While Desiree attended school and Sophia went to work, I hired contractors and designers to begin our home renovation. I told them we wanted to maintain the Craftsman style of the home. I also requested for the living room furniture to stay. With all the changes pending, we still want the house to feel familiar. Also, Sophia and I decorated that house together. We don’t want all our memories to be erased. The lot is medium-sized, so even though we’ll have more rooms, they will still be fairly small. Some spaces, like the upstairs hallway, will remain cramped, but I still think we will be happy with the changes. Bonus points for the contractors not thinking any of our requests were too farfetched or impossible. Completing the work on time should not be an issue, they said.
At last, 3:00 rolled around, and we waited not-so-patiently at the front door for our baby to arrive at home. I don’t know if we spooked her by standing there or if her day did not add up to the hype, but she didn’t look too happy when she finally walked through the door. She was probably overwhelmed and fatigued. At least, I hoped that was the case. After hugs and kisses, we settled in the kitchen for the play-by-play while she had an early dinner. Thankfully, she was much more lively while recanting the events, so it wasn’t a total bust.
It began with finding the principal’s office, like we discussed. She wandered around, peering into windows until she found it. The principal is very young and wants the kids to call her by her first name, Hillary. Desi said she seemed nice and told her about all the clubs and after-school activities they have. She gave her a brief rundown of her teacher, Mr. Hanks, and suggested she introduce herself before the first period began. After her speech, she asked if Desi had any questions, to which Desi said she noticed other students wearing the same outfit and wanted to know if they had to wear uniforms. Miss Hillary clarified saying while no official uniform existed, they sometimes encouraged particular clothing choices on certain days. Like, today was career day, so everyone wore their letterman jacket. They also have a club shirt day. Do the students enjoy it as much as Miss Hillary thinks? Because if I was in school again, I wouldn’t be down for it.
When Desi left the principal’s office, she ran into Tami, who looked sad. I tensed up because it’s not my place to divulge the potential reasons for her sadness, but I low-key hoped Tami would tell her why and give me more insight, heh. Desi, being the caring sim she is, asked if she was okay. Tami started whining about the outfit, saying she’s tired of the uniform days, and that it felt like every day Miss Hillary found something else to make them wear. Between just wanting to wear her own clothes and Maia not letting her wear what she wants to wear, she’s just sick of constantly being told what to do. I remember my friends complaining about their parents and sharing similar sentiments. Compared to them, I had all the freedom in the world, but I felt pressured by them to act a certain way. I started acting like a tough guy and making demands at home. Teenage life is so volatile. They’re still kids, but they’re also not children anymore. That call for independence is so strong, and I sympathized with Tami. I was relieved she didn’t bring up the drama at home, but is she upset about the uniform or is she masking her real pain? Desi, of course, is oblivious to all of this, so she said she tried to cheer her up by showing her pictures of the birthday party. She’s such a sweetheart.
They talked about their parties for a little while longer, and before she knew it, the bell rang, and it was time for her first class, Business Concepts. It’s cool they’re teaching that kind of stuff in school now. We didn’t have neat subjects like that. Maybe if we had, I would have done better. She found the classroom alright, and at first she was bummed that Tami was going the other way. But when she entered her classroom and saw familiar faces, she was so relieved. Savannah, her twin, Stacey, and Breanna were in her class. Besides the boys and Tami, those are literally all the kids she knows, and I was thrilled and relieved for her. The teacher was late, and there weren’t enough desks for all the students, so a few of them had to sit on the floor.
After business class, they had lunch, but the career expo shortened it. That was something else we didn’t have when I was in school, so I asked what it was about. She explained the entire school convened in the auditorium, where industry representatives manned booths and showcased their careers. There was a doctor who just stood around and watched, a lawyer, and another lady. She couldn’t identify her outfit but said she looked sketchy, lurking in the corner all day.
She briefly caught up with her cousins before listening to the lawyer’s presentation, but Lex thought the whole thing was lame and he left. That was rude and unacceptable, and I considered talking to him about it when we get to Sulani. But I had to remind myself he’s not my kid. Besides, I don’t want to mess with his and Desi’s friendship and get her labeled as a snitch.
I asked how she liked the lawyer’s presentation, and she said it was okay. The speaker was good, but the content didn’t spark joy. Overall, she enjoyed the career fair and said if they keep having them maybe she can figure out what to do with her life. There’s so much I wanted to say in that moment regarding her future, but we didn’t need to discuss it right then. For the moment, she just needs to finish her dinner, do homework, and pack for vacation.
As always, me and Sophia tried to help as much as we could, but I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to do that. The subjects were getting more difficult, but we got through it just in time for the season premiere of Game of Llamas. Alessia ran in as the opening credits were ending. Apparently her kids don’t care about the show and neither does her dude, so she raced over here to watch with someone who did. She probably just misses us because Less is usually perfectly fine watching TV by herself.
As the children of two only children, we didn’t have the pleasure of growing up with cousins, aunts, and uncles. I love watching Less and Desi’s relationship. They’re friends, but it’s more than friends. It almost feels sister-like, but it’s not that either. Whatever it is, it’s special and unlike anything she shares with us. It makes me even more glad Sophia suggested we got Less in on the youth potion plan. One day, Desi is going to go through something she doesn’t feel comfortable telling us, and I’m glad she’ll have Less to lean on for a very long time.
