As soon as we stepped onto our property, my only goal in life was to bathe Kooper. I don’t know why I didn’t do it outside. Desperation, I guess. That skunk smell had crawled into my lungs like it saw a for rent sign. I had the bathroom fan going, but it didn’t help. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed like I was trying to remove a tattoo. That’s when Dub called, saying he was on his way over. The excitement in his voice cut straight through the gagging and made me grin. Whatever this was, it was big.
I had just set Kooper free when the knock came. I announced to the house I’d get it—no way I’d let anyone intercept this news. Dub stood on the porch looking like a man who’d just won the lottery but couldn’t legally tell anyone yet. I waved him in, but he jerked his head toward the backyard.
“This is man talk,” he said.
I got excited all over again.
We sat at the picnic table, and just as he opened his mouth to spill whatever tea he’d been steeping, Desi appeared out of nowhere to toss something in the trash. Dub recoiled as if she’d caught us planning a heist. The second I heard the door close behind her, I leaned forward.
“So?? You’re grinning like you got away with something. And you can’t say it around my child? I already know this is juicy!”
That made him smile even harder. “Luc, if you only knew!”
“Dude, I’m trying to find out! Start talking already!”
“I’m a man reborn,” he shouted. “I think I may have found the one.”
“The one??”
The words sounded good. They really did. But there was a tiny knot in my chest that hoped he’d take his time. I wanted this to be real for him—not just another high. Still, love had a funny way of showing up in the most random places and times. Maybe this was it.
“Yes, the one!”
“Okay, okay,” I laughed. “Well, don’t keep me hanging. Tell me all about her!”
“Her name is Kalani.”
The way he said her name, I felt like she needed her own theme music.
“I met her on that dating show I told you about.”
“No way! That really worked out? She was the hottest one up there.”
“BRO!!! I’m trying to tell you! We hung out after the show, and I opened my big mouth. Thought I messed up big time. But last night she called me up and invited me to this Inn & Bistro in Glimmerbrook.”
“A hotel?? So that means-”
“YES!”
I nearly fell out of my seat. Things were moving so fast, and I was so glad for him.
“No wonder you’re so lit up,” I shouted.
“But it’s not just about the woohoo,” he said, quieter. “She makes me happy. I can laugh and smile with her like I haven’t in a long time. You know what I mean?”
“I do. I am so glad to hear this. It’s so good to see you happy again!”
The second those words exited my mouth, I felt them echo back to me, like they’d been marked return to sender, heh. I realized I too had just come out of my own dark tunnel. We both weathered similar storms and ended up back in the sunlight at the same time. Life is so beautiful.
“I wasn’t sure if it would happen,” he admitted. “After some dates that went nowhere, I thought maybe I was too old or something. But I held on.”
“And you won big time. I can’t wait to meet her. Whenever you two come up for air, bring her over.”
“I’d love that.”
We sat there smiling like idiots for a second until it got weird.
“So, what’s happening with Tami now that she’s graduated?” I asked. “Can you believe our little girls are practically grown women now?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “At least you’re getting a fresh start with Logan.”
That sent my brain down a whole new road.
“Kalani looks pretty young. What if she wants a family? How would you feel about another child?”
He leaned back, thinking. “Tami already inherited practically everything I own, so I don’t know what I’d offer another child. Plus, I’m getting to that age where people might think I’m the child’s grandfather. But I’ll never say never, though.”
I winced at the thought. “Ooh, yikes. Thank Watcher for the potion of youth because that was going to be us.”
“And you took it right on time. Now you have plenty of years with Logan.”
“Well, we might still hit that grandparent confusion stage in his teen days, but … Life is so wild,” I said, shaking my head. “Logan was nowhere near on our radar when we did that.”
That’s when it hit me. Dub and Logan still hadn’t met.
“You wanna come up and meet him?”
We get up and head inside. Sophia was in the kitchen frying chicken patties. Must be slider night.
Dub punched my shoulder. “How is it that he’s a toddler now and I still haven’t met him? Are you ashamed of me?”
“Totally.”
“Woooow. You see how he does me?”
Sophia laughed. “Good to see you, Dub.”
Upstairs, I opened Logan’s door carefully, fully expecting him to be standing behind it plotting his escape. Instead, he was out cold.
“Oh, it’s cute in here,” Wade said, looking around.
“Thanks. Sophia spent hours finding the right theme for him.”
I bent over and scooped up Logan. Dub nearly had a heart attack.
“You’re gonna wake him?? Bro, you’ve had two kids now. You should be a parenting expert! That’s a rookie mistake!”
I laughed. “Trust me on this. This is for the good of everyone. He’s in this weird I-hate-sleep phase. Plus, we’ve been at the splash park all day and missed lunch. If he misses dinner too, we’re all getting fired.”
Logan melted onto my shoulder, all warm and heavy, grateful to be conscious again. Dub stayed back as if physical contact might mark him for abduction.
“Hey there, little man,” he said carefully, “I’m Dub.”
“You wanna say hi to Daddy’s friend?”
Logan buried his face in my chest.
“I guess he’s feeling shy today,” Wade said.
“There is not a shy bone in his body. He just needs sleep.”
Dub stared at him as if he’d stepped into another dimension. “He’s so blue. I wish my brother Mase could see him–it’s his favorite color.”
I snorted. “You forgot my alien son is blue?”
“No! Of course not. Sorry, that was so inappropriate. It’s just … Seeing him in person … You know? It’s kinda surreal.”
He tripped over his words trying to fix it, and I let him because it was comedic gold. I don’t think he’ll ever be over this alien thing.
“He really is beautiful, though,” he said, finally. “Truly. Your family is blessed to have him.”
“Thanks. That’s kind of you to say, Dub. He disrupted our lives in the best possible way.” I kissed him on the forehead. “Love you, little dude.”
“The whole thing still freaks me out, but I’m glad everything turned out okay.”
Him mentioning his brother made me remember I’d yet to offer condolences.
“Desi saw Tami’s post about losing Mr. Banks. I’m so sorry, man. Did you make it back in time for the funeral?”
“Thanks. I only got to spend one night and came home to help my brothers with the arrangements. Tami stayed, but she left a day early.”
I nodded, not really knowing where to take the conversation.
“He called, you know,” he said, staring at the floor.
“Your dad?”
He nodded. “I was knocked out on the beach. That night, he was gone.”
There it was: that shift in his voice. No more jokes. Even after all this time, I still felt ill-prepared for handling a friend’s grief.
“But he lived a long, full life,” he continued in a steadier voice. “I don’t know too many Sims who did everything they set out to do. He died happy, and I’m so proud to be his son.”
“I know that feeling,” I said. “I really do.”
We stood there for a second, two grown men holding our fathers in the same invisible space. Logan squirmed and let out a tired whine, slamming the moment shut.
“Dinner time,” I said. “You got plans? Come eat and tell me about Tomarang.”
That’s when I knew he was down bad already. Even just hinting at Kalani sent him into a smiling frenzy.
Desi and Sophia had claimed the island, deep in conversation. Dub slid right into the middle of it, congratulating Desi on graduating early, asking about her future plans. He pivoted seamlessly into boasting about Tami’s new ranch in Chestnut Ridge like the proud father he was.
And just like that, he forgot all about telling me his vacation stories. I almost protested. Almost. But watching him laugh with my wife and daughter, and how naturally he fits into our chaos, I let it go. Some friends are yours. Some are family, and he crossed that line a long time ago.
