Talia’s new life was totally different from the one she had led just a few days ago, but she could not deny that there was something nice in the tranquility of an empty town.
Becoming a housewife had not been in her plans, but she had to accept her new reality. It had been her actions, and Joel’s, that had brought her here and she thought there was no point in crying over spilled milk.
Despite her young age and morning sickness, being pregnant was something she took as a positive. A small being was growing in her womb and that gave her a happiness that she had not experienced until now.
Joel had taken cleaning and sprucing up the property very seriously, wanting the house to be in the best possible condition before the baby arrived.
The plumbing were quite old so they broke all the time, but Joel had been reading online some tips on how to fix them and make them last a while longer.
The young woman began to help her boyfriend in the garden and despite that she, like him, had not a green thumb, discovered that it was easy for her to learn to work the land.
“Have you thought about adding any other type of crop other than vegetables?” She asked him as she harvested the lettuce.
“Not really, for now I wanted to focus on what sells the most even if it doesn’t have the best price, you know? Also, vegetables are easier to work with and I don’t want to add other type of plants until I have more experience.”
“Yes, you’re right, maybe it would be better to have more experience before working with something more complicated.”
During the first trimester of her pregnancy, Joel would not let her into the room that would be the baby’s, he said he was preparing it and he did not want her to see it until it was finished. That is why she was surprised when one day he announced that he had finished.
“What do you think?” He asked her after uncovering her eyes.
She ran her eyes through the small room from end to end, it was almost empty but she could fill in the spaces with her imagination, where the toys would go and where she would put the potty chair. The room was full of possibilities.
“I know the window still needs to be fixed and there’s nothing but the crib but it’s all I could do with the money we have and…”
She interrupted him to hug him tight. “It’s beautiful, I love the range of colors you chose.”
“Yeah? Great, I was a little nervous thinking maybe you wanted something more baby themed.”
“No, no, this is great, in fact I would like something like this for our room too.” She said to his relief.
“Well, maybe that will have to wait a while longer, because with the money that was left over I bought something else.”
Talia frowned slightly at how flustered the man had become, but her eyes widened when she saw him kneel in front of her.
“Talia, I know our relationship hasn’t followed the typical steps, but I’ve been in love with you since the first day I saw you. Life took us down different paths until we met again and now we’re walking a road path together. Would you accept me as your husband?”
Talia put her hands to her mouth and tried to say yes through the tears that choked her.
A few days later they had a private ceremony at the waterfalls, just the two of them. He had no family left and she did not want to share a day as happy as her weeding day with parents who had turned their backs on her in one of her most vulnerable moments.
No one was necessary for them except the child they were expecting.
Talia picked up the conversation she had with Joel a few months ago.
“I was thinking that the cold will soon arrive and the plants will go dormants.”
“Yes, me too. I thought about doing more fishing in the cold months, but I don’t think it’s enough to support us.” Joel said in a worried voice.
“Well, I have an idea. The other day I was reminded of a class I had in college on coffee beans.”
“A class on coffee beans? Weren’t you were studying medicine?”
“Yes Yes. The topic was the effects of caffeine on the body, but that’s not the point. That day a gardening expert had been invited and something he said stuck in my mind, that coffee can be grown indoors without the need for special measures such as a greenhouse.” She said excited. “Obviously, it would have to be just a few seeds since we don’t have much room.”
“The coffee beens are sold at a good price, I think it’s a good idea.” Joel said smiling at her.
By unspoken agreement Talia was the one to take care of the coffee plants while Joel took care of the outdoor garden and the fishing.
Old appliances have many risks, it was any given day when the stove caught fire while Joel was cooking.
In her panic, Talia called the emergency number she had on her phone, but before the firemen could answer she realized that there was nothing they could do. The nearest station was four hours away.
Luckily Joel had been cautious before moving to Sunset Valley and had brought several items with him to handle emergencies, including a fire extinguisher.
The fire could be put out before it became serious, but they still lost the oven.
“I think we know where our savings will go.” The man said with a sigh.
“Joel…” Talia called out to him as she doubled over as she felt a painful pang.
The scare caused by the fire caused Talia’s delivery to be brought forward. Joel panicked like any other father when his child was born, but Talia handled the situation calmly and everything turned out okay.
Helena Sheridan came into this world with a great cry. Her parents were proud.
Talia carried Helena to her crib and watched over her as she slept.
A/N: Per the Grow as You Go rules, each generation can only have two expansions in the house, including the type of crop that is planted. I chose vegetables and coffee beans for this generation. That makes them unable to expand the house in this gen.
BACC PROGRESS
Active Household: 1
Community Lots: 1
Sims: 3
SM: 2
Population: 6
The Sunset Valley Project 