The Calhouns of Riverview

[DeLouche]

Hey, great story! Really anjoying reading this! I like how you're weaving the requirements into the story, I think you've done it really well... Looking forward to seeing how the Calhouns get on!

[MissTrips]

It looks like Riley did find someone, I hope it work out for him!
Congrats on your first immortal.

It took him all three days too!  Heh, there are some beautiful egyptian ladies in the game, but apparently all the local egyptian lads know it and poor Riley was out of luck.  Luckily for him Mu lan was headed right for the same tomb as him and I was able to get her to stop and talk to him and the relationship grew fast!  Riley may not have his Dad's schmoozing ways, but he is a friendly guy!

Hey, great story! Really anjoying reading this! I like how you're weaving the requirements into the story, I think you've done it really well... Looking forward to seeing how the Calhouns get on!

Thanks!  I've been having a lot of fun with this challenge, it's been a great way for me to dig into the meat of the game and try out things I normally would have skipped over.  And Riley *really* loves chess.  Give him a moment of free will and he's beelining for the table!  Even if I need him to be looking at stars instead!

[MissTrips]

Riley and Mu lan spend the last day of his vacation together.  Riley learned that Mu lan had been travelling the world for years, seeing new places was one of the things she loved. 



"Have you been to Simerica?"  Riley asked.

"Mostly the West Coast.  I have family in Sim Francisco."

"Well, my visa here is almost expired, but I'd love to have you come and visit Riverview.  It's not big, but it's got some charms."

"Oh?"  Mu lan smiled at him.  "Any particular charms I should see?"

Riley could feel a blush form on his cheeks, "Well, the Art gallery has some renown and I can guarantee the Bistro has the best chefs in the city."

"Well, why don't you givve me a call then?"


Rilley spent a few days back home in a bit of a cleaning frenzy and putting in some extra effort at the Bistro for a promotion before finally calling Mu lan and asking if she could come. 

"I missed you too, Riley.  I can be there next week?"

"I can't wait."  he hung up and gave his parents a firm look.  "You two have tickets to  the symphony the first night she's here.  Be good!"

"Yes, son,"  Dean replied in a dutiful voice.  "Well, it'll be a celebration for us anyways.  The royalties from your mother's fourteenth book have come in and she's racked up 5000 simoleons a week."

"I will even throw in dinner at the Bistro."  Riley added.

With his parents safely distracted for the first evening, Riley set the table and made up a fresh batch of spaghetti for Mu lan's arrival.  She arrived on time and stood on the front porch, impressed.  "All this land is yours?"

"Well, my father bought it years ago.  We've been building on it slowly, as we've had the opportunity to.  Dad dug out the pond in the back and Mom's done most of the painting."

"Really?  I've always wanted to learn to paint, perhaps she can show me how."

The two talked through the evening and when Dean and Constance got home, Riley and Mu lan were snuggling on the couch and watching Henry chase his toys.

"Well, us old folks are home before cerfew and heading to bed..."

"Good *night* Dad."  But Riley had a smile on that took the normal exasperation out of his voice.

The days that Mu lan spent were some of the best of Riley's life.  "I know, that your visa will expire soon... but what if it didn't?  What if you decided to stay, here, with me?"



"Oh, oh Riley, of course I will!"

The wedding was small, and the paperwork for Mu lan's residency went through without a hitch.  She became an offical Calhoun, and was interested in learning painting and the guitar, and Dean and Constance were more than happy to teach her their skills.




"Well, it's a good thing we bought that queen sized bed for Riley when he graduated, dear."

"I have the feeling we won't be waiting long for grandbabies."

"Grandbaby, dear."

"I could serenade them with kids tunes."

"Read your book, dear."



It didn't take long before Mu lan and Riley discovered she was pregnant.  They were delighted at the news and Mu lan spent time working on paintings for the baby's room.



The labor pains cought them by surprise though, Riley had just left for work when Mu lan felt the first contractions.  She headed for the hospital and Constance called Riley to let him know.  He dashed quickly from the Bistro and got to the hospital only minutes behind Mu lan.



Dean and Constance waited at home by the phone, and finally Riley called in the early evening.  "It's a girl!  She's perfectly healthy!  We'll be home soon!"

"What are you naming her?"

"We decided on Skye.  We'll be checking out soon."



The Calhouns welcomed Skye home and Dean checked his watch.  "It looks like I have enough time to run these papers into the office.  I should be back in a few hours."

Dean gave Constance a kiss and RIley a proud hug before he headed into the office.  he was filing the paperwork when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dean, oh Dean, come home, come home quickly!"  Constance's voice was thick with tears.

He stood up fast, his heart in his throat.  "Is  it the baby?"

"No... no it's Henry...  he's gone Dean."

[MissTrips]

Farewell Henry.   Age 64 days.  Master Fisher.  Star of fourteen children's books written by Constance Calhoun.

Adventures of Henry, the Fishing Cat.
Henry Catches a Frog
Henry Finds a Turtle
Henry's Pond
Henry Meets a Ghost Dog
Henry and the Catfish
Henry in Charge
Henry Catches a Robot Fish
Henry Takes a Trip
Henry Meets a Parakeet
Henry Goes to the Vet
Henry Climbs a Tree
Henry's Birthday
Henry's Lost Tail












[[Henry was just brought in to be a source of fish, but he rapidly became a vibrant member of the family.  I will miss him, but he'll always have his place in the Calhoun Dynasty.]]

[MissTrips]

There was an aura of sadness in the Calhoun home with Henry's passing, but Constance pointed out that he'd had a good, long life and a loving home. 

"How did I ever get so lucky to find someone as smart as you?"  Dean asked as they turned in for the evening.   

"But still crazy enough to marry you?"  She repiled, teasingly. 

"That too."  He kissed her and they fell asleep, side by side as they had for years on end, eternally faithful to each other.



Riley took the first day of baby watching duty, snuggling little Skye and trying to catch his naps as he could whenever she went down to sleep.



But eventually, he started staring blankly at the walls and Constance took over.  "Get some real sleep dear, you and Mu lan need some time to catch your breaths and eat, and you have work tomorrow.  I've got her for now."



Riley and Mu lan argued only half heartedly, having someone else hand off the baby to for a few hours was a bleessing.  The foursome took turns and Dean and Constance affirmed that taking shifts was the best way to do it.

"Don't forget to take some time for yourselves, Constance." Mu lan said as she changed her daughter before getting ready for a nap.   "I know Dean's been wanting a Knubb rematch.



"Well, perhaps.  I  should let him win one of these days."

"Let me win?  Ha!  I accept that challenge!"  Dean's eyes flashed behind his galsses and he put the paper down.



Dean had just knocked down another figurine when he paused, hand automatically rising to rub at his Mark.  It ached sometimes, when someone he knew passed on.  It was an odd thing, but neither he or Riley ever even needed the phonecall to know when the reaper had touched someone they knew.  This time however, the feeling was tight and achingly cold, worse than any he'd ever felt before.

"Connie..."



His words froze in his throat at the sudden shocked look on her face.  The reaper wasn't even here yet... but he *knew*.  This time it was here for his wife.





Mu lan was first out of the fronnt door as she'd been napping on the couch and she gasped in sorrow.  She and Constance had been practising painting techniques only this morning, and suddenly she wished for another day.  But the reaper did not listen to anyone.



Riley couldn't help but weep.  He'd know the reality of course, that his mother was old, and unlike him, she was mortal.  He was losing his mother, and in his father's face he saw the pre-echoes of what it was to lose his wife.




Much later, Dean went down into the museum where all the pieces were created by Constance.  All  but one, a photo Dean had taken while getting ready for a concert.  He placed her urn down in front of it.

"I... I'm not sure what to say.  Thank you seems so... so weak.  But thank you Connie.  For being my wife.  For accepting that silly propsal outside the diner..."



"For those times that we just sat and talked and looked forward to all the things that we'd yet to do..."



"For growing old with me...."



"For everything."



He touched the photograph, smiled through his tears and then walked back into the house.

[saltpastillen]

What a wonderful send off you gave her. It's always hard when the first sim dies. I hope they manage to soldier on.

[DeLouche]

Wonderful handling of a sad chapter. I'm glad she got to see her granddaughter.

[Louise56]

R.I.P Constance. A sad but lovely update.

[MissTrips]

What a wonderful send off you gave her. It's always hard when the first sim dies. I hope they manage to soldier on.

Wonderful handling of a sad chapter. I'm glad she got to see her granddaughter.

R.I.P Constance. A sad but lovely update.

*hugs*  Thank you all.  Yes, it did really hurt when she left.  This has been my first long multigenerational game of the Sims where I haven't used age cheats.  So watching her age bar creep towards max really had a lot of impact.  I really enjoyed having her in the household and achieving her LTW after spending the first half of her lifecycle being a painting/sculpting drone felt great, like I was paying back a little to this very quirky and fun sim.

And so we roll on...

[MissTrips]

Having a growing baby in the house helped to allievate the pall that descended on Constance's passing.  Skye was a bright and happy baby that would coo and giggle whenever her parents of grandfather took her outside.  It seemed she was named well, for she was never happier than when she was outside.





Riley spent much of his time working at the Bistro and honing his cooking skills, he regretted not being able to get to spend as much timewith his daughter as he wanted to, but with a sudden changeout in employees, he needed to spend time getting them all working as a functioning team.

"Don't worry about it, son.  I can stop taking quite as many meetings and Mu lan's here too, we've got her well in hand."

"I know Dad, I just wish I was there to see more of it."

"Well, Skye can say baseball now, I think she might be an up and coming sports star."



Mu lan gave her father-in-law an arch look.  "She's very keen on education.  I think she'd be a fantastic teacher."



Skye watched the adults chat for a few minutes, and then put her walking skills to use to head determinedly for the window to peer outside where Constance's garden was fenced off and gave the sprinklers watering the plants a longing look.  Oh, how she wanted very much to play in thse sprinklers, but Dean had firmly locked the only entrance and only he had the key.  One day!



Mu lan had just finished her breakfast and was getting ready to take Skye to the Lost Willow Park, where the little girl loved to watch the wild horses and pools of swimming fish when she felt a sudden shiver of sparkles and hot flashes rapidly overtake her.



"Well."  Mu lan sighed.  She'd put off having a family for a long time so she could travel and she'd hoped to have at least one more child.  "It seems that you won't be having a little brother or sister my dear.  Why don't we see who's in the park anyways?"  She picked up Skye and gave the little girl a kiss.



She could tell that Riley was distraught when he came home and saw that she'd entered into her final arc of life, but he gave her a long hug.  "I wouldn't change a thing.  Not one."  He told her.

She gave him a kiss.  "Well, I probably won't be running off to Brazil.  But I have plenty of adventures left still.  And my paintings are coming along nicely, I've had a few requests."



Shortly after Mu lan's birthday, Skye aged up as well.  While she didn't have her mother's knack with chopsticks, she adored wearing clothes sent over from her Chinese relatives.



"So, Dad.  Skye said what she wanted for her birthday."

Dean looked up from his french toast and quirked a brow at the resigned expression on his son's face."



"What, a baseball team?  Her very own playground?  I don't think we can afford the stadium."

"A pony."

Dean blinked and stuck a finger in his ear as if to clean it out.

"She wants a what?"

"You heard me.  She wants a pony."



"Um.  Well... I guess we're not going to be putting in that pool then..."

[Louise56]

Happy birthday Skye! A pony are a much better present than a pool.

[MissTrips]

Happy birthday Skye! A pony are a much better present than a pool.

A pool might have been less aggrivation.  I swear, the boys are like herding cats around those horses.  Stop trying to let the mare out of her stall, she's eating!  Get back here, you may not groom, Skye needs the friendship points!  Go... go watch TV!  Mu lan just hums and keeps painting away contentedly.

[MissTrips]

Dean and Mu lan both got busy getting Skye's childhood pieces done, mostly because it was hard to keep such an active young girl in anything apporaching nice clothing.



"Are you done yet?  Huh?  I need to go play with Crimson!"

"Just hold still for a little longer.  You need to learn a little patience, school starts soon after all."

"School?  *School*??  But that takes all *day*!  Who's going to take care of my horse when I'm at school?  What if she gets lonely...  maybe I should stay home."

"Nice  try kiddo, but you are going to school."

"I hate you all."


.... later that week....



"Mom, Dad, Grandpa, this is Lorenzo, we're busy doing kid stuff, go away!"

"Well,  that didn't take long."  Dean grinned at Mu lan.  "And I know his father, Liuetenant McIntyre ,a career police officer.  Good family."

While Mu lan didn't have any problems with Skye's choice of friends, and in fact was a little relieved that she was making friends outside of her horse, Mu lan was concerned that Skye didn't seem to embrace Chinese culture as much as she'd have liked."

"Why chopsticks when a fork gets the noodles much easier, Mom?"



Mu lan preservered though and taught Skye one of the traditional Chinese songs, "Ping and his Checkers".   And while Skye's horse Crimson seemed to pay more attention, Mu lan smiled one evening when hearing the song come out of the bathroom while Skye was splashing around with the rubber duck.



Riley's career was going well, even though it meant he was puttling in longer hours in the evening.  His own birthday caught him by surprise, he hadn't realized so much time had already gone by.



"Well, you know what this means, right?"

"Dad..."

"Chop chop, kiddo, your adult statue is swimsuit edition!  Family tradition!"

"How can it be a tradition if it was only done once?"

"Well now it is!"



"Fine, fine.  But I still need to fiddle with the stove, the burners aren't quitee even."

"By which you mean hit it with a hammer for a whole night?"

"I hit it in the right *place* with a hammer."



Skye's childhood seemed to fly by in the Calhoun household.  Crimson grew to a mare and was taken to be bred for her first foal.



Mu lan finally reached the pinnacle of her painting abilities and she and Dean  would agree to play in opposite parts of the town for tips so as not to compete with each other for customers.



And finally the day came that Skye grew up to a teenager.



"You better sculpt fast Granddad, because I am not wearing this dress again!"

[Deklitch]

Happy birthday Riley and Skye. Nice update again, MissTrips.

[MissTrips]

Ah, the life of a teenager!  Freedom!  Adventure!  Wide open spaces!

"Skye, you still ahve to go to school, even if you did register as a horsewoman."

"Oppression!  I hate you all!  Only my horse loves me!"

"Dear daughter of mine, if you want to express disdain for all about you, pay attention to the master.  You need to look like *this*."



"Okay, wow, Dad how did you pull that off?"

"I work in an upscale French Bistro dear, it's a required skill.  You'll have plenty of time after school to ride and work with your horses."

Skye perked up at the thought.  Yes, she was a teenager now, and was free to ride her horses over the rolling hills!



umm.. oof... riding!  Riding as soon as she could get up... Crimson was really kind of tall...



Okay... Maybe she needed some more practice...



Skye spent most of her school days hanging out with friends, she wasn't taking many advanced classes and with turning in her homeowrk daily, was easily maintianing good enough grades to keep her parents happy.

"Hey Skye, take a look, they posted some afterschool projects on the wall!"  Lorenzo pointed out a list on the school's bulliten board.  "You can get a part time job, or catch fish for the science center... or fix the boiler... pass on that!"

Skye really wasn't interested in boosting her own grades, she already had her life's goal firmly by the reins as it were, but one of the flyers caught her attention.  "Interview a French person... hmm... I wonder if Dad counts.  He sings that wierd French song in the shower and he's a French chef..."

Lorenzo laughed, "I think they meant like an actual french person.  Like one of the tourists or even a cultural trip."

Skye nibbled on her lip thoughtfully.  She really hadn't ever planned on taking a trip, but how often would an opportunity like this ever come up again?  She should talk with her mother once she got home.

Mu lan looked at the flier her daughter handed to her and got a far away expression on her face for a minute.  "France?  Goodness, I haven't been there in so long, but you are right, this is a good time for an adventure."

Riley looked it over when he came home that evening and sighed. "It sounds wonderful, but right now two of my line cooks quit and we're shorthanded, I can't go."

"Why not make it a girl's trip then?"  Dean suggested.  "I'm good for making sure the horses stay fed for a week or so while you girls enjoy Europe."

"If you're sure?"  Skye asked, looking back and forth at the adults.  "I mean, it's not too much of a problem?"  Her mother was getting a little old, and Skye didn't *have* to go.

"I think a girl's vacation is a great idea," Mu lan replied.  "Let me go check my suitcase and passports."

The flight was long and Skye yawned a bit as they were dropped off at the villa.  "Let me go put our suitcases up and then we can have a look around, okay Mom?"

"Of course dear,"  Mu lan replied.  "I'll just be out here."  She gave the board out front of the villa a long look and then grineed as she saw several notes tacked up.  Adventures!



After Skye came out Mu lan pointed out the little scooters at the front of the villa.  "We can use these to get around, they're very easy to use.  I have an interview set up for you down by the cafee, if you want to head that way."

"What about you?"  Skye asked.

"Oh I'll be fine."

Skye felt her mother had no sense of adventure at all.  Why come all the way to France and stay inside all the time?



"Mrs. Dumas?  Hi I'm Skye Calhoun..."

"Oh, my, yes, your mother spoke of you.  Come along, we'll sit and have some coffee!"



"So the house has old passages in it from before the Revolution?  How fascinating, yes, I'm quite sure I can help you out!"



"Well, maybe I'll bring some of this back to the villa for Mom.  Mrs. Dumas had a lot of positive things to say about the nectar here."



"pish, and they call this a trap?  Child's play!"



"It's just that she's old, Polly, I'm not sure if she's having any fun out here."



"Now if I was a secret door, where would I be?"



"Thanks for the follow up interview, Mrs. Dumas, say have you seen my mother around recently?"



"Bugs, bugs, more bugs.. aha!  There's the switch!"



"The old art museum, the villa's owner said she was headed there this morning."



'Ah, the old girl's still got it!"

Skye found her mother looking a little dusty and tired but happy as she arrived at the museum. 

"I've been looking for you, Mom."

"Oh, well dear, I was just exploring some of the old houses while you wandered around the countryside.   Did  you have a nice time?"

"Yes, but I'll be glad to go home. There's not a whole lot to do here, unless you like food and art."

Mu lan sighed and gave her daughter a pat.  She definately hadn't inherited her mother's sense of adventure it seemed.