Mishmash

AJ has a little bit of an entitlement complex.  He always has to be first, whether it’s getting breakfast in the morning or getting on the bus to go to school.  Imsety and Satis basically humor him.

Speaking of AJ, his teacher asked for a common relic from Egypt or China for the archaeology display.  He has to be the luckiest kid at school because of what his mom does for a living, eh? So I gave him one of my Egyptian fossilized apples to use. 

Today he had a play date at Sammy Kincaid’s house (Sammy is Maeve’s younger brother).  He’s like me in that he can be friendly but mostly prefers to do his own thing.  I’ve heard Sammy Kincaid is REALLY smart and makes straight A’s.  I’m secretly hoping Sammy rubs off on him, even though he has asked for a telescope.  I have promised AJ that I will get his telescope if he shows me an A report card.  Right now he has a B. 

“Last one in the house is a rotten egg!” I heard Michael Falcon, one of Sety’s school chums, say.  Poor Satis was bringing up the rear, struggling to keep up with the boys. 

Andy used his day off to help Sety with his Simlish literature homework.  I am beginning to suspect that he is dyslexic.

I brought my concerns about Sety to Andy at breakfast. 

“Have you talked to his teacher?” Andy asked. 
“Talking to the administration is like talking to a brick wall sometimes.”

Then he suggested that I get on the school board. 

“The school board?”  I said.  “When am I going to have time for it, between my job and my archaeological work?”

“It’s an at-large position, last I remember it.  My step-grandma was on the school board in her day.”

Andy had rarely mentioned his family to me, so this surprised me. 

Even though I am apolitical, the school board does make some sense.  It’s not a political position, but if I get on I won’t feel so damn powerless while my children are being abused by the people in charge just because they are different.  I mean, damn it, I was born and raised in Sunset Valley.  I grew up here.  My father, my aunt, and all my siblings were educated in this school system.  If anyone knows how things should work here, it’s me. 

I still am hesitating about doing it.  What I’m not hesitating about is getting Sety tested for dyslexia. 

Meanwhile, Toya has had most of the Sage duties, especially since we put the baby crib in her room so she wouldn’t wake us up at night.  Hey, if we’re paying her $1200 simoleans to live under our roof…

Meanwhile, she and Andy have been getting to know each other.  He is slowly warming up to the idea of a butler being in the house.  With his soccer games more and more often and with my situation being in flux all the time, though he misses Halima, he’s beginning to appreciate Toya being around.  I love being right. 

For a little bit of Sunset Valley gossip:  There’s a new stylist in town.  Francy is still the main coiffeur but she now has an assistant, Jhonnie.  I found out about him when I took Sety to get a haircut.  Fran says she has Jhonnie on board to handle mostly male styles since her clientele is growing by leaps and bounds. 

Last but not least, my brother Sebastian (Bassy) sent me this glossy he had taken.  Remember, he’s now an actor in Bridgeport.  I kinda knew he’d go into show business, just not the branch he chose.  Mom is still ticked off at him for leaving Sunset Valley, as she thinks he could have done the same thing here.  Now that I am a parent myself, I can say Mom is just being protective.  I actually can’t say I blame him for leaving.  Obviously from his letters he felt like he needed to branch out and figure out what he wanted out of life. 

Satis

Remember when I said things were going swimmingly with the butler?  I kinda fibbed… a little.  And it’s because of Satis.

The butler went to get Sage out of the high chair when Satis raced to get her before the butler could get there.  Satis gets really possessive when it comes to Sage.  Funny, I don’t remember her behaving this way when AJ was little.  She shoots the butler this look – I mean, you really don’t want to mess around with her when she gives that look. 

I had to explain to Satis that Toya now has most of the duties with Sage, and that her only duty was to improve her grades in school.

To that end, I sat on the opposite end of the table while she and Imsety were doing their homework.  Sety levied his usual complaint about school – in Arabic – and I heard them speaking in Arabic about the assignment.

Then, emphatically, I heard Satis grumble, “World history sucks!”

Of course, I pretended not to hear while I was re-reading a trashy romance novel.  It’s as bad as I remember it, lol.  The prose is trite and rife with clichés. 

“What did you say about world history, Satis?”  I asked her.

“It sucks.  Our teacher wants us to write an essay.”

I took a deep breath.  I knew that world history would be a sore subject for my kids, given that, well, they’re Egyptian.  They cannot possibly give an unbiased opinion, and I knew that I in my own Anglo prism could not possibly comprehend their heritage and history. 

“Satis, I’m sure your teacher might appreciate your unique perspective,” I said.

And that isn’t all.  Satis’ teacher is recruiting her for the writing club, the same club I was recruited for back in the day.  I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again – when Satis is ready to talk, she will.  That simple.

I have told the school authorities some of my story.  But I have not told them everything.  I am not the kind of woman most people expect to have adopted children from a foreign country, but I am richer for it. 

I think I understand now why Samir Amin fought tooth and nail to keep his kids away from me.  I am a pale, blond, green-eyed Anglo, and thus, in his eyes, not to be trusted.  The last I heard of him, he was in prison.  I dare not tell the kids that he is still alive.  They were afraid of him and had every reason to be. 

Moving Day

 

Well, we finally moved into our new home.  What do you guys think?

Our butler, Toya, continues to be fabulous.  She fixed PB & J sandwiches by the time they got home from school.  Her traits – Brave, Unflirty, Natural Cook, Neat and Family-Oriented.

The kids are settling in nicely.  They get up and they catch the school bus to go to school every morning. 

Oh and one more thing.  Imsety is in the throes of his first crush.

Apparently he went over to this girl’s house instead of going to his job at the supermarket.  Her name is Maeve Kincaid, and Satis tells me she’s one of the popular girls in school.  Apparently she’s involved with the school drama club and wants to be an actress.  Hmm.  I don’t know about this one, that’s not my department.

This is entirely new territory for me as I am not sure how to handle this. I am not Sety’s biological mother but I have raised him since he was a boy. I knew this was coming but you know, there's no way to prepare for this kind of stuff.  I don’t know how to talk to him about this… and I’m not sure if I want to approach Andy with this. 

This is Ross, Maeve’s father.  He’s a freelance writer.  I met him once, at my book club, but didn’t make the connection until now. 

At any rate Sety seems entirely taken with her.  I have never met her so I cannot judge how she feels about him. 

My new house!

Welcome to the new Casa Savannah

I hired an outside architect to design and build our new home on Pinochle Point.  Six bedrooms, five bathrooms – is that enough space for us?  I hope it is!  It’s almost done and we’re going to move in within the week, hopefully. 

How do you like it, Bassy?  There’s a guest room so you’re welcome to come and visit – and bring whoever…

Response #7

Hey Bassy,

Just got done reading your (long) letter while waiting in the principal’s office. Yep, it’s Sety. He blew up the science lab.

He had noble intentions. He was taking the new class in inventing they offered at the school for extra credit. Apparently he was trying to build robot toys for AJ and Sage, and his blow torch got a little bit too hot. So, for the umpteenth time I’m trying to explain to his science teacher that he is not a native Simlish speaker and his Simlish, while improving, still isn’t the best.

Satis’ Simlish, by comparison, is much better. I actually think the key to her improvement is the fact that she’ll gobble up a good book like it’s something good to eat. The other big thing is everything she’s been reading – has been in Simlish. So I’ve taken advantage of this by piping Simlish literature down her throat and I got her a new part-time job at the bookstore. She’ll read anything, and I’ve started her on Aunt Margaret’s Moon Colony series.

Wow about Matthew Hamming’s new GF. She sounds like quite a character. I can’t say I’ve heard of her or her work, actually. She must be new to Bridgeport. And your boss sounds like someone I might actually get along with.

I’m glad you did what I told you to do, came clean about your relationship with Lola. These reporters need to be set straight. Otherwise the misinformation that they’re feeding their audience is just going to continue.

I came home the other night from work when Halima made an announcement. “Today my last day of work.”

I nearly choked on my falafel. “What do you mean?”

“Tomorrow I go back to Egypt.”

“Going back to Egypt? Why?”

“I getting old. Me want to die in the desert.”

“Halima, you can’t leave now. Especially now that Satis and Imsety are teenagers. They need you now more than ever, to help navigate the tough social waters.”

“You no understand. I have no more visa. Visa go away today.”

“Can’t you apply for an extension at city hall? I mean, I’m sure they make exceptions due to extenuating circumstances. And these, definitely apply as extenuating circumstances.”

“I love Satis and Imsety a lot. They my children. But they no longer children. They growing up.” I could see her eyes welling up with tears.

Halima left that morning, before the kids even got up for school.

Meanwhile, Andy and I had our first major ‘fight.’ He’s upset with me because I hired a butler to replace the departing Halima. Yet he sure slugged that French toast she cooked down, lol.

“Where’s Halima?” he began by asking.

“She went back to Egypt.”

“Went back, without telling us? That’s not like her.”

“Her visa expired and she couldn’t get an extension at City Hall.”

A bit earlier, I overheard AJ ask Satis if she had any trash in her room. He should know better. Satis is neat as a pin. It’s Sety that’s the problem.

Meanwhile, this is our new butler, Toya Patterson. She got immediately to work, fixing our broken trash compactor and making scrumptious French toast. “Why did you do this, and without consulting me,” Andy said. “We’re wasting twelve hundred simoleans and an extra room in our home to provide lodging for a butler. Halima was just fine.”

“Andy, Halima was getting up there in age. Her visa had run out so she returned to Egypt. You have to admit, this was for the best. Her time here had run its course.”

“I don’t understand how you could be that callous, Savannah. To just dismiss someone who was a part of our family. You fired her, didn’t you?”

"I didn't fire her, she left."

"But you didn't make any effort to stop her."

"I don't have that kind of power."

"Yes, you do. You just elected not to use it."

Andy and I didn't talk to each other for the rest of the day. I hate to say it, but things are a lot more orderly with Toya around than they ever were with Halima. She had breakfast ready for the kids, got them on the bus, fixed the trash compactor, made beds, and even dealt with Sage.

Will talk more later.

Love you, Savannah

Auditions and Obsessed Fans

Hey sis,

I can stay on the treadmill now.  You proud of me? 

I had to give up the cookies and the key lime pies and stick mostly to salads and seafood.  I’ve dropped three pants sizes since arriving in Bridgeport.  I’m seldom home these days, between celebrity appearances at nightclubs and actual film work, so not much time to play video games or watch TV. 

It wasn’t long ago that I was the one seeking autographs, and now weak-kneed teens are sneaking out of the house at night looking for my signature on a piece of paper.  This young lady is Belisama Hemlock, daughter of the Hemlocks who live downtown.  I have to admit, all this is still pretty weird to me.

Had to help the boss with an audition, and what do you know, the paparazzi showed up.  She’s trying to pick out extras for this new spy movie that’s supposed to come out.  Hamming, of course, is playing Steve Glue, the super-spy who’s supposed to leap from tall buildings and disguise himself as anyone and anything.  In one scene Steve goes back to the middle ages to stop a tyrant king.

I know all this – the fans, the autographs, the entourage - can go away in an instant – just ask dad.   I’m pretty sure someday I’m going to look back and wonder what would have happened if I had done this differently or that differently.  But for now I’m just going to take life as it goes.

Love, Bassy

Clearing the Air

 

Hey sis,

The next day it was back to the grind, which means back to my new role as a hot-shot mayoral candidate whose gift for oratory wins him fans the world over. 

When I got back from work the paps were waiting, even as I was gardening. 

Ms. Ornelas whipped out her pad.  I don’t know what came over me but I decided, right then and there, to clear the air while I had her as a sounding board. 

“Sebastian, there are rumors of your involvement with the pop star, Lola Belle.”

“I know the rumors are going around because of the video of the two of us dancing at Aquarius.”

“Everyone in Simdom has pretty much seen this tape, if they haven’t they’ve been living under a rock.  Lola Belle is noted for being incredibly reclusive, so for her to be seen in public with you is a monumental deal.  What’s going on?”

“’Tis much ado about nothing, dear,” was my response.

“I can see by the smile on your face that something's making you happy.”
“I can see where you're going with this, and no, I will not bite... I'm just a genuinely sunny and happy person, ask my sister.”
”So, you like gardening?”

“Yes.”
”Anything in particular you like to grow... flowers perhaps?”
”Mainly organic stuff, everything we ate from the time we were born till the time we were teenagers, was made from home grown ingredients.  Mom taught us well to be self sufficient as and when the time is needed.”
“So, no flowers.”
“No.”
“Maybe some special food for a 'special lady'?”
"I cook because I enjoy it, besides, I like to see the enjoyment on folks faces when I cook them their favorite meals.”
"So, has Lola got a special meal that she likes?”
I laughed.  “You'll have to ask her that one.”

Ugh.  If there’s one thing I hate about this life, it’s the constant questions of the paparazzo.

Talk soon.  Love, Bassy

First Post of 2011

Hey sis,

Happy 2011! Did you and Andy and the kids do anything special? I’m sending you this pic, courtesy of those firecrackers you sent me from China.

I went down to the Bay Bridge and let loose. The noise was LOUD!

I was in the business building recording this radio commercial when my boss spotted me. “Sebastian! Sebastian Sunshine!” she called. “I need to speak with you.”

I had to laugh. Sebastian Sunshine, ha!

“Hey Flying Dutchwoman! What’s up?”

“Major crisis! Someone hacked into the main computer at the studio and erased everything, even the script for the ‘Zombies?’ movie.”

“Calm down. Do you know who could have had access to the files?”

“The only people I could think of are myself and Stanley. I will say this, though. Whoever did it did so from a computer not located on the premises.”

“Have you told Stanley?”

“He and Emmy are in Champs Les Sims on their honeymoon –"

“They got married?”

“Yep. Over Christmas. And she’s pregnant.”

“Wow. Have you called the police?”

“They’re completely swamped right now, with the holidays and all. They don’t sit around eating doughnuts like they do in Sunset Valley –"

“Hey,” I teased, “we have our petty thieves in the S.V. too you know.” Then I suggested that she hire a private investigator, someone who’s good with computers, to try to trace the address of the computer that hacked into their files.

“And that isn’t all. I spoke with Silvah Spencer about the other project I’m working on –”

“Oh?”

“I’m in the middle of reading this fabulous book. The main character was this spoiled princess named Syna DeLorean and she was the daughter of the NASA chief, and she got picked to head this mission to the distant planet Zircalon –"

Oh. my. God. I know that book. It’s Aunt Margaret’s. She wrote a lot of science-fiction novels. She wrote in other genres, too, but sci-fi was her favorite. I can’t say I knew her – you did, obviously – she died when I was a baby.

“That’s where I stopped. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.”

I took a deep breath. She can’t possibly be thinking what I’m thinking she’s thinking. No. Silvah Spencer as Syna DeLorean? Seriously? She complained to me about the dearth of good roles for women in cinema, she’d die for this one. Even though I know it would be a big career boost for her, I just can’t see her in the part.

“I was thinking about securing the movie rights. I know she’s deceased, how do I contact her estate?”

I told her she’d have to talk to you about that.

“Your sister?”

“Savannah Plumb. She’s in charge of my Aunt Margaret’s estate.”

Kris looked at me quizzically. “Oh damn! I saw the name ‘Meg Plumb’ on the cover of the book and I didn’t see the connection. You folks are a talented bunch. How many of you are there?"

"A lot." I laughed.

"By the way, I’ve got Savannah’s two books on my very long to-read list.” She gave me a wink as she left.

Looks like you’ve got a new fan, Vanna. ;)

Kristy Verhoeven plays a girl searching for her missing father in “Kelly Keene.”

Kris has more ideas for films than actual movies under her belt. I can only find one movie of hers in the SimSearch database, a detective drama called Kelly Keene (clip above) from 2006. It’s about a girl whose father is murdered and, unhappy with the police, she takes matters into her own hands. She’s billed as “Kristy Verhoeven” and listed as the chief writer, executive producer, and star of the film. Yes that’s her in the red wig. I haven’t actually seen the movie, I think I might check it out, see if it’s on DVD here in Bridgeport.

I decided I needed a drink. Don’t worry, it wasn’t jungle juice or anything like that. Heck, it didn’t even have alcohol in it. It’s pink lemonade, with a special ingredient for energy. I’m gonna need it, especially if Kristin Verhoeven is talking about making a movie out of Aunt Margaret’s book and she’s got Silvah Spencer pegged as the lead. I truly wonder about my boss sometimes.

GTG. More later. Love, Bassy