When story time ended, Sophia took Desi to the bathroom and washed away the mess. With a few moments to myself, I went to the real estate website to see our house again and choose which side we’ll call home. Both houses have an identical layout, so it really boiled down to which furniture we liked more. The gray house had a more sophisticated vibe, while the blue house was more relaxed and comfortable. Choosing was a lot harder than I imagined because they both were nice, and I couldn’t go wrong with either. Ultimately, however, I chose the gray one. I figured since I’m taking on all the risk, it’s only right we live in the fancier one. Just as I picked up the phone to call Less and tell her we have a house, someone knocked at the front door. It was Dub! I let him in and told him I was just thinking of him yesterday. Usually he’d take the opportunity to joke about how he has that effect on sims, but he just kinda snorted and said it was funny in the driest of tones. There was nothing funny about that half-hearted laugh and him standing in the foyer staring into the corner. Something was wrong.
“Earth to Dubstep. You coming in or you gonna stand in the foyer all night?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m good.”
He definitely was not good because he didn’t even flinch at the mention of the nickname he hates so much. Whatever’s got him in a funk is probably why he’s here. He always comes to me when he’s in crisis. Well, when he perceives he’s in crisis, rather. I love the guy, but he’s a little high-strung sometimes. I’m glad he has sims in his life like Maia and me who are much calmer and more level-headed to keep him straight.
I didn’t want to just dive in and spook him, though, so I started with a little small talk.
“Happy belated,” I said.
“Thanks, man,” he replied with a tiny grin.
“How did Tami like sharing her day with you?”
He let out a very long sigh, and I knew I had stepped unintentionally right into the middle of what I tried to dance around. I guess we’re going all the way in.
“She didn’t.”
“Oh.”
“How do you-” He stopped himself and turned away from me. “Nevermind. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
He swatted at me, trying to sweep the conversation back under the rug.
“Nothing. You have the perfect child and all this wisdom. You don’t understand what it’s like for the rest of us.”
Was he mocking me? I’ve had it up to here with everyone assuming I live this perfect life and have all the answers. I’m one of the most down-to-earth sims I know, yet somehow I still end up being out of touch with everyone. Am I too confident? Too strong? I know I’ve carried things I shouldn’t have in the past, and I need to be more open, but how does that equate to me having it all together? I know Dub is upset about something and isn’t thinking straight, so I’m gonna try to let it go this time, but not before I give him a little dose of truth because, upset or not, this fairytale everyone thinks I live in ends today.
“Do you really believe that?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“Maybe. I don’t know. But I’m sure you’re gonna tell me how I’m wrong, so…”
“Damn right I am. You don’t know my life like you think you do. And you definitely don’t know what goes on in my head. ‘All this wisdom?’ I got it from all the shit and mental gymnastics I’ve been through. Now, I’ll be the first to say my child is the best, but she has her moments too. And I’ve had my share of parenting and marriage fails, so don’t tell me I don’t know what it’s like.”
He sat silently for a few moments, taking in my reprove. Part of me thinks all he needed was to hear me say he’s not alone, but another part thinks he still needs advice on something, so I got down to business.
“What happened, Dub? I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”
“Don’t worry about it. What’s going on?”
“You ever wonder if you’re ruining Desi?”
His question caught me off guard, and I laughed. He has no idea how obvious that answer should be.
“Only all the time,” I said.
His eyes lit up.
“Really?“
“Of course. Did Tami come with a manual? Because we sure didn’t get one. I don’t know what I’m doing half the time, man, so yeah…I wonder. Like, her birthday is in two days, but I’m still carrying her around like an infant. She enjoys it, so it’s cool, but is it hurting her? Will she want to be up under us all the time when she’s older? Am I keeping her from becoming independent? I question every move I make with her, even if it’s not necessarily bad.”
“I feel that.” He sat there, nodding over and over as if to drum up the courage to make his next statement. “Tami has been doing and saying some mean things lately, but I just let it happen because of my own feelings about the sims she’s doing it to.”
“How do you mean?”
“I told you she kicked my former tenants. You know they deserved that. She also bit my father-in-law. I was so proud of her because someone needs to knock him down a few pegs. But she’s older now and using words. She cut up this little girl in the park yesterday and told her she wasn’t pretty.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. But the other girl started it, so she had it coming too.”
“I see what you mean now.”
“So, what do you think about it?”
Oof. Why does he always put me in this position? I have a lot of feelings about this, but I’m sure none of them are what he wants to hear. But what kind of friend would I be if I said nothing? I’d feel terrible if Tami grew up to be a monster, knowing I had the opportunity to shed some light early on. It won’t be comfortable, but I’ve got to at least try. Here goes nothing.
“I think … You’re my boy, and I’ll always tell you the truth, so … You’re her dad, Dub. You should be the one telling her those things are wrong, not encouraging her bad behavior. I know you think all those folks got what they deserved, which is also problematic, but is that the message you want to send Tami? That she can do and say whatever she wants and get away with it because ‘they deserved it?’ I’m afraid of the path you’re putting her on. What kind of a woman will she become if you let her continue on like this? Do you think of her future?”
“Of course I do! What kind of a-“
He paused, succumbing to the realization I was right, even though I wondered if I had gone too far.
“I’m sorry if I’m out of line,” I said. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t care.”
“No. You’re right. You always are. I was just thinking about what my parents will say if they find out how she’s been acting. There’s no way in hell they would have let me get away with the stuff I let slide.”
I can’t imagine my parents letting us get away with that either, but I honestly don’t know what they would have done. Me and Less never really got into trouble, and my parents were both so lenient. I guess I’ll never know. Hopefully, I’ll never have to talk to Desi about this.
“I’m glad you always keep it 100 with me,” he continued. “That’s why I trust you so much. Can’t lie, though. That hurt, but I know I needed to hear it. Deep down, I knew, but I never saw it like that. I’ll do better, though. Believe that.”
“I believe it, man. We don’t play about our daughters.”
“We absolutely do not!”
Not that I don’t love these deep conversations with my best friend, but that one got really heavy, and he clearly has a lot to mull over later, so I pulled out my phone and showed him our new home, hoping a lighter topic would do the trick.
