retirement

Arrangements

“Well, I can’t see why not? After all, you have your traits, you have your retirement letter, your children have all grown up, so why ever not?” Erik doesn’t sound angry, or even annoyed, but Tessa can tell that he is fast heading that way. She sits next to him, her large grey eyes looking anxiously from face to face. She hates confrontation, hates heated debates, and she never imagined that this meeting, this family meeting is turning into exactly that. Erik had casually announced the day before that there was going to be a Family Meeting, and Tessa had actually felt excited! A Family Meeting, how civilised and organised! “Trust the Mortina Family to do things properly,” she had grinned.

Erik smiled back at her and said, “It’s important to get this right. We need to reserve the Dynasty, and it’s important that the right person is chosen to take over the running of the family home. We have four children, so some of our children can be married off, but that will need to happen before the Family heir is married, as there are only so many adults allowed in charge. This generation somehow seems more complex than other generations, so hopefully it will all work out.”

Nothing had warned Tessa for this debate though, and she can feel her shoulders getting tighter by the minute! Zahra is looking daggers, her beautiful face slightly red, “The thing is, I have only got two daughters, and one marriage has been arranged. Bethany has made other arrangements, so Keziah is the only one from our line to carry on the Dynasty. Surely you’re not suggesting that our Line should die, just because we only have two daughters? The fact that you have four children does not give you more rights to the Dynasty, you know!” She leans back in her seat, lips clenched, eyes angry, refusing to look at Tessa, for Zahra knows that Tessa’s eyes will probably look like pools after a rainstorm, filled to the brim! That really would make her lose it!

Erik sighs, he feels so caught. To turn his children out onto the streets of SiMobile without any provision made for them hurts his heart, and he knows that Tessa would be crushed! He look at Michael and Zahra, notices her flushed face and feels grateful for Michael’s calm smile. “I’m not suggesting that your Line should die,” he says calmly, and looking at Michael with a sudden grin he continues, “Michael is a Knight, you know how special arranged marriages are with friends, so no way would we let your Line die. All I am saying is that as we have four children, I would like a chance for at least some of them to marry out before settling the Dynasty. It…” Erik suddenly feels very hot, and clammy, and he has to stop for a moment. “It would be awkward for example if Bjorn took over the Dynasty. You know he was named after my Dad’s cousin, so we feel that is special. Too special to just push him out of the family home, and have him roaming the streets.” That was probably not the wisest thing to say, for he hears Tessa gasp, and her small hand clasps his much larger one.

“The streets? You mean…you mean that our children who do not carry on the Dynasty will be made to roam the streets?” Tessa’s voice is shaking, and so are her hands. Tears hang of her eyelashes, making them seem longer, magnifying her eyes. “Is it really not possible to have more adults active in the home? I mean, do spouses necessarily need to be active?” Her voice is starting to reflect her desperation, and Erik hugs her. Tessa sobs suddenly, “What about my precious children? What about my little Solveig, she is still so young, and…and to see her wandering around the park…Is there nothing that can be done?” Her voices rises on a wail, and she cries, her heart breaking for her children. Her sweet Kari, her eldest, so strong and capable. Her Anselma, strong willed, impulsive, needing so much guidance, if she lives on the streets, what will ever become of her? Bjorn, her one son, strong and manly, looking just like his dad. Little Solveig, smiling and happy, but not for long if she has to sleep on the streets! Tessa weeps, and the others wait, uncomfortable, embarrassed and wishing this meeting was over!

Erik explains to Tessa as well as Michael, as he is from outside the family as well. “The Dynasty has had people who married Townies, who moved into the house upon marriage, but never had the Active status granted. This made many things very complex. They couldn’t change their names for example, or what they were wearing. They couldn’t contribute to the family either. So quite a few generations ago it was decided that really the spouses of the Dynasty ought to move into an Active position.”

Once Tessa has finally calmed down, they all look at the family list again. Michael speaks up this time, very unusual for him. He is normally happy to watch proceedings, and will only step in when necessary. His calm voice breaks through the fog in Tessa’s brain, and calms the stormy thoughts in Zahra’s mind. “Actually, I’m sure it can be done. Maybe not for all four of your children, but certainly for some.” He smiles at Tessa, and his strength stops her from breaking down all over again, and she even manages to lift the corners of her mouth in reply. “The thing is, Keziah has been promised in marriage to the son of one of our friends. Seraphina and Noel got married very late, as you all know, and they had a son, Nicholas.” They all nod, yes, they even went to Seraphina’s wedding, glad that she had found true love after all! “Well, her son hasn’t grown up yet, and Seraphina and Noel want to delay their retirement a bit. They still have jobs with pending promotions, so therefore Keziah could delay her promotion as well.” He smiles at Keziah, who smiles back, but both Tessa and Erik can tell that she isn’t happy about it!

She is a very pretty girl, with a sweet face and dark hair. It is clear that Keziah has many plans, and the fact that she will have to wait till Nicholas’ parents retire doesn’t make her happy! “Child, you have plenty of time,” grins Michael at his youngest daughter, “there is lots of time to get all your traits, to have a family, to make friends and go to parties. We need to make sure that nobody in the family loses out though, and there is no reason why you should apply for promotion, only to wait for Nicholas till he has got his!” This makes sense of course. Life in SiMobile is short, and you don’t want to waste it hanging around for somebody to get promoted! Keziah sighs, she can’t wait, and she just hopes that Nicholas will get his papers soon. She isn’t sure how long she can hang on, doing nothing, just counting the days…

Michael looks at the papers again, and then looks directly at Erik. “Which of your children have other arrangements already?” he asks, his finger resting next to the four names. Erik looks at Tessa, then at his four children.

Kari speaks up straightaway, flicking her long hair in dreads over her shoulder. “I have, Uncle Michael,” she says, with her kind smile. “I have plans to go as soon as things are sorted out. I’m quite excited actually!” She laughs, and looks at Keziah’s dreamy face, and only just about manages to swallow down her words. She would like to tell Keziah to grow up, and to learn to be patient; to accept that life will be very short, and that it’s sometimes better to relax, and just walk round the house without pressing duties!

Bjorn speaks up as well, sending a shock through Tessa, Erik can feel it through her hand in his large hand. Bjorn smiles at his mum, to encourage her, and says proudly, “Well, I know about a girl that I like. Her name is Nadia, she lives in the home where my mum comes from. She seems very kind and sweet from what I have heard, so I would love to meet her and marry her. One of her relatives will be throwing a party any day now, so I’m planning on going along.” Tessa gasps, and Bjorn laughs, “You will like her, Mum, she is lovely. She has beautiful brown eyes…” He dreams off a little, his own eyes shining, and suddenly he turns round to his father. “Dad, Nadia has a brother, a nice looking guy, called Damian. He would like to marry as well, but he doesn’t want to leave their home. As you know, the house is fairly new, so it needs some good families to live and work there. He is very young, much younger than Nadia. How about Solveig?”

Solveig shrieks, and jumps up. “Me? Oh, Mum, surely you can’t make me marry yet? There are other guys, surely, surely?” Erik laughs, and strokes Solveig’s arm. She looks very pretty, with short, curly blond hair and brown eyes, her face red and hot at the moment.

“Sit down, Solveig, it won’t happen today! Listen, finding a good husband is not easy, and I think this idea sounds very good. We know the family, and it is important to become closer with our friends. This young man sounds fine, and it seems your brother has met him already.” Solveig pulls a face, but the others can see that she is no longer opposed against the idea. In fact, they can see her thinking about it, and he face relaxes each minute.

Michael clears his throat, taps the paper with his finger, and his calm voice states the facts, “So Kari has her own arrangements, Bjorn is betrothed to Nadia, and it sounds like Solveig will soon be promised in marriage to Damian.” He smiles, polishes his glasses, and looks over at Anselma. “That leaves just you, Anselma,” he says, and somehow manages to keep his kind smile in place when he sees her face. Anselma rolls her eyes, smooths out her hair, and shrugs her shoulders in as graceful a way as possible.

Her lips pout even more than usual, and she sounds a little bored, “I suppose so. I’m not that familiar with the whole Dynasty thing, but I do know it’s a big issue. I do think it’s important to raise awareness, you know, get our family on the map so to speak. Not that many people have heard of the Mortina family, I have to keep explaining to my friends.” She sounds aggrieved, making it sound as if she blames the rest of the family for this lack of knowledge. “I know SiMobile is only small, you know, just one club, one small fashion studio, that sort of thing. I do believe it’s important to work together as a community though, and to get the SiMobile Government to be more proactive in raising a standard. I mean, when you see some people walking round, covered in flies… It really needs sorting out.”

Michael looks down at the paper, suppressing a groan, or a sigh, he isn’t even sure which one. Honestly, he thinks, the girl needs taking down a few pegs… When Michael looks up he sees Erik watching him. Erik looks a bit flushed, and he pulls an embarrassed grimace. When he turns to Anselma, Erik manages to keep his voice even though, and says kindly, “I’m sure we can find you a suitable husband, sweetie. Of course, he needs to be from a suitable background, and he needs to be prepared to live here and take our name.” Anselma nods, her face sullen.

“I’m sure I could sort it out once I was promoted,” she says, her voice cool, “I could look it up using the internet. I don’t know why not more people use it to find spouses. Anyway, I understand, and I accept the fact that he has to have a good background.” She looks sideways at her uncle. He might be from a good family, and a kind and smart guy, but she prefers somebody even more handsome than her uncle. No glasses, for starters, bad genetics, she pouts to herself. She catches Erik’s look, and hastily explains, “I was just thinking about the sort of husband I would need. I agree that his background is very important, not for wealth reasons, “ she adds quickly, seeing her mum’s shocked look. “I’m not like that, people are far more important than stuff. I meant in looks and hair colour. It’s just that genetics are important, so the right man is needed to secure the line. I mean, Llama Flu is very prevalent nowadays, although it tends to be the Weebles Strain. Even so, it’s just something to remember,” she ends, coolly, and dreamily tugs at her curly hair, wondering what hairstyle to choose. Not too short, she decides, I want it long, maybe long dreads, like Kari. It will make my eyes stand out more.

Erik looks at Bjorn, who is already getting up out of his seat, his phone in his hand. “I’ll give Nads a calls,” he grins, making Anselma roll her eyes. “Nads! They haven’t even met properly yet, how cheesy… well, I hope she’s good looking and pretty and all that. Bjorn deserves it, so she better be worth his time and effort!” Soon a broadly smiling Bjorn is back in the room. “I presume your ‘Nads’ thought of somebody?” Anselma asks, intonation leaning heavy on her brother’s future wife’s nickname, as if trying to put pressure on the poor girl from a distance already. Bjorn is looking very pleased with himself, looking at Anselma with an enigmatic smile.

“Yes,” he smiles at Erik, “Nadia knows a chap called Ralph. He is a lawyer, and a very nice man. She says he is one of the kindest guys she has ever met. He is very generous, patient and great fun to be with, apparently.” She says that after their family throws the party for me and Solveig to meet, they will arrange the next one soon after, so Anselma can meet Ralph.” Erik nods, smiling and looking relieved at the arrangement.

Michael takes over again, and tapping the sheet once more, says, “So, that means that Bjorn and Solveig will need to be active first. Once they have their Active Papers, they can go to Nadia’s house to meet her and her brother. They will also make connections and links to make sure that Anselma can meet Ralph. That could be done as soon as one of them marries and moves out though.” Michael smiles at Zahra, who is looking tired and very bored! “Well, dearest, how about we go and accept our papers? We can then spend more time at home, meeting friends, helping out with stuff. In that way, Bjorn and Solveig can apply, and we’ll set the ball rolling for the next generation!”

The rest of the family agrees, apart from Keziah, who looks very sad and disappointed. She had so hoped to meet Nicholas, and it seems they have forgotten her! This is not the case of course, and she is relieved to see her name appearing on the list drawn up carefully by her dad. “You could be promoted as well, as soon as Solveig and Bjorn are both gone, I suppose?” he winks, “seeing that you are so keen on starting adult life!” She is, and you never know, there is always a chance of bumping into betrothed spouses at other parties… Anselma doesn’t look too happy either, feeling that really, she actually has a plan to improve living standards for everyone in SiMobile, and why should she wait anyway? Solveig is younger, so is Bjorn, so surely she should be given priority? She is wise enough not to express these thoughts, although she has the uneasy sensation that her uncle, Michael Knight Mortina, somehow knows what she is thinking… very awkward!

Sunglasses

“Oh, what have I done? What have I done to myself, and…and to Michael, and…Oh I can’t believe I never saw it!” Zahra is sitting at her large desk in the hobby room, tears dripping on the papers in front of her. She cries and cries, and for once forgets what those tears will do to her eyes… The morning started so calm and organised, just like any morning. She just went to get the post, and her life, or at least the day, changed.

Sitting at her dark oak desk, Zahra goes through the morning post. As the Mortina household is rather large, they always have a lot of post. Having many friends means that a lot of the post consists of invites, letters, notes and postcards. Zahra is the one that is doing the Writing Hobby at the moment, so it’s her job to organise the post each morning. This morning is no exception, so Zahra had gone to the post box, thinking like her artistic mind does every morning, “Why can’t the post box be moved? It’s not aesthetical at all! At least if we could give it a colour…” Whist flicking through the stack of mail she spotted two SiMobile Government envelopes, one for her and one for Michael. There was another interesting envelope addressed to them all, and right at the bottom she found an envelop that had the Knight insignia on it… Zahra walked a little faster into the house. An envelope from the Knight Family?

She slides onto her chair with her usual graceful moves, something she tries to maintain, even though her traits are stacking up. She smooths her hand over the polished wood, taking in the smell of her wonderful desk. A desk that has been in the Mortina Dynasty for generations. She loves this desk, and she loves her hobby. At first she just chose the writing hobby to be near Michael. She smiles whilst sorting the post by names. She adores Michael, and he plays the piano exceptionally well, having many useful skills that he says he uses… As soon as she found out that Michael was going to do the piano hobby, Zahra had picked the writing one! After all, the desk is right next to the piano. Her smile grows bigger, as she remembers how both of the used to spend time on their hobbies… She would be writing a poem, or edit an article for a cousin; behind her, Michael would be practising. Even simple scales he somehow managed to make special. Once she had asked him why he managed to do that, and he had grinned at her, and whispered, “Because of you, my darling! Whenever I play, I can feel your presence just behind me. So I play with love, which is any Sim’s secret weapon…!”

She put the two SiMobile Government envelopes to one side, then the invites in the middle, and the rest she sorts by name. “Now, let’s see,” Zahra sighs, and picks up the two stacks, holding a stack in each hand. “What shall I open first, the government ones or the ones that are clearly invites…!” Zahra hesitates, smiling still. “It’s a case of swallow the nasty medicine and have a sweet after, or line your mouth with honey first so the horrid taste doesn’t get noticed… What shall I do?” In the end Zahra decides that she will need some honey first. She has been a bit down the last few days, seeing her sweet daughters Bethany and Keziah all grown up, looking very alike, has made her realise how fast Simlife can change! So Zahra picks up the first special envelope, and excitedly opens it She was right, it is an invite! Aria and Garrett are throwing a party, to celebrate their wedding! Zahra beams at the envelope, as if somehow passing on to the happy couple how pleased she is for them. Garrett is a little older, and was starting to wonder if he would be left on the SiMobile shelf…

Now for the envelope from the Knight Family. Zahra feels a little thrill opening this one. She still can’t believe she married Michael Knight! She fell for him the first time she saw him, but every night after meeting Michael she would secretly cry herself to sleep. She worried about that, as it could ruin her complexion, but somehow she couldn’t stop the tears. She was so very afraid that Michael would get the dreaded Llama Flu, that it almost made her ill, thinking about it! One day, Michael noticed that she was worried and upset, and he had asked her about it. Being a Knight, he soon had her pouring out her heart and she had actually cried! Zahra had been mortified, but Michael had taken it all in his stride, of course. He had assured her that he would do all he could to stay healthy. He also pointed out how rare the Pink Blob Strain was, and that most families seemed to get hit with the Weebles Strain, the vaccination in the local hospital obviously not being very effective. He has assured Zahra that things would be alright, and that he loved her, and would never do anything to grieve her. She had calmed down after a while, and somehow managed to enjoy the wedding. She didn’t sleep a wink the night before Michael moved in, and felt quite weak and sick in the morning. That day Michael had moved in, and had been fine! Zahra had cried tears of relief in the golden bathroom, and since then had been absolutely fine.

“I’m not really the worrying type,” she muses, looking at the envelope, thinking back at those early days. “Mind you, we were very young, just promoted and all that, which puts a lot of strain on anybody. I hope Michael has forgotten how I wept and wailed… Bit embarrassing that; I hope the girls won’t do that to their future spouses…!” That makes her look down at the envelope again. She pulls out the letter, another party invite! The whole family is invited to a Red, White and Blue Pool Party. She sits back, smiling. Pool parties and the Knights? Perfect combination!

She grins, thinking about some of the stories Michael has told her. “There are a lot of stories that I won’t be able to tell you, the information is classified,” he had explained. She had shivered a little with excitement and pride. She was proud of her sweet, kind Michael, who had been on some secret missions, as she imagined. Michael told her that a lot of the work was very low key, and not spectacular at all. Well, Zahra had figured that some of the activities they engaged in had been spectacular in that case. Hence the shiver, and her heart swelling with pride. Now they had a pool party, and Zahra sat their, wondering who would wear speedos, and who would wear towels. After all, not everybody had taken part in the Hot Tub Event… She sighs with happiness, a long, drawn out sigh. In her head she starts working her way through her wardrobe. Red, white and blue…that shouldn’t be too impossible! Should she start looking for an outfit now…she remembers the other two envelopes, the Government ones, and hesitates. Should she ignore them, and sort out her dress first? Duty calls though, and she knows Michael would approve. He is a real stickler for duty, she grimaces.

So Zahra sits down again at her desk, and opens the envelope addressed to her Zahra Mortina. She pulls the letter out…and feels herself going cold. The letter drops onto the wooden desk, and Zahra stares ahead, not seeing anything, not feeling anything. She is frozen up; unable to move and unable to think, apart from the one thought: what have I done! After a long time the shock starts to wear off, and Zahra returns to herself. She looks down at the letter, and the tears begin to form in her beautiful eyes. There is no way she can stop the flood of tears, and they splatter on the Government letter, and they drip on the party invites, making the ink run. Zahra doesn’t notice and doesn’t care either. She is sobbing, her face buried in her beautifully shaped hands. “I’m sorry,” she sobs, “I’m so sorry, so, so sorry! Please give us more time, please Lord, give us more time! I have been so foolish, please give us some time together!”

That is how Michael finds her when he comes home after working in the hospital all morning. He quickly walks up to his precious wife, who is always to calm and composed. Now she is sitting at her desk, a sniffing, snotty mess! He worries at first that somebody in the family has been struck down with Llama Flu, but no, as a doctor he would have heard! He hugs her, and Zahra cries on his shoulder. Eventually he manages to get her to calm down, and she says, her voice all shaken and raw, “Our last trait has arrived! I know we accepted the Trait application, but now it has arrived! Michael, I don’t want to retire yet! We have just been living like…like simple, straightforward…well, bog-standard Sims! We have worked hard at our hobbies, we work hard at our jobs, we had children, who are now all grown up…now we have our last trait, so in a short while we will retire…and…” tears overwhelm Zahra again, and she finishes her sentence in a wail, “We haven’t lived!”

Michael sits back a little. In his heart, he agrees. He has felt so all along, but didn’t want to upset his wife. She seems so cool and calm, but he saw the mess she got herself in when they got married and he was about to move in… She had worked herself up in such a state, that he didn’t want to rock her world again. He had been quite bored though; missing the excitement and thrill, as well as the job satisfaction after…well, after their missions. He loved his wife, and he really enjoyed playing the piano, but he still wished for more. He learned to be content though, and he adored his two pretty daughters, roughhousing with them when they were little, cheering them up once they grew older. He feels a sense of loss as well, thinking about the last trait. Now all they have to look forward to is the letter to offer them retirement.

He hugs Zahra tighter, and soon she grows a little calmer. “Don’t apologise, my love, don’t. I knew we ought to make better use of our time here in SiMobile, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to upset you, but it’s not too late yet, my sweet. We can start today, and we don’t have to worry about the retirement notice. For one thing, even in the retirement home they’re probably desperate to have some help. You do know that Miriam and Lucille were plotting something? Those two together…well, there will be some rescue missions there too, I would think…!” This cheers Zahra up, and she grins suddenly at the mention of her mum’s name.

She relaxes at little, eyes dreamy, and giggles suddenly, sounding a bit like Miriam there all of a sudden. “Yes,” she giggles, “yes, those two together… I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it by myself…! She shows him the invite to his family home, and Michael is thrilled. “You know, I think you ought to go,” she says, smiling at him, love pouring from her eyes, rather than tears, “After all, it’s your family, and I think we both ought to have some good times before it’s too late!” Her smile wobbles then, and Michael holds her tighter. “I know it would mean losing your suit, but that’s alright by me,” she says, and he looks at her, pride shining in his kind eyes. Zahra loves fashion, and insist on people dressing properly, so for her to tell him to ditch his special suit, and wear red, white and blue…! He looks at her, and realises how much he loves her.

They stay close together for a while, and then Michael tries to persuade Zahra to go too. “You could do with some fun as well,” he says, looking into her eyes, “it would do you good! Wear that lovely blue dress you had the other day, and just go for it!” She smiles then, a little watery, but definitely a smile. Until Zahra looks in the mirror and exclaims that she can’t possibly go to the House of Knights with red eyes, sore from crying! Michael chuckles, “Darling, it’s a pool party, just wear those new sunglasses we just won! You know what my family will be like, they’ll all be wearing speedos and sunglasses.” He can see the doubt in Zahra’s pretty face, and says, more persuasively, “Sweetie, they’ll be way too polite to ask you, you do realise that? And the other Knights, well you don’t think they’ll worry about it, do you?” He grins at her, and Michael is relieved when he sees her face relaxing, her eyes drifting, clearly going through wardrobe choices…he recognises the signs…

Zahra sighs, yes she would love to go, she just needs a bit of light hearted fun. A pool party at the House of Knights sounds exactly like it… As long as sunglasses will really do the trick… She checks in the mirror, and yes, the red sunglasses will do the trick. Zahra is excited by now, and all dressed and ready. She loves parties, and tends to be the one attending the more formal ones, as Tessa is still a little bit shy. She spots Michael walking past, and gasps! He walks in, the biggest grin Zahra has ever seen on his face. He is still wearing the hat, coins flying everywhere, but now has a bright red shirt… “Goodness, that shirt is…so red!” she giggles, and she can feel a terrible attack of the Giggles coming on, “it does suit you though,” she gasps, and soon both are hanging in each other’s arms, unable to stand up unaided, totally overcome with giggles, and Zahra manages to grunt, “Like it says, ‘Two are better than one (…)For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him that is alone when he falls, for he has not another to help him up.’ I’m glad I have you, and I’m so excited about the party. It will be special, I just know it! I feel better already, and more alive than I have been all this time, even having the girls… Thank you, dearest, for pulling me up!”

Camilla

“Mum, when will you two retire? Surely the Gems will be here soon, so how long after that will you step down?” Camilla’s beautiful face is spoilt by the pout; she looks at her mum expectantly. Miriam laughs, but is doesn’t sound anything like her loud, hearty one. It is a rather sad one, the hurt vibrating through it, as she looks at her eldest daughter. Several sons have gone and left the house already, making their own way in SiMobile. Ursula has gone as well, and now Camilla is desperate to go, but not into the unknown, but to the Snow household. Camilla heard about Brandon, and very early on she has been promised to him in marriage, an arrangement both parents agreed to. Now she is grownup, and impatient to join him, going as far as to ask her mum and dad to step down sooner rather than later!

Miriam sighs, she loves her children, and although in a way she knew this day would come, what with their crazy scheme of populating SiMobile with young people, it still grieves her. She is happy that at least Camilla has a wedding arranged; back to Miriam’s own family home no less! Saying goodbye will still be excruciating though, especially saying goodbye to her daughter. Zahra will still be here, of course, but that thought doesn’t cheer her up too much. Zahra is single, and no young man or his parents have come forward… She never realised how sad this time of her life would be, and how reluctant she would be to let go! In a way she is excited about retirement, but that excitement fades into the background now that she is confronted with the losses that accompany her retirement.

“I don’t know, sweetie, I still have things I like to finish. I know your dad has finished his goals, so he might be more inclined to go straight after Gems arrive. You could ask him,” she says, then wished she could swallow those words back down, as Camille walks off, looking very determined! She finds her dad, and asks him straight out, her face emotionless, totally oblivious to the distress this question brings! All Camilla can think of is the changes she would like to make, and the opportunities she has once she is made Active.

Samuel Vince Mortina looks at his beautiful daughter, and sadness changes his whole face, as he knows what the question means. Is he really ready? Ready to leave the active position, ready to accept that he has done his share in the Mortina Dynasty? Has he really fulfilled his destiny, and restored Justice? He sighs, just like Miriam; when he finishes his shift, his last ever shift, he goes home, looking for his wife. They hug, Miriam has a little cry and Samuel looks like he could do with one himself… “I will accept, love, for I know that Brandon Snow is having his party soon, and Camilla will need to make sure she gets in early… I hope he will be good for her, good to her as well. I know he is related to you, but I have heard that he is a bit of a hippie…I hope Camilla will remember us, and will stay in touch, somehow!”

So Samuel Vince Mortina accepts his retirement papers, turning grey, stooped and old straight away. Camilla’s face lights up, and she can’t wait for the promotion papers to come through, so she can choose an outfit, get a bit of makeup on and just make her own choices! She has it all worked out, studied her mum’s wardrobe so she knows what to wear. To her horror, and everyone else’s in the family, Camilla has a bout of Llama Flu as soon as her promotion comes through! There she is, looking like a Weeble, just as many friends have done recently; no chance of choosing clothes: she’ll be lucky to survive! No man, not even Brandon, would be the slightest bit inclined to marry her… Miriam gasps, and clutches her grey headed husband, doing her best to swallow down the hysterics she can feel worming its way out of her throat… Together they manage to put a brave face on it all, and after some simple treatment Camilla is as well as can be expected! The whole family breathes a sigh of relief that is was the Weebles Strain, and not the Pink Blob one, as that one is so much harder to cure! Camilla cries big tears of gratitude, especially as she hears via a card that Brandon had suffered the same fate, but fully recovered as well. She is so happy, she hugs her mum, dances around, even dresses quite conservatively, like all the Mortinas down the ages have done. Her relief is sweet to see. She can’t wait to meet Brandon, and drives Miriam to distraction with her restlessness; pacing up and down waiting for the party announcement…

The announcement comes, of course, and Camilla is the first guest to arrive, almost before the house is decorated for the party! The party is just to meet up of course, but it does put the whole family under considerable strain, as they are honourable enough to make sure it reaches Level ten status. Camilla is a little shocked by Brandon’s greeting. He doesn’t waste any time, but even outside the house, on the little strip of grass, he greets Camilla in a very flirtatious manner. She blushes wildly, and feels shy, hoping that if she is a bit reticent he will slow things down. Obviously, Brandon doesn’t get the hint, and he sticks to Camilla like a leech all during the party. He leaves the levelling up, the handing out of stickers and greeting the other guests over to his uncle and mum. Brandon clearly has a one track mind, and Camilla is starting to feel a little uncomfortable. She squirms, and gasps as he kisses her soundly in front of all the other party goers; strangers that she has never met before, she doesn’t even know their names! For that matter, even Brandon is like a stranger; she has only just met him after all.

Camilla goes home that night, totally overwhelmed; wondering if this arranged marriage is the biggest mistake ever. She looks at her parents, and envies the fun they have together. Even now, with her father all grey and stooped, her mother’s laugh still brightens up the entire Mortina home. Brightens it up like lightning during a thunderstorm, not once but time and time again. Camilla sighs, “Oh, I’m jealous…jealous of what my parents have! I do like Brandon, he is very arty and clever with a camera, but…but he is so intense! I just wanted to…” She stops, what is it she wanted? She stares ahead in the dark, trying to think back to before her promotion, but it’s all a blur. Probably an after effect from the Llama Flu, she sighs. She does know that things are not really going the way she expected. Brandon is so in her face, it drains her! His dark eyes staring at her with a burning intensity that makes her nervous, as she feels she might say the wrong thing!

She lies down, eyes glued to the ceiling, or where she knows the ceiling to be, rather. She thinks about her near future. Soon Brandon will propose, in fact, she is sure that the very next time she will see him he will start the Proposal event. She sighs, even before their official first date, the one everybody goes on at the little café, even before that he had brought their relationship to level three! He is very pushy, she thinks, and I wasn’t banking on that… My mum has firm ideas, and I thought I was getting my freedom by marrying an artist. Mum isn’t really pushy though, although she is usually very much in love with her own ideas. Brandon…well, Brandon insists on his ideas, in a nice way, but definitely insisting on them… Oh dear, this could be tricky!

The next morning Brandon proposes to her, and Camilla accepts, of course! She is excited as well, as Brandon seems to relax a little now their relationship level is going up steadily. Camilla has a shock when she pops back home though, for Miriam insists on her taking a job! Camilla drops down in the nearest chair, shock written all over her beautiful but proud face. “A job? You want me to take a job? Here, in town, today? Why? Why do I need a job, I mean, Brandon is already doing the Proposal, I’ll be at level eight before I would finish my job! Mum, really?” Miriam however is adamant, even though she is filling out the Acceptance forms for her own retirement.

“You must do all you can to help this family,” she says, voice more determined than Camilla has ever heard her before. “This family has been very good to us all; they took me in, even though at that time the Snow family had only just arrived. We were totally insignificant. They took me in, introduced me to friends, gave me stickers…” She has to swipe at her eyes there, realising that no more stickers will come her way! “You have met several of them, Uncle Magnus’ family for one, and my best friend Lucille Ball…Not to mention myriads of other wonderful and supportive friends. This home has been good to you too, Dad has allowed you to be Promoted, and it is the family’s loss when he did so. He had reached level ten, bringing in a steady income from hobbies and jobs. You don’t really think you can just sit around, twiddling your thumbs, waiting for your artist to come and carry you off on his white horse, do you?” Miriam’s blue eyes had been blazing by then, as Camilla’s face had become sulkier and sulkier during this tirade.

“What will I do? Work in the office, wearing that awful suit? I don’t want to be a doctor, not after… after the awful Llama Flu; what if I get infected at the hospital again, this time turning into a pink blob…” Her voice breaks, and tears roll down her well shaped face, for Camilla can switch the tap on at any given moment. Miriam is not impressed, as this trick has been used too many times now… “What about Daniel?” Camilla continues, tears switched off as she can tell they’re not making the right impression, “What about him? When is he going to get promoted, and are you forcing him to work too?”

Miriam sighs, “Goodness child, what a choice of words. It is important to contribute. You know we’re almost able to afford the next bit of ground to be cleared. It will be good to be part of that, to share the burden. Yes, Daniel will be promoted as soon as his papers arrive, just in case he meets his betrothed. You know he has been promised to Giada… Both of you will soon be gone as well and we’ll be alone, save for Zahra… Of course, Daniel will work too, he wants to be the photographer.”

Camilla wails straight away, “Ooooh, mum! I wanted to be the photographer! You can wear your own clothes, and you get to meet lots of important people! That is so unfair, why was Daniel allowed to be the photographer, why did nobody ask me if I wanted to have that career…?” Tears appears as if by magic again, and Miriam waits patiently, even though she feels like rolling her eyes, and shaking the spoilt girl! Camilla finally finishes off with a few sniffs, and says, “Well, in that case, I’ll do the fashion career. I’m good at fashion, and I might even be made a model, who knows! Serves Daniel right if he has to do a complete photoshoot of just me!” Miriam pulls a face, knowing that the likelihood is extremely remote…!

Off to work they go, the newly promoted Daniel, with his beautiful face, dark eyebrows and smiling eyes, and the sulky looking Camilla. Daniel reminds her a little of Brandon, because of their longish hair, although Brandon’s isn’t as neatly kempt as Daniel’s hair. Daniel loves his job, taking pictures everywhere. Camilla doesn’t enjoy her work, or any work for that matter! She is just filling in time, waiting for their relationship to progress. She doesn’t have to wait long. Brandon is in a hurry it seems, and even before the wedding the official SiMobile Government Moving Permit arrives. Camilla’s parents and aunt and uncle gasp; they can’t believe she will move in without being married to Brandon! Camilla doesn’t mind, doesn’t care, as her only concern is to start a new life, as she keeps telling herself, and her bags are packed; she is ready to go, ready for her new life as Mrs Snow, being an adult in her own right, choosing a hobby, doing what she wants, wearing what she wants! “I can’t wait,” she whispers in her room whilst packing her few personal belongings, “I can have all the makeup I want, wear whatever I want, do whatever I want… I can’t get over it, it’s going to be amazing! I can’t wait to ditch this top for one, it’s so stiff and starchy!”

The first thing Camilla does at the Snow’s house is change her outfit. That is, after the quick treatment for the repeat bout of Llama Flu, the Weebles variety again, fortunately. Both Brandon and Camilla were quite relaxed about the Flu this time, trusting the treatment. Fortunately for them, the treatment worked. Camilla appears again, wearing a short top, showing her bare midriff…unheard of in the Mortina household. Nobody ever, in the entire Mortina Dynasty, has ever showed bare midriffs… Camilla feels great, the cool breeze on her stomach a totally new thing. The first thing Brandon does when Camilla moves into the Snow residence is to start the wedding Event, Camilla secretly feeling relieved…

Miriam is chatting to Eva, a close relative of Brandon; Eva being Eva Mortina before her marriage into the Snow family. Eva pulls a face, and Miriam suddenly remembers Eva’s childhood nickname of Miss Stroppy, and thinks to herself that nothing seems to have changed on that score! Eva sighs, and says, clearly doing her best to be tactful, “Camilla moved in as you know, and Brandon started the wedding event. Fortunately, they can just do the event, not the entire Quest, like Paul and I had to do… Camilla seems to be alright, she changed her clothes straight away, obviously making a statement. Mind you, I think it backfired a little… She was crying and complaining to Brandon’s mum how all the guys make comments, pat her back, give her funny looks and what have you… I don’t think she realises she is sending out a dodgy message with her dress code. Of course, those guys are wrong, but sending out the wrong message is…well, it’s the wrong message, isn’t it!”

Miriam leans against Samuel that evening, looking sad, feeling weary. “Do you think she will be alright?” she asks, and she puts her hand on her heart, as she feels that each day another shard splinters off, shrinking her heart; hurting her heart… Samuel smiles at her, hugs and elbows her at the same time. They would have had a wild game, using cushions, rolled up newspaper, anything, but Zahra walks into the room, recently promoted! Her sweet face glows, and she is waving a note at them. They both sober up, and give Zahra their full attention.

Zahra shows them the note, and explains that she has been accepted in the Fashion studio, as an ASOS Fashionista. A position had come free in the atelier, as Camilla had left to move in with Brandon. What a difference, Miriam thinks, what a difference between my two girls… “This note is amazing news as well,” Zahra continues, “it’s from the Knight family. Their son…” she tears up, overwhelmed by happiness and excitement, “their son…he…he has indicated his willingness to marry me!” and she cries a flood of happy tears, hugging Miriam, and showing her the letter. Miriam is relieved, and hugs her back tightly! She reminds herself that all things are in God’s Hand, even her daughters’ lives, and that some people just have to learn the hard way that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side… She is suddenly convinced that Camilla will be fine, and that it will all work out well. It might take time, some people are slow learners, but she is sure that Camilla will grow up in all respects, some time! As for Zahra, well, Miriam is bursting with happiness, and feeling blessed that she will be able to share in her happiness, at least for a while. Will she be around long enough to meet Zahra’s Beau…or will the retirement cake be served before then…

Miriam

She was absolutely sure that there was more cheese in the fridge. Miriam is standing in front of the fridge, a frown on her face. She checks the shelves again, and the more she looks the more she is convinced that a lot of the cheese has gone. She groans, just what she needed. She had sneaked into the kitchen in the dark, hoping to quickly grab a chunk, mainly to cheer her up. Now the cheese she was looking forward to is no longer there. “How strange,” she mutters, trying to think back to when she stacked the fridge. “I only stocked it just before the Cocktail Party…” her voice trails off, as she all of a sudden remembers some of the guests making multiple trips to the kitchen, coming out in giggles, and looking just a tiny bit guilty! “Oh well, I suppose I shouldn’t have it at night anyway. I have been so busy at this job, I haven’t done any yoga for a while either, so cheese is probably not the best idea anyway.”

Miriam hesitates, but decides to go back to bed, back to her thoughts. Slowly she makes her way through the silent house, relieved that everyone is asleep. Explaining midnight snacking is always a bit embarrassing, she grins, and I don’t really feel like talking to anyone either. Here the grin melts away, replaced by a worried frown. “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m so tired these days!” Miriam had complained to her best friend, Lucille Ball. “I just don’t have any energy, everything takes so long, and I’m just ready to go to bed as soon as I come home. Last night I didn’t even want to go to the party. I went, of course, but I really had to make myself!”

Lucille had sympathised, and listened to Miriam, her eyes looking worried as she listened. This was not the friend she had come to know and enjoy! They used to have such good times together, and now Miriam looked all sad and dejected. What was going on? Of course, Lucille managed to draw Miriam out of whatever mood it was that she was struggling with at the moment, and soon the two of them are laughing again. Miriam’s dancing always makes Lucille double up with laughter, and soon Miriam seems the old Miriam again.

Miriam knows better though, and that evening in bed, she thinks about it, a big frown which changes her whole face, very unlike her! “Something is wrong with me, I just know it. Maybe it’s llama flu, or something else, but I’m not myself at the moment. I am just so tired, my legs won’t move. My job at the Club is driving me nuts, it’s getting boring now. It’s mainly elderly people who come to dance, and only when Lucille turns up is it great to be there. Zahra is will be a toddler soon…” and suddenly Miriam finds tears dripping on her pillow! “My life is just so empty, and it used to be so much fun! I don’t know what has happened!”

Samuel has noticed as well, and he is worried. “Are you alright?” he asks one evening, when it’s just the two of them in the house. They are sitting in the lounge of the Granny Annexe, where it is a lot quieter. A lot of their children are grown up, so they help keep an eye on the little ones. “I just noticed that you seem a bit quieter, so I was wondering about you,” he explains, “I just thought of it, as you looked really tired coming in here.” Miriam snuggles up, elbowing him at the same time, causing Samuel to groan and protest, and soon they’re both laughing, poking and tickling. When they finally stop, both completely out of breath, Miriam sits up, brushes her wild black hair out of her face, and sighs. This sobers up Samuel Vince quicker than anything else!

Miriam leans against him, and both are very quiet for a moment, rather unheard of with them! Then Miriam starts, sounding tired now, “Yes, I have been so tired. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s Llama Flu, who knows. Lots of our friends have had relatives affected by it. It just seemed to have come suddenly, and I don’t feel like anything at the moment.” Samuel doesn’t know what to say to this, so they sit together for a while. Miriam suddenly continues, “It started just before we had that talk with Magnus and Esther. In fact, just before Lucille told me she was going to accept retirement after the next Gems.”

This makes Samuel sit up, and hug her tightly, “Oh my dear, crazy darling,” he gushes, big grin back in it’s usual place. “You’re just feeling down, that’s all! It’s a case of the blues, and not surprising either! You get on with Lucille really well, so her retirement would be very sad. Then we decided to retire soon after her announcement and after the meeting with Magnus and Esther. That meeting was a bit upsetting too, as we had sort of hoped to have another string of babies… We agreed to just one more, so that probably didn’t help your mood!”

Miriam laughs, suddenly, her loud, wild laugh, filling the Annexe with it’s rich sound. “You know, you could be right! How silly of me… I do feel very sad about so many things, and I think all the bad news has drained me. I will miss Lucille dreadfully, which is why I’m actually happy to retire after we get our Gems. I just never realised how boring the job in the Club was going to be! It looked so exciting, you know, the lights and music, people coming in to dance…turns out it’s mostly retired people, some of them still trying to trick others into giving them stickers! I think they should be banned from the club if they do that! There is not much to do either, just play the music, or talk to people. I thought I’d be partying all the time!”

Miriam feels the grey, heavy cloud lifting a little for the first time. Yes, she thinks, it’s just the blues, but soon I will be retired! I’m quite excited about that actually, I’m just too tired and down at the moment. She thinks about the bassinet and their wild scheme, and before she knows it, giggles are bubbling up. She turns to Samuel and says, “You know, when we were thinking of ways to Restore Justice to your ancestor, what’s his name again? Thomas? No…Chris! That’s it, Chris, well, remember we were thinking of lots of plans. I still think we had the best plan! I mean, that guy Gregory at the Club, he’s absolutely ancient. All he does is scrubbing that table. He really is hopeless, and so are some of the other ones staggering round town. The Government would never have allowed an old people’s home though, would they. After your final birthday cake they frown on relatives contacting their elders that have moved out.”

This is true, and it’s the one thing that all retired people dread. It’s not so much the grey hair, the stooped shoulders and the aimless wandering; it’s the fact that after some time, a birthday cake will be presented, which is when you have to leave the home. Your family cannot contact you again, although some friends and relations still can. The Government obviously wants families to be forward looking, not stuck in the past, but surely a family should be allowed to keep in touch! Miriam feels the grey cloud descending again, thinking about never seeing her family again. Never seeing her best friend Lucille again…or maybe she will actually, and the sun comes out again. In fact, they might even be in the same apartment block. If so… and Miriam’s overactive party mind sets to work straight away. Samuel groans, he knows that look…!

“I still think our plan was best,” he says, trying to get Miriam out of crazy planning mode, “I love our children, and I’m sure they’ll make a difference. I’m sure it really was a fitting way of restoring Chris, and of course Vincent as well. I had to repair past injustices for two, which we did!” They laugh, and Samuel says, more dreamily, “Twenty six children would have been amazing though, imagine the impact! They would have had to move out of course whilst they were still quite young…”

Miriam looks at him, and she feels the ground sinking beneath her, as the reality of that statement sinks in. Somehow it had never entered her head; she just thought it was a bit of a laugh having children in alphabetical order, sending them into SiMobile to replace the NPCs there… The consequences of the scheme never registered with her. Until now, that is. Her precious children will need to move out. She will never see them again, unless she bumps into them by accident. They will leave, she will retire, so she has no way of communicating with any of them! She can feel panic starting to wriggle in her stomach, and actually lies her hands on her stomach to keep the fear under control. “My children!” she gasps to Samuel “My children, and I will have to say goodbye to them forever! Where will they go, what will they do now?”

Samuel Vince realises that Miriam is really upset, and he hugs her, and tries to comfort her. “I’m sure some of them will be married off. How about your sister’s children, they will need spouses won’t they? And how about my cousin Eva, she has got at least one child, hasn’t she? So maybe some could marry their children? There might be some friends who will need spouses. Anyway, there are plenty of flats available, and they’re all very good in landing on their feet!”

Miriam stares ahead, thinking about the coming days, and how she will need to say goodbye to her children. “What about the Dynasty?” she suddenly asks Samuel, and he looks surprised. “Will any of our children be eligible for the Dynasty at all? Or do they just take siblings? Maybe one of the girls could be nominated, or whatever you do to stay in the house…”

Samuel agrees, and explains about the family meeting they usually have. “When the Gems are out, or almost out, we have a large Family Meeting, and we decide on the future of the Dynasty. Two people can take over the house. That could be brother and sister, or cousins. What we did in Eva’s case was that she was promoted, she got married to Paul, and moved in with your parents. Once she left, I was promoted, and I then got to know you!” Another wild interlude follows, and when they’re all calm and trying to catch their breath again, Samuel says, “I think one of the girls should be promoted, really. Maybe Zahra; as she is the youngest, she won’t have much time to prepare herself for an independent life. Camilla is so pretty, and energetic, maybe she ought to marry into your family? Does your sister have a boy? Maybe Eva has a boy… We could do the same thing, promote Camilla, till she has moved in with your relatives, and then promote Zahra… She will need a good husband though. We’ll have a look round…”

Miriam feels a little better, it is helpful to make plans, she finds; the future doesn’t look so bleak when you plan ahead. The idea of Camilla marrying one of her relatives pleases her as well. That way, she will feel her little girl will be looked after. Zahra is special, as she is the last of her children. As she was the last, Miriam took more pains over the name. It had to be a ‘Z’ of course, but she wanted a name with meaning. The other children’s names had been rather random, but this last baby had to be special. It felt so final, and Miriam spent a long time studying names, feeling them on her tongue, checking them for meaning. When she came across ‘Zahra’ she fell in love with the name. Zahra, meaning Dawn in Hebrew…just perfect! The Dawn of another phase, another sphere in SiMobile. Dawn, bringing light, and hope and a new day. She felt sad about closing the chapter, but this last special baby reminded her constantly, that ‘weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning’; yes, she would cling to that, whenever the grey clouds suppressed her. She would cling to that thought, rather than the thought that she had missed out on another eighteen children…

Miriam manages, but still finds it hard to be as upbeat as she always was. She still meets up with Lucille whenever she can though, but some days she feels too tired and down to even talk to anybody. It is on days like that, when she doesn’t even fancy a party, that Esther goes to the parties. Esther doesn’t mind, she isn’t much of a party goer, but she doesn’t shy away from them either. As the bassinet will be free any moment now, Esther feels like partying anyway! They will finally have their family, finally have a child!

So Esther gets dressed up, goes to the parties, meets and makes friend; eventually Miriam decides to go, as she hears the last party is at Lucille’s house, a Special Ball. Both girls dress up in smart outfits, and Miriam is relieved when she finally makes it to Lucille’s house. She gasps, as the house has got a huge ballroom, and Lucille is there, waiting, smiling… Miriam rushes over to her friend, and they chat, and plan, and together they are determined to shake up all the old people around town.. Just wait till the Gems arrive, then trouble will begin, they both smile, looking like the conspirators that they are… SiMobile beware!

Alphabet

When Magnus walks through the door, he meets a very excited Esther. “Come and have a look, another garden patch has finished,” she squeals, her face beaming with pleasure. Magnus laughs, but he does follow her into the back garden. He must admit, he tries to avoid the back garden, as it’s such a mess! Each patch takes many days of extremely hard work in order to raise the funds to clear the patch. Once the gardeners set to work, it will still take several days before they have actually cleared the land. It took the four of them quite a while to earn enough money to finally be able to contact the gardeners. To be honest, he had forgotten all about the patch clearing, it took so long!

He looks at the empty patch, and looks at the Granny Annexe. Plans were that they would clear enough land to move the Annexe. It is so close to the main house, that it makes the courtyard look minute. Also, another bedroom would be helpful, what with Samuel and Miriam’s brood all growing up! Would this one cleared patch do it though… Magnus looks at the patch, walks round the Annexe, measures with his eyes, and still wonders! Samuel arrives to have a look too, and being Samuel he is convinced it will fit perfectly. “Yes, I’m sure it will fit, easily! We could just move the whole thing up, easy as that. Just put those gates into storage for now, and just shove the whole lot along a bit.”

The gates are put into storage, so is the wedding arch. The shoving starts, but as soon as they lay hands on he building both men realise they will have a problem. It’s not going to be that easy after all! They check a bit more carefully this time, and then find a solution. It will need some turning and refitting, but it works. Magnus suggests resizing the bathroom as well, as it will give the house a much bigger courtyard. The Granny Annexe’s main room is made a little larger, and soon the whole thing is done! Magnus is pleased, he really likes this kind of work! He is glad they managed to fit it all, and most of the items are removed from store and fitted back into the Annexe. The house looks different, he smiles to himself, definitely more space around!

“All we need is a bit more Simoleans, and we’ll have that extra bedroom done too,” laughs Samuel, making it sound as if the room can be ordered in the morning, rather than in a few days time… “I love the new outlook, much lighter! It’s a nice place actually, I might even accept my last Trait!” and roaring at his joke he stalks off, finding some new scheme no doubt. Magnus is left standing by himself, a sad and thoughtful look on his face. He hadn’t realised that he’d been staring after Samuel, until a slender hand appears on his arm, squeezing him close. Esther has appeared at his side. She had noticed that the Granny Annexe was in place, so she came to have a look, and to check the furnishings. Good thing too, one of the wall hangings had moved, so together they put it back in the right place. Esther is watching Magnus’ face, a little worry line on her forehead. He was just standing there, staring, and she had heard Samuel’s loud laugh. She wondered if Samuel had said something inappropriate, as tact wasn’t his strength… He could do with the Tactful Trait, or something like that, she had mumbled to herself whilst going over to Magnus to find out what happened.

She asks him whilst fluffing up the cushions on the red sofa, and Magnus smiles at her. “Don’t worry, I’m alright. It’s just something that Samuel said that made me think about lots of stuff.” He grins then, his handsome face alight suddenly, like the sun peeking round a cloud. “Samuel mentioned how nice the Annexe was, and that he might even accept the last trait, meaning retirement might come soon. It made me think about our last traits. We haven’t accepted them either, and I just felt sad. I really don’t want to get retirement notices just yet…” Magnus looks sad again, staring off into the distance. He sighs after a while, “I’m trying to be content; I’m really trying to put all life’s struggles and hurts into the right perspective, and in a way I’m alright with everything. I know I have you, and I have God living in me, but my heart still longs for a child, a son. It is hard to see Samuel and Miriam with so many children, and another one in the bassinet right now. That means that we can’t use the bassinet right now, and we will need to wait till their baby is walking round. Say we get our chance then, that means that it will still be a while before our child would be an adult, and we could move out. I really don’t want that last trait, not before we have a child…”

He looks sad, tired, and Esther feels for him. Magnus has been so desperate for a child, and although he has been more at peace about it since turning to the Sun of Righteousness, there are still moments of sadness, of course! She admits that she feels the same sadness; she too would love to have a baby in the Mortina bassinet; an heir, to carry on the Mortina Dynasty, as well as a child that welds them together, a part of both of them. Magnus looks at her and adds softly, “It’s not that I’m bitter about it, or angry. I just have this longing in my heart. These days I just pray about them, and lay them before the Lord. I loved that account you read to me the other day, about that king who had received letters, mocking him and God. I was struck by how he laid them out before the Lord and prayed over these letters that way. It just resonated with me, it was such a beautiful image, this king, bowing before God, with these hateful letters spread out before him. Some days I struggle to remain at peace though; some days I even wonder if there really is nothing I can do or say that will make God change His plan; Some days just seem so dark and sad…”

Esther hugs him, tears in her eyes. Yes, that reading had been wonderful, and encouraging too. “I know my love, I know, it is so hard to wait! Trusting God is hard sometimes, it’s hard in the valleys anyway, and I keep reminding me that He hasn’t promised us an easy journey, only a safe arrival… I cling to that. No, I don’t want the last trait either, for I’m still sure that God will give us a child. I’m trusting and waiting as best as I can, and I must admit that I try to enjoy your company as much as I can as well! These days are a gift too, and I love the time it affords us to be together!”

Magnus actually blushes a little, and his large grin turns into his hearty laugh. Esther actually feels the tears leaving her eyes, splashing onto her cheeks; that laugh! It was the very first thing she heard at that party, so long ago now! She laughs through her tears, and with a shaky voice says, “Do you remember that party at your house? Our meeting up party? Remember how I went into the house, sent in by Bjorn, to find you. I had no idea where to even start, and then I heard this wonderful laugh…and my heart just knew it was you!” They both laugh, and Magnus hugs, lifts and swings Esther, knowing it will make her shriek and beg him to set her down! He is not disappointed…

That evening, as they watch Miriam walk past the lounge with a little baby in her arm, something finally clicks in Magnus’ head. He spins round to face Esther and whispers excitedly, “I know what they are up to! I knew they had a plan! I knew it! Listen, look at their baby names, ok, first boy is…?”

Esther stares at him, like he’s lost his mind. Nevertheless, when he keeps looking at her expectantly, obviously onto some great idea, she says “It’s Albert.”

“Exactly! Next boy is Brandon, then they had little Camilla. After Camilla came Daniel. Can’t you see the pattern? A, B, C and D! They are working their way through the alphabet!” He sinks down on the sofa next to Esther, and suddenly he can’t stop laughing, he is literally rolling around on the sofa, holding his sides, laughing and groaning about a stitch in his side. When he finally is able to speak again, he says, very softly, looking over his shoulder like a conspirator, “Do you think they’re really planning to work their way through the entire alphabet?” And Magnus is off again, laughing, rolling, wriggling like an out of control snake, until he actually rolls of the sofa! That puts a stop to that, and Esther wipes her own laughter tears from her face. They both sink back into the sofa cushions, still gasping for breath, and giggles still making their way up from their stomachs. They look at each other, incredulously. “Surely they’re not aiming for twenty six children?”

Esther shakes her head, “No, I don’t think so, at least not anymore. I don’t know what their plan was originally, I wouldn’t put it past them, to be honest! Remember, the little boy after Daniel is called Tyson. I’m not sure what made them change. I know Miriam was really upset after Tyson was born. She blamed it on her makeup, said she was obviously allergic to the eyeshadow, it stung her eyes. I’m absolutely convinced she had been crying; I could tell she was struggling, laughing extra loud, talking to me in a voiced even more hyped up than usual. I’m sure something went wrong, for Samuel has actually been a lot more serious since then as well. Then this morning, “ Esther continues, although she has to swallow, as this morning’s memory is still fresh, the hurt and dejected feeling still raw. Magnus and Esther had also finished their jobs as quickly as they could, and still Miriam and Samuel had beaten them to the bassinet; it was still Samuel and Miriam’s child in the bassinet, not hers. “Well, this morning they had a little girl again, and they named her…” she gasps, looks at Magnus with large, round eyes! “Gracious, they named her Ursula!”

The giggles start again, but Magnus says, “At least….at least, ow my side hurts, at least they’re near the end of the alphabet! We might get our chance soon then, once they have a Zedekiah, or Zacharias or something!” Helplessly they cling to each other, laughing uncontrollably, knowing that their behaviour isn’t particularly mature, but somehow unable to stop it! Trust Miriam and Samuel to come up with a scheme like that! “Why on earth would they do that?” gasps Magnus in the end.

Esther sits up, wiping her eyes, “It’s the ‘Grave Injustice’ that Samuel is putting straight, I’m sure of it! He said he wanted to do something special, some grand scheme to make a difference. He talked about buying that huge building behind the Club, and round up all the ancient NPCs in town, and make them move in there, so new people can have their jobs… I’m pretty sure they have decided to send out as many young Mortinas as they can, to repopulate the town with young people, providing spouses to all sorts of desperate Sims!”

The more they talk about it, the more they are sure that Miriam and Samuel are doing exactly that! So why the sudden jump to T for Tyson? Magnus wonders if the SiMobile Government has named the baby. It doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally it does. A baby is given a name, the parents somehow don’t get to choose, and the name can’t be changed once it’ given! “Well, if they have Ursula, that means they are getting near the end of the list! Maybe we should ask them outright, you know, explain that as they still have five more letters to go, maybe we could have the bassinet first? They have six children already, they could easily take a break. I’m sure the best thing to do is to be straight with them. I don’t think they take hints very well…”

Magnus doesn’t sleep well that night, every time he wakes up a little he starts laughing again, stuffing the duvet cover into his mouth to stop his giggles from waking up Esther! They both manage to keep their faces straight though when talking to Miriam and Samuel. To their surprise, they both admit to the alphabet scheme! Magnus snorts, giggles no longer under control, and he quickly pretends to blow his nose, hoping they won’t suspect… Miriam and Samuel take it very well actually, and they apologise for claiming the bassinet all the time! They reach an agreement, as Miriam and Samuel are thinking seriously about accepting their last trait. They love the Annexe, and both have reached the end in their hobbies. Finding their jobs a lot less fun, and a lot more restrictive, they admit that retirement looks like the fun option! Magnus and Esther hardly dare to look at each other, hope mixing in with the giggles, wriggling, bubbling, looking for a chance to come out in new waves of helpless laughter.

The giggles win when Magnus and Esther are finally together in their room. They laugh and cry at the same time, feeling elated, on top of the world! Soon, quite soon, sooner than they dared to dream, they might be holding their baby!

Miriam felt so bad about their lack of sensitivity that she offers to throw them a party! Esther tries to look grateful and excited, but as it’s Miriam throwing the party, she just doesn’t know what sort of party they are talking about…. “A studio one, as it’s got some lovely art work, and we’ll make it a Cocktail Party, you know, nice posh frocks and all that! You’ll like that, and all your friends and family can come over in their finery; I might even dress proper like myself!” she had laughed her wild laugh, but she kept her word, and invites were sent out for a Cocktail Party. Magnus just hoped and prayed his family would make it this time! He hasn’t seen Bjorn for a while, or his sisters! They used to pop in very regularly when he first got married, but they haven’t done so lately. He really misses them, and he hardly dares to hope that this time they’ll make it in…

The day of the party arrives, and they all finish work early to put their glad rags on. Miriam finds a lovely shaped dress, bright red, complementing her black hair an bright blue eyes. She is obviously very excited, and leans over to Esther to say in a loud whisper that can be heard in at least two rooms, “Lucille said she might be able to come. You know, she’s just told me she is going to retire after the next Gems? Well, that really settled it for me, so I talked to Samuel about it. Lucille is my best friend, we do so much together! I can’t imagine life in SiMobile without her to laugh and hang out with! Who would I go to with stuff, you know, or have a good laugh? It’s just going to be so dull; no, I’m going to accept my trait after the party. Samuel said he didn’t mind, as he feels he’s done his bit for the Dynasty and that Justice thing; you know, the Challenge that he had taken on for that ancestor guy. So there we are, might be our last party, so I better make it a good one!” She laughs, and walks off in her bright coloured shoes, red dress visible even when you switch the light off, thinks Esther, rolling her eyes. What a bit of news though, I can’t imagine them working their way to Z, so who knows how soon Magnus and I can use the bassinet… She never knows whether it was the news or the cocktails that made the party a success!

A success it is though, as Magnus’ cousin Bjorn arrives, smiling, clapping him on the back as usual. They chat a lot, Magnus louder than usual, his loud laugh setting off other guests as well. He is thrilled when his sisters arrive, hugging them, and chatting with them, telling his llama in a bar jokes… They’re pleased to see him too, and in a rare quiet moment Magnus manages to confide in his sisters, telling them that the bassinet will soon by filled with a tiny Viking! Runa and Freya are so pleased for him, as they didn’t want to ask. They’re glad he told them though! Miriam can be heard welcoming Lucille, and those two are soon heard everywhere, stirring up fun wherever they go! They certainly don’t need the cocktails to enjoy the party, thinks Esther, looking around her home, looking at the beautiful dresses, but mainly looking at her friends. Friends who made a lot of effort to come, to be there for them, to brighten up the party with their presence, making her feel overwhelmingly grateful, her face sore from smiling and chatting. She goes from friend to friend, but never seems to manage to meet everyone present! Even when the party gets shut down, as they invariably do, the beautiful memories are there. Magnus hugs her tighter than ever that night, and whispers, “I know the sun is still there, even when you can’t see the sun. How much better to actually feel the sun, and experience the warmth and revel in its healing rays… It’s also true for the Sun you told me about, and He is shining His face on us right now, and nothing in life compares to His smiling countenance! I can feel His healing touch in my heart, bringing joy and peace and happiness…”

Family

The noise is incredible. She chuckles to herself, and shakes her head, whilst folding and packing up her clothes. “Whoever says that retirement is so that older people can have a rest must be joking,” she mutters, “I have never heard so much noise in my life! Good thing that I don’t feel old, otherwise living in this house would probably finish me off! Oh dear, I never realised how many clothes I have… I’m not sure I really want to keep all these. Oh! No, this one is for keeps! My green superhero suit! Mmmm, I wonder if I could lose enough weight to wear it; it would certainly entertain all the other old people once we move out…!”

Victoria is packing her belongings, humming to herself, smiling every now and then when extra loud noises reach her. She loves living in a noisy household, enjoys the young people chatting and singing, and revels in their infectious energy. She wasn’t going to retire until necessary, but when Chris got his final promotion, they decided that there really was no reason to hang on any longer. The only reason they kept going was to earn a few more Simoleans, to save up for the next bit of garden to get cleared. In the end, she and Chris decided that their generation had cleared a piece of the garden, and added a wad of cash towards the next plot. It was the new generation’s turn, they felt.

So, rather unexpectedly, both Chris and Victoria had handed in their papers! She still laughs when thinking about it, her musical laugh sounding as clear as ever. “It feels like I’m on holiday,” she had laughed as she had sat down with Chris for a leisurely cup of coffee. “I sort of regret not having taken the first retirement option now, rather than letting Tabitha and Richard go first…! It’s just so nice, a normal weekday, and here I am, sitting with you, listening to all the Mortina noises!”

They had both smiled, and enjoyed their moment together. Victoria looks at herself in the mirror when she passes it with another armful of clothes. She pulls a face at the old lady staring back at her, and touches her grey hair. “I like it, I think it actually suits me. The purple dress looks good too, I’m really pleased with my choices. Of course, my superhero suit would have been fun as well, but no, I think I prefer the classy look. The photographer will be here in a minute, I better go and put my face on. Skin can look so sallow next to grey hair. Now where is my toiletry bag…” she mumbles to herself, walking out of her room, walking with a determined step as if still walking in the Court room!

The house is very full, it seems. There are the four older Mortinas, and Eva, Esther and Samuel Vince. Eva is desperate to meet Paul, and Esther dreams of Vikings day and night, making everyone in the house feel that they can imagine why people dreaded the Norsemen coming all those years ago… They are secretly starting to dread anything that has a vague connection to Vikings too. Esther is oblivious to their weariness, she just can’t wait to meet Magnus. She keeps looking at postcards that arrived in the white letterbox, checking and double checking. Parties are being arranged, times are chosen, wheels are set in motion…

The noisiest of all is Samuel Vince. His bright orange hair moves through the house like a torch, setting people’s hearts and minds alight. He really has a gift for setting people off. He likes winding up, leaving some people cross, but he is so cheerful and friendly, that he gets away with it all! Victoria tried to have a quiet word with him. Having a quiet word with Samuel however is a contradiction in terms, as she should have known after all these years! She had tried to warn him, explaining that not everyone will appreciate his jokes and his loudness. “Really sweetie, you do need to be careful. People are so easily offended, and especially at trying times like these, what with betrothal parties, and arrangements to be sorted out…”

He had just laughed; laughed and hugged her, lifting her off the ground a little, ignoring her exasperated “Samuel Vince Mortina! What do you think…Oh!” He had kissed her, and giving her a last tight hug, had put her back on the ground. He looked at her, and with his bright green eyes full of mischief assured her everything was fine. “I’m fine, mother, they are fine, everyone and everything is just fine. Did I tell you I got the photography job? Auntie Tabitha recommended me, and guess what? I got the ASOS Photographer one! She was so pleased for me, said she had tried to apply for that one herself! Well, another family member given some justice, I guess!” and he had laughed his loud, boyish laugh, and walked off.

Victoria sighs, thinking about Samuel always leaves her a little uneasy. The boy is so wild, so incorrigible! Goodness knows what he’ll be like as a photographer…She shudders thinking of her carefree son taking care of extremely expensive equipment… “I hope they have all their paraphernalia insured…Tabitha has explained before how much each lens is, and each camera. Oh dear, maybe an office job would have been safer!”

Living together, however big the house is, always brings friction. It starts with Eva, who is still very upset about her delay in meeting Paul. At least she has had a description from Richard, who has actually met the lad, but she is very disappointed. Sadly, she takes her disappointment out on others in the family. Eva is quite grumpy anyway; Madame Stroppy they used to call her when she was in one of her moods. She normally gets over her issues soon enough, but Esther is having a difficult time of it. “I just can do anything right, she is turning our entire lives into a competition! She even complains about stuff that went one when we were younger! She complains about pictures I had put on the internet, well, who cares about that sort of stuff? People do it all the time, and she is my sister, surely she can help me a bit? All the time she keeps coming up with more and more issues, it’s driving me nuts! Mum, please do something about it?”

Tabitha and Richard both tried to talk to Eva, which just made matters worse. Eva went straight to Esther and they had a huge row about tittle tattling, and who’d done it the most. It ended the usual way: Esther in tears, Eva looking bored. It did stop though, and quite suddenly too. Victoria never realised how constant the bickering had been, but one day she realised that the noise she was missing was the noise of catty girls! “How strange,” she mumbles, wandering to the kitchen to make herself a coffee, it’s like the silence in the house is…palpable, I guess! Mmm, have these girls done each other in I wonder…they were really at it last night, I was about to throw a bucket of water over them It works for fighting pets, I’m sure it works just as well for fighting siblings…!”

Then she spots the girls, sitting on the sofa, together. They both are smiling, they both look up as she walks in, they both wish her good morning. Victoria stops, and stares at them, quite deliberately. “What happened to you two? Buried the hatchet? Or run out of nasty fuel, and have to make do with kindness instead?”

The girls look rather sheepish, giggle a little, and then Eva explains how Samuel had confronted them. She rolls her eyes a bit, and explains to Victoria how Samuel had come to them, and told them to sort themselves out. “He said he wanted to be blessed, in whatever form that blessing would come, and that there is a Psalm that says that the place where brethren (or sister for that matter!) dwell together in unity, that is where God commands His blessing, and life for evermore… So he told us to quit the moaning, and get a life, and allow him to have a life too. It was so embarrassing!” Eva still blushes, thinking how Samuel’s words had stung her, and made her feel like crawling under the cheap homestead coffee table, and to stay there in hiding till Paul came to fetch her…!

Victoria chuckles, and feels herself growing a few inches, just thinking about her son coming out with such wise words! “Well, it’s so much better to see smiling sisters, I must admit, and remember, it won’t be long before you go your separate ways, girls, just meeting up now and again, so I would enjoy each other’s company if I were you! Life in Sims Mobile is short as it is, so don’t squander your time away!”

That evening, propped up in bed with a book, Victoria sighs a sigh of contentment, coming from deep inside her. Yes, life is so short here, but there have been so many blessings, so much happiness as well! She drifts away into happy daydreams, floating, remembering, accompanied by the piano music that penetrates the walls of the Granny Annexe. She recognises the music as well as the pianist; Chris, playing his Mum’s favourite hymn; the one she heard in church that Sunday so long ago now. The hymn that she sang so often, even Victoria knows the words, and she finds herself humming along with Chris’ playing, ‘When peace like a river attendeth my soul; when sorrow like sea billows roll…whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul…’ She smiles, thinking about peace, and dramas, and Llama Flu, and treasured babies, squabbling siblings, and hearty laughter; feels herself relaxing more and more, till sleep carries her away to even more dreams. That is how Chris finds her half an hour later, his precious Victoria: fast asleep, a smile curving her sweet lips upwards, an open book ready to slide off the blue bedspread…

Tabitha is standing in the large bedroom, looking in her large mirror, stretching and turning like a model, even though she will be grey in just a very short time. Any time now, in fact, which makes her regret her hearty breakfast. Retirement, the dreaded stage of life for so many people. Retirement, which has been hanging over her and her Richard for a while now. She smiles at the mirror, and says to her image, “Never mind, dear, as long as you wear something suitable, something that goes with grey hair. Make sure you don’t look too washed out, and don’t look frumpy!”

She hears a hearty laugh behind her, and knows that Richard has heard every word of that… “You couldn’t look frumpy if you tried, my darling,” he whispers, hugging her, holding her tight. In the mirror she can see his face, looking a little sad. He sighs, and tries to smile at her in the mirror, making his face look all crooked. “I just wished I had time to get those final promotions… Suffering from Llama Flu was not helpful to my career as a doctor. On the other hand, there is now a new chef in the restaurant! I really got fed up with that old woman, Jalisa Key, working in the restaurant, ignoring all calls for retirement. So I had some words with her… Ha, she absolutely hated my guts in the end, but at least it worked! They have a new girl now, which is an improvement!”

They both laugh. Yes, there are many elderly people stuck in their jobs, refusing to retire, making it very hard for the younger generations to find spouses spontaneously. It has to be through arranged marriages, which is very complex. Tabitha sighs, they made some very careful plans for both their daughters, and she hopes and prays the arrangements will work out. Eva has a boyfriend, Paul, which she hopes to meet up with soon. They actually hope to meet without having a party, but Tabitha is not too sure about it. It is so difficult, and as all four of them will need to retire, the logistics are giving her a headache.

“Mum!! Mumm, where are you? Look, it’s here! It’s finally here! I can’t believe it…!” Eva’s loud voice can be heard through the entire house, and, thanks to the lattice windows, throughout most of Sims Mobile, no doubt…! Tabitha rushes out of the kitchen, to see what Eva has got, knowing almost for certain that it’s the Gems allocations… She is right, the Gems have arrived… Today, today will be the start of all the chaos, new roles, new jobs, new hobbies…new everything it seems, apart from us four, Tabitha thinks…There will be nothing new about us, all grey and bend and decidedly old!

That evening they talk about it and try to arrange everything. “It is just so involved,” groans Victoria, looking through their plans, permits, applications, schedules… The large dining table is covered with papers. “I don’t even know where to start. Who needs to be promoted sooner, rather than later? That is probably the most important factor. Then we can decide who will retire to facilitate those promotions.”

Tabitha sighs, her headache has definitely not improved, and Victoria speaking like some sort of official does nothing to help. Victoria looks round at the all, shuffles a few papers around to look at proposals and Marriage Arrangement letters. “Right, from what I can gather, Eva is hoping to meet Paul sooner rather than later. Eva, that makes you top priority.” Judging by the way she looks over Eva’s outfit, you can tell that Auntie Victoria feels that the promotion is not the only thing that deserves priority… “Of course, it means you can choose an outfit, and even have your hair done. Excellent, who else needs promoting now. Samuel?”

Samuel looks up from his phone, and shakes his head decidedly. “Nope, not me, dearest darling mother. I’ve made arrangements to marry Miriam, and she needs to be an adult first, which will be very soon, but not today. No rush, I’m happy to just hang around a little longer… Wouldn’t want the age gap to be any wider than necessary now, would I!” He grins at his mother, who pinches her lips a little, which means that she is very annoyed; Samuel Vince Mortina knows exactly how to wind up people, especially his mum. He know she hates the over-the-top endearments.

“So, that is you further down the list then,” his mother says, professional voice and face back in their places, “Esther, how about you? When will you meet your Viking?” She looks at Esther, who is busy on her phone. Honesty, that thing seems to be an extension of the girl’s hand, Victoria thinks, irritated, and a little smug, wondering why Tabitha and Richard have allowed it… Esther blushes at the mention of her Viking, Magnus.

“There will be a party, to meet up properly,” she says shyly, “but it won’t be for a while, I fear. The thing is, with so many friends around in Sims Mobile I’m hoping to meet him at somebody else’s party, even before we have ours…” She looks round, nervous, wondering if they will think her pushy, but all she can see is smiling faces.

“Let’s promote you too, then, dear, at least you could start a hobby or a job, and meet Magnus whenever you can. I really hope for you that it will be soon!” Esther’s name is added to the priority list. Victoria looks at her sister in law and cousin, and also at her husband. “Now to decide who will retire first…” she doesn’t quite know how to carry on, as it’s rather awful to suggest to somebody else to hop it, as her cheeky son once called it. “I…I am not sure if it matters who will accept their papers first, so, I suppose it depends on who is most prepared?” She ends up making it sound like a question. Tabitha bends over the papers, partly to hide the tears in her eyes, partly to look through them to see if they have overlooked something.

“Eva needs to meet Paul, that is very important,” she says, “so as long as there is somebody who is friends with Hadley or Albert, or even Paul, it should be alright I suppose? I really have no idea which way to work this out to be honest. I still don’t know if it is possible to meet up outside parties. I mean, being friends with Hadley, Paul’s mum, doesn’t mean enough really, as it doesn’t say she is friends with you. Sims Mobile Government doesn’t encourage meeting people outside parties. I really can’t see from these papers that it will matter.”

The room has gone very quiet, the only noise is the soft humming from the fridge in the corner. Esther’s phone vibrates. Of course. Victoria and Tabitha look at the other faces, Chris looks down, Richard looks up, rubbing his chin. In the end, Tabitha speaks up. “I think it ought to be Richard and I who will retire first. After all, it is our daughters who need to be promoted first. It is only right and proper that we should allow them to take our places. That way, you can still spend more time with Samuel Vince. We knew this time was coming,” she continues, her voice softer than ever, sounding different, tighter, thinner, as if it’s only just held onto by a lead, struggling to run away from her control. “We have been preparing ourselves, not just our belongings and plans, but we have prepared our hearts also. It’s no point stretching this out, Richard and I will retire, and our girls will take our places.”

You can actually feel the relief in the room. This could have been a very awkward moment; it could have caused so much hurt and upset; anger could have dominated the meeting. As it was, the meeting was very calm and smooth, thanks to Tabitha’s grasp of reality, and her ability to put others first. That evening, she hugs Richard very tight, and is glad that the darkness hides her tears, voice wobbling ever so slightly, and says, “When you were so ill…and I really thought I was going to lose you, you remember, at our wedding reception? Well, I sang. I sang at the microphone when there was nobody around, and I sang, ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’, and at the time I was so, so sad! I felt that I would like to live forever, or at least almost forever. I don’t feel like that anymore. We have been so blessed, and I know it’s time now to bring in new blessings, new life.”

She sighs, listening to Richard’s heartbeat, strong, steady, feels his arms around her, and all of a sudden a dark room is not enough to hide her tears any longer. He holds her tight whilst she cries; cries for all that she will miss out on, cries over missed opportunities, cries over myriads of memories made in this house, cries over memories forgotten over time. Other memories come in then, flooding her mind, and by doing so, they stem the floods of tears. Yes, there are so many happy memories, so many treasures in her heart, stored away, never to be forgotten. After a while she finds her face dry, and the corners of her mouth curving upwards.

The first soft chuckle comes, “Do you remember…?” Before they know it they are both laughing, and Tabitha finds her face wet again, this time with happy tears. She sighs contentedly, “You know, I’m alright about retirement, really. I know I will miss this house once we have to leave, but it will be lovely to spend more time together. We have been through so much, met so many amazing people, been to the best parties in Sims Mobile, and the greatest gift we have is each other. We will go into retirement together. The thing I’m excited about is the girls! I’m so pleased they are able to be promoted first, I just can’t wait to see what will happen!”

The deed is done, the papers are filled in, there is no way back… Richard and Tabitha hugged each other, and soon the household had gone through a change that made the two girls smile and dance with glee! Eva didn’t spend too much time on her appearance, much to Tabitha’s sadness, and Victoria’s annoyance… She did change her top though, and who knows, the rest might follow, Tabitha thinks. Esther on the other hand changed her outfit several times, she just can’t decide what to wear in case she meets her Viking, Magnus. She chooses a little dress, showing off too much leg, Richard grumbles. Esther argues that it’s fine, and anyway, what’s wrong with her legs…

There are growing pains, difficulties to overcome once the girls are promoted. Esther is pleased as punch when she finds that her Dad and uncle finished the Internet hobby just in time. In the hobby room the computer desk appears, and Esther is hooked! She loves social media, and is on different sites all day long, Llamatube being her favourite, as she loves to take selfies. She signs up for the internet hobby of course. She isn’t too worried about getting a job, “I want to talk with Magnus about that,” she says when her parents ask her. “I would love to work in the same area as him, like you two did. I like that, and anyway, I’m sure I prefer something with access to computers…Mind you, the office outfits for women is appalling, not sure if I can cope looking like that all day…What if people put pictures of me like that on Llamatube?”

Tabitha is pretty sure nobody will bother, but she doesn’t want to upset her daughter. It is clear that Esther is giddy with happiness and expectation, talking about Vikings, reading on the internet about Norse legends, even looking up free language learning sites online to learn Ancient Norse, but she can’t find anything that comes close, so that idea is dropped.

Eva on the other hand is not a happy bunny. She wasn’t the happiest smiliest girl to start with, but her mood has definitely nosedived. The reason is that meeting Paul is definitely more complex than they were hoping. She was convinced that if someone in the family was friends with Paul’s mum, they could then call Paul over at the same time. The problem is, nobody in the family is friends with Paul. When going to Paul’s house to meet his mum, it’s actually impossible to add Paul to your contacts. There goes the happy scheme…

Eva is inconsolable. Now she has to wait till Paul can throw a party. “That will be ages,” she wails, her nose red and drippy, “I was so sure we could do it! We even scoured the list of parties to see if we could quickly go to the same one. Nothing! Hundreds of parties, and not one in common! I hate it, it’s so unfair! What am I going to do all this time? I will have three traits by the time I marry him!” She sobs and sobs, louder and louder, until Tabitha steps in. It’s fine to be upset of course, but going into hysterics isn’t.

“I’m sure it will work out absolutely fine,” she says soothingly, “You said Paul could have a party very late Tuesday night. Well, I’m sure you could manage to quickly pop over and meet him. Also, we will all do our best as much as possible, keeping our eyes wide open, in case we spot him… Don’t give up hope just yet, dear, it will be fine. There will be a very good reason for it, there always is. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in this life without a very good reason. We might not know the reason now, but it will be there.”

Eva grunts, and shrugs her shoulders. “I can’t see any reason for this delay. We were so looking forward to meeting up, getting married…how on earth can there be a good reason for delaying this…this good thing? How do we ever know that there is a good thing to come out of bad? That just doesn’t make sense, I can’t see how that can be true.”

Tabitha hugs her daughter, feeling the stiffness, the anger, the disappointment hardening her muscles, making her tense, hurting not jut her heart, but her whole body. She kisses her daughter’s cheek, and says, “Well, once there was a well known old lady, who went through more than we would want to think about. She wrote a beautiful poem, one that your dad and I actually talked about late last night, when talking about our journey here, in Sims Mobile. This wonderful lady wrote this poem,

My life is but a weaving, Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colours He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent, And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas, And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares; Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those Who leave the choice to Him.” (Corrie ten Boom)

Eva hugs her Mum, clinging to her a bit tighter, feeling herself relax, accept, mature. Retirement is a time for change, and a time for choice as well. Not just to choose jobs, hobbies, spouses, or even outfits; time to choose attitudes as well. She sighs, life is really complex…but good, and exciting too! After all, just one day, and Paul is able to throw a party…they will meet…and then…the future!

Preparations

Victoria looks round the hobby room, wondering if she ought to hang the picture back. She sighs, their house needs more wall space, really. An extra room could be helpful too, but clearing land would take priority, as there isn’t enough space even for a very small box room! She grins, thinking back to the pictures she saw the other day, of the Mortina Home when Danielle and Ricardo first started the Mortina Family, and the pokey little house they had! Each generation has added to the house, cleared more land, extended rooms, or just moved stuff around. Like she is doing now, she thinks, looking at the picture in her hands again.

She finds a space for the picture, checks her phone for the time, and quickly goes to her room to change. They need to get things done today, and getting changed is her task, and it needs to be done soon, so another quest can be ticked off the list. The two men are determined that they will leave the next generation with the Internet hobby. Victoria and Tabitha are not that bothered, but they are willing to help the men with their quests. To be fair, the men usually take on the endless quests, taking them away from their jobs, even starting a new hobby.

Tabitha was a little upset one day, as she had had plans to go to a specific party. The quests had asked for party attendance earlier that day, filling up all available parties. Tabitha and Victoria had both complained to the men. “We had actually dressed for the party, I spent money on a new dress, and because of this quest we’re not able to go. This is really getting beyond a joke, are you telling us that the party quest could not have waited a few hours, just so we could go to this party? Would the whole event fail if we’d waited?” Richard had been very apologetic, and Chris had looked worried and embarrassed.

The men agreed that they would think a little more carefully about their quests, and make sure to communicate things better. At least Tabitha had been able to go to the Blue Party, where she had a great time! Victoria had laughed when she saw her outfit, all blue of course, with a funky blue turban. It was so unlike Tabitha, who tended to wear quite proper outfits, like the suit she wore for the English Tea Party. “I like it, I wouldn’t normally wear something like this, but it’s more fun than I thought! I was looking through the wardrobe choices to see what I could find in blue, and came across this. I thought I’d look for a hat as well, and the blue turban seemed to make the blue a bit more obvious. It’s so different, isn’t it? I loved the party, so many people had made a great effort to wear blue, amazing! The house was done in blue as well.”

She showed Victoria pictures of her Classy dress. “I had so been looking forward to that one! I had been planning the dress for absolutely ages, shoes, everything. Just to find out that we had no way of going. I was really upset!” Victoria had nodded, yes, she too had her outfit ready, actually hopped into work in it! When she found out that the party couldn’t happen for them she had been very cross. “I got very cross with Chris,” she told Tabitha, “I told him that I had dressed and everything to go to the Classy or Sassy Party, and that because of their obsession with this new hobby, all my plans had been spoiled! I must say, he took it very well, apologised and everything promised to make sure they checked the quests beforehand, rather than land us all in it! Mind you, there haven’t been many parties since, everyone is so busy with this event, there is no time!”

Victoria is actually sad about that. Soon, well, any day now the Gems will be handed out, and the four of them will retire. No more parties, no more dressing up, no more visiting when you want to, with whom you want to. The retirement papers came through a few days ago, always a shock! “I knew I had done lots of things, been through a lot, have an adult son, but still, you don’t really expect somebody to write to you to tell you it was time you disappeared from off the main stage of life, do you?” she had said to Chris that evening, wafting her paper at him. He had chuckled, and flapped his paper back at her. “I got one as well. I must admit, I wasn’t very happy. I felt that my life has only just started. I struggled for so long, feeling this burden of having to Save the Line, to be the one to bring Justice to an ancestor that hardly anyone had heard about. Now I’m finally free from all that, started to enjoy my self, and Boom, retirement is here! The worst thing about it is the parties. I didn’t think I would ever say that,” Chris had laughed, and stared in the distance. He kept chuckling, then go quiet, then laugh again, until Victoria felt like throwing something at him, a book, a plate, anything!

“I was just remembering some of the recent parties,” he says, when he realises that Victoria is looking round for something to throw at him. “The Tea Party was lovely, but to go to other people’s houses, to see their designs, I started to enjoy that. Now that opportunity is gone. It does make me feel very sad actually, to have regrets. I have so many regrets, you’re the exception as you have been such a blessing to me. Of course, Samuel is not a regret, apart from regretting that we didn’t have a child when we were very young.” He sighs, looks down at his shoes, feeling sad for all the missed chances.

Victoria leans a bit closer, rubbing his shoulder. She has regrets of her own. She regrets not having confronted and helped Chris earlier, when they would have had many happy years together, rather than just getting close at the end of their lives, with their traits all filled. She thinks of her quiet tears when looking at the empty bassinet all those years, and her loneliness when she and Chris had been so far apart. She breathes in and thinks about it.

She hugs him a bit tighter, “I don’t think we should think in terms of regret, really,” she says softly. “I know there is a verse that says that God will restore the years that the locusts have eaten. He has done that, I feel. Look at these last years, with our wonderful, handsome son, and the beautiful moments we have had together. We have been so close these last years, and had so many memorable times, I really feel they have made up for lost time. With regards to parties, well, I agree, I will miss them too. On the other hand, it is something that I should always miss, no matter how long I was allowed to live in this house. I think it’s one of the things that we should be content about, to be satisfied with what we did have. “

Chris holds her very tight, tears in his eyes, his voice sounding hoarse, “That’s why I love you so much. That’s exactly why I always think of you as God’s gift to me, my precious Victoria. You are right, of course you are right. We have been richly blessed these years, and you have helped me more than I thought anybody could ever help me. I was so miserable, so weighed down, felt everyone and everything was against me, that God Himself was against me. Then the sun came out, and everything looks different now, even the sky is clearer blue, birds sing sweeter, and you, my darling, are sweeter than all!”

Victoria smiles at her husband, stifling the growing giggles. He is such a star at flattering, she thinks, grinning at him, but he’s sweet. The best thing is, he actually means it. I do feel loved and appreciated, even though I feel he can be a bit over the top. Better this way round though, his coldness, sarcasm, sneering comments and looks drove me to distraction. I never knew a person could change so dramatically! There are still days of darkness, of course, days where Chris will be grumpy, or rude, but he will get out of it very quickly, and apologise and make up for it!

Many things change. Children change, and go from pigtailed staggering toddlers to tall pretty girls. Victoria looks at her niece Eva, walking past. “Isn’t she promised in marriage?” she asks Tabitha when she sees her in the kitchen. Eva looks so grown up, and seems very happy, glowing with it, making her face light up. She almost looks beautiful, although Victoria never liked her hairstyle, and she is hoping the girl will change that as soon as she is made active! Her clothes are a bit revealing, something that Victoria or Tabitha would never do, but then, once the girl has met her promised man, that could change too!

Tabitha smiles dreamily, “Yes, she is going to meet him as soon as we retire, or get the Gems. His name is Paul. They are new in town, their house is as tiny as the old Mortina house used to be! They are first generation people. Eva is very keen to meet him, which shouldn’t be too difficult. I’m friends with his mum, so I can go to her house at any time, meet the son, and call him over here. In fact, I know Richard has met the boy already. He wanted to have a proper talk with him, just to make sure you know.”

Victoria doesn’t know, although she would love to meet the future wife of her own precious son as well! Such a good idea, she thinks, meeting them first, just to see what they are like. She mentions it to Tabitha, who laughs, “Definitely! Richard was very keen, and he knew the boy a little, as he is a junior doctor in the same hospital. He has only just started, but Richard says he works very hard. He met him, and they got on very well. The boy has two younger sisters, beautiful little girls like their mum, with black hair and blue eyes.”

This makes Victoria stand up a little straighter. “Oh?” she says, trying not to look like a cat who’s spotted a bird, “Any idea how old they are, and what they are like?”

Tabitha smiles mischievously, knowing exactly what Victoria is driving at. “The older girl is called Miriam, has cute wavy hair, and is a real handful I’m told. The little girl is called Caitlynn; she has only just become a toddler. It’s a lovely family, hardworking, simple people. Eva and Paul will be the first to get married in their family, so his parents are very excited about that. I know they will retire soon, probably as soon as Caitlynn grows up. Miriam will be an adult very soon…”

Victoria smiles back, “She sounds lovely, and I will definitely have a word with my men folk. We quite like the idea of arranged marriages, you know, like Richard and I did. It worked out so well, and the wonderful bonus is that you get closely involved with friends and their families as well. How about Esther? She will be staying here, won’t she? Is she excited?”

Tabitha nods, yes, at the last family meeting it was decided that Esther would stay here. She found a young man, or rather, her parents found her a young man. Esther is the one most excited about it. “Yes, we did find her a prospective husband, a young Norse lad. Esther calls him her Viking hero, it’s so sweet! She is so happy, goes on and on about her young man, his name is Magnus. As soon as we retire they’ll make arrangements no doubt, unless Magnus is promoted before we retire and we can meet him like Richard met Paul. We don’t know the details yet.”

The dreaded family meeting had actually gone better than expected. Esther was really the only one interested, Eva having been promised to Paul already. Theodore has no plans as yet, but he is happy enough to make his own way in Sims Mobile. There are plenty of flats available, or even a little bungalow. The others were all very keen that Samuel Vince should stay. He is such a great guy, happy, energetic, kind and fun loving. He was keen too. He does believe in the Calling, as he sees it, but not in the burdened, dour way his father did. He loves his Mission, thinks it’s a fantastic challenge, and he is all up for it, as he calls it.

The others are all in agreement that Samuel Vince should be part of the Line, and they unanimously hope that his Mission will somehow succeed. “I have no idea how I’m going to fulfil my Calling yet,” he had grinned widely at the family sitting round the room, “but I’m absolutely determined to fulfil it. Maybe start a massive house for all the lost elders wandering the streets. Maybe I will start a trend of some sort, I don’t know. I’m sure I can think of something, and I’m equally sure that the whole Calling thing is going to be very exciting!”

The decisions were made, and it was agreed that soon after the Gems were received they would hand over the house to the new generation. Victoria does feel a twinge of anticipation, wondering what the next few years will be like. Beginnings are always lovely, the not knowing, the dreams and expectations… Now there are matters to sort out, jobs to finish, quests to complete. A last party here, a quick practise there. Then, time will slow down for them, they will need to choose what to wear, which is a Quest in itself as far as Victoria and Tabitha are concerned! Family photographs will be taken, and the last thing you want is to be immortalised in…in something dreadful, like a dull suit, or an awful jacket, or horror of horrors, a bathing suit! No, last days are filled to overflowing, and Victoria can feel time slipping away from her. Preparations have become serious all of a sudden!

English Tea

Tabitha keeps checking her phone, ignoring the frowns and judgmental looks clients give her. She just needs to keep an eye on the time today. Any other day she loves to spend time with customers, helping them to make the most of their photoshoot. It’s not just snapping pictures, as Chris used to sneer, to her it really is a work of art. She wants to make sure that the photos she takes are top quality picture, with the right lighting, the correct background, the best position for the customer.

Today is a little different, though. She still enjoys it of course, it’s just that today they are hosting a special party. She is the hostess, actually. The four of them had sat down a few nights ago, chatting, relaxing. Now that Chris is less obsessed about his Destiny, he is actually good fun to be with. She remembers him as the little boy, when he was like that too. Before the pressure and the tales and expectations turned him, and made him Mr Awkward. Now the pressure is gone, and Victoria is helping him to overcome his insecurities and social struggles, and she is doing a great job.

Tabitha actually smiles, causing the customer to audibly sigh, roll his eyes, and step back a little. Oh right, she is working…the guy must have worried she was trying it on… In fact, she was just remembering some of Chris’ jokes! He is using his wit on jokes, rather than on suspicious accusations and slipping into the victim role. She manages a little private giggle in the prop box, thinking about some stories Chris told them. Honestly, who knew Chris could be so funny? Poor Harry, his manager…not much love lost between those two, that’s for sure!

“I’m really sorry I can only finish off this last photo shoot, then I’ll have to dash,” she explains to a potential customer who just dropped in on the off chance. “I will be back at work tomorrow, so if you’d like to make an appointment, I can do that?” She helps the girl with the soft pink hair to fill out the form, starting to look forward to working with her. The hair colour will go very nicely with the standard background, she thinks, looking at the girl with half closed eyes, imagining her in different lights, from different angles. When the girl looks up, she finds Tabitha staring at her with half closed eyes, head tilted. The girl freezes a bit, and takes a careful shuffle back.

Tabitha smiles reassuringly at the girl, “Don’t worry, I was just thinking ahead, wondering which light setting would be best. It will be great, your hair colour is lovely, and will come out well against any background, really.” The girl looks relieved, and after setting a time she goes off. Tabitha hurriedly packs up the cameras and props, tidying things up, as she won’t be back till much later. She doesn’t want to come back exhausted, all partied out, just to have to hunt for her photography items.

The party! She is getting exciting now, as she locks the last box, and goes off home. She needs to get changed. “This is going to be tricking,” she mumbles to herself, making people look at her in a alarm, watching her march home, mumbling, frowning. “Whose idea was this, I wonder.” Then she grins, it was actually Chris who thought of it! “Imagine that,” she mutters, grinning, and doing nothing to alleviate people’s worries! “Imagine Mr Grouch coming up with a theme for a party, an English Tea Party! What on earth made him come up with a theme like that? I wonder what he’ll be like today… The wedding party was awful, with all of us worried about poor Richard. Then Victoria organised the party for us, after Eva was born. He was awful then, hardly speaking to anybody at all, glaring at guests, growling at Victoria… He really was the end, or rather, as Mum used to say, ‘the absolute terminus’, and he was.”

“I don’t know how Victoria managed all those years. Well, I do, of course, but she is one strong woman, and I’m glad that her prayers have been well and truly answered! Mind you, with that little rascal Samuel, I hope she hasn’t stopped praying just yet…!”

She is glad to be home, checking her phone for the time again. Good! Not much time, but enough, hopefully. She shakes her fist at Chris when she sees him, but he just laughs. She rolls her eyes, if only he knew how hard this is! What is she going to wear? She will probably need something new, which might be easier said than done. Just yesterday they all clubbed together, and managed to pay for another plot of land to be cleared, which doesn’t leave much money for new clothes!

Tabitha is relieved when she finds that the outfit which reminds her of the theme a lot, is actually quite reasonable. She finds a shade that doesn’t clash with her hair too much. She would have liked pink, but that really doesn’t suit her. It’s a shame, as the theme for her party will be an English Tea Party, and the colour that comes to mind is pink. Pink and flowers. She heard the stories of people who went to visit England, and everywhere they went were pink flowers. The curtains, carpets, upholstery of chairs were all decorated with pink flowers, often different shades and shapes of flowers in one room, clashing, and reminding you of wonderful gardens all at the same time. She looks round, if only there were pink flowery dresses available, Laura Ashley Style, with the huge hats to match, like English ladies wear to events like Royal Ascot! She twirls round in front of the mirror and sighs, if only…!

She quickly tidies up the house a bit, moves a few pieces of furniture around, and sets up a little tea corner. Stools here, tiny tables here, right…no, better over here. Tea tray on this one, biscuits on that one…Two jars I think, digestives, ugh, and ginger ones, that should do it. She stands back, and can’t think how to improve it, which means that it’s alright for now. She feels a bit worried, as she knows that some of her friends who will be here any minute now are amazing designers, with great taste and they might have done a much better job. Never mind, she sighs, and moves on, checking that there is enough food for everyone, the party signs are up…She is ready!

She spots Victoria in a lovely salmon pink dress, looking really pretty, matching earrings and bracelets, and she tugs at her blouse, hoping she doesn’t look too much out of place! The men look smart too, and then the first guests start to arrive! Tabitha is so excited, she wonders who will make it, as of course, the Sims Mobile Government doesn’t allow parties to grow too big, and even then they can shut down the party without a moment’s notice! The Renaldi family is actually the first to arrive. She is glad; she gets on very well with Bristol, and Victoria is very friendly with Kiera. She can’t believe Kiera has children, she still seems so young! Even Amara, hardly been promoted, and already had a baby. She gasps, Amara herself is here, at their Tea party! How amazing that is!

She chats with Bristol, gets to meet Amara, who looks stunning and congratulates her with her baby. The party is busy with so many friends, some of them Tabitha meets for the first time. She smiles, pours tea, chats, rubs aching jaws, keeps an eye on her adult daughters… She just hopes they accept her advice. Tabitha had sat them down the night before and had explained the whole thing again. “You need to make sure that you arrange things properly. If you don’t you’re heading for heartache. You can get married very easily, have a baby even easier, but to actually have a family, a strong steady family…well, that takes careful planning. You see, it’s almost impossible to get a Moving In Permit when you just meet a random person. For one thing, they might be married already, or have all their traits. You just don’t know, and can’t bank on it. So, if you hear of somebody that you like, meet the family, and try to make arrangements.”

The girls had both nodded and smiled, but Tabitha knows that with girls the nodding and smiling could mean anything! She is worried, she wants to prevent heartache and sadness, and on the other hand, she wants them to meet somebody they love or come to love. “Life can be so cruel,” she says softly, “and on the other hand, each day can be an amazing, precious gift, to be cherished and enjoyed. I pray both my daughters will find their days happy and full. Theodore as well of course, but somehow to me it feels different. I don’t know why, it just does.”

The house is humming, there are people everywhere, chatting, laughing, meeting and greeting each other. Then, suddenly, there is a gasp, followed by growing silence wherever the news is received. “Vivien Leigh has accepted retirement unexpectedly!” Tabitha stares at the girl in front of her, not believing her ears. Vivien? Retired? No, no way, that can’t be! Vivien, who has been such a help to so many people, and is so needed for her wise counsel. How can she retire, and so suddenly, with no warning, no preparation?

She rushes over to Vivien the moment she arrives. “Oh Vivien, is it true? Is it really true?” Tabitha struggles, she really mustn’t cry, what will Vivien think? She might actually be relieved to retire, and have some peace and quiet, and with everyone weeping all over her, well, she might be hurt! “I just heard the news,” Tabitha continues, looking at Vivien’s smooth face, trying to figure out if she is alright about it all, “the others told me. We will miss you, really truly miss you…” Her voice is starting to do things of its own accord, and Tabitha knows that’s the time to stop words from coming out. Words will misshape themselves, tumble and flow like a river over a rocky patch, and they will sound all disjointed. No, far better to just keep quiet, catch your breath, work up a smile, until you can feel your throat and tongue relaxing and ready to be controlled once again.

Vivien on the other hand looks very composed, calm and serene as usual, with her dark eyes and ready smile. She explains that yes, it had come rather suddenly, and she would miss everyone, especially Penny who had only just had her Coming Out party. Tabitha nods, she’d hoped to have gone, despite not owning a scrap of clothing that could be considered cowgirl style clothing, but by the time she got up, Sims Mobile Government had closed down the party. She wonders briefly if Vivien’s retirement was something to do with the party? Vivien explains that she’s at peace with it all, really. You have to accept certain things in life, she says, very philosophically Tabitha thinks, still struggling to breathe properly.

Tabitha is determined to spend as much time as possible with Vivien, and she begs the others to take as many pictures of them both as possible. She can’t believe it, but when she looks over at Vivien at some stage, she looks so happy, so at ease! As if nothing has happened, as if there is no monumental decision made, because there she is, chatting, drinking tea…looking stunningly beautiful as ever!

Tabitha and Victoria both say that the rest of the party passed in a bit of a blur after that. They meet some lovely people, one girl in particular they had never seen before. Her name is Alyssia, she has beautiful hair, and came with the rest of her family. There was the young Amara, very, very pretty, standing her ground it seemed, going round lots of people; Hank was new as well. “That’s the thing I love about these parties,” says Tabitha that evening, “meeting friends, making new friends, saying bye to amazing friends…” They all go quiet at that, feeling sad and missing Vivien, as if she’s gone already! “I loved meeting lots of new people today, having tea with them,” continues Tabitha after awhile, “saw some old friends as well, I also had some important chats! I’ve seen some of the pictures…it really was a wonderful time. I even saw Chris smiling!”

She laughs out loud at his scowl, and he just has to laugh with them all. “Yes, funny enough, I did enjoy myself. I’d never have believe it myself, but I actually had a great time, I don’t know how that happened? I have never been one for parties, so not sure why this one was so different. Maybe the tea got laced..?”

They chat a bit longer, feeling a little drowsy after the long day, content, blessed, at peace. Looking out the large lattice windows they can see the new patch being cleared. Night noises come in, cheeky Samuel can be heard softly snoring on the baby monitor. That Samuel, he had a great time too! Tabitha smiles over at Victoria, and giggles a little, probably the tea? “You better watch that irrepressible son of yours… He met a lot of people, and not once did he look shy…He was quite happy to go up to all sorts of guests, chatting away, telling them all sorts…”

Yes, she thinks, it really was a great party. She smiles, looking satisfied as a cat in Spring time, thinking back over her conversation with Kiera. “She’s a real character, she is! I just hope it will work out, I’m actually starting to feel quite excited now, but there we go, only time will tell. Who knows what will happen, but I have learned to have patience, and faith, and to trust that all things will work out the way they should. Just trust, although there is no ‘just’ about it, it is one of the hardest things I have learned in all this time. Looking back on all my traits, jobs, hobbies and friendships, there have been lots of difficult lessons, time consuming events, painful memories, but the hardest of all is still Trust. I wonder why…”

Transitions

It is Monday afternoon, and Guinevere and Adrianna have just finished work Downtown. Mondays are always hard, and today was no exception. Guinevere especially had been very busy, as it’s a Bank Holiday Monday. It’s Whitsunday Monday, or Pentecost, and everyone is off work. Well, almost every one. Guinevere is actually relieved to be at work today, it helps to take her mind off things. She spots a few regulars, and of course, her ancient manager is there as usual. When will he retire, or rather, will he ever retire? He never takes a day off, either…She wonders what his home life looks like. It can’t be great, that’s for sure. Guinevere can’t remember him talking about a wife or family, so presumably there isn’t much to go back to for him. The fact that he is old and stooped is strange though. Surely that should mean he’s had his papers served and accepted, and therefore should be unable to go to work?

Soon her shift is finished, and Guinevere decides to go and pour the Tea in the little café. She spots Sierra, looking her usual happy self…not! She has a few cups with her, trying to keep a conversation going. Guinevere sighs, sadly, Sierra reminds her too much of her moody son, and it’s really not something she needs at this moment! Life is depressing enough as it is, with boxes all round the Granny Annexe, Sebastian walking round with checklists, and Chris trying to look like the Victim of Injustice and Overcomer of Injustice all at the same time… She pushes any slight twitches of guilt away. It really was an injustice, after all, and the fact that it is in the past, and really not her problem doesn’t matter, surely! It’s always good to stand against injustice, she says to herself.

Guinevere sighs,and looks round the café. During one of the mentoring Events, will she be able to come back here by choice? Or will she be like some of those other elders around the café, stragglers, aimlessly wandering round the Park, in and out the café at random? Guinevere feels the lump in her throat, and breathes in deeply, and out again….and in…and out. She still has that quiet peace in her heart from yesterday, she knows it’s the way things should be, but even so, that doesn’t make her immune to sadness now, does it?

Looking at the slim, beautiful and especially young Sierra doesn’t help either. She realises that all this time in the café, she has been eyeballing people and labelling them. The put them into age categories, and felt resentful and judgmental towards anyone who fell into the ‘very young, probably only just promoted’ category. She recognises the other category, the group of people who look like her, ‘definitely got all their traits, probably holding off retirement as well’. The group she deliberately turns her eyes away from are the elders: stooped, grey, somber, dressed in dowdy clothes…

“How awful they look, and so unhappy,” she whispers into the steaming mug off very bitter tea, “none of them look at peace, none of them look attractive. Yet in a day or so I will be joining them! Oh dear, I know I need to accept and trust, and yes, I know it’s for the best, but oh, how painful to let go!” She leans over the mug, pretending to look into it, whilst covertly wiping her eyes. She breathes in deeply again, sits up straight, and feels strength flowing into her heart, followed by peace, a quiet knowing that all is well.

Yes, she thinks, it is well with me, and I will accept, and I will rejoice and be glad in this day. She smiles to herself, eyes drying quickly of their own accord, that was one of Great Auntie Alicia’s songs! She used to sing that song whenever we grumbled about something that day. She was right of course, and yes, I will decide, I will choose to rejoice.

She finishes her tea, finishes the Tea Event, and decides to go home, to check the post, to check, well nothing really, just to be home, she admits to herself. When she gets home she has a shock. The others are all there, sitting around the large sitting room. Their faces look gloomy in some cases, like Adrianna’s, and exuberant in other cases, like Tabitha’s and Chris’. Guinevere looks round the collection of Mortinas, and drops into the nearest chair. Her legs just won’t support her any longer.

“Has it come?” she is shocked at the thin, wobbly voice wafting across the lounge. Is that her voice? That old, quivery sound? “Surely the Gems haven’t come yet? Last time the Gems only came Wednesday night! Why have they come so early, why couldn’t it wait? I’m not ready, I still want to…” the tears drown out the sound of her voice however, and the family looks on, uneasy, shuffling their feet, fidgeting their fingers, as Guinevere wails and rocks herself in her grief.

Sebastian goes over to her, “Come my sweet,” he whispers, “come, don’t take on so! You know we will still have some days, we will still have time to do things together. You know there is a time for everything under the sun. This is a time to let go, to enjoy the twilight of our lives, a time to move on. There is a time to start as well, start our days here watching the new generation grow and bloom. A time for Chris to be active, to meet his future wife properly, to lead his family…”

Guinevere calms down after a while, Tabitha brings her some water, and then Guinevere looks at them all again. “So it is true, then,” she asks softly, “they really have come? Do we really have to send off for the papers right here and now?”

Tabitha shakes her head, “No aunt Guinevere, there is still a little time. Chris and I still need to make the arrangements with the Knights. We still don’t know when the meeting up party will be. I’m sure there isn’t much time, but there definitely is some. We do know that both Richard and Victoria Knight have been mad active, and as far as I know Richard managed to get that position as a doctor that he applied for. Victoria has started at the Court already, I believe, so it won’t be long before we meet up with them.”

Guinevere smiles her bravest smile and gets up. “Good,” she says, and all of a sudden there is a glimpse of the old Guinevere back in her face, “good, for I just want to lead the music one more time!” With that, she is off, back to the night club, to have one more shift. Then maybe a bit of a make over, her dress is fine for now, but once she is old and grey she wants something more flattering. The frumpy looking elders in the café come to mind… No, that would never do!

The Mortina home is buzzing with activity. Josiah and Jephta have their bags packed, most of their things in boxes stacked high in the new apartment they found. Chris is actually smiling a lot, his sour mouth and suspicious eyes looking more relaxed than Guinevere has seen them for some time. He is getting ready too, applying for a position in the office, filling in the necessary form to become Active in the House. Rooms are rearranged, plans are made, knickknacks are packed.

Time for a last complete family portrait…and Guinevere’s two sons are off. Another portrait, this time with everyone left in the Mortina home. It will be the last portrait with Lancelot and Adrianna and Sebastian and Guinevere in the active positions. The next time the family photographer will come four of them will be grey headed…Why is change so hard and painful?

Guinevere finds herself in the kitchen with kind hearted Tabitha, who is on top of the world it seems! “Well, then, have you seen this young Knight yet? Has he sent a picture to you? Now that he is active, he has probably changed quite a bit?”

Tabitha smiles, and looks dreamy, which is very sweet, Guinevere thinks. She remembers her own romance, all arranged of course, as all the townies were old. Her parents had to resort to arranged marriages for them. She loves Sebastian though, and is very happy with him. She was a bit sad and disappointed in the beginning, she remembers, as he had several traits already, and a tummy to match… But he was kind, and good natured, and he won her heart in the end! It’s obvious that Tabitha has none of these problems, she is glowing and eager to meet her Knight in shining armour!

“I’ve got a picture,” gushes Tabitha, “he just sent it this afternoon! Look, here he is, sitting round the bubble maker at their house…” She trails of a little, and her sweet smile seems to become a little bit too bright. Guinevere sees Tabitha’s green eyes darken a little. I bet she is worried, she thinks.

“Don’t you worry about their house, Tabitha, I know it’s absolutely gorgeous, and huge. That is not what is important though. They are lovely people, hard working, caring, always ready to help out. The fact that we have no bubble blower, no palace, no piano even, or any of those things, none of that will worry your Richard. I am absolutely sure of that. They are not snobbish at all!”

Tabitha sighs, and looks relieved at her aunt’s words. It is something that she is very conscious about, the fact that Richard, and Victoria too for that matter, will have to come down quite a bit in the world. She fears that the lack of niceties and fineries might cause resentment in the end, and she hopes and prays that Richard will really fall in love with her, as a person, and truly find happiness in their relationship. She is quite sure that he isn’t materialistic but still, it can be hard to do without certain things all of a sudden!

They chat a bit longer, her aunt sharing some stories of the posh party she went to at the Knight’s house, how Alex used to be a bit of a bounder (Guinevere actually blushed at that point, so Tabitha discreetly looks away!), but that rumours have it that Alex has been given the responsibility of the House, and that he takes this very seriously indeed. “Well,” Guinevere looks very mischievous all of a sudden, “well, they have a saying the Netherlands, that a fox can lose its hair, but not its tricks…So you might want to tread carefully round Alex, just in case!”

At that she laughs, hugs Tabitha suddenly, and says softly, “I am glad. Yes, I know it’s all been painful, and I don’t doubt that I will shed a few more tears, but I am glad. Yes, I still have peace in my heart, and acceptance to go wherever God leads me, and He will go with me. I can honestly say that I’m glad, as I can see the excitement in your face, and I will see this new generation moving in, taking up the mantle, growing, blossoming, thriving… I’m at peace, and I wish you and your splendid Knight peace too, when your stories begin, when highs and lows ebb your way… Have peace, dearest Tabitha, have peace always, in sadness and in joy!”