Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 30 - Acceptance Versus Denial

James hated doing the dirty work expected of a Thug.  While he used psychological manipulation to accomplish his task whenever possible, most of the people he had to deal with were so stupid that only a beating would knock sense into them.  That, or his superiors were watching, and he had to do what was expected of him with no improvisation.  If he ran this place, he would do things differently, that's for sure.  He was working his way up in the business, though, receiving a promotion to Getaway Driver before he'd had to get his hands bloody too many times.  He enjoyed this job a lot more, even though the stakes were higher; there was actually some intellect involved in changing getaway plans on the fly, and while he occasionally deviated from the plan, his superiors trusted him to make the job work.

He was still seeing Phyllis casually - why put a label on lust? - and Eliza at least seemed to approve of her.  Sometimes Phyllis would even be over at his house without James's invitation, having coffee or playing games with his mother.

Soon enough, the itch to party hit James once again, and he invited a selection of his acquaintances to a house party, for no reason.  Just because.  The evenings were getting colder, so James lit a fire in the fireplace - cackling quietly in memory of the truly incredible explosion that had claimed his last home - while the guests conversed.

James was in the kitchen when it happened, but he heard later that his father had died immediately after cracking an inappropriate joke regarding the female presenter on the television show several people were watching.  The man couldn't have picked a more fitting way to go out.

Eliza was distraught.  She'd married straight out of school, spending her entire adult life with Greg.  He couldn't be leaving her!  Despite all her desire, her hands passed right through him as he drifted towards the reaper.  Concerned party guests gathered around as Eliza and James grieved, Greg leaving with the reaper, as all do when it's their time.

Phyllis: "This is probably a bad time, I'm sorry.  But James, we have to talk."
James looked to her.  His tears were mostly a show, but he would miss his father.  While he got in the way most of the time, he had helped to raise James, after all.  But what Phyllis said made what awaited him in the bedroom sound even worse than what had just taken place in the living room.

He followed her into the bedroom, carefully locking the door behind him.

James: "What's going on, babe?"

Phyllis: "I'm sorry, I don't know how to say this, with your father and all."

James: "He'd lived a long life, and accomplished all he wanted to do.  We all knew it was coming soon, and he was ready for it.  I'll miss him, but knowing Dad I think he'll be happier with the reaper than as an old man.  Exploring the next adventure, and all that."

Phyllis nodded, looking at the ground, then back up to James's eyes.

Phyllis: "I've liked being with you these past weeks.  Well, I guess it's a couple of months now, really."
She laughed nervously, fiddling with the end of her shirt tie.
Phyllis: "What I'm trying to say is, I really like you, and I want to be with you, no matter what."
James: "Me too, baby.  What's bothering you?"

Phyllis: "I'm pregnant."

~ * ~

Sorry for the short update.  I was planning to put the entire conversation in this update but after seeing that face James pulled(I wish I could remember what interaction triggered it!) while I was shooting the conversation sequence, I realized that I had to end a chapter with it.

And the first sim death hits the household, unsurprisingly during the party.  I think James is a bit put-off parties after all the deaths, which is a shame because my rolls mandate that he has to throw at least one every week!  Eliza is still holding on in my game, but I bet she kicks it when I throw next week's party.  And yes, the woman in the santa hat's hand is stuck that way.  It was much more hilarious in-game.

I did a lot of thinking about the afterlife as thought of in my story's universe as I wrote the bit where James was talking with Phyllis.  I'm an atheist in real life, but I enjoy studying religious beliefs - nature worship and pantheons particularly fascinate me.  I'm not entirely sure what religious beliefs my sims have.  I don't consider myself to be the sim deity, but I think that most of them do have some sort of belief in a benevolent(yet non-interfering) god(who probably exists, it's my made-up world after all).  Some, of course, are atheist, or even agnostic, but I believe that those are in a minority(perhaps a 2:1 ratio of believers to questioners).  Obviously, sims can come back after death, as it's possible for them to be revived as ghosts(I actually have a whole system worked out for who is able to make the transition back on their own, as opposed to being brought back by science), so there must be at least one afterlife of some sort(for everybody, not just believers).  I'm really not sure what happens there, though, but I think that's okay.  Nobody in my story knows either, except those that have already gone.  So, until I bring a ghost back to talk about it, I can continue to think about it.