Previous letter (the first of a three-part starts here)

Dear Lucy,

The trip to France was good for Tom and Vanessa, but it also turned out to be good for Abigail. She seems to be in better spirits and spends a lot of time talking about painting with her brothers. It might explain why Mark volunteered to give the dogs their flea baths.

Piper got fleas and passed them along to Pepper before we noticed and could separate the dogs. I’m glad we got things under control before all four dogs had them! Mark said he felt itchy afterwards and took a bath while he was out there.

The trip turned out to be good for me too. I met someone, sis. Her name is Jolene Montaque and I think we could become more than friends if there weren’t so many miles between us. I call as often as I can and have sent a few letters. She does the same.

She is very easy to talk to and thanks to decent phone plans, we’re able to talk as long as we want without the worry of a huge phone bill. I admit that I miss seeing her face and how expressive her eyes are when she talks.

Scout was quite expressive tonight when she transitioned into an elder dog. Her eyes seem a little tired but she still has enough energy to run around after the younger dogs.

Now that Sarge and Scout are older, we let them do their own thing and not push training or hunting like we did when they were younger. Both seemed to have learned all there is to know anyway. They’re smart dogs!
(Addy’s Note: Both are maxed in hunting and managed to learn all of the tricks before their transitions.)

Sarge lays down to eat now. It’s difficult seeing him like this because I know he is slowly winding down. He’s had a good life, I think, and I hope to have him around for a while longer. Piper and Pepper are cute pups but they can’t hold a candle to Sarge.

Speaking of candles, Abigail’s birthday is right around the corner. Our little girl is growing up, sis.

It sounds like she plans to travel and further her art that way versus a formal education at the university level. Seeking a degree isn’t for everyone and I know this well because I never was inclined to go, but of the four of them … she or Tom would have been my guess for ‘college bound’.

Tom is a whiz in the kitchen so I fully expected him to go to culinary school but he says he enjoys cooking and worries that formal training would remove enjoyment from the equation. Besides being with Vanessa, he says he’s happiest making meals for us and helping out with the dogs.

He’s my right-hand man and has been from the beginning. I don’t think we would have gotten this far without his help.

The local news showed snippets from the Spring Festival. Ethan’s younger brother, Lewis, won the prize for Spring Fling Dance King. I didn’t expect that! The twins have mentioned that he’s lazy and tries to get out of P.E. class for one reason or another.

I also didn’t expect Abigail to step next door and congratulate him, running the risk of crossing paths with Ethan. She told me that sooner or later they will run into one another and can hopefully act mature about it when they do.

According to her, Lewis and Ethan are like night and day. Lewis doesn’t flirt and the thought of undressing around others gives him the heebie-jeebies. Why that would come up in conversation between them, I don’t know nor do I think I want to!
(Addy’s Note: All of them have the Observant LTR so Abigail learned that Lewis is a Couch Potato, Unflirty and Never Nude. It was fun trying to work that into ‘general knowledge’!)

When asked how he pulled off the moves that he did, Lewis told her he practiced at home a few times when nobody else was around. Less chance of being mocked that way.

She doesn’t understand why Ethan or Kanoa would do that so I had to explain that some guys think certain activities aren’t manly and use teasing or mocking as a form of peer pressure so that others will fall in line. It was an uncomfortable conversation listening to Abigail rant about stupid males and their stupid pride.

Not sure if the two of them will have an easy time being friends, but Abigail isn’t about to let ‘certain others’ (her emphasis, not mine) dictate who she can be friends with or not. That’s my girl!

Another one who doesn’t seem to care about what others think is Mark. He’s struck up a friendship with Annemarie Pelly, daughter of the child star Imogen. They might live a street or two away from us but it seems like a different world.

None of that matters to either of them, I’m glad to say. They enjoy each other’s company and that’s what really matters.

Although … it might matter to Imogen and Kanoa since rumor has it that they’re seeing each other.
(Addy’s Note: If I’m remembering correctly, I think one of the SP message popups indicated that there might be another little Kanoa on the way.)

I know the quote “It’s a small world” but it seems that everywhere we turn, Kanoa is somehow involved. The arms of the law might be long, but apparently the criminal arms are too!

Since Annemarie showed Mark her home, he thought it only fitting that she sees ours. Too bad the television broke while they were watching it. I would have been as frustrated as Mark was!

At least there are plenty of things they can do that don’t depend upon electricity. On my way to the mailbox, I couldn’t help but overhear Lewis comment on not being able to do that at home for fear of being hit with an extra-firm pillow. Some guys are way too competitive!

Speaking of competitive, David got a love letter from Chantrelle. I’m not sure who she’s trying to upset more by doing this, Ethan or Cornell.

I’ll find time to show it to him later.

As I headed back inside, I couldn’t help but overhear Abigail. In fact, I’m pretty sure everyone in the room heard her.

“Hey, lovebirds! Take it elsewhere! Trying to do homework here and could do without the PDA so … cut it out!!”

This was my cue to pull David aside and show him the letter. He took one look and thrust it at me in disgust. I took this as permission to read what she wrote.

“I know this is coming out of nowhere, but I think you should take a chance on me. I’m a lot of fun and I think we’d be great together!”
(Addy’s Note: The game sure knows how to set a scene with message popups like this one!)

Hmm… maybe she isn’t as innocent in the Ethan situation as we initially though.

David, the quieter twin, was in the mood to talk so I listened. The school dance had a girl-ask-guy song and Chantrelle, an older student, asked David. There was some mild flirtation but nothing came of it. Later, he felt awkward approaching her at school to find out whether she was serious or just doing a dare so he made sure to stay under the radar whenever she was nearby. She never gave indication that she wanted to talk or be with him nor that she was hurt by his lack of attention so he assumed it was one of those ‘what happens at the dance, stays at the dance’ kind of moments.

I told him that sims sometimes get caught up in the moment without really meaning anything by it. Some are naturally flirty friendly without really thinking about the impact it might have on others. She might have seen him dancing and liked the way he handled himself, it might have been a song that one feels inclined to dance to each time they hear it, it might even have been a dare. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t really matter at this point since neither of them acted further upon it.

David indicated that her actions speak loudly about the type of sim she is and he won’t be answering her letter or actively seeking out her company. You don’t know how happy I was to hear this, sis. Some keep trying (and failing!) to catch the attention of one they thought was interested in them, never realizing that it was a one-way street. Two connections are needed to form a relationship. I’m proud of him for knowing not to jump into something just because another seems to want it. You have to want it, too, in order for it to work.

Our moment of male bonding ended with a bang … we could hear the washer rocking and banging about … and Abigail yelling at the offending piece of equipment as she grabs the mop. Time to grab the toolbox! Again.

This seems a good place to end this letter. Goodbye for now.

Love,
Luke

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