Here is the new story thread for the Lily Goth family. There is nothing there yet, but as always, I’ll post on the story thread and here so you guys can find it here or there.
@lisasc360 Always nice to know that Sims 3 still works on Windows 11. 🙌🏻 I sure hope 11 won't be the nightmare that 10 is...
Thanks for the link to your computer. It looks awesome! With very nice features.
Digital install is best. 👍🏻 I will never go back to Origin or Steam. Unless I have to...
Nice christmas story, and that sim Malai is beatiful as already has been mentioned.
I personally like this picture, because of that facial expression when she looks at Kai, and I also like her choice of clothing. :P
^Thank you. It's one of my favorite pictures that I took out of the bunch too.
I got the Monopoly game board from ATS3. She has other board games for download too. (Just not Life! )
And I used to win everytime of course! ;D
^Lol! I like your sense of humor. Me thinks you are competitive with board games, like myself?
Your world is looking great! Those are quite the spacious buildings!
Lol, they could be even more old school and use a record player.
^True! But to the kids these days, CDs are old school.
Yeah Malai was not thrilled to be spending all day with the neighbors whom she doesn't even know, but was soon to discover otherwise.
I like Aizen and Kai the best. Still a bit early for me to decide, but that's my first impression.
^Gotcha. 👍🏻
Oh, wasn't expecting there to be a granddaughter. Nice addition though, and a welcome suprise.
^Thank you.
Okay, now I know who Amaya belongs to. I don't know why, but I just feel like Aizen will be the one Malai ends up with. Too early to tell, but that will be my guess for the moment.
^Guess we'll see. He's pretty grumpy, but like you said there could be a reason for that.
Seems like Ryu might be out as a choice. However, there is always the possibility his relationship could fail.
^There is huh?
Well I look forward to your thoughts as the story goes on.
Sorry to hear your game crashed because your save is bloated. I hate that...
Lol, they could be even more old school and use a record player.
^True! But to the kids these days, CDs are old school.
Yeah Malai was not thrilled to be spending all day with the neighbors whom she doesn't even know, but was soon to discover otherwise.
CDs are old school? ~sigh~. And here I am with remembering Reel to reel, 8-tracks, 33s and 45s. 🥺 Guess I’m one of the “ancient”. 😳
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
Evidently my "aliens" are having a protest at City Hall...
They apparently don't like unicorns.
The greens are Privates.
The blues are NCOs
and the Pinkies are officers.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
Probably going to restart the Goth family save in Moonlight Falls. A few things were messed up and I need to go back in to Sunset Valley to get the things I need.
@lisasc360 Always nice to know that Sims 3 still works on Windows 11. 🙌🏻 I sure hope 11 won't be the nightmare that 10 is...
Thanks for the link to your computer. It looks awesome! With very nice features.
Digital install is best. 👍🏻 I will never go back to Origin or Steam. Unless I have to...
That it is... Win 10 wasn't too bad for me in my opinion but I do know that there are some people who would rather avoid it at all cost and wait for something else better... You're welcome. It was the closest that I could get a picture of plus I wanted people to see the specs of the PC. It has 2 hard drives in it and 5 fans to keep it cool. The hubby also got a new one as well but a different model of the cyberpower pc since they were on sale. The keyboards and the mouse that came with them light up. The mouse's colors change as well but I don't use the mouse as I have to use a wireless mouse because of the birdie and it's hard to get use to as it has 4 little weights in them. Yeah, I wanted to stick with Origin even though I only use it for Sims 4 but sadly when I typed in Origin to download, it came up with the new EA desktop app. I had planned on doing disk install of TS3 but chose to do digital as it took less time to install than it would had with the disks. I know other players have been having issues installing store content to their game after upgrading to EA app, but so far I've been getting my stuff in since I went and saved my stuff on disk. There's a few things that I didn't save to disk as they were to small, so I will use my Sandisk stick to move those files over to the new PC.
But for now, I have taken a break from installing my TS3 game stuff to the PC as I haven't even put up my tree or decorated like I would either do on the weekend of Thanksgiving or the first weekend of December. I've been doing a little decorating this week as I have been making my own decorations for the front window with my Cricut Joy machine that I'd got in October. I will try to get the tree out this weekend and put it up so the hubby can put our new lights up on it and I can decorate it either this weekend or doing the week.
@Brandontaylor, thank you... It's been a long coming for a new one but just couldn't find one that would suit my needs...
It's been too hot here to do anything but I've spent an hour or so each day on my Perfect Genetics Challenge save. I'm not recording much video of it though as I'm trying to sort it out and get young sims ready to move out of the house as it's a struggle having to save every half sim day and then shut down and reload to be sure of being able to save the next time I need to do that.
Lotta and the Plumbot are getting along a lot better. They even did some pillow fighting:
Mark got invited to Elvira Slayer's party.
Bianca Rubble tried to lure Mark away with her wiley feminine charms, but he resisted.
Lotta wanted to go to a fancy dance club, so they put on some classy outfits and headed out after work:
And Miss Lotta got extra frisky and invited Mark to join her in the "adults only" jacuzzi.
(I hope I edited this pic enough, LOL)
And of course one of the paparazzo wasn't happy with just taking pictures, he tried to JOIN THEM in the spa as well. The nerve of him!!
They left the club shortly after that....
They went to work the next day, and Mark decided to invite Lotta for a gym session. She is already freakin' gorgeous but everyone can benefit from some motivation.
I edited the gym to put in WA Sim Fu equipment, and custom Yoga mats, along with some store content.
Still no wishes to get married, but they're having lots of fun going on dates as boyfriend and girlfriend.
I'm a 48 year old married man, with a beautiful wife, a cat, and a simverted personality.My Sims 3 Pictures
@Brandontaylor Thanks again. I think those will be the last images of the town for a while.. I think now is the time to focus more on getting my story back on track... and on my last play session I figured I may just have to completely rebuild atleast one of those buildings, because some things weren't working right.. Complex buildings on non-flat terrain requires careful thought and planning..
Hehe, such a nice family christmas, just like a Hallmark movie.
Oh, and I really like that kid Amaya, too.
I like this picture from the last update. She is believable as a child, and of course children are always very excited about christmas.
Wow, a tamagotchi.. haha, that's old. :P I used to have one of those, like a little black and white pixelated bird or something, I had to feed and wipe up its poo. <_< >_> :P I even knitted a small bag, almost like a sleeping bag, to keep it in, but don't tell anyone! :P (We had to learn knitting at school, so...)
Oh yes, of course the monopoly game had to come from ATS3. I looked around that site a little more looking for useful objects when building the town, and I became really amazed at the shear volume of things on there.. And come to think of it, I think I have seen those board games on there once before, too, just didn't download them at the time. :P So much stuff. :P
Oh, yeah, thanks about the world. Hmm, maybe the buildings are a little big..? But they ended up that way, because I was trying to keep true to the scale of the originals, more so than making very huge buildings.
~~~~
Also, yesterday I wanted to boot up the game just to play quickly for about half an hour before going to bed when I got a window forcing me to download the EA app.. I dreaded the worst, so instead I spent an hour backing up everything in my Sims 3 folder as well as the Create a World folder to an external hard drive. <_< >_> Then looked for ways to evade the install, but there were none..
So I installed it today since there was no way out and tested to see if the game would run.. So far it seems good. It runs, all expansion packs are there and I got no message of content being replaced so.. so far so good..
I never really liked to be forced to use the origin app in the first place, and now this, but.. as long as it works it's.. well, it's... tolerable...
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I'll go back to the People of Simbria storyline to make the next update, or updates, and hopefully have as much as possible done during the weekend. At minimum one update, hopefully more, because I want to finish their year of 2022 before we finish ours. <_< >_>
@emorrill I love Amaya and how excited she gets about Christmas! She seems like such a sweet girl.
Malai is also very pretty.
I laughed when Ryu said "I'm awake!" During the story.
I woke up early this morning, the clock must have been around 5, and I could have sworn for a second there I just felt Deepaks warmth next to me.. and heard the sound of his snore and that soft mumble he always did, but my honey bee wasn't there, and all I heard was the sound of his memorabilia watch ticking..
Out in the woods... tall pine tree woods...
I guess I wasn't quite awake as I made the bed.. and I.. I still don't know why I woke up so early.. I guess I was hoping for.. I slept with the bedroom door open, just in case.. as if.. as if he could be home with me, any moment..
..but of course I knew that.. he wouldn't be let out of the hospital in the middle of the night.. so there wasn't much to do but.. go back to sleep again..
~~~~
Narrators notes:
Upstairs Bodil was having a bit of a restless sleep in the bunk bed.. Back home at school, her friend Edny Sævik was sometimes given a bit of a hard time by the other kids as the news of her moms imprisonment spread around.. Bodil, even though she wanted to get along with everyone, just couldn't be a bystander to watch this happen to her friend...
Nityas notes:
I was a bit groggy this morning as I got out of bed, so I thought I should walk outside to get some fresh air..
Someone had left a plate with a half eaten burger outside. I looked around to make sure nobody was watching.. I was feeling hungry, so I thought I might as well just eat it, instead of letting it go to waste.. we throw away enough food as it is, and I just don't think that's sustainable...
..but then that strange thing happened again that sometimes happens.. I wanted to go inside to eat it, but my right foot got stuck in the parking bumper and I couldn't move.. It freaks me out a bit, because usually when this happens, I seem to get some kind of memory lapse, and if I'm out somewhere, I may even suddenly find myself at home confused and with no idea how I got there...It really makes me think sometimes, if our lives are just a dream?
I got that memory lapse again now, too, but atleast it got me loose from the car bumper, however somehow I also lost the hamburger...
I can't have eaten it, because I was still hungry, but eh.. I think I needed to play some tunes on my guitar now to calm me down, before I could dare try to eat something again.. Maybe I shouldn't try to eat old half eaten hamburgers lying around outside...
Bodils notes:
I felt good when I woke up, after having slept in the top bunk bed in grandmas house. I dreamt tonight that I was the strongest girl in school, and I could beat up everyone that was being mean and saying wrong things!
I thought grandma must already be awake, because I could hear some guitar playing. Grandma would always play the guitar, she said she had so much music in her. I'm not sure how you can have music in you. Music is something you make when you play on an instrument or sing, but maybe it's just one more of those things I will understand better when I get older.
Continues in spoiler:
There was nobody in the dining room, living room or kitchen and it sounded like the guitar playing came from outside, so I got dressed and walked downstairs to head out the door. From the stairs I could see my aunt Nitya playing through the window. So it wasn't grandma that was up. Maybe I should learn to play the guitar, too, but all the guitars are so big and I'm only a child. I wish we had guitars for children, I don't know why we can't have that. So many things they say I can't do and understand just because I'm a child! Sometimes I wish I wasn't a child.
Gautes notes:
My boy Orinder has an appetite, that's for sure. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a big strong man, just like his fath.. umm, well, you know what I mean. It's always a pleasure to feed the little rascal, and I never knew I would be such a proud parent.. well, I am proud of both of my sons, I really am, so I do make sure to send some money to Sunset Valley for my boy Robert, too.. I probably do owe Ranveig some for those years, and yeah.. part of me wishes she had told me I actually had a son there a bit earlier... I sometimes wonder how things would have turned out if she did..
I heard Robert is with the boy scouts now, and he's already doing great, going fishing and enjoying his life in the outdoors. A solid chip off the old block that one..
Leyas notes:
Gaute is a really good father for Orinder, and a good step-father for Bodil as well, and honestly.. I kind of wasn't expecting that given what I have heard about his, umm, past life and what I first learned about him when I came to town... Oh, well he's still got some of that spontaneous spirit in him, and that's another part of him that I love.. Somehow I got the best of both worlds, finally.
Deepaks notes:
Now, it's not that I'm ungrateful for all the doctors and nurses at the hospital have done for me – I mean, they literally saved my life – but, you know.. I'm getting tired of this, day in, day out, the same routines.. The nurses are sweet most of the time, and sure, it's nice to see that they can have a little fun on the job. I'm not at all opposed to that, but them cracking jokes about me being an astronaut.. I don't know, maybe today is just bad day, but that was the final straw for me...
"One small step for man" just didn't seem all that funny to me, and I knew it was time for me to get out of there. I didn't want to spend christmas at a hospital.. I did my best to walk as fast as I could away from them while distracting myself with thinking about the song I was working on before all this happened.. and as they continued to crack jokes, as much as it annoyed me, maybe now I had found a title for it...
For now I've had enough from you
I'm done and so are you
Go see what you can do
The universe is expanding
I'm going to make this
My own moon landing
I'm going to give this
The best that I've got
Moon Landing.
---- Narrators notes:
Back at the house Laranya was in the kitchen, busy preparing, well, lunch, since they had already slept for well into the day.. Right next to some smelly hamburgers that must have been more leftovers from yesterdays party..
At the hotel Gaute was done with his morning workout, Leya had picked up Orinder, and they were on their way back to her mothers house. Earlier she had tried to call her sister Udisha to hear if they could come over for a visit, but she was, as usual, busy working again..
Nitya, being the youngest adult of the family, and the one most concerned about the environment and the future state of their planet, was busy teaching Bodil about the importance of recycling when the taxi pulled up outside the house.
"If everyone contributes their part.. we can all save the planet together!"
Inside Laranya had finished cooking, and was about to call everyone in to eat just in time for Leya and Gaute to join them eating.
Gaute: It's always a pleasure to visit this house – I feel really welcome here. There's so much warmth – and food on the table!
Nitya: There's no better chef than my mama! She has always made sure everyone has had enough to eat – and then some!
Nitya: We just have to remember to save the leftovers! I would hate having to throw away food!
After everyone had eaten and their bellies were well and full (and the leftover food safely stored in the refridgerator) calm and tranquility and classical music from the stereo filled the house... and Gaute thought he'd make use of this moment to ask his wife for a slow dance.
At the hospital Deepak was ready for take.. I mean, departure, but not without buying something special from the hospital shop first...
Store clerk: Do you want me to wrap it for you? Deepak: Yes.. yes, please.
"Christmas lights are up.. well, we could probably handle to pay a little more on our electricity bill.. It's only christmas once a year.. but after New Years these lights are going down..."
Leya: Dad..? You're home! We weren't expecting...
Deepak: I just couldn't take it anymore... And the doctors agreed, I had done more than enough progress to be able to care for myself while at home, so there was no need for me to stay there any longer...
Deepak: ..and they didn't really want to hold me there over christmas anyway, because you know.. it's christmas.. It's so good to be back home again..
Leya: It's good to see you home again too, dad...
Deepak: Now there's someone upstairs I have to see again..
Laranyas notes:
Woohoo yeah! My man was back from the hospital, and I was flushed with the most intense joy! I couldn't hold it in, and why should I? Now, christmas could come! I didn't really notice at first, that he came walking over with a cane, I was just to excited!
Of course, it is true, we aren't getting any younger, but just in that moment I felt as young as I haven't felt in years – and certainly not for the past few weeks! When we kissed again I was on top of the world, almost like floating in space!
I was in love again! Well, not that I ever really fell out of it, but you know.. My eyes couldn't do anything but follow him as he went into the kitchen to prepare himself a meal.
We spent the rest of the night watching an old christmas classic on tv, and I'm pretty sure I had a big smile on my face the whole time. Or, atleast until Gaute came with an inappropriate question I don't feel like repeating..
I don't think he meant any harm with it, but that was a reminder of what happened that I don't think any of us needed right now.. Now, Gaute is a good man, though sometimes he can be a little tactless... We all had that anxiety, and we all feared for the worst, and we were all relieved when it didn't go that way, but really.. come on..
Gautes notes:
Sometimes my mouth works a little faster than my brain, and things come out not quite like I intended.. We had a nice evening, but the mood got a little weird towards the end.. Deepak didn't really reply to my question...I just made a fool of myself in front of my parent-in-laws. Not the first time, and it probably won't be the last..
I could hear Laranya making a sarcastic remark about being bright as a llama as I watched Deepak walk off to go to bed... I was.. really surprised.. I was concerned he would fall over, but..I mean, he came here this evening on crutches and walked with a cane, and now he just went on his way, without any support, like nothing had happened.. ..well, that's recovery! Or maybe he just forgot he came here with a crutch, I don't really know, but it certainly left me impressed by the man!
Deepaks notes:
That Gaute! Oh, he's an interesting guy.. I think Laranya took his comment much worse than I did. We've all had these thoughts, I'm sure, and he just verbalized them. I know the man is good at heart, and I can see where his comment came from, so there was no reason for me to be offended. It was actually a bit of a relief to hear him say it, as it shows he's had a great deal of concern. Of course, it came out a bit wrong, but we all knew the meaning behind it. I'm pretty confident my daughter is in good hands with this man, and I have no worries at all.
Gautes notes:
I gave an apology to Laranya about my comment, I didn't mean for it to come out like it did. She didn't necessarily mean the llama thing either, as she explained, the past few weeks have been pretty hard, but now that Deepak was back home things were alright again.
I was still a little concerned though, how he seemed to forget using his cane and taking off like a rocket to go to bed. Laranya assured me, that was just his nature, stubborn as he was. When he had a goal in mind, he could really be unstoppable sometimes. Aiming for the stars was just his thing, she said. Yeah.. I can see that, and I'm probably not the right person to say this, but maybe it would benefit him to take it a little easy, atleast for a while....
Leyas notes:
Visiting my mom and the house I grew up in is always a pleasure and today doubly so, when we all got the surprise of dad returning from the hospital. Though it was getting late, and a certain aroma filled the air (Orinder needed his diaper changed...), so I figured it was time to retreat to the hotel for the night.. and prepare for tomorrow..
Dad and my sister had already gone to bed, so it was best not to disturb them, but I gave my mom a solid good hug before saying good night. I could hear Orinder crying as Gaute picked him, so it was definately bedtime for big and small...
Bodils notes:
I have done my homework and done my best to be a good girl all year... Dear Santa, it wasn't me starting those fights at school, I only did that to save my friend... so I hope Santa has got something special for me tomorrow! Well, I don't really believe in Santa anymore, I know it's just mom and dad and I'm just pretending... but I still love christmas! I love the snow, all the candy, the presents, the music, the food, and my grandma and grandpa... Grandpa came home from the hospital today, and he wasn't in the wheelchair anymore. I think he was really happy to be back home in his house again. I think the hospital must be a really boring place. I don't think anyone wants to celebrate christmas at a hospital, but if you are really sick, maybe you have to. I hope a Santa Claus comes to visit all the people at the hospital, too, especially the children. I'm happy I'm not sick and have to be at the hospital for christmas. Ok, good night.
Narrators notes:
..and so everyone went to sleep once more, dreaming dreams of Santa, hospitals, rockets and treadmills (or rocket fuel fueled treadmills perhaps...?)
and an orchestra playing their music...
..as a blue full moon hang silently in the december night sky...
..and perhaps Santa does exist, because isn't that.. the faint sound of jingle bells in the distance...?
I myself have given up on the game due to incompatibility with the latest win 11 builds.
I guess I prioritize an updated OS to being able to play the sims.
(And if I didn´t it wouldn´t do me any good since the sims 3 doesn´t like to launch when the computer is not fully updated) .
So I hope you are all able to enjoy your game as long as possible.
I won´t keep my fingers crossed for a 64-bit sims 3 designed for modern technology
@lisasc360 Yeah the more I hear about that EA App, the more I all the more want to take care of this computer and keep the disk install going for as long as I can. (I'm glad to hear it's working well for you. 🙌🏻 That's great!)
The ONLY way I would go back to Origin is if they did a Sims 3 64 bit Ultimate Collection on there. But even that is a big IF.
@KevinL5275 Yeah Mark be like, "Sorry Bianca, I am very much a taken (devoted) man."
Hee hee, nice edit! And yes, you edited it enough.
Gross that the paparazzo joined them in the hot tub!
I sure hope they both get the wish to marry soon.
I like this picture from the last update. She is believable as a child, and of course children are always very excited about christmas.
^Thank you.
Wow, a tamagotchi.. haha, that's old. :P I used to have one of those, like a little black and white pixelated bird or something, I had to feed and wipe up its poo. <_< >_> :P I even knitted a small bag, almost like a sleeping bag, to keep it in, but don't tell anyone! :P (We had to learn knitting at school, so...)
^LOL! And yep, you had to clean up their poo. I borrowed my friend's "Nano" pet (they were called Nano and Giga pets in the US) for one night and I was so worried about that thing - like I might kill it because I couldn't watch it while I was sleeping! - that I decided I didn't want one after all. (Cause boy did I want one like everyone else!) And that's exactly what I incorporated into the story with Malai.
Oh gosh, Sandy at ATS3 is amazing! I'd have ALL of her stuff in my game if it were possible! SO many imaginative possibilities with her stuff.
The buildings in the world are big, but not awfully big. So it's good. 👍🏻 No worries. It really looks great.
It was nice to read more of your story. I'm so so happy Deepak finally got out of the hospital!
I love this picture:
Your ending there made me chuckle.
emorrill I love Amaya and how excited she gets about Christmas! She seems like such a sweet girl.
Malai is also very pretty.
I laughed when Ryu said "I'm awake!" During the story.
Great chapter!
^Thank you so much. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
emorrill I'm loving the story! I think Aizen is the is the most attractive sibling, it'll be interesting to see how the story pans out
^Thank you. I think Aizen is quite attractive myself , but I also think Kai is hot too.
Great to see pictures from your gameplay.
Goodness, their house getting hit by a meteor and then an abduction happens shortly thereafter. Bless their hearts.
@ZhakiraP Aww, I'm so sorry to hear you can't play Sims 3 on your Windows 11 computer. Mega bummer! You still have your old computer you can play it on right?
@emorrill
Thanks. Interesting the ending made you chuckle. I'm not sure what impact the ending was supposed to have (:P), but it just felt natural to make it that way. :P
Haha, yeah, I don't remember to much about the tamagotchi thing now, I suppose it would sleep sometimes, too.. but probably not at the same time that I would sleep. I probably had a morning routine there of taking it out of its sleeping bag and checking if it needed something. :P I think there was also something I had to do to keep it entertained, but I don't remember what that was. :P
@ZhakiraP Oh no, that's not good.. I see there are some windows 11 updates ready to be installed on my computer... I wouldn't like it if that made me unable to play..
..
The EA app however, I've had no problems with. Somethings actually seem to run smoother after I had to install it.. sometimes in game too, I notice a small effect where previously things would stutter a bit.. and in buy mode, where you see an object and it rotates.. well, now the objects do not rotate.. they spin.. much faster.. I didn't expect that.. how can.. just installing an EA app make the game, apparently, run smoother? Hmm..
With a fully updated OS it launches, both on my laptop and my gaming rig, but I get constant error 16 when saving. Usually I get a working save eventually, but by then I have lost all will to play This seem to be an issue with the recent win 11 updates, version 22H2. I didn´t get this error before the 22H2 update. Before I got the error 12 occasionally.
@Sprottenham I´m glad you are able to run the game without updating the OS, sims 3 just wouldn´t launch for me. As soon as I updated the OS it launches.
I get error 16 both on heavy cc worlds and nearly vanilla. I´ve taken out most of my cc. I´ve read that some claim error 16 is due to memory issues, the save being too large, but that is not at all the issue for me.
This is quite the eventful Chapter y'all and I'm so excited to share it with you. So get comfortable - with hot chocolate or coffee - and enjoy.
Chapter 4
*Christmas Day*
It was a lovely Christmas morning opening presents with mom and dad. With classic Christmas tunes lightly playing in the background and the scent of my mother’s favorite candle encompassing the air. “Holiday Wreath” is its name. She’s been burning it every year at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. And how she’s managed to keep it aflame for so many years I’ll never know, but I love it. And all the Christmas morning memories that come flooding back when the scent enters my nostrils.
We obviously didn’t get up super early, but I could imagine that Amaya woke up the entire Yamamoto household before sunrise for sure. I was super curious what else she got for Christmas and thought, I'll definitely ask her about it at dinner.
The Yamamoto's gift to me was completely unexpected. I was imagining some kind of a cute knick-knack or piece of jewelry, but no…it was (I actually had to look it up to be sure) a Qipao! The Japanese version of a Chinese Cheongsam dress. And a rather fancy one at that! Made out of light blue silk taffeta with intricate designs weaved into it by silver thread. I was in awe! It was gorgeous and I wasn’t sure how exactly I was going to thank them for such a gift. I think I’ll wear it for dinner tonight, I thought with a smile. That’s how I would.
After a breakfast of bacon and egg fried rice, yum, I got myself ready for the day. I kept wondering if Kai was thinking about me as much as I was him as I dreamily combed through my hair before curling it. It’d been a long time since I felt this way about a guy I just met - and feeling this giddy about it too. I guess work really did keep me busier than I realized. Or maybe, the men from New York just weren’t my type...
The curling of my hair slowed as I thought about that for a moment, strangely beginning to question where I was at currently in my life and some of the choices I've made along the way. It produced some very unsettling feelings in my gut. “No,” I said aloud while shaking my head, pushing it all away, and continuing to curl. “You’ve worked very hard to get where you’re at Malai and life is great! New York is where you’re supposed to be. You know this! So there’s no need to worry–”
The doorbell rang.
“Malai would you get that please?” my mother called from her and dad’s bedroom.
I was more than happy to answer the door, so with a pep in my step I promptly exited the bathroom. My heart greatly hoped it was Kai, unable to wait any longer to see me as I was him. I quickly fluffed my hair before opening the door.
It wasn’t Kai…but I was pleasantly surprised to see Amaya all the same.
“Merry Christmas Malai!” she happily greeted, with her gloved hands outstretched and bouncing in her boots. Could she be any more adorable?
Of course I gave her a quick hug. “Merry Christmas sweetie! Did you get everything you wanted this year?”
“YES! It was the BEST!”
“Wonderful!”
“Did you?”
“Yeah…I’d say so.” I was about to ask, does your dad know you’re here, but she anxiously went on to say:
“Do you wanna come over and make Christmas cookies with me!? I always want to make them, but daddy never does,” she scowled. “He’s always ‘too busy.’”
That honestly didn’t surprise me to hear.
“And grandma can’t cause she’s gonna help your mom with dinner. So will you make them with me? Pleeeease? I want cookies SO bad!”
How could I resist that adorable little face with those longing eyes and toothy grin? I liked making cookies and it’s always fun to do with kids. Plus I’d hopefully get to see Kai before dinner. I wasn’t sure what kind of plans he had before then. I certainly didn’t have any, except helping mom and Mami prepare dinner, but I figured they were good without me. “Yeah, that sounds like fun,” I answered Amaya. “Do you want to make them now or–”
“Yes! Now!”
I chuckled. “Alrighty, just let me grab a coat real quick.”
“Ok!”
The cold air outside bit down to the bone, even though the sun was out. With her hand in mine, Amaya and I raced to the front door of the Yamamoto home, dying for warmth, nearly bumping into Mami on her way out.
“Oh hello Malai,” the matriarch greeted me, pulling her coat tighter around herself. “Merry Christmas!”
“Same to you Mrs. Yamamoto.”
“Please, call me Mami. I’m just off to help your mother prepare for dinner.”
“Ok. You two have fun!”
“You two have fun as well,” she ended with a wink and raced across the road herself.
My brow narrowed at the curious wink she gave me. Okaaay.
“Come on inside Malai, it’s freezing!” Amaya screeched.
The little girl gleefully skipped into the kitchen after removing her coat, mittens, and boots in the foyer. I finished up doing the same.
In the kitchen, Amaya handed me her grandmother’s apron to wear while she put on hers as we decided on what kind of cookies to make. Sugar cookies, of course! I got out the ingredients for it while Amaya picked out the cookie cutters.
“Oh! We can’t forget the sprinkles!” Amaya declared.
“Definitely!" I agreed. "They’re a must!”
“Amaya?” I heard Aizen’s voice call, coming into the kitchen with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Do you know where the - geez!” he hissed at the sight of me, jerking back in surprise. “What are you doing here!?”
Does he have to be so rude? was my initial thought, but I immediately found myself unable to respond; so mesmerized by his incredibly sculpted, bare torso, with plump pecs and a six pack. Oh wow.
All I managed to get out was a jarring, “Uhhh…”
“I invited her over to make cookies with me,” Amaya so graciously chimed in. “Because you never want to…”
I raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.
He wasn't very amused by it. “It’s not that I don’t want to Amaya…I just don’t usually have the time to.” He glanced at me again, seemingly nervous about his response in my presence.
I could see Amaya’s frown out of the corner of my eye, like she’d heard that excuse one too many times before.
“Well…it’s Christmas day,” I softly, yet frankly said in Amaya’s defense. “So you should have plenty of time to spend with your family.”
Aizen’s unamused look at me turned into a glare and that’s when a nervous lump formed in my throat. Perhaps I had overstepped my bounds.
He rested his hands on his hips, breathing like an angry bull, and responded with, “Normally, but…there’s a leak in the hallway ceiling that needs repaired and patched up so that’s what I’m going to tackle today.”
My eyes lowered in shame. “Oh…”
Then, to add insult to injury, he threw out one of those smug, “take that” expressions before turning and exiting the kitchen. Geez..., I thought while squeezing my eyes shut in remorse.
“Oh yeeeah,” Amaya spoke, remembering. “I stepped on the wet part of the carpet when I woke up this morning. With my bare feet! It was COLD!”
I expelled a breath, trying to suppress it from the sweet girl's ears. “Oooh, that’s no fun,” I said, turning around. “So do we have all the ingredients pulled together?”
“Yep! Gotta start the oven first. I know how to do it.”
“Ok...”
C’mon Malai, don’t let Aizen’s snarkiness ruin the fun, I told myself as I read the recipe card. Then again I was the one who had been snarky. Once again my feistiness - and snap judginess - got the better of me…
Will I ever learn?
❄❄❄
“The cookies turned out perfect!” Amaya exclaimed, arranging them nicely on a tray. Of course we munched on a few while decorating. They were warm and soft and yummy.
“Yeah,” I breathed, wiping a little sweat off my brow. It got hot in the kitchen fast! “I think I might need to take a breather outside before frosting the next batch.”
“Ok. They’re almost ready.”
I played to groan as I went to exit the kitchen, but was stopped in my tracks when I heard:
“Man it smells good in here,” from Kai as he entered the kitchen. “Oh. Hey,” he greeted me, his eyes lighting up.
“Hey,” I returned with a smile. My heart immediately fluttering.
His rosy cheeks definitely weren’t from the hot kitchen. “It’s nice to see you again so soon,” he said.
“You too,” I whispered.
“Want a cookie uncle Kai?”
“What!? A cookie?” he exclaimed to his niece. “You made cookies without ME!?” He proceeded to tickle her. It was cute.
Amaya giggled as he did so. “I wanted to ask you, but grandma said you were busy. So I asked Malai instead,” she said, gesturing her head towards me.
“Well I think that was a great choice,” he acknowledged, giving me a flirtatious look again. He removed the Bluetooth earpiece from his ear and stuffed it into his pants pocket as he approached me.
“Busy making some calls?” I inquired.
“Sorta,” he replied. “I’m off work until after New Years, but I’m on call in case of any mental health emergencies.”
I nodded. “Well I hope whoever you talked to is going to be ok.”
“They will be. No worries.” He smiled at my consideration.
My non-stop blushing smile must’ve really made my red cheeks pop because the next thing he said was, “Your cheeks are as rosy as red Christmas bulbs." He smirked.
“It’s warm in here,” I replied, wiping a little more sweat from my brow. “I was actually going to step outside for a bit to cool off.”
“Good idea. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.”
Gosh that biting cold felt nice for once! The two of us stood on the porch, without coats, hands on the railing, and gazed out at the ocean for a moment.
One of Maplewood Falls beaches is right next door to my parents house. It was awesome having it so close when I was growing up. And I always loved the soothing sound of the waves lulling me to sleep every night.
“So where’s Ryu this morning?” I broke the silence by asking. “Back in bed?” I chuckled.
“No,” Kai replied with a chuckle as well. “He actually went to the airport to go pick up Tara.”
“Oh, right.”
“Apparently her flight got delayed, so he’ll be hanging out there for another hour or so until she arrives.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah. At least she’ll make it in time for dinner.”
I nodded.
Kai then turned his head and studied my face for a moment. “Your cheeks are looking normal now; a beautiful pink,” he said with that handsome smile of his.
“Thanks. Do I hear your teeth chattering a little bit?” I teased.
“Nah,” he played along, folding his arms together. “I’m used to the cold. I live in Canada.”
I chuckled. “Well even those of us who are used to it can’t handle these single digit temps for very long!”
“True,” he chuckled as well. Then something caught his attention which made his brow furrow as he studied my face. “You have a little something by your lip there…”
“Oh?” I asked, touching the wrong side of my mouth.
“No, it’s on the other side.” He pointed with a grin. “I think it’s some frosting.” Frosting!? On my face! This WHOLE time!? Gosh I felt so embarrassed!
I promptly went to wipe it off when Kai softly said, “It’s ok…I got it,” while gently rubbing it away with his thumb. The light touch sent an immediate warming sensation throughout my entire body, making my heart skip a beat.
Suddenly I didn’t feel cold anymore.
Gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, with steam emerging from our breaths, we were feeling the heat...and longed for more. Next thing I knew Kai tenderly stroked my cheek and gently lifted my chin. My breathing grew heavier, his too; our hearts beating rapidly in unison. It was unavoidable.
Our lips met. A light stroke at first, then soon a deeply pressed second. And a third, and a forth. Each kiss taking my breath away. Our arms gradually wrapped around each other. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I sure didn't mind it. My limbs started to go limp within his tender grasp.
A sudden hammering from Aizen working on the leaky ceiling, startled us back into reality, which made us both laugh as we pressed our noses together.
“Sorry,” Kai whispered, “I don’t usually kiss a girl so soon after the first meeting, but,” he gazed into my eyes again, “there’s just something about you Malai. This…connection.”
“I feel it with you too Kai,” I revealed.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he grinned. “I guess this is…Merry Christmas.”
I laughed. “Merry Christmas.” I couldn’t believe our noses were still touching.
“I want to get to know so much more about you,” he sincerely said. “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“Yes!” I instantly said, then in a calmer tone, “I mean, yes, I would love that.”
He grinned. “Great! I can’t wait.” Then he kissed me again. Oh my gosh what a good kisser he is!
“MALAI! COOKIES ARE READY!” Amaya called from the kitchen.
I returned my gaze to Kai with a shrug as if to say, Well, I gotta run, even though I kinda wish I didn’t have to...
He nodded, reading me perfectly. “Mind if I join you in the frosting of the cookies?”
“I dunno, you might need to get the head chef’s permission first.” I winked.
“Oh I won’t have a problem with that. I got her wrapped around my finger.” Which he twirled at me with a wink in return.
I giggled.
Hand in hand we went back inside.
All I could think about while starting the frosting was, Did that REALLY just happen!? Landon was going to flip! Heck my PARENTS were going to flip!
❄❄❄
When we finished with the cookies we promptly washed ourselves up. Kai flicked some water at me to which I flicked a lot more at him in return.
“Thanks for making cookies with me Malai,” Amaya expressed while drying her hands. “Oh and you too uncle Kai.”
“You’re welcome,” Kai and I both said at the same time. It made us blush.
Aizen then stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out a Capri-Sun to chug. He was fully dressed this time, as I expected him to be. Though it didn’t stop my mind from producing the image of his beautifully ripped chest underneath that plain shirt. I tried to erase it from my mind.
“How’s the leak repair going?” Kai asked him.
Aizen breathed heavily as he lowered the bottle. “It’s alright. I’m gonna go up into the attic and check for any more possible leaks before I do the patch. That part of the pipe wasn’t properly insulated so it froze and burst at the coupling. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the insulation in this house wasn’t done right.”
“Lovely.”
“Yep. Id'iot contractors…” He drank some more.
“Need some help?”
“No, I got it.”
“Want a cookie daddy?” Amaya asked, holding one out to him.
“Sure,” he said while taking it from her. “Thanks baby girl.” Then he took a bite. “Oh…this is good.”
“Hee hee. Thanks!”
He raised the cookie with a nod and left the kitchen to get back to work.
Amaya then turned to me and asked, “Hey Malai, you wanna see my bedroom?” Bedroom? I curiously thought while briefly glancing at Kai and then back at her. “Sure!” Guess it made sense that Mami would make up a separate bedroom for her granddaughter with all the guys around.
“Sorry Uncle Kai, no boys are allowed,” she cutely informed.
“Oh, right,” Kai tapped at his forehead, “I forgot.” Then smiled. I loved how he was with his niece. It made my heart fall for him all the more.
“Follow me, Malai.”
As Amaya pulled me away by the arm, I turned my head and whispered to Kai, “See you in a little bit?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he smiled.
Amaya’s room was upstairs and Aizen brushed past us on our way up to it. I purposely didn’t make eye contact with him. I still felt bad about earlier and wasn’t sure how I was going to remedy it just yet. Honestly, the man intimidated me a bit.
“Here’s my bedroom!” Amaya declared after pushing open the door and running in, outstretching her arms and twirling.
It was the cutest little room, with a single draped dormer window as the focal point. The roof slanted downwards on both sides of the room and dark wood planks adorned the ceiling. The walls were decorated with dated, flowery wallpaper. There was just enough room for a single bed, dresser, toy box, and a chair for putting on shoes.
“It’s lovely,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said as she sat herself down in the chair.
As I continued to admire the room I realized, this wasn’t a “done up” room for temporary Holiday guests…this was actually Amaya’s bedroom. You could tell it had been lived in for years with the dust on the dresser and windowsill. No way Mami would forget to dust the room in preparation for guests, even family guests.
Amaya and Aizen were living with his parents.
I don’t know how that wasn’t mentioned yesterday somewhere in our many conversations - or that my parents didn’t mention it before. Probably because they figure Aizen isn’t very proud of the situation, and I can’t say I blame him. The mystery surrounding that man suddenly developed into even more of a mystery.
I wasn’t meaning to use sweet Amaya to gather more information, but…
“How long has this been your bedroom?” I asked her.
“Since we moved here,” the girl answered, swinging her legs. “Daddy and I have always lived with grandma and grandpa…” Always?
“...ever since my mom died.” Ohhhh… Now it all made sense. My face fell. “I’m so sorry to hear that Amaya.”
“It’s ok,” she surprisingly brushed off quickly. “I don’t remember her since I was a baby when she died.”
“Oh.”
No wonder Aizen is so grumpy and reserved, I thought, he was dealt a pretty hard hand in life. One of the worst… My shoulders slumped with a sigh. I didn’t know what else to say, or think.
All I knew was, my impression of the man - and my perspective - greatly changed in that moment. I was glad I asked Amaya about it, and that she was comfortable in sharing it with me.
“Do you have a picture of you mom?” I asked, curious what she looked like.
“Yeah,” Amaya answered, slipping off the chair and going to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a crinkled physical picture and handed it to me. “Her name was Keisha.”
“That’s a pretty name, like yours,” I said as I studied the woman in the picture.
She was of African American decent, as I suspected, with beautifully frizzy dark hair with brown highlights, pulled away from her face by a denim headband. She wore no makeup and had a single stud nose ring on the left side of her nose. She was in a hospital gown, in a hospital bed, holding her - and Aizen’s - new baby girl with a weary smile on her face. “She’s beautiful,” I said, lowering the picture. “I can see her in you.”
“Really?” Amaya asked with the brightest smile, taking the picture back.
“Definitely!” What, has your dad never told you that? I almost asked, but of course I held it back. Maybe anything related to her mother was too hard to talk about. Completely understandable.
“Thanks Malai,” Amaya said while setting the picture down on the dresser. “I keep hoping that someday I’ll get a new mommy.”
I smiled warmly. “Yeah. I hope you do too…”
Amaya sure deserved a mother…
The best the world could offer.
❄❄❄
After visiting in the bedroom, Amaya and I went back downstairs and joined Kai and Mr. Yamamoto in watching Elf. People think I’m crazy for not being the biggest fan of that movie, but I’ll admit it’s nicer to watch with a child that’s getting a kick out of it. Amaya’s laughs were so contagious! Kai and I sat somewhat close on the sofa, but didn’t hold hands or cuddle. We weren’t ready to make anything known yet and really, it was too soon.
After the movie the four of us played Skip-Bo and had a lot of fun. Honestly, I was ready for a Christmas day nap by the time the game ended. (Mr. Yamamoto promptly went back to his lounge chair and did just that!) I also developed a headache, no thanks to all the noise Aizen was making while patching the ceiling along with all the voices. I just wasn’t used to it. Kai noticed me rubbing my temples and kindly got me some Tylenol. Even though Ibuprofen works better for me, I appreciated the thoughtful gesture. He actually got another work related call and excused himself as he retreated to the den to take it. Amaya then climbed into her grandpa’s lap and rested her head against his chest, taking a nap herself. I smiled at the adorable scene.
Just then I realized that all the ceiling repair noises had stopped. For a few minutes actually. Had Aizen finished already? If so, that was fast!
Maybe now was a good time to approach him…
I slowly and carefully stepped into the hallway with my hands clasped tightly behind my back. I could feel my heart racing. It’s never been easy for me to swallow my own pride. I just wanted to stop feeling so nervous and uncomfortable around him. It was wrecking the joy I was having with all of his other family members.
“Hey,” I timidly greeted him with a smile.
He looked down at me in acknowledgement from the ladder, staring for a couple of seconds, and then continued to finalize the job. I’ll take it, was my thought.
I then glanced up at the ceiling. “Wow. That looks really good.”
“It’s what I do,” he simply said.
Now I could feel my rapid pulse beating through my temples, especially when he came down from the ladder. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Listen, uh,” I began, inching closer to him. “I wanted to apologize about what I said earlier. I really didn’t mean to–”
“I know,” he interjected, finally making eye contact with me. “How were you supposed to know about the leaky ceiling?” He slipped the last tool he was using into his tool belt. “You made a fair point otherwise so…don’t worry about it.” He looked away.
Well that was a surprising response; still very dismissive though. I would’ve preferred an “I appreciate that,” or something, but whatever. “Ok,” I lightly accepted.
The feeling in the air still needed to change, pronto. It was wracking my nerves. “Amaya’s a really sweet girl."
“Thanks.”
“I enjoyed making cookies with her this morning.”
“Yeah, about that,” he started in his normal, serious tone while pressing his shoulder against the wall. My stomach clenched. “I appreciate you being so kind to Amaya, but,” he briefly paused, “I don’t need you giving her any false hopes.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor.
“False hopes?” I questioned. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“You’re going home to New York soon right?” he spat out.
“Well, yeah…but–”
“So in that regard, please, just cut ties with her kindly and be on your way. Thanks.” And with that he swooped past me and disappeared around the corner.
Now my mouth dropped with a huff, my head twitching in disbelief. What!? I couldn’t believe him, and didn’t even know how to process that. Truthfully it was making me more angry than I cared to be. I almost called him a je’rk, but no, that wasn’t necessary. I sighed. It seemed pretty clear that he didn’t like me - NO clue why because I’m pretty likable and nice to everyone - and honestly…I didn’t like him. There I said it. No matter how good looking he is. In fact he was looking less and less attractive the more I interacted with his callous self. I huffed again.
“I tried God,” I whispered to the ceiling. "I tried." But…aaaarrghh! Did he have to be so rude!?
No matter what he’d been through…
When Kai found me I did a pretty good job acting like nothing awful had just happened and told him I was going to go home and take a nap. He understood and squeezed my hand affectionately as we said goodbye. Until dinnertime.
@emorill Hehe, I was just waiting for Amaya to interrupt them kissing on the porch. I saw it coming, it had to happen, but it's all good.
Oh no, there's a tragedy in the family... that's sad. And it looks like Aizen hasn't dealt with it properly after several years.. I kind of didn't see that coming. I was thinking they could be friends. Well, I guess not. Interesting update!
Comments
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/1005187/the-goth-family-in-moonlight-falls/p1?new=1
@lisasc360 Always nice to know that Sims 3 still works on Windows 11. 🙌🏻 I sure hope 11 won't be the nightmare that 10 is...
Thanks for the link to your computer. It looks awesome! With very nice features.
Digital install is best. 👍🏻 I will never go back to Origin or Steam. Unless I have to...
@Sprottenham ^Thank you.
I got the Monopoly game board from ATS3. She has other board games for download too. (Just not Life!
Your world is looking great!
@Brandontaylor I really enjoyed your comments.
Yeah Malai was not thrilled to be spending all day with the neighbors whom she doesn't even know, but was soon to discover otherwise.
Well I look forward to your thoughts as the story goes on.
Sorry to hear your game crashed because your save is bloated.
@MantleJackal The house looks cute.
@Silverofdreams30 Nice scenery shots.
CDs are old school? ~sigh~. And here I am with remembering Reel to reel, 8-tracks, 33s and 45s. 🥺 Guess I’m one of the “ancient”. 😳
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
They apparently don't like unicorns.
The greens are Privates.
The blues are NCOs
and the Pinkies are officers.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
Thank you
But for now, I have taken a break from installing my TS3 game stuff to the PC as I haven't even put up my tree or decorated like I would either do on the weekend of Thanksgiving or the first weekend of December. I've been doing a little decorating this week as I have been making my own decorations for the front window with my Cricut Joy machine that I'd got in October. I will try to get the tree out this weekend and put it up so the hubby can put our new lights up on it and I can decorate it either this weekend or doing the week.
@Brandontaylor, thank you...
http://store.thesims3.com/myWishlist.html?persona=lisasc360
My stories on this site:
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/991317/my-sims-stories/p1?new=1
Happy Simming All.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW44b3uCMtCSaq4gwC8EZg
Mark got invited to Elvira Slayer's party.
Bianca Rubble tried to lure Mark away with her wiley feminine charms, but he resisted.
Lotta wanted to go to a fancy dance club, so they put on some classy outfits and headed out after work:
And Miss Lotta got extra frisky and invited Mark to join her in the "adults only" jacuzzi.
(I hope I edited this pic enough, LOL)
And of course one of the paparazzo wasn't happy with just taking pictures, he tried to JOIN THEM in the spa as well. The nerve of him!!
They left the club shortly after that....
They went to work the next day, and Mark decided to invite Lotta for a gym session. She is already freakin' gorgeous but everyone can benefit from some motivation.
I edited the gym to put in WA Sim Fu equipment, and custom Yoga mats, along with some store content.
Still no wishes to get married, but they're having lots of fun going on dates as boyfriend and girlfriend.
Keeping it simple does not apply to me...
@emorrill
Hehe, such a nice family christmas, just like a Hallmark movie.
Oh, and I really like that kid Amaya, too.
I like this picture from the last update. She is believable as a child, and of course children are always very excited about christmas.
Wow, a tamagotchi.. haha, that's old. :P I used to have one of those, like a little black and white pixelated bird or something, I had to feed and wipe up its poo. <_< >_> :P I even knitted a small bag, almost like a sleeping bag, to keep it in, but don't tell anyone! :P (We had to learn knitting at school, so...)
Oh yes, of course the monopoly game had to come from ATS3. I looked around that site a little more looking for useful objects when building the town, and I became really amazed at the shear volume of things on there.. And come to think of it, I think I have seen those board games on there once before, too, just didn't download them at the time. :P So much stuff. :P
Oh, yeah, thanks about the world. Hmm, maybe the buildings are a little big..? But they ended up that way, because I was trying to keep true to the scale of the originals, more so than making very huge buildings.
~~~~
Also, yesterday I wanted to boot up the game just to play quickly for about half an hour before going to bed when I got a window forcing me to download the EA app.. I dreaded the worst, so instead I spent an hour backing up everything in my Sims 3 folder as well as the Create a World folder to an external hard drive. <_< >_> Then looked for ways to evade the install, but there were none..
So I installed it today since there was no way out and tested to see if the game would run.. So far it seems good. It runs, all expansion packs are there and I got no message of content being replaced so.. so far so good..
I never really liked to be forced to use the origin app in the first place, and now this, but.. as long as it works it's.. well, it's... tolerable...
~~~~
I'll go back to the People of Simbria storyline to make the next update, or updates, and hopefully have as much as possible done during the weekend. At minimum one update, hopefully more, because I want to finish their year of 2022 before we finish ours. <_< >_>
Sub blogs: #01 Sunset Valley. #02: Lake Onebega #03: Sprottenham #04: Bewickton
Malai is also very pretty.
I laughed when Ryu said "I'm awake!" During the story.
Great chapter!
I haven't posted pictures here for a very ver ylong time, but here's a new family I'm playing: the Faust's (randomised name lol)
acrobat performance in Starlight shores
karaoke performance by a townie
Random townie teen having fun
Toddler
Dancing townies
Happy weekend
Sivert Høyem – Moon Landing
Laranyas notes:
I woke up early this morning, the clock must have been around 5, and I could have sworn for a second there I just felt Deepaks warmth next to me.. and heard the sound of his snore and that soft mumble he always did, but my honey bee wasn't there, and all I heard was the sound of his memorabilia watch ticking..
Out in the woods... tall pine tree woods...
I guess I wasn't quite awake as I made the bed.. and I.. I still don't know why I woke up so early.. I guess I was hoping for.. I slept with the bedroom door open, just in case.. as if.. as if he could be home with me, any moment..
..but of course I knew that.. he wouldn't be let out of the hospital in the middle of the night.. so there wasn't much to do but.. go back to sleep again..
~~~~
Narrators notes:
Upstairs Bodil was having a bit of a restless sleep in the bunk bed.. Back home at school, her friend Edny Sævik was sometimes given a bit of a hard time by the other kids as the news of her moms imprisonment spread around.. Bodil, even though she wanted to get along with everyone, just couldn't be a bystander to watch this happen to her friend...
Nityas notes:
I was a bit groggy this morning as I got out of bed, so I thought I should walk outside to get some fresh air..
Someone had left a plate with a half eaten burger outside. I looked around to make sure nobody was watching.. I was feeling hungry, so I thought I might as well just eat it, instead of letting it go to waste.. we throw away enough food as it is, and I just don't think that's sustainable...
..but then that strange thing happened again that sometimes happens.. I wanted to go inside to eat it, but my right foot got stuck in the parking bumper and I couldn't move.. It freaks me out a bit, because usually when this happens, I seem to get some kind of memory lapse, and if I'm out somewhere, I may even suddenly find myself at home confused and with no idea how I got there...It really makes me think sometimes, if our lives are just a dream?
I got that memory lapse again now, too, but atleast it got me loose from the car bumper, however somehow I also lost the hamburger...
I can't have eaten it, because I was still hungry, but eh.. I think I needed to play some tunes on my guitar now to calm me down, before I could dare try to eat something again.. Maybe I shouldn't try to eat old half eaten hamburgers lying around outside...
Bodils notes:
I felt good when I woke up, after having slept in the top bunk bed in grandmas house. I dreamt tonight that I was the strongest girl in school, and I could beat up everyone that was being mean and saying wrong things!
I thought grandma must already be awake, because I could hear some guitar playing. Grandma would always play the guitar, she said she had so much music in her. I'm not sure how you can have music in you. Music is something you make when you play on an instrument or sing, but maybe it's just one more of those things I will understand better when I get older.
Continues in spoiler:
There was nobody in the dining room, living room or kitchen and it sounded like the guitar playing came from outside, so I got dressed and walked downstairs to head out the door. From the stairs I could see my aunt Nitya playing through the window. So it wasn't grandma that was up. Maybe I should learn to play the guitar, too, but all the guitars are so big and I'm only a child. I wish we had guitars for children, I don't know why we can't have that. So many things they say I can't do and understand just because I'm a child! Sometimes I wish I wasn't a child.
Gautes notes:
My boy Orinder has an appetite, that's for sure. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a big strong man, just like his fath.. umm, well, you know what I mean. It's always a pleasure to feed the little rascal, and I never knew I would be such a proud parent.. well, I am proud of both of my sons, I really am, so I do make sure to send some money to Sunset Valley for my boy Robert, too.. I probably do owe Ranveig some for those years, and yeah.. part of me wishes she had told me I actually had a son there a bit earlier... I sometimes wonder how things would have turned out if she did..
I heard Robert is with the boy scouts now, and he's already doing great, going fishing and enjoying his life in the outdoors. A solid chip off the old block that one..
Leyas notes:
Gaute is a really good father for Orinder, and a good step-father for Bodil as well, and honestly.. I kind of wasn't expecting that given what I have heard about his, umm, past life and what I first learned about him when I came to town... Oh, well he's still got some of that spontaneous spirit in him, and that's another part of him that I love.. Somehow I got the best of both worlds, finally.
Deepaks notes:
Now, it's not that I'm ungrateful for all the doctors and nurses at the hospital have done for me – I mean, they literally saved my life – but, you know.. I'm getting tired of this, day in, day out, the same routines.. The nurses are sweet most of the time, and sure, it's nice to see that they can have a little fun on the job. I'm not at all opposed to that, but them cracking jokes about me being an astronaut.. I don't know, maybe today is just bad day, but that was the final straw for me...
"One small step for man" just didn't seem all that funny to me, and I knew it was time for me to get out of there. I didn't want to spend christmas at a hospital.. I did my best to walk as fast as I could away from them while distracting myself with thinking about the song I was working on before all this happened.. and as they continued to crack jokes, as much as it annoyed me, maybe now I had found a title for it...
For now I've had enough from you
I'm done and so are you
Go see what you can do
The universe is expanding
I'm going to make this
My own moon landing
I'm going to give this
The best that I've got
Moon Landing.
----
Narrators notes:
Back at the house Laranya was in the kitchen, busy preparing, well, lunch, since they had already slept for well into the day.. Right next to some smelly hamburgers that must have been more leftovers from yesterdays party..
At the hotel Gaute was done with his morning workout, Leya had picked up Orinder, and they were on their way back to her mothers house. Earlier she had tried to call her sister Udisha to hear if they could come over for a visit, but she was, as usual, busy working again..
Nitya, being the youngest adult of the family, and the one most concerned about the environment and the future state of their planet, was busy teaching Bodil about the importance of recycling when the taxi pulled up outside the house.
"If everyone contributes their part.. we can all save the planet together!"
Inside Laranya had finished cooking, and was about to call everyone in to eat just in time for Leya and Gaute to join them eating.
Gaute: It's always a pleasure to visit this house – I feel really welcome here. There's so much warmth – and food on the table!
Nitya: There's no better chef than my mama! She has always made sure everyone has had enough to eat – and then some!
Nitya: We just have to remember to save the leftovers! I would hate having to throw away food!
After everyone had eaten and their bellies were well and full (and the leftover food safely stored in the refridgerator) calm and tranquility and classical music from the stereo filled the house... and Gaute thought he'd make use of this moment to ask his wife for a slow dance.
At the hospital Deepak was ready for take.. I mean, departure, but not without buying something special from the hospital shop first...
Store clerk: Do you want me to wrap it for you?
Deepak: Yes.. yes, please.
"Christmas lights are up.. well, we could probably handle to pay a little more on our electricity bill.. It's only christmas once a year.. but after New Years these lights are going down..."
Leya: Dad..? You're home! We weren't expecting...
Deepak: I just couldn't take it anymore... And the doctors agreed, I had done more than enough progress to be able to care for myself while at home, so there was no need for me to stay there any longer...
Deepak: ..and they didn't really want to hold me there over christmas anyway, because you know.. it's christmas.. It's so good to be back home again..
Leya: It's good to see you home again too, dad...
Deepak: Now there's someone upstairs I have to see again..
Laranyas notes:
Woohoo yeah! My man was back from the hospital, and I was flushed with the most intense joy! I couldn't hold it in, and why should I? Now, christmas could come! I didn't really notice at first, that he came walking over with a cane, I was just to excited!
Of course, it is true, we aren't getting any younger, but just in that moment I felt as young as I haven't felt in years – and certainly not for the past few weeks! When we kissed again I was on top of the world, almost like floating in space!
I was in love again! Well, not that I ever really fell out of it, but you know.. My eyes couldn't do anything but follow him as he went into the kitchen to prepare himself a meal.
We spent the rest of the night watching an old christmas classic on tv, and I'm pretty sure I had a big smile on my face the whole time. Or, atleast until Gaute came with an inappropriate question I don't feel like repeating..
I don't think he meant any harm with it, but that was a reminder of what happened that I don't think any of us needed right now.. Now, Gaute is a good man, though sometimes he can be a little tactless... We all had that anxiety, and we all feared for the worst, and we were all relieved when it didn't go that way, but really.. come on..
Gautes notes:
Sometimes my mouth works a little faster than my brain, and things come out not quite like I intended.. We had a nice evening, but the mood got a little weird towards the end.. Deepak didn't really reply to my question...I just made a fool of myself in front of my parent-in-laws. Not the first time, and it probably won't be the last..
I could hear Laranya making a sarcastic remark about being bright as a llama as I watched Deepak walk off to go to bed... I was.. really surprised.. I was concerned he would fall over, but..I mean, he came here this evening on crutches and walked with a cane, and now he just went on his way, without any support, like nothing had happened.. ..well, that's recovery! Or maybe he just forgot he came here with a crutch, I don't really know, but it certainly left me impressed by the man!
Deepaks notes:
That Gaute! Oh, he's an interesting guy.. I think Laranya took his comment much worse than I did. We've all had these thoughts, I'm sure, and he just verbalized them. I know the man is good at heart, and I can see where his comment came from, so there was no reason for me to be offended. It was actually a bit of a relief to hear him say it, as it shows he's had a great deal of concern. Of course, it came out a bit wrong, but we all knew the meaning behind it. I'm pretty confident my daughter is in good hands with this man, and I have no worries at all.
Gautes notes:
I gave an apology to Laranya about my comment, I didn't mean for it to come out like it did. She didn't necessarily mean the llama thing either, as she explained, the past few weeks have been pretty hard, but now that Deepak was back home things were alright again.
I was still a little concerned though, how he seemed to forget using his cane and taking off like a rocket to go to bed. Laranya assured me, that was just his nature, stubborn as he was. When he had a goal in mind, he could really be unstoppable sometimes. Aiming for the stars was just his thing, she said. Yeah.. I can see that, and I'm probably not the right person to say this, but maybe it would benefit him to take it a little easy, atleast for a while....
Leyas notes:
Visiting my mom and the house I grew up in is always a pleasure and today doubly so, when we all got the surprise of dad returning from the hospital. Though it was getting late, and a certain aroma filled the air (Orinder needed his diaper changed...), so I figured it was time to retreat to the hotel for the night.. and prepare for tomorrow..
Dad and my sister had already gone to bed, so it was best not to disturb them, but I gave my mom a solid good hug before saying good night. I could hear Orinder crying as Gaute picked him, so it was definately bedtime for big and small...
Bodils notes:
I have done my homework and done my best to be a good girl all year... Dear Santa, it wasn't me starting those fights at school, I only did that to save my friend... so I hope Santa has got something special for me tomorrow! Well, I don't really believe in Santa anymore, I know it's just mom and dad and I'm just pretending... but I still love christmas! I love the snow, all the candy, the presents, the music, the food, and my grandma and grandpa... Grandpa came home from the hospital today, and he wasn't in the wheelchair anymore. I think he was really happy to be back home in his house again. I think the hospital must be a really boring place. I don't think anyone wants to celebrate christmas at a hospital, but if you are really sick, maybe you have to. I hope a Santa Claus comes to visit all the people at the hospital, too, especially the children. I'm happy I'm not sick and have to be at the hospital for christmas. Ok, good night.
Narrators notes:
..and so everyone went to sleep once more, dreaming dreams of Santa, hospitals, rockets and treadmills (or rocket fuel fueled treadmills perhaps...?)
and an orchestra playing their music...
..as a blue full moon hang silently in the december night sky...
..and perhaps Santa does exist, because isn't that.. the faint sound of jingle bells in the distance...?
..maybe...
...if you look closely, you'll see him...
..good night.
Sub blogs: #01 Sunset Valley. #02: Lake Onebega #03: Sprottenham #04: Bewickton
I myself have given up on the game due to incompatibility with the latest win 11 builds.
I guess I prioritize an updated OS to being able to play the sims.
(And if I didn´t it wouldn´t do me any good since the sims 3 doesn´t like to launch when the computer is not fully updated)
So I hope you are all able to enjoy your game as long as possible.
I won´t keep my fingers crossed for a 64-bit sims 3 designed for modern technology
The ONLY way I would go back to Origin is if they did a Sims 3 64 bit Ultimate Collection on there. But even that is a big IF.
@KevinL5275 Yeah Mark be like, "Sorry Bianca, I am very much a taken (devoted) man."
Hee hee, nice edit!
Gross that the paparazzo joined them in the hot tub!
I sure hope they both get the wish to marry soon.
@Sprottenham ^Thank you.
Oh gosh, Sandy at ATS3 is amazing!
The buildings in the world are big, but not awfully big. So it's good. 👍🏻 No worries. It really looks great.
It was nice to read more of your story.
I love this picture:
Your ending there made me chuckle.
@Simexpert123 ^Thank you so much.
@Ninja-Dan22 ^Thank you.
Great to see pictures from your gameplay.
Goodness, their house getting hit by a meteor and then an abduction happens shortly thereafter. Bless their hearts.
@Silverofdreams30 Cute acrobat guy and that toddler is a cutie too.
@ZhakiraP Aww, I'm so sorry to hear you can't play Sims 3 on your Windows 11 computer.
Thanks.
Haha, yeah, I don't remember to much about the tamagotchi thing now, I suppose it would sleep sometimes, too.. but probably not at the same time that I would sleep.
@ZhakiraP Oh no, that's not good.. I see there are some windows 11 updates ready to be installed on my computer... I wouldn't like it if that made me unable to play..
..
The EA app however, I've had no problems with. Somethings actually seem to run smoother after I had to install it.. sometimes in game too, I notice a small effect where previously things would stutter a bit.. and in buy mode, where you see an object and it rotates.. well, now the objects do not rotate.. they spin.. much faster.. I didn't expect that.. how can.. just installing an EA app make the game, apparently, run smoother? Hmm..
Sub blogs: #01 Sunset Valley. #02: Lake Onebega #03: Sprottenham #04: Bewickton
Thank you, been using that folder to test
cc.
@ZhakiraP
Sims 3 works well on my laptop with windows 11, too bad it did not work out too
well for you hugs.
I do have an extra gaming computer but honestly I am not sure if it´s win 10 or if I updated it
@Silverofdreams30
With a fully updated OS it launches, both on my laptop and my gaming rig, but I get constant error 16 when saving. Usually I get a working save eventually, but by then I have lost all will to play
@Sprottenham I´m glad you are able to run the game without updating the OS, sims 3 just wouldn´t launch for me. As soon as I updated the OS it launches.
I get error 16 both on heavy cc worlds and nearly vanilla. I´ve taken out most of my cc. I´ve read that some claim error 16 is due to memory issues, the save being too large, but that is not at all the issue for me.
Chapter 4
*Christmas Day*
It was a lovely Christmas morning opening presents with mom and dad. With classic Christmas tunes lightly playing in the background and the scent of my mother’s favorite candle encompassing the air. “Holiday Wreath” is its name. She’s been burning it every year at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. And how she’s managed to keep it aflame for so many years I’ll never know, but I love it. And all the Christmas morning memories that come flooding back when the scent enters my nostrils.
We obviously didn’t get up super early, but I could imagine that Amaya woke up the entire Yamamoto household before sunrise for sure. I was super curious what else she got for Christmas and thought, I'll definitely ask her about it at dinner.
The Yamamoto's gift to me was completely unexpected. I was imagining some kind of a cute knick-knack or piece of jewelry, but no…it was (I actually had to look it up to be sure) a Qipao! The Japanese version of a Chinese Cheongsam dress. And a rather fancy one at that! Made out of light blue silk taffeta with intricate designs weaved into it by silver thread. I was in awe! It was gorgeous and I wasn’t sure how exactly I was going to thank them for such a gift. I think I’ll wear it for dinner tonight, I thought with a smile. That’s how I would.
After a breakfast of bacon and egg fried rice, yum, I got myself ready for the day. I kept wondering if Kai was thinking about me as much as I was him as I dreamily combed through my hair before curling it. It’d been a long time since I felt this way about a guy I just met - and feeling this giddy about it too. I guess work really did keep me busier than I realized. Or maybe, the men from New York just weren’t my type...
The curling of my hair slowed as I thought about that for a moment, strangely beginning to question where I was at currently in my life and some of the choices I've made along the way. It produced some very unsettling feelings in my gut. “No,” I said aloud while shaking my head, pushing it all away, and continuing to curl. “You’ve worked very hard to get where you’re at Malai and life is great! New York is where you’re supposed to be. You know this! So there’s no need to worry–”
The doorbell rang.
“Malai would you get that please?” my mother called from her and dad’s bedroom.
I was more than happy to answer the door, so with a pep in my step I promptly exited the bathroom. My heart greatly hoped it was Kai, unable to wait any longer to see me as I was him. I quickly fluffed my hair before opening the door.
It wasn’t Kai…but I was pleasantly surprised to see Amaya all the same.
“Merry Christmas Malai!” she happily greeted, with her gloved hands outstretched and bouncing in her boots. Could she be any more adorable?
Of course I gave her a quick hug. “Merry Christmas sweetie! Did you get everything you wanted this year?”
“YES! It was the BEST!”
“Wonderful!”
“Did you?”
“Yeah…I’d say so.” I was about to ask, does your dad know you’re here, but she anxiously went on to say:
“Do you wanna come over and make Christmas cookies with me!? I always want to make them, but daddy never does,” she scowled. “He’s always ‘too busy.’”
That honestly didn’t surprise me to hear.
“And grandma can’t cause she’s gonna help your mom with dinner. So will you make them with me? Pleeeease? I want cookies SO bad!”
How could I resist that adorable little face with those longing eyes and toothy grin? I liked making cookies and it’s always fun to do with kids. Plus I’d hopefully get to see Kai before dinner. I wasn’t sure what kind of plans he had before then. I certainly didn’t have any, except helping mom and Mami prepare dinner, but I figured they were good without me. “Yeah, that sounds like fun,” I answered Amaya. “Do you want to make them now or–”
“Yes! Now!”
I chuckled. “Alrighty, just let me grab a coat real quick.”
“Ok!”
The cold air outside bit down to the bone, even though the sun was out. With her hand in mine, Amaya and I raced to the front door of the Yamamoto home, dying for warmth, nearly bumping into Mami on her way out.
“Oh hello Malai,” the matriarch greeted me, pulling her coat tighter around herself. “Merry Christmas!”
“Same to you Mrs. Yamamoto.”
“Please, call me Mami. I’m just off to help your mother prepare for dinner.”
“Ok. You two have fun!”
“You two have fun as well,” she ended with a wink and raced across the road herself.
My brow narrowed at the curious wink she gave me. Okaaay.
“Come on inside Malai, it’s freezing!” Amaya screeched.
The little girl gleefully skipped into the kitchen after removing her coat, mittens, and boots in the foyer. I finished up doing the same.
In the kitchen, Amaya handed me her grandmother’s apron to wear while she put on hers as we decided on what kind of cookies to make. Sugar cookies, of course! I got out the ingredients for it while Amaya picked out the cookie cutters.
“Oh! We can’t forget the sprinkles!” Amaya declared.
“Definitely!" I agreed. "They’re a must!”
“Amaya?” I heard Aizen’s voice call, coming into the kitchen with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Do you know where the - geez!” he hissed at the sight of me, jerking back in surprise. “What are you doing here!?”
Does he have to be so rude? was my initial thought, but I immediately found myself unable to respond; so mesmerized by his incredibly sculpted, bare torso, with plump pecs and a six pack. Oh wow.
All I managed to get out was a jarring, “Uhhh…”
“I invited her over to make cookies with me,” Amaya so graciously chimed in. “Because you never want to…”
I raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.
He wasn't very amused by it. “It’s not that I don’t want to Amaya…I just don’t usually have the time to.” He glanced at me again, seemingly nervous about his response in my presence.
I could see Amaya’s frown out of the corner of my eye, like she’d heard that excuse one too many times before.
“Well…it’s Christmas day,” I softly, yet frankly said in Amaya’s defense. “So you should have plenty of time to spend with your family.”
Aizen’s unamused look at me turned into a glare and that’s when a nervous lump formed in my throat. Perhaps I had overstepped my bounds.
He rested his hands on his hips, breathing like an angry bull, and responded with, “Normally, but…there’s a leak in the hallway ceiling that needs repaired and patched up so that’s what I’m going to tackle today.”
My eyes lowered in shame. “Oh…”
Then, to add insult to injury, he threw out one of those smug, “take that” expressions before turning and exiting the kitchen.
Geez..., I thought while squeezing my eyes shut in remorse.
“Oh yeeeah,” Amaya spoke, remembering. “I stepped on the wet part of the carpet when I woke up this morning. With my bare feet! It was COLD!”
I expelled a breath, trying to suppress it from the sweet girl's ears. “Oooh, that’s no fun,” I said, turning around. “So do we have all the ingredients pulled together?”
“Yep! Gotta start the oven first. I know how to do it.”
“Ok...”
C’mon Malai, don’t let Aizen’s snarkiness ruin the fun, I told myself as I read the recipe card. Then again I was the one who had been snarky. Once again my feistiness - and snap judginess - got the better of me…
Will I ever learn?
“The cookies turned out perfect!” Amaya exclaimed, arranging them nicely on a tray. Of course we munched on a few while decorating. They were warm and soft and yummy.
“Yeah,” I breathed, wiping a little sweat off my brow. It got hot in the kitchen fast! “I think I might need to take a breather outside before frosting the next batch.”
“Ok. They’re almost ready.”
I played to groan as I went to exit the kitchen, but was stopped in my tracks when I heard:
“Man it smells good in here,” from Kai as he entered the kitchen. “Oh. Hey,” he greeted me, his eyes lighting up.
“Hey,” I returned with a smile. My heart immediately fluttering.
His rosy cheeks definitely weren’t from the hot kitchen. “It’s nice to see you again so soon,” he said.
“You too,” I whispered.
“Want a cookie uncle Kai?”
“What!? A cookie?” he exclaimed to his niece. “You made cookies without ME!?” He proceeded to tickle her. It was cute.
Amaya giggled as he did so. “I wanted to ask you, but grandma said you were busy. So I asked Malai instead,” she said, gesturing her head towards me.
“Well I think that was a great choice,” he acknowledged, giving me a flirtatious look again. He removed the Bluetooth earpiece from his ear and stuffed it into his pants pocket as he approached me.
“Busy making some calls?” I inquired.
“Sorta,” he replied. “I’m off work until after New Years, but I’m on call in case of any mental health emergencies.”
I nodded. “Well I hope whoever you talked to is going to be ok.”
“They will be. No worries.” He smiled at my consideration.
My non-stop blushing smile must’ve really made my red cheeks pop because the next thing he said was, “Your cheeks are as rosy as red Christmas bulbs." He smirked.
“It’s warm in here,” I replied, wiping a little more sweat from my brow. “I was actually going to step outside for a bit to cool off.”
“Good idea. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.”
Gosh that biting cold felt nice for once! The two of us stood on the porch, without coats, hands on the railing, and gazed out at the ocean for a moment.
One of Maplewood Falls beaches is right next door to my parents house. It was awesome having it so close when I was growing up. And I always loved the soothing sound of the waves lulling me to sleep every night.
“So where’s Ryu this morning?” I broke the silence by asking. “Back in bed?” I chuckled.
“No,” Kai replied with a chuckle as well. “He actually went to the airport to go pick up Tara.”
“Oh, right.”
“Apparently her flight got delayed, so he’ll be hanging out there for another hour or so until she arrives.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah. At least she’ll make it in time for dinner.”
I nodded.
Kai then turned his head and studied my face for a moment. “Your cheeks are looking normal now; a beautiful pink,” he said with that handsome smile of his.
“Thanks. Do I hear your teeth chattering a little bit?” I teased.
“Nah,” he played along, folding his arms together. “I’m used to the cold. I live in Canada.”
I chuckled. “Well even those of us who are used to it can’t handle these single digit temps for very long!”
“True,” he chuckled as well. Then something caught his attention which made his brow furrow as he studied my face. “You have a little something by your lip there…”
“Oh?” I asked, touching the wrong side of my mouth.
“No, it’s on the other side.” He pointed with a grin. “I think it’s some frosting.”
Frosting!? On my face! This WHOLE time!? Gosh I felt so embarrassed!
I promptly went to wipe it off when Kai softly said, “It’s ok…I got it,” while gently rubbing it away with his thumb. The light touch sent an immediate warming sensation throughout my entire body, making my heart skip a beat.
Suddenly I didn’t feel cold anymore.
Gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, with steam emerging from our breaths, we were feeling the heat...and longed for more. Next thing I knew Kai tenderly stroked my cheek and gently lifted my chin. My breathing grew heavier, his too; our hearts beating rapidly in unison. It was unavoidable.
Our lips met. A light stroke at first, then soon a deeply pressed second. And a third, and a forth. Each kiss taking my breath away. Our arms gradually wrapped around each other. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I sure didn't mind it. My limbs started to go limp within his tender grasp.
A sudden hammering from Aizen working on the leaky ceiling, startled us back into reality, which made us both laugh as we pressed our noses together.
“Sorry,” Kai whispered, “I don’t usually kiss a girl so soon after the first meeting, but,” he gazed into my eyes again, “there’s just something about you Malai. This…connection.”
“I feel it with you too Kai,” I revealed.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he grinned. “I guess this is…Merry Christmas.”
I laughed. “Merry Christmas.” I couldn’t believe our noses were still touching.
“I want to get to know so much more about you,” he sincerely said. “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“Yes!” I instantly said, then in a calmer tone, “I mean, yes, I would love that.”
He grinned. “Great! I can’t wait.” Then he kissed me again. Oh my gosh what a good kisser he is!
“MALAI! COOKIES ARE READY!” Amaya called from the kitchen.
I returned my gaze to Kai with a shrug as if to say, Well, I gotta run, even though I kinda wish I didn’t have to...
He nodded, reading me perfectly. “Mind if I join you in the frosting of the cookies?”
“I dunno, you might need to get the head chef’s permission first.” I winked.
“Oh I won’t have a problem with that. I got her wrapped around my finger.” Which he twirled at me with a wink in return.
I giggled.
Hand in hand we went back inside.
All I could think about while starting the frosting was, Did that REALLY just happen!? Landon was going to flip! Heck my PARENTS were going to flip!
When we finished with the cookies we promptly washed ourselves up. Kai flicked some water at me to which I flicked a lot more at him in return.
“Thanks for making cookies with me Malai,” Amaya expressed while drying her hands. “Oh and you too uncle Kai.”
“You’re welcome,” Kai and I both said at the same time. It made us blush.
Aizen then stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out a Capri-Sun to chug. He was fully dressed this time, as I expected him to be. Though it didn’t stop my mind from producing the image of his beautifully ripped chest underneath that plain shirt. I tried to erase it from my mind.
“How’s the leak repair going?” Kai asked him.
Aizen breathed heavily as he lowered the bottle. “It’s alright. I’m gonna go up into the attic and check for any more possible leaks before I do the patch. That part of the pipe wasn’t properly insulated so it froze and burst at the coupling. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the insulation in this house wasn’t done right.”
“Lovely.”
“Yep. Id'iot contractors…” He drank some more.
“Need some help?”
“No, I got it.”
“Want a cookie daddy?” Amaya asked, holding one out to him.
“Sure,” he said while taking it from her. “Thanks baby girl.” Then he took a bite. “Oh…this is good.”
“Hee hee. Thanks!”
He raised the cookie with a nod and left the kitchen to get back to work.
Amaya then turned to me and asked, “Hey Malai, you wanna see my bedroom?”
Bedroom? I curiously thought while briefly glancing at Kai and then back at her. “Sure!” Guess it made sense that Mami would make up a separate bedroom for her granddaughter with all the guys around.
“Sorry Uncle Kai, no boys are allowed,” she cutely informed.
“Oh, right,” Kai tapped at his forehead, “I forgot.” Then smiled. I loved how he was with his niece. It made my heart fall for him all the more.
“Follow me, Malai.”
As Amaya pulled me away by the arm, I turned my head and whispered to Kai, “See you in a little bit?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he smiled.
Amaya’s room was upstairs and Aizen brushed past us on our way up to it. I purposely didn’t make eye contact with him. I still felt bad about earlier and wasn’t sure how I was going to remedy it just yet. Honestly, the man intimidated me a bit.
“Here’s my bedroom!” Amaya declared after pushing open the door and running in, outstretching her arms and twirling.
It was the cutest little room, with a single draped dormer window as the focal point. The roof slanted downwards on both sides of the room and dark wood planks adorned the ceiling. The walls were decorated with dated, flowery wallpaper. There was just enough room for a single bed, dresser, toy box, and a chair for putting on shoes.
“It’s lovely,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said as she sat herself down in the chair.
As I continued to admire the room I realized, this wasn’t a “done up” room for temporary Holiday guests…this was actually Amaya’s bedroom. You could tell it had been lived in for years with the dust on the dresser and windowsill. No way Mami would forget to dust the room in preparation for guests, even family guests.
Amaya and Aizen were living with his parents.
I don’t know how that wasn’t mentioned yesterday somewhere in our many conversations - or that my parents didn’t mention it before. Probably because they figure Aizen isn’t very proud of the situation, and I can’t say I blame him. The mystery surrounding that man suddenly developed into even more of a mystery.
I wasn’t meaning to use sweet Amaya to gather more information, but…
“How long has this been your bedroom?” I asked her.
“Since we moved here,” the girl answered, swinging her legs. “Daddy and I have always lived with grandma and grandpa…”
Always?
“...ever since my mom died.”
Ohhhh… Now it all made sense. My face fell. “I’m so sorry to hear that Amaya.”
“It’s ok,” she surprisingly brushed off quickly. “I don’t remember her since I was a baby when she died.”
“Oh.”
No wonder Aizen is so grumpy and reserved, I thought, he was dealt a pretty hard hand in life. One of the worst… My shoulders slumped with a sigh. I didn’t know what else to say, or think.
All I knew was, my impression of the man - and my perspective - greatly changed in that moment. I was glad I asked Amaya about it, and that she was comfortable in sharing it with me.
“Do you have a picture of you mom?” I asked, curious what she looked like.
“Yeah,” Amaya answered, slipping off the chair and going to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a crinkled physical picture and handed it to me. “Her name was Keisha.”
“That’s a pretty name, like yours,” I said as I studied the woman in the picture.
She was of African American decent, as I suspected, with beautifully frizzy dark hair with brown highlights, pulled away from her face by a denim headband. She wore no makeup and had a single stud nose ring on the left side of her nose. She was in a hospital gown, in a hospital bed, holding her - and Aizen’s - new baby girl with a weary smile on her face. “She’s beautiful,” I said, lowering the picture. “I can see her in you.”
“Really?” Amaya asked with the brightest smile, taking the picture back.
“Definitely!” What, has your dad never told you that? I almost asked, but of course I held it back. Maybe anything related to her mother was too hard to talk about. Completely understandable.
“Thanks Malai,” Amaya said while setting the picture down on the dresser. “I keep hoping that someday I’ll get a new mommy.”
I smiled warmly. “Yeah. I hope you do too…”
Amaya sure deserved a mother…
The best the world could offer.
After visiting in the bedroom, Amaya and I went back downstairs and joined Kai and Mr. Yamamoto in watching Elf. People think I’m crazy for not being the biggest fan of that movie, but I’ll admit it’s nicer to watch with a child that’s getting a kick out of it. Amaya’s laughs were so contagious! Kai and I sat somewhat close on the sofa, but didn’t hold hands or cuddle. We weren’t ready to make anything known yet and really, it was too soon.
After the movie the four of us played Skip-Bo and had a lot of fun. Honestly, I was ready for a Christmas day nap by the time the game ended. (Mr. Yamamoto promptly went back to his lounge chair and did just that!) I also developed a headache, no thanks to all the noise Aizen was making while patching the ceiling along with all the voices. I just wasn’t used to it. Kai noticed me rubbing my temples and kindly got me some Tylenol. Even though Ibuprofen works better for me, I appreciated the thoughtful gesture. He actually got another work related call and excused himself as he retreated to the den to take it. Amaya then climbed into her grandpa’s lap and rested her head against his chest, taking a nap herself. I smiled at the adorable scene.
Just then I realized that all the ceiling repair noises had stopped. For a few minutes actually. Had Aizen finished already? If so, that was fast!
Maybe now was a good time to approach him…
I slowly and carefully stepped into the hallway with my hands clasped tightly behind my back. I could feel my heart racing. It’s never been easy for me to swallow my own pride. I just wanted to stop feeling so nervous and uncomfortable around him. It was wrecking the joy I was having with all of his other family members.
“Hey,” I timidly greeted him with a smile.
He looked down at me in acknowledgement from the ladder, staring for a couple of seconds, and then continued to finalize the job. I’ll take it, was my thought.
I then glanced up at the ceiling. “Wow. That looks really good.”
“It’s what I do,” he simply said.
Now I could feel my rapid pulse beating through my temples, especially when he came down from the ladder. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Listen, uh,” I began, inching closer to him. “I wanted to apologize about what I said earlier. I really didn’t mean to–”
“I know,” he interjected, finally making eye contact with me. “How were you supposed to know about the leaky ceiling?” He slipped the last tool he was using into his tool belt. “You made a fair point otherwise so…don’t worry about it.” He looked away.
Well that was a surprising response; still very dismissive though. I would’ve preferred an “I appreciate that,” or something, but whatever. “Ok,” I lightly accepted.
The feeling in the air still needed to change, pronto. It was wracking my nerves. “Amaya’s a really sweet girl."
“Thanks.”
“I enjoyed making cookies with her this morning.”
“Yeah, about that,” he started in his normal, serious tone while pressing his shoulder against the wall. My stomach clenched. “I appreciate you being so kind to Amaya, but,” he briefly paused, “I don’t need you giving her any false hopes.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor.
“False hopes?” I questioned. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“You’re going home to New York soon right?” he spat out.
“Well, yeah…but–”
“So in that regard, please, just cut ties with her kindly and be on your way. Thanks.” And with that he swooped past me and disappeared around the corner.
Now my mouth dropped with a huff, my head twitching in disbelief. What!? I couldn’t believe him, and didn’t even know how to process that. Truthfully it was making me more angry than I cared to be. I almost called him a je’rk, but no, that wasn’t necessary. I sighed. It seemed pretty clear that he didn’t like me - NO clue why because I’m pretty likable and nice to everyone - and honestly…I didn’t like him. There I said it. No matter how good looking he is. In fact he was looking less and less attractive the more I interacted with his callous self. I huffed again.
“I tried God,” I whispered to the ceiling. "I tried." But…aaaarrghh! Did he have to be so rude!?
No matter what he’d been through…
When Kai found me I did a pretty good job acting like nothing awful had just happened and told him I was going to go home and take a nap. He understood and squeezed my hand affectionately as we said goodbye. Until dinnertime.
Chapter 5 will be released on the 14th.
Oh no, there's a tragedy in the family... that's sad.
Sub blogs: #01 Sunset Valley. #02: Lake Onebega #03: Sprottenham #04: Bewickton