Samuel
Who knew that one little boy could make such a difference to a person. Victoria Mortina stands in the doorway to the blue bedroom, staring at the little bassinet. The same bassinet that has sheltered and housed every single Mortina baby; ever since Danielle and Ricardo Mortina started their family. In the bassinet, fast asleep, his ginger hair reflecting the light, tiny balled fists next to chubby cheeks, is the ninth generation of Mortinas. Her son, her precious little Gift, Samuel. Or rather, Samuel Vince Mortina, for he isn’t just any baby. He is the Mortina who will carry on the fight for Justice.
Victoria blushes a little. It’s not only every day life that has changed, with the feeding and changing and all the rest of the Bundle of Joy activities needed to make sure that Samuel will get a three star Good Upbringing trait. That is a priority at the moment, of course, and even though he is just a tiny baby, he has got one star already; Chris and Victoria have made sure of that! No, it’s not just the daily care for Samuel that has changed, she has changed too.
Chris used to bore her silly with his endless rants about Injustice, and Destiny, and all his self importance, and his victim stance, his constant fussing about being misunderstood by the whole of Sims Mobile, and how difficult his life was. Now she finds herself remembering more and more of his endless litanies. Looking at the tiny Samuel, she can feel some of the excitement that Guinevere must have felt, looking at Little Chris. “No wonder she always called him ‘Little Chris’ even though he is by no means the smallest Mortina,” Victoria smiles.
Yes, she actually smiles about it now, whereas only a year ago it used to make her cringe. In the end it got so bad that Victoria just had to leave the room whenever Guinevere started off on one of her ‘Little Chris’ stories. It just made her so mad, the endless stories about all Chris’ doings, and the way he was talked about, as if he was going to save the Mortina race, at least the race belonging to ancestor Chris… Now she finds herself daydreaming, seeing Chris and Samuel standing up for justice together. Maybe they will lead a petition at the Court..mmmm, not so heroic, you just fill in some forms. With Victoria actually working there they don’t even need to go to the civic centre, she can just take it in to work with her.
Well, maybe they can do a protest in the market square? Not very many important people passing through, she objects, and it would look a little silly, just standing there. On the other hand, both of them have just received their last trait. Little worry lines appear, whilst she carefully straightens Samuel’s blanket. Having all their traits will mean retirement soon after Samuel grows up, no doubt. Of course, they can delay their retirement for a while, but then that would prevent Samuel from fulfilling his…his destiny, I suppose, she realises with a shock.
“Oh dear,” she whispers, sitting down on top of the blue bedspread, “oh dear, I’m starting to sound like Chris…and his Mum! Am I going to be as obsessive as them? Will I be nagging my little Samuel with Destiny, Justice and Restoring the Line, like Guinevere did to Chris? Oh Lord, please protect me and him from doing that! How awful if I put the same kind of pressure on Samuel!”
It was a busy time for Victoria. Many of her friends that she had grown up with were all taking retirement. She felt sad, and a bit lost, knowing that she wouldn’t see their familiar faces around anymore. Even some of her relatives are retiring, and she stand on the doorstep, watching them walk off, out of her life, and feels her stomach getting heaver and heavier. “Bye David, bye Alex,” she whispers, swallowing tears and with the tears the funny squashed feeling in her throat. “What will I do at parties without you guys there to have a chat? It will be so strange! Who do I talk to?”
Well, that is nonsense of course, she recovers herself, tugging at her bright green top, a reminder to be strong, to stand for what is right. “You have been to lots of parties,” she reminds herself in her sternest voice, “and you always find somebody to chat to. You have even been to parties where you didn’t really know anybody. Remember the last one you went to, Taylor Mason’s party! It was great, so many art lovers there…” It had been a great party, one that Victoria had never been to before, but Taylor was going to retire soon, and wanted to have one more party, so Victoria went, and had a great time. It did lead to words with Chris when she came back, and described the children’s bedroom at Taylor’s house. Chris was not amused, and felt that she was trying to make him feel bad for not having built a special room as big and bight as the one at her friend’s house!
David and Alex had told her about some of the others ready to retire; the one that stunned her the most being Sierra! Sierra Chisholm, retiring? Who had ever dreamt that would be possible! So when Sierra pops in for a moment, obviously on her way to something, she isn’t as shocked as Sierra was clearly hoping she was going to be.
“Well, you won’t be retiring yet, not with a baby,” says Sierra, lifting one eyebrow in her well known manner, “I can’t imagine Chris wanting anymore kids now he has got someone to carry on his world saving mission… Mind you, having an only child with such lofty ideals set before him is bound to turn it into a spoiled brat. You’ll probably be quite relieved you’ll only have the one child to deal with. Less damage…”
Victoria had gone very red and could feel herself starting to shake with anger and hurt, but Sierra had flounced off, waving over her shoulder, “Must be off, lots to do before I take life a bit easier…” Victoria was left standing on the doorstep, hot and bothered, too angry to speak. Of all the cheek…! She soon gets over her anger though, as holding tiny Samuel in her arms melts her heart, and makes her forget the whole of Sims World! She loves to sing to him, and watch his little face light up when she makes cooing noises. He is such a beautiful baby, so lively and has such bright eyes, that by the time the birthday cake appears, Victoria is convinced that Samuel is special.
“You see,” she explains to Chris, “I do worry about putting pressure on him, especially when he is so small, like your mum did to you. I’m not talking about that, but I do think that he is a very special child. The way he looks, and the speed with which he reacts to everything, I think that’s amazing. I am convinced that he is really going to make a difference in Sims Mobile.”
Chris couldn’t have been happier. All his life he had been prepped to make a difference, to Restore justice, to…to fix the Mortina Family Line. With his little son, it looked like he had done just that! He felt the sense of relief as well, relief that it wasn’t actually something he still had to accomplish, but rather, he had done it already! He felt happier than ever, and was beginning to feel that tiny spark of job satisfaction that comes from a task completed. He leaned back, watches Victoria hold his baby son, and a warm, tingling feeling starts at his feet, and works through his body, till it culminates in a beaming smile.
“I’ve done it, Mum, I’ve done it,” he whispers, “I’m not a failure, I haven’t let you down, nor Ancestor Chris for that matter… I have provided Sims Mobile with a son. My beautiful Vince, well, Samuel Vince, will Restore Justice. Not just for Ancestor Chris, but also for Ancestor Vincent, the one that…well, the tragic one…” Of course, Samuel was still tiny, but children grow up with the speed of lightning in Sims Mobile it seems, and birthday icons appear out of nowhere before you know it!
Samuel grows up, of course, Victoria knew it would happen sooner rather than later. He is a cute little boy, and she loves to watch him. “Don’t you think he really looks different in that top?” she asks Tabitha one day. Tabitha looks at her strangely and then averts her eyes quickly.
“No, I don’t,” she says softly, after a very awkward moment, “he looks just like any other Mortina boy I have seen in this family, whether it is this generation, our generation, or any generation. They all looked like little Samuel. I know to you he is special, you’re his mother, but don’t go down the line of worshipping him, and spoiling him.”
Victoria blushes violently at these words, and has to look away, horror written all over her face, shock widening her eyes. Spoiling him? She hears Sierra’s voice again, when she came to say goodbye, assuring her that her darling Samuel would grow up into a spoiled brat…! That mustn’t happen, and she is sure that it can’t happen. Samuel is such a smart little boy, and so handsome already…
It niggles away at Victoria though, and she decides to watch out for any signs that Samuel is being spoiled. She spends the rest of the day not just feeding and playing with Samuel, but also looking for any signs that he is becoming a spoiled little boy. That evening she talks about it with Chris, as she is starting to get a little concerned, now that she has observed Samuel a bit closer, but feels that as Samuel’s mother she might not be the best person to recognise the signs. She looks at Chris, a little unsure how to bring this up, without upsetting him.
“I watched Samuel today,” she begins, twisting her fingers, then realises she is wearing her favourite green top, which is showing signs of too much usage, and takes a deep breath, drawing in strength as well as air. “I watched him react to things he dislikes, and really, he went nuts! Do you think we should be concerned? He is really very demanding, you know, and he has such a temper….”
Victoria stops, as she can see Chris’ matching temper rising too. “Well, what did you expect?” he says, his voice already on edge, “He has a Destiny in life, you know, there is a Mission ahead. He’s not just any sort of kid, who can just wander through life, collecting his handful of traits, getting level ten in careers and hobbies, and then just pass into retirement, never to be heard of again! My son, our son, well, he is Special, he…he needs all the strength of character he can grow, and he will need sheer determination, stamina and will power to undo a Grave Injustice…” Chris stops, out of breath, glaring at Victoria, daring her to disagree, to belittle his son or his calling in life.
Victoria sighs to herself, but smiles at Chris, putting her hand on his arm, calming him, reassuring him, and says soothingly, “Of course I know all that, but you see, my family were heroes too, in fact, I helped out with various missions,” she plucks at her bright green top with her free hand, smiling at the distant memories now, “but we were always told that being strong is not the same thing as being pushy. It is easy to be forceful, to hit people over the head with a big stick, but it’s a different matter altogether to have strength of character. That is what makes a hero.”
“There is a Bible verse that says, ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit is better than he takes a city’ so I know it’s important to have self control, and I do believe that it is important that Samuel learns that. I know he is a darling little boy, and I do agree that he is very, very special, but if he grows up without strength of character, he will bring heartache and harm to the Mortina Line, rather than restore the Line. I know he has the makings of a great man, a great warrior for justice, but if his temper is untamed, he will be a walking disaster.”
She looks straight at Chris, sees his frown, the blazing eyes, but her steady gaze, her calm face and sweet smile conquers, and in the end she can see his anger ebbing away. He takes a deep, shuddering breath, and nods. “Yes, yes, I know you are right, I just want him to do well…I love him, and I just know that he will be special, and I want him to succeed in whatever he does. I know he needs steering carefully, I don’t want his spirit squashed, but I can see he needs the right kind of upbringing.”
This is easier said than done. Samuel is a very strong willed little boy, with a flaming temper to match his fiery hair, sparkling green eyes full of zest for life, and a cheeky grin. His ideas are as wild as his hair, and his parents look at each other in despair several times each day… What will become of their sweet little darling, when he isn’t little anymore? Victoria doesn’t know, but she is determined to be the best mother she can be for this vibrant little boy! How grateful she is every day for this little bundle of joy, this wriggling mass of chubby arms and sturdy legs, this wonderful boy with a zest for life that infects the most dour person around him! Samuel, a fitting name for the daily reminder that God had heard her prayers!