Back at the Sims! After a loooong break doing other stuff, I’m back at the Sims, but Sims3 this time, not Sims Mobile. Sims3 is different, in that it has a character called Grim, and your Sims die… In Sims Mobile they just move out to an old people’s home, presumably… Sims3 moves very fast, it’s very busy, and very much based round family life. They have jobs, which affects their happiness and health, and it’s a lot more involved. Great fun though, and watching them move around brings stories up again.
I tried first person, past tense for a change. My first time ever, and it feels a little weird, but fun to do! This is the first one of the series, and involves Grim…
The start of it all
It all started that one hateful morning.
I had seemed such an ordinary Saturday morning. Everybody had been at home, even I didn’t have to go anywhere till much later that afternoon. We had all started the day early, we liked it that way. Wilbert had to start at the base so early in the week, we all got used to getting up at the same time as him, have breakfast together, squabble over bathroom space, and then our day would just enfold.
Even in weekends Wilbert was an early riser, and he liked his family around him. Not that he talked much, but he did love having us around, especially me. So that morning had been an ordinary morning. We had breakfast, I think Dad actually made us breakfast. The twins were still very young, and Samuel used to go off and paint straight after breakfast, and keep it up for hours. Sarah was a lot more complex. She didn’t really paint, didn’t play the guitar, and had as her Lifewish to be the top surgeon in the hospital. Or top doctor, I don’t know, something medical anyway. She tended to read a lot. She did enjoy working out with her twin brother though, but even then she got stressed in school easily.
Having the twins had been hard work. Of course I had eaten all the relevant fruits, read the best books, listened to that awful channel on tv, and had the stereo blaring away kids’ music. We had had to wait before we were granted permission. The Baby Planning Office takes its job very seriously, and my brother was still living with us when Wilbert and I finally got married. We had to wait to get married, as my brother’s wife wanted to have her first child before we did so. She obviously wanted to settle in as the oldest family unit; you know, the young couple with a baby, as opposed to just a young couple, and to share the Child Grant equally. They had their first boy, and we got married. The very next day she announced that she was expecting again, all glowing and smiling. We knew already, of course, our bedroom was next to the bathroom…
That meant that our Child Application was rejected, and there was no way we would be allowed to have a child. I was heartbroken, as well as furious, but Wilbert was always so calm and strong, he just saw me through that impossible time. Soon after Caleb, my brother, managed to persuade my parents to pay for a decent family home for him and his family. They did, of course they did. We have one of the healthiest bank accounts around, so why not? I didn’t even begrudge Caleb his apartment. I was just relieved, and rushed the application off as soon as he and his family left our large home. I was just desperate to have twins; after all, time moves so fast, and I was still young, Wilbert had a good income, and worked really hard. Having twins would mean less time off work for me too, so I could carry on my wonderful music career. I felt that twins would make up for lost time as well.
So I read, listened to kids’ stuff, and ate and ate… It paid off, as it always does, and we had Samuel and Sarah. I fell in love with them, even though many days I went a little stir crazy in the house, rushing around to make sure they had a very good upbringing. After all, only then does the Baby Planning Department allow you to choose traits for your children! We managed, Wilbert didn’t get involved too much, he just worked hard. My dad helped a lot, and so did Mum. Then Mum passed, but she had always been quiet, and in a way she made me nervous. You see, Mum had been a very successful musician in her time. She still worked for the Orchestra, and did well. I just moved on, relying on Dad to help out and do the garden. He and Mum were both very keen gardeners, and neither Wilbert or I could stand it! Dad just dug away, humming, and laughing.
Then little Joseph was born, and I loved him, even though I chafed a little at my time away from the Music centre. I hadn’t really been at work since I had the twins, and now I was off even longer. Wilbert just laughed and hugged me, encouraging me to play the guitar outside, in front of the house. I did, and it was lovely. Many people pass our house on their way to the pool, and they always stopped and listened to me playing. Time was sweet and happy, and so calm. Dad cooked a lot of the meals, he worked in the garden, and saw to the children. Life was just amazing in our huge family home, with my three sweet children, my smiling Dad, and the most wonderful husband in the world. Then the fateful day struck and I never even saw it coming.
Dad decided that he’d harvested enough to make it worth a trip to EverFresh Delights Supermarket to sell his produce. I smiled at that, knowing that Dad had a lot of good quality fruit and veg to sell. In a way, I knew that with three kids we were bound to end up paying for at least one family home… So Dad announced that he was going to the Supermarket in a bit, which was fine. He just sorted out little Joseph who had just aged up into an adorable little toddler. On a whim Dad decided to take Joseph with him, which was a bit odd, but as I had just started a painting to work towards my own Lifewish, I was glad that there would be no distraction whilst Dad was out.
Dad and Joseph went off, and I painted, greeted neighbours, hummed whilst choosing my colours… Suddenly I felt this panic, and I just knew something was wrong. I looked around, but Wilbert was working, the twins were busy doing their own things, all the neighbours seemed fine… I called out to Wilbert whilst sorting out my brushes, “I’m just popping over to the Supermarket!” I made it sound as if I needed some ingredients or something, but I just ran and ran all the way there.
I will never forget the sight. I was too late, well, almost too late. I could hear Joseph’s crying from the distance already and that odd roaring sound when Grim is at work. My heart sank, and my legs shook, but somehow I managed to stagger on. And there, in front of the supermarket sat my sweet little Joseph waving his fists and wailing like a banshee. I was just in time to see the last of my Dad fade at Grim’s feet, the people around crying and begging Grim… In fact, even Grim must have been moved, probably by the sight of my crying baby on the pavement, for he stayed on for a while. Of course, there was no arguing with Grim, I tried that, naturally. I picked my little Joseph up, and consoled him, but my heart was just in pieces. My poor Dad, I just realised how much I loved this quiet man, and Wilbert and I seemed so young and inexperienced! Now it was just us and our three young children rattling along in that large house.
That’s when it started.
I changed; everything changed. Wilbert was calm and patient with me, and just loved me to bits, but I changed. For starters, I found out that another baby was on its way, even though I didn’t tell anyone at work, I had only just gone back after having Joseph! Nobody really knew, as it was Wilbert’s birthday that same day, and there was all this cheering and clapping, and they all missed my quiet announcement. I knew time was starting to run out for us soon too. Wilbert had aged up into a mature adult, and I would follow in a few days. Before we knew it we would be elderly, like my Dad, and that horrible Grim would come with his heart stopping noise. So I threw caution to the wind, even though I still loved my career, and even though I had no idea how we would manage with so many little ones, but my brain had been re-wired it seemed. I just wanted… Well, that was exactly it, I just wanted, full stop.
Sophie was born, my little darling girl. I can’t even remember going back to work for more than a few days, because by the time Sophie was much older, Jonas was born. I told Wilbert that it really was a shame to have all that empty attic space, and he laughed and told me to get the builders in if I wanted… I did, they converted the attic space into a huge new room. It was very rudimentary, but it had a few beds and lights, so it worked. I bought quite a few things in fact, and discovered Retail Therapy. Not that it healed much, but Wilbert just laughed and shrugged, and his hugs did really help.
That was how it started, and after baby Andy was born I was too busy and tired to think much. I just didn’t want to think either. So I painted and played my guitar, and thought of things to buy for our home. And I never ever tried to think of that hateful day. Not ever!