister would definitely not receive their Active papers till almost the new Gems arrive! Keziah was heartbroken, and nothing would console her. Of course, she refused all offers of new traits, as the worst thing would be to look like an old spinster, she had said. Anselma had rolled her eyes, as the traits only become an issue once you accept the last one, but Keziah had been adamant… So she is not interested in Anselma’s new outfit and keeps her own style simple. Anselma sighs, and for the umpteenth time thinks that really, Tessa should have been Keziah’s mum! Anselma is a bit hurt though, for she feels that Keziah could make the effort! After all, it’s just a short wait, and the date for the party has been set. Nathalie, Nicholas’ sister will be throwing the party. Keziah seems to cheer up a little whenever the party is mentioned, but apart from that she’s very upset. She has been Active for a while now, and the waiting has become unbearable, which Anselma thinks is a little melodramatic.. “Nothing really changes,” she explains, “you still need to work and have a hobby, the relationship is done in between all that.” Keziah promptly bursts into tears, and leaves the room, complaining bitterly about Anselma’s lack of understanding.
Anselma heard that she would have to wait as well. The family isn’t quite sure how the arrangement with Ralph will play out. Her parents have met him, and said he was a wonderful young man; kind and helpful, polite and sweet, they said. They wouldn’t describe him though, and Tessa pointed out that Anselma was far too obsessed with the outside, and people’s looks. “Looks isn’t everything, it’s the heart that’s important. It is time that you grow up, Anselma, and realise that the most beautiful looking people can have the blackest hearts. The other way round is true as well, that the most common looking people, and the plainest looking people can have hearts of gold. This is a time for you to grow, and to learn to focus on what is really important in relationships, before you get to meet Ralph.”
From that vehement statement Anselma came to the conclusion that Ralph was very good looking, and that as far as her parents were concerned that was the only problem about him. They thought she, Anselma, was vain and shallow, and they feared that an incredibly handsome husband would feed into those ideas and ideals. She grins to herself that evening, looking into the starshaped mirror in the golden bathroom. “Oh hi, Mr Handsome, you must be Ralph… I know a great man when I see one…” Mmmm, as pick up line it would be way too cheesy, but the dream was sweet enough, she smiles, eyes in her mind feasting on the well build, handsome young man, with smoky, smouldering eyes, “Whatever that looks like, it just sounds so poetical… I can just see his muscular arms, his strong chin, and his slow grin, as he drawls back his answer, complimenting me, seizing me up, and…” Anselma has to hug herself, and wishes almost as strongly as Keziah that the party was here. She even starts to feel a tiny twinge of sympathy for her cousin, for this waiting game is really awful.
Life is exciting though, and Anselma fills her days with the Internet Hobby. She absolutely loves it, and whenever she is at a party she asks people for their contact details. In between some more important internet stuff she messages them, and chats with them. Some of the young men are truly very handsome, and Anselma longs for their own party, where she will be standing next to her husband, pointing him out to her friends, watching their envious looks when she stands that little bit closer to him…
Anselma loves parties, especially the big ones, with all the family friends; so when the day comes when there are no large parties she goes to somebody she has never met before, and her parents are very vague about it. Her father remembered adding the party goers to his list; they were friends of friends he remembers, but that is all he knows. Anselma is the one to go, and soon after her arrival has been announced she hears a calm, steady, smiling kind of voice saying her name, double checking that her name is really Anselma Mortina? She turns round, blushing, the blush turning into a painful scarlet as the young man before her introduces himself as Ralph Snowdon.