Escaping Nowhere: Chapter 4
Welcome to Three Lakes, the perfect destination for Sims seeking the great outdoors. Known for its cool climate and rustic aesthetic, this hood has everything you need for a good time, or a good hike. If you want to roast marshmallows under the stars, throw some axes, or maybe meet a mysterious friend, this is the destination for you.
Near the top of the mountain lay a small bungalow that they managed to snag last minute.
What it lacked in size, it more than made up for with its cosy ambiance and rustic charm; It was rugged enough to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, but posh enough to please even the most snobbish of sims.
Goneril scanned the area and smiled. “Consider me impressed.”
Then her smile fell. “There is one small problem, however. There are only two bedrooms, and the three of us. Which means one of us has to share.”
“If there’s someone who’s gonna have to share, it’s definitely not me.” Mary-Sue argued.
Jenny, however, grinned in excitement. “Ooh, ooh, I don’t mind sharing with either of you. Would love to stay in the green room, though.”
That left Mary-Sue and Goneril fighting for the solo room. Suddenly, an idea popped in Goneril’s mind. “Why don’t we settle this once and for all?”
“Seriously? Rock, paper, scissors?”
“You’re making this too easy for me. I can always just drop my bags and claim territory.”
“Oh, alright. First to three gets the room.”
However, Goneril’s proposition blew right on her face when Mary-Sue annihilated her in three straight rounds. “Whatever, Oldie. The other room has an en-suite bathtub, so who’s really winning here?”
Mary-Sue simply whistled her way to the room. “Can’t hear you, Capp.”
As soon as Mary-Sue stepped inside, Jenny grinned in excitement. “Can’t wait to share a room with you. It’s like high school sleepovers all over again, except more fun.”
Goneril certainly didn’t appreciate the fact that she had to share precious personal space with someone else, much more someone she barely knew. “For your information: One, I hated high school, and two, this if this is a dream for you, it’s the biggest nightmare for me.”
Jenny looked at Goneril in concern, trying to ascertain the cause of her distress. “Do you need anything? Food? A nap? A bubble bath?”
To Jenny’s surprise, Goneril did not take to that very well. “Oh stop doing that mothering schtick. I am not a baby.”
An edge formed in Jenny’s next few words. “Well, you’re certainly acting like one. We just want to have a nice trip as much as you do, so stop making this hard for all of us.”
“Fine, I’m having a bubble bath. The one good thing about this ordeal,” Goneril huffed, stomping towards their shared bedroom.
Jenny drew out a sigh. Two long weeks.
She was used to navigating her own domain. One where she knew how everyone ticked and how to respond to them off the top of her head. This whole unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people thing was a different beast altogether, and she’d been with aliens.
At least Mary-Sue bothered conforming with all the pleasantries and social niceties. Goneril was… a handful to say the least.
“Or maybe she was just hungry.”
“I mean, it was quite a long trip.”
“Maybe if I make them a nice meal, make them feel at home, they’ll appreciate having me around.”
“At least, I hope they will.”
“Watcher.”
A few hours had passed before it was time to settle for for the night, which meant the reality of sharing the queen bed with Jenny had started to sink in with Goneril. “Watcher, help me.”
“I’m sure you share a bed with your husband. It’s basically the same thing.” Jenny attempted to reassure her.
An awkward silence punctuated the conversation before Goneril continued. “Actually, we stay in separate beds.”
Jenny’s eyes widened at her revelation. “Seriously, now? I thought people stopped doing that when films started being made in color.”
She couldn’t exactly comprehend why would someone marry a person for a reason other than love, but she simply nodded at her and continued. “How many kids do you have?”
“Four. One in high school, two in elementary school, and the last is about to get out of diapers.”
“Looks like you’ve got quite a long way to go. Johnny’s heading to LFT when I come back, Jill will be in high school soon, and I’m not exactly looking forward to the empty nest in a few years.”
They spent quite a while talking about many things: their work, their families, their marriages. Jenny especially gushed with pride when she talked about the kids, who she considered her pride and joy. She really loved those kids, and it was clear that they love her too.
Meanwhile, the picture Goneril was painting about her family life was telling a different story:a marriage she desperately wanted to get out of, but couldn’t lest they disown her and kick her out of her share of the Capp fortune; a position in the family empire she worked her butt off for, only to discover she was just warming the seat before her niece was old enough to run the show; children she didn’t exactly want, but was pressured to have.
“Also don’t tell anyone this, but…”
“What?”
There was a long pause before Goneril continued. “Never mind.”
Jenny smiled and patted her hand. “Whatever it was, just tell me when you’re ready.”
Back in the other bedroom, Mary-Sue tossed and turned in her sleep. She hadn’t slept properly since the divorce, and without the chatter and activity that filled her day the inner voices in her mind were getting louder and louder.
“Come on, Mary-Sue, they’re just putting up with you. They’re all gonna leave you just like he did. Stop trying.”
Mary-Sue wished she could turn off those voices and at the very least get some decent sleep, but all her she could muster with the energy she had (or lack of it) was a handful of tears.
She gave up all hopes of getting to bed and dragged herself to the fridge to get something to eat.
A bag of chips. Not the healthiest of options, but when one was this deep in depression and just making it through the day was an ordeal in itself, cooking was a little beyond one’s grasp.
In between the crunching of the chips, she heard the rustling of the bonfire outside, and two voices chatting animatedly. Hearing that, Mary-Sue donned the mask she’d worn practically her entire life and joined them by the fire.
“Hey, Mary!” Jenny called out, “couldn’t sleep? Hope there isn’t anything keeping you up all night.”
“I shouldn’t have drank that hot chocolate so close to bedtime.”
Jenny frowned. “Sorry to hear that. Want to hang out with us?”
“Sure, I’d love to.”