Tag: first generation

Constance

03. Constance

Tuesday morning came, and I woke up sore and stiff from my cheap bed. It taught me a lesson to buy quality things, but as money was still in very short supply I had to be content with my awful bed. I got up early, watered my two plants, tidied up a bit as the mess around the place was affecting my mood. I sighed, I will never underestimated maid service again!” thinking about the regular cleaner at my parents’ house. Granted, sometimes they just sat down and watched telly, or even raided their fridge, but at least the house was clean and tidy.

Work was a struggle. I did enjoy being part of the orchestra, but my tiredness dragged me down. The noise the instruments made hurt my head, and my fingers were sore from trying to play the guitar. Being tired didn’t help with making friends either, as my mood sank further and further during my shift. I couldn’t wait to get home, and my rickety bed seemed more and more like the most luxurious four poster in my mind. I really thought I might fall asleep on the pavement outside the theatre by the time work finished…

I napped, pottered, and then went to bed happily, knowing that tomorrow it was my day off! I had great plans and wild dreams, and it involved the Girl with Glasses. First thing in the morning I was going to find out her name and contact her. My life was slipping away from me, and in order to keep the Legacy going I needed an heir. Also, I needed company, as living by myself in this one room house with a terrible bed was making me feel ill.

The next morning I could hardly wait till it was day! I looked her up, and her name was Constance. It flowed off my tongue and I kept whispering it to myself. She seemed so competent, and classy, and my hands shook when dialling her number. She agreed to meet up in town, and I got the taxi down to town, my hands sweaty and clammy. I kept drying them on my trousers, knowing that I would have to greet her quite formally. After all, we only met once, and even that was a few days ago! I swallowed when I spotted her, she was very smartly dressed, her hair in a neat bun, glasses making her look very smart indeed. I just hoped she didn’t think me cheeky, what with my one roomed house and all that…

She didn’t, she was very sweet in fact. We just chatted, and when I asked her about her career it turned out she was a journalist! So we talked a bit about writing, and she was very interested in my writing, which really pleased me. “She’s so smart and much better at writing, yet she listens to me rambling on, telling her that dramatic story,” I thought. The one niggle I had was her laugh. It as a bit hysterical, and I realised that one of her traits must be excitable… I had never met an excitable Sim before, as my parents and relatives had always been able to chose their traits. I now realised what a privilege that had been.

Some days it’s hard not to long for what has been, or what will never be, I suppose. I never saw myself as disgruntled or jealous or anything negative like that. Now I find myself looking at other people and just wishing… I think back to home, and the luxury we had there, and I feel the seeds of bitterness taking root and sprouting like my lettuce seeds. My back aches from my cheap bed, and the reason it lowers my mood well into the red is that I remember my childhood comfy bed. I’m hungry, eating cheap salads from the supermarket, and my stomach protests, remembering the wonderful homecooked food. Life is so hard, and it never was. Part of me knows that I went into the Challenge voluntarily, but part of me shrieks, “It’s not fair! Life should not be such a struggle! The Sims Government should help their people more, like insist on better starting salaries.”

I know that’s not possible, and in a way, why should they? Life is so short, and progress can be made swiftly. It’s just that I feel my struggle, and I now realise that I am spoiled. On the other hand, is it wrong to want a smooth life, and have plenty of things to enjoy? Will it make me a better person when struggling each day just to exist? Of course, I don’t share any of these worries with Constance, I’m sure that she has the neurotic trait as well, and nothing must spoil this date! We get on so well, she really is lovely, and for the first time since arriving in Riverview I feel a bit happier. Maybe life isn’t just bleak when starting the Challenge…

Of course, all good things come to an end, even this wonderful date! I make firm plans to meet her at the weekend though, and as she accepted my request to go steady, I know we’ll have a wonderful time. Not once did she grumble or complain that I was boring.. I was dreading that, for when you have a long date, this often happens. Then the girl will march off, telling you plainly that you have issues and she won’t hang around dealing with it. That must be such an awful experience… Fancy ending a date on that note… Although many of my friends told me that the overall experience was still positive, and the girl still thanked them for a wonderful time. Really? I have a sneaky suspicion that they managed to somehow convince themselves of this…

The next few days go in a exhausting blur. Life is just so hard, and the days are so long and lonely! I shower at the gym, usually end up eating at work which doesn’t improve my mood for most of my shift. Food at work is actually pretty good, and as long as I don’t feel too awful by the time it’s time to go to work I actually aim to eat there. It saves another five simoleans for lettuce. My existence is dragging me down, to be honest. The fact that a nap on a park bench leaves me better rested than the bed I bought with my hard earned money is just nagging away at me. I know I should just move on, accept it as a life lesson, but I can’t seem to make myself. I never knew I could get so stuck on little things, and it grieves me, funnily enough. I always thought of myself as adventurous and good tempered, whereas I’m turning into a grumpy old man before I’m even an adult! Surely as a young adult I should be positive and hopeful and bounce back from little niggles in life? Come on weekend, roll on!

First Day

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?

Challenge

This is a new series based on Sims3. I decided to do the Legacy Challenge, rather than just play.

The Challenge

I can’t believe I did it. Why I fell for his talk, who knows. I mean, I should have known better, for after all, he was one of the Kraken family boys, and judging by their furniture I should have guessed. He had made an outrageous proposition, and stupid as I was, I had fallen for it.

“It will be fun, and I bet that you’ll struggle and I just wonder how long you would manage. Not that it’s hard, but you have to admit that you’re spoiled, and your family are all used to luxury.”

I can still hear his snooty voice, and see his face, looking at me sideways. Yes, I agree my family is used to living in the large family home, three stories tall and all that. I loved my parents’ house. It was large, and had all the modern facilities money could buy you in Simland. I loved watching my dad paint, or watch the neighbours coming to the pool at the back of our home. As a child I spent hours in the garden on the swing or in the playhouse. I still believe there is nothing wrong with having a comfortable house. It doesn’t make you weak or spoiled.

I’m probably spoiled though, as my parents didn’t need my income, so I never had a part time job when in school. I just played at home, went for a run or met up with friends. Being spoiled doesn’t mean I won’t accept a challenge, though! So I accepted Master Kraken’s challenge, only hearing part of his list with rules and regulations.  It sounded easy enough, and in a way I was excited about travelling away from my parents, starting all over in a new town, a new area, even taking on a new Family Name. When he looked at me to see if I would accept I nodded enthusiastically, and agreed wholeheartedly, trying to make it sound like something I would love to do, and pretend I would just add it to a long list of other equally tough challenges…

So I packed a few clothes, nothing else was allowed, got the coach out of Sunset Valley with my single ticket to Riverview and arrived there late Saturday night. The town seemed much smaller than Sunset Valley, its lights reflected on the river, the second river obscured by town buildings. The coach dropped me off in the centre, the buildings packed close together, and I made my way to the prearranged meeting point. From there the Estate Agent took me in his car to the designated plot of land that was going to be mine. It was a long drive, dusk coming in fast whilst we sped past field after field and the occasional small cluster of houses. Master Kraken had told me the maximum amount of money I was allowed in my bank account, and he had given me an address of a plot of land that he had arranged.

“You’ll like the plot, it’s near the river, in a good neighbourhood, so it won’t hurt your aesthetic feelings.” He had laughed again, pleased to have another dig at my background. “It even has a posh name, Riverblossom Hills Drive, number 345. The views in itself are enough to cheer you up!”

I had to agree, even at dusk the area looked amazing, and the houses around were wonderful, private pools reflecting their garden lights. The Estate Agent stopped the car, and we got out. Then I realised that this was it. My home. Apart from there was no home… There was a bin, a post box and lots of ground. Nothing else. The Estate Agent must have seen my face, for he told me that I could arrange for the builders to come along, if I really wanted a building. I nodded.

“Yes. Yes, please, I mean, I need at last one room, if not more. I haven’t even got anywhere to sleep! I also need somewhere to put my desk, as I’m an author, and all that…” My voice trailed off, as I tried to think of all the stuff I would need to buy to have a reasonably comfortable life. He got on his phone whilst passing on the papers to me with his other hand. He looked pleased when coming off the phone a few moments later. It was clear that the builders had expected his call.

“They’re on their way now, Mr Legas,” he smiled, watching me sign the papers. I know I should have backed out of the whole thing there and then. In hindsight, calling the builders was a huge mistake as well. I didn’t back out of course, I mean, what other option did I have? I didn’t even have enough money to travel back to Sunset Valley, and I couldn’t admit defeat before even starting. After all, how hard could it be? I would find a job in the morning, start that novel I had wanted to write for ages, and just make some money that way.

The builders arrived, looked at my finances and built the smallest room possible. By the time they left I had no money left whatsoever. My bank account was empty, I couldn’t even buy a bed. Even a visit to the supermarket would see me leave empty handed! Fortunately my mum had made my favourite food before I left, so I wasn’t hungry, and it was early morning by now.

I decided to get started with my new life right now. So I got the taxi into town (thank goodness Sims Taxis are free!) and went to the local library. I started writing a novel as fast as I could, knowing that the Lifewish Kraken had saddled me with was to be a successful author. By the time I got too stressed to write another word I had at least enough money to buy some lettuce. I bought three, planted two at my plot, and ate one. After a quick workout in the gym and a warm shower I went back to write a bit more.

That night I slept on a park bench. I lowered myself on the hard wooden bench, close to tears. I love adventures, and it had all sounded so appealing. You know, start a totally new life in a new town, with humble beginnings, and build up this huge Dynasty. I looked at the stars, who seemed strangely blurry. I had totally underestimated the word ‘humble’. I knew my home wouldn’t be anything like my parent’s house, of course I knew that. But to get to a new town and to find out that all you have is an enormous plot of land…well, that was a different matter!

Here I was, Daniel Legas, just turned a Young Adult, sleeping on a park bench with nothing for food all day but some cheap lettuce… I had a job as a musician, at least that was something I suppose, and I had one book finished, but still not enough to buy furniture or proper food! Before I grew old and Grim came for me I had to have a wife and an heir, otherwise my Legacy Challenge would die with me!

Just when I started to feel really sorry for myself I saw someone coming into the park. I sat up from my short nap, and greeted the girl. She was very nice, so we chatted for a bit, her voice excited and she laughed at all my jokes. It seemed so unreal at that time, I never even checked her name. She had glasses and her hair up in a bun, that is all I remembered. When she left I went back to my bench, exhausted from the emotions and hard work of today.

By the time I drifted off to sleep the Girl with the Glasses seemed to just be part of the whole wild dream, part of the challenge and not reality at all. Reality was my stomach as empty as my bank account, and the hard wooden bench in a strange park in the centre of an unknown town surrounded by rivers and green fields. That night my dream involved Master Kraken’s thoroughly unpleasant face and the excited laugh of a pretty girl.