1.30 I hope you'll be happy

Jo was a rather frequent visitor from now on. He seemed to make sure that nothing happened without him knowing about it. And even though he never said a single word, Anna knew what he felt. She could see it in his eyes. Nobody noticed him, besides her.

And she sometimes was glad it was this way. They had become a wonderful family, completed by Benjamin, and she wondered what would happen if Jo somehow came back into their lives. It was hard to predict how the children would react, but it definitely would make things much more complicated. And she didn’t want to risk that, which is why she never told anybody about the late visits from the afterworld.

The only one who didn’t seem happy was Beth. Now that she was a teenager, she had hoped to catch up with her older siblings, but she was never fully accepted. Birdy and Britney were an item – at least when Birdy was not around Sandra, which actually happened a lot –, and there was no third person fitting in. Billy had found many friends in school and was quite popular. That left Beth alone, in her room, playing some dull games on the computer or reading a book. Her time would come, she knew that. 

Besides everything that was going on, Anna and Benjamin still made sure they had time for themselves. Of course, Benjamin had noticed that his wife had been tenser within the last few weeks, but when he addressed that problem, she laughed and kissed him.  Everything was fine.

In fact, everything was really fine for her. Even though those visits confused her sometimes, she had a wonderful life and nothing to complain about. Every day was filled with excitement and fun, and she couldn’t believe her children were grown up enough to start their lives, as well, independent from hers. 

Sometimes she still felt like a child, and she just hoped her children would make sure to enjoy life, too. 

The situation between Birdy and Beth got worse in the meantime, which, unfortunately, Anna didn’t notice. Birdy made fun of Beth’s unusual dressing habits, and her little moments of what she called craziness. One night, she told her that there were only two kinds of people – regular people, and Beth.

From now on, Beth was even more alone than before. Her parents finally noticed something was going on, but she assured them that she was fine. Just like her mother, she didn’t want anybody to worry, and she wanted to make it on her own.

Every single day got Anna thinking about her future, and her kids’, as well. Lately, she had been feeling like she was almost done with life – in a sense of having achieved everything she had wanted to.

On a very sunny afternoon, in fact Barbra’s birthday, she did it. When she grabbed the first onion from her plant, which was already covered in weed, it hit her: she had collected, planted and harvested every plant available in this town. The legacy she had felt like carrying was fulfilled. Now it was time to settle back and watch one of her children take over. The only question was who she wanted to burden with this task. She wanted her family to stay together, but inevitably one or the other child was going to move out soon. It was a tough decision, and she wanted to wait after the birthday party to announce what she had been thinking.

First, it was time for Barbra’s big day. She had been waiting to become a teen for what had seemed decades, even though it only had been a few years. 

Anna stood there, celebrating and cheering on her youngest daughter. This was the fifth child aging up to a teenager. She had raised five of them successfully, hopefully preparing them for what waited for them in the world. Her biggest wish had come true, at the same day as officially completing her garden and everything she had worked for. It was over for her now.


Author's notes: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of Generation 1! I made it! :)
Since Anna fulfilled the requirements for the Generation AND her Lifetime Wish (Raise 5 children to teenagers) on the same day, which I found cute, Generation 2 can get started.
But first an evaluation of Anna's generation:

• Date/Marry girl/guy with Loves Outdoors and/or Green Thumb and/or Angler
• No Woohoo before marriage (Oopsie, kind of missed that objection. Moving on.)
• Get Married
• Have BOTH Boy and Girl
• No watermelons/apples to sway the gender of the child
• Master Gardening Skill
• Plant every plant from the grocery story
• obtain all plants/seeds
• if you get call for learning Steak, Egg, Cheese, Omni plant, complete it (didn't get them)

 Not bad for the first generation! :) 

The next post will include an official introduction of our heiress, and some information about Generation 2. Stay posted! 

1.29 Love keeps its promises

It didn’t take very long until new problems appeared. Birdy had been spending most of her free time outside of the house for a few weeks now, and Anna was worried. Not only did she miss curfew more than once, and even had to be brought home by the police, but she never told her mother where she was going or who she was meeting with. Every time Anna asked, Birdy just smiled and didn’t say a word. 

One night, Benjamin got home from a meeting with an old friend, and reported that he had seen Birdy at the pool, accompanied by a pretty girl. They had been giggling and laughing, obviously having a lot of fun.

And then Birdy had kissed her. Benjamin hadn’t stayed very long to watch this scenario, since he didn’t want to spy on his stepdaughter, nevertheless he could tell that this girl – a stranger to him – had been quite pleased.

When Birdy got home that night, obviously way too late, almost her entire family was waiting for her. As soon as she entered the house, Barbra ran up to her and told her she’d be in trouble.

And she was right. Anna was furious about Birdy staying out until midnight again, and, even worse, not telling her about what was going on in her life. She knew that her daughter was growing up, and that she was supposed to lead her own life. It was not about that. Her anger came from the feeling that Birdy didn’t trust her enough to tell her about her feelings. 

The two girls didn’t speak to each other for a few days, and Birdy turned to painting for comfort. She had been grounded for her actions, which meant she couldn’t see any of her friends after school. Anna watched her oldest daughter suffer, and she hated herself for making her feel that way. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Birdy, she only wanted her to trust her parents, especially her as her mother. So she talked to her one afternoon, and explained what her constant worries were really about. There was no screaming or yelling, instead they had a long conversation. Birdy understood that her mother was sad about her secrets, and she explained that she hadn’t been too sure about her feelings in the beginning. That’s why she had kept it down for so long. But now she knew that she was in love with Sandra, a girl from high school, and that she no longer wanted it to be a secret.

At the following weekend, the family planned a trip to the pool. Birdy asked to stay home, because she wanted to get some schoolwork done. Anna looked at her daughter, and smiled. There was no way she really wanted to do something for school. But she didn’t object, instead she wished her a nice day, and then they left. Birdy stayed at home, alone.

But not for long. As soon as she could be sure that her family was gone, she called Sandra and invited her to her house. Finally they could spend some quality time together, without the fear of being interrupted.

They barely made it inside before Birdy pulled her closer and kissed her passionately. Sandra hadn’t been at school for the last few days, and she had missed her terribly. 

Being busy with each other, they didn’t realize somebody was approaching the house. Birdy had plucked up courage and asked Sandra to be her official girlfriend, which Sandra had happily agreed to. Nobody could steal them away from each other now.

Outside, Benni Hennessey arrived, bringing her youngest son with her. She had called Anna a few minutes earlier, announcing that they were on their way to pick up Beth for a play date. Of course, Beth was thrilled about having someone to play with, since she got a little bored at the pool with her older siblings and Barbra. When she arrived at home, Benni and her son were already waiting for her, not knowing that the happy couple inside hadn’t noticed them.

While Beth and the two visitors – Benni had decided to stay for a couple of minutes – played in the living room, Birdy and Sandra tried to remain some privacy. Moving to Birdy’s room would have required moving at all, and as long as they were undetected, they were fine.

At night, after Sandra had left, Birdy once again turned to the easel. She had been painting a lot lately, producing some lovely paintings that she put all over the house. Her parents’ pension was enough to live on, she didn’t have to sell them.

The next day, Anna and Benjamin officially invited Sandra over in the late afternoon. It was time they met the person that had captured their daughter’s heart. Soon, Benjamin and Sandra were lost in a discussion about local sport teams, noticing that they mostly shared the same thoughts. 

Billy was also fond of who might become his sister-in-law at some point. Sandra was a sweet girl, despite her weird clothing habits, and he really liked her. Even though he hadn’t had any luck with girls so far, he didn’t even try to hit on her. She was clearly in love with his sister, and he respected that.

To tighten the family bonds, all of them went to the summer festival again the next day. A few new attractions had opened, and they couldn’t wait to participate in all the contests. 

Benjamin had a very unpleasant encounter with a former love affair, somebody he had met while waiting for Anna. This woman had never heard from him again after he dumped her, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to tell him everything that had been on her mind. Billy stood next to them, watching, and already trying to memorize some of the replies Benjamin shouted out. After all, he was going to be a star, and as a star he had to turn people down at some point. It couldn’t hurt to know how to do it smoothly.

At night, while Anna was taking some time for herself – the first time in ages –, she was suddenly joined by somebody she hadn’t seen for a long time.

Jo’s ghost appeared next to her, not saying a word, just watching. She tried to communicate with him, since there was so much she wanted to tell him, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he remained silent and finally floated away, in the direction of the house. It seemed like he wanted to check on everybody. After a few hours he was gone again, and Anna wondered whether she had imagined this situation.

Before she could think about it for too long, it was birthday time. Beth had finished elementary school with good grades, and was about to change schools now.

She hoped that the sun would shine a little brighter for her in her teen years, since she had often been bothered by her older siblings. She had always been the crazy little one, and now she wasn’t.

Her parents were astonished about how different she looked as a teen. Not only had she grown, but she had aged a lot. And now she was just beautiful. A beautiful young lady, with a future wide open.

1.28 Here's my heart, I want you to have it

After Anna had finished telling her story, Benjamin stood there for a few moments, not saying a single word. Seconds passed by way too slowly, and Anna started wondering what was going on in her husband’s mind. He blinked. Once, twice, three times. A small tear ran down his cheek, then another. While she reached out to wipe them off his face, she suddenly realized her own face was wet; her lips tasted salty.  Until now, she hadn’t noticed that she had been crying, but as soon as she felt the tears on her skin, she wondered how she could have missed them before. As if Benjamin knew what was going on in her head, he pulled her into a close hug and held her for minutes. Both of them stood there, crying silently, yet comforting each other without saying a word. When Anna finally pulled back, her back already aching from the uncomfortable stretch, Benjamin caressed her face and smiled. His eyes still glistened with the last tears, but she could also see something else. Pride.

After this day, the spirit of the family changed noticeably. Benjamin hadn’t exactly been a stranger to the kids for a very long time, but now they felt that he was a part of them, especially of their mother. She was happy around him, and her wrinkly eyes lit every time she sat next to him, held his hand or even looked at him. The children appreciated of their mother’s new felicity, not only because it allowed them to be themselves, as well. Billy discovered his talent for fishing, and spent all of his weekly allowance on a small pond in their backyard. Standing there, holding a fishing pole and looking onto the calm water, filled him with a feeling of peace he had never experienced before.

Anna still spent a lot of time in her small garden, always experimenting with new plants and different kinds of fertilizer. To her, it seemed like she had sown almost every kind of plant at least once in her life. A few were still missing, and she could often be found creeping around the house, looking for new seeds. One afternoon, she had found one that had looked particularly odd, and she had taken it home. Until now, nothing had grown out of it, but she didn’t give up just yet.

Before she knew it, a special day in her children’s life had arrived – prom. Birdy and Billy ran from room to room the entire afternoon, hysterically looking for make-up (Birdy), hair gel (Billy), a curling iron (Birdy), the new bow tie (Billy). When Anna watched her two oldest children run off to the limo, she swallowed hard. None of them had a date to take to prom, but she hoped it wouldn’t stay that way. Both of them deserved a marvelous evening, and a wonderful person at their side.

There was not much time for being sentimental, though, because it was Britney’s birthday that very evening. Her siblings had been sad that they wouldn’t be able to be there, but Anna, Benjamin and Beth made sure that Britney had the perfect night nevertheless.

As a teen, she resembled her father more than her mother, especially the mouth and nose were his. If it hadn’t been for her peculiar and bright eyes, ­­­­­it would have been hard to tell that she was Anna’s daughter at all from the outside. 

The delicious cake Anna had prepared for the birthday girl was eaten in silence. All of a sudden, each and every one of them felt that two important members of the family were not with them to celebrate this unique day. Benjamin tried to lighten the mood with a few jokes, that even made Britney smile for a moment, but that didn’t last long.

The next morning before school, Birdy and Billy were still exhilarated. They’d had a great time at prom, and even though they hadn’t gone there with a date, it had been the best day of their lives. At first, Britney sat at the dining table with them, listening to their talk, but when Birdy repeatedly mentioned the fun they’d had, Britney got up, ran into the bedroom she still shared with Beth and slammed the door. For the next few days, the vibe between the two girls was rather tense, but got back to normal after that.

But Birdy and Britney weren’t the only two thinking about this particular evening long after it had been over. Anna had watched her third child grow into a teenager, and it filled her with pride. Three of them were independent and unique personalities already, and Beth was the only one she could still cuddle and hold in her arms whenever she felt like it. She wanted to be needed once more. And that’s when she made a decision, regardless of her and Benjamin’s age.

On a sunny day, a few weeks after Britney’s birthday, Barbra Vocis came into their life. 

Author's notes: I swear, when I opened CAS and saw Britney as a teen, I almost fell off the couch, and let out a cry of dismay. I had imagined her...differently. Is it mean to say "prettier"? Well...it's true. It wasn't easy to find a hairstyle that suited her face, but I hope I did a good job ;) Barbra, after Barbra Streisand, is the last addition to the family. It now consists of five children, three of which are already teenagers. Two more and Anna's LTW (which had changed quite some time ago) is fulfilled. She's also not that far from fulfilling the objections of her generation!

In my game, I'm already in Gen 2, which is why I need to catch up quickly. When I was on holiday, I played for three days straight, and there are about 800 pictures waiting for me now. 

Today's post is closed with two Britney-Outtakes!

Britney directly after she aged up. I love that hairstyle, but..... :-( 

"Grace" is probably the first word that comes to mind.

1.27 I couldn't stand it [2]

He took another step towards me, and then squeezed my arm. It hurt, but I couldn’t say anything. When he pulled me closer, I silently begged him to make it quick. Tears started streaming down my face, and he, leaning in to kiss me, disgustedly drew back. Then he slapped my face and demanded that I stopped crying. When I couldn’t do what he told me to, he reluctantly let go of me and told me he’d be back the next day. Until then I was supposed to pull myself together, or I would regret it terribly. 

That night, I was so scared that I told my father what had happened. I knew he wasn’t happy about my mother’s lifestyle choices, and thought he would do something to protect me. But I was very wrong. From that day on, I was forced to stay in my room the entire day, except when I was going to school. I was too childish for my age, he said. I had to learn that life wasn’t always about things we wanted, he said.

My mother kept meeting strange men and making out with them in our house. Sometimes I peeked through the keyhole of my door to see who was out there, but I never recognized anybody.

One afternoon, when I secretly sneaked outside my room to run to the bathroom – my bathroom visits for the day were already exhausted -, I ran into one of the men. It was an old one, and he had been around the house for a few days now. He smiled at me and then stared at my cleavage. I could see a bump rising in his pants, and suddenly I felt the same panic that had risen inside of me the last time one of the men wanted to do something with me. But this one wasn’t going to hurt me. I fled into my room, slamming the door and locking it. 

Months passed, maybe even years. I spent the mornings at school, and the afternoons and nights in my room, not leaving it once. Too bad were the memories of running around the house while male visitors were there. My eighteenth birthday arrived without me even noticing. Suddenly I was done with school, and I was done with being a child. Now that I was an adult, I was finally able to move out of this house, to run away from this town. Even though I had no idea how to do this, or when, it felt incredibly good to know that I would be able to escape at some point. It gave me new strength, too, and when the old man came around again and lasciviously smiled at me, I took a step forward and I punched him really hard. This was for all the times I had been hurt. 

My mother, hearing the commotion in the living room, came running and saw us, being in the middle of a fight. Instead of helping me or at least staying out of everything, he helped him get up and told him to wait in the bedroom. Then she slapped my face until I could barely feel my cheeks anymore and demanded an apology. She didn’t get one. Instead, I turned around, walked into my room, took my guitar, put it into a bag big enough, went through the living room and left the house. I knew I would never return to it, but that didn’t make me sad. I was free.

I didn’t make it very far, though. On the bridge that separated the two parts of the town my father found me. He had run after me, and, being an excellent athlete, it hadn’t taken him very long to catch up with me. In all those years of suppression, I had never seen him this angry. He shouted at me the entire time. The strength I had felt at home was gone now, fear had taken its place. 

During the fight we moved a little on the bridge, and suddenly I realized that the deep sea was directly behind me. If he pushed me now, I would fall and no one would be there to save me. My life would end before I had a chance to start it probably. I would never fall in love, I would never hold a baby in my arms, I would never be happy.

All those thoughts were running through my head, while my father proceeded to shout at me aggressively. The hatred in his eyes made him incalculable. He probably would do it. He would push me.

His fists were clenched the entire time, and when he relaxed them for only a few seconds, I made a decision.

I turned around and ran.

Some miles away, an elder woman in car, who was passing by on her way home, slowed down to my speed, rolled down her window and offered me her help. At that point, I was exhausted from the long run, and I accepted her invitation. She brought me to a small motel right outside town, which belonged to her son and his wife. She talked to him for a few minutes, persuading him to let me stay there for some nights. He reluctantly agreed, and I fell into bed, tired and feeling empty. 

***

The next few days seemed to go by so quickly – I slept almost the entire time and barely went outside. When I did, I hurried along the streets, looking around the entire time. They could still find me here, and I had to change something about myself. One day, I went to a hairdresser, asking him to cut my hair and show me some hair styles I could easily do myself. Maybe one week later, I went outside again, and headed for a tattoo salon. There were some things about my life that I wanted to express without any words, and so I decided to have a butterfly on my back, standing for freedom. I also chose a heart on my leg, expressing the love I was hoping to find. Leaving the salon afterwards, I really felt free for a few minutes. But at night, in bed, it hit me. This wasn’t over, I could feel it. And I was right.

 ***

Only a few nights later, I heard a strange noise. It sounded like somebody was trying to open the window from outside, while making as little noise as possible. Thinking that it was probably just a dream, I didn’t do anything, but kept my eyes closed and continued sleeping. The next thing I heard was my door banging. This definitely was no longer a dream. When I opened my eyes, all I could see was a lurid orange wall in front of me. Only then did I realize how hot the room was. Fire. The room was on fire. 

***

Hastily, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my guitar, which was standing right next to me. There was no way to reach the door, it was behind the wall out of fire. My only chance to escape from death was to jump out of the window, which was not completely closed. I pulled it open, already finding it hard to breath, then threw the guitar onto the grass and jumped. 

***

When the fire department arrived, I was already gone. I dragged myself from street to street, not knowing where to go. They had found me once, they most certainly would find me a second time if I stayed around here. I had to leave, and never come back.   

 ***

When I entered Appaloosa Plains for the first time, almost starved and so tired that I could barely walk any more, I saw a few signs that read FOR SALE. Maybe this was where I was supposed to be, I thought. Maybe I was meant to buy one of these little properties with the money I had earned in my childhood, and start a new life in this town.

And so I did. I spent all of the money I had and bought this small property we’re standing on right now. The moment I first stood right over there, where my mailbox is now, I could feel it. This was my life. I only had this one chance, and I’d better not screwed it up. My name was the only thing that remained from my old life, and this was the way it was supposed to be.