household: Stephon Fancey= adult

Melissa Fancey = elder

Mel Fancey = adult

Lizzy Fancey = adult

Stacey Fancey = teen

 Scout = adult male dog

 Panda = wormrat

Melissa Fancey was taking the growing dislike of townies very personal.  Partly because she had once been a townie herself, but mostly because despite the fact that no one ever used her name, her life was fuel to the bias.

Melissa didn’t remember much about life as a townie.  To her, life began when she first met the Studly brothers.  It had been the blonde haired Stetson who first greeted her outside the tiny house he shared with his brother Staphon.  Almost anyone would have become enamored by Stetsons serious nature and family aspiration. Only it had been the dark haired, blue eyed Staphon who charmed her.  Despite his having a fling with another Pleasantview new comer, Hope Happiness, Melissa won his heart away.  Taking advantage of Hope being sick with food poisoning, Melissa spent a lot of time with Staphon.  It was on a very successful dream date that Staphon asked her to move in with him.  They conceived their first child Mel right away.  They built a second floor to the tiny house.  Leaving Staphon’s old bedroom and bathroom intake downstairs, they built a master suite with bathroom and study upstairs. They also created two more small bedrooms and an extra bath upstairs.  Despite not having plans for a big family, the decision to build so many rooms turned out to be wise decision. 

Mel was their eldest.  Steve was next and Lizzy was born just before Steve grew up to a toddler.  Sam followed a short while later.  Just when the house was nearly empty, with only Sam still at home Stacey came along.   Just as Sam was getting ready to go off to college Mel graduated and moved back home.  Steve bought a small one bedroom house downtown when he was done college.  Lizzy unsure what she wanted moved back home.

Melissa had a house full again.  She was glad she was now an Elder.  She loved her kids but she really didn’t want anymore.

Staphon hadn’t wanted to grow old.  He had once been older then his wife but he’d had hit the elixir of life a lot harder then her. Since the new laws were enacted regulating the use of the youth bringing elixir he was slowly growing older.  As his birthday drew closer he thought about his brother, Stetson who had passed away already.  His relationship with his brother had been strained by Staphon’s relationship with Melissa.  Stetson had caught Melissa having an affair with a town named Taylor Raymond many times, and thought his brother should have found someone else.  Staphon however didn’t care who his wife snuck around on him with.  He knew all five of their kids where his.  He stepped out on her from time to time.  They were both romantic Sims, they enjoyed the fun of it, and let the other do as they wanted.  They shared a strong loving bond that no one else could replace.

Melissa and Staphon took the news that Sam was going to be a father with mixed emotions.  They were happy for Sam, but finding out who the mother of his child was of great concern.  Claire Kim was engaged to Mel.  One son’s happiness was also another son’s pain. 

Mel couldn’t bring himself to be mad at his little brother, and tried to swallow his feelings about the situation.  He spent more time with his dog Scout.  Mel wanted to have six pets reach the top of their careers and Scout was getting very close.

Lizzy was facing her own dilemmas.  She was trying to find herself a spouse.  She was one of the few Sims in Pleasantview who didn’t graduate college with a clear idea of who she would marry.  There weren’t many options available to her.  Most of the young guys she knew were either one of her brothers or cousins.  She had started dating Brandon Roseland in college.  They only shared one chemistry in college.  She’d had a brief fling with Justin Kim but he was much older and left college while she was still a freshman.  She felt as if Brandon would be her only option. 

On a visit to Sim State to see Brandon she met his new dorm mate.  Bobbie Happiness had just enrolled at college.  He flirted with her and the felt two chemistry for each other.  Lizzy thought perhaps she wouldn’t have to settle with one chemistry after all.

She called him up and invited him to Doc Allen’s hangout for a date.

The date seemed to be off to a good started, as she leaned in for a romantic kiss, Justin Kim appeared on the lot and started smacking her.  He was yelling things like “you belong to me” and “what are you doing out with my son?”

‘What have I missed?’ Lizzy wondered. 

“Don’t worry about my dad,” Bobbie smiled, “we’re having fun.”

Lizzy looked closer at Bobbie and realized he did look like Justin only with longer hair.  She hadn’t realized that Justin was the father of Heart’s son.   

“Let’s just go back to my house.” Lizzy suggested.

There was no avoiding Justin now.  Lizzy and Bobbie were barely out of the cab when Justin went running by and stole the newspaper right out of Stephon’s hands.

Bobbie insisted they just ignore his father’s behavior and enjoy the rest of the date. A soak in the hot tub was just what Lizzy needed to relieve the stress of the unexpected problem. 

The rest of the date went well. On an impulse they tried for baby in the hot tub.  Lizzy was thankful for the absent of the baby chime as she climbed out of the bubbly water.  She went in the house to serve a light dinner of mac and cheese.  Stacey happy to see her friend home from college jumped in the hot tub to talk with Bobbie.

Stacey had never shared any chemistry with Bobbie, but they had become friends when he was a teen and she’d been a child.  She was glad he was having fun on a date with her sister.  When Justin went by kicking over the trash she learned the date was not as much fun for Lizzy.   

Mel found himself picking up the trash can again.  Long after Bobbie went back to the dorm, Justin was still kicking over the trash can. 

“Come on Scout, let’s take a walk” Mel said.  Everyone was sleeping and Mel need to think.   The house wasn’t big enough for two single adults to enjoy the company of a date.  Other then his parents’ bedroom, Mel’s was the only bedroom big enough for a double bed.  With Claire living downtown on her own, and Lizzy not sure who to get engaged too, Mel felt it was time to make a change in his own life.

While out walking, Mel found a nice little two bedroom house.  It was just around the corner from his parent’s house.  He could be close to his family and yet have the privacy to plan the direction of his life.

After work Mel packed up his room, Scout’s stuff and the downstairs bathroom.  He called a cab, cleaned up the kicked over trash can and moved out.

Melissa was sad to see her son leave.  She was going to have her hands full with Lizzy, she watched out the window as Justin Kim kicked over the trash can.

To be continued…….