The pilot of the little two-seater knows the address and flies me over for a quick look before heading to the landing strip.
He seems excited about someone finally living on the place, but it's worse than the photo daddy gave me.
There's no porch anymore so it's smaller, and there's no windmill or even a partial fence.
The pilot tells me that those things rotted away years ago but the land and building are still worth quite a bit.
"Like what, maybe $20,000 dollars?"
He just smiled and said, "Oh at least that much!"
Sarcasm is lost on some people!
I get out of the taxi, (at least they have those!) and a tall blonde woman with a rather old-fashioned hair style is waiting on the front lawn.
She's dressed quite nicely so I'm thinking I can appeal to her sense of womanhood.
United against the male dominated society, blah, blah, blah, anything to get me out of this!
But it doesn't go as I planned at all!
She introduces herself and tells me she's going to help me out and have the lot cleaned up, someone to come in and remove the dried up well, the rusty tractor and the old tires, most of the junk.
But that it will be my job to get a vegetable garden started.
I don't bother to thank her for her 'help' and tell her in no uncertain terms that I'm not planting anything!
Then we both just glare at each other!
Then she has the nerve to say, "Then you'll starve then! And you may think your outfit is fit for slumming, but after a day or two in those Prada heels, you'll be in so much pain. Hah! You'll never make it here! I don't know what your father was thinking. I did this as a favor to him, old ties to his family and all that. But unless you change your attitude, I don't hold out much hope for his challenge!"
"Challenge? This is a punishment! I don't know anything about vegetables or planting a garden!"
Instead of giving me a break and showing some womanly compassion, she says, "Then you'd better learn! I suggest a trip to the library to study up on gardening once you get settled in."
Then she adds, "The appliances aren't much, but they work. Be careful with the stove. Wouldn't want you blowing yourself up or burning the house down!"
"I'm expected to cook too! There's no staff?"
This time her smile is definitely snarky as she says: "Your father was very clear about what he expects. With the $500 simoleans you have to exist on, no, there's no staff! So you'll be cooking, cleaning, doing laundry. All of it princess!"
"At least I can use the computer to look some of this stuff up! I've never been to a library in my life."
She steps back and raises her hands preparing for my reaction, and says, "No internet service out here. And no computer in the house. In fact, besides the stove and fridge, no other electronics at all. But your father said you could keep your cell phone."
"Oh, the generosity! My cell phone, 500 simoleans, which is less than I paid for these shoes, by the way, and a wreck of a house that I wouldn't let a dog sleep in! And I get to do all the cooking, cleaning, and gardening myself. Could this be worse?"
Why on earth did I ask that question?
The front door is only hanging on by a…what do they call that metal thingy anyway?
And I know I saw Agnes' daughter Olivia smirk at me as she headed home! Home to their mansion with servants, I bet!
I close my eyes in frustration before taking the final steps into the house, hovel.
It's even worse than I expected! Everything is dingy and dirty, and all the windows are broken and boarded up.
And the appliances? I've not really paid attention to what they look like before, but these make me look away in horror.
Apparently Olivia and Milo were in here cleaning and placing buckets to catch the drips as the roof leaks. Wonderful.
I gingerly sit down on one of the two chairs, which doesn't match the other, (no surprise there), in what passes for a dining area.
My skin crawls as my feet step on something, but I glance down and it's only a few pages of newspaper.
I'm hoping it isn't full of something creepy and disgusting, and pick it up to see it's actually today's paper.
Slim, only a few pages, but what passes for the entire newspaper in this hick town.
I look around the house and find an odd looking white mesh box in one of the bedrooms.
Maybe it's a type of bucket?
It's so white it has to be new, so I guess something else old Aggie 'helped' with.
But since I don't even know what it is and don't want her help anyway, not if it means being stuck here to be a slave, then no reason to thank her for it.
Like I would!
I've never thanked anyone for anything in my life.
I mean, I'm Brooke Swanson, THE Brooke Swanson, other sims should be happy to even bask in my presence!
The paper mentioned a book sale at the library so I call a taxi and give the driver the address.
Anything has to be better than this dirty, nasty place!
He knows where it is and says, "No problem miss. And don't worry about the fare, Ms. Crumplebottom has taken care of it."
"It's about time someone around here acknowledged my position in society!"
The taxi driver ignores my tone and rambles on about how nice it is to see someone occupying the old place.
I don't deign to reply and the driver finally takes the hint, so the rest of the drive is spent in silence.
To my surprise, the library looks well kept and is full of books.
I guess I expected a book mobile (not that I've ever been to one!) or something along those lines, but it looks like old Aggie has kept all the buildings in town looking nice, at least the ones I passed on the way to the library.
I look around for a fashion magazine, but then I get a phone call from daddy.
Yes! He's realized the error of his ways and wants his darling princess back home!
NO! Apparently Ms. Snitch has already called him about our encounter at the farm and he's not happy with me.
He tells me in no uncertain terms that I need to change my attitude and fast!
He asks where I am and what I'm doing.
I tell him I'm at the library, which he doesn't believe until I describe it to him.
He seems surprised that I actually found the place so I don't mention it was just to get away from the farm.
No need to make myself look bad.
Then he says that as long as I found it, no need to waste my time on fashion magazines (how did he know!?!) and I can buckle down and learn some things about gardening, the basics anyway.
With that demand, he hangs up! Well, really daddy! And he calls me rude?!
I don't want to, but I check out a bookcase and find a volume entitled, Gardening: Volume One, and sit in a surprisingly comfortable chair to read it.
After a time, Milo joins me, so I'm glad I did as it looks like daddy's spies are going to be keeping a close watch on me!
Milo's focused on reading a book of his own, and I can hear other voices in the next room, so I keep studying.
With a start I realize I'm starving as I haven't eaten since lunch on the 2nd plane!
And time passed surprisingly quickly in the library as I've earned 2 gardening skill points already.
I put away my book, (wow, that's a first!) and say goodbye to Milo.
He seems startled that I spoke to him as he continues reading, so now I'm thinking I was probably rude not to have greeted him back at the house.
And it strikes me that daddy was right about me not taking anyone else's feelings into consideration.
I quickly banish the thought as I don't want daddy to be right about anything!
But then I get this odd wish to buy some tomatoes.
This place must be getting to me already as I wonder where you can buy them.
I ask a passing taxi driver, expecting a rude remark, but the driver smiles and politely directs me to the right building.
I grab a couple of tomatoes and some other produce, and remember to head inside and pay for them.
It wouldn't do my Bridgeport reputation any good to be jailed for shoplifting produce!
All my friends would just laugh at the thought and think I'd lost my mind.
I'm surprised by the cleanliness and appeal of the town with it's fresh vegetables stacked outside with no one watching them.
Well, there's not a lot of sims here after all, so I guess it's safe enough.
And a bench that looks more than inviting as Agnes' remark about my heels returns and my feet begin to ache.
Before I head back to the farm, I actually see another sim in town.
An odd looking sim with wings.
I can't help but smile as I think, 'You're not in Bridgeport anymore Dorothy!' as the only super natural's I've ever heard of are vampires.
The Man? Fairy? Elf?, smiles in return and I actually giggle!
I'm so shocked at my own laugh that it must show on my face as his smile grows larger.
But then I spot a nice looking guy lounging on a nearby bench and walk over to introduce myself.
I may not know much about cooking or cleaning, but men I know!
But it doesn't go as well as I'm used to, which means he didn't fawn all over me and drop to my feet upon hearing my name.
But hunger is getting the best of me, so I give up on socializing and head back to the farm.
After another long taxi ride, I check out the fridge and realize, though it's beat up, it's actually clean and stocked with fresh food.
Or the ingredients to make something anyway.
Something else I should have thanked the Crumplebottom's for? Will it never stop?
I debate whether I should eat an apple or head back into town and try to find a decent restaurant, then decide I can't waste my limited funds on that.
I take out the makings for salad, at least what I remember is in it, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and realize I didn't need to buy tomatoes after all.
A cold meal helps me avoid having to use the stove.
Although it's beat up and worn, it looks clean, but I don't even know how to turn one on!
And Agnes' remark about blowing myself up or burning down the house is still fresh in my mind, so tossed salad it is.
I find a knife in a drawer and chop the vegetables as best I can but I'm glad no one's watching as I'm pretty bad at it.
The salad's not half bad and I'm starving now, so I eat it quickly.
The first food I've ever made for myself.
Then a quick turn in the bathroom and after a shower, I'm feeling almost my old self.
I pick up my dirty clothes and smile as I finally realize what the white mesh basket is for!
It's a laundry hamper!
I decide to check out the paper and see what jobs are available before daddy can call and tell me to find a job.
But it turns out I have to go back into town, to City Hall, and fill out some forms.
I like towns usually, well cities anyway, but having to travel back into town for every little thing is getting tiring.
At City Hall, to my surprise, I'm allowed to register as a self-employed gardener.
Apparently my reading of that gardening book was enough to qualify me.
My title is Cucumber Smasher, not something I'll be sharing with any of my friends, that's for sure!
As I come out of the building, it's getting dark, and I realize I'm tired after this long day.
Back at the farm, I strip down to my underclothes, too tired to bother with pajamas, and climb into bed.
I survived my first day at the farm and dream of so many things.
Making my first meal.
My clothes and jewels I left back home in Bridgeport.
And I must have heard a noise in my sleep as I begin to dream about burglars!
I wake to sunlight streaming in the window and realize the burglar dream has a basis in reality.
It's no wonder I was dreaming about them with that open front door just hanging on a hinge.
That's it, it's called a hinge!
I smile at remembering the word but wonder what my new life will be like if words like hamper and hinge are going to be a normal part of it.
Check out what happens in Chapter 2: First Time for Everything
Coming soon.
