Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 22 - Beginnings

It was springtime once more in Sunset Valley, the season of renewal and rebirth.  Faye took full advantage of this, chopping off the long hair that she'd been growing since childhood.

She wasn't a kid anymore.  In fact, she would be graduating in a matter of days, and moving on to her adult life.  It was time to put the past behind her.

Another chapter of the Woods family's life was about to be put behind them as well.  Their aging cat, Pudding, had been in poor health for some time.  But one morning, the cat was too weak even to eat, and everybody knew that the time was near.  By the time Greg got home from work, the Grim Reaper was there.
Grim Reaper: YOUR TIME HAS COME.
Pudding: "Mew?"
Grim Reaper: A LIFE WELL LIVED.

Eliza was taking it particularly hard.  Pudding had been her cat, purchased as a kitten just before she married Greg.  She knew that she should be thankful that Pudding had hung on for as long as she had, but Eliza couldn't help breaking down in tears right in the middle of the front room.

Faye comforted her mother, holding her until the sobs stopped.  It was hard on everybody to lose a family pet, but it had to happen.  After a certain age, it would just be cruel for an animal to have to stay alive just because they would be missed.

They collected the ashes left behind by the Grim Reaper and placed them in a jar, setting the reminder of their lost pet on top of the bookcase, next to where Eliza did her painting.

James wasn't at home when the Grim Reaper came, but he didn't mind much.  He had never been too close to the cat, and he knew that Faye could handle Eliza's grief.  Instead, he was at the gym, where he spent much of his time lately.  While he doubted he'd ever manage to be a track star, he'd earned himself a solid place on the team.  Integrating himself into the high school jock culture had been difficult, but rewarding, as he now found himself with a large casual social circle.  Girls actually wanted to date him now, believe it or not.  Despite his frequent wins in Debate Club, nobody would want to be his girlfriend because of that - it was nerdy!

High school wouldn't last forever, though, and James needed to work on his plans for afterwards.  The rock Faye had found - the girl never knew its value - was a start, but there were so many other pieces that needed to fall into place.  James made a concentrated effort to further improve his persuasive skills.  Logical argument was all well and good, but sometimes you just needed to inject some charisma into a situation.

He could see the effects of his practice almost immediately.  Being able to control people with a perfectly-timed wink, nod, or compliment was just as important as the ability to articulate details to make a point.  In fact, James suspected that, with practice, such conversation skills could carry more weight in everyday discourse than the logical arguments he'd favored so far, especially if the facts of a situation ran contrary to how he wanted it to turn out.

Which, really, was exactly the skill he needed.

Faye soon graduated, taking a job at the Little Corsican Bistro as a kitchen skullion.  She was excited for her new job, even though it would amount mostly to scrubbing dishes, but with her cooking skills she was confident that she would be able to advance quickly.

She moved out, into a small home near the middle of town, to prepare it for the arrival of her sister back home from boarding school.  A few weeks later, Crystal arrived back home and joined Faye in the house, starting her own career as a self-employed photographer, a form of art that she'd particularly enjoyed at school.

Melissa also came to Sunset Valley with Crystal, moving in with the two sisters until she could support herself.  There weren't many stage jobs available in the small town, and many around town wondered what the French-educated girl from the big city was doing here.

~ * ~

Spot the Discworld reference!

So I can't believe that cat lasted as long as it did.  I swear it was like two weeks past its expiration date.  Reminds me why I don't get pets in the sims too often, though.  It's almost more sad when they die than when sims die.

Forgot to take a picture of Melissa.  Boo.  She looks pretty much the same as she did as a teen, though.