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Fruhm Hoh Oresha Hoh
The Devereaux Legacy: Chapter Four – Part 3
Welcome back to my story!
I realize that a Greek House would really only have three letters, but I found out that having what looks like the words “uh oh” spelled out was amusing.
Indeed, generation four, consisting of Miles, Aviendha, Amelia, and the heiress Mary, have gone off to college where zany hijinks, tomfoolery and shenanigans will occur.
Hijinks such as panty raids, drunken frat parties, and rivalries with the dean where it looks like our intrepid protagonists will lose, but by sheer luck, they will come out on top.
Wait. No. That's the plot of a lot of college movies. Nevermind.
But, things do happen that are somewhat interesting other than them just sitting around doing their homework and scoring 4.0 GPA's.
I promise.
Chapter One
Mary looked around the house that the four of them would be living in for their entire college stay. It was satisfactory, and with the addition of just a few minor things, the place would be perfect.
Aviendha and Miles came in behind her. “So, what do you think?” Aviendha asked expectantly.
“It's perfect!” Mary responded with glee and the two of them broke out into the school cheer to show their enthusiasm. Giggling when they were finished, Aviendha put her arm around her cousin.
“There's even a green house out back. That way you can do gardening if you want, without having to deal with the bugs.”
Mary grinned eagerly and went outside to check it out.
Looking around the cheerful greenhouse, Mary smiled as she set to work on her very own, and first, garden, images of ripe and mouthwatering vegetables going through her head.
Once everyone had settled in, Aviendha realized that she was the first of the four to have class. As she was walking out the door, a man was outside looking at her expectantly.
“Um, hi?” Aviendha said. The man smiled back.
“Aviendha Lewis?” She nodded in response as the man continued. “Excellent. I'm Professor Chuck McMiller. Your mother is a former colleague of mine and she asked that I introduce myself to you.”
He held out his hand for her to shake, which she tentatively did. His grip was obnoxiously soft and she raised her eyebrow when he slightly bowed over their hands.
“I'm...pleased to meet you.” Aviendha sighed inwardly. She could see her parents' plan for a 'set up' written all over Professor Chuck. It appeared that she wasn't even going to have that choice given to her.
College was no longer looking nearly as bright or fun.
To: [email protected],[email protected]
From: [email protected]
Dear Mom and Dad,
I just wanted to let you know that I made it here safe and sound. The house that Aviendha found for us is pretty cool. It kinda looks like one of the houses you grew up in Mom, if I remember your pictures correctly. In fact, I think the room where we have our computers would be the room that would have been your bedroom.
Anyway, I want you to know that I am thinking about what you had said about me helping out with your project.
I'll take it into consideration.
I should get going now. I have to register for my major. I was thinking about Literature and now I can't get that Avenue Q song out of my head about what I would do with a B.A. In English. How funny is that?
Oh, Miles wants me to tell you that he said hello. So, “Hi” from Miles. And don't worry, we have separate bedrooms and there are only single beds in the whole place. NOT that anything like that was going to happen sickos!
I love you and I hope talk to you soon.
Love,
Me
Chapter Two
Once everything had been squared away, Mary was able to contemplate one of the most important things in life for a Family Sim such as herself: Marriage.
She had seen a number of the other men on campus from a distance, and none of them matched the potential that Goopy 'Gil' GilsCarbo had.
He hadn't called her since she arrived, but she just figured that he might be busy, so she took it upon herself to call and invite him over.
“Gil! I'm so glad you could make it!” Mary enthusiastically greeted him.
Goopy held the young woman in his arms and inhaled the clean scent of her hair. He had forgotten about the young Devereaux heiress until she had called him. He had been too busy chasing tail in downtown SimCity to give her much thought.
Much to his regret, his attempted philandering fell flat. But, as he looked into Mary's eager blue eyes he saw a someone who would be receptive to his charms...for once.
“Heya Doll Face. How 'they hangin'?”
Flattered by the 'Doll Face' comment, Mary chose to ignore the vulgar innuendo. Leaning in quickly, she kissed Goopy on his dry lips.
“I am doing well, thank you for asking,” she replied when she pulled away.
This is too easy, Goopy thought as he pulled the young woman closer. Planting a sloppy kiss on her lips, Goopy reached down and grabbed Mary's rear end a bit painfully.
Stunned, and a bit overwhelmed, Mary pulled away.
“Gil, I would prefer it if we took things one step at a time.” She smiled sweetly as she took his hands and held them.
Playin' hard to get, I like that! Goopy thought as he grinned in a cheesy manner. “Sure Doll Face, whatever.”
“Perfect! All we need to do is work on your manners a bit, among other things, and we will both be so happy together!”
Aw yeah, she's warm for the Goopster's form!
Aviendha was seeing a lot of Professor Chuck. He was okay to be around, but she was barely attracted to him. But, seeing as her parents had chosen him for her to marry, she felt that she had to make the best of it.
Who knows? Maybe I'll find him more appealing the closer to graduation I get, she thought to herself.
Her parents, Xander in particular, were very pleased that she was actually obeying them.
But secretly, she found Chuck to be a little bit obnoxious. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, other than he was just on this side of creepy.
He was prissy. He barely spoke above a whisper. His handshakes, his hands in general, were too gentle. He also bowed slightly to everyone he met, even though he had never been to the Far East.
But, she really wanted to make her parents happy.
The thought of her parent's happiness was the reason why she agreed to Chuck's marriage proposal.
Fortunately, he was the General Education professor, not a Philosophy professor, so nobody could claim that she was getting her grades because of her relationship with him.
Giving him a hug after his proposal, Aviendha said to him, “I'm sure we'll have a fine life together Chuck.”
“Oh, Aviendha my dear, I was thinking of changing my name to Dragon Alexander. So if you could refer to me by that from now on, I would appreciate it.”
Aviendha felt her mouth drop open. Oh dear God, what have I gotten myself into?
That night, Aviendha went to bed with thoughts of her own marriage running through her head. Marriage to a man who repulsed her more and more every time she was around him.
And then there was the new 'Dragon Alexander' business, though he agreed to hyphenate his name with her last name.
Sighing in disgust, with herself as well as 'Dragon', she put her pillow over her face and pretended that she was smothering herself.
Chapter Three
“Oh dear! These weeds will not get me a perfect garden score when the Garden Club comes for their inspection!” Mary cried out, dismayed.
She frantically began pulling out the offending weeds, taking care not to harm the tomato plants in her rush.
Pulling the last of the weeds and tossing them into the compost bin, Mary had enough time to fussily fix her hair. When she greeted the head of the Garden Club, she seemed composed, relaxed, and was the perfect hostess.
Her guests were astounded; very rarely had they seen such gardening talent in one so young. They complemented her on her manners, her charm, and her grace.
Of course, not only did they award her with a perfect garden score, but they gave her a coveted wishing well to boot.
Mary expected nothing less for her efforts.
Much like she was when she was a teenager, Mary was quite the apt pupil, earning herself a 4.0 GPA in Biology; thus ensuring that she made the Dean's List every semester.
Mary also woke up early every morning and ran two miles on the treadmill. Mary knew that keeping trim and fit was an outward sign of perfection, so she was eager and willing to exert herself.
She was also the one who made up the chart assigning the household chores, and she made sure that she kept up on her end as well everyone else's if they didn't have the time.
A sparkling home was a perfect home, and a perfect home was a happy home.
On top of everything else, Mary practiced her cooking skills and very often was the one who made the dinners for everyone else, despite the fact that the other three residents preferred pizza from the local pizza place on campus.
Mary wanted to open up a pastry shop, on top of the other two businesses that she was inheriting, and she wanted to have the best and most perfect baked goods in all of Pleasantview.
Very rarely did Mary did sleep, for she usually drank an excessive amount of caffeine every day to allow her to accomplish her large, daily, to-do list. However, on those few times that she did rest, her dreams were filled with new and better ways to be an overachiever.
Because Mary herself strove for perfection, she would gently chide her roommates when they didn't live up to her standard. Often times, tempers would flare, never on Mary's end though. Mary would find herself bewildered when an argument took place.
“Amelia,” Mary began one night, “I realize that you are only halfway through your term paper. I just want to remind you that it's your week to clean the kitchen. I will clean it for you tonight, but I hope that tomorrow you will be more considerate.”
With a cheerful smile, Mary left the computer room, leaving Amelia feeling like crap for somehow falling short of Mary's expectations. The fact that her computer just crashed, making her lose a lot of her paper, just irritated Amelia more. Fuming, Amelia followed Mary into the kitchen.
“Listen here Little Miss Perfect, not all of us can run on the same frantic energy that you do. So I didn't clean the kitchen today. It's not like it's filthy or anything, it can wait. And it's not like you're a perfect neat freak either!”
Mary looked perplexed. “I never said that I was. Good heavens, it's not like I enjoy cleaning, but I do appreciate a nice clean house. It's not a big deal Amelia, I said that I would do it.”
“Yeah, but the way you said it...”
Miles walked in and looked at the two girls. “What's going on?”
He grew suspicious when the two of them quickly turned and started cleaning; Mary scrubbing frantically and Amelia a little more reluctant.
“Seriously, what were you two arguing about?”
“Nothing Miles. There was no argument,” Mary said in an almost panicked voice. She didn't mean for there to be a fight, she much preferred niceness and happiness over confrontation.
Her brother recognized her tone, though. “Liar. Come on, fess up. What seems to be the problem?”
Amelia stopped cleaning and stood by her boyfriend. “There was just a misunderstanding over who was supposed to clean the kitchen,” she replied delicately. The last place she wanted to be was in between the two siblings.
“I'm sorry Amelia, I shouldn't have said anything. I'll just do it myself next time, okay?” Fighting was not part of Mary's perfect ideal.
Clenching her jaw, Amelia went back to scrubbing the counter. Miles sighed as he looked at his sister. He knew that Mary didn't mean to have the patronizing tone in her voice, but often times it just sounded like it was there, and that was what angered Amelia.
He reached out and placed his hand on Mary's shoulder. “Mare, let it go. College is the time when we can have fun and relax without parental supervision. Relax! Roaches are not going to appear if the counter isn't cleaned tonight.”
“Roaches! I didn't even think about those! That's not perfect! Not at all!”
“Oh my God! Nobody can be perfect! You're going to give yourself an ulcer, or even worse, a breakdown if you keep this up! How perfect would that be, huh?”
Shrugging his hand off of her shoulder, Mary replied. “Miles, I appreciate your concern, I really do. However, I do not have the time for a breakdown, so thus, it will not happen. Now, if you will excuse me, my plants need to be weeded.”
Her brother just sighed as she walked towards her greenhouse.
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best at everything you set your mind to,” Mary muttered to herself as she harvested her mouthwatering eggplants, “nothing at all.”
She stood up and looked at her watch, then sighed. She still had to finish her gardening, clean the bathroom, and finish her homework. On top of that, it looked like she was going to need to pick up on some of the slack with the rest of the housework.
It was going to be another night full of espresso, but Mary looked upon the challenge cheerfully. It prepared her for the many challenges she was going to have when she took over the family household. She intended to do the job perfectly.
Chapter Four
To: [email protected], [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm just checking in to let you know how things are going. My grades are at 4.0, just like you expected from me. I'm really loving my classes, they are so much fun! One of my professors has the same name as a character from South Park, so that's pretty cool; it makes up for the fact that Shakespeare is kind of a chore. Blah! Oh well .
Miles and I are doing great, in case you were wondering.
I'm sure you're aware of that though, seeing as you've seen us together when you visit.
But really, Mom this is to you in particular, if the sight of us kissing makes you embarrassed, maybe you shouldn't come into the computer room when we are in there. I'm just saying...
Anyway, I have some news to tell you the next time you visit; it's about my “helping” you with your observation project.
See you soon, hopefully at the next toga party we have. I know how much you two enjoy coming to them!
Love,
Me
A month passed before Amelia had the opportunity to talk to her parents in person. She told her father about her engagement first.
Keith was thrilled to see his little girl so happy.
“Do you think Mom's going to be mad about my rejecting her offer?” Amelia asked him anxiously.
“When she sees how happy you are, she'll come around. Let me go get her. By the way, I promise you will have a nice, big, beautiful church wedding at Saint Bella's. Nothing is too good for my little girl!” And Keith went to go find his wife.
“Why are you hanging out in the bathroom?” Keith asked me. I shrugged in response.
“I'm just admiring my genius. Though the rest of the house is similar to one of the ones I grew up in, having the bathroom redone with a communal shower and toilet stalls makes everything run a lot smoother. Pure genius.”
“Did you come up with that idea on your own?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Nooo, I didn't. But it still works.” Keith just arched his eyebrow at me.
“Ang, Amelia wants to tell you something. She made her decision about helping you with the legacy.”
I felt my eyes go wide. I knew what the answer would be; Keith wouldn't be so happy if it was the answer I wanted.
“I'll bloody kill him. He's a spare, I can go without watching his household. I can boolprop him, or use the InSim machine. I swear I will.”
“You will not kill him. You would rather our daughter be miserable with Miles dead than allow her to be happy?”
“She'll get over it. He's fourth generation; there's five more, not including the birth of the tenth. Time will heal all wounds.”
“Nope. You aren't killing him. I won't let you. I'll go onto your computer and resurrect him and marry them off myself.”
At that moment, Sebastian walked in. “Who is killing who?” he asked suspiciously.
“Nobody is killing anyone Sebastian.” Keith responded, still looking at me.
“But, I thought I heard...”
“Sebastian, the bathroom is occupied.”
“But...”
“DUDE! Men don't talk to each other in the bathroom. Haven't you ever heard of male restroom etiquette? At least buy me dinner before you start looking at my goods!”
Keith smiled as he heard, rather than saw, Sebastian leave in stammering embarrassment. Then he turned his attention back to me. Before he could say anything though, a voice from inside one of the stalls spoke.
“If you so much as touch a single hair on Miles' head, I will import you into my own world and torture you.” Her voice made both me and Keith jump; we hadn't realized that someone else was in the bathroom.
“Kitty...Tribebohemian, I didn't know...”
“I'm not finished,” Kitty interrupted. “I will torture you, and then kill you. But after you are dead, I will resurrect you over and over, making every death more gruesome than the last. From what I understand, there are seventeen different ways to kill a sim. I want to see of that's true.”
I glowered at the stall door. “I wasn't really...”
“Of course you weren't. I'm just giving you the warning. I know I'm not immortal here, but I still watch this legacy from the outside.” She started to fold up the newspaper she was reading. “You know what they say about a momma bear and her cubs, right? Have I made myself clear?”
“Crystal,” I said as I walked out of the bathroom. I guess I needed to talk to Amelia.
“...and so I said yes to him Mom. I love with him and I don't think I could stand watching him die while I lived to be young and healthy forever. It isn't fair.” After she got done with her theatrics, she looked at me apprehensively.
“I hope that's okay.”
I turned away from her, unwilling to let her see my disappointment and sadness. “Yeah, it's okay.”
“Really? It is? Can I have a big wedding at Saint Bella's like Daddy promised?”
“Yeah. I'll make the arrangements.”
“Thank you Mom!”
I forced myself to hear the happiness in her voice. She had made her choice. She knew what was going to happen.
I knew what was going to happen, and it broke my heart.
Of course, I wasn't about to break down in front of everyone. Instead I sat on the couch and watched everyone else have a good time.
Their lives were so short, and now Amelia, my baby, was going to be among them.
As I contemplated this, I saw him walk outside. I stood up and followed him.
“Miles,” I said to the young man as he turned around. He grinned at me amiably.
“Hi Mrs. Bond!” He stopped when he saw that I wasn't smiling back. He took a deep breath before he continued, though.
“I wanted to ask you something a while ago, but Amelia said that you would be okay with her decision. I wanted to ask you if it was alright that I married your daughter. I love her very much...” He trailed off again when he saw that my face remained expressionless.
“You don't like broken bones, do you Miles?” I asked him nonchalantly after I stared at him for a moment.
“Um...no?”
“Good. Then let there be an understanding between the two of us here and now. You had better make my little girl happy every single moment of her life. Otherwise, not only will I take her away from you, but I will find ways to make you miserable for the rest of your life.
“And believe me when I say that I have the means to do so. Can you agree to those terms?”
“Yes ma'am.”
“Excellent. Then...welcome to the family.”
Chapter Six
“I swear, if Goopy makes one more inappropriate comment at me, I'm gonna clock him Mary,” Amelia told her friend disgustedly.
“Oh Amelia, I'm sure he didn't mean it. Gil has a wonderful sense of humor. He's a little rough around the edges, but I can fix that in no time.”
“Goopy, I'm getting awfully tired of your innuendos.”
“In YOUR endo, hehehehe!”
“I don't know Mary,” Amelia said as she thought about her last encounter with Goopy. “I don't think he can be changed.”
“Nonsense. I think I know exactly why he's been acting that way. He must think that I am not serious about him. I believe I will change that tonight.”
True to her word, Mary proposed to Goopy that night. She thought she would be able to get away with waiting for him to do the actual proposal, but it was becoming apparent that he wasn't going to.
Besides, if I want something done right, I should do it myself. Mary thought as she presented the engagement ring to him.
“For me? You want to marry me? Really? Most girls don't appreciate my charm,” Goopy responded to Mary's proposal warily. Getting married guaranteed him WooHoo, but to be with the same person forever...
“Of course I want to marry you silly. Otherwise I wouldn't be kneeling here.”
“Aww yeah,” he leered before accepting the ring with a shrug. “Okay, sure. We'll get married.”
Pleased, Mary gave him a tight hug. “Oh, we'll be so perfect together, just wait and see. After we fix a few things of course.”
The first thing Mary wanted to fix was how he dressed. Before Goopy could protest, she called a cab to drive them into SimCity. Leading him by the hand into one of the boutiques, she directed him over to a clothing rack and began picking out a whole slew of new outfits.
Goopy looked at the huge pile of clothes that he was carrying. They weren't exactly to his taste, but Mary was quite insistent on picking them out anyway. He saw her looking over at the row of women holding perfume bottles; women who looked like they were laying in wait, attacking people with the scents when they least expected it.
Goopy's heart sank. Of course Mary would want him to wear cologne. At least she's paying for it. I'll just wear this stuff around her. Maybe nobody will see me and laugh when they see my new duds.
After Mary paid a small fortune on Goopy's new and perfect outfits, she escorted him to a hairdresser.
“Just a little change Gil. You'll like it, I promise,” Mary said, trying to convince Goopy to sit in the chair. Goopy looked at the hairdresser.
“I'm supposed to let someone dressed like him know what the height of hair fashion is?”
“Hush Gil. It is very rude to say such things out loud. You ought to know better.”
Goopy sighed and sat down, wincing as the hairdresser roughly started running a comb through Goopy's hair.
Mary beamed at her scowling fiancee. “Perfect. That is exactly how I wanted it. Your hair looks so much more flattering!”
Goopy kept his grumblings to himself as Mary paid another arm and leg for this little 'fix.'
When they got back to campus, Goopy gave Mary a lascivious grin. “So Doll Face, now that I'm all gussied up, how about giving the ole' Goopster a big, juicy kiss, hm?”
Mary looked over at him and gave an innocent smile. “Oh! Of course darling.” She leaned in ad gave him a soft kiss.
That was fine for Goopy, but he wanted more. Sitting down on the couch, he pulled at her waist and placed her into his lap.
She allowed him to kiss her in that fashion for a while. He was rough and clearly not an expert, but then again, neither was she. When he started to fumble with the lace tying her sweater though, she pushed him off of her.
“Gil, no.”
Goopy puffed out his breath, exasperated. “Why not?”
“Because we aren't married. It wouldn't be proper.”
“Doll Face, I don't care about being proper...” Mary placed her hand on his lips.
“It will be so much more special to me if we waited.”
Shoving himself off the couch, Goopy angrily made his way to the door to leave. Mary attempted to stop him. “Gil, wait, I...”
“Whatever Doll Face. Call me when you're serious. Until then, I have some business to take care of,” and then he left.
A few days had passed and Mary hadn't heard from Goopy. Rather than give up on all the time and effort she put into him, she opted to instead call him during one of the toga parties that he had been invited to, but hadn't shown up for.
The phone rang ten times before he picked up.
“Hi Gil, it's me Mary. I was just wondering, are you coming tonight to the toga party? Oh dear. I thought I did tell you about it. Who is that in the background? Your sister? Oh how nice! I didn't know you had a sister. Well, then I won't keep you away from her. Do you think I will see you tomorrow? I will? That's fantastic! I'll see you then.”
She hung up the phone feeling so much better. She thought Goopy would still be mad about her wanting to wait until marriage before they WooHooed.
True to his word, Goopy showed up; he was even wearing the new clothes that Mary had bought for him.
This delighted Mary and she caressed his cheek. “You look perfectly handsome, you know this, right?”
Goopy grinned back, placing his hand on hers. “Sure. You've just proven that women can't keep their hands off me.”
“Gil, I'm sorry about the other night.”
“Don't sweat it babe, the situation is under control.”
“So, you don't mind if we wait?”
“Nah.”
“Oh good! I'm so glad.”
Though she tried not to show it, Mary was exhausted. She had been up all night worrying about Goopy, so she was forced to drink multiple cups of espresso once again.
Goopy looked over at her. “Hey Doll Face, drinkin' the caffeine to stay on your toes?”
“There are so many things that need to be done today, so yes,” she replied brightly.
“Well, when we get married, I hope you continue to coffee habit. You want to stay active, if you know what I mean,” and Goopy waggled his eyebrows at her in a knowing manner.
“Of course,” she murmured as she drank the last bit of liquid.
He's still a bit rough around the edges, but I can fix that, she thought to herself as she observed him. He'll be perfect in no time.
Chapter Seven
Aviendha had been spending less and less time at the Greek house. Granted, she slept there at night, but she was either away at class or somewhere on campus.
Especially when Professor Chuck called around asking for her.
In fact, the other household residents were becoming a bit worried about her behavior. Not to mention a bit resentful, as Aviendha had begun shirking on her part of the household chores.
On a night that she came home early, Miles decided to ask what was up.
“You know you missed a call from Chuck. Again. Where have you been?”
Aviendha's face lit up with giddy smile. She leaned in and whispered in Miles' ear. “You'll never believe what happened.”
***
It was just one of those days where Aviendha felt penned in, so she decided to go to the campus coffee house for a little change of scenery. As she was greeting one of the people she was in the same class with, the other girl widened her eyes.
“Like, oh my God! There he is! He's so cute! Eeee! He's looking right over here!”
Aviendha turned around to see who the other girl was talking about. Her own eyes widened as she saw one of the most popular guys, Ashley Pitts, heading her way. Putting on a smile, she approached him.
“Hey, I know you! You're Ashley Pitts, right?”
“Yes. Yes I am. My fan line forms to the left. I'm now serving number seventeen,” Ashley responded cockily. Then he smiled easily and laughed. “I'm totally kidding, of course.”
Aviendha liked him immediately.
She began hanging out at the coffee house more and more. Almost every time, she would bump into Ashley and the two soon became fast friends.
They would joke, tease and debate with each other; often times until the coffee house closed. Aviendha liked spending time with this man. He was a man who inspired her and kept her mind on its toes.
She was surprised when she found out that he was a Romance Sim, for he really didn't act like it. He actually kind of reminded her of her father in that respect.
It also didn't hurt that he was cute.
She had the feeling that the attraction was mutual.
After a few months, their teasings took a more flirtatious tone and the two of them went with the flow. It hadn't gone any further than a few suggestive flirts, though.
This night felt different. The chemistry between the two sparked and sizzled, but neither of them had made a move on the other.
As the two of them hugged each other good night, Aviendha had a moment of clarity: If she didn't do something right then, she and Ashley would forever remain in the 'friend zone.'
And the 'friend zone' was the last place she wanted to be.
...
Aviendha blushed as she felt the remnants of Ashley's soft kiss on her lips. “Sorry, I don't know what came over me,” she said, looking away. She realized something that she had subconsciously known all along: She was in love with Ashley and she wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything before in her life.
And just as that buoyant feeling washed over her, a lead weight pulled it down. Covering her eyes, Aviendha started muttering, “Crap crap crap!”
“Aw come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?” Ashley asked with a questioning smile.
“It's not that. It's...well, I'm engaged.”
“I see...”
“No, you don't understand. I don't want to be engaged to this guy. I only did it to make my parents, Dad especially, happy.”
Ashley reached out and rubbed her back. “Avi, I like you. More than like, I guess. I don't want to be the cause of any problems. But I want to know, what would make you happy? Not your parents, but YOU?”
“This,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again.
***
“And I spent the rest of the night making out with him. I really wanted to go back to his place, but I decided against it. It was tempting though,” Aviendha said, wrapping her story up.
“That is the most deplorable thing I have ever heard come out of anyone's mouth Aviendha. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!” Mary was aghast. “You have a fiancee Aviendha! A fiancee that your parents approve of! Why would you throw all that happiness away for a fling?!”
“Oh my God Mary! Chuck makes me miserable! He's annoying, obnoxious and creepy. The last thing he does is make me happy. I think Ashley could! Do you even know what happiness is?”
“I do indeed! It's a state of mind and a mantra that I continue to say to myself. The three P's in life is what makes me happy!”
“Oh God, here we go with this again. Come on Avi,” Miles said rolling his eyes and walking out of the room.
“No no, I have to hear this. Do tell, Mary. What are the 'three P's in life' that makes you so insanely happy that you're a hyperactive nervous wreck? Please, share this wisdom with me.”
“The first P stands for 'Perky.' One must always start the day with a smile and cheerful attitude to be able to succeed at anything in life.”
“The second P stands for 'Pretty.' Dressing and looking your best will make any ugliness you feel on the inside disappear, thus making it possible to be Perky at all times.”
“The last P stands for 'Perfect.' One must always strive to do and be their best, no matter what the situation might be. Grace under fire and adherence to the rules can help a person go far in life.”
“Perky, pretty, perfect. I know that everyone can achieve this on varying levels. It is just a shame that you, my own cousin, can't understand this. You are blatantly disregarding your parents' wishes. You are supposed to marry a professor according to your family tradition. You are engaged to a professor and yet, you are CHEATING on him with a passing crush. I am incredibly disappointed in you.”
“You need to add another P to your list: Piss off! Number one, you aren't my framming mother or father, so don't you ever talk to me about how disappointed you are in me, ever again!
“Number two, being engaged is not the same thing as being married. The entire professor thing never 'sparkled', as I am sure you would put it, with me. If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be. Clearly Chuck is NOT meant to be, and I will make sure I tell my parents as such. I'm an adult now. I can make my own decisions.
“And, finally, number three, you should look at your own love life before you start criticizing mine. You are so busy trying to make Goopy into this perfect person that you are failing to see some of his major flaws. Don't fall in love with an image, Mary; fall in love with a real person.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to call Ashley. Your insanity about 'the three P's in life' totally harshed my buzz, and I want to get some of that happy feeling back.”
Mary fumed as Aviendha flounced out of the room.
Aviendha knew that Mary was at least partially right. She knew that she should break it off with Professor Chuck if she was to continue seeing Ashley.
Taking a deep breath, sincerely hoping that he wouldn't pick up, she called her soon-to-be ex-fiancee. She winced as she heard him pick up the phone immediately.
“Oh, hey Chuck. Sorry, DRAGON. Yeah, I've been fine. Busy. How about you? That's nice. I was wondering if you wanted to stop over tonight, if you're busy I would understand. Oh, you aren't. Okay, well...then I guess I'll see you tonight.”
“Damn,” she said when she hung up the phone.
“My dear, I've missed you so. Please don't wait so long to call again,” Professor Chuck murmured as he attempted to pull Aviendha into a passionate kiss. Aviendha managed to duck his kiss and she extracted herself from his arms.
“Yeah, how about we go inside, okay?”
Aviendha tried not to shudder as she unconsciously rubbed the feeling of Professor Chuck off her skin. She sighed. As disgusting as she thought him to be though, she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
She figured fast and easy, like ripping off a band aid, would be the best way to end the relationship.
“Chuck, I'm sorry, DRAGON, I don't think we should see each other anymore. I kind of thought you would get the hint when I totally stopped calling you and stuff. I'm sorry, but it's just not going to work out.”
“It's because of that Ashley character, isn't it? I've heard about how you've been carrying on with him at the coffee house. Best of luck getting a ring on his finger, though.”
Angry, she shot back with, “And so what if it is Ashley? You know absolutely NOTHING about him! I'm sorry, I wanted this to be painless, okay? You just don't do it for me. I never wanted a professor, my parents did. I shouldn't have involved you, but I wanted to make them happy!”
She began to pull the diamond ring off her finger when Chuck stopped her.
“Keep it. You'll need the money when your parents disown you. Don't you think I know about the tradition your family has? Who do you think arranged for us to meet? I doubt they'll be very happy with you when they find out that all of the professors are going to boycott your family from now on. You ruined it for everyone, Aviendha.
“Good luck making your way in the world when you don't have that little trust fund backing you up. That ring should fetch you a few hundred dollars. I hope it makes you happy. And don't even think about crawling back to me when you find that man whore of yours in bed with another woman.”
He spun on his heel and left before Aviendha could say another word.
Chapter Eight
“So what are you going to do now? Be a starving artist or something?” Amelia asked her friend.
Aviendha sighed. She HAD been contemplating opening up an art gallery when she graduated. But she needed money for that, as try as she might, she couldn't get the words that Professor Chuck said about her parents disowning her out of her head.
“I dunno,” she replied to the red head, “maybe they won't be that upset.”
Whether her parents were going to be upset or not though, Ashley soon became a regular fixture at the Greek House. He studied hard with all of the roommates, and most importantly, he got along famously with them.
It was only a matter of time before Aviendha invited him to become an official member, allowing him to move in. He had to share a bedroom with Miles, of course.
“I thought only relatives of yours got their pictures painted and put on the wall,” Ashley commented, watching Aviendha concentrate on mixing the colors properly.
“Well, Amelia isn't a relative. She kinda will be after she marries Miles, though. That's besides the point. We paint a portrait for everyone who belonged to the legacy family Greek House, even though my father and such lived in a different town when the Greek House was originally formed.
“Not to mention, my Great Grandmother Kelly's portrait is on the wall, and she never lived with my Great Grandfather Josh until they got married. Anyway, you live here now, so you get a portrait.”
Ashley fell silent as he gazed at Aviendha's profile, smiling the entire time.
It was a good rendition of him and Aviendha was pleased that she was able to catch both his flirtatious nature as well as his easy grin.
Another one of many toga parties was underway a few days later. But this one, to Aviendha, wasn't nearly as fun. She was very nervous about telling her parents about her failed relationship with Chuck.
Mary, with her ever present perky smile, could tell that Aviendha was worried. “Just put a smile on your face Avi, and everything will be fine. Think about the three P's. It might help.”
“Hmm, okay,” Aviendha said distractedly, as she watched her father talk to Amelia's mother. When he broke away from his conversation, Aviendha approached him.
“Daddy, we have a new Greek member. Do you want to meet him?”
“Sure Mini-Me!”
She could tell that Ashley was nervous as he shook Xander's hand. “It's very nice to finally meet you Mr. Lewis. Aviendha has told me so much about you.”
“I TOTALLY hope it was all good stuff,” Xander replied.
“Of course it was, sir. Aviendha thinks very highly of you. She's an awfully swell girl.”
Aviendha winced at his over the top nice boy attitude, and she noticed that her father got a suspicious look on his face.
“Well, it was nice meting you too, Ashley. Back in my day, only direct relatives lived in the Greek House; but this place is bigger, so I can TOTALLY understand the concept of the more the merrier.”
“Oh, absolutely sir!”
“Hmm,” Xander turned to talk out of the kitchen.
Behind her father's back, Aviendha gave Ashley a quick kiss. “You don't need to try so hard,” she whispered.
“I think he knows,” Ashley whispered back. Seeing his girlfriend's pensive look, he kissed her again. “Good luck.”
“So Dad...”
“Where is your fiancee?” Xander interrupted his daughter. “I notice he isn't here.” He glanced down at his daughter's left hand and noticed that her engagement ring was missing. A look of comprehension dawned on his face. “Don't tell me that the rumors I've been hearing are TOTALLY true,” he began angrily.
“Look Dad, I don't know what you saw in Professor Chuck, or should I say Dragon, but he wasn't right for me. Ashley makes me happy, okay? I love him. HIM, Dad. He's not a professor, but who the hell cares? He's a Math major! He's very smart! And best of all, he doesn't give me the creeps!
“This is the 21st century, okay? A person should be able to make their own choice about who they want to marry. Hell, even Tevye with all his talk about 'Tradition' in Fiddler on the Roof came to understandd that.”
Something inside Xander snapped as he glared at his daughter.
“Ashley is not welcome in our home. Don't even think of bringing him there.”
“FINE!” Aviendha shouted back at him, and she stormed out of the room. The rest of the party guests stood around, awkwardly.
As Xander went to get Marsha, so they could leave the party early, Kitty stopped him.
“I didn't know you could be such a hardass, Xander. Do you really want your daughter to suffer heartbreak as she tries to please you?”
“If I wanted your opinion, Kitty, I would have asked for it. You TOTALLY don't even know how to age properly, so why should I listen to you? Besides, why don't you talk to your own, dear, sweet, perfect, daughter about her choice of a husband, hmm?” And he pushed past her.
“Come on Marsha, we're leaving.”
“What did you do, Xander?”
“Nothing. I did nothing. Aviendha has made her decision. Let's go.”
“Xander!”
“We TOTALLY need to leave now, before I completely lose my cool.”
Marsha could only look over her shoulder helplessly at Aviendha as the two of them left.
Chapter Nine
Aviendha stood by her choice. She tried to call her parents, mainly her father, to beg them to understand, but all she got was the answering machine.
This hurt her deeply and often times she would slump into a sad mood. Ashley would hold her hand and tell her funny stories until she snapped out of it. She adored this quality in him.
What she adored even more was how fake of a Romance Sim he was. Sure, it reminded her of her pig-headed father, but she forgave Ashley for that.
“Ashley, will you marry me? I love how you make me laugh. I love how you make me feel secure. I love, well, I love everything about you.”
“Avi, I thought you would never ask.”
“It's going to be hard, you know,” Aviendha said as she sunk her head onto his shoulder.
“I have about two thousand dollars saved up. It's not a lot, but we can get an apartment. It'll be fine. We'll be fine.”
“I know we will, Ashley, no matter what my dad seems to think.”
“Woohoo! Graduation! After the ceremony, our lives will officially begin!” Miles cheered, enthusiastically.
“And then there will be the weddings! And then babies! Oh! Everything is going to be so perfect! I can't wait!” Mary responded with equal vigor.
Babies were prominently on Mary's mind as she got dressed for the graduation ceremony. She felt that she had sufficiently achieved perfection during her stay at college, so she could hardly wait to begin her new reign at the legacy home.
Ceremony finished, hats tossed, diplomas received, everyone trekked back to the Greek House to finalize their packing and head back to Pleasantview.
Kitty looked upon her daughter with pride. She looked so very grown up. Of course, there was Mary's obsession with being perfect, but Kitty figured that once Mary got the hang of things, she would relax.
“Your dad and I are so proud of you, Mary. We're preparing the house for the wedding. You and Goopy...”
“Mama, please, it's Gil.”
“Um, Gil then. You and Gil are going to have some very...interesting...looking children.”
“Of course we are Mama. Our children will be absolutely, wonderfully, perfect!”
Indeed, Kitty hoped that Mary would grow out of her perfection phase very soon.
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Aviendha said that she would stay back to make sure all of the paperwork for the caretaker was finalized.
It was time to finally go home.
From: [email protected]
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm just letting you know that I've successfully managed to graduate with a 4.0 in Philosophy. I admit that I am hurt that neither of you attended my graduation ceremony and I will not pretend to understand.
I think that you are wrong, plain and simple.
Either way, I intend to respect your wishes: I will not come home with Ashley.
In light of that request that you oh so reasonably made, I thought I would give you my new address:
P007 Tsang ComplexApt # 4Pleasantview, SimCity 00007
And in case you ever decide to grace me with your presence, please call first, as I might be busy in the arms of the love of my life:
(007)-555-1414
Your very dutiful daughter,
Aviendha
P.S. Everyone else has parents who are happy with their choice of a significant other. Why can't you be?
...
…
***
Thank you for reading! Thanks to Tribebohemian, the author of “The Victorians: A Legacy,” for letting me take some creative liberties with “Kitty's” character. I figured she would be the type to threaten when it comes to her kids.
And thank you again everyone for your awesome comments and feedback. It's greatly appreciated.
The next chapter will be a short one, covering the three weddings. I want to show them off and not cut them short to make room for the upcoming plotty stuff.
So, until next time, Happy Simming!
