Have a Point, 2009

Remar, summer, 2009

Bill is 25, Emma is 24, Jacob is 3 and Abigal is 2.

Bill's new job as a field researcher often has him leaving early and staying late at the office after field work and then arriving home even later. Emma has been trying not to be upset, but sometimes her anger gets the best of her...like tonight.

"What are we, you're cast off family? Do you remember us or do you plan on trying to recycle us out for another family?"

Bill tried to keep his temper while responding to his wife, "I don't know what you're trying to say, Emma."

"The same thing I said this morning," she gritted through her teeth.

Bill remembered the morning starting off very nice, after a lazy romp in the bed,

he dressed and let the children out of their cribs.

He returned to see Emma standing beside the bed with fury in her eyes.

"What did I do now? I thought you were satisfied."

"It's not that, dummy."

"Then what?"

"Are you cheating on me?"

"What? Why would you say that?"
 
"I'm not dumb, Bill. I know that it doesn't take that many hours at work, at least not to do your job."
 
"We're not having this conversation," he said turning around and leaving. Now it looked like they would be having the same conversation again.
 
"I was late this evening because I had to run a few errands."
 
Emma rolled her eyes, "Errands like what?"
 

 
"Like getting this for you," he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wad of simoleans.
 
"I...what...wow...wha-?"
 
"Got your attention, I see."
 
Emma shot him a glance, "Explain."
 
Bill told the story of how he was assigned field duty and in a remote section of the SimCity outback he had came upon a previously undiscovered entranceway to an outcropping of ruins built into the base of a mountain and covered by dense jungle foliage.
 
"This was a major discovery, but I wasn't sure how to proceed. Should I enter the ruins by myself and attempt to ascertain their nature, or head back to the institute and inform some of the more distinguished archaeologists of the ruins' existence?"
 

 

"What did you do?"

 

 
"I went in by myself and found a rare statue."
 
"So they gave you a bonus?"
 
"Not exactly...I sold it on the black market, it was worth more than the little bit they were sure to give me."
 
"How much exactly?"
 
"$15,000"
 
---
 

The $15,000 went a long way. There was the new kitchen renovation, new furniture and finally a fence for the backyard for the children.

 

"Everything looks great." Ming said as she sat down with her beer on the new patio.

 

 

"Thanks, it's a lot easier now with the children to allow them to run around outside...except Jacob has bad allergies."

 

"What has the family said about everything?"

 

 

"His mother has been dropping by to see the grandchildren, especially now that she's not on the hood council, she has a lot more free time. Honestly, they think that we should have saved it all, or put a chunk towards the mortgage."

 
"They have a point..."
 

 
"Not you too, Ming. Besides, we did put some of it towards the mortgage, just not everything."
 

 
"So besides the new kitchen and backyard and furniture, what else did you do?"
 

 
"Well, Bill and I splurged and went out to a fancy dinner one night. It was perfect, except for the rain.
 

 
I couldn't wear my fancy dress due to the mud, but it was still nice."
 

 
Emma turned in the direction of a shrill cry and saw Jacob covered in hives and sneezy. "Time to go inside, Jacob's had enough of nature for today."
 

 
"Good thing you got them some new toys as well." Ming said scooping up Abigal.
 
"You're right," Emma said laughing.
 

 
Bill found the two women on the couch when he returned home. He tried not to make eye contact with Ming. It was something about her that made him a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't strange or a bad friend to Emma, but...well...it simply wasn't wise to have a crush on your wife's best friend. Especially when your wife's five brothers and father were still a bit pissed at you for "violating" their darling little girl.
 

 
"You staying for dinner?" He asked as he started the cheese sandwiches.
 
"Not today, S'Ahmisa and I are meeting Krissy for dinner. She's engaged you know."
 
"Really? Congratulations to her."
 
"Yea, well, we have a few simweeks to plan a wedding, they want to get married this fall."
 
"Wow, that's soon."
 
"Tell me about it," Ming grumbled picking up her purse. "It's not like it's a shotgun wedding, they already had the kid, so I don't see what the rush is."
 
---
 

 
After dinner, the family went to bed and other extracurricular activities, but they wouldn't stay there long.
 
In the middle of the night, the fire alarm started blaring and Bill and Emma abruptly awoke.
 

 
"The children!" they cried and ran into the small rooms. The house was full of smoke and they barely made it down the stairs and out the door when the firefighters arrived.
 

 
It didn't take long for everything to be brought under control.
 

 
"It's mostly smoke damage," they listened as the firefighter explained the details of the fire. It was the stove, a malfunctioning wire and a spark combined with the dish towel. The towel couldn't be saved, but everything else was ok. They would need a new stove, but their warranty should cover it.
 

 
"Also, you might want to reconsider your sleeping attire," she teased her neighbors and handed them a blanket.
---

• ROS: Fire
• Sorry for the horrible photoshopped smoke photos :)
• This was my first time noticing that sims have allergies, poor Jacob kept sneezing while outside.
• Bill was very lucky with his chance card, so lucky in fact that only 15% of the people who choose his option get the good outcome and I couldn't find the wording for it. So I had to go on memory.