The Zests and the Cottoneyes 5
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When the phone rang, and I saw that the caller was Eliza Pancakes, I was very tempted not to answer. The last time we'd talked, the conversation hadn't gone well.
"Why can't you include us in your legacy families?" she asked. "We're almost synonymous with The Sims 4. We're the iconic family."
"You say that like it's a good thing," I thought, but I couldn't say that. "I already have my ten families," I told her.
Eliza, being Eliza, didn't let it go. "Well then, why didn't you include us?"
"Because I don't like you," I thought. "Your lot isn't big enough," I said.
"We could have moved," she responded. "The Heckings moved."
"Well, the name Pancakes just doesn't sound like a legacy family name."
"And Newbie does?"
"Besides, it ends in 's' and that's tricky to work with for a writer," I added.
"Curious ends in 's' too," said Eliza.
"Okay,I'll make you a deal," I said. "If you and Bob have a baby, I'll see to it that the child becomes the spouse of one of the heirs. That way your grandchild will be in the legacy families even if you aren't."
"You'd better come over here," Eliza said when I answered the phone.
I did some mental arithmetic. If Eliza and Bob had tried for baby after our last conversation, she would certainly be pregnant by now. She might even have had the kid.
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"What kind of spell did you cast?" she demanded.
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"Nothing," I said. "I just made it possible for you and Bob to come together."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "No little boost to my fertility? No little extra magic?"
"None," I said. "And judging from this little one, it looks like everything went well."
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"Look around you," said Eliza. "How many babies do you see?"
"Well, three," I said, "but it's not anything I did."
"Do you know what it's like taking care of triplets?" Eliza wasn't interested in getting an answer from me. "All I can say is that you'd better make sure all three of them become spouses. That's the least you can do."
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I was beginning to get tired of Eliza and her whining. "One of them will definitely become a spouse," I said. "Whether the other two make it depends on the heirs. I'm not going to force anyone into a marriage. And if you don't quit complaining, I'll give your house the Grody lot trait."
That shut Eliza up. It also sent her from the room just as the babies began to cry.
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I managed to feed all three of them -- Elsa, Heath, and Ericka -- before they could be taken away.
The Zests
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To cheer myself up after the encounter with Eliza, I went over to the Blue Velvet to catch Johnny Zest's act. He'd become quite the accomplished comedian, and his latest book, Crazies of Sol Valley was moving up the bestseller list.
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I noticed that his fame had even spread to Sulani, because I recognized some of the islanders in the audience.
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It was late when he wound up his act, but I met him the next day to tell him about my trip to the time-share in Sulani.
"It sounds wonderful," he said. "By the way, I have a small favor to ask. I'm running late, but we can talk after the show.
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I had a chance to escape while Johnny was delivering his monologue in the Solar Flare, but I was curious about the "favor." And also, I didn't want to appear in his next book with a thinly disguised pseudonym. I mean, "Throne Laibey" -- who couldn't figure that one out?
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"You know my daughter Mimi?" he said. "She's a great kid, inheriting her mother's looks and talent. But she's still just a kid. And tomorrow evening, I have to go work at 5, Yuki doesn't get home from work until 7, Candy doesn't get home until 8, and Mimi gets out of Drama Club at 5:30. So if you could just look in on her for that hour and a half, make sure she doesn't try to put clothes in the dryer or anything..."
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How could I refuse? And actually we had a great time. She showed me her Sims game and told me all about Bella and Mortimer.
The Cottoneyes
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Soon after I left the Zests, Hunter reported that he had a new addition to the family -- Dale Cottoneye, a surprisingly angelic little fellow. Giving birth left Summer a bit rundown, though.
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Hunter was promoted to lieutenant and said that he looked quite smart in his uniform, although he missed his camos.
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To celebrate, he took everyone to Sulani, where the fishing, he'd heard, was fabulous.
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I do wish he'd said something to me first -- I could have warned him that hanging around in the yard of Caldera Camp might be dangerous. Luckily, there was no eruption while the Cottoneyes were there.
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And Hunter assured me later that he cleaned up every bit of the mess that Dale made.
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He apologized for taking the family there before paying his way, and I told him that was fine. "We added a potty chair to the back deck," he said. I told him that was fine, too.
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Hunter went on to tell me about their Wonder Day. He had helped Hank build a medieval castle, which had boosted Hank's academic progress.
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Hank had successfully appeased a gnome.
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Hunter had been less than successful with his gnome, who had broken the television set in addition to giving him a nasty shock. But Hunter said the gnomes that Summer and Hank appeased provided plenty of seed packs that he could use for bait. "I sold the gnome who stung me," he said. "That should teach him a lesson.
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With a little help from Hank and Dale, Hunter was able to amass a collection of decorative eggs that rivaled Malcolm Landgraab's. "You managed to get both bonus eggs, while he got only one," I said, "but don't tell him -- he'll be jealous." It was hard to tell what Hunter was thinking behind those sunglasses, but I got the impression that Malcolm's jealousy was something he didn't intend to worry about. And when Hunter said, "He's a politician, isn't he?" I realized there might be trouble ahead. Politicians and the military don't always get along.
We had another lottery drawing, and none of my families won. Jesminder Bheeda was the lucky recipient of one million simoleons. But it occurred to me that she has a son...
I think I have a tentative list of future spouses:
Brendon Rosa, Nikita Haas, Claudia Gothario, Frank Straud, Dale Cottoneye, Hope Lee-Scott, Elsa or Ericka Pancakes, Heath Pancakes, and now Roy Bheeda. I'm hoping that Cosma can find some nice blue, green, or purple young fellow from Sixam. Of course, that's all subject to what the heirs want.