Tecza (Round Robin) Legacy: Gen 3 (PART 2)
The mobile toddlers were a welcome distraction for Obsidian.
And when he tired, Tiffany and Armando were always there.
Tiffany and Armando.
What a pair.
Between tending to Obsidian and the toddling twins, they had grown quite close.
As childhood advanced on her twin sons, Tiffany focused on the future.
Beside her, Obsidian moaned in his sleep. Memories of his own childhood attacked him when he was at his most vulnerable. He muttered something Tiffany couldn’t quite make out and flinched when she reached to comfort him with a gentle touch.
Despite the slow progress on Obsidian’s part, Armando continued to keep up his end of the bargain. Though now the cash earned was for a different Project.
“Bye, Armando!”
“Bye!”
“Goodbye, fellas. Have a good day at school.”
It wasn’t as if Obsidian could hold down a job, what with his random and disturbing crying jags and harsh breaks with reality. And who besides Tiffany could really be trusted to handle Obsidian’s delicate condition?
“Have fun at school. Dad’ll miss you while you’re gone.”
“Don’t worry, dad. We won’t be gone that long. And when we get back, after dinner, me and you can go look for spaceships with the telescope.”
His sons were, without really knowing it, each learning how to defuse their father’s sadness, to redirect his misery, to lure him back from the edge.
“Remember, my friend’s gonna come over after school. You’re gonna really like him, I bet.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He’s really cool.”
“This is my bedroom. Really, this whole floor is for me and my brother Tangelo. He’s like my best friend.”
“You must like orange, huh?”
“It’s ok. My mom picked out everything when we were just little babies.”
“Come on, you and your dad gotta meet my mom and dad.”
“Mitchell, I really think we should be going.”
“Aww, dad, come on. . .”
“Yeah, Mister Dewberry. Please? It’ll just be a little bit. And maybe you can stay for dinner. . .”
“Seville, we can’t. . .oh, look out son, should you really. . .”
“It’s ok, I do this all the time. Come on, I’ll get my mom and dad and. . .”
“Seville, really, we should be going. Mitchell’s mother is home alone with the baby and. . .we can come visit another time.”
“THERE you are. I wanted you to meet Mitchell and his dad but they had to leave cuz his mom was home alone with the baby. She must not be very good at watching babies if Mister Dewberry has to help her. . .”
“Seville, sweetie, daddy and I are trying to talk.”
“Hey, how come you’re nake. . .”
“Why don’t you go find Tangelo. I bet he’d like to play.”
“Nah, he’s probably just looking out the telescope. I told him a bunch of times that you can’t see the stars when the sun is still out but he said he can see plenty of heavenly bodies. . .”
“HELLO?! Anyone home?”
“ARMANDO!”
“. . .was watching my husband bathe. If you don’t get this little. . .little PERVERT under control, then I will!”
The children were definitely a Project.
“Obsidian. . .oh, you scared me.”
Obsidian didn’t look up.
“I’m going to get something to eat. Did you want something?”
The low click of the puzzle was his only reply.
Tiffany had never seen him this way, so unresponsive, so. . .disturbing.
She was relieved to see Armando was already in the kitchen. Something told her she’d need all the help she could get for whatever storm was about to make landfall.
Neither of them could have been prepared.
Armando stared, motionless, as the sounds of slapping echoed through the quiet house.
“Obsidian. . .,” Tiffany gasped, more shocked then hurt.
“I figured out the puzzle,” Obsidian finally replied. “You two didn’t think I would, but I did. You thought I wouldn’t. . .that I wasn’t logical enough but I’m maxed. MAXED. I figured it all out.”
“Obsidian. . .,” Armando tried to put himself between them but Obsidian was quick, taking Tiffany by the arm and pulling her close.
“No, no, no. Not anymore, old friend,” he smiled, ticking his finger back and forth. “You’ve had more than. . .”
“Obsidian what. . .”
“. . .enough of my wife.”
Tiffany’s words caught in her throat. Did he really think?
“Obsidian, what do you mean?”
“OH, you know exactly what I mean. You know, I recognized it right away. . .the very first time I saw you, really.” Obsidian snickered.
“What? I don’t understand. . .”
He curled his finger, beckoning her closer. Reluctantly, Tiffany leaned in to hear him whisper.
“You’re a whore.”
Tiffany’s face burned as if he’d given her a fresh slap. Shocked, she spun away from him, tears filling her eyes.
“Maybe you need to calm down.” Armando glanced over Obsidian’s shoulder to where Tiffany stood stunned.
“I see you looking at her. . .like right now. Are you thinking about how you’re going to comfort her. . .how she’s going to comfort you, just like she comforts me.”
“Obsidian. . .are you. . .you think Tiffany and I. . .,” Armando couldn’t finish. While he’d never done more than hug Tiffany in his silly bigfoot way, he had thought about comforting her, of her comforting him just like she comforted Obsidian. And he got the feeling she had the same thoughts. They had sinned in their hearts and Obsidian knew.
Tiffany gasped and raced for the stairs. Armando stepped to follow but was blocked by Obsidian.
“How could you think we would do. . .”
“You think I can’t SEE lust? All those women who wanted me, used to throw themselves at me. I KNOW lust. . .oh, I do. . .”
“Obsidian, please, don’t yell. . .”
“Tangelo, what’s that noise. . .”
Tiffany watched him walk away, watched as he entered their bedroom and shut the door behind him. How could he. . .after all she. . .BOTH of them had done for him, this is how they were repaid? The more she thought about it the more she wanted to march down the stairs and out the front door, never to return.
“. . .I heard yelling. . .”
But what about their sons? She couldn’t leave them. And to leave and take them with her, to leave Obsidian alone. While her thoughts burned over what he had done, she knew she could never do that to him.
Quietly she slipped out the door and onto the back patio. The kids wouldn’t see her and she could calm down, take in some cool night air and regain her composure.
“Dad. . .I heard noises. Like yelling.”
“Yelling?”
“Yeah, you were yelling. At mom.”
“Oh yes. Yes, I was.”
“How come?”
“Because I let my guard down. You know, you have to be VERY careful who you let in. Friends, lovers? They can all betray you. So be very, very careful, right?”
“Ok.”
Over the course of the next days and weeks, the after effects of the fight (and Obsidian’s words to Seville) became apparent.
Seville had become distant toward Armando in particular.
In contrast the normally more aloof Tangelo was drawn toward Armando, even actively asking for the silly “bigfoot hugs” he has previously shown little interest in.
Saddened at the thought of losing Seville, of seeing the family he thought of as his damaged any further, Armando intervened.
“You two need to talk.”
Through long trips down memory lane, laughing about how they met and all the wonderful times they had shared, the holes were patched. And as his parents came back together, Seville slowly came back to Armando.
But it would be a while before they could sleep together again. Obsidian needed the seclusion of the coffin bed more now then ever.
Eventually, they did find their way back into the same bed.
“Obsidian, I’ve been thinking. . .”
They were in agreement.
As Tiffany’s belly swelled, so did Armando’s worry. Another child? Was that a wise decision? He mentioned his concerns to Tiffany in passing but she was convinced it was a good choice, that Obsidian could handle it. Who was Armando to question it?
“It’s a boy. . .Obsidian, a boy!”
Obsidian groaned and for a moment Tiffany felt the worry Armando had. Had she been wrong?
“YEAH, I have another SON!”
Tiffany felt drunk with happiness. A new baby and a husband who was not collapsed in the dirt, clucking like a chicken or screeching like a monkey. But. . .for how long.
With Obsidian retired to his coffin, Tiffany tended to the new baby’s needs and made her way upstairs.
For a fleeting moment she worried about doing it.
But once she was up against him, it felt ok. Safe.
“It’s a boy,” she whispered, careful to keep her hands at her own sides.
“Was everything. . .”
“He was great. He cheered,” Tiffany’s voice cracked and she swallowed hard.
“What’s his name?,” Armando managed before yawning.
“Bittersweet. Bittersweet Tecza.”
Armando watched the new baby as he slept. Bittersweet. The name made him smile.
“Tonight. . .he’s coming tonight, you know.”
Armando heard Tangelo but was confused.
“Who?”
“Our puppy. Duh!”
“Look at his teeth, mom. They’re so little. And his tail. . .did you see his tail.”
“I’ll look in a second, sweetie. I need to get your brother cleaned up first, ‘kay?”
“Norbit, Norbit, Norbit.”
Tiffany smiled at the sound of Seville singing the dog’s name.
“So, you like him?”
“Like him? I LOVE him!”
It was the least she could do for her two eldest sons. And it was an easy transition gift.
Armando and Tiffany enjoyed the convenience of a dual transition day. Big events always posed such a challenge when it came to Obsidian.
But he seemed to fair as well as possible.
With all three children more self sufficient, the adults found themselves in a happy new arrangement.
One that reminded them of the old days, when it was just the three of them, their futures spread out before them like freshly tilled earth ready for the planting.
“I thought there was a bottle in here. . .”
“Did mama lose your nosh, B.Sweet? Silly mama. . .”
“Did you look on the door?”
“The door. . .ah, there it is?”
While they may have brief vacations from it, none of them would ever be able to escape.
Obsidian’s sadness.
Tiffany could ask what was wrong, try to coax words from her husband but more often than not, he’d sob silently then creep away to his coffin or the bubble bath without a word.
“I feel like I’ve lost my touch,” she sighed to Armando. “Ever since. . .”
“Balderdash!”
Bigfoot hugs could always lift her from the mire of self-pity. And Armando knew it.
He wasn’t the only one with such a gift.
“Hah, get it. . .get it boy. That’s right, dance!”
Norbit had proven a wonderful addition to the home, offering each family member a friendly soul to play with or confide in.
“Norbit? Are you growling?”
He also had an uncanny ability to tell which sims may or may not be worthy of the family’s attentions.
With two teen boys in the household, it was a never-ending stream of new faces.
And new feelings.
“Jeez. . .I’m trying to WORK here. Take it outside.”
“I really love the skillful way you beat the other girls to the bride’s bouquet.”
“Oh. . .oh, Seville!”
“What’s with that get up?,” Tangelo was eager to rib his brother once Nancy was safely on her way back home. “She some kind of priss?”
“No. She’s just. . .old school.”
“Oh,” Tangelo laughed. “I get it. That’s just her cover, so no one figures out you’re toucha-toucha-toucha-ing her. . .DOWN THERE!”
“No. . .”
“Uh-huh, so why are you blushing then?”
“I’m not. . .”
“Defensive, too. . .oh, you hound dog, you. I thought for certain I’d be the first to. . .”
“Ew, Tangelo. Not everything’s a competition, you know.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, bro.”
“Whatever, Tangelo.”
“Whatever yourself. I’m going upstairs to train.”
“What. . .who’s. . .”
“It’s just me, mom.”
“Seville?. . .what’s that pounding, sweetie?”
“T’s on the treadmill.”
“Oh. . .ok. You two should get to bed. . .”
Seville watched his mother as her words trailed off and she fell back into sleep. Seeing them together like this, so peaceful, Seville wondered what his own family would be like. He hoped his wife would love him as much as his mother loved his father. Hoped his children (there would be at least two, of that he was already sure) would love him the way he and his brothers loved their parents.
Obsidian stirred in his sleep and Seville automatically reached to soothe him. But most of all, he hoped he wouldn’t be like his father.
“Sweet dreams, dad,” he leaned down and kissed his father’s cheek. “I love you.”
Upstairs, Tangelo mentally counted his footfalls. Just a few more and. . .yes. . .he’d finally caught up to his brother. He’d had to work twice as hard but that only made it sweeter. Seville came by his athleticism naturally and had narrowed his interests to all things fitness and sports related very early in their childhood.
Tangelo cast a wider net.
Some skills proved quite tricky (and messy).
While others were simple and quite fun.
“And if you think I’m just some passive housewife you have another think coming you little. . .”
“WHAT? HUH?! You think I’m afraid of you. . .you. . .brood sow?”
Spying on the crazy neighbors was fun but Tangelo’s true passion was games.
All kinds of games.
“Tangelo, will you be done soon? I need to check my email. I’m waiting to hear back from an investor.”
Armando’s real life game seemed particularly interesting. At a very young age, Tangelo had taken a keen interest in first the movie poster and then, as he got older, the behind the scenes working of The Project. He marveled at Armando’s ability to juggle all his numerous friends and acquaintances, to get them excited about The Project despite how nothing in the way of progress ever seemed forthcoming.
“Armando. . .you think I should grow out my hair. . .you know, maybe get rid of the mohawk. . .”
“What? I thought you loved that crazy cock’s comb. . .”
“I’m with Tangelo, I thought the big orange fin was your trademark?,” Armando offered.
“Yeah but. . .maybe girls will like me more if I’m not so. . .you know, weird and stuff.”
“Girls? Seville, did you break up with. . .”
“No, but she kind of said something about. . .”
“You’re taking fashion advice from HER?,” Tangelo snorted.
Armando and Tangelo both laughed. Seville sighed.
“Just be YOU!” Armando offered, wrestling laughter from Seville.
“Listen to him, man,” Tangelo added. “Everyone loves his furry ass!”
“I always knew you’d be the one,” Obsidian bellowed laughter. “Didn’t I say it, Tiff, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Yes, I did. The first time I saw you looking at the poster I said it. And I was right.”
Always too worried it would set his father off Tangelo had never broached the topic of The Project with Obsidian until now. Seeing his father so excited, so happy to discuss it, Tangelo was eager to make Obsidian’s goal his own.
And it was a good way to mix business and pleasure.
Though it was more than a little nerve racking.
Just be you, he reminded himself.
He’d wanted to grab Orlando from the minute he’d first laid eyes on him. He liked the way the other boy protested just enough to make it seem like he wasn’t enjoying it.
“I gotta go, man,” Orlando stammered.
“Yeah.” Tangelo took a deep breath as he continued. “It’s kind of late. I’ll walk out with you.”
“I hope to see you again. . .”
“Definitely.”
Tangelo followed Orlando down the stairs and watched as he put distance between himself and the Tecza home.
“Don’t stay out here too long,” he taunted, approaching his brother. “Some pervy alien’ll take your virginity.”
“If you want the telescope all you have to do is ask,” Seville shot back. “I know you’re all obsessed with losing it.”
“Hardly,” Tangelo laughed. “And the odds are better for you. You’re out here like every night.”
“I call bullshit,” Seville snipped. “If that whole the more you look the greater your odds thing was true, dad would have been snatched a long time ago. Probably Armando, too. Hell, maybe even MOM.”
“Aliens don’t take chicks,” Tangelo countered.
“More bullshit. Didn’t you hear about Mrs. Kim?”
“You believed that?,” Tangelo laughed as they crossed the yard and ascended the stairs. “That was totally made up, for publicity. That whole family is just a bunch of washed up old D-list celebrities.”
“Yeah, but they still get paid for that show they did.”
“Yeah,” Tangelo sighed. “Shame Justin’s all about the girls.”
That very night, as if they had somehow overhead the Tecza twins’ conversation.
No one witnessed him leave.
But they were waiting when he returned.
Armando watched as Obsidian groaned and slowly got to his feet. Behind him, he could hear Tiffany mutter.
“please, no”
It was like she was reading his mind.
“Well,” Obsidian sighed. “That was. . .,” he touched his rear delicately, “. . .different.”
Behind him Armando heard Tiffany snicker. Seeing Obsidian smile as he drew closer, Armando smiled back.
“They boldly went where no one has gone before,” Obsidian added with a roar of laughter.
They stood in the front yard for what seemed a very long time and laughed. Still giggling, they filed back into the house to start the day.
“Oh. . .Obsidian. . .,” Tiffany tried to monitor the macaroni and comfort her husband simultaneously. “It’s ok. . .it’ll be done in a second. . .”
She watched him as he quietly wept. The joking was officially over.
“I’m sorry,” he gulped. “I’m not really hungry. . .I’m just. . .tired.”
He left the kitchen without another word leaving Tiffany with a perfectly cooked pot of pasta and no one to feed. She took her time tending to the meal, certain her husband had run to the solace of his coffin.
She was shocked to learn she was wrong.
Silently scolding herself for taking so long to check on him, she smoothed back his shaggy hair and whispered into his ear.
“I’m sorry.”
With the children off at school and her husband asleep, Tiffany was left with only a quiet house.
And Armando.
To the casual observer it was one small kiss. Just a casual peck between friends.
Acutely aware of what they were risking, both knew the quick closed-lip kiss was the climax of their romance.
Their family was more important.
“It’s kind of weird, huh?,” Obsidian shivered as Tiffany put her hand against his stomach.
“Kind of. . ,” she smiled as she felt the fetus shift, “. . .yeah.”
Tiffany was convinced she was more freaked out by the alien offspring rooted inside her husband than he was. Another baby?
It seemed like they had just gotten Bittersweet out of the hectic toddler stage and now they were faced with starting all over again from scratch. And they just weren’t as young as they once were.
“Hey, who are you and what did you do with my little brother?”
“It’s ME, Tangelo.”
“Me who?”
“Bittersweet.”
“No way, man. When did you get big?”
Bittersweet adored his older brothers but, if forced to choose just one, Tangelo would be his pick. Tangelo talked about things Bittersweet knew their parents would consider “too adult” for him. Even better, he explained them. It made Bittersweet quite popular at school, the kid all the others sought out to learn the newest dirty word or bawdy joke.
“. . .and it comes out his butt?”
“Yup.”
“Ewww.”
“Remember, don’t say anything about it around dad.”
“How come?”
“Because it will make him sad.”
While young Bittersweet was fascinated by the mechanics of his father’s pregnancy, Tangelo and Seville were tuned in to the larger repercussions it would have on both Obsidian and the family as a whole.
“Oh, I thought you were both up. . .” Seville looked from his father to where his mother lay sleeping.
“She’s very special, you know that?”
Seville nodded.
“I hope you and your brothers each find someone just like her. . .someone special.”
Tiffany stirred.
“What’s going. . .Obsidian are you ok?”
Obsidian was ok. Better than he had been in quite sometime.
Even when it caught him off guard, he handled the embarrassment with ease.
Very few tears were shed.
But Tiffany still worried. How could she not? Obsidian’s due date was rapidly approaching. She only hoped her sons would be out of the house when it happened.
She could only be so lucky.
“Dad. . .are you. . .oh, oh is he. . .oh. . .I can’t look.”
“Obsidian. . .it’s ok, Seville.”
“Did I miss it. . .Seville, you look really pale. . .”
“Is it over? I couldn’t look.”
“It’s ok, guys. Obsidian, are you ok?”
“Dad, is it a boy or a girl?”
“Girl.”
“A girl? I have a sister? Whatcha gonna name her?”
Obsidian took his time answering.
“Cara Cara,” he cooed, propping the baby against his shoulder.
Tangelo watched as Armando and Tiffany went into action. Armando carefully watched his father with the baby while Tiffany set to work preparing a bottle.
“Do you want me to take her?,” she offered, handing the bottle to Obsidian. He shook his head.
“No, I’m ok. You get some breakfast.”
“I told you it would be a girl,” Tangelo taunted Bittersweet. “You owe me a simoleon.”
“No way, man.”
“Yes way, man. You can’t skip out on the bet. . .”
“You made a bet on the gender of the baby?”
Obsidian heard the sound of his family’s banter but didn’t register the words. He was overwhelmed.
His family.
“. . .and she wants to go steady but I’m not sure. . .”
They were growing up so fast.
His eyes rimming with tears, he held the new baby close and exited without a word.
They were having such a good time it wouldn’t be fair to ruin it.
CONTINUED IN PART 3.