Saturday, June 8, 2013

Chapter 2.25- Dam Burst




          “Daddy!” Ignacio paused almost imperceptibly as he finished washing the breakfast dishes. Buck did not call the house phone when he wanted to talk, he called Layla’s cell phone. “How are you this morning?”

          His Mami had said she’d be by to assist with Tiburcia today, and Buck was calling early on the house phone. What was going on?






          “Yeeeeee-aaaah,” Ignacio could hear her smile slipping. Arden was due at any time now, and Helen had not recovered from the incident before Arden’s baby shower. Arden had insisted a couch needed to be moved at that very moment, that it couldn’t wait for Buck or Galen to get home. Two broken vertebra, and a pulled muscle were all Helen gained from giving in. Since then, she’d been in and out of the hospital in pain and with various infections.






          “Last night?” Reaching to turn off the taps, Igancio prepared for the worst. “Why didn’t anyone call me last night then?”

          They must have taken Helen back to the hospital last night then. Every time she went back Layla had a harder time staying away. Ignacio wasn’t sure she would be able to keep her promise to her folks much longer.






          “Yeah,” turning around Ignacio stood waiting for the report. “Yeah. I’m so sorry Daddy. Really sorry. I wish I could have been there.”

          ‘Could have been there,’ that was past tense. He stood pondering the meaning for a moment, only coming around as he heard the click of the handset being hung on the cradle. He’d missed whatever else she’d said. But if he’d expected her to turn ready to tell him everything, he was wrong. She stood silently with her head bowed for a moment before turning.






          “Hey,” trying to appear as if he hadn’t been eavesdropping. “Hey what’s up? Who was that?”

          Only she didn’t answer him. She gave him a deep searching look that lasted ages and made him feel naked. It was a look he’d never expected to see from her, and he was almost wary of her in that moment.






          Unable to take it any longer, he broke the silence. “Layla, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

          Still, she was silent. Only blinking, only breathing.

          Deciding to drop his feigned ignorance, Ignacio tried again to get her to speak.

          “Is your mom okay? What did your dad say?”






          And the dam burst. Flinging herself at him, she clung on shaking the both of them with the force of her sobs.

          “Hey, hey-hey,” he’d finally managed to get his balance and quickly reached around to quaking back. “Hey, what’s happened? Will she be okay?”

          “No,” Layla’s voice was low, and caught on the single word. “She’s gone.”






          “Oh,” he said. What more was there to say?

          “Daddy-” She choked. “Daddy said- said she’d been really bad for about a week and wouldn’t let them tell Fay or I and- and-now. And now. Oh-”

          Tightening his grip he pressed his lips into her hair. He didn’t mind his wet shoulder. And he couldn’t let her grieve alone.


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          The bookcase did it. She didn’t know why. Didn’t care to know why, really. All that morning, almost everything she’d looked at had caused a flood of tears to begin again. It had happened when she’d looked at the gems, the wildflowers, the refrigerator, the washing machine. Then she’d feel stupid for crying over inanimate objects, or the memories they only somewhat evoked, shake herself out of it and move on.






          Unless, of course, Ignacio happened to be nearby and heard her grief. Then he’d spin her around and comfort her until she was in control of herself once again.

          The household had been somber the entire morning. Tibi had kept as quiet as possible sensing the atmosphere. She wasn’t afraid of Layla or her grief, she simply did as children in such situations do. They attempt to be as good as possible in order to make someone who is sad happier.






          After lunch the routine was abruptly changed when Sabria walked in as Ignacio went to cuddle her once again.

          “You need to grieve,” she said, not even bothering to offer a greeting, taking Layla from Ignacio. “It’s healthy. She’s your mother, no matter how close or not the two of you have been.”






          Looking up, Layla was surprised to see that Sabria was the one there. When had she come in?

          “She was your mother, dear,” Sabria continued, hands still chafing Layla’s arms. “It’s only natural.”

          “Oh,” said Layla. “Yeah. She was my mother. I do love her. Did. Did love her.”

          “You do. You do love her,” Sabria quickly answered. “She’s still here. Our loved ones never really leave us. We just can’t see them with our eyes, or hold them in our arms.”






          Ignacio went to snuggle Tibi who was quietly fussing at a toy that didn’t want to work the way she wanted it to. If he couldn’t snuggle Layla at least he could snuggle his daughter. He watched as his mother continued to offer comfort to Layla making particular note that Sabria’s hands never left Layla’s skin.

          Finally, Sabria left Layla to look out the window and walked toward her son and granddaughter.






          “She values her solitude,” Sabria spoke looking at Tiburcia. “And grief is disturbing to my little Tibi. She could use some fresh air. We’ll go to the park. Layla will stay behind.”

          “Are you sure that is a good idea?” Ignacio asked.

          “I can promise you she will be fine,” she said. “I think she might even use our absence to go and tell her brother of their mother’s death. For now, we will go to the park. Or- the library. Yes. We’ll go to the library. It might rain.”






          Fifteen minutes later Layla stood amidst the scattered toys on the floor Tibi had left behind. Normally, the solitude was something Layla not only sought, but revered. And with her heavy heart she should have welcomed being alone in her home. However, this time, she couldn’t rejoice in the sacred space she had made for herself in this home.






          As if on cue the doorbell rang. Of course it would ring right as she thought she needed company.

          Hoping it might be Nalleli coming over for a visit she turned to the door. Spying what looked like rain she decided to grab an umbrella. (Because it rains on covered porches in Sim Land.)






          Steeping onto her porch brought a startling surprise. A stranger stood there under her own umbrella. Well, maybe not a complete stranger. She’d seen the woman around town, though they’d never been introduced.

          “Can I help you,” Layla sighed the words rather than asked them. She was far too weary for making acquaintances today.






          “Why yes,” she replied, folding her umbrella as though intending to stay. “Yes, you can help me. I’d like to see my daughter please.”

          “Your daughter?”

          “Yes, my daughter. The little girl in the custody of her father who, as rumor has it, lives here now? I usually call her Tibi, though Ignacio might just call her Tiburcia since he’s the one who named her,” She spoke in a sugary sweet voice as though she wanted to conceal the bite of her words.






          “She’s not here right now,” Layla answered warily. “And unless Ignacio were here also, I wouldn’t let you in to see her.”

          The woman looked surprised, and was quiet for a moment. Layla took the opportunity to dig through her memories trying to remember when she’d heard this woman’s name mentioned. What was it?






          “Well,” The woman’s tone had become pleading, almost whiney. “This is probably for the best then. I don’t have the money for the support payment this month.”

          The change in the woman’s tone brought the recollection of where Layla had heard this woman’s name before. She’d been at the consignment shop where Layla sold her finds the first day she’d been in town. Mathew had called her Melly.






          “So,” Melly continued. “So if you could just maybe talk Ignacio into letting this month’s payment slide, that would be wonderful. As soon as I get the payments for my other kids' dads in I’ll get it to him. But, four kids at home, single mom? I don’t usually have that much to spare.”

          It was nearly enough to touch Layla’s heart. Only she knew better. Though she’d only heard snips and bits of the gossip about her, the grains of truth Layla could pick out were that all of her children had a different father. That she’d successfully ruined at least two marriages in town, and that the best place to find her, (if one were so inclined,) was at the smoky little bar on the outskirts of town where she spent her money most nights buying drinks to any man who would give her half a minute of attention.






          “I wouldn’t know what Ignacio would think about that, you’ll have to ask him, not me,” Layla wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but she did know that it wasn’t her place to make such a decision.

          “Well, I know Matthew says you’re a regular. And I’ve seen you in and out over there several times. Surely with your combined finances…” Melly’s voice trailed off hopefully.






          “Alright,” Layla finally was able to take in what she wanted. Melly wanted Layla to act as a barrier between Ignacio and her so she could let her parental duties slide. “Alright, for starters: Our finances are not combined currently. He has his, I have mine. And after what you’ve just hinted at, perhaps it ought to stay that way. Secondly, when I say you’d better talk to Ignacio, you’d better talk to Ignacio. I will not be your messenger boy. Got it?”






          Narrowing her eyes, Melly stepped back as Layla lifted her chin in defiance. Layla wasn’t about to let this harpy get to her. She’d agreed to have little Tiburcia (she’d never be able to call her Tibi again even if Ignacio and Sabria could) in her home and damn it if she wouldn’t make sure things stayed that way. Maybe she didn’t have room in her house for her, but that would change. And soon. And damn it if she wouldn’t buy the biggest house she could afford just so this woman wouldn’t get a dime of her money.






          Without another word Melly turned and stalked off in a huff.

          Watching her as she left Layla was hit with a single thought. This woman, no matter how horrid she is, is a mother. And Layla had just lost hers. The common parent between her and Cyrus and Phedra was gone. And then came the realization that getting a hold of Phedra would take another day or so, so Phedra can’t have told Cyrus about Helen. Cyrus didn’t know. She’d have to go tell him. At least they would still have each other to lean on.




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Phew. Alrighty. So if that’s choppy or odd sounding I’m coming off of a week’s worth of illness and guests in my home and my brain is mush. Half the time I’d type a word and look at it and go “no… No that’s not right. That’s not even close to right. Like ‘door’. No lie. I typed in Wall for Door. Then for Window? Curtains. Nope. Not right. So I’m blaming anything odd or off in this one to Mushy Brain Syndrome. 

Melly Pelly has a really strong, fake, affected drawl when she’s talking sugary. I could Not get that typed in and reading right so I gave up after nearly bringing myself to tears over it. Just pretend it’s there. And I love that she autonomously begged Layla for money. I officially love her since she played along so nicely. Also, on the lines of Melly Pelly and her gaggle of kids- Tibi and Sally’s (now husband in game) boyfriend Ottawa Fox are half siblings. While playing AP before I’d moved Layla and co. over I had teen pregnancy on without having a single teen in town pop up preggers. The second Melly Pelly aged up she popped up pregnant by Choctaw Fox, who was Melly’s older sister Penny’s boyfriend at that time. (Penny moved on to Angelo Martingale, while Melly moved on to many more men.) I’m not making her sluttiness up, she must have gotten it from her father- Kanoa Parrot. The second she gave birth to Tiburcia I turned off her ability to get pregnant again as she’s got 5 kids currently. Ignacio broke up with Melly almost immediately after I got the pregnancy notification. They dated for like 5 sim hours. Thank you SP for getting something wonderfully right for once. 

20 comments:

  1. Iggy has good instincts, to note the difference of circumstances as soon as Buck called. I wonder if Layla noted any of that. Probably not, eh? So that's what happened to Helen. A broken back, in and out of the hospital. Yikes. I can see why it would be hard for Layla not to go back.

    LOL, yes it does rain on covered porches in simland. Oh, I wish it had been Nalleli at the door...not some strumpet in a pink corset. I mean, Tibi's mother. Layla was smart to establish boundaries right away. If Iggy has custody and until Layla knows the details of their situation, I wouldn't let her see Tibi either. And Melly proves her manipulative side by wheedling Layla about the support payment.

    Snort. "As soon as I get the payments for my other kids' dads"...Yeah, that's a great way to handle finances.

    Yep, that really got Layla's spine up. Good for her. When a woman like Melly is around, she'll want to protect herself, and Tibi a bit too it sounds like. That's quite a history Melly has!

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    1. He does indeed. He pays a lot of attention to what is going on around him and the patterns in which things occur.

      Yeah, that would be hard to hear your parent is going through and not want to go and help them out if you could.

      I think Layla had a lot more spine than usual simply in that she was in a weak place. If she hadn't felt that her personal space had been encroached on I do not know that should would have set those boundaries so early on.

      Yeah. She's forever getting loans from the city in game despite all the support payments she gets.

      It did indeed, and it's just what she needed at that moment to get her in a better place. She's still mourning Helen, she's just thinking a little straighter.

      Oh she's a piece of work. I thought Kanoa got around, but she's just as bad.

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  2. Melly is a total bitch. I hate her (but damn, she's pretty.* *sigh*)
    I wonder if Layla would have said all that if she hadn't just had the morning from hell? It all needed saying, though. 5 kids by different dads?! Tsk.

    Helen :'(
    Nooooooooooo!
    I knew it would happen one day, and now I'm dreading Buck. That will be painful.
    At least Layla is in a better place for the news now. If this had happened before Iggy moved in, she'd have probably broken down.

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    1. Complete and total. She's not exactly the best example of motherhood, or any of that.

      I don't know that Layla would have said any of that without having the morning she'd had. Or even if Ignacio and Tiburcia would have been there. But it did need saying. And I'm glad she said it.

      Yeah. I'm all sad at Helen's passing. She was the founder yo! But Buck. Yeah. I'm dreading that one also.

      Oh completely. She'd have gone home a long time ago if so much hadn't been going on. And she totally wouldn't have handled just that short time that well without Ignacio.

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  3. That Melly is a piece of work isn't she? 5 kids by different fathers, no control over her finances and I bet she didn't really come over to see Tibi... I'm glad Layla put some firm boundaries in right from the word go and it's made her feel protective towards Tibi.

    Sad to see Helen go though :(

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    1. I've never quite had a sim SP pushed like that. She makes a wonderful antagonist doesn't she? Tailor made. lol No. She didn't come over to see her daughter, she came hoping to harangue Ignacio I'm afraid.

      I hated that Helen passed. It was really sad for me, too. Founders will live forever in our stories though, won't they? So at least I have that.

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  4. Layla-you go girl! Sorry it was under such sad circumstances, but not letting the grief make her senses dull to where she immediately picked up on the vibe being "wrong" from Melly was great. It did seem to be prompted by her awful morning, at least in part, but I'm also wondering if Sabria's knowledge of what was to come played into this at all. Surely she wanted to protect Layla from being out in public when getting the bad news and for Ignacio to be there for comfort, but perhaps in a round about way she knew the Pink Corset Strumpet (loved that description Margaret!)would be by to beg and the result would be beneficial for Tibi, Ignacio, Layla, and by extension, Sabria. She didn't have to do any face palming personally, but the result was still Layla's maternal instincts surfacing with a determination to protect (which means she'll be making a greater effort to interact with/get to know Tibi) and that will bring her and Iggy closer while giving little Tibi another worthwhile mother figure. Definitely seems to fast forward her and Tibi's relationship. I agree with everyone about Buck, too. It'll be hard for all when his time comes. Sigh.

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    1. Yup! Actually, I think it put a burr under her saddle in that in a way she's angry her mother is gone. Taking it out on Melly was a wonderful way to vent, lol. And remember, Sabria doesn't always have to facepalm. She just has to have physical contact and Ignacio even noticed that she kept her hands on Layla's arms the entire time she attempted to offer some solace. Do I think Sabria purposely cleared them all out to let Layla deal with 'The Pink Corset Strumpet?' Yes. Yes she did. =D

      And I hope that it will indeed pull them closer, and get Layla to start seeing just what's really going on in her life.

      Oh Buck. I dread that one. I know it's coming, I know it's close even. But I'm not ready for his passing.

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  5. Aw, no! I know we were expecting Helen's death, but that was still so sad!

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    1. Yeah. I really didn't want to let Helen go, but it was her time. At least Buck is still around. For a little while at least.

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  6. Poor Helen. RIP.

    Melly is really pretty, and how funny that she ends up being the catalyst that just might push Layla past her fears of kids and push her into getting to know Tibi a lot better.

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    1. Yeah. Helen is gone.

      Oh Layla sometimes needs a good push in order for her to finally start pulling through. Actually, all the time. And if that push comes from someone meant to be a bit sneer inducing maybe she'll pull through even better. At least that's what I hope. Ha!

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  7. I've been getting really into this story -- found you from simsl3gacies. Oh, Layla...

    But I have a question: how are you having everyone live in different towns and still know what's happening in the other towns? Or do you actually move the entire family from town to town so that events, like Helen's death, affect the other sims?

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    1. Yay! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

      lol. Uhm... They all moved to Appaloosa Plains when Layla did (via NRaas Porter.) Galen lived with Helen and Buck in a tiny little EA house where I had to add a bunk bed in the one bedroom so Galen would have somewhere to sleep. xD Arden was the only one who didn't make the move. I do still have the original Riverview save, though. SP is turned off in it and they all live perpetually young and happy. <3

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  8. Sometimes, I wonder if SP was written by Jerry Springer. This past month, I told my hubby that if I was pregnant it was his fault because it would've been a "software failure." He was like 'what?" I laughed and remembered I'd gotten that from SP notifications. He's not a simmer, so I had to explain. His nerdy self liked it. Not preggers btw. :)

    Yeah, I think I like Melly too. She's one of those sims that just makes you want to despise her so much that you actually like her in retrospect. I rarely trust sugary-sweet people. Wow, that woman is a baby machine! She also sounds like the kind of woman that's addicted to the thrill of a NEW romance and doesn't want to stick it out for when things get a little messy. LOL at her asking for money.
    And my head is spinning trying to mentally create the family tree.

    Helen is dead :(
    Most of me wants to throw it in Cyrus' face that now it's TOO LATE to patch things up. That stems from some personal stuff, tho.

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    1. LOL. Now that's a way to tell hubs news! How awesome!

      Melly was fun for just that reason! And yes. Geez. The number of kids she produced was scary. Yeah. that's a good way to describe her. But more than that, she was rather lazy. She lived with her sister and her family (Mayor Martingale? lol) and never had a job. Then again, kind of hard to get a job when you're forever on sims maternity leave. Ha!
      Here: http://www.familyecho.com/?p=HBE2X&c=mi6g2g613a&f=449965750386663743#view:VQIYB . Several of Melly's kids are missing. Check out Biographical on her tab on the left to get a better idea of what's up with her. :) If you only move it left/right and not up down there's only one spoiler. lol

      Helen is dead. :( Aw. I'm sorry. Family drama like that can be really tough and draining.

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    2. I use familyecho too. I won't look YET because I won't be able to resist clicking everywhere, and I typically don't like spoilers. :)
      I understand not being able to get everyone. My "Uncomplicated" legacy just moved towns and left the extended family behind. I guess I'll make them 'die' at appropriate times. I'm not really upset. They were breeding like rabbits and making it hard for my heir and +1 to choose someone to make babies with because they were related to everyone. It'll be nice to let that part of the tree go. Kinda like a pecan tree dropping limbs.

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    3. Lol. Yyuuuppp. I have an unblogged ISBI and they're related to everyone in town because of those dreaded Fertility Reward generations. lol. Appaloosa Plains, right now, with only a few cousins running around. However, I've set Base Number of Kids to 1 to prevent the First Cousin Conundrum. xD Aaand I've started a genetic overhaul, and population cull too. The fug. It buuurrrns!

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  9. Melly Pelly... wow, what a... wow. Terrible timing too! Poor Layla, having to deal with this unpleasant person right at this moment. :( She must feel so terrible for not getting home before it happened! Sure, Helen was getting on in years, but this was such a frustrating death too - helping out the needy Arden with a dumb sofa. ;_;

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    1. Lol. Melly Pelly really is a... lol. ;)

      Yeah, Layla will be carrying around guilt for that one for quite some time. :(

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