Week Six Part Three: Riedmayer Cove

Jill Smith: 53 years old. Aspiration: Romance. Lifetime want: Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers. Astrological sign: Libra.
Johnson Simpson: 50 years old. Aspiration: Fortune. Lifetime want: Become Chief of Staff. Astrological sign: Gemini.
Agatha Riedmayer: 26 years old. Aspiration: Romance. Lifetime want: Woohoo 20 Different Sims. Astrological sign: Sagittarius.
Gretchen Riedmayer: 23 years old. Aspiration: Fortune. Lifetime want: Become Space Pirate. Astrological sign: Aries.
Jacqueline Riedmayer: 23 years old. Aspiration: Fortune. Lifetime want: Become The Law. Astrological sign: Aquarius.

Agatha moved back here after college, not having any other plans. The only person missing compared to last week's portrait is Annie, whom we just visited at Dejackome Place. 

The family tree. Johnson had two daughters, Annie and Gretchen, with his late partner, Quinton Riedmayer. Jill had two daughters, Agatha and Jacqueline, with her late husband, Elwood Riedmayer. Elwood also had a daughter from his first marriage, Beata Riedmayer-Landgraab, who now has 7 children and about 16 grandchildren. (Grandchildren not pictured for the sake of space.)

"A New Generation"
narrated by Jill Smith

I suppose you know my whole backstory already, right? Great, let's cut to the chase. My soaps are on soon. Yeah, who'd have thought 30 years ago that Jill Smith would marry some old guy and then end up raising four kids with a gay man and then turn into a grandmother who watches soaps? Not me.

Where was I? Well, I'll start when Gretchen and Jackie left for college. They were getting near the maximum age for admittance, but they wanted to stay home and get as many AP credits as possible before they started on their higher education. They both ended up getting 5 scholarships. Gretchen got hers for good grades, good performance in her after school job, cooking skill, charisma skill, and logic skill.

Jacqueline got all the same except creativity skill instead of cooking skill. That girl looks just like me but she takes after Johnson, work work work all the time. (Come to think of it, her father was like that too, though he'd slowed down a lot by the time we married.) She'd be a real pretty girl if she took some care for her appearance.

Agatha, my other daughter, is the opposite. She looks like her father's side of the family but has a lot more of my personality. She's got an interesting face shape, but she knows how to cut her hair and dress to flatter her unique looks. She moved back here after college, since she didn't have any other plans and we have plenty of room in this drafty old mansion.

The three of us just kind of led parallel lives for a few years, working and socializing and doing whatever. Then one day we all sort of decided at once to go on vacation. We'd been working hard enough and had a good bit put away for a rainy day; why not splurge? So we left early one morning and flew to Twikii Island.

We saw all the usual sights. Agatha did her own kind of sightseeing besides. She seemed to hit it off with one of the natives. That grass skirt look doesn't do it for me, but she's entitled to her own opinion, I suppose.

I had the room next to her in the hotel, so I heard some things at night and when I'd go over to see her in the morning she'd be barely dressed. Maybe she was just sleeping like that to stay cool in the tropical heat, but I have a feeling there was more to it than that. I kind of subtly told her stories about how when I fell in love I let myself get swept off my feet and next thing I knew I was a widow with two tiny kids. I don't know if my little lecture got through to her at all. She's a grown woman and can make her own choices, but I just know she's not the type to want to be tied down for long.

That native fellow was standing around watching us when the taxi came to take us back to the airport. He looked kind of sad, seeing Agatha pick up her suitcase and walk away from him without a backward glance.

Well, it wasn't three months later that Agatha came to me and told me she was pregnant. I told her I'd support whatever choice she made, and she decided to keep it and raise it. I worry a little that she thinks that being a single mother is easy just because I did it with two, but I had lots of help and it was still the hardest thing I'd ever done, caring for her and Jacqueline when they were little.

Anyway, soon the whole family knew and accepted Agatha's baby wholeheartedly. I think Annie was the most excited; she was just three months farther along with her first child. (Ed. note: Pictured is actually Annie's second pregnancy, but pretend it's her pregnant with Rivka.) She and Agatha swapped stories about morning sickness and whatever else all the time.

Other days, though, you'd think Agatha didn't even know she was pregnant. She spent a lot of time out on the exercise equipment, trying to keep her figure. I worried sometimes she was going to overdo it and hurt herself, not to mention the baby. I am turning into a bit of a worrier now that I'm old, I guess.

One day a few weeks before the baby was due she and I were sitting down at the old chess table just talking about this and that, and I found myself asking if that native guy she'd been so taken with was the father. She said yes, but that she wasn't going to tell him about the baby because he was one of those family-oriented types who'd want to get married right off and make an "honest woman" out of her. But they wanted such different things out of life that she knew they'd be miserable married to each other.

One rainy day in January, Agatha felt her first labor pains right there at the chess table. I tried to help her as much as I could, but I don't know how much help I really was. Johnson ended up being a lot more useful, I'll wager, but then again he was working as a surgeon at Sim City General at the time, so he had at least a little relevant experience. I just birthed two babies, and I kind of tried to block out those memories.

Fortunately, Agatha didn't have too much trouble and before we knew it she was holding her son. Andrew Kimbrell Riedmayer, born January 14, 2051. He's mostly got Agatha's coloring, but then again his father had about the same coloring, that I recall. His eyes are dark blue instead of gray like Agatha's; I guess he got those from his father for sure.

 We all pitched in with the baby, feeding him, changing him, getting up with him when he cried in the night. Well, Johnson and I handled most of those night wake-ups. Agatha was working nights as some kind of phone psychic or something so she could be home with Andrew during the day when Johnson and I were at work. It wasn't so bad; now that I'm old I'm up half the night anyway.

Between the three of us, we actually managed to get everything done with a little time left over. One day I saw Johnson out on the front lawn with Korey, the guy who's the headmaster of the private school our girls attended.

Later on they took it to the bedroom. I never bothered to tell Johnson that I'd gotten some action with Korey years ago; it was a one-time fling and Johnson deserves to be happy. I don't think he's been with anyone since Quinton died all those years ago.

I had my lovers too during that time, but a lady never kisses and tells. *smile*

Andrew grew like a weed, as babies do. He's three years old now. I think he looks a lot like his mother did at that age, but maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see. Haven't got anything against his father, but from what I saw he was no looker, not compared to my Agatha.







Blast from the past: Agatha just before she grew up to child. Neither picture is good enough for you to really tell, but I like to imagine that Andrew has his mother's pointy nose at least. I will have to check when I next play this house.








Well, I guess I've got you all caught up, and just in time to watch The Pleasant Twins. I just love watching those girls slap each other silly. You can show yourself out, right? Mind you don't trip going down all those stairs.

Also during this week:

Johnson reached his LTW and TOC #1 just in the nick of time. His new LTW is to become a Business Tycoon, but there were no business jobs on the computer so he took a job as a Theorist in the Science track instead. 

Later on in the week, Agatha topped the paranormal track and immediately switched to being a Broadway Star in the Show Business track. Her LTW isn't career related, though, so she's a very unhappy Romance Sim at the moment, having only 2 of her desired 20 woohoo partners. Since she did her duty and produced a Riedmayer heir, she will get to focus more on her wants this coming round.

Jill is still putzing her way up the Law Enforcement career track. Meanwhile, she's up to 14 (of 20) lovers, but this screenshot from the beginning of the week is meant to highlight one of her lovers in particular.

I was surprised when I discovered this (having apparently not paid enough attention to Audrey's relationship panel after she moved in with Corbin), but it ended up providing an interesting twist to the story.

At one point Andrew got glitched--none of the adults could interact with him--which was particularly terrifying given that he's such an important baby. I minimized the game and did some frantic googling and then with fear and trepidation deleted him (using move_objects) and then reloaded the lot. He was happily lying on the ground next to the mailbox, and I sent Jill to fetch him. She could interact with him just fine, but then she had quite a time getting him back up to the house...it's a long walk and the ghosts scared her half a dozen times on the way. Poor Andrew.

Not much has changed in the house since Week 5. The DJ booth on the porch is a gift from one of Jill's lovers.

Johnson has the large red room to himself, while Jill and Agatha share the smaller pink room and Andrew sleeps in the hallway. I think I am going to majorly renovate this floor when I next play this house.

The attic now has musical instruments (bought to keep aspirations up, no doubt) and a Grim Reaper Phone in addition to Elwood and Jill's old bed. 

The greenhouse is finished and half of it has been turned into an indoor pool. There might be actual plants at some point, but then again maybe not.

Week Six Part Two: Dejackome Place

Melanie Tse: 50 years old. Aspiration: Knowledge. LTW: Max All Skills. (Fulfilled: Become Game Designer.) Astrological sign: Virgo.
Gavin Dejackome: 28 years old. Aspiration: Knowledge. LTW: Become Criminal Mastermind. Astrological sign: Cancer.
Annie Riedmayer: 25 years old. Aspiration: Popularity. LTW: Become Captain Hero. Astrological sign: Aquarius.

For complete family trees, please see the college update. For now, a quick recap:
Gavin is the only son of founder Rivka Dejackome, so of course he has returned to his childhood home after college.
Annie Riedmayer is the elder of Quinton Riedmayer's two daughters, and thus a member of the far smaller second branch of the massive Riedmayer family (the other branch containing Elwood's numerous descendants). She is Gavin's fiancee and thus came with him after college rather than moving back to her own childhood home.
Melanie Tse was close friends with the late Rivka Dejackome and became a live-in nanny to the children, which was fortunate since Rivka died before any of them became teens. She also served as placeholder while Gavin was away at college. 
Since the prosperity challenge rules dictate that college graduates can move in with a) a relative (or maybe just a parent?) or b) a best friend, and since Melanie is not actually Gavin's relative, I made sure that they remained BFFs throughout his college years. Gavin moved in with his BFF Melanie, and then Annie was able to move in with her BFF Gavin. 

"Role Reversal"

Narrated by Melanie Tse

Gavin and Annie ended up being able to leave Sim City earlier than they thought, so they arrived about half an hour after I left for work. (I'm a substitute teacher.) When they arrived, they were apparently terrified that I was lying dead or injured somewhere because the yard looked so terrible...old newspapers piled up, weeds everywhere...After they checked the house and didn't see me, they got to work cleaning things up, even though it was raining fairly hard at the time.

As soon as I reassured them that I was not dead, they started planning their wedding. It was held early the following year: Saturday, February 9, 2047.

They are a lovely couple, obviously very devoted, and I knew that they would be very happy together.

They also have a sense of humor, which is always important in a marriage.

This might sound crazy, but I had the strangest feeling that Rivka was somehow watching the wedding herself, from wherever she is now.

Outtake: I can only invite 5 or 6 people using the "Throw Party" option, so I did a regular "Call > Invite Over" for several guests. Some asked if they could bring friends and I thought, "Why not? The more, the merrier!"

This is why not. I didn't see what led up to this slap-fest, but I'm assuming Theresa interacted romantically with her fiance, Malcolm (they're three-bolt lovers and can't keep their hands off each other), and Dog Face there got mad because he thought the one-time fling he had with Theresa when she was at college actually MEANT something.

Since money was a bit tight, Gavin and Annie decided to go to Three Lakes for their honeymoon--it's just a couple of days' drive away, or a very short flight. We ended up flying because Gavin didn't think my old bones could handle that much time in the car. Yes, he insisted that his old auntie come along on his honeymoon. I expected Annie to object, but she was all for it. I decided to be flattered rather than insulted, though I suspect they secretly think I'm a child and can't be left home alone for a week.

We managed to rent a lovely two-bedroom cabin, just right for the three of us.

I probably could have spent a whole week just relaxing in the cabin, but we did take in some local sights. Annie was much better than I at the log rolling thing...

I got the hang of slap dancing pretty quickly, though.

I must admit, though, that my favorite thing about Three Lakes was the deep tissue massage.

Gavin and Annie said that their favorite part was the sauna.

We had heard from Jeannie about the Bigfoot...excuse me, Sasquatch...oppression that went on in Three Lakes. When we met Christian there, of course we had to apply to have him move back to Prosperity Plains with us. Our application was accepted, and he moved in with us and took over Gavin's old bed. (Not Gavin's old room, though, since we'd renovated after Gavin and Annie moved back.)

For some reason, Gavin and Annie weren't able to find jobs in their desired fields right away. I had a job as a substitute teacher, so I managed to support us all right during that period, but it was difficult. (Christian couldn't find a job either. He wanted to get into education so that he could teach future generations the truth about Sasquatches.)

Annie spent most of her time networking, hoping one of her many friends would be able to give her some help. Gavin worked on honing his skills so he could impress potential employers.

Gavin finally got a job with Malcolm Landgraab's imports business in late 2049. He seems to enjoy it very much.

With our income newly increased, Gavin and Annie felt free to try for a baby and were immediately successful.

(Annie actually got pregnant long before that--I think on the honeymoon--but again, I am trying to make Sim-pregnancies seem realistic lengths.)

Their daughter was born on October 25, 2050. They named her Rivka Anne Dejackome. She ended up with her mother's brown eyes and her father's red hair; it made her look a great deal like her aunt Theresa.








After little Rivka was born, Gavin decided to get back in shape. He had put on a bit of weight in college and I think he was self-conscious about it. It was a little funny that Annie had no trouble losing her baby weight but Gavin was working so hard on losing his after the baby.

Gavin had 8 or 9 body points the whole time he was fat, and now he has 10, so he'd better not get fat again--especially since he has only about one bolt with Annie and she is turned off by fatness.

Gavin helped me lose some weight too; I'd put on quite a few pounds over the years without really realizing it.











Christian managed to get a job lecturing at a university, but Annie still hadn't managed to find a job in law enforcement. So she was a stay-at-home mother to Rivka while the rest of us worked outside the home. Before we knew it, Rivka was a beautiful little toddler. I think I see more of her father in her as she grows, but it's hard to tell at her age.

Annie and Gavin both wanted a fairly large family, and they decided that since Annie was at home anyway she might as well have another child, so that she would not want to go on maternity leave as soon as she got a job. However, it took some time for her to conceive the second time. She found out she was pregnant again shortly before little Rivka turned 3 years old.

Annie's second pregnancy was very different from her first. She was hungry all the time and craved rich foods like cheesecake. When she was about 4 months along she found out that she is having twins! I suppose that explains it; growing two babies requires more food than growing one. We're all looking forward to their arrival early next spring.

This is the house at the end of the week. Everything to the left of the flowerbed is new, and the bedroom portion inside is extensively renovated. Melanie has her own double bed in the back bedroom there, and then Gavin and Annie and Rivka all share the largest front bedroom for now. Then there's the study, Christian's room, and an empty room. (The pink bed used to be Theresa's; no sense getting rid of it when Rivka will need one of her own soon.)

Once they have a little more money, I will probably bump out the kitchen/dining/living area to be level with Melanie's room, just because I like my Sims to have plenty of room to maneuver.

And here is the outside. It looks a little funny, but I still like it. I spent quite a while getting the roof just right, since the wall bumps out one space there to the left of the flowerbed.

Other than job woes, this week was pretty boring for the Dejackome/Tse/Bigfoot household.. Next week we get to find out whether one of Annie's twins will be the Generation 3 Dejackome heir or whether she will have to try again. (I haven't started playing Week 7 yet, because real life has gotten in the way, so I don't know any more than you do!)

(If Annie and Gavin don't have a boy in their third pregnancy, I will let them stop and just have one of the girls be heir.)