Generation 01, Chapter 05: Sometimes good news can be sad

LUKE'S POINT OF VIEW

"Famous 100 Baby Challenge mother, Calista Smith, just received the four words that will complete her life.  'Will you marry me?' asked her now fiancé, Adam Cohen.  She said yes but..."

I shove the paper down.  I cannot continue to read this... this heart breaking stuff.  I knew that guy was with her.  

I stand up, my brain is distressed from the knowledge of her marriage.

"Hey, did you hear Calista Smith is getting married?"  My sister, Lindsey, asks me.  

I nod slowly, not turning to face her.  

She continues, "Do you know who her fiancé is?  I heard he's just an ordinary guy.  Why would such a strong young woman choose him?  If you ask me, she should have chosen you.  Of course, you went to jail so I bet that kind of ruined it."

"Just stop it, Lindsey.  Are you trying to throw every bad choice I made back at me?"

"Well, no.  But I was just using that as a transition to tell you that we received her wedding invitation in the mail."

I roll my eyes at her nonsense but say nothing.  When Lindsey hands me the invitation, I stare at it blankly.  A tear falls down and lands right on the C in Cohen.  I take the invitation and rip it to shreds.

"Would you mind telling her I'm not going," I say calmly.

Lindsey stares at me.  "Lukey, that wasn't very nice...."

I ignore her as she comes to the table and eats her snack.  "Listen, I'm going out with Gladstone to a function tonight.  Need anything while I'm out?"

I shake my head and she leaves to go get ready.

That night she and her husband, Gladstone Kincaid, primp up and get ready to go to their dinner.

"Okay little bro, we're going."  I don't respond.  "Still mad about the wedding?  Well, if it hurts you that much, why don't you just leave?"

Leave?  I know leaving isn't the most mature option, but it does seem like the most logical thing to do right now.

"Maybe," I finally say.

"Either way, I'm going to the wedding.  Glad's going on a business trip so he won't be able to.  So, we'll be off now."

"Bye, Luke," Gladstone bids me solemnly.

They shut the front door and I think.  My sister is married and now my ex-girlfriend is getting married.  I like to think that I'm handsome and rich enough, so why don't I have any family?  If I hadn't hit that guy on the street, I'd be the one in the tux.  We'd get to have our honeymoon together and do all of those things that newly weds do.

"What's wrong with me?"  I complain aloud.  I think about my sister's absurd solution.  What if I did leave?  It's not like anyone, except my family, would really miss me.

It's decided.  I text Lindsey about my decision.  I don't know if I'll come back, but I need a new perspective and a new location.  Someplace where I can start over.

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CALISTA'S POINT OF VIEW

It's the day before the wedding and adrenaline and excitement keeps me up.  I wake up bright and early (even before Mr. Bright-and-Early over here).  I roll out of bed, get changed, and stretch silently.  Adam mumbles something in his sleep and then turns over to grab something (presumably me, if I were still sleeping).  He wakes up when his arms grab nothing but air.

"Calista?!  Why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," I reply, still chuckling from his antics earlier.

"Ah," he smiles back.  His perfect white teeth gleam back at me.

I start to make the bed and so does he.

"I thought you'd like more sleep.  It's only 5:40."

"I think I'll stay up.  I might as well," Adam shrugs.  "Plus, why would I want to sleep when my gorgeous fiancée is just standing there with no one to keep her company?"

"You!  Why do you have to be so sweet?  Wait, don't answer that."  I grab Adam over his chest and he kisses my head.

"Breakfast time?"

"You bet!  I'm starved."

I start to walk downstairs and close the door so Adam can change but he just prances downstairs in his boxers.

"You can feed the cats," I tell him as I lean against the wall.

"Dream!  Royal!  Chimera!  Sunny!"  Adam shouts.

I laugh at his incongruous behavior.  "Now go put on some clothes.  People can see you through the windows!"

"Do you really think they mind?"

"No, but I do!  I know it's selfish but only I have the right to see you half-naked," I grin.  Then I giggle as Adam flexes his biceps.  "Just go!"  I command him.

Later, after Adam gets dressed, he takes me outside.  We walk around his property and he tells me more about it.  Then we park under the tree and Adam's stern face looks me in the eye.

"Calista... I've been thinking about something very important and I want to know if you agree."

"Okay, shoot me."

"Well, I've been thinking about re-starting my parent's horse breeding business."

I gasp excited.  "NO!  That's awesome!"

"Do you really think so?  It would require a lot of effort."

"Yes, Adam, I think you need something to do and I know you're very passionate about horses so if that's what you like, you should do it.  Plus, this house was specifically made to incorporate horses, wasn't it?"  I ask, thinking about all of the horse decor around the house as well as the horse decals on all of the doors and walls.

"Yeah, I suppose it is.  You don't mind horses do you?"  He adds.

"No, I mean, if they're nice and don't trample me, I think I'll be happy."

"And you wouldn't mind if they had horns?"

"Horns?  Why would they have horns?"

Adam ignores me and I let it go.  He probably said something else and I misunderstood him.

"So, when will you start?"

"After the wedding, and the honeymoon.  But before the ki-, I mean yeah, after the honeymoon."

"Oh Adam, I can't wait for you to start doing this.  It make me so happy to see you so happy."

"Me too, darling, me too.  Although, it does make me think of my parents," he confesses, enveloping me in an embrace.

"They'd love to see what you've done with the place.  I'm sure they'd be just as proud as I am."

"You think?"

"I know."

That night, I go to bed early and am actually able to fall asleep, despite my anxiety about tomorrow's event.  I snuggle in closer to Adam and fall asleep quickly to the rhythm of his beating heart.  Tomorrow will be an interesting and life-changing day, but hopefully one that I cherish forever.

The next morning, dawn comes and I wake up once again.  By the end of today, I will no longer be Calista Katherine Smith.

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NOTE

Yay!  The wedding post will be the next post!  WOO!

Oh, and to those who celebrate Halloween....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Thanks for reading!  Love ya!

Generation 01, Chapter 04: Who do these people think they are?

NOTE

First off, I would like to thank Izzi for gifting me the Happily Ever After - True Romance hairstyle.  I cannot wait to see Calista in it!

Also, thank you Cassie and Destiny for allowing me to use their sims in the wedding festivities.

Now on with the story!

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It's the next day and I have a massive hangover from the party last night.  I'm standing in my house waiting for the renters to arrive and the smell of alcohol still wafts through the air like burnt popcorn.  I quickly run to the kitchen and spray Lysol all over before they arrive.  Hopefully the renters won't care about the overly pungent odor.  Actually, I bet the blue will overwhelm them more....

The arrival of two very pink people interrupts my thoughts.

"Hi, I'm Calista Smith.  Are you Amaranth and Ruby Brink?"  I say as they walk in.

At first they don't reply.  Mr. Brink appears to have some anxiety disorder and Mrs. Brink is fiddling with her extremely curly hair.  I've never seen such vanity.

"Ehem, I can show you around the house, if you're interested," I say forcibly.

"Oh yes, please show us around the house.  It's a bit blue for my taste, but I can't be picky, can I?"  Mrs. Brink finally states.

I'm about the reply when Mr. Brink says, "Of course, darling."

Oh right, of course she wasn't talking to me.

I finally get them into the office after introducing them to the sitting area.  Unfortunately, they don't even seem to be paying attention to anything I'm saying.

And what is with Mrs. Brink and mirrors?  That lady needs to get a life.  I'm tempted to smack the mirror and break it in front of her very eyes.  Of course, she has her hand mirror so that plan wouldn't really benefit me in any way.

After a few minutes in the office, I move onto the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room.  We enter my favorite room in the house - the music room - which reeks the most from last night but fortunately, I can hardly smell the sweat and alcohol.  Mr. Brink takes out his phone and texts as I talk about the room and about the instruments.  Mrs. Brink crinkles her nose in disgust.

"Instruments create a lot of dust.  I'm definitely going to have to get a housekeeper for the time we're here."

So does that mean she's actually considering living here?  Because she doesn't seem at all pleased about the place at this point.

"Right, well, let's carry on," I drone.

We walk out to the backyard.

"You had kids living here?"  Mrs. Brink asks as she stares at the playground equipment.  "Goodness, we have a son but he's only a baby."

"Oh, that's good.  This house is very well suited for chil-"

"He's in the orphanage, of course," Mrs. Brink continues.  "I absolutely despise children but my husband convinced me to keep the baby.  He's pro-life you see.  Fortunately, our son will be adopted soon.  The couple taking him in live out in the country.  I would hate that life.  God only knows I would shoot myself if I lived there.  But I'm just happy he's going to have a home now, I guess.  I felt a little bad giving him up."

I nod, absolutely confused.  Is it my headache or are these people insane?  I've learned more about these peoples' personalities than I have about their opinions on the house and they've only been here for what, thirty minutes?  I'm pretty sure this is all for nothing.

Lastly, I show them the kids' rooms and the master bedroom.

I gesture to the mirror, "I've had that as long as I can remember.  It's one of my most prized possessions," I brag, hoping to pick up Mrs. Brink's interest.  Mr. Brink actually takes a look away from his phone to study the master suite.

Mrs. Brink ignores my joking about the mirror and finds it necessary to take up her husband's position by taking out her own phone and chatting with someone for a good twenty minutes.  The annoying thing is that I can hear her entire conversation.  And let me tell you, it wasn't at all interesting.

"Okay, so that's the entire house.  If you would follow me to the front of the house again," I command as soon as Mrs. Brink ends her call.

"So I hope you enjoyed the tour.  Just let me know if you'd like to consider the offer," I say through gritted teeth.

"We'll take it.  Is §2000 a good enough for the rent?" Mr. Brink asks, making eye contact with me for the very first time today.

WHAT?!?!

"Oh awesome!  Yes, §2000 is a good price.  Um, thanks!  We can negotiate it over coffe-"

"Would now be okay?" Mrs. Brink interrupts once again.

I want to say no.  "Uh, sure...," I reply.

I spend the entire afternoon with the Brinks, negotiating and discussing the renting terms.  I swear, half the time is spent with me consuming fifty million pain killers and the Brinks (who have let me know that I can call them Ruby and Amaranth) getting distracted by their phones and just not listening to what I have to say.  Honestly, it's like talking to a bunch of three-year-olds.  Even my kids were better behaved and more focused than these pink people. 

I finally make it home at 6:45 that night.  I don't see Adam in the kitchen so I walk to the left towards the living room and see, not Adam, but three of my four cats hanging out.  Chimera and Royal are bathing each other and Dream is in the back, lounging in the catfish bag.  Every since all her kittens were adopted she has been much more laid back.  I guess motherhood didn't really suit her.

I hear creaking of the floorboards upstairs.  Adam must be up there.  I'm about to walk upstairs when Adam walks downstairs.  

"There you are.  I was beginning to wonder when you'd be home," Adam exclaims as I follow him to the kitchen, rubbing my temples.  "I was just about to make dinner.  How were the renters?"

"Adam, I don't mean to be a complaining bitch but it was dreadful.  The people... it's a long story.  I had to stay late though.  They wanted to negotiate the renting process at that moment.  And with the party last night, God, my head hurt.  It just wasn't a good mix."

"Sweetie, I'm sorry you had a bad time.  I should have been there to straighten things out."

I walk over to Adam.  Wrapping my arms around his lean, muscular body, I snuggle into his neck.  "You know what?  I'm just glad it's over and they wanted the house so that's good.  The main thing is that the house has renters now.  Unfortunately, they're only going to stay there temporarily, at most three months.  But that's okay.  At least we'll have some good income coming in."

Adam and I cuddle on the couch downstairs and eat our dinner.

Later, we both make our way upstairs and Adam pulls me down onto the new couch unexpectedly.  We snuggle once more and I instantly fall asleep in his warm arms.  I catch up on the sleep that I missed last night and dream sweet dreams about Adam and I.

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The next day I slip on a lose dress, tie my hair up in a typical bun, and kiss Adam good-bye.  I'm going to the mall to check out wedding dresses with my matron of honor, Destiny Rose, and one of my bridesmaids, Hadley Reed-Pope.

We've rented out a fitting room at one of the poshest dress stores in town, Just Say Yes.

I walk in on Destiny and Hadley conversing about their own wedding dresses and arguing about which dress I'm going to get.

They've already got four picked out for me and I try on the first one.  It's extremely poofy and very typical princess with the hoop skirt and the sparkly bodice.  It looks good and fits my body well but I decide to take it off and try the next one on.  Princesses aren't really my thing.

"See, I told you she wouldn't like that one," Destiny retorts.  Then she, Hadley, and I burst out laughing.

I try on the second dress.  It's much slimmer than the other one with less bling.  It's simple and elegant at the same time, although I'm not in favor of the sash.

"How do I look girls?"  I ask while striking a pose and throwing my head back.

"Whoa, your butt look awesome," Hadley comments.

"I like it," Destiny agrees.  "It definitely looks slimming on you.  Not that you need slimming," she coughs.

I agree with both girls and decide to make the second dress one of my top choices.  Then I slip behind the screen and change into the next dress.

The next dress is much more lacy and has a very low cut front and an empire waist.  "Oh, I really like the feel of this one.  Except the open back is a bit uncomfortable but I could get used to that."

"Oooh, it makes your boobs look awesome," Hadley says excitedly as she walks over to me to examine the dress more closely.  "I really like it."

Destiny comes over also.  "I really like this one too.  It would definitely be one of my top picks.  Let's see the last one we picked out for you."

The last dress is strapless like the first two were.  It's an off-the-shoulder dress which bothers me a bit (the sleeves tickle, okay?!) but the rest of the dress is gorgeous and I love the skirt and bodice.

Hadley and Destiny also like the dress but they both admit that it isn't as good as the other dresses I've tried on.

Finally, I come to a decision and Destiny and Hadley whoop with joy.  We all walk out of the fitting room and pay for the dress right then and there.  Destiny agrees to hold onto the dress so that Adam doesn't see it.

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It's nearly 11:00 when I get home.  I quietly slip into bed next to Adam and try carefully not to wake him up but my plan fails.  Adam stirs and groggily asks me how the shopping was.  I tell him it was good and that I'll explain more in the morning.  He nods off to sleep but not before engulfing me in his arms and kissing my hair.  I nuzzle against his arms, inhaling his warmth, and instantly fall asleep.  The wedding is only a few short weeks away....

Generation 01, Chapter 03: Unexpected

It's been a week since the engagement and I've told my siblings as well as my father, all of whom are ecstatic that their youngest sibling/daughter will finally be tying the knot.

I've also moved the cats into Adam's house.  Dream and Chimera don't seem to mind the rambunctious and playful canine but Sunny seems to have no use for the boisterous roommate. Hopefully it's just the stress from the move that's getting at his patience and, once adjusted, he'll like Kadie more.  Or at least tolerate her better.

It is now Wednesday and I'm going to ask Adam what's so important about today's date.  It can't be his proposal and it can't be ring shopping.  As of Sunday, I now sport a gorgeous 18-karat gold ring with a glistening amethyst gem resting within center.  Adam has a a blue band.  We've decided to not follow tradition and are actually wearing our actual wedding rings (we'll just take them off for the ceremony so we can put them back on, silly, I know).  I find Adam downstairs doing pull ups.

"Adam?  What are you doing?  Actually, let me rephrase that.  Why are you doing pull ups?  You don't want to hurt yourself."

Adam doesn't answer and I can see why.  His muscles are straining under the weight of his body and by the looks of the sweat swelling up around his armpits and chest, I can tell he's been at this for quite some time.  Either that or he's unfit, but judging by his muscularity, I think it's the first option.

"I have... to look... good... for the wedding," he finally rasps in between his heavy breaths.  Finally, he collapses and gets down.

"You don't have to look good for the wedding.  Whatever are you talking about?  It's not like you're going to strip in front of the congregation.  I'm the only one who'll see you topless anyway..." I grin.  Fantasies about our much anticipated honeymoon drift around my head.

"But-"

"It's a no.  You're strong enough for me.  And even if you weren't, I'd still love you."  I plant a kiss on his cheek and he picks me up and carries me upstairs.  It feels good just leaning against his body.  "Ugh, sweetie, you're very... wet.  Please put me down."  He obeys and sets me down once we get to the top of the stairs.  I grab his hand as a compromise and we walk to the house together.  "Hey, I forgot to ask you, what's going on later today...?"

Adam tells me that I should go pick up some stuff from my house.

"That's the surprise?"

Adam shrugs sheepishly and I shake my head.  I walk upstairs to change and just for kicks, I put on a nice dress.

"Okay, I'll be back in a few," I tell him.  He kiss me, tells me I look beautiful, and releases my woozy self to the taxi.

It makes me sad, going back to my beautiful blue house.  And the fact that I'm going to be meeting with the renters doesn't help one bit.

I struggle opening the lock but finally get it on the third try.

"God, that's embarrassing," I think aloud.  "I hope no one saw tha-"

"Calista!  You made it!  I can't believe Adam succeeded in getting you here.  And here I was, thinking he didn't have a poker face," Laura admits.

WTF?  I'm speechless.

"Wha... huh?"  I stand there like an idiot, staring at my two bridesmaids.

And then I realize that they must be throwing me a party.  My face instantly brightens and I squeal.

"You didn't?!"

"We did," Destiny grins.

"You girls are so awesome!"

Just then, four of my other bridesmaids march in.

"Dawn Turner, Becks Best, Chloe Moreau, and Isabella Austin," I say their names.  "You girls are awesome!"  They all give me their congratulations and we group hug until Laura ushers us into the living room.

"Time for gift giving!"

We all settle down and I sit on the little blue stool that I sat in when I dyed my hair for the first time.  Destiny, my matron of honor, sits on her own chair.  The rest of the women sit on the couches.

"Ooooooh, open mine last," Laura exclaims excitedly when we've finally settled down.

I give her a strange look.  "Okay...?"

First, I open a collaborated gift given by Dawn, Becks, and Chloe.  It's ginormous and isn't even wrapped.

"Oh my God, that's hilarious!"  I break down laughing.  In front of my are two of the biggest stuffed bears I've ever seen.  One is a blue fairy, which I'm assuming is me, and the other is a purple werewolf, which is probably Adam.  We carry them out to the front entry because they're too big to fit anywhere else.

"Thanks girls!"

Secondly, I open a heavy gift from Destiny, which is also very large.

"Cat food?"  I ask myself.  I guess it makes sense.  I do have a lot of cats....  "Thanks, darling."

I go and set that next to the bears.

Next, I open a smaller gift from Izzi.  The box is labeled fragile so I decided not to open it too quickly. It's a mood lamp.  I turn it on and it emanates a light turning the room a beautiful blue color.

"Wow, that's gorgeous.  Thanks, Iz."

Laura is acting as though she's going to split her pants, or her dress, more like it.

"Okay okay, I'll open your present now," I say as she practically throws her present into my lap.  It's surprisingly small and light.  I unwrap the smaller, thinner box first.  Non-latex condoms.  My cheeks flame with embarrassment.  Unfortunately, it's a little too late to hide the present because everyone has already seen it.

A flood of laughter comes from everyone, and surprisingly, from my own lips.

"I'm almost too scared to open the next gift," I admit humorously.

"I think you'll like it as much as the first one," Laura laughs.

Oh God.

I carefully unwrap the second box....

Take-home pregnancy test.

Actually, I was expecting something worse than this so I wave the box above my head.

"Hallelujah!"  I shout, not mentioning the fact that Adam and I haven't had sex.  We all share a good laugh.  It's a little too early to crack out the champagne so we all chat a bit.  Dawn and Destiny share some lovely stories about their own marriages and the rest of us talk about our funny gift giving moments.  Some are way worse than mine.  Like way worse.

It starts to get dark and we all pile up in the music room (with our champagne) to dance our hearts out.

We dance for a long time and plenty of us get drunk before we've even realized it.  Even when the air starts to get musty and sweaty and smells of alcohol, we keep our dancing up.

Later, Becks, Chloe, Dawn, and I go out to the bubble station that Destiny rented for the night.  It was a good plan on her part because I get even more woozy and very hiccup-y from the thirty minutes of blowing those bubbles.

"They're so beautiful.  I just want to poke them," Dawn slurs.

Chloe gives everyone the fish lips and even tries to kiss Becks.  Becks almost shoves the bubbles tube down her dress and we all giggle incessantly.  I've never been this drunk and this crazy about bubbles.

Becks slumps out of the bubble bar seat and goes over to make more drinks.  Izzi practically crawls out of the dance room and we yell and encourage Becks to make more drinks.

Eventually, everyone filters into the bar area, grabs a drink, and start talking.  Somehow, Laura and Dawn found some pillows and are now hitting each other with the fluff.

"Take that, you bitch," Laura yells and they continue to hit each other until they're hitting each other with invisible objects and the pillows are laying on the floor.

My drunkenness wears off as the night goes on and into the morning.  I begin to notice that my wise and saintly matron of honor has not one drop of alcohol in her system.  I silently praise her for her responsibilities and it's probably good that one of us has a blood alcohol level lower than 0.1.  Destiny shuts down the drink bar and sets out a pitcher of lemonade.  Everyone starts to return to their normal and "mature" selves.

At around 3:30 am, Becks, Dawn, Chloe, and Izzi leave for home.  They thank me a wonderful wedding (although they'll all be there) and thank Laura and Destiny for throwing such an awesome party.  I thank them as well and begin to head out the door.

"Wait!"  Laura commands.  "Your presents aren't all opened."

She gestures to the ground near the cat food and I gasp.

"Oh my gosh, you got me a cat?!"

"Destiny and I did," Laura informs me.

I squeeze my two best friends and then pick up the cat (luckily I've sobered up a bit so it's totally safe for me to handle a live animal) and cuddle with him.

"I'm going to name him Royal.  Royal Smith, welcome to the family," I say to him and he snuggles up against my chest.

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NOTE

Actually, the cat is from a good friend of mine, Salline Trish, so thank you so much, Salline!

Also, thank you to a few of my bridesmaids that were able to come to the party: Destiny Rose, Becks Best, Chloe Moreau, Izzi Austin, Laura Johanson, and Dawn Turner.  I would have have all of the bridesmaids at the party but decided to but I didn't want to have the house so stuffed because that lot is a bit laggy in my game when there are over 8 people in the household.

Also, the lighting looks really weird in the photos because it was a full moon and I didn't realize you could turn the lunar cycle off.  -_-

Thanks for reading!  :)  I hope you have a great day (or night)!