No one was more shocked than I about how well the kids took my news. If I had known there would be no tears or yelling, maybe I could have let them go to school and talk after dinner. Either way, I was glad it had gone well and took full advantage of my free afternoon by taking care of as many chores as I could before someone called my name. I was sitting at the computer getting ready to pay bills when my eyes fell on the picture of Luca and Alessia on the beach. They were so little! That was such a good night. Not only was it the first weekend we spent together, but also the beginning of my journey toward my best self.
Alessia interrupted my nostalgia with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.
“Uh oh,” I said. “You look like a cowplant about to put out cake.” And I was the sucker about to eat it.
“I know what our thing should be,” she said.
“Oh! Let’s hear it.”
“We’re supposed to get a dog. It can be yours and mine.”
I snickered at the idea of sharing joint custody with my daughter, but hey, if that’s how she wanted to connect with me, I was more than willing to accept those terms. “Just so you know, I didn’t forget! There’s just been a lot going on. But, yeah! We can do that. You wanna pick some out right now?”
She gasped. “Can we really??”
“Why not? We were going to do it anyway, right?”
She pulled up a chair, grinning from ear to ear, more excited about this task than I’d ever seen her before. Even more than the prospect of pancakes for breakfast. I immediately looked for Cleveland, the dog I had previously decided to adopt if given the chance, but he wasn’t there. I was happy he’d been adopted, but disappointed I wasn’t the one to do it. Some puppies I saw, however, were still available. Alessia and I selected three dogs to meet. I got lucky with Shiloh, and we were instant BFFs, but I wanted to make sure we didn’t get stuck with a dog with didn’t click with. Dogs had personalities just like we did, and like sims, sometimes our personalities just don’t mesh.
We made our selection and waited for the confirmation email before we officially got excited about meeting our potential new family member. In the living room, we waited for the adoption representative to arrive, and I told Alessia about the day I met Shiloh. It was Winterfest morning, and I used to wake up early just like she did. I heard Mommy talking to someone in the kitchen, so I went to see who it was and walked in on her finalizing the adoption process. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Mommy had been so adamant about not getting a dog, yet a cute little puppy sat right there in my kitchen. That was one of the happiest days of my life.
Luca finally came downstairs, dressed and ready for the day at 6pm. He said he’d been doing yoga since waking up from his nap. That made me smile. I was so happy to help him find an interest!
A half an hour passed by, and the adoption rep still hadn’t showed, and I got antsy. I casually paced the room to mask my joy. It had been so long since I had a fur baby to love. I kept my cool, but internally I was 1000 times more excited than Alessia could ever be. Dogs were my first love. I didn’t want anything else. Then I grew up and added babies to the short list of things I needed to feel complete. In just a few short moments, I’d have both. Could life get any better?
