Duty Calls - Chapter 4: Tally Ho – The Hunt is ON!Okay I’m awake, I think. Good lord look at the time. Make that a quick shower and no time for breakfast. I’ll eat an apple on the run. May as well grab that paper too I’ll read it later. Maybe not. I hope I won’t have to read it at all. I’m off to Skyborough Boulevard and door knocking.
As it turns out, Skyborough Boulevard is a fairly long street but there are not that many houses on it. I’ll check out these out systematically. Well of course, as it’s a week day there are not too many people at home. I shouldn’t have slept in but I had a very very late night. But it was so worth it to get this information on Adam.
Well that’s all the houses and no one is home except for that fruit loop, Gus. He’s definitely working with an unformatted disk. He’s singing to a tree. I wish I had my cell phone handy to video a picture of that but as soon as he saw me, he stopped. I could have scored a million hits on Youtube. So what do I do now? Loiter around the neighbourhood and hope for a glimpse of my elusive brother or come back later when people have returned from work? Later will probably work best. Maybe I’ll go fishing for more Angelfish to catch a few more Deathfish. I could use the money. I sure don’t want to go cap in hand to dad again, until I’ve got Adam on the plane home!
Hmm, Summer Hills Springs is fairly handy. It’s a beautiful day, I think I’ll jog. I see trees of green, red roses too. Oh dear God, now I’m singing to the trees. My mood is so light, I’m almost giddy with the thought of all this being over. Oh my lucky stars, who is that at Summer Hills Springs and I think to myself... what a wonderful world (cue the music). Get a grip boyo.
He turns and watches as I approach then turns back to reel in a minnow. I go right up to Adam and I just don’t know what to say. I’m standing there and I am so excited I can’t hold a thought in my head. I don’t think I ever imagined it would be difficult to talk to him. I’m relieved and angry and for the first time in my life, tongue tied. I don’t know whether to hug him or Gibb’s slap him. He says nothing, not even hello. I want to Gibb’s slap him.
As I try to gather my thoughts he puts away his fishing rod. “I can’t believe he sent you”, he says.
Yep, I definitely want to slap him. “So, what did you expect? I asked.
“I thought he might have sent mum”, he said.
“Mum’s busy”, I replied. “Did you know she was an architectural designer now?” This has got to be the most inane conversation I’ve had (besides talking to Gus Hart). “We have to go home. YOU have to go home. You’ve got so much to do and so little time and you’ve lost 10 days.”
“Not gonna happen”, he says matter-of-factly. “I’m going nowhere. I’m not completing any stupid Dynasty. It’s all moot now anyway. It’s too late, I’ve left the lot.” Then he jabs his finger at me “And you’ve left the lot. And I got a tattoo...”.
I don’t think a slap will help things but I’m willing to give it a try. But for mum’s sake, I take a deep breath and try another tack.
“Adam, it’s your destiny...”
“Don’t call me that!” he interrupts, “I’m Christopher now.
“Whatever! You have to go back. Everyone’s worked so hard all this time to get to this point...” and again he interrupts.
“Forget it. Read my lips, Bran. NO. NOT going to happen. I’m not going back. I’m not going to be an elder who hangs around the park or the library or watches TV for an eternity. I’m not going to watch my wife die because she can’t be immortal and I have to be! I’m not going to have a daughter who can’t get married and has to suffer the shame of having a child out of wedlock, because she has a houseful of old foggies who won’t die.”
“That’s the rules, Adam... um... Christopher and don’t call me Bran, you know I hate it!” I’m losing my cool and I should have rehearsed what I needed to say so I don’t blow this opportunity.
“Why don’t you want this anymore? You used to be excited about it when we were younger.”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “Look Brandon. When we were kids, it all sounded glamorous. You’d be there to help me achieve my goals. I had a place in history, a date with destiny and all that rubbish. It seemed so important to get that Hall of Fame entry. But then I grew up. I understood what it all means for the people I love. I realised that I don’t want to live forever. I want a normal life with a wife and half a dozen kids. You do realise that while I can get married, I can’t have my daughter until either you or mum dies. Then she can’t have a child until my wife dies. And I’m not going to be that person...” He abruptly turns away. I think there are tears in his eyes.
I’m gobsmacked. I never imagined he say something like that. I thought he was just being selfish. There I stood totally deflated. All that self righteous anger and resentment evaporated. I’m at a total loss.
“Why didn’t you tell me? We could have talked this over with mum. I knew the score. She knows the score too. We accepted that we can’t live forever. But I never thought about how you’d feel for a daughter you don’t yet have. But I can see your point. There’s a chubby lady next door to me on Sun Song Avenue who has a baby and no husband. I never see her with the kid but I hear it cry sometimes. I also hear what people say about her and I wouldn’t want that for my daughter either, even though it’s the rules.”
The next thing he says has me scratching my head, “Those rules are for the watchers but we, the Sims have to live them. I can’t be that Sim, I have to be me. This is my life now, there’s a lot of new worlds and a lot of new Sims. Sunset Valley is old news, and nobody comes here much anymore. This is where I need to be. I want that obscurity, to be left in peace, living my life and no dynasty obligations!”
Then he hugged me. I didn’t cry but it was a near thing. He was my big brother again and we talked and talked. I told him about my experiences in Sunset Valley and about Agnes stalking me. He gave me the same warning that Emma did. I don’t think it’s warranted because I’m sure no one can coerce me into any relationship I don’t want. Does everyone think I’m a few bits short of a byte?
We talked so much I didn’t notice the sun going down or how late it was. I didn’t even notice the rainbow in the night sky until this gleaming white unicorn approached us.
I stood transfixed and just watched it. I’d heard about them but never seen one before. I turned around to share my delight with Adam... um... Christopher but I hadn’t noticed that he had slipped away.
Adam's Chris has gone again, and I still don’t know which house on Skyborough Boulevard is his. And wouldn’t you know it, the confounded phone rings! Oh crikey, it’s dad! What am I going to tell him now!
NB: A Gibb's slap is a light slap to the back of the head. It's a wake up call. From the TV show NCIS.
