Choices
The wedding went through, of course. “I’m so happy,” a grinning Ralph gushes, staring at Anselma with shining eyes. “This is definitely the happiest day of my life, and I feel so richly blessed! To think that I married the most beautiful woman in SiMobile!” Anselma nods, her eyes shining too, but hers are wet with unshed tears. Not the happy variety either, as this day definitely doesn’t fit her idea of the happiest day ever! In fact, the day would probably come in the category of Worst Days Ever. She hasn’t the heart to say that, of course, so she manages to pull her face in a smile. Ralph just sighs with sheer happiness, and after giving her another squeeze, walks over to some of the guests to thank them for coming.
“I just can’t believe it,” Anselma mumbles, feeling that the struggle against her tears might be lost any moment. “What will my friends say? How am I going to photoshop all my wedding photographs for those fans following my vlogs?” She looks around, smoothing her sweaty hands over her dress. “At least I can do some reports on the standard SiMobile wedding dress, that will help others too. Then at least everyone has an idea what to buy if they want different personal pictures, rather than the standard issue dress.” She relaxes a little, her mind busy with the few options for blogs and vlogs this might bring. “I could use the webcam, although it does break rather easily,” she mumbles, checking the dress in various lights and angles. This cheers her up, and she even manages to accept people’s congratulations without breaking down. Some of her friends seem rather puzzled over her choice of husband, which confirms to Anselma that she’s really trapped. She knows it’s actually not a big deal, but still, for a beauty queen like her surely she should feel it’s important to have a very handsome spouse?
Life soon settles down, and Ralph blossoms. He spends a lot of time cooking, with a grace and flair that surprises Anselma. Her vlogs are attracting more and more followers, in spite of the odd snide comment about some of her pictures… Soon she realises that Ralph hasn’t damaged her career, and she relaxes a little. Until Ralph suggests that they fill the bassinet… He spotted it in the main bedroom, and that evening he suggests it’s their turn. “You know Keziah and Nicholas have just met, and their courtship is going very well. Soon they will be married, and as Nicholas has to move in, coming from another well known family, they might want to start a family sooner rather than later…” He looks at Anselma, his huge mouth grinning, so she quickly looks at his beautiful eyes, suppressing a shudder. She takes a deep breath, clutching her sides, wrapping her arm round herself. Filling the bassinet? What if they find themselves with a houseful of little Ralphs? “We might have a little girl,” he continues, oblivious to her distress, “one as beautiful as her mother,” he laughs, looking pleased and excited. So the bassinet is filled, and a little boy is born, Roald. Anselma leans over the bassinet a lot that day.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispers, gratitude flooding her, cracking her voice. “Let’s hope he stays that way too, but at least he hasn’t got an odd shaped face…or gigantic ears, or…” she stops, feeling bad even whispering these things. She glances over her shoulder, but the room is empty, fortunately. “I’m glad it’s a son, though, and it does warm my heart to see Ralph so ecstatic! Having a new baby gives me a new fashion thread as well,” she smiles at Roald, tugs his bedclothes straight, and hurries back to her computer. Nicholas and Keziah will be here soon, ready for their reception. She can feel the little jealousy dragon flicker its tongue in her heart, seeing those two together… Nicholas is so handsome, probably helped by his Italian background, with a wonderful name, Ferraro…Such an improvement on Snowdon, she sighs. She just hopes that the little baby in the bassinet will do her proud, so that at last she has more options for family pictures!
Nicholas moves in, and as soon as Roald is a toddler, Keziah and Nicholas retreat to the large bedroom, and soon their baby Alonzo is sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. Roald is a sweet looking toddler, and Anselma feels herself relaxing, watching her little boy with anxious eyes. She is relieved though when he doesn’t show much in common with Ralph, even though his father is very fond of the boy. He spends a lot of time with Roald. “He is such a handsome little boy,” he says to Anselma, pride filling his rich voice. “Have you seen the way he walks, so certain of himself! He’s an absolute delight,” and his eyes drift towards the door to the large bedroom. “I wonder when Alonzo will be walking,” he says, an odd smile twisting his fleshy lips, making his ugly face even more out of shape than usual. Anselma swallows the panicky feeling she can feel deep down, as she still remembers her anxiety during the baby stage… They have a sweet, handsome son, should they really risk having another child?
Of course, Ralph prevails, and soon Ramon is born. Anselma cringes a tiny bit when saying her sons’ names, as they sound too modern and not stylish enough by half. “I mean, names are important, I did like Ralph, but that was before…” she explains to a friend over coffee at the café. “You see, I feel names say a lot about a person, their background, that sort of thing. Like Alonzo, Nicholas has an Italian background, so they chose a name to reflect that. They’re hoping for a girl, really, but Alonzo is really sweet.” She looks out of the large window, watching people walking round the park. She sighs, knowing that feeling jealous is definitely unhealthy. Every fashionista knows that your thoughts will have an effect on your face, and bitter, harmful thoughts definitely leave a bitter, ugly trace on your face… Subconsciously she rubs a hand over her face, as if double checking that her face hasn’t been ravaged by her envy. Alonzo is a name she likes a lot, he is very cute, and Keziah and Nicholas make a lovely couple. Her vlog, on the other hand, will never display her husband, and her sons are quite cute and handsome, for now at least, but somehow saying Roald and Ramon makes her vlog sound cheap and common. She sighs, feeling down and lonely. Her friend giggles, breaking through her morose thoughts.
“You look tired, why not go to the party tonight? You know it’s held at the Knight’s house? Their parties are amazing, if only for their four pools! Four! Imagine that, and the rest of the house is beautiful as well. You do realises that they’re a bit hush hush most of the time, although they cover it well? Just don’t ask too many awkward questions, and definitely keep them out of your vlogs, blogs and whatnots!” They both laugh, Anselma feeling a tiny thrill. The Knights! Some of her ancestors were Knights, and the whole mysterious aura around them is delicious in itself! Maybe she will manage to unearth something? She could always blog about it with made up characters? “Just don’t be too late, you know how SiMobile government disrupts most parties nowadays? The worst one is when they won’t allow you to let people know about your party, that’s just awful! The invites just never arrive, all party activities are hidden, and it’s impossible to attend most of the time! Some people have actually moved because of it, setting up in another town altogether!” Anselma had heard about party issues, and how most parties only seemed to last a short time. Somehow she hadn’t really thought about it, as she was relieved when their parties ended! Last time, just before the party was stopped, somebody had pointed at Ralph, and asked her in a whisper where on earth that guy came from… She had blushed, coughed, and escaped…
A party at a beautiful, stylish home is just the remedy, Anselma decides soon after arriving at the Knight’s abode. She smiles at people, a real, genuine smile this time, feeling free without anything to hide. She’s just a beautiful woman, mother of two sweet boys, with a caring husband, who isn’t here to show her up… She tries out the hot tub, giggling, “I haven’t been in one of those before, it’s so relaxing! Maybe I should do it more often, and then do a vlog about it, as it must be good for you,” she sighs with contentment, leaning back in the warm water. Some friend introduces her to Alex Knight, a tall, smiling, polite man. She can’t remember who introduced them, she has just eyes for Alex. “Why didn’t I get married off to a Knight,” she groans, “they are so handsome and tall. I know I have ancestors not too far down the line from the Knight family, but even so…” She feels sad and somehow finds herself spending quite a bit of time with Alex that evening. Alex is a real gentleman, polite and kind. Not once does he hint that she’s making a nuisance of herself, but entertains her with a kind smile. Anselma comes home with lots of happy stories. Ralph smiles and listens, his kind eyes never leaving her glowing face. If he is worried about the frequent mentions of Alex Knight, he doesn’t show it.
The next few days Anselma manages to contact Alex a few times. She has his SimMail address, and they even meet up for a coffee. Meeting Alex in her home would be very awkward, so they have a coffee at the café. Will, the waiter, is there as well, of course, his dark eyes taking in everything and everyone. He has a good memory and actually has the audacity to enquire after the other man she was with, the one with the large ears… “You mean my husband?” she asks, rather shocked. She glares at Will, who smiles, and winks at her! She gasps a little, honestly, who does he think he is! Then she giggles a little, for it’s a while since a man has made her blush. Alex is happy to chat, discussing various friends from SiMobile that they both know through parties. They talk about the awful way the government is clamping down on parties, driving people away from SiMobile, in order to meet more friends. The hour in the café is over before Anselma realises, and she has work waiting for her at home; so has Alex, who had explained that some of the work is a cover more than anything else. “I understand,” she had laughed, “if you tell me more, you’d have to kill me, and that would be unheard of in SiMobile!” They both laughed, then get up to go. Anselma wonders how to ask Alex to meet up again, but just as she thinks she has found a good way to ask, he dashes her hopes.
“It was nice meeting you, Anselma, but let’s leave it at that, shall we?” He smiles at her, still kind and polite, “I did enjoy the coffee, but we Knights make it a point to not get involved with anybody. So, yes, thanks for the nice time, and goodbye.” They shake hands, Anselma smiling, and assuring him that she’s really enjoyed it, making sure she mentions her husband and sons a few times, to show that there never had been any shady intentions on her part…! Once Alex has gone she does a quick walk round the park, then decides to grab a coffee to go before going home to update her blog. Will serves her, a cheeky grin on his face. When he hands her the latte, he leans over and says quietly, “As you come here with others for coffee, how about having one with me?” He waggles his eyebrow at her, a grey eyebrow, as he is definitely an elder. Anselma just manages to swallow the sharp retort, when she realises that he is actually still quite handsome. He is funny and flirty too, and she does feel bad for the older NPC’s, as they don’t often get to retire either. So she agrees, and a date is set.
The date with Will is a swirl, leaving Anselm breathless with laughter. His jokes are sometimes a little off, but she likes the naughty feeling it gives. “Ralph is always so serious, I’m only young once!” she whispers when she washes her hands, looking at her flushed cheeks in the little mirror. Anselma does feel twinges of guilt, but Will’s attentions and clear interest in her flatters her, and makes her forget everything. After all, it’s just a bit of fun, isn’t it? The date at the café leads to another date, and the two of them become quite close. Anselma feels uncomfortable, especially when she’s at home, watching the two boys, seeing Ralph’s steady walk around the kitchen, his grey eyes warm and alight whenever he sees her. “He trusts me completely,” she whispers in dismay, “not once will he think it strange that I go out, nothing in him makes him wonder what I do when he’s not there.” The whole thing is starting to feel wrong, and she wants to explain to Will. That’s not as easy as it seems though.
“What do you mean? You can’t just walk away now, and pretend we never met!” Will’s eyes flash with anger. “I’m an old NPC, you know that, and you are my one chance to have a full bassinet. At least give me that, so I have something to leave behind if I ever get to retire,” he pleads, his dark eyes calculating, unblinking. Anselma sighs, fill a bassinet with Will? No chance! Will pleads and explains, and when she still doesn’t give in, he threatens. “That business you’re always on about? I’m good with computers too. Easy enough to hack the stuff, and let all your followers know what you’ve been up to… that ugly husband of yours too…” he adds, sneering at her, laughing his horrid laugh. Anselma realises that she is trapped. Honesty would be the best policy, but shame keeps her stuck in bad decisions. “Just one baby, that’s all I want, I promise to stay out of your life,” he whispers, dark eyes gleaming like a snake’s, knowing the battle is won. Too late Anselma realises that Will meant the Mortina bassinet… Will just laughs at her tears, and soon the bassinet has another sleeping baby in it.
Ralph looks a little surprised, and assumes the baby is Nicholas and Keziah’s baby, and they assume the little boy belongs to Anselma and Ralph. Anselma finally realises how much she actually loves this large, sweet man, and is heartbroken over her betrayal. She sees now that she has moved past his face and lumbering figure, and learned to love his heart and his kindness. Now she has thrown it all away, just for a bit of fun. How could she? How could any Mortina break the most sacred bond in SiMobile? Granted, there are many loose relationships in SiMobile, but never in the Mortina Line. She cries bitter tears, and that’s how Ralph finds her. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his deep rumbling voice surprised, “I didn’t realise you were so desperate to have another baby too, so once theirs has become a toddler we could fill the bassinet, you know,” he smiles gently, thinking she is jealous. Anselma breaks down, and blurts out the ugly truth in heart wrenching sobs, wailing her regrets and remorse. Ralph is stunned. His beautiful wife has betrayed him? For an old NPC? He sits down, all strength drained from him. “What…what did you call the baby?” he whispers hoarsely in the end.
“Zachariah,” Anselma sobs, “meaning the Lord has remembered.” Silence reigns for a while, only Anselma’s sobs can be heard. “I’m so very, very sorry Ralph, and if you wish to return to your parents, I will totally understand,” she whispers, wondering how she will explain his absence to her family, and to Roald and Ramon… Ralph shakes his head, and goes to her, taking her in his arms.
“No,” he whispers, “no, I won’t go. You see, I know our marriage was very much one sided, and I can’t blame you. I think you’re wrong to judge people based on their looks, but I have my own faults too. I think this little baby is a reminder for you, but also for me. Your attitude to me hurt, you see. It hurt an awful lot, and I have been so incredibly lonely. In it all I trusted the Lord, though, and leaned on Him. I have found that in it all He was enough. This little baby has the right name, for it reminded you of what is important in life; and the name you chose is a reminder from God to me, that He has been with me all this time. Zachariah, yes, Jehovah has remembered me, and vindicated me as well, I think.” Ralph hugs her, kisses her head. Anselma just cries and cries, feeling ashamed of her terrible treatment of this man, this solid man. How she hurt him, and how sad he must have been to see her looking down on him, just because of his looks…
When she has calmed down they go to look at little Zachariah, walking to his bassinet hand in hand, one comforted, one taught, both wiser and kinder. Both remembered, with a sweet little boy as a daily reminder.