Again?!?, 2005

Resar, fall, 2005
Faith is 20

She should have been enjoying this time in her life. Enjoying going to bed at whatever time she felt like it,

having cereal every simday for breakfast,

and blowing her tiny paycheck on a new look.

She should have been enjoying days off spent in the hot tub

nights out at the bar,

flirting with the bartender over her usual drink.

She should have been enjoying bowling alone. When other sims had to go home to get rest before going to work the next day, she was improving her game,

perfecting her strike dance.

She should have been enjoying playing the violin

and hanging out with friends

chatting about nothing really since they were carefree and wild and young.

Yes, she even should have been enjoying lunch with her mother, who bit her tongue at Faith's new look, only remarking

"You changed your hair, it suits you."

who always asked how her violin technique was improving.

Faith should have enjoyed the mild annoyance when her mother asked if she was eating enough,

if she was getting enough sleep,

and when she would finally get a real job instead of working in that record store wasting her days punching the clock.

Those things she should have been enjoying ended the day she invited Walt over. She hadn't seen him in a while and he was back in town.

She couldn't recall when or how they had met, but she remembered the excitement of being in his arms.

It was more than just physical, they did talk...occasionally. They talked about the smoky nightclubs he found himself in at night, doing his stand-up routine. They talked about her record deal and how she wanted to get another deal playing rock violin.

They talked about the places he saw as he looked for the next club to host his act for a few weeks before always returning to Apple Valley Metro, always returning to her.

Faith liked Walt, probably not as much as Walt liked Faith, but enough to share her bed with him after the necessary time spent chatting mostly about Walt's desire to have an actual relationship.

Faith had planned her method of attack very carefully, arriving before her mother was off from work. How was she supposed to know that Susie would also be there and that her new boyfriend, Anthony was coming later to cook dinner for their parents.

"You should stay too, I promise that I won't drink all the pop this time."

Faith smiled, she didn't care about soda pop. It made her nausated now.

Lyndon knew that Faith didn't come as a friendly visit, that much was evident in her voice on the phone and seeing her now...now he knew, but he wanted her to tell him. He patted the sofa next to him and his oldest daughter sat down. Susie grabbed the next available chair, even she knew that the air in the room had changed.

Faith didn't bite her tongue. "I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant," Lyndon repeated.

"Again?!" Susie gasped. "How did that happen?"

"The usual way," Faith retorted.

"Ugh, I can't think about kids right now. I have to keep my figure. You don't see any dancers hobbling around onstage like a bloated ball do you?"

Thankfully the doorbell rang and Susie excused herself to answer it.

"She means well,"

"I know, dad." Faith mumbled looking at her fingers.

"Dad, you remember Anthony? Anthony, that's Faith, my foster sister."

"Hello,"

Faith tried not to swoon. She knew that Susie's boyfriend was hot, at least according to her mom. Faith had to admit that he was cute, but she didn't see his face when she looked at him-instead she saw Walt.

"Mom's home." Susie added, dragging her boyfriend downstairs so that he could get started on dinner.

Nicole had a sixth sense about these things. She knew as soon as she left work early that Faith would be waiting and that there was a pregnancy. She knew for certain the moment Faith hugged her.

"You're pregnant." Nicole said sitting down in the empty chair in the office.

Faith nodded.

"What about money? Are you ok?"

Faith blanked. Her job didn't pay much and neither did Walt's job, but she knew her parents were not in a position to provide any substantial help.

"I'll be ok."

"What about the father? Does he know?"

Faith nodded. She had told Walt as soon as she found out. The reception was bad in whatever part of the country he was in, but she managed to get the message through.

"He just signed a contract with a club in Stinson to do his stand-up routine for a few simweeks."

"Will he be around?"

Faith couldn't answer. Would he be around? she thought as she sat down at the table "He comes to the metro pretty often, so perhaps."

"So, how long have you been cooking?" Lyndon changed the subject as Anthony and Susie joined the table.

Anthony wanted to crawl under the table. His signature pasta with moon ripened tomatoes didn't come out quite right thanks to Susie's help. "For a little while, I hated the university food so I learned how to cook."

"Well, a bit of advice." Lyndon said choking down a charred piece of pasta. "Don't let Susie do anything but wash dishes. She will ruin your meal everytime."
---

• Faith Humphrey's baby is due Patar 2006
• Faith had slowed down considerably before her pregnancy. If this was a few simlonic months ago, she wouldn't have known who the father was.
• Susie meets Walli/Walt; Susie & Faith share Walli/Walt; Faith's first pregnancy