This is the face of a happy boy who loves his new hood. I love it too. What I love most of all is that this move is truly an upgrade and nothing will be sacrificed. My dogs had a sizeable area to roam and run in Brindleton Bay. The park behind the new house isn’t as big but still quite large. I kind of enjoy the smaller area, honestly. I’ll be able to spot them faster when I have to go after them. Actually, I wonder if I can even let them run around like that. I’ve never lived in a proper neighborhood before. The houses are so close together, the dogs will surely end up on someone else’s property. And they usually have rules for these things. I suppose I’ll have to see what’s what when I get moved in. The house next door is empty, so that’s one less complaint we’ll get.
Hunter is so sweet. I suppose he would have to be with all those girlfriends, heh. But seriously, his personality is so different from Shiloh. She is what I can only describe as co-dependent and has no idea how to occupy her time without me. When I’m busy and can’t play, she lies near me. It’s sweet and comforting knowing she’s there. Hunter is constantly on the go and has a fountain of energy that never seems to empty. But he always stops to check on me now and then. He’s like a server at a restaurant, running back and forth from the kitchen with trays of food and stopping at my table to ask how I’m doing and get back to work. I love how easily he’s transitioned into domestic life. I wouldn’t call him and Shiloh friends yet, but they don’t fight, so that’s something.
Both dogs required my attention, so I guess my reflection time is up. I started teaching Hunter how to fetch when we were at the dog park, but of course nothing went well that day. Shiloh is a professional. Maybe I can convince her to school him.
“Cute dogs.”
That voice! Hearing it so unexpectedly still short-circuited my system. How is he here? *gasp* Is this his neighborhood?? How did my hair look?! I wanted to tackle and punch him. I’ve missed him so much, but I was so mad I hadn’t heard from him in days. How do you meet someone’s parent and then drop off the planet? Ok, true, I could have called him. But it’s his turn! I don’t want to be the one doing all the work!
“Wow. I can’t believe I ran into you,” he said. “What brought you over here?”
I told him all about Hunter and how I rescued him from those mean Brindleton Bay skreetz 😂 and how I needed a bigger house so we could all live happily ever after.
“He’s very lucky you love him.”
“I love dogs! If I ever won the lottery, I’d buy a big mansion and take in as many as I could. Ooh! Is crazy dog lady a thing? I wanna be her!”
He gazed at me with such…admiration? I couldn’t handle it and looked away, hiding my flushed cheeks. I’m glad my silly fantasy did not put him off. I mean, it’ll never happen, but if it did, maybe he’d be down for it.
Just when I considered asking where he’d been, he apologized for disappearing. He’s still searching for permanent employment and eating into his savings quite rapidly. He wasn’t in dire straights yet, but the comma disappeared from the balance last week and it made him sweat. As he scrolled through the freelance gigs, he saw one that offered a sizeable payday. Knowing he lacked the skills, he went for it anyway. He had to try. Day and night he watched SimTube videos and read blogs in attempts to increase his skills and learn to do what he needed to submit something halfway decent. Over and over, the client rejected the work, and Ali felt so defeated. He thought for sure they would drop him. All the time he wasted trying to do something big, he could have done several small things and been ok. But he likes to challenge himself and would regret not trying if his situation turned for the worst. So he pressed on, revising the work until it they accepted. Actually, they had just accepted his submission about an hour ago! He’d been in the house working non-stop for so long, he celebrated by taking a walk and breathing fresh air. Then he ran into me. How do I always run into him when he needs to get out of the house? And then he goes home refreshed because I make him feel better. I’m telling you. We were SO meant to be!
His story melted me. I didn’t enjoy hearing how he struggled, and everything inside me wanted to offer him money. Not a lot. Just enough to keep him afloat. He could even borrow it and pay me back if accepting a gift was weird. But sims can be funny about that kind of thing. And I’ve already given a lot in this…friendship. I’m sure I’ll have another chance to be generous some other time. For now, the ball is in his court, and I need to know for sure what he wants.
“I need to get home,” I said regretfully.
Even in the dark I could see his face fall ever so slightly. “Oh. Yeah, of course.”
I didn’t need to explain, but I wanted him to know I didn’t want to leave. “It’s way past their dinner time.”
“Oh! Yeah, you should definitely go… Umm… When can I see you again?”
He wants to see me!! I knew we were in sync!
“How about after I move?”
“Great. We’ll celebrate your new house over dinner.”
