Wedding Preps, Part 2

“You nervous about wedding?” Halima asked me over the noon meal.

Halima didn’t talk much because of her limited Simlish, but her question took me by surprise.

I hadn’t thought too much about the wedding, actually. The whole thing was just second nature. Sunday was the only day both Andy and I had off from our jobs, and the kids weren’t in school. It was the only day we could do it.

Halima grew up in a very traditional Muslim family. Her mother stayed at home while her father worked. She and her husband Yusuf had planned to travel the world and get to know other cultures, but he unfortunately passed away.

I put out an advertisement in an Al Simhara newspaper and on the internet for a personal housekeeper and nanny, and someone with the ability to speak Arabic was a plus. Halima answered my ad.

Andy and Halima went over to the wedding chapel that had been built over on Oak Grove to make sure everything was copacetic.

Ari, bless her maid-of-honor heart, brought my kids into the chapel. Sebastian came in right behind them.

“So. Today is the day.”

“I guess it is.”

“What do you mean, you GUESS today is the day? Everything’s ready. The flowers, the food, the guests, the music…”

I took a deep breath. “Something’s missing.”

I heard a set of footsteps running up the aisle, and shook my head… ahhhh, dad.

“I wrote my own vows,” he told me, fumbling adorably through his words. “But truthfully I don’t need them. The only vow I need is you in my arms.”

To be continued….

Ari

I ran into Ari again at the diner that evening on my way home from the cemetery. And wow, did SHE look different. "Shopping at Judy's again?"

"Come on, Van, you know I wouldn't touch that place with a ten foot pole. Those prices are off the chart. That's YOUR taste."

"I like your hair."

"Oh this old rag? You know we like to have our extensions. Not everybody can have long blond hair like you." She laughed. "Would it kill you to have YOUR hair done?"

"Guess what?" I told her about my visit with Cheesebreath the other day.
"Noooooo!" she exclaimed. "No freakin' way. You finally saw the writing on the wall."
"What writing on what wall?"
"Vanna, it's been SOOO obvious. Andrew has been after you since high school. Did he really have to wear a neon sign on his head saying 'I love you' for you to get it? You know he would treat you like the queen you think you are." She then changed the subject. "Have you heard from Gustave?"
"Not since I came back. And to be quite honest, I haven't really thought about him."
"Really."
"For some reason... I don't know ... I like him but ... I don't know, I mean, it's not like I'm a commitment phobe or anything."
"You sure act like one. You know, Savannah, for someone who professes to want a relationship, the minute something comes along, you're running like a deer."
"Look who's talking!" I shot back. "I'd like to know where your boyfriend is, since you know so much about my life."
"True, but I'm not the one moaning about it." Ari took a deep breath. "That's your MO, right, for someone who says she's so brave and fearless, the minute things get tough, you take off running. You should have been a track star instead of an adventurer."

Back from France

I drove back from Champs Les Sims in the dead of night, in a rented Jeep.

After I got back, I put together our new nectar cellar. I figured the nectar maker and the nectar bottles are going to be handy when we put together our next party, we'll have that to serve. Both mom and I know how to make nectar, and I'm going to teach Neil and Bassy how to do it too.

After I got back, I decided to pay a visit to Ari, who now wants to be called by her given name, Arielle. Ari, as usual, was teed off. I tried to talk about my trip and she's all, "I'm sick and tired of seeing my best friend on the cover of some trashy gossip rag."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm browsing through some stuff at the bookstore, and here you are on the cover of this gossip rag, suckin' face with some guy! What's that about?"

"None of your business!"

"Who is he, Savannah? I wanna know. Besides -- he's kinda cute. Geeky -- but cute."

I was reluctant. "His name is Gustave Delven."

"Oooh, Gustave!" she teased, "sounds veddy French."

"We met the first time I went to France, when my parents got married." I told her about the nectar history project we ended up working on.

"Uh-huh, and then you ended up sleeping at his house -- better be careful, Vanna, that's how these start!"

"There's one problem -- the bitch he lives with, Jolene. He says she's his roommate, but the way she's acting it seems like there's much more going on than that."

"Ah, so you're the other woman!"

"You watch entirely too much TV, Ari," I teased.

Ari and I decided to go over to Hogan's to get a bite to eat.

"You have to think about what you're getting into," Ari cautioned over her blaring Llama Mouth band while we were making the drive. "Jolene not only doesn't sound like a savory character, but it doesn't sound like Gustave has been entirely truthful to you, either."

"What do you mean? He doesn't seem like he has a lie inside of him."

"That's just it," Ari said. "It's pretty clear there's something going on between him and Jolene, but to keep from hurting you, he won't tell you about it. Seriously, why would they move in together?"

Being a Friday night, the place was PACKED! It was even more packed than usual because Hogan's was running an all-you-can-eat special. We had fried hot chicken wings and onion rings -- exactly the greasy fattening food I'd sworn off.

Just before I left, I saw Bassy and Neil pull up in Bassy's car. I know they had been over at the spa because Bassy got a job there -- no doubt to try to get at girls -- and then they came over to the diner to try their hands and stomachs at the greasy stuff.

Now Ari's mad at me, too!

If all I've already detailed isn't bad enough, I had a major fight with Ari recently, too.

"Well, if it isn't the jet-setter herself," Ari said snottily.
"If you must know, Ari, I haven't been abroad in quite awhile."
"You haven't been here either, Vanna."
"I know. There's been a lot of stuff going on at home. We remodeled the house, I signed the contract with my publisher, then my nephew moved in and I had to get him settled. It's been crazy."
"So you finally decided to come and see little old me."
"Ar -- it's not even like that. "
"Too busy for me or anybody, is that it?" Ari tore into me and I had to stand there and take it. "I call the house, your dad or your mom answers the phone. 'Oh, Savannah isn't here. ' 'Oh, Savannah went to the library. 'Oh, Savannah went to the art gallery.' 'Oh, Savannah is speaking at city hall.' 'Oh, Savannah took her brother fishing.' It never ends."
"Ar, I'm sorry, I've been going through a lot lately."




My cell phone rang. "Sorry, I've got to take this call, it's my publisher."
Ari shook her head. "See, Vanna, that's exactly what I mean. It's like -- it's like you've gotten too big for anybody. Andrew has said the same thing."
I frowned. "He has?"
"Yep, he called the other day and says you don't return his calls. Vanna, he is madly in love with you and you've treated him worse than three-day-old garbage. Don't expect him to wait forever."
What Ari -- and my mom -- don't understand is I just don't feel -- that way -- about Cheesebum. He's a friend to me and that's it, really. I can't see myself on a farm with him, barefoot and pregnant, popping out babies like you pop out bubbles with bubble gum. I've accomplished too much for that kind of life and I still have ambitions to do more things.

Neighborhood Gossip with Ari

Leave it to Ari to give me the low down on the happenings in the hood.

She called me over the next afternoon after I got back from the cemetery. "Hey, you know Darrel's engaged, huh?"

"Really? To who?"

"Tracey Gonzalez. She just moved here from Pinochle Point. He's smitten with her, they even moved in together."

"Wow." I had to admit, to myself, a little pang of jealousy and regret over what could have been.

"Oh, and you know Windy Alvi? She's married AND has a baby now."

I let out a deep breath. "What about you?"

"Oh, I've got no time for romance. Besides, I haven't met the right person yet."

"You know, you could be the neighborhood gossip queen."

"Yeah," she muttered, "if I wasn't so busy learning to play guitar. I don't know how you guys do it without your fingers hurting."

Just some stuff

Been pretty busy since I got back home this last time. Just yesterday I gave a speech at City Hall and today I've been asked to go to the school to perform. Never mind that I haven't touched my guitar in ages, but still it was pretty nice to do it again. Even if I'll probably never get as good as my parents.

While I was walking in the building, I saw Daisy (Bassy's girlfriend -- or one of them -- depending on who you talk to) and Neil leaving, and both of them were wearing explorer gear. I started to wonder what I had done to these kids.
"C'mon, Neil, the plane leaves for France any minute now."
"All right," Neil huffed while trudging down the steps, "I'm coming."
"Neil, stop your whining and let's go! We don't want to disappoint Bassy."

After leaving the school, I had an itch to go to the library, where I ran into Ari. "Hey, you read Lord of the Flies yet?" I asked her. She apparently was looking for a book.
"You would like that book, huh?" Ari laughed. "Just a bunch of boys on a tropical island."
"I think you should read it, you'd like it."
"I read it while I was in school in Riverview. I hated it."
Dang. I forgot she went to school in Riverview before coming here.

Then I went back home and helped Bassy with his geometry homework.

C'est moi

C'est moi, Savannah, rescuing my blog from the clutches of my baby brother. Just kidding. I did ask him to keep it up while I've been gone. But I've heard he'll be getting his own site soon, sooo...

Sebastian is a cutey, isn't he? The ladies are already tripping all over themselves.

So, I was in Egypt when I got an IM from Ari. And she sounded desperate.

Moore2Love: Girl, u betta get yo' behind back here.

SavannahSkye: Why, what's up?

Moore2Love: It's crazy. They got reporters everywhere. They've set up tents outside. And poor Sebastian won't even leave the house. I tried calling and he won't even answer the phone.

SavannahSkye: That's not like him.

Moore2Love: I know. Those bastards even tried to shove cameras in MY face. I wouldn't answer nothin.'

SavannahSkye: Good for you.

Moore2Love: This is all YOUR fault, tho. The adoption is big news on 3 continents.

SavannahSkye: Why, though? It's not like I'm Angelina Jolie or anything.

Moore2Love: No, it's cause of who your dad is. Ya know he's an international superstar. His records have sold all over the world.

SavannahSkye: What does my dad have to do with this? Seriously. I'm the one adopting the kids, not him.

Moore2Love: I know. I guess they just wanna make the connection. *brief pause* Hey, why do U wanna adopt these kids anyway?

SavannahSkye: Because I love them.

Moore2Love: Lovin' the kids ain't gonna make u ready 2 be a parent, Vanna. U still young! U can still love 'em and not adopt 'em.

SavannahSkye: That's just it. Their father is an arrogant asshole who's only using them for his own gain and God knows where their mom is. Who is seeing to these kids' welfare? I think I told you the story of how I found them, right?

Moore2Love: Yeah, in your blog entry. But girl, this here is dangerous. You could get yourself killed! Not even counting all them quests, you could have died doing any 1 of 'em.

SavannahSkye: The fact is, I'm not dead yet. If I haven't died yet somebody has to have had a reason for my still being here.

Tuesdays (Afternoons) with Ari

I arrived at Ari's house that afternoon. Ms. Kanto, the lady she was staying with, was in her garden, and I asked her if Ari was home. I knew the answer was yes, as her bike was there. But I wanted to see if Ms. Kanto was going to lie to me. To my surprise, she didn't, and directed me to the living room where Ari was watching TV.

Ari, as usual, was a ready ear for my complaints. I ended up telling her everything, about my argument with my mother, about learning that my kid brother had gotten his first kiss before me, and about my attachment to Satis Amin. "What is my problem?" I asked her. "I don't know why all this is bothering me." Under my breath I wondered, "Why is social stuff so easy for Bassy and so hard for me?"

Apparently Ari heard my last comment because she replied, with a little bit of a mischievous grin, "Because, Savannah, you have the charisma of a dirty dishrag and the social skills of a slug."

I was a little flummoxed by her comment, so I asked her to explain it.

"Savannah, you walk around with your nose in the air like you're better than everybody else. It's like pulling teeth for you to even talk to other sims. The only reason you talk to me is because I'm about the only person you know who's as weird as you are. You're an introvert. Face it, you are. You like painting, and writing, and chess, and classical music, and hanging around in cemeteries. That's introvert stuff. Being an introvert is okay, it's not a crime. It's just who you are. Your brother is who he is and you are who you are. You're different people and that's okay too. And every time you do meet someone, you start talking about the four different colors of ghosts." She let out a chuckle.

We spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around, she painting and me playing chess on the computer. We didn't say anything to each other after that, each of us working on our own pursuits in companionable silence.

Back home... for a while.

Well, to come crashing down with a giant t.h.u.d..

Dad was the same, down in the basement working on yet another song, I think he's gonna incorporate some international rhythms in it. His producer's talking about putting out a greatest hits album. Talk about milking your cash cow.

And I had to help Sebastian with his math homework. He's having trouble with long division. Fortunately I'm pretty good at math so I decided to teach him a method I used. But all he wanted to talk about was my trip.

"Bastian, I'll tell you after you do your homework," I had to tell him over and over.

After arriving home, I decided to visit Ari. I hadn't seen her since our graduation party and, of course, quite a few things had changed, not the least of which the fact that I'd traveled to Egypt.

"Savannah!" Her voice rang out clear as a bell.

I ended up gushing to her about everything. "So, when I open the sarcophagus and the mummy jumps out --"

"You mean -- you really saw one?" Ari asked me. "I thought they were, you know, just myths."

"Like, yeah, I did, and I have the pix to prove it."

Ari shook her head. "Ok, Vanna, I'm used to your tall tales by now, but you've totally outdone yourself this time."

I pulled out my bag and showed her all the ancient artifacts I'd collected and the pix I'd taken of the Great Sphinx, the Pyramids, the Ruins of Karnak, and the campsite where I'd stayed.
"Oh... wow.... you know, Savannah, this trip has really gotten to you, hasn't it? I've never seen you so animated. You're practically glowing.... and it's not because of the sun tan either." I'd never thought about it that way. Ari was right, the trip had changed me, in ways I hadn't even realized. I'd come fully alive in the desert, in a way I never had before. I knew the adventuring life was the one I was going to pursue. I, Savannah Rachel Plumb, was going to be the sim world's greatest adventurer.

The calm before the storm

Today was a good day.

I spent it down at the beach, fishing and collecting rocks. I got up very early in the morning because I wanted to see if I could catch an anchovy after I'd learnt the right bait for it. I tend to give myself these little challenges from time to time, to test myself, to see what I'm capable of.
I managed to catch the anchovy I wanted. But before that, I caught something else.

A jellyfish!

Immediately afterward, I wanted to make peanut butter & jelly. Seriously, I never knew that was made with jellyfish. Oh well, the saying you learn something new everyday certainly applies here.

Running along the beach, breathing the salty air, feeling the ocean breezes in your hair -- I really can't describe it.

My brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law put yet another announcement in the paper that their wedding was imminent. I can't honestly say my mind was actually on the wedding, though -- I was busy trying to avoid telling my father what I've really been up to.

However, I couldn't actually hold the secret -- so I went over to Ari's house and told her. Everything.
"Ari, you have to totally promise me that you will not tell anybody."
She laughed. "What are best friends for?" she asked.

I went into detail how when I broke curfew as a teenager, I hadn't been out partying like most kids. I was either in the library or the catacombs beneath the cemetery. I told her how I'd been speaking to the ghosts of my aunt and grandparents.
"Vanna, if you like that kind of thing, you shouldn't be trying to hide it," Ari said. "That's what I was telling you. You can't hide what you like, it's gonna come out anyway."
"I know -- but -- I mean, dad is gonna be freaked out if he finds out his daughter spends more time talking to ghosts than live people."
"I've heard the cemetery is hiring folks," Ari suggested. "Have you thought about actually working there?"
"Oh, gosh, no, never really thought about it. I had the bookstore job, which I liked, but I got bored with it after awhile --"
"Think about it, Vanna. Most of us are afraid to go in there, you're not."

"There's not too much that scares me, actually," I told her. "I was doing the catacombs when I was a child. I'm an old pro at it."

A new project

I started a new project the day after my birthday. I know, you must think I'm completely off my rocker -- and maybe I am.

I'm putting together the Plumb Family Scrapbook.

As most of you know, one of my big interests is genealogy. It's one of the main reasons I started this blog.

I went to my favorite photographer and had this formal, glamour shot taken for the scrapbook. In it I'm wearing the dress I wore to Aunt Margaret's funeral, and yes it is in the same style as a dress Aunt Margaret herself wore. It wasn't intentional, but it worked.

My late Aunt Margaret traced the Plumb side of the family back ten generations in her book, A Practical History of the Plumb Family. She researched records in England, Ireland, and Wales and found that a concentration of the Plumbs from whom we're descended came out of this one town in Yorkshire.

I'm also trying to research the Jolina, Bellingham, and Alto branches of the family tree. The Jolina branch is from my paternal grandmother, Jamie Jolina. Information on the Jolinas is scarce indeed. All I know is that their name is derived from the French word for 'pretty,' jolie. I do suspect that Jolina wasn't the actual family name -- trying to find THAT will be a challenge.

Information on the Bellingham branch (my mother's) of the family tree is even more scarce. What I know of my mother's background is this -- I know she was 'adopted' by a benefactor named Edmund Browning after a hurricane pretty much wiped out her hometown, killing the rest of her family, and her benefactor died well before I was born.

I know that after her benefactor died, she was involved with a man who called himself Cyclone Sword, and that he was the father of her twin daughters, Cylene and Clarice.

I know scarcely more about the Alto branch (Noah's) of the tree. I know his maternal grandparents were from Italy, and they came over to Sunset Valley with little more than my paternal grandpa did.

Ari is a computer whiz, and with her expertise on internet and such, we set up a website -- plumb-family.org (Author's note: not a real site). With it we're seeking to contact Plumb relatives all over the world. I know of Plumbs in England, certainly, and I've heard from someone in Wales.

Making this project more challenging is my father's indiscretions. He'd be the first to tell you that as a youth he did some things he's not proud of, and he readily admits he did those things. He slept with a lot of women and some of them got pregnant, hence, my brothers. I know even less about their branches of the family tree.

Party Time Part 5

As soon as I sat down, Cheesebutt came and sat next to me. "You know, that cake is gonna make you fat."
"So what?" I shot back at him, mouth full of morsels. "It's delish. It's gourmet made at the finest cake shop in town."
"Gonna need lots of sweating time at the gym to work all that off -- if you even go to the gym --"
"I go."
"Yeah, riiiiight. The minute you as much as break a fingernail, you're off crying to daddy."
I took offense. "That was so not nice, Cheesebreath."

"Hey, you two done verbally assaulting each other yet?" I heard someone say, and when I looked up it was Ari.
"Is this seat taken?"
"Sure, go ahead," I said with my mouth full.
"Come on, you two. It's obvious you guys like each other."
"Her?" Cheesebutt asked, pointing to me. "No way."
"Him?" I retorted. "Puh-leeze."
"Well, yah. There's no way you guys are gonna do those verbal love-taps without some depth of feeling."

Windy (who'd made her birthday two days earlier) joined Ari, Cheesebutt, and me at the table.

I tried to make conversation at the table. "So, did you catch that vampire fish you were after?"
"Since when were you interested in fishing?"
"I used to go fishing all the time with my daddy, just so you know." And I stuck my tongue out at him just to let him know I was serious.
"Seriously, y'all. Vanna, the chemistry with you and Andy is just sooo obvious. Why don't y'all just quit playin' games?"

"Hello," Windy said, not even touching her cake. "Earth to Vanna, hello."
"Oh I know what it is," Ari guessed. "She's got Darrel on the brain. Forget him, girlfriend. He is no good for you."
I could hear Cheesebutt clearing his throat in-between bites. "Who is this Darrel character?"
"Oh, some guy Savannah likes."
"Ari!"
"It's the truth, isn't it?"
"Well -- it's not like I wanted it broadcast to the whole town!"
"Vanna. The whole town already knows. It's not like it's this big giant secret."
"Hey," Cheesebutt interrupted, "I know Darrel Marks. He was in my gym class. You like him?"

By the time the dust settled and the sun set, I was stuffed full and I'd had a blast. Turns out I didn't need Darrel to have a good time. I had my family and my friends. That was all that mattered.

Darrel part 2

Well, I think I got some of that sense knocked into my head. Darrel called me a spoiled rotten little brat, then raised his hand to hit me, after I'd befriended him.

"Look, I'm not Grace, you know," I told him. "You're not gonna get away with this. You'd better behave before I report you to the police. I have them on speed dial."

He tried to give me that sob story about his dad dying. I was, like, look, buster, I just lost my dear aunt. You don't see me acting that way. Plus, he put his hand to Grace BEFORE that happened so that's really no excuse.

Cooler heads prevailed and we settled down to do our trig homework. The only thing he managed to utter to me was, "You have a nice house."

Mom and dad came downstairs after hearing all the commotion. "What's going on?" dad asked. And I told him everything. A lot of my friends are jealous that my dad is so cool about these things. "I'll talk to him," he said.



After Darrel left, I went to the park where I met Ari, who was there with the lady she was staying with. I ended up telling her everything.
"Girl, you've really got it bad for this guy."
"I know, I mean, intellectually I know he's bad news, but still, there's something about him..." I let out a deep sigh.
"He needs to get over himself if he thinks he's gonna get a girlfriend by insulting folks. Maybe that's the only way he knows how to show affection. You don't know how he grew up."
"I suppose that is true --"
"I mean, Vanna, not everybody had a fairy-tale childhood like you did."
"Who says my childhood was a fairy tale?"
"Compared to mine it was! A lot of people, actually. You don't realize, girl, you had it real good."
I thought about it. I suppose I had a privileged life. My parents are both famous musicians and my aunt was a successful author. I never lacked for anything.