Once her cell phone crashed onto the floor, her heart stopped beating. Her eyes widened and the cold from the floor crept through her bones, leg and up to her jaws, and suddenly... she froze.
Time stopped ticking and she barely moved, but her body spontaneously reacted. Her brain pushed her organs to work and her heart to start a pulse again, but it was too fast. She gasped. Her chest almost exploded. SHE MUST GET OUT!
"WHY?!" She sobbed. "Why?!"
Her eyes searched for the sky, demanding a reason, but there was only silence -- no answer, no response, until finally she bowed down, helplessly. This is so cruel -- unfair.
Why is this had to happen?
Why?
She could never hear again her laughter, her smile, and her anger. Part of her had gone and no one and nothing could ever replace it.
How could she? How could she not be there beside the person who needed her the most? What was the pain like? Was it hurt so badly?
Why it was so suddenly?
If they had not waved for goodbye, if she had taken the other way and changed her mind -- If she wasn't so stubborn-- this would not have happened, or at least she was there next to her when she was needed-- If only she wasn't that selfish.
However, it was too late… She could not turn back the time, no matter how bad she wanted to.
"Forgive me…"
Her tears fell like a rainfall, but the heat burned her face while those thoughts raced in her brain.
She touched her forehead, holding back the fever. The surrounding ground was starting to shake until…
she could not hold on anymore. She staggered and fell onto the floor.
***
Laying there for an hour that seemed like hours, she could feel the chill on her toes from the drops of the falling rain. It seemed as though they wanted to soothe her and to wake her up, but nothing… nothing could ever calm her soul. All she could think of was her mother's smile as she was leaning next to her on that warm and cozy afternoon, but even her image was slowly fading away.
"Don't worry, mom. I'm here with you." She whispered and reached out, trying to grab the images of her mother's hands. However, her mother wasn't there. She had already gone...
She could not see her smiling face again, nor for her to say the words she should have spoken to her: gratitude for all the love that her mother had given.
***
Faint footsteps in the rain drew her attentions away. It sounded faster and closer. Still, she was motionless. She thought that it was a pedestrian who forgot to bring an umbrella.
She was right. The man did forget it and because of it, his uniform got soaked, his boot stepped on a puddle and there's no other thought in his mind beside a wish for the rain to subside. However, the rain was getting heavier and his vision became hazy. Some of the water had seeped into his lower lip. It felt cold, but wait a minute! Who's that? Was it his wife lying there? Why was she out here? And why she was lying down? "Lila!!
She recognized his voice. Her body rose and soon, she stood with only her weak and shuddering knees.
She scurried towards him -- so fast, he nearly fell backward as she embraced him-- so strong that it made him stunned, looking at her burying her face into his chest. After a moment of shocks, his hands stroked her back, trying to fathom the reasons for her emotional turmoil. It was only this morning when he left her smiling, but now she wept uncontrollably in his arms.
"What's wrong, Lila? Why are you crying? What happened?"
With a squeaking sound as she pushed the sobs back down her throat, she cried: "Why didn't she tell me…Why? "
"What ? What she should say, Lila? Who's she?"
"She's gone, Dave. She's gone …. My mother..."
Dave stunned. He could hear her clearly, but still... he could not believe it either.
***
After they went inside, he changed her clothes. Her body shivered in cold. Her face seemed so … empty. He made her a cup of hot milk, but when he turned around, she had already curled up in the bed.
As he sat on the side of the bed -- looking at her, the trace of tears was visible on her cheek that used to be blushed when she was smiling. That night, he could only see her sorrow as she closed her eyes and mentioned "Mother" several times.
If only he could take away her sadness for his own was also torn into pieces seeing the tears on her face, but helpless as she was, he could not do anything to make them go away.
So .... he stroked her hair and wrapped his arms around her to make her feel comfort and loved. Then carefully, he kissed her on her forehead as his fingers wiped the tears away from her face.
"I'm here, love. You're not alone… I promise I will never leave you…"
***
After the stormy night, even the Mother Earth grieved as the sun refused to shine, and the clouds were getting darker than usual. Fortunately, the storm had stopped, or that sadness would be unbearable for her.
They buried her here, in Twinbrook. It was her last wish. She wanted to be close to her only child and that's why she came here to Twinbrook. Her mother had promised to always be there for her, but... again... Lila bowed her head in front of her mother's grave as her mother had broken her promise again.
Few people came from Sunset Valley to give their condolences -- people who worked for her mother for years.
Lila faked a smile as she must greeted them politely.
"I'm honored to see Mrs. Katharina's daughter. said a woman with long and dark hair, solemnly. "Please accept my condolences. My name is Michaela. I'm the secretary to your mother. I've been working for her for years, but it's the first time I got to see her daughter. Your mother is a great woman. You can't tell how much I love working with her. Even when she was about to lose everything in the company, she put her employees' rights above anything else. "
"Lose everything? What do you mean?"
"Your mother had not told you? Actually, she had a tough time in the business. When all the management advised her to lay off some of the employees to minimize the loss, she didn't. She said that her workers had been working for her for years. She could not do that when they needed the work and their families needed the money, so she had made sure each employee got proper compensation. "
Lila fell into silence. It was one of the things that her mother had not told her.
"You must be very proud of her." Michaela held her shoulders. "You're very lucky to have a mother like her."
"I- I guess I am…" Lila fake a smile.
"Mrs. Johnston, your mother and I might not be that very close. However, I could see how much she loved you. On your wedding day, I had prepared a ticket for her, but it was the time she got her first heart attack. She could not make it to your wedding. When I offered her to call and to tell you about it, she refused. She said that she diddn't want to ruin your happiness so she asked me to send a wedding gift to you instead. "
Another fact that she hadn't known. Until that day, she had not known her mother 's reason for not coming to her wedding day, but she never thought or try to guess her mother' s reasons. What else she didn't know about her?
"I'm sorry. It must be hard for you to hear this. However, you should know about it. She loved you very much."
"Yes, she did…" Lila wiped her tears and then smiled. "Thank you for letting me knew."
Behind Michaela, a man with dark hair and glasses, stared at her.
"Be careful. You shouldn't trust this man." whispered Michaela as she slipped an envelope into her hands.
"Why... ? What's this?"
"It's a letter from your mother before she died. It's for you."
"Thank you." Lila took and kept the envelope inside her pocket.
The man came to meet her. He cried loudly in front of Katharina's grave. "Why… Why do you have to leave us, Katharina? We still have so much we haven't achieved yet."
"Excuse me, you must be very close to my mother. Thanks for coming." said Lila
"No problem, it's just, the flights are really in peak season these days." He chuckled. "Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the financial adviser of your mother - Douglas, Douglas Bryan." He shook her hand firmly.
"I'm sorry about your mother's death. She must be very tired in her last days when no one helped her in the business. All the management one by one left her. And worst, she owed a lot to the bank. Even the house that should have been yours had been seized to cover her debts. She should not have experienced all that if she had taken my advices. Luckily, she had managed to buy a land for you. I've seen it. It would be a lucrative prospect if you know how to manage it."
"Thank you, Mr. Bryan, but I think this is not the right time to discuss about this and… what land? I don't know about it."
"It's right on the hill. She bought it few days before. You haven't known yet?"
Lila shook her head.
"Maybe she wanted to make it as a surprise. Anyway, I only have a short trip here, two days exactly. This is my card name, if in case you'll need it. I have my own office now. "
"Thanks ."Lila took his card name, but only saw it a glimpse.
"Good opportunities cannot be thrown away." Douglas Bryan said. " I will be here if you need any advice. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Johnston." The man glanced at Michaela standing not very far from them.
***
"Do you want something to drink?" asked Dave, a bit worried to seeing Lila's face was becoming paler than before.
.
"No, Dave, thanks. I- I think I have to go to the bathroom." She could not hold it anymore-- the nausea. It must be because she had not eaten anything yet except for a slice of bread that Dave forced her to, or probably it was because of the atmosphere in the cemetary and people gathered around made the shortness of breath.
After the vomit, she cried, taking the advantage as there was no one else in the bathroom. She wiped her tears, but as she looked at herself in the mirror, she remembered about the letter, the one that Michaela gave to her. Carefully, she opened and read it.
It was written beautifully and neat.
Theme Song: Our Farewell
My Dearest Lila,
Don't cry. I know you are probably crying when you read this, but you should not. Instead, I want you to smile whenever you look back at the past moments we have shared together. I loved you and I hate to leave you, but the time for me has come.
However, my dear Lila, you still have a lot of time ahead of you and a husband who loves you. There are wonderful things that will happen in your life and maybe there will be bad times, like now. What ever will be, I want you to face everything with courage, like I have always known you as a strong girl in my heart.
You can't believe how much I was so proud seeing you chase your own dreams, even though my mouth said the contrary.
There were times I regretted what I've said, and for not being there with you, but I could not turn back the time no matter how I tried. Even so, you cannot doubt my love for you. You are my sunshine from the very first moment I have you inside – my greatest gift from heaven.
There are so many things in this world, but my last gift for you is a small plot of land up on the hill where you can see Twinbrook, the town you love so much. And when you looked at the sky, whether it's morning, daytime, or nighttime, remember me. I will always be with you, in your heart.. always".
"Is this the land your mother had given you?" asked Dave, staring down to the town of Twinbrook.
"Yes, but I don't need this..." She bowed.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"No, Nothing is right, Dave. I don't want this. I want her. I want my mother.. I'm sorry, Dave. I- " She cried.
"Hey, it's okay... it's okay to cry. but after this, I want you to smile again. Your mother wanted it too."
"I know… It's just .. it's hard. If only I was there with her..."
"I understand, but you didn't know that this would happen. Your mother might not want to see you sad and feel worried, so she did not tell you about it."
"And..." Dave pulled her close. "The most important thing is that she loves you like I am, and you still have me. I'm here with you..."
"Dave..."
'If only...'
Those words kept on haunting her, but Dave was right. Her mother wanted her to be happy.
***
Few weeks later,
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Aren't you always late these days?" Lila teased him as he sat on the bench at the park, in front of her and next to an old lady who wore a hat.
"Thank you for the food, dear. So, all the vegetables here are 100% organic?" asked the woman.
"I think. I'm not so sure about it. It is consumers trust since I didn't see any label certified on the package.".
"Ooh, but it tasted so good. It's nice to have a community gathering like this." The woman smiled, but soon goggled at her. "Oh, child, you ate almost two plates now. Your husband should pay more attention. I think you ate for two."
Dave coughed hearing it.
After everyone had left the park, he could not help but teased Lila about it. "Wow, you surely had eaten a lot, honey. I should pay more attention and buy more vegetables and fruits ."
"Yes, you should."
"Don't hug me too tight. You may not want to hurt the baby."
"The baby…?"
"Dave, I've checked it. The nausea, my late period, and the test, it's… it's all clear now. It's positive. We are going to have a baby! Oh, I can't wait to see those little feet and hands…"
"Really…?"
"Yes, Dave, you are going to be a father soon."
"Whoa... that- that's great."
"Dave, we are going to have a child, and you said it's great?"
"I- I don't know what to say. I'm ...I'm surprised. Not that I am not happy about it. I am…Geez... I'm going to be a father!!!" Dave thrilled and shouted in joy.
"Dave, everyone could hear it." Lila half whispered.
"Can I hear it? Can I feel it?"
Dave bowed and put his ears on her belly.
"Honey, you can only hear it after few months."
"No, wait! I can hear it."
"Be a good little baby in there. Daddy is waiting for you…"
"Oh… Dave."
"There's one more thing, though." said Lila, this time with a more serious tone. "I've decided it. I'm going to quit my job."
"You will?"
"Yes, I've been thinking about it. What do you think? "
"Well, if that is your decision. It's just … Are you sure about it?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Losing my mother made me realize it... Dave, I want this child and not only one. You have to be prepared."
"Wow, I surely have to." He chuckled.
She was so sure about it. That's what she wanted. Although part of her felt heavy to leave the career she loved.
To be continued
Notes: That's it. Well, it hasn't over yet, but the next update will be about Rosaline's story. ^_^ Dee was right all along, about her mother. Although she knew it, I would never change the story.
Because I moved her mother to their household, their funds increase and I used it to buy an empty venue with size of 20x15 for +/- $ 12,650. I'm going to turn it into a garden and even though Lila doesn't have 'Green thumb' or 'Loves the Outdoors' trait, She will gain positive moodlet from doing gardening because of her 'Eco-friendly' trait. I am using Awesome mod, so she could plant seeds on the venue. However, you could also use Twallan's mod 'debug enabler'. Still, I haven't figured out how to plant the seed with the Twallan's mod. Lila has to take care of the garden, and grow them from seeds.
Lila quit her job when she has already became a Captain. She decided it because it was part of her "family oriented' trait. However, I still keep her LTW to become a Firefighter Super Hero.
15 comments:
It took me quite long to post this because well... most of the part is filled with sadness. I'm sorry about it and also about the sadness that this post might bring. You can't believe how I cried while writing this. Unfortunately this week reminded me of deaths and some of my relatives have passed away. So, I was a bit frustrated in writing this. I hope this won't make you feel it too.
Oh M.J., yes it did make me cry. I also cry at sad movies.
I was doing okay until I started reading the letter and found it hard to read through the blur of tears. I too have lost many relatives in my life and I suppose I think of them when reading something like this.
I am just so glad that they were able to move on and now they are so happy again with the baby on the way.
I still can't forget the opening to this story though. I just know they are going to have some rocky days ahead if you follow through with that.
I know you are changing to Rosaline's story for a while but really hope you come back to this one again.
As always, you do such a great job with making the pictures match with the storyline. Lila is just so beautiful. Especially when she is talking to Dave about the baby.
Another great post. Mom might be gone but she left Lila a wonderful goodbye. And soon there'll be another new life in the simworld to ease Lila's pain.
You never know what is really going on with a person no matter how close you think you might be. Lila assumed a lot of things about her mom and never thought to question those assumptions. Mom just never really said what was in her heart until it was too late. Lila seems to have learned that lesson and wants to do better with her baby. That's all any of us can do.
@ Dee, Aren't women become more beautiful when they are pregnant? ^_^ Even though, Lila is only a sim/ pixel. The builders of the game has done amazing job in making sim's face expression. I only captured those.
I will be back for their story. I need to go back to Rosaline's or Valentin's story, so their story will not be forgotten and abandoned. Rosaline keep haunting me with her curiousity and Valentin will have more experiences in his sim life.
@Chrysame, Thanks. You made a good point. I'm glad that the message can be expressed. Lila have her own regrets, but all she can do was to go on with her life and learn the lesson.
There will be rocky days ahead for these two, but before that they have wonderful sim life in the family that they built. I will post the first pregnancy and birth of the first child until.. :D they have four kids now, five is on the way. Of course have to wait Rosaline's story first.
Hey MJ,
I read this early this morning but I wanted to wait till I had lots of time to comment.
Poor Lila, what a devastating phone call. She was just reconnecting with her mom and suddenly, her mom was gone.
At least she has Dave, who is so devoted to her. Ready to carry her in, care for her, be there during her hour of need.
Lovely way you handled funeral.
And so happy, a baby on the way. Lila quit to concentrate on family which is very sweet.
Great update and lovely shots!
Most are more beautiful when pregnant.
I love the actions and expressions the creators added to this game.
@ PiB, Thank you. The funeral was a bit simple, but the air, the fog really supported it.
Their love will be tested again. As you have seen in the sweet avenue, I wrote what happened in the game, how their wishes affected the story.
@ Dee, I agree. Not all though :) sometimes the sims are overreacted
@ Dee, The first part of the story is an important part of the storyline
I knew it! The beginning of this story just drew me in and I have never been able to forget about that. I'm on the edge of my seat every time you post an update and leave us hanging about what is coming next. I know it's coming. I don't know when but I know it's coming.
You are doing a great job keeping the suspense alive.
I am also curious about Rosaline and Valentin though. I want to know what Rosaline's plan are. I'm afraid she will run off somewhere because she thinks it will help him. I need to go back and read that last update on them before you post the new one.
:( ! I don't even know where to begin. I'm glad I've finally gotten to sit down and read today.
I knew that something awful was coming, but I never realized her mother was... Well. This hits pretty hard at home for me, and admittedly it's hard for me to say much in regards to what happened without getting really choked up, so, I'm going to focus on the things that won't turn me into an overemotionall ball of goo.
The way you told this was, simply, amazing. You have such a way with showing things in pictures that never ceases to amaze me. There are many people out there that do very good scene set-up and writing, but they fail to actually capture *emotion* in their pictures. Through your photo effects, the expressions, the setup... The result is beautiful, and requires no words to make it hit the right notes.
Your writing grows better each time you post, though. You carried this out beautifully, and although I'm sad it's the end, I'm glad to hear that we get to get back to Rosaline & Valentin again.
Unrelated: That last screenshot with them is absolutely adorable. :)
Hi Kaleeko. I'm sorry if this was a quite sad ending with her mother's death.
Thank you so much, Kaleeko. There are lots of things I've learned from you.
I'm glad that those pictures can show the emotions because sometimes, it's really hard to write.
Oh, I think I have to remind you though, that this is not the end :)
I just have to get back to Rosaline and Valentin's story
@ Dee, there will be some surprises in Valentin and Rosaline' story.
And I am really looking forward to those surprises. :)
That was an incredible update. Sad and happy and very moving. And your pictures were amazing. The rain effect was so very perfect!
Poor Lila. At least she'll have a little baby to keep her preoccupied, lol. I've noticed that in the sims, after someone dies, another life is born. I've also noticed that in real life. Very touching.
I can't wait for Valentin and Rosaline's story! I've missed them. Aw, who am I kidding? I'd love anything you write. :)
Thank so much! It is really supporting me.
I'm writing their story now. Hopefully will get it done before the week ends.
Post a Comment