Monday 26 September 2011

Chapter Fourteen

After the field trip Joshua decided to go to the park before he went home
He spent an enjoyable afternoon playing alone on the playground equipment there 
 When he got home that evening, he told a ghost story to Cosmo
 Seeing Joshua talking to thin air while she ate her dinner worried Jo, Joshua didn't seem to have any real friends, playing alone or with this imaginary friend...
 She went to bed worrying about it 
 While Joshua happily dreamed of aliens and monsters 
 Next morning he ate some leftovers and did the washing up
 While Jo read in bed
 In the kitchen he told Cosmo how he worried about his mother and how stifled and shut in he felt at school - he didn't know anyone there and didn't feel like he fit in
 Cosmo suggested that he skip school if he hated it that much, so Joshua pretended he was leaving for the school bus but instead went exploring, he found a moth at the corner of the road by their house
 But decided that was too close to home and he was too likely to be seen, so he wandered off to explore the fields and woods instead
 After a while he found an old abandoned house, with no modern amenities, but a wonderful garden and a fish pond out the back, Joshua decided he wanted to learn to garden when he grew up, it seemed like such a peaceful occupation and he wouldn't have to deal with other people
 He spent the rest of the morning fishing and, although he struggled at first, enjoyed himself
 He even caught several frogs 
Meanwhile Jo had eaten breakfast, still in her dressing gown
 And spent the day reading as it was her day off
 After a while, Joshua grew bored of fishing and decided to do some more exploring 
 After a while he found himself at another pond where, after some frustration, he caught some goldfish
 When he got home, Jo was waiting for him 
 "I had a phone call from the school Joshua, where were you all day?"
 "I felt so shut in at school and Cosmo suggested I skip for the day so I did, I needed time and space to think and you don't get that at school"
 "Oh Joshua, you need to go to school, you can't just run off and do what you want, I was so worried about you"
 As Jo pretended to read (but really worried about Joshua, blaming herself for everything), Joshua disposed of the old newspaper
 Cleaned the dishes (again)
 And scrubbed the toilet
 When he was finished with that, he dressed up as an astronaut and acted out his dreams from the previous night before Jo read him to sleep
 Next morning Joshua talked things over with Cosmo, he needed to go to school but his mother needed looking after, she hadn't done anything yesterday and she'd still been in her dressing gown when he got home!
 Eventually they agreed he should leave Jo with a note...

"Dear Mummy, I've gone to school today like you said I should, there's no food left in the fridge (I hope that means you cleared it out last night cos it was going off) so you need to make some more.  You also need to shower and dress and get out the house for a bit.  Lots of Love, Joshua"
 So Jo did what Joshua had told her, making some autumn salad and putting it in the fridge (she hadn't cleaned it out last night - she'd eaten the last of the pancakes despite them having gone off....)
And she went down to the Consignment Store and bought a couple of new toys for Joshua
  After school, Joshua played on the swings in the park 
 When he got home he asked his mother how her day had been
 And they ate dinner together
 After which Joshua did the dishes
 And cleaned the sink
 Before playing with his new dollshouse while Jo curled up on her bed

8 comments:

  1. I feel so bad for Joshua. His mother really is quite negligent. Hopefully things will get better for them. <3

    And oooh man. I can't believe you had to go through everything again! I go crazy if I have to re-do anything more then a few hours worth of playing! Kudos to you.

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  2. Joshua is such a sweet kid. I really enjoyed his exploring, what neighborhood are you using?

    I'm glad you're all caught up to where you were, I'm looking forward to more updates!

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  3. Jo is rather negligent, she neglects herself too, I'm not enjoying that part of the roll tbh, think deadbeat parents will be off my list in the future.

    The neighbourhood is Riverblossom Hills by Kiwi Tea

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  4. I don't blame you for not wanting to do deadbeat parents again. You are doing a great job with it, but it must be so hard on you!
    I love that old vneyard lot Joshua was exploring in. I miss Riverblossom Hills.

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  5. It's a gorgeous little place isn't it, Kiwi Tea actually has the lot up for download on MTS here:- http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=397759 so I may put it down in other worlds too

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  6. That was always my dream when I was a kid. Just take the day off and explore the neighborhood. I loved that part of the story. <3

    Joshua is really growing on me. I like how he cares so much for his mom, even though she's done nothing to help him.

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  7. I love the way you keep up her depression with the ups and downs, though small ups as they should be, and I just love how you haveJoshua taking care of her.

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  8. A day to play instead of take care of anyone other than himself. That was a great idea! You're doing really well with the deadbeat parent roll!

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