Interlude

So, that's it for the founding generation! I had a lot of fun with my part of this challenge, and I can't wait to see where the family goes from here.

While we're waiting for the first update of generation two, I thought I'd do a quick recap of what I did for my part.

Almond, the founder, completed his lifetime wish of becoming a Celebrated 5-Star Chef. He got to level 10 in cooking, gardening, and handiness, and level 5 in logic. He upgraded all the home's appliances/electronics to unbreakable, other than the stove (which got improved food quality). He learned all the recipes available from the bookstore, including Ambrosia.

Holly's lifetime want was to become a Rock Star, but she never completed it. Instead, she reached level 9 of the painter profession. She maxed painting, and got to level 7 in gardening, 5 in logic, 2 in cooking, and 2 in handiness. And, of course, she raised two kids. She also managed to paint Almond's portrait, as well as portraits for both kids (since I didn't know who SQ would choose as heir/ess).

Amaretto, or Rett, learned all his toddler skills, as well as everything he could from the xylophone and the shape sorter. He got to level 5 in painting, 4 in writing, 4 in logic, and 3 in cooking. He wrote and published one book and is working on a second. His lifetime want is to be an Illustrious Author and max the painting and writing skills.

Sage learned all her toddler skills, as well as everything she could from the xylophone, shape sorter, and block table. She got to level 4 in painting, writing, and logic, and level 3 in cooking. Her lifetime want, like Rett, is to be an Illustrious Author.

I had a lot of fun working on the house, and here's a shot of what it looks like as I pass the reigns over to SimQueenie9. :)

I hope you enjoyed reading the first generation as much as I enjoyed writing it.

-StyxLady

Chapter Four

Sage's birthday was coming up, which provided a perfect opportunity. Holly talked to Rett the next morning and asked him to invite a friend or two from school to come to the party. Rett looked at his toes for a moment and then sighed.

"Is everything okay, Sweetie?" Holly asked him.

"I...I just don't really have any friends, Mom." Rett's mouth turned down in a frown, and Holly thought he looked about to cry.

She gathered him up in a comforting hug. "Well, that's easily fixed," she said confidently. "Everyone loves parties, Rett. Invite someone, and I bet whoever it is won't turn down cake."

Rett looked a little uneasy, but finally agreed.

That afternoon, he came home with a look of triumph on his face. "I got someone to say yes, Mom!" He exclaimed as though he didn't think it would happen.
Holly smiled. "There, you see? Nothing to it."

The big day was that weekend, and Rett was more excited for his sister's party than Sage was. Of course, Sage was young yet, and didn't really understand.

Rett's new friend, Kenya, arrived right on time, and the two hit it off immediately.

Kenya was a lot more outgoing and confident than my boy, and she lured him out of his shell with little effort. She was exactly what he had needed.

They were too wrapped up in talking and playing to come outside and watch Sage blow out her candles, but Holly and I decided to let them be. This is what we had hoped for, after all. We wanted Rett to have as much interaction with an actual person as possible.

Even after Kenya left, her influence remained. Rett spent the rest of the evening playing with his dollhouse again, but he actually invited Sage to play with him, this time.

From that day on, if Rett wasn't playing with Kenya, he was playing with Sage. They played with the dollhouse, but they also played with blocks, and sometimes even played chess at the park. Sage begged me for a chess table of our own, and I promised her we'd get one when I got my next promotion.

Luckily, that promotion wasn't far behind. Along with it came a fantastic new refrigerator; one of the perks of my position. It had tons of space, and kept leftovers fresh for a very long time. Holly was ecstatic.

True to my word, I also purchased Sage a chess table. She clapped and thanked me, giving me a sweet hug. Holly, who was an accomplished artist by this time, had finished a portrait of me which we hung over the chess table. I have to admit, it felt kind of odd watching myself stare out of the canvas.

My promotion also allowed us to expand the house once again, as well as update some of our older appliances. We even purchased a dishwasher, much to Holly's relief. I did my share of dishes, and didn't mind the sink, but she hated when her fingers got all wrinkly.

Rett retained his friendship with Kenya, and called her often, just to chat. Their relationship continued to strengthen as they grew from children to teenagers.

Apparently, Holly was working on her latest painting when Rett got up the guts to steal his very first kiss. He thought Holly's back was turned, but she sneaked a peek.

Neither Holly or I was sure their romance would last, but I was glad my son was getting past his fears enough to experience life to the fullest.

Sage still idolized her older brother, and took an interest in everything he did. When he started painting, she gave it a try.

She sat next to him on the school bus in the morning, and did her homework with him in the afternoon. Luckily, Rett had built a friendship with his sister, and he didn't mind his little shadow, most of the time.

He even cheered the loudest of all of us when it was time for Sage to join him in teenager-hood. My little girl grew up beautifully, and looked so much like her mother. Like Rett, she soon announced she would like to be an illustrious author someday.

Both my children wanted to be masters in painting and writing. For Sage's birthday present, I sent her and Rett to a writing class. I regretted it later, when she came home begging for their own computer. I have trouble denying my little girl anything. They both immediately began working on writing books, while I kept up my performance at the bistro.

Then, one day, it happened. I received my final promotion to 5-star chef! I had accomplished the goal I set for myself so long ago, when I first moved to Sunset Valley.

Now that what I had worked for for so long had become reality, I was left pondering what to do with my spare time. I learned every recipe the bookstore and library had to offer, and started keeping better track of my previously neglected garden.

I checked out a book on plumbing and other do-it-yourself projects, and upgraded every single appliance in my home so that it would never break again. I even found a trick to make the stove cook more evenly!

One of my co-workers, Jared, found out about my endeavors and asked me to upgrade his stereo for him. He was so pleased with my work that he paid me quite a bit of money for the job.



Holly was doing well in her career, also. She had sold so many paintings that the mayor of the city awarded her with a special ribbon. I was so proud of her for accomplishing so much while raising our kids, and I loved her even more now than I had when I married her.

And now, as I watch my eldest blow out the candles on the cake, signifying his transition to young adulthood, I realize I've accomplished everything I set out to do in my life, and more. Even in all my imaginings, I had never dreamed I'd be as happy as I am. I only hope my children can find as much happiness in their lives.

Chapter Three

They say time flies when you're having fun, but I've found it also flies when you're working your butt off.

Before I knew it, my son was starting school, and my daughter was learning to walk and talk! Not that I was doing much of the teaching. With my work hours, that was left to Holly.

I had been spending a lot time at the library lately, as well, soaking up every recipe book in the place. I was determined to continue impressing my boss until I was given the recognition--and the position--I deserved. Though I had been doing very well, and had even saved enough to expand our home even more, I wasn't ready to stop advancing yet.

The late hours at the bistro and the extra time at the library were affecting more than just my neglected garden, it seemed. The night I was promoted to Chef de Cuisine--just one step away from my ultimate goal--I burst through our door, ready to celebrate with my wife.

"Holly!" I called, excited to tell her the news.
"Almond, I'm glad you're home. I need to talk to you about Amaretto."
Uh oh, she'd used his full name. She hardly ever did that unless he was in trouble. Most of the time, he was just "Rett."

Quickly putting my excitement over my promotion aside, my tone became serious. "What's going on?"
"His teacher had me come in for a conference today. It seems our son has been 'forgetting' to do his homework several nights a week. She also said he barely plays with any of the other kids, and spends all recess sitting by himself at the top of the jungle gym. I think you need to have one of those 'father-son' chats."

I nodded. "Okay, Sweetheart. I'll take care of this. No need to worry."

I started towards Rett's room, but Holly hissed to me, "Not tonight, Almond! He's already asleep."
Of course he was. Both Rett and Sage were almost always asleep by the time I got home.

I peered in anyway, just to be sure, but he was out like a light.
"All right," I said, closing his door softly. "I'll talk to him first thing in the morning."

I had to get up earlier than usual in order to be able to talk to Rett before he left for school, so I just asked Holly to wake me when she got up. Rett trudged out of his room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Then he saw that I was awake, and his face lit up with surprise and happiness. "Dad! I didn't think you'd be awake." He rushed over to give me a hug. I smiled at him for a moment, and then it was time to get down to business.

"What's this I hear about you not doing your homework, young man?"
Rett's eyes dropped as he hung his head. "I don't know," he said quietly.
"You don't know? Either you've been doing your homework, or you haven't. Your teacher says you haven't." I got down on one knee so I could look him in the eye. "Is it too hard for you, Son? Because your Mom and I can help, if you just ask."

He sighed, exasperated, and pulled his homework out of his backpack to show me some of the problems. "It's not too hard, Dad. It's boring! I could do it in my sleep. And every time I start working on it, it puts me to sleep!"

Well, I had to admit, that was an easier problem to solve than the other way around. After my conversation with Rett, Holly and I informed his teacher of the problem, and she agreed to start giving him advanced work, to keep him interested. In addition, Holly would sit with him every night while he did his homework, making sure he completed it and checking his answers. She showed me some of his essays, and we were both impressed with our whiz kid. The school's testing placed him just below genius level.

The schoolwork problem, while fairly easily solved, wasn't the only problem. There was the issue of Rett's anti-social behavior, as well. We noticed it even at home. He would rather play with his doll house than talk to us or play with his sister. He made up elaborate stories involving the little dolls, and seemed to be in another world while doing so.

Once, he came home from school to find Sage playing with his dolls, and was furious. He yanked them out of her hands and put them high on a shelf, out of her reach, then called for his mom to get his sister out of his room.

"Really, Rett, she wasn't hurting anything," Holly admonished him. "You need to share your things. She's your little sister! She just wants to do what you do."

"She almost bit Ron's head off!" Rett exclaimed. "Poor little Georgia and Carter would have been left without a father! I bet you'd feel pretty guilty then, Mom."

Holly took his dollhouse away for the rest of the week, and we almost thought he'd go crazy without it.

"He needs some real friends, Almond," Holly said as we discussed the issue in bed one evening. "He's living in that fantasy world of his, and barely comes up for air."

I agreed we needed to intervene somehow, but I wasn't sure what to do about it. How do you force your child to befriend someone?

"I guess all we can do is ask him to invite someone over, and hope they click."

Holly said she'd suggest it the next day, so we turned out the light and tried to get some sleep. I lay awake for a long while, though, worrying about my eldest. I guess living in a fantasy world isn't completely a bad thing, unless your real life begins to suffer for it, and it seemed like that was happening with Rett. I just hoped it was some kind of phase, and it would pass soon.