2.8 Secrets that she keeps

With twins Amanda and Rhiannon battling over who would be the third generation heir, the rest of the family got on with achieving their lifetime rewards.  The twins’ little sister, Carmel, wanted to be a Master of the Arts, so she joined her aunt Lola in painting most of the time.

When Carmel wasn’t painting, she was skulking around with her cousin Christopher.  They were both loners, but both liked art, music and writing, so they found a level of kinship.

Kali, having achieved his lifetime wish of living in the lap of luxury, spent his time playing guitar, fishing and gardening.  He’d often stay up late talking to brother-in-law Elias swapping tips for chord progression and suchlike.

Lola looked at her twin nieces growing up and pursuing men and she became nostalgic for her own youth.  Her relationship with her twin Alli had been tempestuous when they were younger, but since becoming adults and Alli moving out, they’d been a little closer.  They didn’t particularly share the intimate details of their lives, but Alli was often round for family parties and they’d have a good gossip about which teenage boy their nieces were fixated on that week.  However, Lola had never been to Alli’s new place, because her sister was so often round at the big Kyoti residence.  Lola decided she’d pop in to surprise Alli after work.

When she arrived, though, it was Lola that received the surprise.

A little girl was there, with the Kyoti hair inherited by Carmel and Christopher.  Who could she be?

Alli came home, slightly flustered to see Lola there.  She asked her sister why she’d popped round.  Lola said she thought it would just be nice to visit Alli’s place for once.  Alli stared at the floor, embarrassed.  She took a deep breath.

So, I take it you’ve met your auntie Lola then, Sherita?

Lola was hurt, why hadn’t Alli told her she had a daughter?  Who was her father?  It was clear from her genetics that she was a Kyoti.  Alli apologised for keeping Sherita from the family.  It had just seemed easier to keep quiet than answer difficult questions about Sherita’s father.  Alli asked if it was Miraj Alvi, the recently deceased sim Alli had fancied as a teen.  Or was it someone more shocking – Christopher Steel, Stacey’s father and Lianndra’s old friend, perhaps?  Or that strange guy from the comic shop, Mortimer Goth?  Alli simply replied that Sherita was her daughter, and that was all anyone needed to know.

As they were talking, Alli felt a tug on her shoulder from Sherita.  They turned around… and saw Sherita had become a teenager.  She was the spitting image of her grandmother.

Lola said that they both must come to Liam’s birthday party the next day.  All the other cousins had grown up so close to one another it would be awful for Sherita to miss out.

Sherita was immediately accepted as one of the family, and like her cousins, took to schmoozing another Sunset Valley man in dungarees and a grey sweater.  The guy explained how he wished he’d bought shares in the dungarees and grey sweater shop, as their trade was roaring.

Lola hoped her youngest child, who was the cutest toddler since she was one, would grow up to be an attractive and intelligent boy.  Liam was just excited about cake.

He didn’t do too badly…

But as Liam focussed on cake and Sherita got to know the rest of the family, the boys at the party were facing an altogether different challenge – fighting off the advances of Amanda and Rhiannon…

[Author’s note: The game surprised me with Alli’s secret as much as it did Lola.  I sent Lola round to talk to her sister because I thought it would be good for the story… I got as much of a shock as she did when she arrived.]