Day in, day out

Round 34: September 2040 (Spring)

last update/next update

Augustin and Hanna Novak are 85, Naomi is 65 and Owen is 63. 

(James is 65, Eliot is 54, Amar is 39, Adrienne is 33, Malcolm is 30, Hope is 29 and Beau is 2)

Narrated by Naomi Novak

We woke up one morning last week to discover Mum had passed away in her sleep. 

If you’re going to go, in your sleep seems preferable to any alternatives but we were all still devastated.

My parents were young when they had James and me - barely out of their teens themselves - so I was lucky to have Mum around for as long as I did. Many people are not fortunate enough to reach their 60s and still have both parents alive.

Even knowing all this, I still feel totally unprepared and blindsided by Mum’s death. I lived with her my entire life, so to have her suddenly not here is a massive adjustment for me.

I find myself getting more worried about when I’ll lose Dad too. He and Mum were the same age and I don’t know how much time we have left with him either.

Losing Dad is going to be especially tough for me. We’re so alike and we’ve never really clashed much, even when I was a teenager. 

After Mum’s funeral, we held little get-together at home afterwards. As little as can be with our family anyway. 

Mum had three kids, nine grandkids and seven great-grandkids, so even a family-only gathering is enormous.

But it was nice. I hate being around that many people but it’s different with family. There just doesn’t seem to be as much pressure.

Malcolm and Adrienne both have so much going on and before Mum died, it had been a few weeks seen we’d seen either of them in person. 

We normally try to see each other fairly frequently, especially since Beau came along. 

Even if we go just a couple of weeks, the next time we see him, he’s learnt a whole load of new things there was no hint of before.

The day after the funeral, Owen and I both had to go back to work and leave Dad alone at home. He told me not to worry, though of course, I did anyway. 

Dad is coping okay, considering, but he’s been extremely quiet.

He’s spending a lot of time in the garden he started with Mum. It’s spring now and he’d been looking forward to planting some new things with her but he usually just has the dog out there with him.

I’m very glad we got Diesel not long before Mum died. Neither Owen or I were able to take much time off work, so it’s comforting to know Dad’s not totally alone all day at home.

I still worry that he’ll hurt himself but he loves that dog, so at least he’s a little less lonely.

James and Eliot both live fairly close by though and have been dropping in during the day, when they can. 

Things with Mum and Dad have always fallen to me, being the one who remained living in the family home but my brothers have stepped up a lot since Mum died.

We’ve had family and friends streaming in and out of the house recently. 

It’s actually getting quite exhausting but I know everyone just wants to check in and make sure we’re all doing okay.

It’s nice that they care but I’d just rather have time to myself to sew. 

Sewing always helps take my mind off things, which I’ve needed quite a lot lately, when I’m missing Mum.

I’m glad both Dad and Owen know to never disturb me when the door to my sewing room is closed. 

I’m lucky to have them.

Things have been understandably gloomy here of late but we did recently get some happy news.

It’s very early days but Hope and Malcolm are having a baby!

They’ve been trying for a little while now and they’re both thrilled that it’s finally happening for them.

This will be the second grandchild for me and Owen and Dad’s eighth great-grandchild, which is amazing. 

Mum would have been ecstatic with the news, as she was always on Hope and Malcolm’s backs about starting a family. 

We’re all wishing that she was still here to meet the impending Baby Novak but even so, the news has given us all a little lift. 

**********

Hanna Novak (1955-2040)

Hanna Novak (née Gottlieb) died suddenly at home this week, at 85 years of age.

Hanna Novak was born in Exeter, to Isaac and Petra Gottlieb, in 1955.

She was raised alongside twin brother, Adam, who now lives in Sullivan. 

While still in high school, Hanna began to date her future husband Augustin.

The couple attended Suffolk University together after graduation, where they both earned philosophy degrees.

It was at university that Hanna became pregnant for the first time, resulting in twins James and Naomi. 

A few years later, Hanna and Augustin married at Augustin's parents' home in Sullivan.

Six years later, youngest son Eliot joined the family.

Until their retirement several years ago, Hanna and her husband both worked in the field of education and were very well-respected among their peers.

Hanna is survived by her husband Augustin; children Naomi, James and Eliot; grandchildren Aaron, Ethan, Connor, Adrienne, Malcolm, Tim, Matthew, Simon and Charlotte and great-grandchildren Amy, Natalie, Curtis, Willow, River, Wren and Beau. Had she lived, she would have welcomed her eighth great-grandchild in June.

Extras:

Diesel the dog ran away at one point. He was being treated very well by the family but he's Cowardly and I suspect he saw a tree struck by lightning (insane rain this session!) and made a run for it. Austin Carmody's girlfriend Nora was the one who brought him back. I've been looking at animal-related careers for her, in case she ever marries into the hood, but I completely forgot she was legitimately the animal control NPC! Even though that was the whole reason I made her an animal lover in the first place!

Notes:

• Title is from Day In, Day Out by XTC.
• RIP Hanna! If it seemed like I was delaying this update, I kind of was. I hate killing my sims off, even when they're as old as Hanna is. :( 
• The get-together after the funeral was quite debaucherous! Connor and Lila headed off to Augustin and Hanna's bedroom before I could stop them and Ethan and Maia were making a run for Naomi and Owen's room before I locked the doors. Locking the doors doesn't do much when there's a hot tub in the backyard though. Adrienne and Amar jumped in first and Hope and Malcolm had a the same idea a little while later. Then Adrienne and Amar got in for Round 2. And yes, before you ask, this is where Hope and Malcolm conceived their baby.
• Sidenote but isn't hot tub woohoo incredibly gross? I have to not think about it too much when I'm playing, because it really does seem quite unsanitary!
• If you only skimmed the obituary, you might have missed it, so I'll repeat again that Hope is due in June 2041, a month after Patience and Rob's third is due. I will probably try to work Hope's pregnancy updates into birthday updates that I already have planned. There are a lot coming up and I don't really want to add more if all that's happening is a bump-up! ;)