3.30 Kierra

I got down to business first thing in the morning and went back to Gilbert Gardens to inquire about the yoga instructor position. I met yet another beautiful woman who seemed very excited about my interest. She took me upstairs to the yoga room and introduced me to the current instructor, who was preparing to retire. The old woman glared at me as if I offended her or something.

“Umm…hi. I’m Luca.”

She glared at me for what felt like an eternity before saying, “You look like a child.”

Ahh. She was an ageist. I could handle that.

“I’m a quarter of the way through young adult, and I’ve been doing yoga since I was a teenager. I recently reached level 9 in the wellness skill and have led small groups before.”

She snorted.

“Well, you’re just a regular Wonder Child, eh? Alright. Let’s see what you got, Super Sim.”

“Uhhh…what?”

“Class starts in five minutes. Show me what you got!”

True, most of the sessions I’d led were impromptu, but I didn’t have anyone breathing pettily down my neck. Good thing I was confident in my skills. I was gonna wipe the smirk off her smug face.

Our neighbor, Celeste Michaelson, came in, and I was glad for a friendly, familiar face.

“Okay, Luca! I didn’t know you were a yogi.”

It was quite early in the day, so the class was only half full, and the old geezer stood in the corner behind me, burning a hole in the back of my head the entire time. Why did she care? She’d be gone in a few days. It’s not like this was her business and she needed to make sure she left it in good hands or something. It wasn’t even up to her if I worked there.

After class, Celeste asked if I’d be back tomorrow.

“Probably,” I said confidently.

“Good! I’ll see you then.”

Later that night, I went back to Newcrest to celebrate Mama’s birthday. She invited me to have dinner with her and you know who. There was no scenario where I’d ever leave her hanging, but when I heard it would be the three of us, I grumbled a bit.

“Happy birthday, Mama.”

“Thanks, bud! Look at you and your beard! And this outfit! I swear you’ve grown since I saw you a couple of days ago! So handsome!”

“Uhhh thanks.”

I rarely minded her going on and on like that, but I just felt out of place with him there, so I threw the compliments right back at her.

“You look great too. I hope I look as good as you and Dad when I’m old.”

“Oh, you will look a million times better than us!”

I can’t win with her. She always had the last word. That’s my mama.

“So, have you gotten your business back up yet?” she asked as we got seated.

“Hopefully tomorrow,” I said. “The people at the community center said I could use their yard for free, and then the people at the spa are looking for a replacement instructor. I lead a class today so they could see me at work.”

“That’s what’s up,” Dwayne said.

I don’t know why he startled me. He always tried to make conversation with me, so it wasn’t like I was unfamiliar with his attempts. But I thought he’d let me have this moment with my mom. Or maybe I selfishly wished he’d just let us talk all night.

“Don’t worry about it, buddy. Just keep showing them what we already know. You’ll have that job in no time. And if not, you still have your own classes at the community center!”

“Yeah… Thanks, Mama.”

Judging by the new lines on his face, Dwayne also had a birthday. Duh. They grew up together. Of course, they were the same age. Seeing as she trapped me with him for the next couple of hours, I figured I may as well try. Ignoring him was what I wanted, but it wouldn’t be right. Especially not in front of Mama.

“So it’s your birthday too?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“Cool. Well, happy birthday then.”

“Thank you.”

He turned his attention to Mama, and I was so relieved.

“How are you feeling tonight, Ki?”

Ki?? That’s what he called her? Did she used to go by her middle name? That was so strange to me. I appreciated Winston was her father, and I’m sure I would have loved him. But I didn’t want anyone calling me that. I didn’t look like a Winston and certainly didn’t feel like one. Maybe I could see her as Kierra back in the day, but not now; That was definitely a young woman’s name. Still, it must be cool to have many nicknames to go by. I didn’t even have one, and “buddy” didn’t count.

“I feel amazing and ready to see what life has in store for me,” she shouted.

What a great outlook. Most sims dread their elder birthdays because all they saw was their pending death. But Mama saw life. She had always been the type of sim to take advantage of everything life offered. Sometimes, maybe too much. But I still hoped I could be like her in that way. Previously, I waited around for life to happen to me, but lately I’d been more proactive because of her cheerleading.

My message chime went off, and Mama was on me like paparazzi on celebrities. Before I could even get my phone out, she asked who it was, and it if was my fictitious girlfriend.

“Seriously, Mama? I told you I don’t have a girlfriend! And it’s Dad wishing you a happy birthday.”

“Awww! Tell him thank you. But back to this girl… Does she know you’re not dating?”

She did, now, unfortunately. I wasn’t trying to insinuate I only saw her as a friend. To be honest… I hadn’t been able to admit this before, but somewhere waaaaay deep, deep inside, the thought of taking things to the next level with Maira did not give me pause. Sometimes I thought about the woman I wanted to marry and what she’d be like. Maira had those qualities. But, for obvious reasons, I never dwelled on that thought for too long. I only meant to impart that we were friends, and I’d always be there for her. Hopefully, soon we’d have time to talk and clear the air because I think I hurt her, and that gave me pause.

“Get out the man’s business, Ki,” Dwayne said while chucking at her shenanigans.

Finally, an ally! He might be alright after all.

The food finally came and shut her up for a second before she started back up again, asking me about my friends, what they looked like, and how I felt about them. I swear, that was the only topic of conversation she allowed that night. Once again, “new friend” came to my rescue.

“Come on now, KiKi. Let the man breathe! I apologize for your mama. She hasn’t learned it’s illegal in Newcrest to harass your children. Finish your drink so we can let him go.”

“Fiiiiiine,” she said. “I’m just trying to see if I can get some grandkids while I’m relatively young.”

“MAMA!”