“Well, Frances was nice.”
“Yeah, he was.”
“You know, I had no idea time goes so fast! It’s like our years are days! Beau used to be a daddy, now he’s a dad.”
“Maybe that’s a sign we should start thinking about being parents, soon. We’re not getting any younger.”
“Okay, but can you please promise me we’ll have time to have a life before then!”
“You read my mind, hon.”
“So how have things been since you, y’know, moved to an entirely new country.”
“Oh, it hasn’t been bad at all. I found a nice job as an astrophysicist in town, and Max loves being away from Windenburg. I still keep in touch with my mom and brothers, though, and Max is happy about that, even though he never talks to his own family.”
“He doesn’t talk to his family at all? I mean, if Frances or I stopped talking to either of our families, we’d never get out of the house. Grandparents and aunts and uncles are usually great sitters after all.”
“I’m not sure why he doesn’t, but… I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but we’re not sure if we’ll be having kids for a long time. I mean, we’re only 23.”
“By the Watcher, you two are young!”
“Well, I, um, noticed your pet.”
“Oh, Scruffles?”
“Yes, um, I don’t think I’ve seen one quite like him. He’s so… large.”
“Yeah, Lucas wanted him. He loves big dogs. You should see him playing with the big guy, he gets so happy. It was worth the long search.”
“A long search?”
“Yeah, he’s specially bred to not bother Luc’s asthma. I suggested we get a smaller dog, like a maltese, but he really wanted a big one.”
“Well, that’s kind of you. I don’t think Beau and I could ever have the patience looking for a pet for that long. We’ve got three kids, after all.”
“Three? Kids?”
“You’re going to love these guys.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah! They’re like tiny baby gays who’ll look up to you!”
“That’s how you think we’ll get along? You said yourself you only knew them from online chatrooms!”
“Well, yeah. Plus, they’re from Windenburg, so they’ll have some fancy foreign tastes you can bond over.”
“And those foreign tastes aren’t… eccentric, are they?”
“Come on, I’ve known these guys since they were old enough to vote, and I can assure you, these guys are the normalest normal guys you’ll ever meet.”
“Huh.”
“Yep, just two normal guys.”
“Eep!”
“… And one very big dog.”
“Hey, you remember Beau, right? The guy online?”
“Yeah, what about him?”
“Turns out he lives just about 15 minutes away from us. I was thinking maybe we could invite him over sometimes.”
“Oh, he’s married now, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he’s been for a while now.”
“You know, I’d love to meet his husband. I want to meet who tamed the wandering beast, hehe. Do you think we can invite him, too, hon?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not.”
“Hey, Yuki. We wanted to apologize for this sounding so sudden, and we don’t mean to pressure you to make such a big decision, but Buddy and I wanted to know if you’d rather stay with us or Candy? You know, when we start a family?”
“Woah, this is, uh, a hard decision…”
“Please, no need rush at all.”
“I mean, I really love you guys and I’m glad you let Candy and I stay here for so long, and it’d be cool to hang out with a niece or nephew everyday, but… I don’t know.”
“We understand, Yuki. Please know we’re perfectly okay with whoever you decide to live with.”
“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate all this, but, y’know, I think maybe I’d rather live with Candy. Maybe then she’ll let me come on tour and try a puff or two at the bubble blower.”
“That’s perfectly understanda- wait, what?”
“Sis, I think it’s time we had a talk. You see, uh, the two of us… We, um…”
“We both have been thinking about this for a while and, well… Remember when we told you we’d like to have more space when we decide to start a family?”
“Woah, is this going where I think it’s going?”
“We just think, maybe, you and your partners can find somewhere to go… A place of your own, since, you know…”
“We’re planning on having a baby, and there just isn’t a lot of room right now with six people.”
“Yeah, but where will we go?”
“I know where we can go, but what about Yuki? Where’s she going to live? Ever thought of that, Buddy?”
“Actually, we have. She can choose to stay with us until she finishes high school, or move with you. We don’t mind.”
“Hey, Candace, did you send in your college apps yet?”
“Nope.”
“What about your scholarships?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Did you even look at college options?”
“Negative.”
“So you’re just gonna wait until the last minute?”
“Jeez, we still got time! Chill!”
“Let’s see how you chill when even La Fiesta Tech rejects you.”
“Dirk… I don’t think we should enroll Rebecca in this program thing until she absolutely positively says she wants to.”
“Why wait?”
“Because, well, we’ve always relied on waiting for our kids to choose their paths in life without putting on any pressure either way when they make a decision. It’s why Rebecca’s ears aren’t pierced and why we didn’t have either of the boys circumcised, remember?”
“But school isn’t a body modification, Lil. It’s just a more challenging class.”
“But what if she genuinely doesn’t want to go, and she just says what she thinks we want to hear about it.”
“Then we’ll ask her, then?”
“We can’t be the ones to do it. We’ll project some sort of bias.”
“Hmm… How about we find someone neutral?”
“Yeah. I think Louis would be a good choice to talk to her.”
“But for now, just relax. I know you want the best for our kids, and you want them to make decisions independently, but I think it’s causing you a bit more stress than it should.”
“Yeah. After all, don’t we both just want them happy?”
“Hey mom! I didn’t expect you to call. I guess you heard the news?”
“Of course I did! I’m so proud of Rebecca! You’re raising such smart children.”
“I, uh, never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You know, you really ought to invite me and Kaylynn over for a chat sometime! I’d love to see the kids!”
“Huh. You really want to come over?”
“Yes, absolutely! So, have you decided to let your daughter into the program?”
“Not quite yet, no.”
“Well, why not?”
“Because I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“What do you mean? Of course it’s a good idea! She needs to be challenged!”
“And so do my boys, mom. Louis has been a straight A student all his school career.”
“But this is about Rebecca! I’m sure you would have excelled in school if you took as many challenges as your sister, instead of wasting all that time on electives!”
“Mom, this is an elementary school program.”
“Well, you did alright in elementary, then. Why didn’t you get into the program with Angela when you were young?”
“Because no one fucking offered me, mom! They thought I didn’t even exist!”
“Lillith! Language!”
“Mom, I’m… I’m sorry. I’ll call you back tomorrow.”
The Sims of San Myshuno 