Joel thinks that one of the best investments he made with his children was buying Helena a toy oven.
The girl has a good hand in cooking, Joel reasons while enjoying the sugar cookie.
Talia had decided to cook some hot dogs for her daughter’s birthday, unfortunately the rain had started when she had already put the sausages on the grill, so she had no choice but to endure the water falling on her body.
Fortunately the rain didn’t ruin the meal so the family, along with the only other resident of the town, enjoyed a nice lunch.
Jane was happy to be invited to the birthday party, with how few they were in Sunset Valley it was very important for her to form a bond with the Sheridan family.
Talia smiled at Jane, the young woman had had the idea of them dancing and Helena was enjoying it immensely.
“How was your trip?” Talia asked her when she was close.
Jane had been selected to give a talk on the qualities of Sunset Valley stones at Sim National University. The young woman had been surprised with the proposal but had accepted immediately, after all it was a great opportunity.
“Very good, the conference had a larger turnout than I expected.” Jane replied while blushing.
Talia noticed this and knew Jane was thinking about something else.
“You met someone! Tell me!” The older of the two exclaimed happily.
“His name is Shad, he was at my presentation.” Jane said in a whisper.
“And?”
“We spent some nice days together and now that I’m back here we talk almost every day. I don’t know where this is going, he lives in Twinbrook.” The young woman said a little sadly.
Talia understood her low mood, Twinbrook was one of the furthest cities from Sunset Valley.
“Well, don’t give up. Life sometimes takes you to unsuspected places. Look at me! Who would have said that I would be happy being a farmer? Not teen me.”
Jane smiled gratefully.
Sebastian preferred to play with his toys, lest the women force him to dance with them.
Helena could say that she had a more fun birthday than she expected.
Although she thinks she would have made a better cake than her mother. She wouldn’t say it out loud, of course.
Despite being a teenager, Helena still has a bit of childish joy in her.
Although she also spends time helping around the house or with his siblings. Her parents couldn’t be more proud of her.
They allow her to use the oven now that she is a little older. Helena really loves experimenting with different ingredients and she would like to be able to do something with this, maybe start a small restaurant.
She told her father about her wishes, knowing that he would have some advice to give her.
“If you want to open a restaurant we could contact the commission and see what suggestions they have. I don’t talk to them as much now as I did when I first moved, but surely they must still have some kind of credit program.”
Joel was proud that his daughter was already planning something for her future, although he was worried that their financial situation would hinder her dream. The farm gave enough money to live without major prohibitions but building a restaurant from scratch was not something they could afford.
He is a little sad that none of his older children show any interest in the farm. Helena spends long hours in the kitchen, while Sebastian prefers to read or write. He has already noticed that the boy locks himself in his room and fills one of his notebooks with words that no one has been able to read for now.
Despite having wanted someone to show interest, he would never force them to do something different to their wishes. If his uncle Jack had taught him anything while he was growing up, it was to think independently, and that was a legacy he didn’t want to change. He still had hope with Benjamin, he told himself. He really didn’t want all the effort of founding this farm to go to waste.
The end of spring came with many warm days. Helena and Sebastian took advantage of the heat to spend several moments on the beach enjoying those days.
Helena tried to teach her brother to fish.
“This is very boring.” Sebastian snorted. He couldn’t understand why the rest of his family liked to do this.
“Why do you leave me alone doing this while you sunbathe? It’s not fair!”
This isn’t something she has told her parents, it’s not because of them that she feels this way, but because she is the only girl her age in the valley.
At least her brother’s birthday seems to be a possible solution to that feeling of loneliness. Now that Sebastian leaves his toddler years behind, she may be able to share things with him that until now were not possible.
Like eating birthday cake while watching TV with her brother. This is much more fun than doing it alone!
“I’m going to miss having a toddler in the family, but I’m glad that now Helena has someone to share her things and games with.” Joel said looking at them with a smile.
“Me too, but it’s the best for Helena. She thinks we don’t know, but it’s obvious that she was lonely.” Talia responded without looking up from the cake she was savoring. “Although maybe the days of toddlers aren’t so far behind.”
“Honey? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I think I’m pregnant. I haven’t taken the test yet, but I’ve the same symptoms as with Helena and Sebastian.” She said in a whisper.
“This is great news, I know we had said that two children were enough and we didn’t plan for this pregnancy, but I can’t deny that I do want another child.” He said in the same tone of voice but a little more excited, he didn’t want the children to know until they were sure.
“I feel the same about this, thank goodness we are on the same page.” Talia said in a louder tone that reached the children.
“What’s all the fuss?” Sebastian spoke from where he was sitting with his sister.
“We are thanking the Commission that your schoolwork has arrived, you can start today.” Joel said laughing.
The boy grumbled.
“You shouldn’t have asked, that’s what you get for being a gossip.” Helena told him jokingly.
Although his parents didn’t tell him what they were really talking about, the homework is real. So Sebastian had no choice but to study together with his mother.
Helena is a little confused, why did her parents buy a bunk bed when a simple one would have been enough for Sebastian?
Having a brother who is at her same age stage is great. Now she can do fun things like build a snowman together.
Although her brother took a liking to schoolwork that she could never catch on to, Helena prefers playing with toys to studying.
With the arrival of winter the garden became dormant, so the only income comes from fishing. Joel had no choice but to bundle up and venture to the beach.
He had been on that part of the beach for a few hours when he saw something that is not very common in this town. A sim that was not part of his family.
The woman seemed to be gathering something from the ground. Joel waited for her to pass by him again before introducing himself; he couldn’t miss the chance to know if her visit was temporary or perhaps something more permanent.
The woman turned out to be Jane March, a geologist who is just beginning her career.
“Searching for information on rocks and gems, I found that Sunset Valley had been a great source of these in its past times. So when I found out about the town’s reconstruction project I couldn’t help but come right away. My job is to write papers on rocks so I can do it from any location.” She explained the reason for her arrival in the town.
“So you’re thinking about moving to the valley?” Joel asked excitedly, maybe he would have neighbors soon.
“I haven’t decided yet.” She said, laughing kindly at the man’s enthusiasm. “For now I have requested to stay for the winter months at the boarding house. Depending on how well my research here goes, I’ll decide whether to move or not.”
“Well, I hope it turns out very well, and I’m not just saying this because I want to have neighbors. I really hope this works for you.”
“Thank you, at least I know that if I decide to move I will have good neighbors. In addition, the landlady of the boarding house told me that you sell fresh products and fish, so at least the food would be covered.” Jane said with a smile.
“Right she is.”
Winter brings dormant plants and little income, but it is a great time to spend time with the family and strengthen relationships.
Joel couldn’t be more proud of the family he and Talia have formed.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Joel asked taking his wife in his arms.
“All the time, but you can say it even more often if you want, especially now that I feel like a balloon.” She said laughing.
The Sheridans took a family outing before the baby’s arrival. Poor Talia found herself walking a little slowly in the middle of all the snow.
There they saw that Jane had also had the same idea as them. Joel was glad to see that the woman was still in town despite the months that had passed. Surely that would have to be a good sign.
Joel and Helena immediately went on the frozen lake to skate. Neither of them knew very well how to do it, but they were determined to learn.
For his part, Sebastian preferred to keep his mother company since skating was risky in the state she was in. Talia couldn’t be more proud of the little knight of hers. But after building a snowman, she told his son to go have fun with his father and sister.
Like a good older sister, Helena taught Sebastian everything she had learned in that hour of skating she had done. The boy decided not to tell her that that amount of time was not enough to make her an expert.
Jane approached Joel’s wife to introduce herself, they both quickly hit it off.
Seeing the women together, Joel quickly approached them.
“Sorry about my husband, he is terribly excited about the possibility of having neighbors. It’s something that has worried him since he arrived, that he was the only one with the intention of living in the middle of nowhere. It seems that sometimes he forgets that I have decided the same thing.” Talia said good-naturedly, knowing that Joel was listening to her.
“Now I’ll have to punish you for talking about me to new people.”
That punishment wasn’t exactly what Jane thought was going to happen. She smiled sheepishly, but couldn’t move her gaze from the couple. They seemed so in love even though they were expecting their third child, she hoped that one day she could have something like that.
“Once again I have to apologize for my husband. But tell me, what are you still doing in Sunset Valley?” Talia asked to help her get through the awkwardness Joel had caused for both of them.
“Well, in the end my research turned out to be very proliferate. What I had read about the valley was true, this town has great potential for a geologist like me, so I extended my stay at the boarding house and bought a plot of land here. Soon the construction of my house will begin.” Jane said with great enthusiasm.
“We have a new neighbor!” Joel shouted with joy.
Jane couldn’t help but feel like she had made the right decision when she saw how friendly her new neighbors were.
The trip to the waterfalls couldn’t have been at a better time, since just one day later Talia went into labor.
Despite it being the third time they had gone through this, Joel couldn’t help but panic.
For her part, Helena took it better. Maybe it’s that she was still too young to understand the risk Talia was taking by not having a hospital near her. Or maybe she just was more level headed than her father.
Talia was relieved to see that her third child was in good health. They named the little boy Benjamin, to continue the tradition of long names.
Jane found out about the birth of the child and went to visit the family to congratulate them.
Talia was very grateful for the visit, having interactions with another woman is very refreshing for her. She loves her family, but misses the camaraderie of a female friend.
The fish that Joel caught was sold for a better price than he had thought, so he was able to give Sebastian and Helena items to practice the skills in which they are interested. The man offered to sell the paintings that Sebastian created when he goes to Moonlight Falls to sell his products, but the boy told him that he was not interested in that yet, he wanted to become a better painter before sharing his work with the world.
Helena, for her part, expressed interest in cooking, so Joel gave her a toy oven. The cookies the girl has baked so far are better than anyone in the family had expected. The father believes that his daughter has a future in this.
Helena could see how the construction of Jane’s house began.
Sometimes they saw how the woman stopped by to see how the progress of her house was going.
Finally, in the last days of winter, Jane’s house was ready for her to move in. Talia could see it from the entrance of her own house. She was glad that her new neighbor had decided to move to the same street as them.
A/N: I don’t know if I’ve mentioned the children’s traits until now, so here they are: Helena’s are Athletic, Good and Angler; Sebastian’s are Loves the Outdoors, Artistic and Bookworm; Benjamin’s are Loves the Outdoors and Excitable.
Jane lived in the Sheridan house for a few days until enough money was raised for her to move out on her own. Joel met her in the fall in the previous round I had not shown her before because I did not know how to introduce her. The screenshots where she appears are all of her when she lived with the family. The challenge that she will take on is the Random Legacy because it is one of my favorites. More about this in the next update which is about Jane.
Joel expanded his garden to other types of vegetables, his tomatoes and lettuce are selling well and the markets where he trades them began to ask him for other types of produce.
Talia is the one who takes care of the communal garden the most, she takes advantage of those moments to get out of the house and rest a bit from family life.
The fresh air is ideal for continuing to exercise as she likes, plus it helps her decompress the stress of running a farm without having the necessary skills to do so.
Joel is happy to see how their hard work is paying off, now the farm gives a continuous income with which the family is using to improve their house.
Despite the farm demanding a lot of him, Joel doesn’t stop spending time with his children, after all they are the reason why he puts in so much effort day after day.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year already.” Talia murmured as she went over to blow out the candles for her son.
It’s just the two of them celebrating Sebastian’s birthday since Helena is still too young to understand what is happening.
“Our children are growing up so fast.” Said Joel as he took Sebastian in his arms.
“I know.” Talia smiled, lifting her eyes from the plants to look at her family.
“Soon Helena will have to start learning to read and write and I’m worried about how we will do it. Our only option for her to have a traditional education is to send her to a boarding school, but I don’t know if I’m prepared for her to be so far away from us.” The man told his wife with a hint of concern in his voice.
“We also don’t have the money to do it in case we decide to send her there.” Talia replied, refocusing on her plants. “I have been looking at some things online, some tips on how to home school a child and I think we can do it. Obviously she won’t have as extensive an education as in a school, but we can teach her enough to be able to take the necessary exams.”
“We can also contact the Commission, maybe they have planned on this. I think that Mathew Hayward is still the director, at least the last time I heard from them he still was.”
In the end, Joel didn’t need to contact the commission because they did it first. Jenna Root, who had been promoted to deputy project manager, sent the family a detailed plan on how to educate the youngest resident of Sunset Valley.
Joel and Talia would take care of her education, but with online assistance from teachers. Each week these teachers will send them a detailed study program and instructions on how to explain the material to Helena, with their support through video calls. To say that the couple felt relieved was an understatement.
For now, the teachers had suggested that Helena play with educational toys that would help her develop her reasoning. So they saved a little money from the sale of the vegetables to buy her a block table.
Although Helena was not the only one who was receiving education in the house. Both Joel and Talia took turns teaching Sebastian his toddler’s skills.
Almost without them noticing, their eldest daughter had turned into a child who shared the table with her parents.
“The cake is really good, mom.”
Talia smailed amused, the cake was not so good, but she appreciated her daughter’s kindness.
The study plan turned out to be a good one, Talia thought as she watched her daughter concentrate on her homework.
Helena expressed an interest in fishing so Joel took her to Stoney Falls to teach her the basics.
“This is easy.” Said the girl while concentrating on the rod.
Joel realized that his daughter had an affinity for the activity that he did not. The man had learned out of necessity and not for pleasure, although, over time, he had learned to enjoy it.
This fall brought warm weather, so the family took advantage of the good weather to enjoy the outdoors before winter arrived.
After many years the Sheridan family had finally restored the farm to its former glory. Maybe it took longer than Joel had thought when he first moved to Sunset Valley, but seeing the result of all the hard work he and Talia had put in filled him with pride.
How is it possible to love someone so much so fast? Joel asked himself as he picked up his daughter from the crib.
The little girl gave a small smile, the first Joel had ever seen. “What have you done to me?”
A thought his wife shared with him. In just a few weeks, Helena had become the center of their universe.
It was not easy for Talia to get back into the exercise routine she did before she moved to Sunset Valley, but once she was able to do it again she realized she had missed the soreness from a good session.
It was also a good way to pass the time, now that winter had arrived and there was not much to do but take care of Helena.
Joel spent most of his time fishing on the beach. The family funds were almost non-existent and the garden had become dormant due to the low temperatures.
Talia’s plan to plant coffee seeds had paid off; not only did they had a good growing rate, its produce were worth more than they had expected.
Joel thanked her fervently for the idea.
“You’re crazy.” Talia said giggling.
“Yes, crazy for you.”
“And corny. Don’t forget that.”
Almost without realizing it, Helena’s first birthday had arrived. Their little one was no longer a baby.
“What do you think of giving Helena a little brother or sister?” Joel asked as they sat down to enjoy the cake Talia had made.
The woman looked at her daughter before answering, considering the question seriously. “If I think about it from an economic point of view, I don’t know if it’s the best right now, we’re barely paying the bills. But, I look at Helena and I think that she will have a childhood separated from the other children, maybe a sibling will be a good idea so she’ll not feel alone.”
“My motives are a bit more selfish, I just want to have another child with you.” Joel said on a lower voice.
“Oh, honey. Don’t get me wrong, I also want to have another child with you beyond what I said. I was just expressing my concern.”
In the end, Talia decided that it was time to have another child. Spending time with her daughter and watching her grow made her realize that she wanted to repeat the experience.
She didn’t expect to get pregnant on their first try, though.
Joel, of course, was over the moon with the news.
“Soon you will have a little brother or sister to play with, plus it will be your duty as their older sister to take care of them.” He told Helena.
“Please don’t put responsibilities on her, she’s too young.” He heard Talia say from the doorway, from the laughter that could be heard in her voice, Joel knew that she hadn’t taken what he had said seriously.
Her last months of pregnancy coincided with the arrival of spring, so Talia took advantage of the good weather to go out and explore the town. She also wanted Helena to get some fresh air after being so much time indoors in the cold months.
The toddler seemed to enjoy the sun as she was giggling as her mother carried her in the stroller.
“Maybe soon we’ll have a new neighbor.” Talia told the little girl, hoping it was a reality and not just a wish.
Motherhood did not make her improve in the kitchen. Despite practicing several times, most of the time she burned the food.
Joel was better at housework, and they both knew it. The man found it relaxing to take care of the cleaning, which was perfect for Talia who didn’t like it one bit.
She also likes to be grateful for the things that Joel does.
“Are you crazy, woman?”
“Yes, I crazy for you.”
“You shouldn’t make an effort like this while pregnant.” Joel told her rolling his eyes but accepting the kiss anyway.
Joel was out of the house, fishing, when Talia went into labor. She tried not to panic and tried to call him but there was no good signal and she could not get through to him.
Luckily, the delivery occurred without alterations or problems and everything went well. Talia welcomed her second child, Sebastian, into the world.
Returning from a long day at the beach, Joel found his wife exhausted from giving birth. He immediately took her to bed to rest while he took care of everything else.
He felt a little guilty that he had not been there to help her, but all thoughts were wiped out of his mind as he held his son for the first time.
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.
New home, new life. Joel thought as he got inside his house.
The property was as clean as it could get, unfortunately he had not been able to get the dampness off the walls and floor, plus the paint on the counters was peeling off. Although the priority would be to buy a door before the cold arrived.
Without much to do, Joel got down to work, he began by cleaning a patch of dirt on the side of his house. From the broken fences he could deduce that it is where a garden had been planned, so Joel thought that this place was as good as any to start it.
Once the patch of dirt was cleared, Joel planted some lettuce and tomatoes. For now, he would start with a small variety and see how good it quality turned out.
More cleaning. The young man gathered all the junk to one side of his house, he had contacted the committee the day before and they had told him that they would take care of taking it away.
In the afternoon, when the heat was no longer so pressing, Joel went to the beach to fish. The view was beautiful and gave him a great sense of peace.
This type of day became a routine, taking care of his garden during the day and going to the beach in the afternoon.
Joel received an email from the commission informing him that he had been pre-approved for one of the Project’s loans. The young man knew that his uncle had acquired one of those loans to build the farm so he immediately contacted them to find more about the matter.
Joel listened intently as Jenna Root explained everything about the granting of the money.
“I would like the loan but instead of using it to repair this house, I have another project in mind.” The man told Jenna once she had finished speaking. “I think this town would benefit from having some sort of community lot that might help convince more sims to move here.”
Joel’s idea took almost no time to get approved, so a week later he met with the contractors on the lot where a community garden would be built.
“Hey, the only resident of Sunset Valley!” The man who seemed to be in charge told him in greeting.
“I hope not for much longer.” Joel replied with good humor.
“The commission informed us everything about your idea, so I made a plan of the lot that was approved by them, come and see it and if you agree we will start construction today.” Said the man getting down to business.
Joel looked at the plan and everything seemed to be in order so he gave the green light for them to start the work.
Joel left the workers to their task and went to the beach to spend a few hours fishing, though not always with the best results. How was it that he always fell when he tried to cast the rod?
During the week that the construction of the community garden lasted, Joel stopped by several times to see how it was going, but he did not always stop to talk to the men.
Little by little his idea was taking real form.
Despite his enthusiasm for founding the first community lot in Sunset Valley, the young man did not neglect his daily tasks, he knew that his garden would have to be his priority if he wanted to grow the best quality tomatoes that could be found anywhere in the sim world. His ambitions seemed high for a sim who wasn’t a green thumb but he was sure he could pull it off.
Joel met one last time with the builders.
“Our work here is finished, Jenna Root informed me that you would take care of the decorations and landscaping.”
“Yes, while I have no formal training in this, I’ve been told I have an eye for it.”
What Joel did not tell him is that he had preferred to do it himself since it lowered construction costs, which reduced the loan and therefore the amount of debt he had taken on.
The shell of the garden was finally complete, now it was time to start Joel’s work.
It took him several days to decorate, position the benches and transplant the plants and flowers, but finally the garden was finished. Joel was proud of himself and hoped that soon other sims would be able to enjoy the place.
Now that his garden project was finished and there was nothing else to do but tend to plants and fish, Joel couldn’t deny that he was starting to feel a little lonely. The end of summer had brought several days of rain, which did not help his mood, since he had to spend many hours inside a house that did not have any object to help him beat his boredom.
However, that would soon change.
Talia Singlenton hoped she had not made a mistake coming here. She and Joel had been classmates from high school and they had met again only a couple of months ago.
“Talia?” Joel called from the door of his house. “What are you doing here? Come in, it’s raining too hard.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here. This town is a long way from Starlight Shores.” Joel said not knowing how to really greet her. The last time he saw her there had been much more effusiveness between them.
It had been only two months ago that they had met in a disco. It was Joel’s last week in his hometown before moving to Sunset Valley and Talia was on vacation between semesters from college.
They spent several hours together dancing and drinking.
That night the passion had reignited between them. A fire that they thought had been extinguished long before they finished high school.
Talia was gone the next morning, and though his heart had ached, Joel believed it was best for both of them.
“I’m sorry I came here so suddenly, I thought I’d call you, but I have something to tell you that I think it’s best to do it in person.”
Talia’s voice snapped him out of his memories. He looked at her carefully, she had her eyes downcast and was biting her lip.
“It’s about the last time we saw each other.” She said softly.
Joel thought it was strange the almost shy way she was acting.
“What’s the matter?” he tried to encourage her to speak.
“I’m pregnant.”
Joel did not know what to answer to this confession, it had not occurred to him that it could have been a possibility. He looked down at Talia’s belly, a child of his was growing there.
“When my parents found out, they kicked me out of the house and told me they weren’t going to pay for my studies anymore. I… I… I don’t know what to do.” She began to cry pulling Joel out of his thoughts.
“It’s okay, we’re going to figure it out together, I’m here for whatever you need.”
Joel realized that this was true as he said those words, no matter what happened he would be by Talia’s side.
“Look.” He said taking her hands. “If you need a place to live you can stay here, it’s not much and it’s in pretty bad shape but I think it’s better than living on the street.”
She smiled at his attempted joke.
“Even if I have decided to keep the baby?” She asked tentatively.
“Even so.”
If Joel was sure of one thing, it was that he would never abandon a child of his. That’s something his uncle had taught him by example when he had taken him in when Joel had been orphaned.
“I’ll be there for everything you need, not only for the child but for you as well.”
Talia kissed him suddenly, the supportive words he was saying were enough to make her want to express the feelings he was bringing in her.
“I… uh I…” She began to stutter and blush as she realized what she had done.
He smiled sweetly at her and without saying a word took her in his arms and kissed her again.
The kiss reaffirmed that everything they had felt that night was intact. Talia closed her eyes and let herself go.
A/N: Talia Singleton is a university mascot and Joel met her on the first day, a few days later she was living in the house. The story that they knew each other from before is not true, of course, and it is just to give her some background. The screenshots of them at the disco and so on were taken in a different save file.
Rules clarification: According to the rules I must have more houses than community lots, so I shouldn’t have built the community garden yet, but that is a rule that I am not going to follow because I do not consider it necessary. The community lots will be placed when their requirements have been unlocked since I consider that difficult enough to do.
Joel Sheridan looked out the window as the taxi pulled up to the big house where he would stay for the next few weeks. This was one of the two buildings in town, the other was his uncle’s dilapidated farm house that would soon become his home.
As he paid the driver he looked back at the house, it was big but not imposing. With its white and gray paint and colorful flowers it was a more pleasant sight than the young man has expected.
The boarding house’s manager went out to meet him at the same time Joel went up the stairs.
“Sandy Ryder.” The woman said extending her hand towards him.
“Joel Sheridan. Nice to meet you.” He said shaking her hand.
“Come, let’s do a little tour of the house.” Sandy said opening the front doors.
Joel followed her in silence as she explained the rooms on the ground floor.
“Here you will find most of the common rooms, such as the living room, kitchen and dining room. There is also a library and a study; you have free access to everything. All bathrooms, both downstairs and upstairs, are for community use. For now it’s just the two of us so you won’t have to share.”
“On this floor are the bedrooms, more bathrooms and a recreation area. Each bedroom is individual, it is the only thing that is not shared here.”
Joel looked around, he had liked what he had seen so far. The earth colors of this floor contrasted with the pastel colors of the floor below but both gave a warm vibe to the house.
Joel lay back to get some rest, his legs cramping from sitting in a cab for nearly four hours from Moonlight Falls to Sunset Valley. Not to mention that he had been on a plane for another three hours before taking the taxi. Why his uncle Jack had left him a house in the middle of nowhere and far from any city is something that he could no longer ask him.
A sad smile came to his face at the thought of his uncle, the man who had raised him since he was a toddler. With Jack’s death his only family was gone.
After resting for a few minutes and putting his things in the wardrobe, Joel went downstairs to talk to Sandy about the rules of living in the house. The woman was waiting for him in the living room.
“In fact, there are not many rules, the main one is not to enter the other bedrooms when they are occupied.” Sandy explained as they sat down on the couches.
“Which is logical enough.” He said with a smile.
“Right? But hey, it’s better to leave everything very explicit.” Sandy laughed.
“True.”
“The other rule is to help with the cleaning of the house, since the lodging here is free, it does not seem to to be a very unreasonable request. There is a girl who comes on Mondays and Tuesdays and is in charge of deep cleaning, but the day to day is the responsibility of those of us who live here.”
Joel thought it was all very reasonable. After all, as Sandy had said, the stay was free and included food.
After that informative talk, Joel went out to tour the town and see the place that he had inherited from his uncle. From a distance he could see the state of the farm house and it did not give him a good feeling.
Up close it was even worse.
“What have you gotten me into, Jack?” Joel said out loud as he watched the ivy creep up the walls and into the house.
The door was completely destroyed, and why cover the windows if you can enter through the entrance without problems?
If he had hopes that the interior would be in better condition than the exterior, they were quickly dashed. No time like the present. Joel thought and got to work.
Despite spending several hours cleaning, there was still a lot to do. It would take a few days for the house to be habitable.
After spending several days in a row fixing up his house, Joel was ready to take a day off and get out to see more of Susent Valley. Walking in no apparent direction, he came across a hidden waterfall at the base of the mountains.
The place was beautiful, with a large lake and wild plants on one side of it. The man picked up a few of them, maybe he could get some seeds out of these.
When Joel found out that he had inherited a farm in the middle of nowhere, he thought starting a garden was the right thing to do. He would not only have fresh products and not have to travel several hours to stock his fridge, but he would be able to sell them. The Commission in charge of Sunset Valley had offered to buy his products to supply the boarding house with fresh food.
He didn’t have a a green thumb but he was a eco-friendly guy and the idea of working with plants and earth filled him with an inexplicable pleasure.
Joel soon found himself in a routine. During the day he cleaned and repaired his house.
In the evenings, he would search the web or read library books in an effort to learn about gardening before starting his own garden. Beyond that he already had secured the sale of his crops, Joel wanted to sell good quality products and one day be able to expand the business.
That’s why on weekends he spent his hours at the waterfalls, fishing. Gardening books said that fish made good fertilizer, although he had deduced that before reading about it.
On one of his last days at the boarding house, Joel found an unusual sight, there were more people than expected when he went down to the kitchen that morning.
The young man stopped to say hello but nothing more, not wanting to interrupt the conversation that Sandy was having with the Whitmans, the name by which they had introduced themselves.
Joel wondered if he would soon have neighbors in Suset Valley.
Two nights later he discovered that he was wrong. Joel was watching the rain fall through the window when Sandy approached to tell him that the Whitmans had decided that moving to Sunset Valley was too risky for them.
“The Whitmans are already retired from their jobs so they were looking for a new place to live. Harold seemed interested in the project, but Patty thought they were too old to undertake this type of change. From what I understood her great concern was that there was no hospital nearby.”
“I think it’s a very real concern, more for a couple approaching their old age.” He answered her without taking his eyes off the window, looking at the barn where the commission kept everything needed to keep the boarding house running.
“Aren’t you worried about that too?” Sandy asked interested in the answer.
“Yeah, a bit. But I don’t have many options, plus I know first aid so I think I’ll be fine.” Joel responded, shrugging his shoulders.
“I made a salad if you want to join me for dinner.”
“I’m going to move to the farm in the morning, the interior is already as clean as it can be.” He said while they ate.
“So soon? The other day I went by there and it seemed that it still needs a lot of work.”
“Yes, the exterior still needs a lot of work, but the interior is already habitable so I don’t see the reason to delay the move.”
“I don’t think I ever told you but I think you are very brave to do this.” She said smiling.
“Or very stupid.” He laughed out loud.
“That, too!” Sandy laughed too.
Joel spent his last night in the comfortable bed of his temporary room listening to the rain fall. He thought that it would be difficult for him to fall asleep thanks to what would happen the next day, but the pattering of the drops on the window lulled him to sleep.
In the morning, he had breakfast with Sandy and said goodbye to the woman with a warm hug. She would return to her town now that the house was empty and they didn’t know when they would see each other again.
Minutes later he was in front of his house, which he hoped would soon become his home.
A/N: This chapter could be considered a second prologue, since most of the screenshots were taken in an alternate save file and not in the game-play. With this I tried to give an introduction to the founder of this BACC, Joel Sheridan, who is also founding another challenge, the Grow as You Go Farmacy. The idea for Joel’s background was born when I asked myself the serious question of why there would be an abandoned farm in a city where everything had been repaired and the buildings had been torn down.
Honestly, I don’t know if there will be other detailed presentations for new residents, but I don’t rule out the possibility. Everything will depend on whether or not I am inspired when adding them.
None of the characters that appear here are part of the 8 NPCs, I created them to make this chapter.
The Sunset Valley Project 