Sunday, May 20, 2007

Turner Family Season 1

If you're just starting my blog for the first time, Welcome! I love it when new readers start reading from the beginning. A few things of note. First, my blogging skills get better as I go along. Bear with me. Second, I love feedback. Comments would be greatly appreciated. Hearing your thoughts on an entry takes me back to when I was writing that entry. I get to re-experience my blog from the beginning with you. Enjoy reading and have fun.

The Turner Family

Nicholas Turner—Elder male romance sim with Aries personality
Lifetime want—have 20 simultaneous lovers

Monty Turner—Elder male fortune sim with Sagittarius personality
Lifetime want—own 5 top level businesses

Will Turner—Teen male family sim with Cancer personality
Lifetime want—Graduate 3 children from college

Klaus Turner—Child male sim with Gemini personality
Daniel Turner—Toddler male sim with Libra personality


Year 1 Season 1—Fall

The day started out wonderful for the Turner family. Both Grandpa Monty and Grandfather Nicholas were visiting from out of town. It was Bill and Claire’s 15th wedding anniversary and their fathers had agreed to come baby-sit the boys while the couple went boating.

It had been years since the Turner boys (Will, Klaus, and Daniel) had seen their grandparents. Although they didn’t feel close to either grandfather, it was fun to just spend some time outdoors playing with them. Will and Klaus had a great time playing catch in the yard while Grandpa Monty played with little Daniel.


Grandfather Nicholas seemed to be having a good time as well, even if he was flirting with the gardening club president instead of spending time with the children.
Unfortunately for the Turner family, tragedy often strikes when you are happy and least expecting it. Any happiness that had accumulated during the day was suddenly drained as the family found out that Claire had drowned in a freak accident. Bill was also in critical condition. Will pulled his brothers in for a close hug as they all began softly crying over the loss of their mother. Shortly thereafter they learned that their father had lost his struggle for life and had passed away as well.

Grief overtook the entire family as they mourned the loss of their loved ones. The Turner boys were instantaneously the Turner Orphans. They’d never see their parents again; they’d never have a mom or dad to hug them and make it all better ever again. Even Monty and Nicholas were devastated at the loss of their children.

The next day Will felt it was best if he and Klaus went to school as if everything was normal, even if he felt completely empty inside. Klaus started crying again on the way to the bus, but did manage to make it to school after a hug from his older brother.







They held the funeral for Bill and Claire that night. Standing there mourning at the gravestones made it all hit home for Will.


He was trying to hold himself together for Klaus and Daniel’s sake, but he just couldn’t stop crying. Mom and Dad were never coming back. There wasn’t anyone to take care of them anymore; he was the man of the house now. It wasn’t a responsibility he was ready for. He was just barely a teen himself. But, there was no way he was letting his brothers be taken away by the social worker. No way!



After the funeral Will approached his grandfathers. He didn’t feel close to either of them, but he had no other choice. “Grandfather Nicholas, Grandpa Monty, will you please stay and help me take care of Klaus and Daniel?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Grandfather Nicholas quickly replied in a condescending tone. “Why would I want to be stuck with a bunch of children? I have women at home, lots and lots of women. I don’t have time for children.”

Will hadn’t thought it was possible for his heart to hurt anymore than it had at the funeral, but his grandfather’s bitter words made it ache even worse. He hadn’t expected his grandfathers to love him, but a complete and total rejection of any help was devastating. His lip began to tremble as tears overtook him again.

“Grandpa Monty? Please . . .” he begged. “Please . . .I . . . I have to finish school. I’m too young to drop out. I can’t legally get a job unless my grades stay okay. Please, I’ll take care of everything else, if you could just watch Daniel while I’m at school. Please . . . if the social worker comes and finds him alone while I’m at school . . . she’ll take away Klaus and Daniel both. Don’t make them grow-up in a foster home. Please Grandpa . . .”

“Shhh, it’s all right, Will,” Grandpa Monty comforted as he put his arm around his grandson. “Of course I’ll stay and help out. It will be hard for me to leave behind my amazing pet store business empire, but I’m sure my assistant won’t mind managing the business for a while. I know you need me. I’ll stay, and so will Nicholas.”

“What?” Nicholas questioned incredulously.

“Children attract ladies, Nich. You’ll have more ladies stopping by the house than you know what to do with,” Monty said with a wink.

“Oh fine,” Nicholas reluctantly agreed. “I’ll stay, but just for the ladies.”

Relieved, Will lifted Daniel into his arms and took Klaus’ hand. ‘Maybe things will be survivable after all,’ he told himself. Fate chose to squash that little spark of hope. As they entered their home they immediately noticed that something was wrong. Everything was gone: all their belongings, all of the furniture, even the wallpaper off the walls.

“What . . .” Will stammered as his heart seemed to stop in his chest at the sight of the empty home.

“The bank . . . must have come and taken everything to pay for your parent’s outstanding debt and burial expenses. It doesn’t look like there was anything left at all,” Grandpa Monty explained as he looked around. “At least the house was paid off, has been for years.”

“But . . . what are we going to do without anything . . . no books . . . no stove . . . no beds . . . we don’t have anything?” Klaus started to cry anew.

“Bed?” Daniel asked. “My bed, wan’ my bed.”

“Gone, too, I’m sure,” Grandpa Monty said calmly.

“My bed!” Daniel began wailing. He didn’t know very many words, but his meaning was clear. “No . . . my bed . . . wan’ my bed . . . my aminals,” he cried, referring to the cute animals that had previously decorated his walls and his stuffed animals he loved to carry around.

“Don’t worry, Daniel,” Will snuggled his little brother. How could he explain to a two year old that they didn’t even have the money to have beds anymore? “I’ll . . . I’ll get a job, Danny, I’ll get your bed back first thing. I won’t let you go without a bed. I . . . I’ll get a job . . . I . . .” Will trailed off as his throat began swelling with pain. Jobs for teenagers didn’t pay well. And they had NOTHING. How was he going to get enough money to get the basic necessities, keep up with school, and be there for his brothers? Tears had startled trickling down his cheeks again.

“No, you won’t, Will. You need to focus on school. That’s important. And being here for your brothers is, too. Nicholas and I will get jobs. They don’t pay old men great either, but we can make this work. I made myself a fortune out of nothing once, we can do it again. I’m sorry I can’t get us any money from my businesses, but my assistant will need that money to run the stores. No, we will have to earn money the old fashioned way, but we can do it. Nicholas and I can take care of Daniel while you and Klaus are at school. When you get home you’ll have a little bit of time to do your homework before we have to go to work. You can take care of Klaus and Daniel while we’re gone, and that still leaves us all a little bit of time at the end of the day to be together. Money will be tight, but I’m sure we can make enough money for beds. We can fish during the day for food in the pond. We’ll be able to afford the necessities.”

“I never signed up for a job,” Nicholas grumbled. “But, I guess I can’t let my grandchildren live in poverty. I’ll contribute my wages.”
With everything decided, the family snuggled together in one bedroom. Everyone was so exhausted they all eventually fell asleep. Daniel woke up crying for Daddy in the middle of the night, but Grandpa Monty got up with him and was able to comfort him with tickles and snuggles.



Klaus and Will still didn’t feel much like going to school the next day, but they forced themselves. Grandfather Nicholas spent the day fishing. He mostly caught old boots, but even those could be sold for money. Having not slept well the night before, Daniel slept most of the day. Both elders searched the newspaper and took jobs in the Athletic field. As unlikely as an elder athletic job was, it paid the most, so they took one.

Klaus and Will arrived home from school. Klaus was handling things better than Will and Daniel. He hadn’t feared his parent’s death as the others had. Klaus brought home a friend from school, and playing with her made him feel a lot better.

Will was still completely miserable with pain, grief, and worry. He didn’t do his homework for the second night in a row. He just didn’t care. He decided to go play with Daniel and try to work on teaching him to talk. At least taking care of his little brother gave him a purpose in life. Family meant everything to him. Learning to talk made Daniel feel better. He still missed Mommy and Daddy a lot, but his mood was starting to improve.


Klaus asked Grandfather Nicholas to teach him to do his homework, and to everyone’s surprise he agreed. Not only that, he was an excellent teacher. Klaus’ homework was done in no time. Klaus went to bed feeling very proud of himself.

The next morning Nicholas refused to fish. He wanted to see Tiffany, the gardening club president again. He invited her over, and she accepted. They made out on the sidewalk. Nich was happy to see that she seemed as interested in him as he was in her. He decided to make it a date and actually achieved dream date status with her without ever even leaving the yard. Needless to say, Nicholas had some ideas about what he wants to do with Tiffany. Unfortunately, it was time for him to go to work, so he had to cut the date short.


Will still felt miserable. His aspiration meter was still completely in the red, and he couldn’t help the crying attacks that seemed to hit him out of nowhere. He threw his homework into a pile with all his others by the door. Everyone else seemed to be moving on: Grandfather Nicholas had this new girlfriend, Grandpa Monty was enjoying his new job, Klaus was enjoying his studies, even Daniel didn’t cry for Mommy and Daddy as much anymore.



He decided to spend some time with his brother Klaus. Nicholas’ new girlfriend was getting a bottle for Daniel, so he was alright for the moment. At least she was good for something. Will really wanted to be best friends with his brothers. He didn’t really have much else left in life. Playing and hugging Klaus did seem to make things better. By the end of the evening they were definitely best friends. That was the boost Will needed to begin feeling more normal again.



When the grandfathers returned from work they had enough money to buy everyone their own bed now. They all went to bed early that night. They had all exhausted themselves trying to share a bed they’d bought the day before or sleeping on the floor. Having his own bed to sleep in was never something Will had considered a luxury. But it certainly felt like one that night. He still had a lot to worry about. He had to start trying at school again, they were still poor, he needed to be sure that Daniel learned the skills he needed like potty training soon because his birthday was approaching . . . but at least he had fulfilled his promise to Danny. Danny’s room was almost as it had been before the tragedy. He had his bed, a changing table, a small toy, and even his animal print wallpaper back. Now that they each had their own beds, maybe everything was going to be okay.


Will woke up the next day in a better mood, ready to go to school. He still couldn’t bring himself to do his homework when he came home. There were just too many other things to worry about. Daniel came first. He was going to be a child before long, and he really needed to learn how to walk. Will made Daniel a special snack of smart milk and then started teaching his little brother to walk. It went well, and Daniel was soon walking all over the place. Will couldn’t have been prouder.





Nich decided to take things to the next level with Tiffany. He invited her over that afternoon for another date. This time he asked her upstairs and asked her if she wanted to woohoo. His instincts were right, and his aspiration meter skyrocketed as he had wonderful woohoo with Tiffany.



That night, Will couldn’t sleep. He’d made great progress with his brother, but he just worried about him so much. He couldn’t help but think that if his parents were still alive, Daniel would be doing so much better. He’d probably already be potty trained and have 3-4 skill points, too. After several hours tossing and turning, Will gave up and decided to just go check on Daniel, maybe tuck him in.

Daniel woke up when his brother tucked him in; perhaps it had been a little bit on purpose. Will snuggled Daniel close, making him feel a lot better.

He decided to have another go at potty training with Daniel, and the midnight session paid off. Daniel was officially potty-trained now. He’d learned all of the important skills Will had to teach him before he could go grow-up. Will cheered in happiness. Then he snuggled his brother close and told him how proud he was of him. In that moment they became best friends, and would be for the rest of their lives.



Will tucked Daniel back into bed, but he still didn’t feel like sleeping. It was 2 AM, but he was still restless. Since he was hungry and bored he went downstairs to get a snack and watch some late night TV. He was surprised to see Klaus come down the stairs, too. Apparently he’d had a nightmare and couldn’t go back to sleep himself. Will made a snack for both of them, and Will let Klaus veg out and watch television with him. It was a school night, and neither one of them should have been up, but this bonding time was something they both needed. As morning approached, they finally got a few hours of sleep in before they had to race for the bus.


Nicholas continued his romantic escapades the next day, but this time with Katy McGraw. He’d woohooed with Tiffany; it was time to move onto someone new. Although Katy seemed receptive to his early advances, the date faltered out at great instead of dream, and they didn’t even woohoo. ‘Next time,’ Nich told himself.



That afternoon they celebrated Daniel’s birthday. Well, perhaps celebrated is an exaggeration. It was a very quiet affair. They didn’t even have the money for a cake. Grandfather Nicholas and Grandpa Monty both had forgotten about it entirely, but Will and Klaus were there to make the day special. They gave him a hug and wished him happy birthday. That’s all Daniel really wanted. A party just didn’t seem right without Mommy and Daddy anyway. The love and attention from his big brother Will had made all of the difference. Daniel grew-up well to everyone’s amazement.

More good news happened that day. Nicholas took a chance at work and decided to do the right thing. The risk paid off, and Nicholas reached the top of the elder Athletic career. The promotion also came with a big bonus, which they really needed. Daniel desperately needed new clothes. Right then all he had to wear was a horrible pirate outfit they’d picked up at Goodwill. They planed a celebration for the weekend. They would celebrate Daniel’s transition to childhood by buying him new clothes and Nich’s promotion by hanging out with some new girls.


Of course you knew after all of those positives, something bad was going to happen that night, and boy did it. Klaus woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Will rushed to Klaus’ room and discovered that it was flooded in water. When Will questioned him he insisted that he had seen the ghost of his mother. She had told him that she was upset with Grandfather Nicholas. Will tried to assure him that it was just a nightmare, but Klaus insisted she had really been there. When Will asked about the water, Klaus said his mother had done it. Will wasn’t sure what to do. He was sure his brother was just acting up, but . . . who could blame him. Will decided that perhaps the best thing to do was just to give his brother a hug and help him clean up the mess.


Daniel had a great first day of elementary school. There was a spelling bee, and he won. Everyone cheered as the most unlikely of little geniuses came to the forefront. He even won some cold hard cash, which he gave to his brother to buy some clothes for him with. Klaus’ grades were pretty good, too.

It was another really bad day at school for Will. Leaving all of the piles of homework hadn’t been a good idea. He came home with his first F report card. It had also come with a note saying that he was one of the worst students in school. Will wasn’t even sure who that note was suppose to be for, maybe it was just attached to humiliate him. Will sulked up to his room and threw the horrible report card on top of the huge mass of homework. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten an F. It wasn’t that long ago that his parents had been constantly on him to keep his grades up. They would have scolded him horribly for not doing his homework. And, if he’d come home with a report card like this . . . his father probably would have spanked him. It was a hard feeling to work out, being upset that he wasn’t in trouble. But that was it. He had a big fat F, and nobody even cared. Heck, he could probably sneak out—did it even count as sneaking out if there was no one to catch you?—and go to Midnight Flows and even try to order a drink and no one would care. He was almost old enough to just drop out of high school, and he could do that and no one would care about that either.

That wasn’t entirely true. His brothers cared. They probably didn’t care about his grades, but they did care about him. And they needed him to be more responsible. He’d been there for them when they needed, putting all his time and energy into helping Daniel grow-up well and soothing Klaus through his nightmares. But they needed him to be there for himself, too. They couldn’t count on their grandfather’s salaries forever. Eventually Will was going to have to support his brothers himself, and that meant getting a real job that paid well, which meant at least passing high school. Besides, what kind of example was he setting for his brothers? There was no way he would let them get away with failing grades in school. Sighing, Will realized that he had to tackle the stack of homework.

He picked up the first packet, the one he’d brought home the day of his parent’s funeral. He started reading the basic algebra text and began trying to work out the assigned problems. It was frustrating. Even with the examples he was having trouble following along. He couldn’t figure out how to do this. Will massaged his temples, it couldn’t be this hard. He was sure if his mother had still been alive she could have explained it to him. She had been good at math. But he didn’t have anyone to ask to teach it to him now. Grandfather Nicholas had helped Klaus learn to study, but Will wouldn’t ask him. He didn’t ever want to ask him for anything, not after the initial rejection he had given Will when he’d asked him to stay. Will told himself that he was being ridiculous. He was practically in tears over a stupid algebra assignment. Of course it wasn’t just that he couldn’t do the assignment. It was the report card, and the note, and the fact that Daniel had to win a spelling bee to buy himself clothes, and knowing that Grandfather Nicholas didn’t really want to be living with them, and that he didn’t even have anyone to ask how you figure out what x is. Mustering his courage, Will told himself he could do this. He could figure it out himself. He just had to focus. He read the problem again.


Will heard a subtle knock on the door and turned to see Grandpa Monty. “What are you studying?” he asked.

“Algebra,” Will sighed.

“Need some help?” the elderly man asked.

“Really?” Will asked in disbelief as the tears he’d been holding back flooded his eyes.

“You might not have guessed it, but I’m actually pretty good with numbers. Why don’t we go downstairs with your books, and I’ll go over it with you?”

Relieved, Will followed his grandfather downstairs and gave his full attention to his instructions. It seemed so much easier now. After a very short time the first assignment was done, and Will had learned how to do homework.


Of course there were still several other assignments to do, but Will felt like he could tackle them himself now. He stayed up most of the night finally catching up on his homework. He still had that awful F report card, but it would start going up again when he attended class prepared on Monday.

It was Saturday at last. Time for the little celebration the Turner family had planned. They all went to the mall downtown and bought a proper little boy’s outfit for Daniel first. Will even gave the boys a few quarters to play the arcade games there. Will was starting to feel the tinglings of desire for a girlfriend, which would hopefully someday lead to a full nuclear family of his own. He looked around while the boys played their games. He saw one girl he really liked, but she told him that she was 18 and way out of his league. There was this other girl, but she didn’t seem Will’s type at all. He scoped the room one more time, but decided he wouldn’t be meeting the future Mrs. Turner that day. Grandfather Nicholas was having much better luck. He mett Regina Jalowitz. Although she was less than half his age, she responded with a flirt to his wolf whistle. They had a short conversation, and Nich began putting the moves on her. Rolling his eyes, Will insisted that it was time to move on.

Next they took the boys to the park and let them play on the playground. It was unusually chilly for late autumn, and no one could find anyone they were interested in befriending, so they left there early as well.
Nicholas wasn’t happy about having his outing cut short, so he decided to try his luck and called Regina to ask her out on a date. Amazingly she agreed, and they met at Midnight Flows. Nich pulled all his best moves on her, and they got to dream date status.

He got her crushing on him and even made it to best friends with her, but just couldn’t quiet reach the goal he really wanted: 3 loves at one time. Tired, he finally had to end the date, but he was well on his way to his ultimate goal of having 20 different women in Emerald Isle.

When he returned home he found that all of the house’s inhabitants were busy studying away. Everyone wanted to get that last little boost of learning power from fall before the start of winter.

10 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this beginning--I like all the dialogue and story-telling. Poor Will, my heart really went out to him--what a hard time he's having! I was really glad that Grandpa Monty stepped in to help.

    I look forward to more installments!

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  2. Awww, those poor boys - especially Will. I don't blame him for not wanting much to do with Grandfather Nicholas, not after that rejection.

    A ghost who drips water everywhere, then cleans it up? LOL! I made the mistake of killing a placeholder by drowning in my very first attempt at a Prosperity, and it didn't take me long to decide to get rid of the headstone...

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  3. A very enjoyable entry for the Turner family.
    What a run of hardships they've had to overcome but they are doing really well now.
    I look forward to more antics from this family.

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  4. Very good beginning if also very sad. You make it all seem so real I was almost in tears for the boys.

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  5. Great start here. It's very sad, but it does seem that things were beginning to look up. It'll take me awhile to get caught up as this entry took my entire half hour lunch break, but I did enjoy it.

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  6. I feel bad for Will! Good thing he's a family sim! Glad to see at least one of his grandfather's cares!

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  7. Wow Nicholas is really selfish. I like Grandpa Monty though. Poor Will.

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  8. What blog template did you use?

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  9. I think it's called Dynamic Views now, but I remember I customized it from there.

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