#adolting gen 3

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.113 Respect your elders

Since we were right down the street, we walked to the cemetery to lay fresh flowers on my grandparents' graves. As soon as we stepped outside, a chilly wind brushed past us, and snow began falling. Summer was just days away. Newcrest wasn't the warmest city I'd lived in, but the cold and snow should have been over a long time ago. I expressed my desire to see Gammy again, but knew it probably wouldn't happen in the middle of the afternoon. But Sophia, my sweet Sophia, was a great cheerleader.

"You'll see her," she said.

"But it's daytime. I don't think they come out in daylight."

"She'll come out as soon as she hears your voice. She loves you so much."

"Well...I hope you're right. I won't hold my breath, though."

"While we wait for her...it's still Love Day, and I love you," she said sweetly, inching toward me.

My eyebrow went up.

"You look like you're looking for trouble."

"Trouble?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "I don't know her."

"Mmm hmm. I love you too. You and your trouble."

No sooner than she planted a kiss on my cheek, mist poured out of Gammy's headstone.

"Oh my Watcher," I shouted. "You were right! She's coming!"

The mist spilled onto the plot and swirled around our feet. Gammy's ghost popped as orange as a sunset.

"I know y'all not trying to get busy in the graveyard," she shouted. "I'm not mad, though. Come here, my baby!"

I laughed and threw my arms around her.

"Hey, Gammy! Happy Love Day!"

"Oh! Is that what day it is? Happy Love Day to you!"

She squeezed me tightly, and just like Mama did when I announced I had proposed, she pushed me aside and turned her attention to Sophia. Pope women. I shook my head lovingly at her.

"Let me see that ring!"

Sophia extended her hand and let Gammy ooh and ahh.

"Okay, Luca," she said. "You did well! Let me see some pictures! I want to know everything!"

Sophia whipped out her phone and scrolled through the wedding pictures she was tagged in.

"Oooh a beach wedding," she shouted. "That dress was perfect! Awwww look at my baby! You were so handsome, Mr. Cute Face!"

Now I had to know. Did Mama name me that, or did she steal it from Gammy?

"Oh, look at my child," she said with a tremor in her voice. "She was always so beautiful. I miss her so much. Hmph...I see she's still messing with that ol spineless...let me be nice. Oh! You had Ali officiate? That's so special. And there's my other baby, looking like a model! She probably doesn't remember me. That venue was perfect! Was that Tartosa?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sophia said.

"I would have loved to get married there, but we eloped at the romance festival."

Sophia's face lit up.

"Really? I always heard of sims doing that but never met anyone who did."

"Now you have! It was magical...but oh so cold! That fool has us out there in a blizzard! Speaking of, let's get you out of this cold."

We went inside the building, but it didn't provide much warmth. It was eerily cold in there, and I thought I saw a figure floating around the casket in the font.

"Gammy...are you okay? You don't seem like yourself. And you're orange."

"I am," she said. "Don't worry about me. Tell me about you. How's married life? Are you trying for babies yet?"

I glanced over at Sophia, who nodded at me, giving her blessing to share our story with Gammy.

"Married life is amazing. I've never been happier. We're moving to a bigger house in San Sequoia tomorrow. And...uhhh...we're still working on a baby."

"Oh noooo. Are you..."

"Yeah."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. That kind of thing can knock the wind out of your sails. I personally haven't gone through it, but I'm familiar with wanting something really bad and not getting it. Don't give up, you hear? It'll happen! Just be good yourselves and don't get stressed out. You'll see!"

"Thanks, Gammy. We're trying to stay positive."

"Good. Well, you two should get out of here. It's Love Day! Take this young lady home and blow her back out until you pass out! Put THREE babies in there, ha ha!"

"Gammy!!"

I'd always been one to respect and listen to my elders...

[mysimsloveaffair]

Luca: I know moving in with Sophia and getting Maia pregnant aren't on the same level of fear, but I think we have the same thing going on inside. Deep down, this is what you want anyway. Maybe not now, but eventually, right? People might have something to say about how and when it happened, but in the grand scheme of things, does what they think really matter? This is the life you wanted anyway, so just…live it.

Wade: Yeah… *takes a deep breath* You're right! Maia and I, we'll talk about it. I'll convince her everything will be okay because it will, right? My dad will understand. I'll just have to man up and tell him I'll care for my family like he did. And her dad - *shudders* I'll worry about that later. 

Luca: Maybe a grandchild will soften him up…after he attempts to murder you, heh.

Wade: Don't laugh - that's a real possibility. But, yeah, a grandchild - *realization* Whoa, I'm going to be a dad, Luc!  It's crazy to hear myself say that out loud. 

Luca:  I bet! Hopefully, soon I'll know what that feels like. But anyway, I'm very happy for you, Dub. I think you'll be a great dad. With any luck, maybe our kids will grow up together and be friends.

Note: Luca's dialogue written by @storiesbyjes2g

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.114 Moving day

Sophia gave me a sullen good morning. Our Love Day marathon had amounted to nothing...again. I didn't want to make Sophia feel worse by reacting to her, so I just took several intentional deep breaths. It was moving day, and I wanted to bring positive energy into our new house. But man was that hard to hear. The doctor said we had a chance, but it seemed less and less likely with every negative test Sophia tossed in the trashed. Even I found it more difficult to stay positive. The excitement of moving was our only saving grace that day.

To make matters worse, rain greeted us upon our arrival in San Sequoia. The universe seemed determined to crush our spirits. Why would it do that? We were good sims who never hurt anyone. We didn't deserve any of that. Still, nothing could stamp out my excitement that day. At long last, I stood in front of my very own house next to the woman I loved. Life was good.

Hello! It's me, Jess. I'm gonna temporarily pause the story here while Luca and Sophia get moved in and settled, but they will be back soon! Like legit soon. I already have the next few chapters written! I'm enjoying this story so much if I don't pause, I'll never make it back to The Piersons & Friends. Enjoy some exterior pics until we get back.

Here's the front porch with the swing he was excited about.

The side yard is supposed to be a garden area, but the only gardening Luca is gonna do is tending to the money tree, so I thought it was perfect to do some yoga classes if he decides to start doing them at home again.

This is the other side yard (we'll call it the backyard) view from the street. It's a nice size yard for the kiddoes to play and ride bikes. Can't wait for him and Ali to build the treehouse together.

A closeup of the patio.

And finally, the upstairs balcony off the master bedroom. Luca's got his gear out there to record his morning yoga. Sophia has already claimed one of the rocking chairs.

After these messages, we'll be riiiiight back!

[storiesbyjes2g]

Engagement pics!

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.94 All the things

"Hi," she said when she reached me, finally.

"Hello, beautiful."

Dad cleared his throat.

"You guys ready to get started?"

She smiled at me.

"I'm so ready!"

"Alright then. Welcome, everyone. And thank you for attending this joyous occasion: two young hearts joining as one. When my son asked me to do this, I was beyond honored. The only thing that could make me happier is walking my daughter down the aisle."

"Oh my WATCHER," Alessia shouted.

Everyone laughed.

"I'm partially kidding. Weddings focus on the bride and groom, but as the parent I..." He began to cry. "I knew I wasn't gonna make it through this, ha ha."

"Awww! Take your time, Ali," Sophia said sweetly.

"Luca, why don't you go ahead with your vows."

"Okay. You mean the world to me. I promise to always love and cherish you, be there when you're down, provide for our family, respect you, and take care of you until my dying day."

"Your turn, Sophia," Dad said.

"I promise to always support you and your endeavors, to build you up and not make you feel small, to be the best version of myself so our family can thrive..."

"I promise to always be your number two fan because your mother pretty much has the number one spot on lock!"

We all laughed.

"You got that right," Mama yelled from the audience.

"Most importantly, I also promise to love, honor, respect, and all those things because I love you like I've never loved anyone before."

"I love you too, Sophia. So much."

I leaned in and tried to kiss her, but Dad put his hand on my shoulder.

"Not yet, son. The rings?"

"Oh! Right."

"Now I pronounce you man and wife. You can kiss her now."

Close up of Ali's face lol

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.73 Solidarity

Dub sent Maia a text, presumably asking if they had dinner plans, or maybe asking how much time they had before boarding the train. He said he was cool to hang, so I told him the restaurant had a strict dress code and I was going to pop over to Dad's house to shower and change. But after the words left my mouth, I realized I didn't know where Dub came from or how long it would take him to get there, so I invited him to come and freshen up if he wanted to. He looked kind of relieved. Did he think I'd leave him or something? Weird.

He looked around and grinned, seemingly impressed with the restaurant, which pleased me because I got at least two aspects of the tour right. Once we were seated, I channeled my mother and wasted zero time getting to the bottom of his relationship status.

"So...this Maia...are you two..."

He may have rolled his eyes, but he never stopped grinning.

"I knew you were going to ask!"

"I mean, you only brought her up 87 times. How could I not?"

"Ha ha," he said, flatly. "Anyway... I don't know, man. I mean, I can see us together for sure, but she dropped something heavy on me today."

"Ouch."

I don't know why, but I remembered Yasmine telling me about her open relationship lifestyle. I was so put off by it, not because I wanted a relationship with her, but I thought we were going to have fun for a little while. Knowing that made me want to hang with her a lot less. Hopefully Maia's news was nowhere close to what Yasmine told me.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "Do you think you can recover and move past it?"

"I think so."

I was very glad to hear that. She sounded like a good sim.

"I like her. A lot. So what she told me shouldn't matter, but still... On top of that, there's this other girl from back home. She popped up on my Social Bunny today and is now on my mind again. But she's off limits, so...I don't know. I'm sorry, dude, I'm rambling. I didn't mean to drop all this on you. I don't have anyone to talk about this with. Anyway, how about? Do you have a girlfriend?"

I felt for him because he reminded me so much of myself. Why couldn't life ever be simple?

"You're good, man. Seriously. I actually don't have any men in my life to talk to either—except my dad. I've enjoyed your company today."

He nodded. A half smile spelled his relief.

"But yeah, I have a girlfriend. Actually, I've been thinking about...well, that's why I was out here today. I've had a lot on my mind too, and I thought a walk around the lake would help."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Officially? Since early winter, but...well...long story."

He chuckled.

"Complicated, huh? I'm very familiar with that."

"What about you? How long have you known Maia?"

"Sometimes it seems like I've always known her, but it's been like a week. Weird, right? My dad once told me that's what it feels like when you're in love. But how can I love someone I've only just met? My parents have an incredible marriage, so I know he knows what he's talking about, but it's crazy."

Gosh, he sounded just like me a week or so ago. At least he could get all of this figured out early in life. At halfway through my young adult stage, I felt like I wasted a lot of time being confused and scared, and I was glad to see him asking these questions and searching for answers.

"It is crazy, but you are not crazy," I said. "I know exactly what you mean because I felt the same way when I first started talking to Sophia. I didn't understand it until recently, but I think your dad is 1000% correct."

"So that's her name. I was wondering. What's on your mind that's got you walking lakes in the middle of the day? Unless that's too personal..."

"No, it's cool. We've had a lot of serious conversations about the future lately, and I think maybe it's time things stopped being hypothetical...if you know what I mean."

"I think I do."

"Yeah... Big movies, man."

He nods in agreement.

"Big moves."

Wade Banks by @mysimsloveaffair

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.100 Home again

Sophia and I spoke a bit more about her parents, and it wasn't all bad, of course. Among her cherished memories of them, the most special ones were when they looked at her with love, as if she were their own daughter, forgetting about their shame. Like the time she was discouraged about participating in the spelling bee, and they stayed up all night encouraging and working with her on the eve of the big day. Things got pretty tight toward the end, and everyone was nervous. Soon, the only two left standing were Sophia and Katie Jones. When Katie left out the third N in tintinnabulation, Sophia's parents jumped to their feet and cheered before the judge even announced Sophia had won. A big hug and adulations awaited her when she climbed off the stage. It was a nice story, but I still had a very heavy side eye for them.

As luck would have it, our last day in Tartosa was as clear as the ocean, and I was very cynical about it. Sophia suggested we get out and enjoy the sunshine before leaving and proposed a jog around the shops. She liked fitness but didn't prioritize it as much as I did, so I slowed my pace and let her pass me, otherwise I'd leave her in the dust.

Mama had already dropped our little terrorists at home before we got there, and we were so glad to see them. Rosie said a quick hello and bolted as soon as we opened the door, but Kooper was overjoyed. I'd never seen a dog so happy to see anyone before. Sophia and I made sure to give him all the love so he knew how much we had missed him, too.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.111 It's time

We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather for our impromptu lake jaunt. It was the quintessential spring day with warm air, light wind, and zero clouds. But it was spring, and the air was warm, not hot. That meant the water hadn't warmed up yet, and it took us a while to adjust to its frigid grasp. But once we were in, nothing could stop our fun. We swam and splashed and played and kissed and swam some more until the sun began its descent and the air cooled.

A visit to Gilbert Gardens was not complete without a leisurely walk on the trails, so we tried to gather the dogs to walk around the lake with us, but they had other plans. Correction: Rosie had other plans. She always did, and this time they backfired. Poor thing got sprayed by a skunk. She waited for us at the trailhead, whimpering, looking pitiful, and smelling like hot trash. I took her to the outside basin immediately when we got home and had to bathe her three times to get that smell off.

While I was out there, I tended to the money tree and harvested the cash. Another §8,000! I wasn't a great student, but if my math was right, we could move within two days. Time to start packing.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.97 No ways tired

Dad, not to be outdone by Mama, made a toast immediately after hers. But not to her. It was to me...how it should have been, heh. But then the weirdest thing happened. Dwayne got up and stood in front of everyone.

"Uh, hi. I hope it's okay if I say a few words," he said, looking at Dad.

"Ki said something about grace, and it made me think of you, Luca. I appreciate the grace you extended toward me regarding your mother. And I wish you the best in your endeavors. I know you're gonna have the best yoga studio around because you work hard and go for it. And Sophia, congratulations to you as well. May you have many many happy years together, plenty of children, and lots of money."

"I'll drink to that," Sophia shouted.

Sophia and I dragged ourselves through the door, tired and drunk on love. Probably champagne too, but definitely love.

"Gosh, I'm so tired," she said. "I don't know if I can make it upstairs."

"I'll help you upstairs." I couldn't help but stare at her, in awe of being my wife. "You're Mrs. Murillo now."

She grinned like a child in front of a platter of cupcakes.

"I am!"

"You're so beautiful."

"On second thought," she said, "I'm not so tired anymore..."

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.104 Concerns

I woke up thinking about how bummed Sophia was about not being able to go to the beach in Tartosa. I mean, I was too, but it seemed to hit her especially hard. No one else I knew loved the water more than her—not even Yasmine, who declared herself a "water baby." I got a brilliant idea in the shower that was sure to make Sophia happy and presented it to her at breakfast.

"Let's go to the lake in San Sequoia. We can invite my dad and Alessia and make a family day of it."

Her eyes were as bright as Winterfest lights, and I gave myself a pat on the back.

"Yeeees, that's a great idea! Wait, your sister is still here?"

"Yeah. Apparently she's not going back. She wasn't as happy over there as she thought she'd be." I snorted at a new thought. "Plus, she probably met some loser here."

"Luca!"

"What? She's not exactly in the market for quality men right now."

"Still. You haven't met him yet and already labeled him a loser. It isn't nice."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Stop!"

I chuckled and reached for the phone to inform Dad about my plan, but he advised against it. A thunderstorm plagued the area, so once again, the weather dashed our beach plans. But Dad countered and suggested a family movie day instead, so we all braved the storm and headed to Anchorpoint Wharf.

I thought the movie was funny, but Sophia said it bored her, which surprised me, seeing as she was the token goofball of the two of us.

After the movie, we hung out at Dad's house for a bit. Alessia caught us up in her life, and just as I suspected, she had met someone; I knew her so well. Apparently, they met at our party. They were at the bar and noticed they were both doing the exact same thing. She had this weird ritual she did in restaurants where she wiped down glasses, utensils, plates, and whatever her mouth or food touched. He was doing it too, and they locked eyes. The way she talked about this dude was different. Usually, she didn't care to get to know the poor fellas on this roster, and we never got any details about them. But her tone was so giddy it intrigued me. Could he be the one to break down her wall? I knew my dad hoped so. He really wanted to walk her down the aisle.

I realized we hadn't heard from Sophia in a while, so I turned around to check on her. She had droopy eyes and a frown, and everything inside me wanted to panic. But she wouldn't want me to do that in front of them. When I found an appropriate place to make our exit, I took it and ushered her and the dogs back home. Once we made it inside, we settled in the office to talk. It seemed like all our important talks occurred in there recently.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Are you feeling alright? What can I do??"

She shifted in her seat and looked everywhere except in my eyes, alarming me even more.

"I, umm... I'm concerned."

"About Alessia?"

"About getting pregnant."

My throat tightened, and I swallowed a few times to keep it open.

"Oh..."

Her confession lingered in the air like steam after a shower, and I wasn't sure what to say or do.

"I've taken a pregnancy test every day since the engagement," she said, still not making eye contact with me. "I know these things take time, but... It should have happened by now! My birthday is way too close, Luca. I'm running out of time."

I was in such a weird spot. I wanted to hold her and tell her to keep the faith, but this was bad news for me, too. She wasn't the only one looking forward to bringing a baby into the world. But it was her body going through that, not mine. And as much as it hurt to hear that, I still had a level of detachment she didn't have.

"Is there something we can do?" I asked. "I mean...is there...a test or something for that?"

Finally, she looked at me as if awakening from a trance.

"Yeah, actually. There is." She shook away those sad feelings and sprang into action. "I'll make an appointment right now. I guess I've been too flustered to think straight. I could have done this days ago."

She called her doctor and scheduled an appointment for the next afternoon. When she hung up, I finally embraced her like I wanted to and told her everything would be okay. I didn't know how true that was, but I had to believe it for the both of us.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.103 Every day I'm hustlin'

For the next week, I hustled harder than ever. I went to every spa I knew of and taught 2-3 classes a day. I even went back to our gym in Willow Creek to see about teaching, but they had a full-time instructor. We were in no way hurting financially, but I hadn't worked since we got engaged. And honestly? My work activities slowed significantly when I moved in with Sophia. I wanted to spend time with her and be home when she arrived, but she got off work so early it just threw off my whole day. The money tree was in progress and my SimTube video was still doing great, so I didn't have to work so hard. But I felt compelled to, especially after our last conversation about the money tree and my family history. I had to ensure my family would be set up for success by doing any and everything I could while I had few obligations. I didn't enjoy getting home late and seeing my wife only a few hours a day, but I was willing to sacrifice for a short while.

One morning, I woke up and caught Sophia doing push-ups outside. When we chatted on Social Bunny back in the day, she always talked about how much she loved fitness, but I never saw evidence of that when I moved in. Her job sucked the life out of her, leaving her too physically and emotionally drained to do the things she loved. But she was free now and started prioritizing her health and wellness. Her delicious curves would start slowly disappearing, and I mourned my loss but took solace in knowing she'd be happier and healthier.

An idea fell on me, so I went outside to greet her.

"Good morning, my sweet."

I grabbed her hand and kissed it so over-the-top dramatic like they did in the old movies.

"You're awfully romantic this morning!"

That was a new one. I never saw myself as a romantic.

"I'm going to teach at the Desert Bloom Resort today. Would you like to come?"

"Really? You want me there?"

I chuckled.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know... Some sims get nervous about friends and loved ones seeing them in action."

"Oh. Well, that's definitely not me, seeing as I used my friends and family to get started."

"Okay then! Let me text Rashidah. She was gonna come by this afternoon, but I'll tell her to come later."

We ate, got dressed, and headed to the spa. The class was almost full, which made me happy, but I never had so many sims unwilling to try. Like, I knew everyone came with varying levels of fitness, and I never did complicated routines because of that. Alternate poses existed for that very reason, but half of my class just stood there. Why pay and not participate? It must be nice to have money to waste.

Sophia had taken a mat in the back, so I couldn't see her very well. But every time I caught a glimpse of her, she struggled. By the end of class, she looked miserable.

"Everything hurts," she said. "I pulled muscles I didn't even know I had!"

I didn't enjoy seeing her miserable, but her talking about muscles she didn't know she had made me chuckle a little. I knew just the thing to cheer her up.

"Come with me."

I led her upstairs to the massage rooms and found a masseuse who wasn't busy.

"Hi," I said.

"Oh, hey. You're the yoga guy, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Luca. This is my wife, Sophia. Would you mind if I borrowed your table? I'll pay if-"

"Have at it, bro. I get paid the hour. But if you don't mind, I'm gonna stay in the room. Can't let them see me slacking, ya know?"

"Sophia? Do you mind if she stays?"

"Not at all! This is so exciting and romantical!"

She changed into a towel and hopped on the table, and I attempted to melt away her pain.

I wondered why she thought it was romantic, though. Was it because of her history? Or was it mine? I had an unused skill, and my wife had a need. Was being a good husband romantic? Regardless, I was glad she enjoyed the massage. Too bad weren't alone, though. I could have massaged everything and made sure she had a very happy ending. But I behaved, and Sophia left feeling much better. Maybe I should get a table for the new house....

She wanted to check out the rest of the facility as she'd never been before, so I went downstairs to the gym. The punching bag made me remember me, Maia, and Dub's debate about the best exercise, and I told him I gained all my muscle from yoga, never lifting weights or punching a bag. I went a few rounds, and it was honestly kind of fun. I let out steam I didn't know I had and felt my muscles engaging and contracting so much I knew if I kept it up I'd be walking around looking like Llama Man. No disrespect to him, but the superhero look was not for me. The weights and punching bag would have to remain an occasional activity.

Rashidah came by later, just like Sophia said. I didn't want to be rude and ignore her, but I also didn't want to be all up in their business, so I stayed and chatted with them for a little while before excusing myself. It occurred to me I hadn't checked on the money tree in a while, so I hurried outside to see if it was okay.

Good thing I caught it when I did because it was full of weeds, and the leaves had withered. The soil was still pretty damp from my initial watering, so I guess the weeds were choking it out. I never aspired to be a gardener. Apart from Mama making me water and weed her soy plants, I didn't know a thing about it or care. But my family's future now required me to get on board. Luckily, I only had one tree to tend, not an entire garden. I could manage that for a lifetime of financial freedom.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.96 Mighty good man

Mama kept making eyes at Dad all night during the reception, but it wasn't her usual fan girlish secret crush thing. It was blatant and not meant to be a secret. He noticed and tried to avoid her gaze, but at the table, he couldn't help it. I saw the moment he realized she wasn't trying to make him uncomfortable but relaying a message. Call me nosy, but I wanted to know too, heh. He nodded at her in an affirming matter, so I assumed it was one of those proud parents' things.

"I'd like to make a toast," she said, still looking at him. "I might get in trouble for this, but it'll be alright."

I have to admit I got really nervous. Mama was usually pretty professional when it came down to her love for my dad, especially when Dwayne was around. But something about that warning unsettled my stomach.

"This is for you, Ali."

It was a cool night, but suddenly I was really hot. I think Dad was too. His eyes grew twice their size, and his posture was so stiff. I'm pretty sure we were both wishing for the same thing.

"I wasn't the best wife, and I certainly wasn't the best mother. But you've always been so gracious, especially when you had every right to be bitter and hateful toward me. Most people don't realize that parenting never ends. It just changes. I'm really glad to have you as my partner on this co-parenting journey."

"Even at our lowest point, no matter how you felt about me, you always kept the children first and never allowed our problems to get in the way." She finally broke her gaze and cast her attention on Sophia. "That's the kind of man that raised my son to be this beautiful sim you're married to now."

She turned back to Dad.

"Thank you for fighting through everything you had to fight through to keep me in the loop. I know Luca is who he is because of you. To you, Ali."

"To Ali!"

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.99 The llama

"What is it?" she asked.

I was so smiley and nervous. This was one of those things that could go left really quickly, and I didn't want that at all. But I felt like we couldn't ignore it anymore. No married couple knew every single thing about each other, and I looked forward to learning the good, bad, and ugly about Sophia as time went on. But this? Family dynamics were basics. Previously, I tried to blame it on the newness of our relationship, but she and I were not new to each other. She had plenty of opportunities to share this story with me while we got to know each other as friends. I shouldn't have been wondering if her parents were alive or dead still.

"I think, uhhh... I think it's time we talk about...your parents...if that's okay."

She sighed heavily, but not in an annoyed, exasperated way. It felt like she conceded reluctantly, torn between not wanting to but knowing she had to.

"Yeah...I guess I have kept you in the dark long enough."

I almost told her she didn't have to if she didn't want to, but I bit my tongue. We were married, and I didn't intend to end up like my parents. Sharing the hard things with each other was of utmost importance to me.

"I'm adopted...as you know."

She paused for a few moments, staring at the floor, searching for the right words. She found some, but her eyes remained on the floor.

"When you adopt a child, you don't get to choose who joins your family."

She let that line hang in the air for a moment and had me on the hook already.

"You simply state what age you prefer and wait for an agent to arrive with a child. My parents...I think they were just so enamored with the idea of finally having a child of their own, they failed to consider this."

My stomach felt queasy. I had no idea where the story was about to go, but it was definitely not heading in a positive direction.

"They didn't want you?" I asked nervously.

She hesitated.

"They would take offense to you saying that, but they often made me feel that way. I wasn't mistreated or anything. They made sure I had everything I needed and took care of me to the best of their ability. But they didn't love me."

I groaned in agony, thinking of what she must have gone through in her childhood. My parents may have put me through a lot, but never have I ever doubted their love for me. I believe their love sustained me. Who or where would I be without that?

"Sophia...I'm so sorry."

She shrugged and kept going.

"I used to be sorry, too. Throughout my childhood, I thought I was the problem and needed to be better. But as I got older, I realized there was nothing I could do. I was a pretty freakin' amazing daughter. They were the ones with the problem."

The cat was out of the bag, but I was still nervous.

"But...how did you know?" I asked. "I mean, what did they do?"

"To start, they never gave me their name. They claimed they wanted me to remain connected to my heritage or whatever, but that was cowplant poop."

Given that we just got married, that one cut deep. I think it would upset me greatly if Sophia didn't take my name. That tradition had seriously deep significance, and they didn't give it to their own child? I feared what else she would tell me.

"They always made a big deal about where I came from. We read books, watched documentaries, and whatever they could get their hands on so I understood what kind of blood flowed through my veins. In truth, it's really great they did that. So many adopted sims are clueless about their histories. But when I got older, I found it to be weird. Like, they put all this energy into teaching me about my biological history, yet I didn't have relationships with my own family. I can count on one hand how many times I've seen my aunts and uncles and cousins... I felt like they were trying to get me interested in my biological family so I could go find them and forget about theirs."

Both my parents were the only child, so I had no extended family to speak of. Still, I couldn't imagine my parents not interacting with them. I don't think we would be super close, but I'd have a relationship with them, at least.

"We never went on vacations and barely went to local places together. My parents were not wealthy, so it took them a while to save they money to adopt me. It was easy to think we didn't go anywhere because we couldn't afford it or because they were older. But one time, my mom took me to the park. I was sooooo excited to be outside among other kids. I found something and wanted to show it to her, so I picked it up and ran over yelling, 'Mommy! Look!' She was talking to some other parents. The look on her face when I finally reached her... I was almost a young adult when I realized what that was because I'd seen it many times by then. She was embarrassed. The other moms were looking at her for answers because they'd never met me before, and she clearly never told them she had adopted a brown child."

Maybe all the sims in my six degrees of influence were just cool because no one ever made a big deal about me having mixed heritage. I wasn't naïve enough to believe that kind of thing didn't happen, but how could sims be so ignorant? I had no trouble imagining Sophia being the perfect child, but that was not enough for them, and it angered me. How could they go through the heartbreak of realizing they couldn't birth their own children, struggle through saving the money to adopt, finally get a child, and not shout it from the rooftops? What kind of parent is ashamed of their own kid??

"Like I said," she continued, "they took good care of me, but they kept me at a distance. By my young adult birthday, I had a clear picture of the situation, so I left home and never went back. Their care was an obligation, not love. It took me a while to see, but I was empty and it affected me; I hated them for it. I wanted to be loved so bad and went from relationship to relationship trying to fill that void in my heart. My ex was cheating on me pretty much the entire time, and I knew about it. I was that desperate for the crumbs he left me. It took a while, but eventually realized what a gem I am and what a llama turd he was. I didn't have to settle for crumbs. And I didn't have to be anyone's obligation. My parents had died by then and left me some money, so I broke up with him and went on vacation for the first time in my life."

I smiled.

"Mt. Komorebi?"

"Mmm hmm. It always looked so pretty and peaceful in pictures, and I definitely needed some peace. I went to spend time with myself, heal, and reset my mind. Then I met you."

"Wow. I had no idea you had gone through so much then."

"I just wanted it all behind me. I'm sorry for not saying anything. I know it wasn't fair."

I loved her before and tried to show her as much as possible, but I was even more compelled to ensure she never questioned my love for her. She was no obligation to me. It was an honor to love her, especially knowing she chose me after deciding what she deserved and how she wanted to be treated. I vowed to cherish her with every pixel of my being for the rest of my life.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.102 Negotiations

I thought about the whole money tree argument all night, and while I understood Sophia's concerns, it still didn't sit well with me. Dub's words from his note echoed in my head. "Financial freedom to pursue your dreams," he said. I knew she preferred to live a simple life, but didn't she have bigger dreams than just being married to me and raising our children? I heard the TV on, so I got up to address the topic again. My goal wasn't to change her mind—though I hoped she would—but to present my case coherently. I was blinded by the simoleons I didn't even have yet and failed to put a counteroffer on the table. If she could hear my thoughts, maybe she could see it in a different light.

"Good morning," I said.

"Have you ever seen this show? It's so fun!"

"Uhh...no. Can we talk?"

"Of course," she said, turning off the TV. "What's on your mind so early?"

"I want to revisit the money tree situation."

"Okay. Sure."

"You presented your reasons for limiting its use, but I don't think I did a good job explaining why I think we shouldn't, and I'd like you to hear what I think."

"Okay," she said slowly. "So, what's up?"

"You said it would be an insult to return the gift, but I think it would be an insult to ignore Dub's wishes."

Her eyebrow went up a little bit, but she was still tracking with me, so I went on.

"I understand your hesitation, but we don't have to let the money change anything about us. We can be ourselves, but with peace of mind and more opportunities. I think maybe your childhood is influencing how you're seeing this, but so is mine. I'm gonna tell you a different part of my story so you can see where I'm coming from."

"Sure."

"Okay..."

I took a deep breath and hoped my story would work some magic.

"You've been around my parents enough to know my mom is the one with the money."

"Yeah. That's obvious."

"Right. She spoiled us...she still does, heh. But we weren't spoiled brats. We had everything we needed, and a few things we wanted, but we didn't live extravagantly. We went to public school, wore regular clothes, and lived in a middle class neighborhood. For a long time, my mom had an office job. And even now, she still works her candle business. We weren't rich by any means. We were comfortable. I know this because when we went to my dad's house, it was not comfortable. He came home tired every day and didn't have the energy to spend time with us. He never took us anywhere, and there was nothing to do at his house-"

"But that's not what-"

"Wait. Let me finish. I haven't made my point yet."

"Okay. Sorry."

"My grandparents bought my mom a little house and gave her a chunk of money when she moved out so she could have peace of mind and time to explore the world and figure out what she wanted to do without the pressure of bills and working a job she hated."

Sophia nodded and smiled, giving me hope that my story already inspired her to change her mind.

"When we moved out, she did the same thing for us…except for the house, of course. It wasn't a ton of money, but I could have gotten a cheap apartment if I wanted to."

"Or a tiny house," she said, gesturing vaguely.

"Ha! Yeah, I could have afforded this. She's still taking care of us. I keep telling her she doesn't need to keep doing things for us, but all she says is when I have a child, I'll understand."

Sophia nodded.

"Yeah...I remember hearing her say that in Tartosa."

"Yeah... I may not have a child yet, but I do want to give it every opportunity I had and then some. I don't want it to worry and feel how we felt at my dad's house."

"I get that. I don't want that either."

"And what you said about your parents. They were older when they adopted you because it took forever to save the money. If we want to send off our children with a little something, we have to start saving now. We can't wait until a week before they're gone to start harvesting the tree. Maybe we don't take from it every day. Maybe just once or twice a week, or whenever we think about it. But just leaving the tree alone until we need it? That's not gonna give our children the kind of future I want them to have. I want to continue what my grandparents started. I don't think we should waste this opportunity."

She sat there, nodding and staring at me like she didn't realize I was done. But then she turned away, stared at the floor, and sighed.

"Wow... Your family history is filled with so much love and support."

I grabbed her hands, hoping to seal the deal and provide a little comfort.

"Yes. And you're part of that family now. I just want to continue the cycle. That's all. I don't want to start wearing labels and buy a big house in Del Sol. I just want to spend time with my family without consequence."

"I can't argue with that. I'm still not letting you give up on yoga, though."

I laughed. "I didn't expect you would."

"And to be clear," I continued, "I'm not gonna give up. I just don't want to be in a position where I'm still hustling and missing everything going on at home. You'll be here, so I know everything will be fine, but I want to be here too. I want our children to have all the benefits of living in a two-parent house."

"That's beautiful, Luca. I see the whole picture now. I've just decided I'm definitely not to going back to work."

I beamed at her.

"Really?? That's awesome! I love that for you."

"So, what do you think you'll do?"

"I don't know yet. I don't want to give up on teaching just yet, but I'll probably spend more time on SimTube. I have time to figure it out, though. Speaking of the hustle...I gotta go. I love you, Sophia. I love our life, and I can't wait to see how it turns out."

"I love you more!"

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.95 Man and wife

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.106 Eyes on the prize

I hated sitting there, listening to my wife cry, knowing I couldn't do anything for her. She was broken and I couldn't fix her. The weight of it all threatened to break me as well. In desperate attempts to remain strong for Sophia, I grabbed the dogs and went for the longest walk. Usually I wouldn't attempt a long walk with Kooper, but I needed it. I appreciated how steady the weather in Oasis Springs weather was. Whenever I needed to escape, I could always venture out into the dusty oven. The gentle swirls of wind and pitter patter of paws provided a soothing backdrop for my racing thoughts. How were we going to get through this? We weren't without options, but our dreams took a big hit. Our emotions suffocated us, and one day we would breathe again, but at the moment, it hurt.

The house was refreshingly quiet when we returned home, but I knew better than to think everything was magically alright. I unleashed the dogs and tiptoed to the bedroom to check on Sophia, but she was gone. It alarmed me at first, but it was a good sign. I found her outside, sitting at the table, staring at the air. I joined her but didn't know what to say or if I should say anything, but we definitely had much to discuss. Letting the silence linger for a moment felt appropriate. When comfortable, I drummed up the courage to ease us back to reality.

"So...what are you thinking about? I mean...what do you want to do?"

She glanced up at the sky as if seeking an answer from the clouds. But an answer didn't come, and her eyes came back to me.

"I don't want to give up but..."

"Yeah...I know."

"And we have to pay for the treatments individually. If they don't work and I keep getting them..."

"Good thing we have the money tree, huh?"

I winked at her, trying to add a little levity to the situation.

"That's true," she said. "IVF is even more expensive."

"Don't think about the money right now. We can figure that out later if we need to."

"What about your sister?"

"What about her?"

"Do you think she'll..."

"Alessia? No way."

"Why not? You haven't even asked her yet."

"Have you met her? She loves her body too much. She won't do it."

She sank into her chair, defeated by a non-existent foe. I felt it too, but one of us had to stay afloat and keep hope alive.

"We can think about that if it comes to it," I said. "Right now...maybe let's try the treatments for a few days. If they don't work, then we'll..."

I left my sentence dangling in the air, hoping she'd finish it. We were in this situation together, but I didn't feel right making decisions about her body, even though I was only trying to keep us focused on our dreams.

"Then we'll do in vitro," she said, finally.

"Okay then."