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Life Changes Fast-A Sims 3 Decades Challenge. UPDATE 2/11 New chapter is up.
KNORear
Posts: 522 Member
I saw this Sims 4 challenge making it's way around the internet and it looked fun . As a result I decided to modify it slightly and try it in sims 3.
Update: The recording of this Let's Play had been moved and edited here
Rules
Housing and Funds
1. Starter money only up to (16k)
2. All these rules assume you have all the expansion packs except Into The future, if you lack any of these expansion packs modify the rules as you see fit.
***************
1890s rules
1.Buy any land/house with it, this is best played as a "homestead" style story, as in their money comes from the land they live on.
2.Only male heirs are allowed. If there are no boys, then a woman's husband may inherit.
3.Sims may only have a relationship and marry the opposite gender and within their own ethnicity/race.
4. Sims must only "Try for Baby" and never "Woohoo." (If you have the "w" mod it is also recommended to set Try for baby to autonomous, but not required).
5.No electricity. Use candles or lanterns to light up the house.
6.Women take care of the children, tidy the house, and cook. They can help tidy the garden. If she is widowed she may pick one of the listed careers below or paint.
7. As mentioned, a career such as a gardener is recommended, but some other self-employment career to go for is for is inventor, writer or fisherman (aka angler). Supplies for these jobs must be either gathered in places like the junkyard or bought in the consignment/apothecary store.
8. Sims cannot get a divorce unless one of them commits adultery (in this case, flirting with another sim in front of the spouse).If she is divorced she must join the "actor" career or one of the Showtime careers.
9.Elementary is mandatory, but high school is optional.
10. Female children must move out once they're married.
11.Cell Phones are only allowed to invite people over to your house or to travel.
12.Outside toilets and bathtubs only.
13. Wooden furniture, floor, and walls only, however you may get a small rug, but keep in mind that was a luxury during the period, so don't just fill your house with rugs. Also if your character wants to be a writer, you have a computer in the house, but it must only be used for writing and nothing else.
14.Buy ovens and fridges that are as close to period as possible. I personally recommend the wood fire stove if you have Monte Vista.
15. Festivals and Holidays are allowed, but edit the fairgrounds to roughly period if you want to use it.
16.Every child born during this decade must be born at home.
17. A butler or maid can be hired if you can afford it.
18. You also don't need a cowplant, but I'll elaborate on how I intend to simulate "going to war" when we get to the 1910s
19. Optional: you may roll a die a random times to determine if a Sim dies of a disease. You may also roll a die every time your founder's wife has a child to see if she "dies in childbirth".After that you could use mods to kill them off instantly.
***************
1900s rules
1. Relationships, Woohoo and Inheritance Rules are the same
2. You may now have electricity (only in the form of lamps) and Indoor plumbing (Still Bathtubs only though).
3. Upholstery and Wallpaper are now available as well as a Phonograph. Computers must still be the cheapest one available and limited to writing only.
4. The rest of whatever town you're playing in is now unlocked! In fact, leisure was an important part of Edwardian culture so it's actively encouraged that your Sims "Go to town" or actively live in the center of it all. For optimum historical accuracy edit the town as you see fit.
5. Trips are also encouraged.
6. For males, all career branches are now available, except the Science, Military, and Band career paths. However, the Law Enforcement branch is limited to the local level, so no secret agents here. Furthermore, the music career is limited to the Classical branch(aka no rock stars allowed). Lastly, the Criminal career is possible but discouraged.
7. If married, women must still stay at home. However, before they marry or if they are widowed they may have any of the available part-time jobs, join the acting career branch or the teaching branch.
8. Divorced women must take up one of the Showtime careers or "acting" career if you don't have the Showtime expansion pack.
9.Optional: First Wave Feminism has officially started, so at least one woman in your household becomes a Feminist. She attends protests, much to the chagrin of her parents/ the previous generation. She also tries to force your household into giving up "Nector". Does she succeed or does it lead to less than stellar results like a divorce?
***************
1910s rules
1.Most Relationship and career rules remain the same. The exception being divorced women may now have the exact same careers as single and widowed women.
2. WWI officially breaks out when the first teen in your 1900s household becomes of age (aka 4 day’s before they are set to age up to young adult ), after that all men that come “of age” in this generation must go to war. This is probably where my rules differ the most from @ZombieCleo’s since the cow plant is exclusive to the sim store in Sims 3. The first to “go to war”is the heir of the previous generation. Move him out for a day or two and roll a die: odds he dies, evens he returns home. If he returns home replace one of his traits with “Clumsy” to symbolize a wound that prevents him from ever going back to war. As for the teenage males of the household when they “come of age” send them to military school for the last four days of their teen hood; odds they die, evens they return home( this includes love interests for female children)If they return home their final trait must be one of the following: Insane, Clumsy, Grumpy, Inappropriate, No Sense of humor, Neurotic, Brooding or Commitment Issues.
3. If all the men in your household die, the oldest daughter’s husband will inherit, if he dies the next oldest daughter’s husband will inherit and so on.
4. Even if an heir survives WWI they must remain in the military career until the war ends when their oldest child becomes a teen.
5. Painted and Drywall walls are now allowed in houses.
6. Everything thing else about household technology remains the same
7. At least one woman in your household is encouraged to be involved in “activist” pursuits such as protests.
***************
1920s rules
1. Women may now be heirs and do not have to move out when married. "Risky" Woohoo is now also allowed if you have the "W" mod, however regular Woohoo without the risk of pregnancy is still off the table.
2. Women are now allowed most careers but are limited to "Level five" of big careers like Business, Medical. Journalism etc. Divorced women may also have any job single women and widowed women do. Optional: take away a little bit of their paycheck each day through buying something to illustrate unequal pay if you like. Also, the band career is now unlocked.
3. Criminal careers are recommended for all young adults.
4. As far as building goes, all forms of lighting are now allowed in homes and Sims may now have a radio.
5. Prohibition is also a thing, so all Bars and lounges must be deleted or changed to No Visitors Allowed. Sims cannot buy juice or nectar either. The exception to this rule is that Sims may make their own nectar if you have the proper expansion pack.
6. Sims can now give birth at the hospital, but that was not common in the 20s.
***************
1930s rules
1. Gender Roles, technology, and Woohoo rules remain the same. Although it is recommended that your Sims listen to the radio at least once a day.
2. Any sim with a career loses it for at least one week. During this week of unemployment, sims must scavenge places like the junkyard or local gardens for food and such instead of buying it. Teens also do not go to school at this time. The business career is no longer allowed for either sex. Optional: Buy one very expensive item(like the sports car or the suit of armor) and place it in the family inventory immediately. This is to simulate the Stock Market crash or simply use heats to remove 15% of your sims' funds.
3. After a week sims are allowed to be re-hired, but it is recommended to stick to part-time jobs or self-employment.
5. Bills may not be paid until the repo man shows up at your house, but roughly about three years in Prohibition ends.
6. Sims may only have one hot meal per day, but they may cook several meals at once to be used as leftovers. Gardens are also recommended.
7. Any sim that grew up in this decade must have their final trait be either Grumpy, Commitment issues, No sense of humor, Frugal, Mooch, Mean-spirited or Gatherer.
8. Optional: small pets were gaining popularity in this era, so Sims may catch and keep any of the small pets they encounter. Also, your sim may not adopt a cat, dog or horse, unless they tame a stray/wild one.
***************
1940s Rules
1. This is another war decade, so "going to war" rules remain the same except now at least one of your daughters must go to war as a nurse. You may also increase the chance of coming home since more soldiers returned from this war than the previous one( for my playthrough I changed it so a sim only "died" if the dice I rolled landed on a multiple of three). Also, the oldest child(male or female) of your heir must also go to war once they are 4 days from becoming an adult, but all other children are safe. Like after WWI this child must have their final trait be: Insane, Clumsy, Grumpy, Inappropriate, No Sense of humor, Neurotic, Brooding or Commitment Issues if they return home. Any men who return from war must stay in the Military career until the start of the 1950s
2. The Science and Secret Agent branch of the Law Enforcement Career are now available, but only to men.
3. Women who become a teenager or Young adult in this era must have a career or at least a part-time job. They cannot work in Law enforcement, Science, or the military.
4. Technology-wise not much has changed, but you may now have a washer and dryer and a coffee machine(nothing fancy though).
5. Sims may now have a relationship with someone of a different race, but they may not marry.
6. Lastly, In the 1940s, there was a lot going on on the homefront, one of the biggest things was having a "Victory Garden" or collecting scrap metal. Both of these things are highly encouraged during this Decade. There were also a lot of limits on things like sugar, so your sims can no longer make desserts unless they intend to sell them or if you have particularly social sims make them for other people.
***************
1950s Rules
1.Any female sim who had a job in this era immediately lose it at the start of the era. Single ladies may get a part-time job, but that's it. Married sims may not have any job beyond self-employed as women were encouraged to be housewives in this era. Woohoo, rules remain the same and because this is also the Baby boom era, large families of at least four kids or more are strongly encouraged, but not required.
2. At least one child that becomes a teenager in this era must get the Rebellious trait upon their age up. Teens are also encouraged to have cars.
3. This era also marks the beginning of the Cold War. Because of that sims are no longer allowed to travel to any of the World Adventures locations. This rule will remain in place until the 1980s. Foreign music cannot be played in the household either.
4. Career-wise Sims(preferably men) may now become astronauts, athletes and rock stars.
5. University is now unlocked as well, however, women may not graduate and the technology degree is off-limits(I know college has existed since Ancient Greece, but I don't think college as we know it existed until maybe the 1940s and in that decade WWII happened, so for simplicity's sake, I left University "locked" until this decade. Feel free to add it sooner if you like).
6. Technology-wise the Jukebox, television, and showers are now available. However, the tv may only be watched between 6 am and 9 pm, and flatscreens are not allowed. Radios are also basically nonexistent and shouldn't be in your sim's household.
7. Apartments are now allowed but discouraged if your sims are married.
8. Lastly, sims may go back to cooking whatever they like and both elementary school and high school are now mandatory.
**************
1960s rules
1.This is another "going to war" decade, so the same rules of the 1940s apply here, except women going to war is now optional(however, if they go to war for whatever reason like as reporter for instance as was done during the Vietnam War they still have to risk the dice). As always anyone who comes back from war must have one of the following traits: Insane, Clumsy, Grumpy, Inappropriate, No Sense of humor, Neurotic, Brooding or Commitment Issues.
2. Woohoo-wise the pill was invented in the 1960s, so Sims may now woohoo without risking pregnancy. Sims can now marry sims of a different race and have same-sex relationships, although they may not marry.
3.Male sims no longer have limits on what careers they can have, but women are still discouraged from working in law enforcement or the military. However, there were plenty of female rock stars in this era so they may take on that career if you like.
4.University rules remain the same, except women can now graduate and the technology major is now available.
5. Lastly Sims may go back to listening to foreign music, but they still can't travel to any World Adventure locations unless they have to travel for work.
**************
1970s rules
Everything remains the same besides the following:
1.Career-wise women may now have any job they wish and Sims my divorce for any reason(until the 1970s no-fault divorce laws did not exist, so that's why I put this rule here instead of the 1950s like ZombieCleo).
2. Because of the environmental movement sims of this generation are encouraged to have at least one of the following traits: Vegetarian, Eco-Friendly, or Green-thumb.
3. Technology-wise computers may now be used for gaming and all the following are available: Microwaves and dishwashers
4. Lastly, any future wars are now optional as the draft was eliminated at the end of the Vietnam War.
**************
1980s rules
Everything remains the same besides the following:
1.Sims can now go back to traveling to the World Adventure locations
2. University is required for all Sims in your household, but they don't have to graduate and all babies must be born in the hospital
3. It is strongly recommended that sims that become young adults in this decade and any children born must have one of the following traits: Ambitious, Workaholic, Born Salesperson or Snob.
4. Technology-wise gaming consoles are now allowed and the tv time restriction has been changed to 6am- 2am. Sims may also use the television to work out and the DJ table is now allowed alongside the karaoke machine.
5. Lastly, at least one of your sims in this decade must work in the Business or Political career.
Now on to the Let's Play itselfHousing and Funds
1. Starter money only up to (16k)
2. All these rules assume you have all the expansion packs except Into The future, if you lack any of these expansion packs modify the rules as you see fit.
***************
1890s rules
1.Buy any land/house with it, this is best played as a "homestead" style story, as in their money comes from the land they live on.
2.Only male heirs are allowed. If there are no boys, then a woman's husband may inherit.
3.Sims may only have a relationship and marry the opposite gender and within their own ethnicity/race.
4. Sims must only "Try for Baby" and never "Woohoo." (If you have the "w" mod it is also recommended to set Try for baby to autonomous, but not required).
5.No electricity. Use candles or lanterns to light up the house.
6.Women take care of the children, tidy the house, and cook. They can help tidy the garden. If she is widowed she may pick one of the listed careers below or paint.
7. As mentioned, a career such as a gardener is recommended, but some other self-employment career to go for is for is inventor, writer or fisherman (aka angler). Supplies for these jobs must be either gathered in places like the junkyard or bought in the consignment/apothecary store.
8. Sims cannot get a divorce unless one of them commits adultery (in this case, flirting with another sim in front of the spouse).If she is divorced she must join the "actor" career or one of the Showtime careers.
9.Elementary is mandatory, but high school is optional.
10. Female children must move out once they're married.
11.Cell Phones are only allowed to invite people over to your house or to travel.
12.Outside toilets and bathtubs only.
13. Wooden furniture, floor, and walls only, however you may get a small rug, but keep in mind that was a luxury during the period, so don't just fill your house with rugs. Also if your character wants to be a writer, you have a computer in the house, but it must only be used for writing and nothing else.
14.Buy ovens and fridges that are as close to period as possible. I personally recommend the wood fire stove if you have Monte Vista.
15. Festivals and Holidays are allowed, but edit the fairgrounds to roughly period if you want to use it.
16.Every child born during this decade must be born at home.
17. A butler or maid can be hired if you can afford it.
18. You also don't need a cowplant, but I'll elaborate on how I intend to simulate "going to war" when we get to the 1910s
19. Optional: you may roll a die a random times to determine if a Sim dies of a disease. You may also roll a die every time your founder's wife has a child to see if she "dies in childbirth".After that you could use mods to kill them off instantly.
***************
1900s rules
1. Relationships, Woohoo and Inheritance Rules are the same
2. You may now have electricity (only in the form of lamps) and Indoor plumbing (Still Bathtubs only though).
3. Upholstery and Wallpaper are now available as well as a Phonograph. Computers must still be the cheapest one available and limited to writing only.
4. The rest of whatever town you're playing in is now unlocked! In fact, leisure was an important part of Edwardian culture so it's actively encouraged that your Sims "Go to town" or actively live in the center of it all. For optimum historical accuracy edit the town as you see fit.
5. Trips are also encouraged.
6. For males, all career branches are now available, except the Science, Military, and Band career paths. However, the Law Enforcement branch is limited to the local level, so no secret agents here. Furthermore, the music career is limited to the Classical branch(aka no rock stars allowed). Lastly, the Criminal career is possible but discouraged.
7. If married, women must still stay at home. However, before they marry or if they are widowed they may have any of the available part-time jobs, join the acting career branch or the teaching branch.
8. Divorced women must take up one of the Showtime careers or "acting" career if you don't have the Showtime expansion pack.
9.Optional: First Wave Feminism has officially started, so at least one woman in your household becomes a Feminist. She attends protests, much to the chagrin of her parents/ the previous generation. She also tries to force your household into giving up "Nector". Does she succeed or does it lead to less than stellar results like a divorce?
***************
1910s rules
1.Most Relationship and career rules remain the same. The exception being divorced women may now have the exact same careers as single and widowed women.
2. WWI officially breaks out when the first teen in your 1900s household becomes of age (aka 4 day’s before they are set to age up to young adult ), after that all men that come “of age” in this generation must go to war. This is probably where my rules differ the most from @ZombieCleo’s since the cow plant is exclusive to the sim store in Sims 3. The first to “go to war”is the heir of the previous generation. Move him out for a day or two and roll a die: odds he dies, evens he returns home. If he returns home replace one of his traits with “Clumsy” to symbolize a wound that prevents him from ever going back to war. As for the teenage males of the household when they “come of age” send them to military school for the last four days of their teen hood; odds they die, evens they return home( this includes love interests for female children)If they return home their final trait must be one of the following: Insane, Clumsy, Grumpy, Inappropriate, No Sense of humor, Neurotic, Brooding or Commitment Issues.
3. If all the men in your household die, the oldest daughter’s husband will inherit, if he dies the next oldest daughter’s husband will inherit and so on.
4. Even if an heir survives WWI they must remain in the military career until the war ends when their oldest child becomes a teen.
5. Painted and Drywall walls are now allowed in houses.
6. Everything thing else about household technology remains the same
7. At least one woman in your household is encouraged to be involved in “activist” pursuits such as protests.
***************
1920s rules
1. Women may now be heirs and do not have to move out when married. "Risky" Woohoo is now also allowed if you have the "W" mod, however regular Woohoo without the risk of pregnancy is still off the table.
2. Women are now allowed most careers but are limited to "Level five" of big careers like Business, Medical. Journalism etc. Divorced women may also have any job single women and widowed women do. Optional: take away a little bit of their paycheck each day through buying something to illustrate unequal pay if you like. Also, the band career is now unlocked.
3. Criminal careers are recommended for all young adults.
4. As far as building goes, all forms of lighting are now allowed in homes and Sims may now have a radio.
5. Prohibition is also a thing, so all Bars and lounges must be deleted or changed to No Visitors Allowed. Sims cannot buy juice or nectar either. The exception to this rule is that Sims may make their own nectar if you have the proper expansion pack.
6. Sims can now give birth at the hospital, but that was not common in the 20s.
***************
1930s rules
1. Gender Roles, technology, and Woohoo rules remain the same. Although it is recommended that your Sims listen to the radio at least once a day.
2. Any sim with a career loses it for at least one week. During this week of unemployment, sims must scavenge places like the junkyard or local gardens for food and such instead of buying it. Teens also do not go to school at this time. The business career is no longer allowed for either sex. Optional: Buy one very expensive item(like the sports car or the suit of armor) and place it in the family inventory immediately. This is to simulate the Stock Market crash or simply use heats to remove 15% of your sims' funds.
3. After a week sims are allowed to be re-hired, but it is recommended to stick to part-time jobs or self-employment.
5. Bills may not be paid until the repo man shows up at your house, but roughly about three years in Prohibition ends.
6. Sims may only have one hot meal per day, but they may cook several meals at once to be used as leftovers. Gardens are also recommended.
7. Any sim that grew up in this decade must have their final trait be either Grumpy, Commitment issues, No sense of humor, Frugal, Mooch, Mean-spirited or Gatherer.
8. Optional: small pets were gaining popularity in this era, so Sims may catch and keep any of the small pets they encounter. Also, your sim may not adopt a cat, dog or horse, unless they tame a stray/wild one.
***************
1940s Rules
1. This is another war decade, so "going to war" rules remain the same except now at least one of your daughters must go to war as a nurse. You may also increase the chance of coming home since more soldiers returned from this war than the previous one( for my playthrough I changed it so a sim only "died" if the dice I rolled landed on a multiple of three). Also, the oldest child(male or female) of your heir must also go to war once they are 4 days from becoming an adult, but all other children are safe. Like after WWI this child must have their final trait be: Insane, Clumsy, Grumpy, Inappropriate, No Sense of humor, Neurotic, Brooding or Commitment Issues if they return home. Any men who return from war must stay in the Military career until the start of the 1950s
2. The Science and Secret Agent branch of the Law Enforcement Career are now available, but only to men.
3. Women who become a teenager or Young adult in this era must have a career or at least a part-time job. They cannot work in Law enforcement, Science, or the military.
4. Technology-wise not much has changed, but you may now have a washer and dryer and a coffee machine(nothing fancy though).
5. Sims may now have a relationship with someone of a different race, but they may not marry.
6. Lastly, In the 1940s, there was a lot going on on the homefront, one of the biggest things was having a "Victory Garden" or collecting scrap metal. Both of these things are highly encouraged during this Decade. There were also a lot of limits on things like sugar, so your sims can no longer make desserts unless they intend to sell them or if you have particularly social sims make them for other people.
***************
1950s Rules
1.Any female sim who had a job in this era immediately lose it at the start of the era. Single ladies may get a part-time job, but that's it. Married sims may not have any job beyond self-employed as women were encouraged to be housewives in this era. Woohoo, rules remain the same and because this is also the Baby boom era, large families of at least four kids or more are strongly encouraged, but not required.
2. At least one child that becomes a teenager in this era must get the Rebellious trait upon their age up. Teens are also encouraged to have cars.
3. This era also marks the beginning of the Cold War. Because of that sims are no longer allowed to travel to any of the World Adventures locations. This rule will remain in place until the 1980s. Foreign music cannot be played in the household either.
4. Career-wise Sims(preferably men) may now become astronauts, athletes and rock stars.
5. University is now unlocked as well, however, women may not graduate and the technology degree is off-limits(I know college has existed since Ancient Greece, but I don't think college as we know it existed until maybe the 1940s and in that decade WWII happened, so for simplicity's sake, I left University "locked" until this decade. Feel free to add it sooner if you like).
6. Technology-wise the Jukebox, television, and showers are now available. However, the tv may only be watched between 6 am and 9 pm, and flatscreens are not allowed. Radios are also basically nonexistent and shouldn't be in your sim's household.
7. Apartments are now allowed but discouraged if your sims are married.
8. Lastly, sims may go back to cooking whatever they like and both elementary school and high school are now mandatory.
**************
1960s rules
1.This is another "going to war" decade, so the same rules of the 1940s apply here, except women going to war is now optional(however, if they go to war for whatever reason like as reporter for instance as was done during the Vietnam War they still have to risk the dice). As always anyone who comes back from war must have one of the following traits: Insane, Clumsy, Grumpy, Inappropriate, No Sense of humor, Neurotic, Brooding or Commitment Issues.
2. Woohoo-wise the pill was invented in the 1960s, so Sims may now woohoo without risking pregnancy. Sims can now marry sims of a different race and have same-sex relationships, although they may not marry.
3.Male sims no longer have limits on what careers they can have, but women are still discouraged from working in law enforcement or the military. However, there were plenty of female rock stars in this era so they may take on that career if you like.
4.University rules remain the same, except women can now graduate and the technology major is now available.
5. Lastly Sims may go back to listening to foreign music, but they still can't travel to any World Adventure locations unless they have to travel for work.
**************
1970s rules
Everything remains the same besides the following:
1.Career-wise women may now have any job they wish and Sims my divorce for any reason(until the 1970s no-fault divorce laws did not exist, so that's why I put this rule here instead of the 1950s like ZombieCleo).
2. Because of the environmental movement sims of this generation are encouraged to have at least one of the following traits: Vegetarian, Eco-Friendly, or Green-thumb.
3. Technology-wise computers may now be used for gaming and all the following are available: Microwaves and dishwashers
4. Lastly, any future wars are now optional as the draft was eliminated at the end of the Vietnam War.
**************
1980s rules
Everything remains the same besides the following:
1.Sims can now go back to traveling to the World Adventure locations
2. University is required for all Sims in your household, but they don't have to graduate and all babies must be born in the hospital
3. It is strongly recommended that sims that become young adults in this decade and any children born must have one of the following traits: Ambitious, Workaholic, Born Salesperson or Snob.
4. Technology-wise gaming consoles are now allowed and the tv time restriction has been changed to 6am- 2am. Sims may also use the television to work out and the DJ table is now allowed alongside the karaoke machine.
5. Lastly, at least one of your sims in this decade must work in the Business or Political career.
Update: The recording of this Let's Play had been moved and edited here
Post edited by KNORear on
1
Comments
Some months later Ruth went into labor . Joseph panicked and prayed The Lord was watching over them.
Thankfully his prayers were answered and Ruth gave birth to a healthy girl they named Minnie. She was Disciplined and Perceptive.
Minnie grew into a beautiful toddler girl.
From there Ruth taught Minnie every basic skill she thought she would need. Along the way, she got pregnant again.
Some months later she went into labor once again. Joseph was even more worried this time because it was twins.
However through God's Grace Ruth gave birth to two healthy twin girls: Maggie-May and Emma.
Through it all they were watched over by the best boy ever, Hunter. He even fought a raccoon for his family.
As a result the Smiths rested easy at night.
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However, around the time Minnie aged up to a kid and moved into the loft upstairs the weather turned colder.
Her younger siblings became toddlers around the same time, starting with Maggie-May.
Emma aged up a few minutes after her twin and Minnie spend a lot of free time getting to know them. Her first step was to play peek-a-boo with Emma.
Winter soon fell and Joseph's garden was no longer a viable option, so he decided to try his hand at inventing.
For the winter season, it would work, although it didn't make nearly as much money. Meanwhile, Ruth began teaching Maggie-May and Emma their basic life skills.
Somehow, despite the cold the Smiths tried their very best to try and have some fun and Ruth even gave birth again. This time Minnie worried about her mother alongside her dad.
The worrying was for nothing though since Ruth once again gave birth to a healthy set of twin girls named Martha and Charlotte.
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- Joseph, Ruth and their family gave birth to another daughter named Rose and there were age-ups.
- When Rose became a toddler I moved the family to the fan-created world Salmon Woods
- The oldest daughter Minnie aged up to a teenager.
- Her sisters, except for Rose followed her to teenagehood shortly thereafter.
- Rose aged up to the child
- Maggie-May (whose husband will be the heir) decided she wanted to be a writer and started building those skills, she's also determined to succeed in school.
- I decided this causes conflict between her and her mother. As a result of her mother constantly compares her to her more traditional twin, Emma.
- Minnie fell in love with a boy at school
- Ruth became pregnant, again!(This wasn't planned, I basically forgot I set try for baby to autonomous )
- Minnie married the boy she fell in love with and moved out.
- Ruth gave birth to a son during Minnie's wedding, tragically he died shortly afterward from an illness(In reality I killed him off because I didn't want to wait for him to age up when every other kid is at least a child).
- Maggie-May got a crush on a boy at school named James Nolan and they eventually started to "court".
- There was a formal dance that all the teenagers went to.
- James and Maggie-May got a little carried away during the dance and kissed, thoroughly damaging Maggie-May reputation(remember this is a Decades challenge currently set in the 1890s). This upset Ruth immensely and they argued.
- Ruth threw a party, during which Maggie-May and James were forced into a shotgun wedding.
- Now, as we move into the 1900s Maggie-May has moved in with James and his mother where her and James's story will begin.
Also, check the first post for an update to my version of the rules for both the 1900s and the 1910s(aka WWI).New entry should be up soon.
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Her mom argued, "What did you expect to come from reading and writing novels! Now, marry James to save what's left of your reputation and get out of my house!"
Maggie-May was more than happy to oblige.
At first, things were great after she moved out her and James's mom even got along or so it seemed.
However, eventually, Mrs. Nolan too, showed Maggie-May her true colors when she blamed her for a random fire than started in the house.
Everyone was physically fine, but from then on Maggie-May and Mrs. Nolan didn't get along. However, when James's mother made one passive-aggressive comment too many James called his mother out on it. She gave the same arguments Maggie-May's mother had.
"Maggie-May is too rebellious," Mrs. Nolan argued. "If it wasn't for the kiss at the dance I would have found someone much better for you."
James wasn't gonna have any of it, so with a fragment of his inheritance from when his father died he and Maggie-May moved together into a cute little townhouse, he had to take a part-time cashier job and the Penny Dreadful Maggie-May wrote found only found middling success, but they had each other.
As for the house itself, it was a little ramshackle and run down, but through their combined efforts he and Maggie-May made it home.
They even found inexpensive ways to have fun together.
By the time the two of them turned 19 their life was much the same, they just looked a little older, more mature.
However, the same year Maggie-May finished a new book called EMMELINE. It was a simple story about a young woman finding her way in the world even though the odds were against her. The book was practically an overnight success. Maggie-May's sister, Emma even asked when her next book would be out and personally requested a similar novel. The future looked bright, so they decided to start their family to celebrate. A few months later Maggie-May was pregnant and James couldn't be more excited.
Author's Note: Apologies in advance for the occasional piece of furniture or outfit that isn't entirely historically accurate. The house and such is always a work in progress, not to mention a little limited by what I have in Sims 3, but I will try my best to make everything as period-appropriate as possible.
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James did just that and even took the lead on planning what they would do, how to change their demands to make them more appealing to their boss. Unfortunately, the only thing he accomplished was losing his job and their first child was mere weeks away from being born, at least that's what Maggie-May told him. All seemed lost, how were they going to be able to support themselves, let alone a new baby?
Little did he know that at the same time Maggie-May was taking some time to reconnect with her family; most wanted nothing to do with her, except her twin sister, Emma, who had recently married and was expecting a child of her own.
One day Emma came to visit while James was out searching all across Salmon Woods for a job. During the visit, Emma told Maggie-May that their younger sister, Martha had just married a politician who sympathized with men like James who just wanted fair wages. Better yet there was a podium polisher position open where the politician worked.
"All his has to do is work on his charisma a little bit and I'm sure he'll get the job," Emma said.
As soon as James got home that day, long after Emma had returned home; Maggie-May told him about the job and James immediately starting to work on his charisma to make sure he landed the job.
After the interview, it took just a day and a half for James to receive word that he got the job.
A couple more weeks passed and then Maggie-May's water broke in the middle of the night. James immediately started to panic and fell to his knees in prayer. Someone must have heard him because although Maggie-May's labor was long, they gave birth to a healthy son. They named him Clifford James Nolan and both loved him instantly.
Author's Note: Gameplay-wise things went about how they did here, but Martha is actually James's boss in the political career, but since that isn't the least bit historically accurate we'll say it was her husband. I know she's married to someone anyways, I just don't remember who since I really don't play with her that much. Also I once again apologize with some historically inaccurate clothing, I really hate how limited maternity clothes are.
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Emma was pregnant again and despite being quite close to her due date her husband, Johnny couldn't stop saying how beautiful his wife. Maggie-May found them sweet, especially when they danced the waltz in the living room. It was wonderful to see that Emma found a husband that cared about her so much. With the pressure, their mother put on her and all her sisters to marry, Emma could have easily settled and not been nearly as happy as she was.
The years following Clifford's first birthday were a blur of promotions, book deals and above all raising Clifford to eventually be a man as great as his father, a man who even helped Maggie-May with their child.
Their parenting must have worked because it became quite clear early on that Clifford was turning into a really sweet kid. Years later Maggie-May would consider those early years a golden time in her life. An innocent time that slowly started to come to close not long after a family trip to the seaside when Clifford was about three or four. The family spent hours just enjoying the sea air and playing in the sand.
By the time Clifford was a child, life seemed to be going well. Maggie-May's book, TRUTH AND IDEALS was starting to sell and James was doing great in his career. Clifford continued to prove he would be as gentlemanly as his father by helping around the house and he tried his best in school which would secure him a great future.
Maggie-May even found out that she was pregnant once again and both James and Clifford were excited about the prospect of a new bundle of joy in the house.
However, life would soon prove that sometimes happiness isn't meant to last.
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They were even pregnant with baby number two at the same time.
"There must be something in the water," Emma joked on one visit.
"Or perhaps our twin connection extends to our bedroom habits," Maggie-May joked back.
It wasn't long after that visit that Maggie-May and James's second son was born. It was an easy birth that both Maggie-May and her son came
out of healthier than ever. She and James named the boy Henry Joseph Nolan.
Their fortune reversed mere weeks later when the disease closed in around the Nolans. Late that spring Maggie-May's mother was diagnosed with Burning Sim. One day a letter arrived with a request enclosed. Ruth wanted to meet her grandchildren before she passed, something Maggie-May had neglected to do because of the bridges she burned between them. Despite the very real risk of Maggie-May or one of her children contracting Burning Sim she granted Ruth's final request. On Ruth's last good day before she was completely bedridden, Maggie-May invited her mother over.
She met the boys and Maggie-May made peace with her mother.
Not long afterward Ruth was gone, and Clifford started to show symptoms of the disease. Baby Henry followed with the same symptoms. Within a week Clifford was bedridden, Henry was not much better off. If they didn't find a cure of some sort Maggie-May and James would have to bury their two sons. The loss of her mother and the sickness of her boys drove her to write her next book LOVE IN THE TIME OF BURNING SIM.
She was passionate about the project but more than anything the Nolans but all their energy into prayer and the search for a cure. During their search, mostly using gossip and James's political connections they found out about a doctor who swore up and down that he had the cure for Burning Sim, all it would cost was 5000 simoleons for each inoculation. They only had enough for one cure, so they took Clifford with them to the hospital since he was older than Henry and had a better chance of survival.
After he got the inoculation they returned home. At first, there seemed to be no change and James began making arrangements with a local funeral director just days before Henry's first birthday. It started out as a grim occasion with only a cake, half-hearted decorations, and no guests. Things looked grim, but for Henry's sake James and Maggie-May put on brave faces. If this was to be the last party they had as a family they'd try to make it a good one.
However, just as Henry was blowing out his candles Clifford rushed down the stairs into the living room, a big smile on his face. He'd even gotten dressed for the occasion.
Relief washed over Maggie-May and Henry aged up to a toddler with his whole family around to celebrate with him.
After that Clifford walked over to his little brother and gave him a big hug. "Happy birthday little brother! I'm gonna teach you a lot of really fun stuff and we're gonna be best friends!"
Maggie-May's heart sank, there wasn't another cure for Henry, they would still have to bury a son and Clifford's heart would be broken. For Clifford's sake, Maggie-May held her tears back until she and James went to bed that night. The moment they closed their door she let her tears fall.
"Henry is in the Lord's hands now, all we can do is pray," James said.
His words rang hollow, but still, Maggie-May prayed. She bore her soul begging the Lord not to take her son yet, tears in her eyes. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning Maggie-May was roused by a light tapping on her door before the sun was all the way in the sky. Curious, she opened the bedroom door to see Clifford in the doorway.
"I hate to wake you Mama, but could you bring Henry in here, he's crying really loudly," her oldest son said.
"Of course, Sweetie," she said.
She walked into the bedroom her sons shared and picked up Henry. To her surprise, his skin no longer blazed with heat and he was far less pale as if his fever had broken and the disease had subsided. She was too afraid to hope but told James everything. Immediately he called into work and the two of them headed to the doctor's office. A few tests later the doctor confirmed that Henry was on the road to recovery. Right then it was as if a weight had been lifted from Maggie-May's shoulders. She had to stop herself from falling to her knees right there to thank whoever had been looking after her family. For now, it seemed as if she and James's misfortune had reversed. For the first time in a long time, the future once again looked bright.
Author's Note: Gameplay-wise Ruth actually died of old age, but I changed it to Burning Sim because I thought it fit the story better. Also, I highly recommend trying out the Vector mod(where I got the Buring Sim), especially if you're doing a challenge like this that is loosely based on history; illnesses were quite a common place before the medicine and such we have today. Heck before the late 1840s people didn't even know about germs. Anyways the Vector mod was a fun thing to try. Fair warning though if you don't want to use the Virologist(how diseases caused by the Vector mod are cured), the diseases are really hard to get rid of, even the common ones like Influenza. Happy Simming everyone!
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However, the funds took an even steeper dip when it came out that in desperation to pay for Clifford's cure, James had dipped his finger in funds set aside for campaigns. James was not a candidate and he lost his job. He would have been blacklisted for any employment if it wasn't for the fact that many of his co-workers sympathized with his predicament since many of them had also lost loved ones to the epidemic. They buried his crime as quickly as possible. None the less it took some time for him to find another job and even then the one he got was a simple clerical position that paid little. To make matters worth the next book Maggie-May wrote, a semi-biographical book dedicated to her mother, flopped. Somehow through all of this, the family managed to hold on to their house and keep a good deal of it from Clifford, although he had questions both James and Maggie-May often had to dodge.
Then, one-day Maggie-May got a letter from a sister she hadn't heard from in ages, her oldest sister, Minnie. Their father had died peacefully in his sleep and he'd left Minnie and her husband a great deal of money since he never had a son live long enough to inherit and she wanted to spread the wealth around a little. The amount she generously gave Maggie-May was enough to bring the Nolans from the brink of losing everything.
James and Maggie-May's first priority was, of course, to pay back all their debts, but they had money left over even after they took care of them. After a long discussion over what to do with the leftover money, they decided that their home was a little too small for their family, especially since both Henry and Clifford were getting bigger each day. They moved in just in time for Henry to age up into a child.
With life looking up once more they decided to add to their family.
While it would still be a few weeks before Maggie-May knew for sure that she was pregnant, she still went on a nesting frenzy turning their new house into a home.
Both Henry and Clifford adjusted to the new furnishings happily.
Their favorite part was, of course, the large yards that they would play in for hours.
Finally, a few weeks after Snowflake Day Maggie-May didn't get her monthlies, confirming that a new bundle of joy was on their way.
Author's Note: A Big thank you to theNumbersWoman for the rocking horse and the crib seen in the nursery and evi for the rug. Also in case my readers haven't noticed my modified rules for the 1920s are now up. Anyways Happy Simming everyone.
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They weren't alone in their enjoyment of the snow though, Maggie-May pulled them into a snowball fight after they finished their snowman.
It was a fun-filled day and after bowls of stu and warm baths, the family went to bed.
A couple more weeks passed by and although Maggie-May was heavily pregnant with baby number three, the family decided to stop by the local winter festival. Once there Henry and Clifford were immediately drawn to the frozen pond in the center of the festival grounds.
Despite a couple of minor bumps and bruises, the boys had a great time skating on the ice together and even showed their parents a couple tricks.
Not to be outdone James joined his boys on the ice.
Maggie-May watched all of it from a nearby bench and rubbed her pregnant belly, imagining all the fun when the new baby finally decided to join the world. It was the ideal life her mother described to her and sisters explaining that is the best thing a woman could ever experience. While she still loved her writing, she began to wonder if perhaps her mother was right at least to a degree, she had never been happier. These thoughts lingered on her mind as the sun slipped below the horizon and she returned home with her family.
A few days later Snowflake Day came around again and for once Maggie-May decided to that she would host a Gift-giving party and invited the whole extended family over.
She planned on throwing an awesome party complete with a grand meal and she'd end the night with a gift exchange. Things didn't go as planned however since she went into labor not long after the party started.
Thankfully, the birth went quite smoothly with the help of her sisters. Early the next morning Abraham Nicholas Nolan was born completely healthy and surrounded by family.
For the moment it seemed that their string of bad luck had finally come to an end.
Author's Note: Sorry about the mismatched size of some of the screenshots, I cut them down in an attempt to crop out a modern-looking sim I forgot to make-over before taking the screenshot. Thanks once more to the Sims Resource for the blue dress one of Maggie-May's sisters are wearing( I forget which one, but it's not Emma since I didn't put glasses on her).Also, I am well-aware a rink is not a pond, but I don't think rinks existed in the 1900s, so I'm calling it a pond. Lastly apolagies for Maggie-May's modern-looking pregnacy clothes and the somewhat modern-looking winter-wear of the boys, it's the best I could do. Thanks for reading!
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As always he was blessing to have in the house because of how much he helped out.
Henry followed his example, relieving Maggie-May of much of the work around the house giving her plenty of time to write. Unfortunately, none of the other books came close to the success of Love in the Time of Burning Sim. Eventually, this lack of success led Maggie-May straight into Writer's block, so as soon as Abraham aged into a toddler she dedicated all her time to parenthood.
When she'd taught Abraham all his life skills and it grew closer to him aging up to a child, she and James tried for another baby.
A few weeks later she found out she was pregnant and not too long after that she gave birth to a baby girl. She and James named her Thelma Amellia Nolan( her middle name was taken from James's mother who had passed from old age shortly before Thelma's birth).
Shortly after that Maggie-May was hit with her fortieth birthday and a feeling of some minor dissatisfaction with life, so Maggie-May bought herself some nice clothes and gave herself a new look. It didn't help much, but it was something.
The next few years blurred together until things changed the day Maggie-May threw a joint birthday party for Abraham and Thelma. Abraham became a child and Thelma a toddler.
The change didn't come from the fact that her youngest children aged up, no they remained pretty much the same and mostly entertained each other, so she didn't have to do too much for the party besides providing food and music.
No, the change was two-fold: first, there was uneasy energy from all the adults and some of the teenagers and whispers of war, possibly the worst war in history on all their lips. It was hard to ignore, that is until Clifford started talking to a young woman named Vickie Hilton.
The meeting between Clifford and Vickie was the second major change. Their connection was instantaneous and they talked and danced all night. It was easy to ignore the whispers and focus on her eldest's joy. The rest of the party-goers seemed to ease up as well.
Maggie-May tried to make her observation of her son and Vickie subtle, there were even a few close calls, but still, she watched without his notice since her son couldn't take his eyes of Vickie. The closest call was when Clifford accidentally stepped on Vickie's feet during a waltz.
For a moment he looked away from her and into the crowd, his cheeks reddening, but then Vickie just laughed it off and they continued dancing. It was a wonderful sight to see and at the end of the night, they shared a kiss, barely hidden by shadows at the end of the evening.
The next morning Clifford was writing his lady love a letter and Maggie-May's heart was once again full.
If only life had remained so simple.
Author's note: thank you to lillka for Thelma's toddler dress and furento for Abraham's toddler outfit. Anything I haven't credited already belongs to EA.
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By the end of the date, they learned that they were not only a match on a physical level but an intelligent one at that. They closed out the afternoon with an intense chess match against one another and though the match was close Vickie ended up being the Victor.
If pressed, especially by his father or Henry, Clifford would tell them that he went easy on her to hold onto his pride, but the truth was it made him fall even harder for her. Early summer was full of golden moments like that. Vickie and Clifford's happiness rubbed off on the rest of the town too, to the point where even his dear brother, Henry, barely thirteen at the time was making bets on when he and Vickie would tie the knot.
By early July he and Vickie started to discuss things like when he would propose and when they would have their wedding.
One day they were talking and Vickie mentioned that she'd always wanted an outdoor wedding preferably in the spring. Once he heard that he put a plan into action.
Around the middle of July, he invited Vickie to the nicest restaurant in all of Salmon Woods and ordered Lobster Termidor for the both of them since he knew it was one of Vickie's favorite foods. After dinner, they split a dessert she chose and after that invited her for an evening walk around town. Vickie agreed, but they only barely made it out of the front door of the restaurant when Clifford dropped down on one knee and proposed. Vickie said yes without a second's hesitation.
It was one of the shortest courtships in history, but neither one of them regretted it. Clifford promised her a wedding the following spring.
The next week or so was a buzz of activity full of hearty congratulations in regards to Clifford and Vickie's engagement, but otherwise, the citizens of Salmon Woods continued to go about their sheltered, safe lives, desperately trying to ignore the winds of war drawing ever closer to the tiny town.
Eventually the inevitable closed in around the small town and war was declared. James Nolan himself was recruited for the war effort on a day that seemed like any other. It was a cooler day than usual and he was teaching Thelma to walk outside when he was approached by military personnel
James picked up the toddler and approached the man.
"Can I help you, Sir?" James asked although he knew what the answer would be, everyone in Salmon Woods did.
"The war needs as many able-bodied men it can get. For the sake of this country, the military needs your help," the officer said.
James knew he couldn't say no, but he wasn't ready to ship out just yet. "You gotta give me some time to get my affairs in order and say goodbye to my family just in case the worst happens," James said.
The military official agreed. After he left James asked Maggie-May to step inside their room to talk. She agreed although she feared what he was about to say.
When her fears were confirmed she wasn't surprised, but still begged him to say no to the officer.
"It will devastate the children. What about Thelma's upcoming birthday or Clifford's wedding?" she said.
James sighed. "You know as well as I do that I have no choice in the matter,"
"You're right," she said as her shoulders sank. "When do you leave?"
"I have a week or two to get my affairs in order and then I have to go," James said.
James's wife shook with heavy emotion, but miraculously she remained steady on her feet and held her tears at bay.
"You will be back," she said, he guessed as much to assure herself that he would return as she was trying to comfort him. "However, I understand the precautions. I just hope you stay at least long enough to see Thelma's age up in a couple of days. "
"That I can guarantee," he said.
They told their children what was about to happen and Maggie-May made sure to remind them to stay strong, for their father's sake. They did their best to do so, but the weather reflected their inner turmoil and it rained all the remaining days their father was home. They even tried to throw Thelma a party on the seashore, as if that would defy the weather, but of course, it got rained out.
However, a party was still thrown in Thelma's honor at their home and all their extended family was invited. The fact that the party also existed to say goodbye to all the men leaving for war remained unspoken and everyone tried their best to focus on celebrating Thelma becoming a child.
Stories were told, homemade meals were eaten and good times were had. At the end of the night, shortly before everyone went home, Clifford and Vickie announced that they would move their wedding up to the next day. Most people agreed that that was a brilliant idea, the reason it was a good idea also remained unspoken.
The night didn't end for the Nolans when everyone went to bed though; since Mrs. Hilton was one of the few people who disapproved of the hasty marriage Vickie and Maggie-May had to work long into the night to put together a wedding. Despite the late-night, both of them woke the next morning excited about the wedding. Because they had to rush the preparations, Vickie didn't even have a proper wedding dress, but somehow they still managed to put together a beautiful wedding with the help of their fellow Salmon Woods residents.
The local church offered to lend them a wedding arch for the Nolans' yard and one of the ministers volunteered to lead the ceremony. The guests brought their own chairs and some even brought extras for the guests who didn't. Just as the sun started to set, Clifford stepped under the arch to wait for his bride. Her father walked her down the aisle and the two of them exchanged both their vows and rings.
Once that was finished they shared a tender kiss sealing their marriage under God's eyes.
After the wedding ceremony, James disappeared in his bedroom to work on paperwork like his will and as a result, missed the wedding reception. It was a solemn affair since the war hung over everyone like storm clouds, though they tried to pretend everything was fine.
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Clifford and Vickie couldn't even enjoy the wonderful room James for their wedding night. Instead of consummating their marriage they talked about their own uncertain future since it wasn't long until Clifford turned eighteen and he would have to join the war effort himself.
Clifford offered assurance to Vickie that the war would end before he had to go, but such a statement rang hollow to the both of them.
"The best we can do is pray," Vickie said.
"Then prayer we shall," said Clifford and they did.
The next morning James was gone, a pile of cold documents in his place.
Author's Note: Thanks again to lillka for the dress Thelma wore after her age-up.
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"Before you say anything, I already hear nothing from my husband, I will not send you my oldest son. He's newly married with a wife to care for, it won't be long before they have children. He's needed here more than on your frontlines." she told the recruiter
"I don't mean to be impolite Mrs. Nolan, but have you asked your son whether he wants to volunteer or not?" the recruiter asked.
Maggie-May crossed her arms and looked the recruiter right in the eye. "I am his mother, I know what's best for him."
"You make him look like a coward then," the recruiter said.
Before Maggie-May could argue back, Clifford stepped out of the house. "Mother, he's right. It would be cowardly for me to stay behind."
"No, it's not," Maggie-May argued her voice growing desperate. "You have a wife, she needs you, your future kids need you."
"My family needs to be protected from our enemies. The best thing I can do is to fight for a better world, one where my future kids are safe," he said and that ended the argument, it was his life he was putting on the line after all.
However, even though his mind was made up, Maggie-May's wasn't. From that point on she decided she would convince people that fighting a war they knew little about through her writing and she even started protesting in the streets, so everyone knew the mistake they were making.
Meanwhile, Clifford and Vickie had an uncertain future to face together. They talked about it long into the night and agreed that although Clifford would be gone, they couldn't just stop living until the war was over. The night before Clifford was set to leave they set their future into motion.
Their tender love-making also served as a goodbye with a promise that it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other; It gave Clifford a reason to try his best stay alive so he'd eventually make it home and hold the child they tried to create together.
Three weeks after Clifford joined his father on the front lines, Vickie announced that she was indeed pregnant. Maggie-May wanted to be happy for her daughter-in-law and her absent son, but she just felt hollow since there was a chance that Clifford would never meet his child. Her fears were only reinforced when late that night she was woken up by a knock on the door. Dread filled her soul, but she answered the door anyway, without even bothering to change out of her nightgown.
A military officer, grim-faced and dressed all in black handed her a letter. "I'm sorry Mrs. Nolan." He left without another word and with shaking hands, she opened it.
The letter was plain, just white with black lettering and it read:
Our sincerest regrets.
It was not even signed by a person, but an organization. The sheer emotionless formality of it lit white-hot rage under her skin, so instead of sleeping or waking the others in the house, she put that rage to her writing. By around 4:00 am that night she'd finished an article and had every intention of editing it the next morning before sending it to the papers, hoping one of them would publish it. Everything about the war disgusted her and she wanted to comfort those who felt the same.
Besides editing, the next morning brought with it the task of informing the rest of the family that James would not return home, so she gathering them at the family table and broke the tragic news to them. The worst part was that it would take some time before they received his body, which only served to enrage Maggie-May further and devastate the rest of her family.
Eventually, they did receive the body and Maggie-May hosted a funeral as soon as possible. The day of the funeral reignited her grief and rage so much that as she stood at James' grave she promised herself that neither Henry nor Abraham would see the frontlines. It was an easy promise to make for Abraham since he was still just a child, but Henry would most likely have to be convinced to stay home.
As if fate itself was against her Henry approached her in their yard just two weeks after James was buried and explained that he would join the military it just a few days' time.
"I can't leave Clifford by himself out there, fighting for our very lives," Henry said.
Maggie-May immediately retaliated, "You have a few more months before your even old enough to join the frontlines, but even if you were I refuse to allow you to fight. Do you want to die alone in a trench as your father did?"
"Father died a hero, protecting those he cared about," Henry argued back. "I'm sure Clifford feels the same. As for my age, all I have to do is lie about it.
Maggie-May didn't comment on the fact that he wanted to lie to the military, instead, she said, "We haven't heard from Clifford in months, what if he's dead too!" Even as the words left her mouth, Maggie-May regretted them. The pain that filled Henry's face only reinforced the fact that she should have held her tongue.
The hurt in Henry's face was replaced by more anger. "Don't even say that! Clifford was, is my best friend, and your son. Have some hope for plum's sake!" Without another word, Henry stomped back inside the house.
Maggie-May felt very tired all a sudden, so she went inside and straight to her room as Henry seemed to do since he was nowhere in sight. Her biggest regret of the argument was that she never got to apologize to Henry. He ran off in the middle of the night and joined the army.
Vickie tried to comfort her with promises that the war would surely be over by Snowflake Day, if not sooner, but Maggie-May wasn't certain that was true, and she feared too much for the safety of her sons to hope.
Instead, she dove back into her writing, determined that she'd use her writing to try and convince people that the war was a terrible idea. Action was far more effective than hope.
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Vickie wrote to her parents immediately about Florence since she was still their granddaughter, regardless of her and her mother's relationship. Her father came immediately of course ( he was honorably discharged, due to an injury from the war), but she was disappointed to find out that her mother would not be coming. Maggie-May invited him to stay as long as he wished to enjoy his grandchild. Mr. Hilton took her up on the offer and stayed two full days, just long enough for Vickie's nineteenth birthday(which she mostly spent tending to Florence unfortunately ) and her graduation from school thanks to Maggie-May's encouragement.
He left after that, but from then he visited her almost on a weekly basis, always by himself and never with her mother, but it was something and that made Vickie happy.
Life went on like that for a year, simple with the awful war miles and miles away, but a year later on the morning, Florence was set to become a toddler the Nolans got another knock on their door. Maggie-May answered it, her stomach in knots and there stood another soldier with a letter. He didn't have to say anything for Maggie-May to know that one of her sons were gone. When he said the letter was for Vickie, she knew it was Clifford. The military personal left and Maggie-May gave the letter to Vickie. Her heart broke all over again when she watched her optimistic daughter-in-law completely shatter into her arms.
Florence's birthday was a bittersweet, short celebration that was mostly spent on Vickie and making sure she was all right. She smiled and put up an emotionless front for the family who tried their best comfort her. She was relieved when she could finally retreat to her bedroom and hold on to her daughter as if she was the only thing solid enough to keep the ground from going out from under her completely.
Author's Note : Bit of a shorter post, but this week is a little bit busy, and I think Clifford's death is a powerful note to end this post on. I'd also like to thank Wimmie at the Sims Resource for the dress Florence is wearing in the last picture.
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Even then, the wounds opened slowly. One minute Abraham and Vickie were talking, getting on fine and then Abraham complimented Vickie on the party she and his mother put together. For some reason this caused her to cry and move away from him.
Abraham followed her to see what was the matter, but she wouldn’t speak to him and eventually shut herself in her bedroom.
After Abraham turned to his mother who was on the ground teaching Florence to talk. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked.
His mother shook her head. "No Sweetie. She probably just realized she was having a good time and felt a little guilty since Clifford isn't here to enjoy it or Henry, who knows. I know I still feel that way sometimes even though its been a long time since your father died," she said.
After that, she turned her attention back to little Florence and Abraham was left feeling confused, but figured Vickie needed space, so he gave it to her. The next few days passed with few words from Vickie who only came out of her room to eat. It was Maggie-May's job to keep the house running since she wasn't in any state of mind to help or even teach Florence her life skills. Maggie-May and even Abraham's younger sister, Thelma picked up the slack, whether it was teaching Florence to talk or simply keeping her entertained while her mother grieved.
Abraham just did his best to stay out of the way and grieve in his own way. Even if it meant sitting outside and just thinking, talking to God, asking him why Clifford was taken away so soon before he could even meet his daughter, leaving his wife to care for her on her own.
Eventually, Vickie came back around and dove right back into raising her daughter. It was a good sight to see.
She was even able to have fun towards the end of winter when Thelma was set to age up into a teenager herself. Vickie arranged her birthday party completely by herself since his mother had a political article due the next morning and was stuck in her room editing all day. Vickie had also invited several members of their extended family since she figured they needed some fun as well since their family wasn't the only ones with losses or sons, husbands, and fathers with whereabouts unknown. Vickie's party allowed them to temporarily dress up a little nicer and forget their troubles.
Abraham couldn't help but smile as Vickie dashed around the house, keeping everyone's glasses full and entertaining them with stories about the latest funny thing Florence did or the skill she learned. She even danced with Abraham, a glowing smile on her face. It was nice to see his sister-in-law happy again.
"I think my mother better watch out or she'll be replaced as mistress of the house," Abraham said.
"She taught me everything I know," Vickie said.
The party started to come to a close after Thelma blew out her birthday candles.
The guests lingered a little longer after that to thank Vickie for a good time they sorely needed, but a few moments after that all hugs were exchanged, the guest left and Abraham and his family went to bed.
Early the next morning there was one final, ominous knock at the door. This time Abraham answered it and his heart sank as soon as he saw the military official.
No, not again He thought, but sure enough the official handed him the letter and left. Henry wouldn't be coming home. The next few hours were a blur of yet more tears and hugs.
At some point, his mother was gone for a few days visiting his Aunt Emma, as if she couldn't stand the thought of staying in the house where so much loss happened. Abraham simply felt numb and guilty for feeling numb and not shedding a single tear, he wasn't sure why.
His mother eventually returned home and explained that it was nice to see Aunt Emma and her family since it had been a while and she'd been really lucky that both her husband and her sons came home. His mother began to drone on and on about how well they were all doing, how much his cousins had grown and something in Abraham just snapped. He needed to be alone, the house was suddenly stifling. He ran outside and a rush of rage unlike anything he'd ever experienced overwhelmed him and he took it all out on a snow angel he'd made the day before.
It was all so unfair. Why had Aunt Emma and his cousins been so lucky? Abraham had lost both his brothers and his father and yet Aunt Emma remained untouched by the war! By the time he'd completely destroyed the snow angel he was left feeling hollowed out and tired, but resolve also hit him. He refused to allow his family to experience any more loss so he would not go to war. He was the only man left in his family, so he would protect and care for them, whatever it took.
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At first, he did not know where his place was, so he watched how his sister, Thelma handled Florence since she was only a little younger than him. She seemed to treat Florence like a younger sister and helped her have fun and forget the war that went on and on in other countries not too far from Salmon Woods.
Throughout the winter he and Thelma did just that, all they needed to be were friends for Florence and Abraham was fine with that. As a result, he and Florence grew closer than they were before.
As time passed though and both he and Florence aged being Florance's friend did not feel like enough. To make matter worse all the loss they experienced began to take a toll on his mother. She dove deeper and deeper into politics, protests and biting articles about the pain the war was bringing everyone. The town of Salmon Woods ate her work up. It validated their pain somehow as his mother told him all the time. As a result, she grew into a minor town celebrity and spent less and less time at home. Even when she was home she chose to be alone with her work and sometimes an easel if she just couldn't muster the energy to put her fingers to the typewriter.
Abraham began to realize he needed to step into the too-big shoes of fatherhood Clifford left behind so long ago, especially since Vickie couldn't bring herself to look for someone to remarry. As a result, he began to ask her how he could help at every opportunity, usually after praising her for the amazing work she had done already done by herself to raise Florence. The two of them never hid such conversations from Florence either, although Abraham never voiced the role he was trying to fill and Vickie never asked she just gave him things to do, sometimes skipping school in the process. Education simply felt less important than making sure Florence was raised correctly and Vickie's life was easier.
One of the first big projects he did for her was remodeling the house. Before the remodel he, Florence, and Vickie shared the same room, (Vickie in Clifford's old bed, he in the bunk bed he used to share with Henry and Florence in a cheap crib, later graduating to sharing a bed with Vickie), for a long time it almost felt like a violation of their grief to change the house, as if his father, Clifford, and Henry never existed. However, Florence was nearly nine years old and far too big to share her mother's bed and would soon need privacy. By then Abraham and the rest of his family felt like their lost loved ones would want them to move on. The final decision was to move Vickie and Florence to Thelma's room since hers was bigger, Thelma would then move to the room they all used to share and Abraham would make a small space for himself later, all with brand new furniture, much of which Abraham built himself. Vickie would add the final details to make the bedrooms personal. The two of them worked long hours together planning , building and decorating the rooms. They even congratulated one another each time a task was complete, to make sure they remained enthused by the project.
The end result were two beautifully done rooms, that fit their owners perfectly.
After that, the two of them were all set to start on Abraham's space, but due to budget concerns and some bad sales of his mother's articles the plans were delayed and Abraham took to sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor with plans to add onto the house as soon as their financial situation improved again. Abraham didn't mind the delay at all, because he gained something else from the project and other smaller ones they complete; he began to enjoy Vickie's company. Even when the house was quiet, and Abraham wasn't doing much of anything besides passing the time, he was doing it with Vickie. It started to feel almost domestic, despite the age difference between them.
All of it came crashing down when they got one more morning visit from a military official . Once again Abraham answered the door.
"We're low on men, but close to victory, the military needs as many able-bodied soldiers as possible," the official said without pleasantries.
"I'm sorry Sir, but I refuse to leave, V...These women need me here, otherwise, they won't have a man to protect them."
"That's a shame, but you have no choice, a draft has been established. If you refuse to join the military you'll be arrested as a deserter," The official said. "Imagine what that would do to your family's reputation."
"There has to be a loophole somewhere that would allow me to stay here," Abraham said.
"I'm afraid not." the official said. "Son, the war is near its end, we just need to proper numbers to seize victory."
Abraham was tempted to argue for a substitution or something but thought better of it. He'd be arguing with a wall, so he agreed to go to war as long as he had some time to say goodbye.
The military official allowed it and he broke the bad news to his mother and Thelma first since they were still his immediate family and Vickie was not. Furthermore, for one reason or another, he wanted to speak to Vickie in private about it.
Thelma simply accepted his explanation and went back to her room. Whatever she was feeling she kept it to herself as she always did ever since she became a teenager. Abraham guessed it was because she wanted as normal of a life as possible and he really couldn't blame her.
His mother lingered though her face contorted with determined rage. She gripped his hands. "I will protest this, rumor has it that I and my other protestors are causing policy talks. You won't be fighting long, I promise you that." His mother pulled him closer. "Stay safe until then all right."
"I will," he said. "In fact, I promise you that no matter what happens I will come home," he said.
A heavy silence fell between them, full of grief and loss until at last, his mother broke it. "You better."
He saw her eyes bubble with tears and wanted to comfort her, but instead, she left to once again to be alone, probably with her ease; or the powerful words she could create.
Finally, he had to talk to Vickie, the thought of which turned his legs to lead. However, he needed to tell her, so he put one foot in front of the other until he found her outside; fittingly a spring storm rumbled in the distance.
"What's wrong?" she asked the moment she saw him, it was strange to be so close to someone that they could read his body language.
"I was drafted for the war. I have no choice but to fight," Abraham said.
Thunder rumbled above them. "There's no way out of it? None at all?" she asked.
"None at all, but I shouldn't be gone long. We're close to victory, they just need more men," Abraham said.
An uncomfortable quiet filled with unvoiced feelings fell between them. Despite the silence, they unconsciously moved closer together.
Inches from one another Abraham broke it. "Things have changed between us, haven't they?" he asked Vickie.
"They have," Vickie said as if giving a name to what had changed between them would prevent him from returning home.
"Will you write to me?" he asked.
"I will," Vickie said.
After that, not another word or touch was shared between them and they parted ways.
Author's Note: I know I've credited the dress Florence wears as a child in another thread, but not here, so props to simromi at The Sims Resource for creating it. Find out next time whether Abraham survives the war and happy simming everyone!
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His mother was the first person he met with when he got home and the two of them alongside Vickie, Thelma and Florence had to make peace with a few things.
With all the chaos of the war, none of them had really gotten a chance to truly say goodbye to the men the family lost so they had a wake for all three of them, although they had all been buried long ago. During the wake, a hard rain fell outside as if the world itself grieved all the young men lost in the war, both physically and mentally.
None the less it was a beautiful wake. The Nolans spent several hours swapping the best stories about Clifford, Henry, and James. Lots of tears were shed, but in the end, it felt like the proper goodbye the other men in the Nolan family deserved. Vickie left the cemetery first with Thelma and Florence in tow since they had school the next morning, but Abraham and his mother lingered in silence for a few moments longer. Abraham couldn't help but notice that his mother had aged a lot in the past two years and he wondered if he simply never noticed her graying hair or wrinkles before.
"Are you all right?" Abraham finally asked breaking the silence.
"I'm tired," she responded.
"Me too," said Abraham and the two of them shared a quick hug
The two of them talked a little bit longer before they finally returned home and went straight to bed however, Abraham laid in bed a few hours longer as his thoughts returned to the future. It would be a long road moving forward with his life after the war, but life would move forwards, albeit with fewer people in it. Abraham wasn't sure where his place was in all of it, one thing was for sure he needed to speak to Vickie, she'd sent him a letter every day he was at war, although he didn't get to read many of them until the war ended. Whatever his future would be she'd be a major ingredient in it.
The next day Abraham tried his best to speak to Vickie, but she seemed to avoid him since some chore always came up when he tried to speak to her and by three O' Clock she was off to work and wouldn't be back until eight and his mother had writing to do so Abraham was left to practice what he wanted to talk to Vickie about since he didn't have anything else to occupy his time yet.
Several hours later Vickie, Thelma, and Florence finally came home. His mother also took a break from her writing to make sweet and sour soup for everyone for dinner. For the first time in a long time, they were able to sit down and eat a meal together. Thelma ate quickly though and then returned to her room. Vickie wouldn't meet his eyes.
Eventually, Florence asked to be excused and ran off to play in her room until bed. Vickie, Abraham and his mother were the only ones left at the table. None of them got up, but no one spoke either.
Eventually, his mother broke the silence. "Abraham, Vickie the tension between you two is thicker than lard. I suggest you two chat. I'm gonna finish editing my latest article." With that Maggie-May got up from the table and went to her room, leaving Abraham and Vickie alone.
"She's right you know, I think we should talk about what's happening between us, what began to happen before I went to war two years ago," Abraham, said.
"You're right, let's step in the bathroom though. I don't want anyone to overhear us just yet," Vickie said.
Abraham did as Vickie requested. "Vickie, your letters were the only thing that let me hope while I was fighting, knowing my father and my brothers didn't come back, that I may not."
Vickie was taken aback for a moment before she regained her composure. "I was hoping we could ease into that part of the conversation, but I suppose cutting to the chase is better," she said a soft smile on her lips. "I missed you too, more than I ever expected to, part of me even felt guilty about it some days since you were so much younger than me and my brother-in-law."
"Me too," Abraham said. " I felt like I was stepping into my older brother's happy ending that he never got to experience.
"Do you think it's right for us to pursue these feelings?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Abraham said, "but I do know that I need you and Florence in my life. Maybe we could just take things slow and see what happens."
Vickie's eyes brightened a little. "What do you suggest?"
"Well tonight the sky is clear and the moon is full. Do you want to watch the stars with me for a little while?"
"That sounds lovely."
With that, the two of them went outside and set next to each other on the ground. There was distance between them at first, but eventually, they moved a little closer and their hands interlocked.
Not a word was spoken between them, but their eyes met and all Abraham could see was a brighter future and a real chance to move on from the war and his grief.
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Abraham was about as surprised as his family was, but since the cat was out of the bag anyways he asked Vickie to be his girl then and there.
From there everyone went to his formally delayed high school graduation and went out to a bistro for dinner to celebrate. Thelma, Maggie-May and even Florence were more than okay with the relationship.
Thelma pulled him to the side after dinner and whispered to him, "It's about time."
A few more months passed and Abraham's attention once again turned to the future, but this time with a much happier light and decided something needed to be done to really symbolize the fact that he and his family were moving on, as bittersweet as it was. However, he needed to discuss his plans with Vickie first. So, early that summer he invited her out to a lovely pier in town. The fact that it was also one of the prettiest days they had all year seemed symbolic as well.
They enjoyed each other's company for a while and then Abraham asked her, "Do you like it here in Salmon Woods?"
"Of course, I grew up here, it's my home," she said.
"I do to but I was thinking that perhaps it's time to leave. As much as we've moved forwards the scars are still there, the absence of my brothers and father is still there. I know they always will be, but perhaps it would be better to start over somewhere truly new," he said.
Vickie moved a little closer to him. "That isn't a bad idea," Vickie said. "But, what about Thelma and your mother?"
"They can move with us, although maybe not in the same house," he said.
"Why not?" Vickie asked as if offended by the very notion of her in-laws living anywhere else but with them.
" Before we know it, Florence will be a teenager and I doubt she'll want to share a room with her mother forever. Besides I want to add to our family," he said and dropped down on one knee, a ring box in his hand.
"Oh my," said Vickie a little startled and for a moment Abraham worried that she wasn't ready to move forward that much, but then she said, "Yes, I will marry you and yes I want to add to our family and raise them away from Salmon Woods and all the scars that the war left behind."
Abraham breathed a sigh of relief and the two of them sealed the proposal with a kiss.
After about a month of speaking to people around town and taking a few drives outside Salmon Woods, they decided that they would move to an up and coming city called Roaring Heights with the family, although Thelma and his mother would no longer live with them. Eventually, they got everything together besides the wedding itself since they couldn't get a house together unless they were married. The move would be a little expensive, so they decided to keep the wedding simple.
There was a wedding arch on the pier where Abraham proposed, so they decided to just hire a parson and use their immediate family as witnesses to a short and sweet ceremony.
Despite the simplicity, it was a beautiful wedding.
The inexpensive wedding allowed them all to get to Roaring Heights that very night. The house itself would require a little fixing up, but none-the-less they were more than happy to spend their wedding night in their brand new home.
That night both of them had better dreams than they had in a very long time. The future was brighter than it had ever been before.
Author note: apologies for the inconsistent outfits when Abraham asks Vickie to be his girl, I probably should have maybe done a time skip, but the way I wrote it sounded so much better than randomly skipping time between Vickie kissing him and him asking her to be his girl, just because sims change outfits randomly sometimes. Anyways Happy simming and stay safe.
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Florence's favorite toy swiftly became a stuffed rabbit named Velveteen. It was a gift from her grandmother.
The kitchen and the dining room remodel followed shortly after Florence's bedroom and Abraham and Vickie were pleased with the results.
In the midst of their bedroom remodel, Vickie grew a little nauseous and spent most of the morning running in and out of the restroom.
Abraham immediately grew concerned, but Vickie assured him with a somewhat sly smile that she was almost positive that everything would not only be fine, but absolutely wonderful. After that, she said nothing else leaving Abraham puzzled. A few days later they were dancing in the living room after Vickie put together an amazing dinner one night when Florence was staying with her grandmother and Aunt Thelma.
They danced to several songs before Vickie broke away from Abraham, the same sly smile on her face from earlier.
"Abraham, we're expecting a baby," the answer burst from her with such joy that for the moments all the risks of pregnancy were forgotten.
"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed.
"I'd figure we tell Florence at dinner tomorrow," Vickie said.
"Good idea," he said.
Abraham spent the next day pampering his wife while they waited for his mother to pick Florence up from school and bring her home. He also began to consider what to do in the future. His required time in the military was about to come to an end and he needed somewhere else to work. He wasn't sure exactly where to start until Thelma and his mother arrived with Florence.
They visited for a little while and the subject of Abraham's job search came up.
"I heard that the police are hiring right now and they're giving priority to war veterans. Perhaps you should look into that." Thelma said.
Abraham wasn't sure if he wanted to pursue it at first, but the more he thought about the more it made sense. He had a baby on the way and two women in an unknown city. If he was a police officer he could make sure they were protected.
"I'll look into that," he said.
They talked a little longer before Thelma and his mother left. After that Vickie started dinner and an hour or so later she served dinner at the dining room table. They listened to Florence talk about her day and how many friends she was making. The conversation lulled and Vickie and Abraham told Florence the good news.
"Since I'm gonna be an older sister soon. I think I need to learn some responsibilities," she said.
Vickie smiled. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, one of my friends at school was telling me all about this really cute cat she just got. If I had a cat I could take care of it and learn all about responsibilities," Florence said.
Vickie's smile only grew wider and Abraham couldn't help but smile along with them. "Tomorrow, I'll see if I can find anyone whose recently had kittens," he said. "For now you should probably finish dinner, wash up and head to bed."
"I promise. I'll even say my prayers too!" she exclaimed before eating all of her food, including every last vegetable.
Abraham had to admit he was impressed and if he wasn't mistaken an old military buddy of his had exactly what he needed for Florence's "responsibility" lessons.
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay in posting life has been busy, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. The next chapter should be up sometime next week.
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What Abraham pictured when his friend mentioned the cat was a kitten, most likely dropped off by its mother as cats tended to do. What he got was an adult mangy, black, tailless tom riddled with fleas. He was suddenly a little hesitant to bring it home, especially when his first introduction to the cat was it hissing and swatting at him from the crate his friend has placed the cat in.
" I thought you said the cat was sweet," Abraham said.
"He is, he must just not like you for some reason, or possibly a bit grumpy from being in a crate. " his friend said.
"Will he be okay with my daughter?" Abraham asked.
"I'm sure once he gets settled he'll be just fine, he loved playing with my son," his friend said.
"If you say so," said Abraham and reluctantly took the cat back to his house.
Before he could even set the crate down, Florence ran to the door and took it from him.
"Is this the cat!" Florence exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement.
"Yes, but he may not..." Abraham started.
Florence didn't let him finish and opened the crate. The cat leapt out of the cage and immediately ran over to the food bowl they're filled earlier that day, completely ignoring his step-daughter.
He shook his head and turned to his wife, who had a concerned expression on her face that he imagined mirrored his own. To make matters worse after the cat ate it immediately dove under a couch in the living room. Abraham started to apologize, but Florence stopped him.
"I'm sure he's just a little nervous. He's in a new place and surrounded by strangers, you can't blame him for wanting to hide," Florence said, Abraham was impressed with her patience.
A couple of days passed and the cat continued to avoid them most of the time, so Florence focused on making the cat, now named Thomas, as comfortable as possible by keeping his bowl full, his sandbox clean and even turned an extra hallway that just contained the family chessboard into a room mostly for the cat. Still, the blasted animal ignored her. He was about to give the cat back to his friend when one evening he and Florence were playing chess when the cat sniffed his step-daughter's feet.
Florence immediately abandoned their game and lowered her hand to the cat's nose. It responded by licking Florence's hand. She giggled and spent the rest of the evening petting on the cat. By an hour before her bedtime she had the cat playing with her, a cheesy grin filling her entire face.
After she went to bed, Abraham tried to pet the cat himself, taking the same approach Florence did by letting it sniff his hand first. It just hissed at him. Apparently, he and Thomas weren't ever going to be friends. It did like Florence though and that was all that really mattered.
The cat and his daughter's relationship sealed, Abraham turned his attention back to remodelling his and Vickie's bedroom. Once it was finished he was quite pleased with the result, especially the specific touches he added for Vickie, like her vanity.
The next few days after he finished the bedroom were uneventful, but just as summer the last summer of the 1910s was hitting Roaring Heights, Vickie went to labour. At seven pm that night she gave birth to a son. They named him Clifford James-Henry Nolan after all the family they lost.
The rest of the year was a blur and soon Clifford aged up into a toddler.
Both Vickie and Abraham turned all their attention to raising him right while also giving some attention to Florence as well, but she was focused on Thomas and having a thriving social life with her school friends.
Before they knew it the year 1920 was halfway over and Florence was a teenager, one who had a party with friends instead of her family and all she wanted for her birthday were clothes and a remodel of her room instead of toys.
Abraham gave his step-daughter what she wanted and she thanked him for his work and complimented her new room.
Her gratitude made him happy, as always, but that night, as he got in bed with his wife, he felt a little blue. When he told Vickie how he was feeling she agreed that she felt the same melancholy.
"I think it's because our kids are just growing up so fast. It won't really be too much longer until Clifford starts to grow up as well," Vickie said.
A comfortable silence fell between them and then Abraham broke it. "We always could have one more."
Vickie laughed a gentle laugh, "Abraham, we aren't exactly spring chickens ourselves. Are you sure?"
"We haven't even reached mid-life yet. What's one more child?"
"All right then, let's go for it," Vickie said.
After that, they woohooed long into the night before falling asleep more sated and comfortable than they had been in years.
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