Chapter 2.32-Time

Warning! Graphic Images of Tragic Clowns ahead! This content is not suitable for small children, those with heart conditions, or those with Coulrophobia! You have been warned!

Lol!

  

          “I’m going to school, I’m going to school!” Thundering footsteps echoed around the house as Tiburcia ran around in a frenzy before careening toward her dad.

          “Daddy daddy daddy! I’m going to school today!” she cried out as he pulled her into a bear hug. He hated the thought of his darling little girl being big enough to go to school but her excitement was so infections he couldn’t keep his laughter to himself.

  

          “And if you will sit still I might have something for you,” Ignacio put the wiggling little body away from him gently, reluctantly. “But you have got to calm down.”

          “Ok, ok,” she breathed excitedly, trying to still the quivering excitement that still ran through her. “What is it?”

          Tearing open the package she gave a squeal. A HelloSimmy umbrella she’d been begging for fell out.

          “For when it rains, so you don’ get your hair wet,” Ignacio said tenderly. “Just be gentle with it, and don’ open it indoors. Tha’s bad luck.”

          Glancing up at her father, Tibi rolled her eyes.

          “Right,” she told him in her most grown up voice. “Bad luck.”

  

          “Thank you, Daddy,” Tiburcia whispered into his shoulder. Ignacio hadn’t been able to not reach for his daughter one more time. She was growing up far too quickly and he felt he had to grab every moment he could get.

          “De nada, mija,” he whispered back feeling a lump arise in his throat. “I am glad you like it.”

  

          The blaring from the horn on the school bus brought them both up short.

          Briefly, there was a pause while a nervous jolt went through both father and daughter. His dread, her anticipation. There would be so many more moments like these as she grew older, and grew apart, from her family. And now it was time for her to take that first step away from her beloved Daddy.

  

          Turning, Tibi ran to the front door remarking on some new bauble Layla must have set out the night before.

          “Tell Mom I like the pink flowers!” Tibi called over her should.

          But Ignacio did not hear. He’d closed his eyes and let memories of his baby girl wash over him momentarily.

  

          “She should get more of those!” Tibi was still calling to him.

          Slowly, Ignacio opened his eyes as his daughter finally slammed the door she had just run through. She had remembered Layla in her parting words and that would please her. Ignacio had asked for those moments with Tibi several days ago and she had obliged. This morning she had gone out early looking for more shiny pretty things to pick up.

Pigtails flying, Tiburcia skipped past the gnomes attempting to block her way to the bus with a joyous giggle.

“I’m going to school today!” She called to the inanimate statues. “You can’t stop me!”

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          “I’m the ‘Fashionista Fairy,’ Tibi said impatiently. “Not the tooth fairy. Please don’t embarrass me. Dad’s already doing that.”

          Layla fumbled with the camera on her phone, frowning heavily at it. Tibi could work it better than she could, and yup Ignacio was embarrassing and that didn’t help her concentrate on the task at hand. She was supposed to be taking a picture before Father and Daughter went out Trick or Treating. Layla was staying home to hand out candy.

  

          “I am not embarrassing,” Ignacio said in a goofy voice. “I am a clown! I am funny!”

          Tibi shot him a withering glance as Layla accidentally hit the shutter button on her phone.

          “Oops!”

          “Do you have a good picture yet? I need a good one for my Simsbook page,” Tibi marched to Layla snatching the phone from her. “Ugh! Let’s try it again.”

  

          Ignacio went back to gazing at the flowers in the corner while he waited for the girls to finish. How the time had flown by! His little girl was growing up so quickly. A Simsbook page? He’d thought she was a little young for it, but she’d insisted. And he’d never been able to deny her anything she really wanted.

          Perhaps it was time to start putting his foot down before she became unmanageable.

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          It seemed like just yesterday they had been getting Tiburcia ready for Spooky Day. Now the trees were totally bare and the neighbors had even put up Snowflake Day lights. Tiburcia had squealed with delight and gushed about them for days making Ignacio and Layla brace for when she’d ask to put them on their home.

          Layla sighed. Looking at the newly fallen snow held far too many memories she wasn’t really wanting to relive just now.

  

          Moving to another window she sighed. The tangle dead branches out this window really didn’t help her either. It just pushed her mother front and center.

          Her mother loved making snowmen and snow angels and had played in the snow with their dad as enthusiastically as she and Galen had. Layla reached for her phone, eager to call her mother and relive the time Galen had made the snow angel face first. He’d come up spluttering and hollering about snow up his nose burning and they’d all laughed.

          She had half dialed the number when, again, the fact that her mother wouldn’t answer intruded on her.

          Maybe another window would have a better view.

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          ‘These are new,’ Tiburcia thought. She had just jumped down from the table after finishing her homework. She’d come home in a such a rush she hadn’t really looked around.

          “Aaaaaand those are new, too,” Tiburcia looked in front of her, really looking around. A lot of new flowers had appeared today. Mom must have really been working hard to find those all buried under the snow.

  

          The doorbell ringing made Tibi gasp. Looking around, quickly she noticed a few of the gems were scattered on the floor as though they had been dropped instead of placed and she had a moment of embarrassment. She’d invited the most popular boy in her grade over and things weren’t as tidy as they usually were. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice.

          She let Henry in out of the cold thrilled that she was entertaining someone of such importance. With any luck he’d let her give him a makeover.  That was the real reason she’d invited him over. The green of his sweater simply did not do justice to his eyes and she’d like to remedy that. If he’d let her.

          Unfortunately, the first thing he did was glance around at the things around the room warily.

  

          But before she had an opportunity to distract him her Mom came in. She’d heard the doorbell and wondered who their guest was.

          “Hi!” Layla chirped brightly.

          Tiburcia smiled up at Layla and introduced Henry to her Mom. At least Mom was okay with her inviting someone over without asking. Emily’s mom freaked when she’d invited Tibi over without asking her first.

‘Their house was way messier than ours though,’ Tibi thought  completely missing the somewhat stunned look on her Mom’s face.

  

          Looking at the little boy Tiburcia had introduced as Henry had brought her up short. He looked rather familiar to her, and yet she couldn’t quite place who he reminded her of.

          And then, she looked, really looked, at his eyes.

  

          Phedra’s eyes. This was Phedra’s son. And he was old enough to be in school with Tiburcia? Had so much time really passed that Phedra and George had gone on the research expedition?

          A stab of guilt twisted in her stomach. Maybe she shouldn’t have told Phedra it was alright to go. This little boy was darling, and his mother should know him.  She’d have to send a message out to Phedra to get her to call. It had been a while since the sisters had spoken, and Layla now wanted to take back what she’d told her so long ago. If she didn’t, she was afraid those eyes would haunt her forever.

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          Tiburcia had been steeling herself for this moment for weeks now. All of her friends were in the ballet class after school and she wanted to go too.

          Also, she wanted to start going to Emily’s after school to do her homework. Emily had a desk in her room they could share that was more comfortable than doing her homework on the table or floor here. The desks had had too much stuff on them for weeks now, so she couldn’t use them.

  

          “But then we wouldn’ get to see you as much,” Ignacio pled. He didn’t feel like they got to spend nearly as much time together now that she was in school. He missed his little girl.

          “I’ll still be home plenty,” she said. “It’s just to do homework, and the ballet class is only after school two days a week.”

          “Well, if you are sure,” relenting was bittersweet. Surely doing homework with a friend would be good for her grades too, right?

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          “These are new,” Tiburcia said. “I like the pink heart one.”

          “My mom has one on her dresser that looks almost exactly like it,” Layla answered over her shoulder. “Only I suspect my mom’s is glass. That one is a real pink diamond.”

          Nodding, Tibi’s gaze roamed the other gems that had popped up on the cabinet’s shelves recently with a sigh.

  

          “They jus’ look like big rocks to me,” Tibi heard her dad say. She had to agree. The small boulders the adults were looking at were hideous.

          “Really! I ran the analysis on them myself. They’re meteors,” Layla gushed. “Just think, these could be off of the meteor that killed off the dinosaurs!”

          Ignacio looked at Layla silently. She was gazing at the meteors as if they were the most wonderful things ever.

          Was there something wrong he was missing? He’d noticed she occasionally slipped and referred to her mother as alive which had bothered both him and Tibi. But how did someone bring that up?

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          “It is nice to have you home,” Ignacio said quietly to his daughter. “You know I love helping you with homework, maybe you can do your homework here from now on?”

          “It’s only because Emily is sick, dad,” Tibi was short. The floor was really uncomfortable for working and she missed the comfort of the desk, no matter how messy Emily’s house was.

          Behind them, Layla toyed with what was left of her dinner. She hadn’t been feeling too well lately. It had even cut into her ‘collecting.’

  

          “What is wrong with Emily again? Sick to her stomach?” Ignacio had been really worried about Layla. She’d never been ill before and he’d never seen her slow down for anything, including the death of her mother. But today she’d only been out picking wildflowers for a little bit before returning home to bed.

          “No, she’s got strep throat,” Tibi answered.

          “Oh,” he said. “Well, I hope she gets better soon. Strep is no fun.”

          “Yeah,” Tibi said sourly. The flowers were no longer organized or straight along the wall in front of her and their vases were dusty too. Maybe Layla wasn’t feeling well because of the dust and dirt in their home.

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          It was just after 2am when the nausea became so bad it woke her up.

          “Uuuuugh” she groaned quietly, holding her rolling stomach as if trying to hold it in place. She was convinced that if she could just throw up she’d feel better.

  

          Maybe she’d get her wish. Tightly clamping her hand over her mouth she made a dash past a sleeping Ignacio for the bathroom.

  

          Climbing back in bed she was thankful her assumption that if she’d just vomit she’d feel better was correct. Her stomach had been upset off and on for days now. And she was so tired! All she wanted to do was sleep. But today she had barely gotten anything done, and tomorrow she really needed to hit the ground running.

  

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          But the next morning was no better than the last despite her intentions. She’d barely been out of the house for an hour before nausea overcame her along the roadside and she was forced to give in.

          There was one thing to be thankful for though. At least no one saw her.

  

          Ignacio was incredibly worried when she’d reappeared before noon, looking green and pathetic.

          “Are you sure you are alright?” he asked again. He’d asked a million times lately and she’d always denied feeling less than perfect.

          But this time was different.

          Watching her gag and groan alarmed him at first, until he really looked at her.

          Blinking in confusion and wonder Ignacio tried to catch her eye.

  

          Just as Ignacio reached for her arm though, she turned tail and ran toward their room.

          Watching her retreating backside he decided he’d better follow her. Perhaps they needed to have a talk about this.

          “So,” he said the moment she reappeared. “So when are you going to the doctor?”

          Layla stood a moment blinking at him leaning against the desk.

          “Why would I need to go to the doctor? I feel fine now.”

          “But you didn’ a moment ago.”

          “And it passes the moment it all comes up. Right now, I could climb Mt.Simverest and be just fine,” she laughed a little to try and prove it, But her laugh turned into a violent yawn she couldn’t hide.

          “Being tired and sick is not like you at all,” Ignacio said patiently. Obviously, he’d have to walk her through this. “And not only that, it has gone on now for over a month.”

          “And?”

          “And I think it’s something more.”

          Shyly, Layla looked down at her hands. Ignacio blinked in surprise. Did she suspect the same then? Why hadn’t she said something earlier?

          “Yeah,” she said slowly, with a deep breath. She felt nervous and shy and had no idea why she felt that way. “Yeah, I kinda think so too.”

  

          Hurrying to her side, he kissed her shoulder tenderly.

          “Mi Llamita, you need to go to a doctor for sure then.”

          “But I’m not sure, I’m only guessing,” she told him.

          “You are going today,” he said firmly.

          “Oh, for pity-”

          “No. Today.”

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          She’d insisted on going alone, much to his consternation. So instead he’d gone out to take care of some business. When he’d arrived back home, it was obvious Layla had been redecorating again and he stopped to look at the clutter all around.

          “Ignacio?”

          Spinning on his heel a wave of relief washed over him when he saw her. At least she looked fresher than she had that morning.

  

          “We’re gonna have a baby!”

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Dear JESUS that took long enough! So this chapter took me ages and ages to get all the shots for and then putting it together it took me far longer than it usually does to get written up. And I had to redo a lot of it over, and over, and over, and over. If you follow the thread at MTS you’ll know that the latest patch gave me a LOT of grief. Of course that had to happen while I’m trying to get this put together. But Hurray! There’s a larva on the way!

Ok. I know it was a bit jerky, but it's just to show that we're skipping forward a bit here. Ok, we're skipping forward a lot, about a week in game. So instead of trying to find random things to do for filler, I touched on a few of the highlights and showed how things are going.

Ignacio was the tragic clown after an unfortunate trip on the LLAMA. It was just coincidence that happened on Spooky Day. How could I not use it?

The next chapter is a smidge bit delayed coming out since the patch actually borked my savegame making it really difficult right now to get what I need. And with over a hundred OMSPs on the lot currently the game is really slow so it's taking longer to move this forward. (That and the pool. Yeah, we live by our pool and I'm not dragging my pc outside just to sim and swim.) So once this story arc is through there will be another delay as I clean up the mess Layla is making and then move the principal characters to a clean AP.