#rrl01w8

[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Two

“You going to Doug’s retirement party?” 

“Oh, you bet,” Robyn nodded, grinning over at Tim as they enjoyed some quiet time between classes in the teacher’s lounge. Doug, one of the senior most teachers at the elementary school had announced his retirement a few weeks ago and the school had been all abuzz with the news. Not only had he been one of the most beloved teachers at the school, he’d also been the second grade Department Head on the school board’s committee and tiger team list. He’d instituted a lot of great change within the school and he was going to be sorely missed. 

Although, his departure also meant there was an opening for someone to take over that position as second grade Department Head. Robyn had considered it, but wasn’t certain if she was right for the position. 

Not until Tim told her, “Maybe he can give you some pointers on getting elected for his old role with the board.” 

Robyn chuckled, shaking her head. “I...don’t know...” 

“Yes, you do,” Tim coaxed. “You’re perfect for the job.” 

She sighed, still after all these years flabbergasted with how Tim had turned around so completely on her from the loud, demeaning and angry co-worker to one of her closest friends. “You think so?” 

“I do.” 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Seven

“It’s almost time!” Robyn exclaimed, getting up from her seat and practically turning on Johnny to grab his shoulders in excitement. Her heart was pounding, energy coursing through her veins with anticipation and nerves. Johnny, on the other hand, seemed the picture of stoicism and there was a loving smirk curling up the side of his mouth. “Okay, you can do this,” she told him. 

“Bug,” Johnny said calmly, reaching up to grab her hands and hold them in his own. He must have practiced controlled breathing or zen mind tricks before all of this, she was convinced. “I love you, but your nervousness is going to make me nervous.” 

“Right,” she answered, pulling back and standing there. She looked towards the small crowd that had gathered at the blues club, the empty microphone in front of them as they waited patiently for Johnny to take the stage. This would be his first time doing stand up comedy in years and it was at an open mic night for comedians in a small club downtown. It was a start, she supposed, to dip his toes back in the water. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” she said, giving him an atta boy right on his shoulder. 

He laughed, kissing her cheek, before going to take the mic.

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Gen One, Day Fifty-Two

Turned out, Tim wasn’t the only one who supported Robyn in wanting to go for that Department Head position. Gregory and the other teachers she’d come to respect as co-workers seemed on board for it as well. She’d worried that some of them had been here longer than her, but they reminded her that it wasn’t an easy job. Often times a thankless one and very few wanted to even give it a try because of it. The extra pay wasn’t worth it to them. 

It would take some time, a little bit of studying, an application and a vote to get her into that role, but Robyn decided she was going to go for it. She had a lot of ideas for the way they could improve their second grade curriculum and that in and of itself was enough for the role. But her commitment to the committee and the board was going to be where the real bang for her buck came in. She’d be representing the second grade teachers across their entire district. If she got elected, it was a big responsibility to hold. She’d really have to put her mind to it.

Skill Up: Research & Debate Level 4

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Three

“So? You ask her, Livvie?” Brittni asked as she came back from the bathroom. Olivia nodded, but before she could explain, Brittni turned to Eris. “Well? You coming? You haven’t tasted champagne until you’ve tasted what Olivia’s Mom buys for her clients.” 

“Um...” Eris stuck a french fry in her mouth, giving a shrug. “It sounds like a lot of fun, but I have to ask my Mom first.” 

“Ew, why?” The reaction from Brittni was visceral and Olivia scoffed next to her, giving Eris an I told you so look. It wasn’t the first time Eris felt like she wasn’t cool enough to hang out with these two, but the reassuring smile from Olivia helped to squelch some of that feeling. 

Picking up one of Eris’s fries, Olivia threw it across the table at Brittni. “Oh stop,” she demanded, showing how their friendships always kept each other in check. “Not everyone’s parents just lets them do whatever the hell they want. Eris wants to check in with her Mom, we support that.” 

Brittni sighed, rolling her eyes before tossing a lopsided smile Eris’s way. “Fine. Yes, we support. But I’ll also support you rebelling and letting loose and coming to drink champagne and eat shrimp cocktail with us.” Olivia laughed and Eris found herself hoping that her Mom would let her go. 

But...maybe she’d leave out the part about the champagne.

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-One

Eris and Tyson met up with their other friends as well. Each from their own cliques and circles, but they came together tonight to simply show off their dance moves and nice clothes. Eris found herself having more fun than she thought she would. She took silly photos in the photobooth with her friends and ate cream puffs and punch whenever a slow song would come on. 

During one of the slow songs, the kids were all around a table and Tyson looked nervous, glancing in Eris’s direction. She was just about to ask him if he was okay when from across the table, Eris’s friend in a magnificent blue dress asked Tyson if he wanted to dance. She could count on one hand the amount of time she’d seen Tyson blush, but his cheeks were rosy as the table, including Eris, erupted in a chorus of “oooooohs” to try and tease him. 

Tyson glanced over at Eris, who gave him two thumbs up before he seemed to reluctantly get up and go dance with their friend. Eris grinned at him from the table, because he looked so awkward and kept glancing back in her direction. At one point, he made a silly face, which had Eris in giggles. 

It never once occurred to her that maybe Tyson had looked nervous or kept glancing in her direction because he had wanted to ask her to slow dance with him. 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty

“So, how’ve you been, Dad?” Johnny asked, caught somewhere between wanting to just remain polite and truly wanted to reconnect with his Dad now that he was a man free from Nancy Landgraab. There wasn’t anything between them anymore and while Johnny had been more than willing to jump at that opportunity, Geoffrey had been the one to decide he just needed time to figure himself out. 

Turns out, he had. And it was one of the reasons he’d called them to come out with him. “Doing well. Really well, actually.” Geoffrey hesitated. “There’s, uh, there’s someone I want you to meet, Johnny.” 

Curious, Johnny followed his father over towards the bar, where a young, pretty blonde woman was making drinks for all the festival goers. Geoffrey cleared his throat and she looked up at them, a bright smile spreading across her face. “Honey!” she greeted and Johnny’s brow shot upward in confusion as she leaned over to kiss Geoffrey. 

“Hey, cupcake,” Geoffrey greeted her, and then turned a little sheepishly towards Johnny. “Um, Johnny, this is Candace. My girlfriend.” 

“Johnny? The Johnny?!” Candace gasped, moving from around the bar to embrace Johnny, who was caught up in the moment and stood rigidly before giving her a pat on the back in response. “Geoffy Weffy’s told me so much about you. I was hoping we’d get a chance to meet!” 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty

It had been a while since last they spoke to Geoffrey. Out of the blue, he’d called to invite them to the Spice Festival. While Johnny seemed less than inclined to go and Robyn was ready to support him in whatever way she could, it had been Eris who’d told them she wanted to. She wasn’t privy to the same details they were regarding her grandfather and it came as a surprise to both of them that Eris had been keeping up with him through text messages and emails. 

They’d decided to give it a chance. Things after the divorce were probably weird for Geoffrey and if he was doing his part to keep up with Eris, who were they to say she couldn’t have a relationship with her grandfather? They’d even support it, if Geoffrey committed to being there for his grandkids. 

Though there was a clear chill in the air, the Spice Festival was vibrant with the colors and smells of cultural celebration. Geoffrey showed up in much less formal clothes than what they were used to seeing him in, but all in all he looked like he was doing well. 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Week Eight Recap

Weekly Overview (x)

As time passes and the kids start at new schools, they both struggle with teenage and adolescent social lives, making some friends and enemies along the way. Charlie gets into a fight with a bully, while Eris finds herself pressured by her so called friends, making her question her commitments to them. Both Robyn and Johnny celebrate milestone birthdays in style and Johnny returns to the comedy scene, if only for one night.

Daily Overview 

Day Fifty (x) - Meeting an old friend & weird family dynamics at the Spice Festival.

Day Fifty-One (x) - Middle School dance.

Day Fifty-Two (x) - Random event roll & career decisions.

Day Fifty-Three (x) - Time passes & Eris hangs out with high school friends.

Day Fifty-Four (x) - Celebrating Robyn’s birthday.

Day Fifty-Five (x) - Random event roll applied & Charlie gets in trouble.

Day Fifty-Six (x) - Eris meets her new science partner.

extra days to reset roll day to align with the beginning of the week -- 

Day Fifty-Seven (x) - Standup comedy night.

Day Fifty-Eight (x) - Celebrating Johnny’s birthday & Eris’s friends pressure her.

[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Eight

Sure enough, Johnny was in the yard trying to fix a leaky sprinkler that had left half of the garden flooded. She smiled slightly to herself without him knowing when she could hear him cussing at the thing and talking to it like it had better damn well listen to him. 

It was his birthday and she found herself so grateful that he was in her life. She didn’t want to pick a favorite parent, and wouldn’t for that matter, but she did have to admit that her relationship with her father was special. He had always been there for her. She remembered very little about the time she’d been abducted when she was a kid, except for what her parents told her about it and even that didn’t help paint a very good picture. But what she did know was that her father had played a huge part in making sure she’d come home safe. Both her parents had. 

It had her sighing slightly to herself, hoping he wouldn’t be too mad with what she was about to tell him. “Hey, Dad?” 

“Hey, kiddo!” Johnny greeted, looking over his shoulder at her. “In the heat of battle, I think I’ve got this one won.” 

She smiled at his kidding. “Dad, can we talk for a minute?” Johnny seemed to pick up on the seriousness of her voice and nodded, setting his tools to the side before standing and wiping his hands on his shorts 

“Yeah, of course.” 

Skill Up: Handiness Level 7 (Johnny)

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Eight

“So why hang out with them?” Allan asked. It was a question that had been on her mind all night, mostly. Why was she here? Why was she even stressing over this or putting herself in this predicament anyway? She should have gone home the moment they’d invited her to the party afterwards, or the moment she saw Olivia wasn’t there. 

“I don’t know,” she bemoaned, shaking her head and feeling tears sting at her eyes. Allan seemed not entirely sure what to do with that, looking a bit awkward and she laughed at his face, wiping away the tears as best she could. “Because they befriended me the first day of school when I didn’t know anyone. All my other friends, they went different schools or...” her mind went to Mackenzie and it had been a really long time since she’d downright missed her childhood best friend. She would have liked to have talked to her about this. Would have liked to have seen what kind of teenager she’d grown into. 

“I just didn’t want to go through high school alone, you know?” she said. 

Allan was quiet for a moment and she realized what he must have been thinking before he even voiced it. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” She gave him a sympathetic look, an apology on her tongue but he cut her off. “You know, you’re really great. You’re pretty, you’re smart, you could be friends with anyone at school. You don’t want to be friends with them anymore, just...don’t.” 

Eris smiled at the compliments, nodding her head, but she doubted it would just be that easy. She didn’t know what would happen if she got on Brittni and Kevin’s bad side. And what about Olivia? Brittni was her best friend. 

“Come on,” Allan nodded towards the door when Eris just remained quiet for a while. “I’ll drive you home.” 

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Gen One, Day Fifty-Eight

tw drugs

Twenty minutes later, Brittni and Kevin had left for their party and Allan Szalinski came running into the theater out of the rain with a concerned look on his face. Eris had calmed down considerably and when she saw Allan, she again felt silly for calling him. 

Allan, on the other hand, came over to where she was sitting and smiled down at her. “May I?” he asked, motioning for the seat next to her and she laughed slightly, still a bit discombobulated, scooting over so he could sit next to her. 

“Thanks for coming,” she told him. “You were the only person I could think of who said they had a car.” 

Allan snorted, leaning back and looking around the theater for any sign of what might have inspired Eris to call him. “Yeah, of course,” he told her, before lifting a brow at her. “So... are you okay? You sounded kinda... not okay on the phone.” 

Eris gave a small smile, nodding her head at him. “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry to worry you, I just... my stupid friends. They took these gummies and then wanted me to go to a party and it all just felt, scummy.” 

“Mmm,” Allan nodded his head, like he knew exactly what had transpired. “The good old scummy gummy predicament. That’s a heavy one.” It did the trick, making Eris laugh a little. he kept smiling at her before twisting his mouth side to side. “So, these friends, they’re... like, the ones you normally hang out with?” 

A nod. “Yeah. Brittni and her boyfriend, Kevin. And, yes, I know you used to date Brittni.” 

“Ah, middle school dating. Can that even be called dating?” This time it didn’t really illicit a laugh from her and he grew serious for a moment. “Look, I won’t talk bad about her. Just, I know that crowd. Party crowd. And, you know don’t take this the wrong way, but that doesn’t really seem like your scene.” 

This time, Eris closed her eyes, giving a smile and laying her head in her hands. “It’s not.” 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Seven

Robyn’s anger soon turned into hurt when Johnny turned to the woman to thank her, then proceeded to strike up a conversation with her. Robyn stared at the back of his head for a moment, feeling like she’d been slapped in the face by the fact that Johnny didn’t just automatically do something to remind the woman that he was a happily married man. 

Grabbing her drink, she tossed the rest of it back, setting it down on the counter and looking to the bartender, who was smirking at Johnny and the woman he was now talking to. Maybe it was overreacting, maybe she shouldn’t feel that way, but it was like she wasn’t even in the room. Like she was invisible sitting right here and Robyn felt her chest tighten up, a deep breath in to try and keep herself from telling them all off. 

It wasn’t until Johnny wished the woman a pleasant night and made it clear he was ready to get back to his drink that the bartender said anything at all. 

“Yeah, I’d watch out, man. The groupies here get wild.” 

Johnny snorted. “Oh, I’m used to that. Used to do shows at the Violet Lounge up the street? It was always the old women, for some reason.” 

The two of them laughed and Robyn squared her jaw, feeling her own emotions bottle up a little bit. She stood up, announced she’d be right back and then headed for the bathroom, missing the way Johnny watched her leave, a concerned look on his face.

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Seven

Robyn had so much nervous, chaotic energy coursing through her as Johnny did his routine that she could barely contain herself. Whenever he told a joke or paused for a laugh, she’d look around the audience to make sure they were really laughing because they thought it was funny and not because they just felt bad for him up there. But they all seemed to really enjoy his jokes. 

It did a lot to calm her down and it was almost halfway through the routine before she finally felt like she could breathe again. It gave her time to sit back and just admire her husband. While he maybe looked nervous in the beginning, she thought she could just tell because she knew him. Now, however, it looked like it was easy for him to get back into the swing of things. Like riding a bike. 

Johnny controlled the room. Knew exactly what would get the crowd going and had the comedic timing of a pro. He was really good at this, she’d known that since the first time she’d seen him perform. It made her think again that she wished he would have stuck with it. That his military service had really done him wrong by taking this away from him. 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Five

Robyn couldn’t sleep. She worried about Charlie. Worried that Johnny was at least a little bit right, though she still thought Charlie had been in the wrong about getting into a fight this time. He’d had a fair point, that an adult wasn’t always going to be there and even if Johnny had meant for it to be a reason for Charlie to learn to stand up for himself, it just worried Robyn that next time he’d come home with more than just a busted lip. 

When she heard Charlie’s bedroom door squeak open and close, like he was trying to be quiet, she gave him a few moments to make it downstairs before she crawled out of bed after him. Johnny mumbled something like, “go easy on him” but didn’t fully wake up and she smiled at him, giving his shoulder a squeeze before she headed downstairs. 

She caught Charlie trying to get some of the fried plantains Johnny had made earlier and her son froze like a deer in headlights when he turned around with a plate. 

“Go ahead,” she told him, motioning towards the table. Charlie seemed hesitant, this was his first grounding after all and he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to go to bed hungry or... But Robyn sat down with him to make sure he got enough to eat. Charlie seemed a little skeptical about the whole thing. 

“Honey, why didn’t you tell me this boy had been giving Harvey a hard time? It would have made me understand today a little better.” She attempted to talk to him about it and at first, she didn’t think Charlie was going to say anything back. 

Then he shrugged. “I was mad,” he said simply. 

“I would be too, if someone was picking on my friend like that,” she offered. 

“Are you still mad at me?” Charlie asked and it almost broke her heart to hear that from her kid. 

“I still don’t think you should have gotten into a fight,” Robyn told him gently. “But I’m not mad at you, sweetie.” 

“Am I still grounded?” Charlie asked, the little devil. 

Robyn shook her head, trying to hold back a smirk and a chuckle. “You are still grounded,” she told him, but then playfully tacked on, “Until tomorrow.” 

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Gen One, Day Fifty-Five

“Why didn’t you tell Mom?” Eris asked after Charlie had told her what happened in the park. While neither one of them had gotten punished a whole lot, she didn’t feel like the outcome would have been the same if Robyn knew the whole story. It confused her as to why Charlie wouldn’t have just told her. 

“I dunno,” Charlie shrugged, lost in thought for a moment before his gaze went her way and she could see him hesitate, like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how. She gave him the time, a small smile of encouragement. A deep breath and then Charlie was asking her, “What if I did like other boys? And not girls?” 

Eris sat quietly for a moment, eyes solely on Charlie because this seemed like more than just a question of curiosity. Though, he was still very young. Probably a little too young to be having this conversation, but Eris didn’t think it was going to help to tell him that. She wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for, but she knew what she’d be looking for in a conversation like this. 

She gave a small shrug. “Then you like boys. It’d be okay, no big deal.” 

Charlie chewed on his lip for a moment. “You don’t think Mom and Dad would be mad?” 

A small laugh escaped her before she shook her head. “No. I don’t think they would be mad at all.” Charlie seemed to need a little more encouragement, so Eris leaned forward a bit. “They really just care if you’re happy, healthy and safe. I think that’s why Mom got so mad at you today for fighting. She was scared you were going to get hurt. And... judging by that fat lip,” she pointed to Charlie’s split lower lip. “She was probably a little right.” 

Charlie smirked a little bit and looked back down at his lap, like he had a lot on his mind, a lot to think about. Eris watched him for a moment before she stood up and ruffled Charlie’s hair on her way to the door. She hoped the conversation helped. She wasn’t sure if he was asking because it was the truth or asking simply because he was curious. Either way, she hoped he got what he needed out of that conversation. “There’s maple plantains downstairs that are really good. Don’t go to bed hungry.” 

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[simgrump]

Gen One, Day Fifty-Four

“Remember our first date here?” Johnny asked. The party had started winding down and the two slipped away for some quiet, alone time on the outside patio, near the river walk. With some slow, quiet ambiance music playing from the outdoor speakers, Johnny had taken Robyn’s hand and pulled her into another slow dance. 

“You mean the one where I was running late because I brought home a stray cat?” 

“That’s the one.” 

Robyn chuckled, nodding her head. “Yeah. But I don’t think that was our first date.” At Johnny’s confused look, she leaned forward, her lips finding his for a quick kiss before she rested her head on his shoulder. “Our phone date. When we watched the movie together.” 

A low rumble out of Johnny’s chest as she remembered with an, “Ahh. God, I was romantic, wasn’t I? What a catch.” 

Another laugh from Robyn and she had to agree with him. “Still are,” she told him quietly, her head on his shoulder as he guided them in the slow dance, hand firmly placed on her hip. She loved him. Though some days it just felt like routine living with him, where they’d talk about menial things and then crawl into bed next to each other out of habit, there were plenty more moments like this where she was reminded why she’d made this man into a habit of hers. Why she’d said yes to Johnny when he’d gotten down on one knee so they could carry on their lives together. 

“Happy Birthday, Bug,” Johnny told her quietly, laying his head on top of hers and she didn’t have to question to know he was sharing similar thoughts about all their years together. And all the years to come. 

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