02. First Day
You know that first morning feeling of opening your eyes, not having a clue where you are. I just lay there, staring at the clear sky growing gradually lighter, wondering where on earth I was. For a moment I thought I was back in Sunset Valley, sleeping outside after staying up too late chatting with friends. The quietness of the place dispelled that thought before it was even formed properly, and with it died my growing smile. I remembered the insane challenge I had taken on, and the mistake I had made of building a tiny room on my huge plot, rather than use my money to buy myself a decent bed…
I sat up, groaning, feeling my stomach protesting at the treatment it was getting. So I went over to the supermarket to buy more lettuce, as it was the only thing I could afford. I’m sure I can feel my teeth and ears grow from eating so much rabbit food… I missed my mum’s cooking, the smells coming from the kitchen, and just the ease of going up to the huge fridge and help yourself to great quality food at random…
Next stop was the Library again, where I decided to Work from Home, to earn a bit of money as well as aim for a swift promotion… I had no idea where I was going to learn to play the guitar, but hopefully the theatre would have somewhere to practice, I thought. I worked as fast as I could for a while, then worked a bit more on my book. After all, in order to be a successful author I had to publish enough books in my short lifespan! The stress was building up though, just sitting inside a stuffy library banging away on a computer would have that effect on anyone! It wasn’t just the computers, it was the other people in the library as well, making noises and moaning when somebody else was using the toilets. Two people were chatting just behind me, and I felt my stress levels rising with their every word.
I went to the gym, worked off the stress, and before I knew it the car came to take me to work. I was excited, my first day at work! I had no idea what to expect. I worked hard for a while, but sleeping on a park bench doesn’t leave you with very much energy, so I focussed on meeting the other musicians. Some seemed really nice and friendly but some were there just for the music. They hardly said anything to me at all, although that could have been because of my background I suppose. After all, I wouldn’t be too keen on someone sleeping rough in my orchestra.
You know, it made me look at life differently. I was so used to having a home to go back to, food on the table and plenty of family members around me, that it was hard to think of other people. Now that I was poor, and alone I realised how spoiled I really was! I had been the only one in the park last night, and I hadn’t seen any other homeless Sims, so I knew my situation was unique. There must be other poor Sims though, living in small houses without proper food. I saw how little I knew about life and its struggles, and I wasn’t too sure how much more I wanted to learn about that.
That day I got paid for my work as well as the book I had worked on. My overtime at the library paid off as well, so as soon as I finished work I went and bought myself a bed! It was the cheapest one I could find, but I thought it looked alright. I was exhausted, unhappy, hungry and I even wondered if I would make it back to my house. The bed looked better than any bed I had seen, so I placed it in my one room dwelling, pleased as anything. It was a promise of good things to come, an affirmation that I could do this, and that bit by bit I would work my way back up out of poverty. My hard work would see me through, and I stayed happy all evening, whilst I pushed the short sim lives to the back of my mind. Grim doesn’t give you much time, not even in Riverview, I knew that. I had a very hard Lifewish, thanks to Master Kraken, and I had no idea how I was going to fulfil my Lifewish before Grim appeared with his heart stopping noise. I just wanted to think everything was going to be alright. After all, I managed to buy a bed already, and I had only been here one day, so I had this legacy challenge sussed out no doubt.
I planned to rise early, water my two lettuce plants, then set off to the library to work until I couldn’t possibly do anymore. At that point I would go to the gym, work off my stress and shower, then maybe have a quick nap on a bench somewhere before heading to work. I could see the days ahead in my mind. Long, busy days with money flooding in, and my one room house growing and expanding. Of course, I wasn’t expecting it to be easy, but for the time I had been here I felt I was doing well.
That was because I didn’t realise that not all beds are equal. In the morning everything ached, and I kept longing for my park bench that seemed to have been more comfortable than this bed that I had sacrificed my precious simoleans on! I felt my mood sink lower and ever further into the red, wondering again and again whether I should travel to another area, and start all over again. I had made mistakes, and I wasn’t sure that there was any space for mistakes in the Legacy Challenge. How I wished I had never set off! I was sore, hungry, dirty and miserable, and looked at my situation more realistically as well. I knew I couldn’t afford a better bed, or proper food. My books came along slowly, work was tiring and stressful…What had I done? Why had I felt the need to prove myself?