"Ask your Father"

Those infamous words were often used by parents to dodge difficult questions. Gabe had stopped trying to ask Genesis about the famous celebrity chef, Water Mellon, after she had thrown out that line. Then, just for good measure, she had suddenly decided her baby daughter Gracie needed attention.

Gabe called a taxi and headed to the city to find Richard, the mayor.



In his head, he had always called the people who adopted him by their first names even though he called them "Mom" and "Dad" out loud. They had raised him well and accepted him into their family. Richard, the mayor's actual son, was truly Gabe's brother. And Gabe knew he'd always be there for baby Gracie even when he moved out.

But there was always that "but" that hung around him when he thought about his heritage and legacy.

Gabe could not deny the resemblance between himself and Water Mellon. Too many thoughts whirled in his head to form anything but one coherent question. What would Gabe do if Richard simply denied the obvious?



The plan that formed in Gabe's head had been to boldly open the door to Richard's office and strut in to throw him off balance so that he would have to admit the truth as he most likely knew it to be. Richard had files on everyone. He had to know.

Instead, Gabe gently knocked at the door and waited for his invite.

"Come in!"

At the sight of Gabe, Richard stood up, smiled, and stepped around the desk. He was surprised. Gabe hadn't really expected that. And Richard was buying time by coming to greet him.



"Gabriel! What are you doing here?" Richard hugged him.

"Listen, I need to ask you something. About Water Mellon."

Richard fiddled with his tie, flattening it with a swipe of his hand. "Uh, well, have a seat."

Gabe sat in one of the visitor chairs in front of the desk. He expected that Richard would sit behind his desk again. Instead he came and sat in the other visitor chair.



Gabe pointed to his face. "So, do you think I could do a decent celebrity impression of him? I'm just thinking of my future career and all."



Surprisingly, Richard chuckled. It seemed that today was the day for surprises. "Ah, well. I had a feeling this would happen sooner or later. I mean, we couldn't keep you away from the cooking channel forever." Richard sighed heavily. "I haven't spoken to him yet. I keep putting it off. I'm rather sure he does not know."

Gabe didn't know what to say.

"You must wonder why in the world we waited so long if we suspected. But we didn't know before. It's just, lately, the resemblance had become rather uncanny."

"And my mother?"



"Well, you don't look like her, whoever she is. We'll have to ask him, I'm afraid. If he even knows himself. He was rather infamous when he was younger. But I must ask for your patience. I'm sure you can understand what a delicate situation this is."

Gabe nodded, accepting it all rather peacefully. He was in no rush to turn lives upside down. With nothing more to be said, he stood up, ready to leave. Richard stood up also to lead him to the door as he most likely did for all his guests. Then one last thought popped into his head.

"How many other people know?"

Richard could only shrug. "Well, anyone who knows you and watches that cooking show. Or, I suppose, anyone who knows you and knows Water. I'm surprised no one has mentioned it before."

Gabe nodded and left. It was a rather surprising day. Gabe hadn't thought of Alberta all day.

***********************

And just because it's cute:

Gabe and his little sister, Gracie.

Gabe and his brother, Richard, give her lots of attention. Their favorite thing to do with her though in the whole entire world? Give her a bath. They're both super neat sims.

It's funny that both Rich and Gabe, my carefree teen playboys, jostle for her attention. Meanwhile, where are the parents? In the bedroom thanks to ACR. So now there is another little one on the way.

Read more!

Completely random

I just happened to be looking through some other sim journals, when I noticed that Strange Town Here we Come had an interestingly titled entry which was posted within the last day-- Sim Stories are like Serial Comics.

I just realized that myself a few weeks ago. Taking a cue from webcomics, I've been updating on a regular schedule figuring that since it basically is a serial like a TV show or a web comic I might as well treat it that way.

(Awesomely, she also referenced Strangers in Paradise. Alberta, Kate and Gabe's story is probably heavily influenced by SiP even though I haven't been able to finish it because my library only has the first three pocket books.)


She also had a neat meme. So I present to you the fourth Tierra de Legado haiku (because the other three were really lame).

Haiku2 for thelegacyvillage
did her best not to look she stood up and down her face to the tight gown
@ aboutmylife.netadvogato.orgblogger.comblogs.gnome.orgblogspot.comdeadjournal.comgreatestjournal.cominsanejournal.comlivejournal.commyspace.comspaces.msn.com
Created by Grahame

Read more!

Gabe Stays Home

Gabe lounged on the couch as he watched the large screen TV. To the casual observer, he appeared to be lounging lazily, but, in truth, he was moping.



Gabe had made plans with a girl who happened to be his friend, but she had canceled at the last minute because of a cold. It was unfortunately much too late for Gabe to invite another one of his girl friends out. His brother Richard had also made plans with a girl, so he only laughed at Gabe's luck and left.

Moping was not something to which Gabe was accustomed. It was more recent thing, and it seemed to have to do with his inability to get his way in at least one respect.



Gabe sat up and began flipping through the TV channels. He didn't usually watch TV. Normally he was out with his friends or out making new ones.

Gabe turned the TV to the food channel for inspiration. His adopted mother, Genesis (he only called her that in his head of course), had some show she always seemed to watch on this channel. But whenever she heard Gabe come up she would quickly turn off the TV or change the channel. It sort of made him curious as she always had a guilty look when she did it.

Other than the curiosity, he just needed something to take his mind off of school and the girl with the large brown eyes that often looked at him in fear.



"Peppers," the TV show host was saying, "are a nice way to spice up a dish. If you can't think of what you want to add to a dish, remember the peppers!"

Maybe it was Kate's influence. Kate had seated herself next to Alberta and refused to move even after Gabe had asked her nicely. After that, any time he tried to talk to the young girl Kate would show up like she was saving the girl from a used car salesman. She'd link arms with her and gently lead her away.



"Ok." The host tipped the frying pan he had been standing over so that the contents neatly spilled out onto a fancy plate. "Don't the colors of the peppers really make it look nice and colorful?" The host laughed, "I'll bet your mouths are watering now!"

Gabe barely glanced at the dish on the TV. His thoughts kept turning over until they worked themselves into a small whirlwind. He was not some pariah just out to take the girl's innocence and then throw her away. His curiosity was genuine. He was beginning to feel like an idiot the way Kate kept treating him. By the way the girl looked at him he could only think Kate had been telling her lies about him.

Gabe glanced up at the television screen absentmindedly. The dish was gone, and now the chef looked directly at the camera as he shared his insights on the ease of the frying pan.

Gabe's stomach dropped to the floor. The face that stared out at him was-- his own!

*********************

So reason two for this entry. I wondered if anyone would see a resemblance besides me, lol. The only thing Gabe gets from his mother are her thin little eye brows. (Quite unmanly.)

Here's a better (brighter) comparison.


Water Mellon is a romance sim, and he has done a bit of romancing, sometimes without being aware of it. What I couldn't fit into the story anywhere is that Genesis (Gabe's adoptive mother) actually used to have a huge crush on him when she was first married and Water turned into a YA.

Nothing ever happened, but that's part of why she would act so strange in the beginning with her guiltily watched cooking show.

Read more!

The Dance

He smiled at her as he stepped forward, still keeping himself in front of her only means of escape. "You know, my dear, you do make things rather difficult."





He continued stepping forward so that Amberle had to put a hand up to warn him to stop. She knew her strength was no match for his. The strength of elves was within their magic which Amberle had never been properly taught. What little she had known she had forgotten over time.

"I think I'm going to wait downstairs." Amberle had no way to be sure that the manager was even on his way. She wished that she had called the manager herself and then left as she had first thought, but her emotions seemed to conflict with the ideas her mind believed good.



Henry looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "I do not mean you harm."

It was as if he had read her mind. She suddenly felt horribly foolish for all of the thoughts she had thought within the last few minutes.



He stepped forward, seeing his chance, with one of his ever so tiny smiles. His warm hands slipped around hers as he spun her slowly so that her back was now facing the door. "It's as if we are doing a dance, don't you think?"

The knot in her stomach tightened painfully. Amberle ignored it and instead focused on his large and warm hands which held hers. "I don't dance. I don't even know how."



"It's not hard. I could teach you." As he pulled her closer, she could feel his deep voice vibrating within his chest. All of her focus was on his warm breath on her neck so that she hardly noticed the last stab of the knot in her stomach before it dissipated.

So close to him she could smell his soft musk scent which warmed her from the inside out. She wanted to gently press her cheek against the prickly hairs on his cheek if only to dare to be so close to his soft lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied his partially open mouth. His lips were so close that she only had to turn her head to reach them.



At the thought, the knot reappeared, tightening again. "Oh look, the fire is dying," she said as she gently pulled herself away. For a moment, she worried that his arms would tighten around her and not let her go, but she slipped away easily to poke at the fire in the fireplace while at the same time dowsing the warmth in the rest of the room with a cold pail of water. Henry did not say a word. She would not blame him if her were perturbed with her.

Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by the ringing of the doorbell.

"That must be him," Amberle said as the knot within her stomach was untied by a wave of relief that she was no longer alone with Henry. "Uh, well, thank you."

"My pleasure," he said softly.

"I'll see you," she said for lack of a better good bye, but silently she kicked herself for suggesting that they meet again. Would she not learn? Would this dance not end?

"I hope so." The corners of his mouth turned up once more as he silently shut the door behind her.

Read more!

The Apartment

The first thing Amberle noticed was the fire which lit of the room in a warm orange light. "You have a fireplace?"

Henry smiled as he nodded. "It is a penthouse apartment." He motioned to the stairs which Amberle assumed led up to the bedroom. "The cost is a bit more, but it is well worth it to have a balcony on which I can admire the stars."



Amberle's mind simply blanked as her stomach churned. She could think of nothing to say and the only thoughts she had revolved around the fact that she was alone with this man in his apartment. It was certainly a trap set part by her own luck and part by her own subconcious will. Now she wished that she had tried knocking on Samantha's door until she had been forced to open, but it was too late now. Henry had the phone in his hand and was already speaking with the manager who would expect Amberle to be at Henry's apartment.

Briefly, she contemplated waiting on one of the sofas outside of her own apartment, but it was so cold in the hall and so warm in Henry's apartment that the thought was a fleeting one.

"He said he would be here in half an hour." Henry motioned to the couch before the fire. "Would you like some coffee while you wait?"

Amberle's mouth felt too dry to speak, so she only nodded as she took a seat on the couch. The warmth of the fire touched her face first then seeped down to the rest of her body so that she involuntarily shivered.



Henry stood with his back to her at the coffee machine. His brown sweater accentuated his broad shoulders. He was certainly not like the wirey young male elves she had known growing up. Male sims were generally larger and wider than female sims, just one of the differences between sim and elf.

"Here you are," Henry said as he handed her a warm mug of coffee. He sat down beside her with his own cup so that there was only a few inches between his thigh and her thigh.



"Thank you." Amberle looked away from Henry as she took a small sip so that the quiet would at least appear to be less awkward. The coffee scalded her tongue as it burned its way through her throat to the pit of her stomach. She could feel it moving within her stomach like a small eddie until it became a small warm ball.

She wasn't sure what to say. Old warnings from her supposedly well meaning care takers bubbled up to the surface of her memory. "Remember that male sims can force their way with you. They aren't as civilized as our elf males." Once she had met a few male sims, she had been sure it was simply a parting trick meant to make her afraid so that she would have a difficult time adapting. But sitting next to Henry, she found herself worrying.

Amberle tried to keep her knees as close together as possible so that there would remain a distance between their two bodies, but as she attempted to take up as little room as possible, he tried to take up as much room as possible.

It seemed as if it had been more than a few minutes ago since he had last spoken a word to her. Amberle stood, placing her coffee mug on the shelf above the fireplace, so that she could study the tapestries that hung on the wall.



"How old are these tapestries? They certainly don't look like reproductions."

Henry also stood, much to Amberle's dismay, so that he was now behind her. "I am a collector of old things. It's my hobby, I suppose you would say."

Amberle stood gazing at the ancient threads so she would not have to face him. "It must have cost a lot. What is it that you do for a living?"

Henry stepped forward so that he was between herself and the door. "Mostly, I buy and sell old collectables. It's a hobby that pays for itself."

She nodded as she took a step back. It always felt like an awkward dance with his trying to put himself between her and the nearest exit and her trying to find new ways to exit. But now he had her trapped. The warm ball of coffee in her stomach burned uncomfortably.

He smiled at her as he stepped forward, still keeping his broad-shouldered self in front of her only means of escape. "You know, my dear, you do make things rather difficult."

Read more!

The Visitor

There was a knock at Amberle's door around eight in the evening. Amberle thought it was much too late to call on someone, especially one of the teachers who lived in the building since they were usually getting ready for class the next day.



But a part of Amberle almost hoped it would be Samantha. Despite the teasing, Amberle would have apreciated the company. Her skin was crawling and her mind was racing, but there was not a thing in her house that could properly distract her.

Amberle opened the door much too quickly. It opened outward, and in her surprise she stepped outside, the door closing behind her.

"Oh, uh, Henry. Hello."

Unlike most other sims, Henry's gaze was steady. His eyes focused on the miniscule movements of her lips and her eyes, never even darting away to peek at her ears. "Good evening, Amberle. I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"Uh, well, I was doing some stuff for school tomorrow, so uh... yeah."

His lips turned up in a smile. "You seem to be quite a hard worker. Perhaps you need a break."

Amberle considered it. As she stood there staring at him staring at her, she could feel invisible strings pulling her towards him. It was hard to resist that smile or the way he focused so clearly on her as if she were the only sim that mattered.



Perhaps she stood too long in front of him staring stupidly at him because he leaned in close to her so that she unconsciously put a hand on his shoulder, as if she could prevent his body from getting too close with only a hand to stop him. His breath warmed her ear as he gently whispered, "Would you like to come to my apartment?"



Amberle did push him away then. "WHAT kind of sim do you think I am?" Her usually meek voice surprised even her with its ferocity. But he only stood before her with that knowing smile on his face.

Curses sat on the tip of her tongue as an unreasonable anger flushed her face. Before another word could escape her mouth or his, she reached for the handle to her apartment door as she securely stepped forward to seek sanctuary from his dark eyes.

Her body moved much faster than her mind so that her forhead bumped the door before she realized it was locked. In her mind's eye she could see the house keys just inside the door silently mocking her.



Amberle could feel Henry still watching her. She was sure he was trying his best not to laugh. Sheepishly, she turned to face him.

"Shall we go to my apartment and call the manager?"



For a brief moment, Amberle looked at Samantha's door. Samantha most likely stood spying through the peep hole, silently laughing at Amberle. If Amberle were to knock and ask her for help, Sam would most likely pretend she were sleeping.

Amberle decided to save herself the extra embarrassment. "Fine."

Read more!

The Talk

Amberle felt as if she had been tricked. Again.



Samantha had said that she wanted to discuss lesson plans. That was why she had invited Amberle out. But it became clear right away that Samantha had more on her mind than simply school.

"So, about Henry; what do you think?"



Amberle sighed. "Oh dear. This was a trap, wasn't it?"

Samantha laughed. "Oh, come on. Spill it. You know, he was asking me about you."



It was Amberle's own fault, really, for agreeing to go out with the teacher of high school students.

Amberle looked around the room for the nearest exit in case she found a need. Instead, Water Mellon, the restaurant owner and celebrity chef extraordinaire, caught her eye. He was walking from table to table, greeting people with a smile.

"Samantha..." Amberle said in a quiet and almost mournful tone, but Samantha was only watching Water as he moved closer to their table. Amberle did not exactly want the conversation to return to the topic of herself or of Henry, yet she still asked, "What do you think about Henry? Doesn't something seem, I dunno, weird about him?"

Samantha appeared to fight herself in order to take her gaze off of her former lover and return to the problem at hand. "Weird? Do you mean because he's the most handsome sim ever? Or do you mean because he seems to have an interest in you?"

"Both, I guess. He doesn't know me."



"Good evening ladies." Water Mellon stood at the end of their table, a small smile on his lips at seeing Samantha again. Inwardly, Amberle's heart beat hard in fear for Samantha and for Demi, Water's partner. Nothing good would come of this.

Water took Samantha's hand and kissed it in greeting. At Amberle, he made a small little bow, clearly aware that she was not going to freely offer her hand to be kissed.



"It's good to see you two. How is my daughter behaving in school?" He said to Amberle. "Amália isn't rubbing off on her, is she?"

Amberle tried to smile at the thought of Ama influencing her innocent cousin, Melanie. "Oh dear. Aren't the boys supposed to be the troublesome ones?"



Samantha smirked. "Oh they are once they're teens. Some of the things I put up with. Especially from that Gabe of yours."

Water laughed but with a flirtatious wink. "I think you two ladies deserve some dessert on the house for all the work you do with our future generations."

"Thank you," Samantha smiled up at him, the corners of her mouth curling up sensually.

Water went back to the kitchen leaving the women alone. A small time later, two large slices of chocolate mint cake were sent out to them.

Amberle glanced at Samantha. "You still like him, don't you?"



"Who wouldn't love someone who makes cake like this?" Samantha took another small bite and gently savored it before she swallowed it. "You know, they say how you eat indicates how you have sex."

Amberle swallowed her bite before she could chew it. She was sure her face turned bright red. "You're horrible!" Amberle leaned forward and whispered, "He's basically married."

Samantha shrugged. "Not technically. And not happily. He can't be. She's all wrong for him."

"Samantha..."

"Anyway, we're here to talk about you not me. Henry and you."

Amberle shoveled a large chunk of the thick chocolate cake into her mouth to give her an excuse to not answer any of Samantha's questions.



Samantha only laughed. "Wow... that was a large bite. So that's how you like it, huh? Perhaps I'll let Henry know."

Amberle gulped down her bite; her jaw dropped in surprise. She couldn't even choke out another "Horrible!" in all her embarrassment.

**************************

So I had something completely different to be posted today, but I changed my mind and posted this instead.

There are two main reasons I chose to post this now (among a few others). First off, Water has to be my most handsome sim ever (and all Maxis genes). (Just look!) The second reason I am not going to tell you now, but virtual cookies if you can guess!

I will hint that reason number two is not in the text, it's just the pictures (including the one I just linked to). Oh, that probably only muddies things up more. I'm horrible at giving hints. XD



Next week:

Someone needs to borrow a cup of sugar. Can Amberle hand over the cup without causing an accident?

Read more!