Uncomplicated 3.15: Da-da

     I go home, and Bonnie tries repeatedly to get me to tell her what's wrong. I won't talk. I don't want to hear the 'I told you so' that would be coming. My reputation has lost me the best man ever created.
    Edward was absolutely right. He has to care what the public thinks, so he can't let himself associate with me. Didn't I try to point this out to him several times? Each time, he acted like I was being ridiculous.
     He'd do better without me, and I'll have to learn to live without him.

     I stay busy. For one thing, we throw Wren's birthday party. Bonnie does the cake with her. She's spent more time taking care of her than I have, putting their relationship meter the tiniest bit higher. I'm sure if Luke were a member of the household, it'd be he that took her to the cake.

     Bonnie puts her in one of my old outfits.

     I'm starting to see what everyone else sees: She looks a lot like me.

     Dad spends a lot of time snuggling his granddaughter. I can't explain the melancholy look on his face. Maybe he's remembering how hard his life was when I was that young.

     Luke adores his daughter, eating it up with her calling him 'Da-da.' After Mom and Dad leave, he hogs her all to himself.

     We haven't really spoken since that conversation in the garden the morning of election day. I worried we would see him less, that he would take out my rejection on our daughter, but he doesn't change his habits. I'm glad. Wren doesn't need to feel the tension that would cause.

     While he plays with our daughter in the bedroom, I go around and clean things up. Everywhere I look makes me think of Edward. He's all over this place. I look at the little wall at the shower and think of him. The chickens make me think of him. There are the chairs where we sat quietly just before I went into labor. That marked the last time I saw him for ages, and it was because he thought it would be best for Luke and me to get married and be a real family.
     Well, he might get his wish. I don't know. I need to think. But I'm too busy!

     "I've gotta get going," Luke tells me while I work on fixing my leaking sink. He lightly tickles Wren as he says in a mock growl, "And this little bugger refuses to get sleepy!"
     She giggles hysterically, and I smile and wonder if the reason she's not sleepy is that Luke can't stop playing.
     "Da-da!" Wren shouts emphatically and gets a tight grip on his tie.
     Luke makes a mock choking face, making her giggle again, and he loosens the child's grip before kissing her fingers. "Da-da be back tomorrow." He kisses her forehead and puts her on the floor.
     "Unh! Unh!" she grunts and reaches up for him, opening and closing her hands like she can grab the air to pull him back to her.
     "I'll see you tomorrow, baby. I love you." He blows her a kiss, and Wren starts crying. He can't hide the pain on his face as he walks out the door.
     I can't hide a few sniffles of my own as I do nothing but make the sink worse. Throwing the wrench into the bottom of it, I lean down on my elbows and cry as loudly as my toddler.

      Over the next little while, I teach Wren to talk, and I discover that she's definitely her father's daughter.

     Months pass, and Bonnie helps me weed and water the plants. As long as she's not harvesting them, I can sell the produce, and I make a surprisingly-large amount of money.
     I write the last check to Edward, and a few days later, I get the deed to the house in the mail. After safely storing it away, I go have a crying fit down by the water. I'd go have it on my bed, but Wren is taking her nap.
     Why did I hope that for some reason Edward would hand-deliver it? I'd let myself fantasize about him coming over, smiling, and he'd ask me to dinner so we could go celebrate. That was a ridiculous idea, Anastasia! He's far too busy.

     Over the next year, I DO start reading the paper, and I find where he's opened more water towers, wanting to take advantage of rainwater (let's pretend there is some), and he's started water treatment plants, creating jobs and cleaning up the water for reusing. Now, he's pushing to start using solar power and wind for energy. He's a very good mayor, and I smile as I read about his successes. However, the other reason I'm reading the paper is never far from my thoughts: to see if he's with anyone yet. When that day comes, I swear to myself that I'll burn every copy of every article I have in my collection, scrapbook, everything, and I'll never touch the newsprint again.
     Luke still visits almost daily, always finding time for Wren, even if he acts exhausted from work. He's always really nice to me, never once bringing up how he wouldn't have to say goodbye to his daughter every day if we only got married.

     I'm out weeding my plants when I hear, "Ana." Suddenly thinking it's Edward, after all he's the only one to ever call me that, I stand up and spin around in a hopeful way only to see Luke watching me.

     I do my absolute best to keep my disappointment from showing as I ask, "Yes?"
     He asks me how I'm doing and tells me that he's gotten a promotion. This promotion gives him better, more normal, work hours. I congratulate him, but I can tell he has more to say. From the look in his eyes, I can guess that moment has come.
     "...not just because we have a child together, but... because I love you, Anastasia," he finishes the end of a speech I numbly missed.
     My heart breaks. Nooooo! it screams. My hands fly up and cover my face.
     "I just wanted you to know," he says sadly. "I was hoping that you would reconsider giving us a chance. I have forever regretted my initial reaction to you telling me that you were pregnant. I hope I've more than proven that the things I said, the things I did are no longer me." He stops, easily reading my body language. "Will you at least think about it?" he begs.
     I swallow a sob. He's really turned into a great guy. Why can't he be the one that I want? "I will," I say and pull my hands away from my, thankfully dry, face.
     He takes a step forward and holds my head in his hands. Then, he leans in and kisses me, keeping it simple but still full of pent-up emotion. My heart only rips further, and I know that I probably will end up marrying Luke. We'll be happy here. Wren will have a better life, too.

Click here to go to 3.16

Uncomplicated 3.14: Cold

Anastasia

     Edward called a little while ago and asked me to meet him here. When he'd spoken to me, he sounded upset about something, but I couldn't get out of him what. I only hope he'll tell me now. It probably has something to do with his job and that's why he chose this rarely-visited public park.

     "Hi," I say simply.
     His voice cracks as he says, "Hi." Then, he clears his throat and continues, "Doesn't the city look nice from here?"
     I turn my head and shade my eyes as I look at the city's skyscrapers. "I suppose so." My head turns back to face him. "What's up?" I ask.

     I walk around in front of him, and he looks up at me with an unreadable expression. I wonder if he's trying to translate what I said.
     "I mean what's going on?" I ask in a way he'd better understand.
     "You say some of the queerest things sometimes," he mentions in a plain voice. His eyes deliver a hard stare, and I can't decide if he's trying to keep from glaring at me, trying to memorize my face, or thinking I'm entirely too odd for him to bother with. At any rate, a feeling of dread strangely drops into my stomach. He reminds me of someone... Helen. His eyes are COLD.

     His eyes are so cold that I shiver when I take the seat next to him, not relaxing when I do. "I suppose I do. It's just further proof of how I don't fit in here." My bad feeling only grows when he doesn't correct me, irritated that I'd talk badly about myself. That tells me he agrees with what I said, and I take a deep, shaky breath.

     I can feel him looking at me, but I don't want to check and see for sure if he is. I don't want to see the cold expression in his eyes again.
     Unable to bear the quiet, I add, "It doesn't bother me too much. I didn't fit into Lucky Palms, either."
     "That must've been difficult," he mentions generically.
     Of course it was! I've mentioned that to him plenty of times. Why say something like that?
     He continues sagely, "Sometimes, life is incredibly difficult."
     I try to fill my lungs, but I can't. "I suppose so."

     He turns to look back at the city. If only he would hold my hand, something as simple as that, I would feel better, but he doesn't move except to breathe. I do the same.

     A light breeze cools us as the silence stretches out. I hear cars crossing the nearby bridge, and the distant sound of a siren reaches us. The river in front of us slowly makes its way to the ocean in a very unhurried way. Edward acts just as unhurried to tell me why he asked me out here.
     Finally, he takes a breath and says, "Thank you for coming out here. I don't like pulling you away from Wren, but I needed to talk to you."
     I cautiously turn my head. He doesn't look back at me, looking at his lap instead. "It's fine, Edward. Luke is watching her, and even when he has to leave, all Bonnie is doing is practicing her piano."
     "Well, good that Luke is with her." He stretches out his leg and pulls on his pant leg, straightening it out in a distracted way.

     He finally turns to look at me, and hurt shines through his eyes as he says, "I'm glad he's a part of her life."
     I'm dying to know why he wanted to talk to me, but still, I reply, "He likes being a dad."
     "That's good," he says, acting like he plans to say more, but he quickly snaps his head to look at the wooden boards under his feet, getting quiet.
     "I know that was your doing," I tell him. "I know that was you that shoved him into that taxi the day she was born. I know you were the reason he was there. I don't know what you told him earlier at that party, but I've guessed it had something to do with that."
     "Yes," he answers quickly. Again, he acts too choked up to say more.
     I can't stand it! "Edward, is something wrong?"
     He pauses as if he's trying to figure out how to say something. "Have you seen the paper this morning?" he asks in a leading way.
     "No. I stopped reading the paper ages ago. I'm sick of the biased gossip it puts out," I state with a trace amount of venom.

      "I'm glad you've stopped reading it," he states sadly. "Unfortunately, I've had to work hard to stay in its good graces with my campaign running. That's no walk in the park, let me tell you."
      "I understand," I say quietly. "But your campaign is over; you won."
      "Yes, but now, I have to keep working so that I'm not thrown out of office."
      "The press has too much power," I state.
      "It does, but that's the way things are. They guide the opinions of their readers, and most of the city does read the paper. If you had, you would see that my mayoral victory is on the first page. On the bottom of the first page, however, it features a shot of you leaving my house very late last night." He stops talking, and I still see pain in his eyes.
      "I don't care," I say resolutely.

      "I have to care," he says so quietly that it's almost a whisper. "If I'm going to be able to accomplish my goals as mayor, I need the people's support."
      I get the strange sensation like I'm not really in my own body, and my skin gets a hum to it as the implication of his words slowly sinks in. "You... You invited me over last night."
      Still very quiet, he says, "I know. I'm sorry."
      My breathing picks up speed. "You're saying you're sorry you invited me over?!"

      "I need to cancel tonight," he replies, saying that instead of answering my question. He closes his eyes and turns away.
      This isn't happening! I close my own eyes. "To... to reschedule some other time?" After he was BEGGING me the other night that it would drive him crazy to wait that long.
       He lets out a puff of air. "No," he answers, and my once-again carefully constructed world crashes down around my ears.
       I put my face in my hands. "Because of what the newspaper said."
       "In a way, yes," he answers stoically.
       How can he do this to me?! How can he suddenly change his tune?

      I stand up and spin around angrily. "You said that didn't matter! You said you didn't care what they all thought!"
      "That was before I realized how this job works," he says, acting like he's in pain.
      "You said... You said that they didn't matter." My heart cracks. "You said I mattered more to you than what everyone else thought!" My face falls. Then, I choke out, "You said you loved me."
       "Ana..."
       I interrupt. "Well, this just proves you really are a politician. Such a smooth liar you are!" I turn to go, a hole forming in my chest.

     "Ana!" he cries out and grabs hold of my arm.
     "No!" I yell, trying to pull my arm free. I don't even want to look at him.
     "Please. You have to understand that-"
     "Oh, I 'understand' plenty!" I roar and jerk my arm free. Then, I start running.
     "Ana!" he calls out again, and I feel a breeze near my arm as he tries, but fails, to catch me again.

     I put all my efforts into just getting away from him. I hear his footsteps stop, but I don't turn around. I just want to go home. Behind me, I hear Edward let out what sounds like a huffing sob, but I keep going. If he's hurting from what he said, it's his fault.

Rose 2.67: Relaxing interlude

mypalsim

     I think the latest chapters of Rose have been pretty intense. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but it's nice to have a break every once in a while. I have a collection of pictures that would make the story drone on if I used them, but I don't want to leave them out.

      Yes, this is just what Camilla needs, another thing to scar her for life. -.-

     I like posting pictures of Rose's artwork. Cool! Another famous painting to adorn their walls.

     The current location of the 'shrine.' Donovan actually has Tiffany's gravemarker in his inventory. I thought I'd keep it just in case.

     They all go to the fall festival, and I'd hoped to make something of this, but the sunken sims thing is really getting on my nerves. That, and Rose mourning Giacomo every five seconds.

     Yes, Donny, it's about time you asked her to be your girlfriend. hehe.

    She says yes. Duh.
    Instant celebrity. I think 3*.

     Brave, brave girl, Camilla. She wets herself afterwards.

     I admit to teleporting her in there.

    Then, Shauna sits on his lap. Yeah, that's all she's doing, sitting in his lap. >.>
    I love Donovan's eyes in this one.

     Skye shows up, and as usual, when the game aged him up, he got the shaved hairdo. I fixed it to his typical one, but I tried this one on for size while I was at it. Not bad. But he can't have the same hair as Donny.

     Donovan can't have a normal conversation with anyone if he's out in public. People are constantly wanting his autograph or picture, and he will stop everything I've told him to do in order to appease his fans.

    For instance, I have him start chatting it up with Skye because their relationship had gotten too low.

     Then, I zoom over to Lorenzo thinking about the upcoming prom. I plan to zip back over to Donny to get some pics of Skye talking to Donovan, back and forth between them, but...

     This happens. /sigh.

     Shauna starts thinking about her future career. I knew his future 2nd wife would also be an art major, so while he was at uni, I paid attention. Shauna did actually approach him first like what happened in the story. Shauna actually has one more semester to go before graduation. I'm debating actually having her finish or just act like she did. Actually.

    No idea why Camilla has that expression. This boy is Ignacio Costa. I think he's cute.

    So, I go have Camilla uncharacteristically chat it up with him. Then, they play tag.

      Ignacio thinking rather much about himself.

    While Camilla goes to puke glow-in-the-dark vomit. Nice.

Then, I get an error code 12 and lose all the stuff that happened after Donovan asked Shauna to go steady. I plan on locating Ignacio again, but he ages to teen pretty quickly.

    I'd hoped to make some funny dialogue with this set of pictures. Shauna is asking about a ring and...

    Donovan nearly chokes on his food.

     Then, he says something about money. Oh, come on, Donny! You can afford it!

     I get a notification that Link and Chasity's daughter Caryn has aged to child, so I click her portrait on the notification to zoom over to her. But, it's dark and the full moon, so I go into CAS.

     Pedro visits again, and I'm sure to have Shauna get some ghostly pics. Then, my computer crashes.

    Oh, "great" place to teach Arlen to walk, Donovan.

     (in a funny voice) So, how was school?

So, that's pretty much it. Stuff that happens from the time Donny asks Shauna on their little date to Rose's birthday party. Party in the next chapter! See you there :)

Click here to go to 2.68