Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 28 - Housewarming

James decided to throw a housewarming party to celebrate the new family home.  He chose his guests carefully, not inviting anyone who seemed too old for risk of the grim reaper himself deciding to crash the party.  While most of the guests stayed inside, ate pizza, and were entertained by Greg's wild stories, James took one guest out to the backyard to enjoy the late-summer heat by the pool.  He'd been crushing on Jeannie Bachelor-McGraw for a while, since before he'd graduated even.  Maybe tonight was finally the night that he could make his move.

They danced by the pool for some time.  Jeannie was a good dancer, James less so.  He was physically fit, and knew all the right dance moves, but something was missing from the equation.  As much as it frustrated him, Jeannie seemed to find it endearing, so he tried not to let it bother him too much.  After a while, he got tired of faking it, and proposed something more daring - skinny dipping in the pool.
Jeannie: "Oh my god!  That would be crazy, I don't know if I could..."
James: "Come on, it'll be fun!  I'll go first."

He stripped off his swimsuit and jumped into the pool, swimming for the other side.
Jeannie: "Oh my god, you look just like a daring stuntman when you do that!" 
As he swam, he could hear Jeannie laughing, then the sound suddenly stopping.  Frowning, he turned around and swam back, peeking over the side of the pool.

Oh.  That would do it.

Jeannie was sent home by a furious Eliza, and James met up with his mother in the living room after putting some clothes back on.
James: "Mom, it was just a bit of fun!"
Eliza: "It was entirely inappropriate!  I won't see a son of mine behaving in that manner.  You know she's married, right?"
James: "Well, yeah, but we weren't kissing or anything.  Society's obsession with nud-"
Eliza shook her head, not willing to listen to James's explanation.
Eliza: "You're an adult now, and while I can't tell you how to conduct yourself in your life outside the home, you will behave appropriately when under my roof!  I did not raise you this way."

James wasn't the only child that Eliza had raised better than they were acting.  It was past time for her to have an actual discussion with her wayward daughter, and she wasn't leaving until she got it, even if she had to sit outside the house all night!  Of course, she'd moved again, almost as if Faye was intentionally making it difficult to find herself.  But, with the assistance of the local directory, Eliza found the house and rang the doorbell.

Faye heard the bell ring.  That was odd, she wasn't expecting any company today.  She stood and moved towards the door cautiously, wondering if this was another of her sister's plans to get her to come out.

Eliza could be patient.  She could wait here all day, and all night too.  Summertime was warm in Sunset Valley, warm enough even for Eliza's old body.  Teach her daughter not to answer her calls!  Why, Eliza ought to-oh, the door's opening!

Faye: "You can come in, Mom."
She didn't wait for Eliza to respond, turning and walking back towards the seating area.
Eliza: "You don't answer your phone, Faye."
Faye: "I know.  But I'm talking to you now, aren't I?"
Eliza: "You weren't even worried after our house blew up."
Faye turned, looking a bit hurt by that.
Faye: "Of course I was!  Didn't Lane tell you I was asking if you were alright?"
Eliza: "So you'll talk to your brother, who you never even got along that well with, but not your own mother.  I see how it is."
Faye: "Don't say it like that.  It's just...I don't know, he's a good listener, alright?  And he's much easier to talk to now that we're all grown up.  I guess he's been out in the world, and seen so much, so he can put trivial things in perspective.  Does that make sense?"

It did, in a way, but Eliza wasn't going to concede ground in the argument by admitting that.
Eliza: "What trivial things?  You've been so out of touch.  With me, with your father, even your twin sister!  Did you even know that she had a baby?  I'm a grandmother now."
Faye turned to pick something up from the sofa, responding flatly.
Faye: "Congratulations."
Eliza: "What's that attitude?"
Faye: "It's nothing.  Look, I have work soon, I'm a line cook over at the diner."
Eliza: "Don't brush me off again!  I didn't come all this way to just be ignored.  Who is this Johnny guy, anyway?"
Faye's eyes flashed with anger as she pulled her work uniform on over her dress.
Faye: "He's my boyfriend, and he loves me, alright?  Stop judging my life, Mom."
Eliza opened her mouth to respond, but a car honked outside.
Faye: "And that's the carpool.  I have to go."
She brushed past Eliza and walked outside at a brisk pace, getting in the car as her mother watched.

Had she gone wrong somewhere as a mother?  She'd known that Faye had a rough dating life in high school, should she have provided more support for her daughter?  How could she have?  If you support a child too much, they can't take their first steps into the world on their own.  But what had happened here?

James soon received another promotion to the rank of Thug, which he was displeased to find out did come with a certain amount of physical violence.  He tolerated the position as a step on the path to a better future, and relished his nights off.  On one such evening, James invited Jeannie back for the first time since the ill-fated housewarming party.
James: "Sorry about the party the other night, my mom has some old-fashioned values sometimes."
Jeannie: "Oh, it's totally alright!  I didn't even realize she was watching us from the window."
James: "Yeah, she does stuff like that.  Always a bit nosy into everyone else's business, and like I said, I'm sorry you got on the wrong end of it."
Jeannie: "Well, it seemed more like you did, really!  She just sent me home, it looked like she was going to yell at you."
James chucked.
James: "Yeah, I'm pretty used to it.  I'm legally an adult now, but I'm still not the head of the household - in her eyes, at least.  Though, she's not here now."
She burst out laughing.
Jeannie: "What, you want another go at the skinny dipping?"
James: "Nah, it's raining, I just thought...you know, you and me, together?  Alone?  Well, except for my dad, but he's off making stupid faces in the mirror again.  And Mom's fixing the washer, she'll be a while."

Jeannie looked confused.
Jeannie: "What do you mean, like play a game or something?"
James: "Sure, you could call it that.  I think the usual metaphor is a dance, though."
He reached forward to touch her cheek, but she stepped back and knocked his hand away, looking shocked.
Jeannie: "Wow.  I really didn't know you felt that way, I just thought...you know, good friends.  Since high school!"
James: "Sorry, I thought you felt the same way."
Jeannie: "Well, you thought wrong!  You know I'm married, right?  I don't want to cheat on my husband!  I have to go."
James: "Jeannie, wait!  I'm sorry!"
She only shook her head in response as she pushed past James and out the front door.

He honestly hadn't considered that possible response.  Could she have gone along with all his subtle flirtations honestly thinking they were friendly?  He hated teases that just led on men.  Either go with it, or say no at the start, none of this going along with it and then running away at the last minute.  Frustrated, he stepped out to the front porch, leaning over the rail and looking at his hands in the light of the full moon.  From off to the side, he heard a voice.  "Hey, hun.  Girlfriend trouble?"  Glancing to his right, he saw Darlene Bunch-Landgraab, who he knew as the mother of one of his classmates, Phyllis.
James: "Nah, she's not my girlfriend.  Thought she was, but I guess she had different ideas."
Darlene: "Isn't that just a shame.  I think you're a fine young man, and she doesn't know what she's missing!"
James: "Thanks, Mrs. Bunch-Landgraab."
Darlene: "You can just call me Darlene.  And none of that missus business.  You look like you need a little pick me up, come here."

Oh.  Okay.  Maybe tonight wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Greg: "Ahem."
James: "Dad!  Get out!"
Greg: "You do know she's married, right?"

~ * ~

Story progression has been seriously screwing over Faye, I feel so bad for her.  Her life is a wreck.  Also, nobody would sleep with James(I tried a few more of his friends), which made me laugh.  Finally Darlene showed up, and practically jumped him, so I just went with it.  But seriously, James, you're a mess.

I'd like to state for the record that I don't condone James's activities in the slightest.  I'm doing my best to write an evil genius flirt of a sim, and that means delving into some questionable territory attitudes-wise.  I am firmly on the side of Jeannie, and think that his thoughts about her leading him on are awful.  That said, they are very firmly in-character. *sighs*