Thursday 8 December 2011

A peak you reach

Round 32: April 2036 (Autumn)
Liam Weaver is 73, Jonas Lachance is 58, Tatiana is 53 and Brendan is 13.
(Dominic is 26, Leslie is 25, Jack and Audrey are both 24, Edward and Lucy are both 21, Caitlin is 13 and Annabel and Georgina are both 12)

Narrated by Brendan Lachance

Without exception, Sunday is family night at our place.

Dad always cooks. Mum has never been keen on cooking and no one likes to leave it all to Grandpa. Cooking for 10 is a big job.

If he had his way, he’d probably spend the whole time talking to Jack. Dad loves Jack.

Neither Mum or Dad really liked Audrey’s last boyfriend, so they’re thrilled that this thing with Jack seems to be for the long-term.

Having everyone over makes me miss having Dominic, Audrey and Edward living here.

I only just barely remember Dominic living here - he was my age when I was born and moved out by the time I started kindergarten. But we’re close now and it would be cool if we could hang out every day.

Dominic and Leslie got married a few months ago and they’ve been busy settling into their new house.

Their place is here in Sullivan, rather than out in Exeter, where they both used to live before they got married. Mum heartily approves of that.

Edward and Lucy are hoping to move back to Sullivan too next year, although assuming he gets a job at the aquarium like he wants, Exeter would be more convenient.

Lucy is keeping her eye open for suitable places already, while Edward focuses on his classes.

I definitely want to go to college when I’m old enough. I want to work for the SCIA and you need a degree for that.

I hope I can do as well as Edward has. He’s had a 4.0 all the way through university so far and he’s working really hard to keep it for the semester and a bit he has left.

For the rest of the week, it’s very quiet around here. Now that I’m older, I’m expected to take a much more active role in helping out on the farm.

So my mornings usually start at the crack of dawn, so I can help Grandpa tend the crops.

It’s not exactly my favourite thing in the world but it’s definitely one of Grandpa’s. He hums to himself the whole time we’re out there. I think it’s how he remembers Grandma.

But anyway, it needs to be done, so I just get on with it.

Some mornings when I’m really tired though, school doesn’t seem like a very appealing idea afterwards. It can make concentration a challenge.

Normally, I love school. That probably sounds really geeky to some people, so I don’t say it out loud too often.

But I do. I get good grades, I like my classes and I even like my teachers. What’s not to love?

I have to admit that it’d be nice if there were some other guys my age at school though. The other guys are all older and they’ve got their own thing going.

So I hang out with Caitlin, Annabel and Georgina instead. I’ve been friends with Caitlin since we were little but I only got to know Annabel and Georgina this year.

Caitlin is the unofficial leader of our group. We generally all just follow along with whatever she wants to do.

I don’t think Caitlin would like it any other way, so she’s just lucky that the rest of us are all fairly easy-going and we don’t mind so much.

She can be very bossy and she’s really bold too. She flat out asked my dad to let her into the arcade for free last weekend.

And he let her too! She put it down to her powers of persuasion but Dad’s just too much of a softie and he likes Caitlin.

I was glad I was working that day and wasn’t with Caitlin; I wouldn’t want Dad to think I put her up to it.

Usually, Uncle Jesse works for Dad but he was taking Mitchell to the Open Day at Suffolk, so he couldn’t work. That left the job to me.

It wasn’t quite as fun as I thought it would be. It’s not like I got to play video games all day. It was mostly just restocking and a lot of work on the register!

But it was okay. When it was slow, I snuck in a few games of pinball, seeing the machines are right there by the register.

I had to get right back behind the counter when Annabel walked up, wanting to exchange her tokens for a prize.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m fine talking to Annabel at school but I act like a total idiot when we’re alone. I always say something stupid or I can’t say anything at all. I don’t know. She’s just so pretty and I get flustered.

This time, I completely forgot how to use the register.

Dad explained the whole thing to me that morning and I had no problems with it all day, until I had to serve Annabel.

I hope she didn’t see the drawer hit me in the gut but I don’t know how she could have missed it.

Caitlin was still hanging around, so she had to have seen it too.

When I saw the girls at school on Monday, it was the first thing Caitlin mentioned and she thought it was hilarious.

In fact, they all thought it was very amusing. My register skills were the topic of conversation that morning, unfortunately.

I know they were just kidding around but I was still relieved when Georgina finally changed the subject.

I hope I can avoid humiliating myself in front of Annabel in the future but with my track record, I don’t like my chances.

Notes:
  • Title is from A Peak You Reach by Badly Drawn Boy.
  • I think Jonas has a little man-crush on Jack. He rolls as many wants for Jack as he does for his wife and children! Actually, all the adults in this house seem to have a favourite out of the kids' partners; Tatiana loves Leslie and Liam is oddly fond of Lucy.
  • Open Day is something I've had in the back of my mind to do with Suffolk for a while now. I assume universities everywhere do something like Open Day or Information Day, for prospective students. I'd probably write it into a high school update, if I did it but I'd thought I'd throw a quick mention in here.
  • I am expecting some drama with Brendan and Annabel a little way down the road. There's a little bit more to it than I'm willing to reveal at the moment but what I will say is that he's quite fond of her and I suspect she doesn't feel quite the same way. And I don't think they're a great match, ultimately. Not that I'd let that stop me from getting them together, seeing they're so young but it would be interesting.

19 comments:

  1. Whoa, you can't just tease us with that tidbit about Brendan and Annabel like that and then move on. O, who said that they were allowed to be teens already! Gosh, I remember when those twins were born, heck I remember when their parents almost didn't get together!

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  2. Apple Valley, heh, there will definitely be more revealed about Brendan and Annabel when I get to her update, which isn't too, too far away.

    And I know! I was saying in a comment to someone else a day or so ago that I still so clearly remember Lia and company in high school and college and now they have their own kids in high school. It's hard to believe!

    Thanks for reading!

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  3. Teen drama on the horizon, yay! \0/ I'm with Apple on this, the twins. Man, I remember when they were babies and now they are in high school. Time flies!

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  4. I am with Jonas, I love Jack too! ♥♥♥ lol

    Brendan, what a handsome young man he grew up to be. I could feel his embarrassment at the register poor thing. How cute teenage crushes can be.

    Ok I had to do a double take when I saw Caitlin. I even click on her profile to make sure it was the same Caitlin Romily. I couldn't believe it. Im floored! She is one of my faves and she is just growing up so fast! She is so beautiful and I love her boldness.

    Annabel and Georgina my goodness what gorgeous twins.

    Great update! Can't wait for more.

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  5. I've always been a fan of Jack :). Sometimes things go by SO fast in the game! You look up and babies are now teens and you're just like wow when did that happen?! And poor Brendan, that is such an awkward stage......and I knew Caitlin would be a force to be reckoned with lol

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  6. Ah so this was the teen drama you were talking about? :)
    I'm agreeing with every one else here! I too remember the twins being born, and being these really adorable twins, and now they are getting interested in boys, and flirting and such! It still feels like they're not old enough for these kind of things :)

    Their family is getting pretty expanded, and I love all the in-laws! I can't blame Jonas for liking Jack, he's the cutest ;) though I don't think Jonas will agree with that part :)

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  7. Riverdale, there definitely might be a little teen drama coming up. ;) But I know - it really doesn't seem like this bunch are old enough for it yet!

    Thanks for reading!

    Nicky, I pretty much love Jack myself. ;)

    Brendan looks a lot like Jonas and Edward to me but yes, he's a good looking kid. A little awkward around the opposite sex but weren't we all, at that age, lol?

    Heh, there's only one Caitlin Romilly! I love her - she turned out really awesome. I could tell she was going to be a bold thing when she gave Brendan this very withering look when they were toddlers. It was hilarious!

    Thanks for reading!

    Mizzgin03, I think there are a few Jack fans around these parts. ;)

    Everything does seem to go fast in this game, even though I play much slower than I once did! I remember Tatiana and Finn getting Brendan and Caitlin together for an (unsuccessful!) play date when they were toddlers and now they're 13! Crazy.

    Caitlin is definitely not a wallflower, is she? I'm a bit scared for whatever guy she ends up dating!

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, this was the beginning of the teen drama, yep!

    I was eagerly anticipating Caitlin's 12th birthday but Annabel and Georgina's really snuck up on me! I wonder what Lia and Gordon will cope with their girls being teens now. Just as hard for the parents sometimes!

    This is getting to be a rather large family, which is quite fitting, seeing it used to be one of my largest households, when all the kids were at home and when Arianna was alive! I can't imagine how large it'll be when all the grandkids start coming along!

    Thanks for reading!

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  8. O I wonder if Anabel prefers girls... Guess we will find out sooner or later. Because I know you won't tell me even if I am right! ;-) That would stink for Brendan though. He was so cute with the register. Love the prize section of the arcade, and I loved the family get together. It's great seeing jack around still, he's such a better match for Audrey then Connor ever was. I feel for Brendan though, being stuck with only girls. There are so many boys in his school just too old for him I guess.

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  9. Maisie, well, this time, I don't mind saying that Annabel does like boys, seeing I've already implied I'd let them get together if they wanted to. I think Annabel has the potential to be a bit flakey, like her aunt Maia once was, though and I don't know how that would be for Brendan. But like I said, there's more. ;)

    Connor and Audrey were not a good match! I never would have stuck them together - they initiated that themselves, lol. I think most people have some not-so-suitable relationships, before they meet someone who's right for them though. She and Jack work well together; it just took them a while to stop dancing around and actually get together.

    Yeah, there are older boys in the school who are not interested in hanging out with Brendan and there are younger boys coming in who Brendan won't be interesting in hanging out with! I think when he gets to college, he'll be on a more equal footing with those guys and will finally have a few male friends!

    Thanks for reading!

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  10. Aw, young love. Kinda. I'll just wait to see what those kids do. They may surprise you. I do feel bad for Brendan; nothing but girls to hang out with. It's a good thing he's so laid-back he can deal with it.

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  11. Fini, true, you never know what these Sims are going to do! I guess, in a way, it's good for Brendan to get used to being around girls. He's from a fairly male-dominated family, so being surrounded by girls at school balances it out a little!

    Thanks for reading!

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  12. I can't wait to see what happens with Annabel and Brendon. I wonder if any hearts are going to be broken in the process.

    I'm loving Caitlin's attitude so far. I hope she learns to real it in when the situation demands it.

    I know that Brendon likes his friends but I think he could use some guy friends around. Hopefully that happens soon.

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  13. Choco, not too long until the Nott update, so there won't be too much of a wait until you find out. I'm still not positive what way I'm going with the wants I'm seeing from the Sims right now.

    I really adore Caitlin but true, she will probably have to learn to exercise some restraint and ability to compromise at some point!

    Brendan would love a few guy friends but all the other boys are at least two years older or younger than him. At this age, that's a big gap but it won't be so big when they all get a little older.

    Thanks for reading!

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  14. I had high hope for Annabel and Brendan but than I read your comment. Now I'm sad. I think they would have made a great looking couple. On the other hand I do like drama.

    Can't wait to see what happens.

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  15. oasisvalley, well, you never know. Brendan and Annabel might surprise us all. I think I'm due to play them next, so we'll soon see. Maybe we'll get a good looking couple and some drama. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

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  16. Aww, poor Brendan...it's hard to be a teen. :) It's too bad they aren't a better match, but they probably shouldn't be looking for soul mates right now anyway.

    I love the idea of Open Day! We do similar things here in the states, with campus tours, etc., then orientations for the students who decide to actually attend. I think that's a great idea for your Sims (sometimes I really miss the University expansion pack). :)

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    Replies
    1. It's funny that Brendan has latched onto Annabel like he has, because the chemistry is not fantastic or anything. There are girls that he knows and likes who are a better match. But he's only 13 and it makes sense that he wouldn't realise that just yet!

      I'm going to make a note about doing an open day as part of the high school update this coming round. The more I think about it, the more fun it sounds. And it'll ease the load at my high school lot too. ;)

      Thanks for reading!

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  17. Aw, I love when a teen is the narrator. And Brendan is doing great in this job. I love that Caitlin is the leader of the little group. And the twins... Annabel is extra cute, she reminds me Emma (though they don't look alike, but they both have a dark skin and clear eyes). Yeah for teens. :)

    (ah-ah, I've been caught up by your comments! I'm glad you explained about Zac, because I was wondering how he could have changed that much!)

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    Replies
    1. It's always fun for me to write from the teen's perspective too. I'm usually pretty keen to start looking through their eyes by the time they reach 12 or 13. :)

      Caitlin would have to be the leader, wouldn't she? I don't know how she got so bold. She's outgoing like her dad but he's not bossy like she is! Annabel's light eyes and dark skin is a pretty striking combination - no wonder Brendan has a crush on her!

      Thanks for reading!

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