January, 2077, Joel Harris is 36, Aurora is 32.
The love story of Aurora and Joel is an epic one. They first fell in love when she was fourteen and he was eighteen. Needless to say, this freaked out both of their parents quite a bit. They've been on-again-off-again-on-again (for good?) ever since, and have been married three years now.
Aurora and Joel are doing well for themselves. Joel is working as a Commander in The Military. Aurora is a writer and Joel helps her keep in shape, you know, since she spends so much time sitting on her butt.
For money Aurora writes restaurant reviews, but her passion is her literature, and she is working on her first short story collection, something about peace, and love, and babies. She gets to work in her pajamas, from home in her sunny and inviting writers' cove in their home's north wing. They can afford things such as this, since they have no little mouths to feed. No pitter-patter of little feet running around the house.
There are babies everywhere! There are people having babies everywhere! Everywhere but here...
And it's not for lack of trying.
Aurora has been spending some time with her
brother's new wife, Allegra, and she was so quiet to start, but Aurora is finding that they really do have some things in common: Allegra likes to read, Aurora writes; Allegra is arty-crafty, and Aurora likes art. The one thing they don't have in common is that Allegra is four months pregnant now and she and Nathan obviously didn't have to try very hard.
Aurora's mother thinks they don't want any children, but they don't want to tell her they're actually trying in case it doesn't work out. Because it didn't before. It was her senior year in college, Joel was working in the city, and they weren't even officially on-again at the time, but it happened. And though it was a surprise, an accident, they had grown to find the idea somewhat pleasant. Until it was over.
Blake Miller is Aurora's best friend in the whole world, besides her husband, of course. Blake calls to say he and Clarice are coming over. They have an announcement.
He doesn't even have to say anything. The news is obvious. And look at him, acting like an idiot already and there's hardly even anything there yet.
The way she holds her belly, as she talks about how they had to try for almost two years. Aurora is seething with envy!
But Blake knows she must feel pretty crappy about it. After all, it was Blake who Aurora turned to in college after she and Joel lost their baby, when she pushed Joel away because she thought he'd only proposed to her because she was pregnant, when he moved to the city and she moved back home with her parents in Lakeside Heights, which commenced yet another off-again period! Oh the drama!
"Come on, let's water balloon fight!" Blake says. "Who cares if it's January and we'll get frostbite?" So they water balloon fight. They laugh and throw water balloons until their fingers are frozen.
"It'll work out for you guys," Blake says as they're heading inside. "Yeah, I know," Aurora says. What a sweetheart he is. Clarice got a good one, and Aurora hopes she always treats him well.
Later that night, Joel says, "You're not too upset, are you Honey?" She isn't, not too much. "No," Aurora says.
She's okay. Aurora knows she got a pretty good one too.
She's determined to finish her book, especially now that
her little brother announced his plans to write some legal thriller. It isn't long before she finishes her collection of short stories, and her publisher calls with the good news.
Baby Envy, Baby, is now on bookstore shelves, beautiful and tragic stories of domestic bliss and hilarious failure. After all, we write what we know, don't we?
Joel sits with her and reads it, even if he isn't the literary type, and she appreciates his efforts. She received a generous advance, especially since it promises to be poignant and absolutely unprofitable, since short stories never are.
But for now, she is content. Creation comes in many different forms, and she's given birth to something that certainly not everyone else has.
***
I do realize now that Joel and Blake look nearly identical, lol. I hope that wasn't too confusing. I'll have to change one of their hairstyles since they all spend so much time together.
Another weirdity - both Allegra and Clarice are supposed to be on their first baby bump, and in their own homes they are, but when they visit, they look full term. I don't know why that is...? They're not supposed to be full term yet.
For some reason, that happens to any pregnant sim that leaves their lot. They automatically look like they're about to pop any minute. It's quite crazy!
ReplyDeleteAwww, it sucks about the no-baby thing, but at least she finished her book!
Ah-ha! So I'm not alone then. I wonder if someone's made a mod to fix it? I'll have to have a look around :)
ReplyDeletethese sims r hotter than mine
ReplyDeleteomg that sucks for her
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about that bump. So it's due to visiting. I remember I used to have this weird thing in my game where the expecting mother could talk for hours to other Sims and never get any relationship points for it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your writing, Laura!
Moondaisy, thank you! I'm glad to see you're enjoying these early stories. I've had a lot of writing practice since then, so I feel a bit nervous about the older ones. But you know, you've got to start somewhere, lol!
ReplyDeleteAwww, yeah for Aurora! I like your analogy of her giving birth to something that no-one else has. Especially since the baby thing isn't happening for her.
ReplyDeleteWow, I remember in the early days in Sims 2 when you sent a pregnant Sim to a commercial lot, she would come home and die, like some weird combination of SIDS, a miscarriage, and who knows what. I'll take an over-sized baby bump as long as all remain normal and healthy compared to that! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember that too! That was scary! Also illness while they were pregnant. I lost a few in this hood that way. That was always especially sad.
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