#ultimatehood

Brandi: The summer holidays are coming up, and I could use a hand with the boys.

Dustin: Mum, you work evening shifts, and Darren stays home, when even would you be needing childcare you didn’t need during the school year?

Brandi: It’s not really about watching over them, sure, we can watch over them, but they’re active kids, they’ll get so bored in the house all summer, I’m just looking for some activities for them.

Dustin: Active kids? Don’t make me laugh, Beau will be entertained for literal weeks inside just watching Darren paint flowers on a canvas.

Brandi: Well, that’s exactly why I want to get him outdoors! He needs to make some friends and move his body a little. And Junior needs something to tire him out. If they both stay indoors together, Junior will just torment Beau all day.

Dustin: What do you need from me? I have my own life, and I can’t just bring them over to Angela’s parents’ house with me…

Brandi: I was thinking maybe you could take them to the beach from time to time, or to the football fields. You have a car now. Remember, ours got stolen.

Dustin: You absolutely don’t need a car to go to the football fields, there are ones within walking distance.

Brandi: But they need someone to go with them. They’re 8 and 12, I can’t let them go on their own.

Dustin: I was walking everywhere on my own at 8!

Brandi: No, you weren’t! For one, the playground is not “everywhere”; for two, times have changed! It’s more dangerous for kids out there now.

Coral: Your sister and Dustin were here just yesterday. Did she tell you they got engaged?

Lilith: Tell me? No, she never tells me anything. But I heard it from Mum already. ... She did start grilling me about when I was gonna get engaged too, in the same breath, so now I have to put up with that thanks to Angela.

Coral: Well, I know you don't believe it sometimes, but your mum does actually want what's best for you.

Lilith: She hasn't painted a brilliant picture of married life, to be honest... Why would she want that for me? The only reasonable explanation is because it would make her feel validated if she saw her daughters suffer through the same thing she has had to suffer through.

Coral: You're making very bold assumptions about your mother. And marriage doesn't have to be a pain. Look, I'll be honest, your dad, he's— well, he's not the best of examples. But with a good guy... it can be easy. That Dirk of yours — I think he's a good guy.

Lilith: Eh, he is... he is a good guy... but...

Coral: But what?

Lilith: It's just that ever since I dropped out of college, I feel like he's been angry with me. I get that I've let everyone down, but I think he had the highest hopes for me — and now that I can barely find a job and don't do much with myself, he just looks so disappointed all the time. I think I'm making him unhappy, and that's... making me unhappy too.

Herb: Wanna know what I think? You're still very young, if he's not making you happy, you don't have to settle down with him. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.

Coral: Herb! Lilith, don't listen to your grandfather.

Herb: I'm just saying — she still has options!

Coral: It's one thing to recognise you have options if things go wrong, and another thing to not appreciate what you have and throw it all away recklessly. Just because she's young, doesn't mean she can't know when she's found something real.

Jason and Tara couldn't afford a fancy wedding, so they just invited their closest friends and family members to their house for a cake-cutting ceremony.

Natasha: Why is this backyard so empty?

Sanjay: It's not really the backyard — it's more the neighbourhood terrain behind it being completely deco-free that gives it the emptiness feeling.

Priya: Ugh, when is the city leadership going to do something about all these plain neighbourhoods? We try our best to decorate our houses with what we've got, but what's the use when you look out the window and you see nothing but lifeless green grass for miles?

Natasha: I agree, I hope the next mayor will take this more seriously. 'Cause the one in charge for the last 8 years sure walked back on his promises!

Gilbert: You really think this is what the mayor should spend our taxes on? Decoration?

Robi: I'm with the ladies on this one. I know a couple years ago this minimalism was all the rage, but that was because we were used to those old graphics. The lack of stuff is way more visible now that we can see all our surroundings so clearly. We gotta keep up with the times!

Natasha: Exactly. We need an overhaul. Maybe then we can get your outdated H&M original suit swapped for something nicer, too, darling...

Customer: I need to speak to the manager!

Tara: We are the managers. How can we help you?

Customer: I came to your store yesterday and it was closed! My cat needed a new chew toy urgently, and your store let me down!

Tara: I'm sorry, miss, but we are closed on Sundays, and it says so on the sign outside.

Customer: To keep your store closed on a Sunday in this economy is irresponsible, and even more annoying to your customers!

Tara: We unfortunately cannot operate our business every single day of the week, it's just the two of us, and my fiancé even has another job.

Customer: Well, make him quit it! My cat chewed my brand new carpet last night because I couldn't buy her a toy yesterday!

Tara: Uhh, you can buy her one now...?

Tara: How did you know I always wanted to try this restaurant? It's so wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here, love.

Jason: I figured after this hard week we deserved an evening out, just the two of us. I'm glad you like the place.

The Greenmans might have looked like your average suburban nuclear family to a passer-by, but there was one thing that set them apart from all their neighbours: Daisy and Lily weren't normal children with the usual lifespan. At the start of the Watcher's third rotation (2010), Daisy and Lily were respectively 12 and 4 years old, but stuck in seemingly perpetual toddlerhood due to Plantsims' special pace of aging. Since Plantsims weren't yet a significant and recognised minority in SimNation, there were no special schools or institutions to accommodate their needs, so their parents had to homeschool them and accept that they would never live a real Sim childhood, as they would go straight to adulthood at the end of their toddler phase. Their parents, Rose and Jason, only didn't know one thing: when that would finally happen.

Rose grew up in the wild, in a tribe of Plantsims in a forest near Riverblossom Hills, mostly isolated from Sim civilization. Close to all of nature's resources, Plantbabies of her tribe usually only took a couple of years to grow up to adults. When Rose married Jason and decided to have a Plantbaby with him, she was expecting the same to happen to her daughter, but — for reasons still unknown — Daisy seemed to take her sweet time aging up. Her little sister, Lily, who was conceived and born the human way (but later became identifiable as a Plantsim herself) was also on the same slow track to adulthood.

Rose and Jason both had jobs and took turns watching over and schooling their children. But while Rose enjoyed going to work and spending 8 hours a day in a fascinating, fully human environment, Jason was growing frustrated with the expectations and demands of his workplace and wished instead that he could stay home all day with his daughters and tending his garden. He had been enamored with Plantsimism and the prospect of becoming one himself ever since he met Rose, and he was starting to worry he was running out of time to achieve his dream. The household still needed his income though, so he couldn't quit his job just yet. However, he started putting in less and less effort at work — slacking in performance and nearly always showing up late. Because it was clear his focus was elsewhere, he ended up getting fired.

Rose: But this is what you wanted, isn't it? To be free from employment?

Jason: Yeah, but... its not that simple. It still hurts to be let go of like that, plus we don't really have a lot of savings. I was hoping I could save some more money before quitting.

Rose: We'll be fine! We already grow all of our own fruit and vegs, and you're technically the only one who needs food anyway. Sure, we have bills to pay, but we can cut back most of our spending if we want to.

Jason: But what if the girls grow up soon? They're gonna need a lot of stuff to get started in life.

Rose: We'll cross that river when we get to it, as you always say. That might still be far away. And we can even start selling our produce to make money, can't we?

Jason: Yeah, but McGreggor's farm is already dominating the fruit and veg section at the farmers' market in Riverblossom...

Hal and Sharla mostly hung out at the Ottomas house, since they wanted to put off Sharla meeting the Capp parents as long as possible.

Sharla: I was thinking now that the summer holidays are coming up, maybe I could go over to your house sometime.

Hal: Uh, are you sure? My dad will be at home a lot more over the summer as the school is closed.

Sharla: But that's the point — it feels safer to be introduced to him when I know I can't bump into him in the hallway at school the next day.

In the end, the time and place of revealing their relationship to Hal's dad wasn't left up to them. They went out to a park downtown on a Sunday and coincidentally bumped into Albany.

Hal: Dad? What are you doing here?

Albany: What are you doing out here, son? I thought you went to the library to study.

Hal: We're actually about to head back to the library to— to do just that, we just popped out for a quick coffee! And, erm.. yeah, so this is Sharla by the way.

Albany: Oh, Sharla Ottomas, if I'm not mistaken...?

Sharla: That's correct, Mr. Capp. Nice to see you.

Albany: Hm... Aren't you just finishing 11th grade? What can you possibly study together with my son who is in 12th grade at a private school?

Hal: Oh, Sharla is actually tutoring me in biology, you know, because with my teacher just being back from parental leave and all that, it hasn't been the easiest, but Sharla is good at biology, because her mum is a biology teacher, and—

Albany: I know that, of course. I employ Mrs. Ottomas. Great teacher, and a very nice person... Although she's been on parental leave quite a few times herself.

Sharla: Oh, yeah, I've got a big family. But my four younger siblings still have a couple more years to go before they'll be starting at Bluewater Secondary.