Peculiar B2 : Travail (Part 1)
Kitty carefully picked through her email, filing each in the appropriate folder, waiting. She smiled at the sound of a creaking door followed immediately by the ding of a new message.
RoboticMonkey: Thank you!
CuriousKat: You must be so excited.
RoboticMonkey: My mother is crazy about it.
CuriousKat: Mother’s always are. : )
RoboticMonkey: Harry keeps asking me what I want. . .big party or small affair.
RoboticMonkey: I really want to keep it low key but he has so many friends and it’s really a huge step. . .
Kitty nodded at the screen. It was a huge step. She started to type then paused, wanting to make sure she phrased her words correctly.
CuriousKat: It is a big deal, Priscilla. But most importantly it’s a big deal to YOU and HARRY.
RoboticMonkey: True. But “the cause” *snicker* is always there. . .
Kitty began to type and then paused as a second message appeared.
RoboticMonkey: I don’t want it to seem like we’re marrying JUST to make a point. . .for the spectacle of it.
Kitty read and re-read what Priscilla had written. The act of marrying, of putting on a wedding in particular, was always a spectacle. But for this couple it carried so much more of a burden.
CuriousKat: You will have more than just guests (if you throw a party) watching, true. But you, of all sims, can handle it. : )
RoboticMonkey: Yeah, but I don’t want to detract from Higgins and Mrs. Doubtfire. There are so many toes that could get stepped on. . .
CuriousKat: Of all folks, Higgins and Mrs. D sound like the last to level criticism.
RoboticMonkey: I just still feel so bad not attending their wedding. . .
CuriousKat: Dear, I’m certain neither of them hold it against you. . .you had a lot going on then. Speaking of, how is your mother?
RoboticMonkey: The engagement gives her something to focus on. That and the nieces. Those girls are always plotting something.
Kitty laughed out loud. Priscilla had shared many a story about her three nieces and the antics they got up to around the Primate household. As if on cue, she heard noises from Edwin’s bedroom. Her free time was just about up.
CuriousKat: Speaking of. . .Edwin’s waking up. Real quick, I wanted to ask you, both of you, if you thought now was an ok time. . .I don’t want. . .
RoboticMonkey: YOU’RE READY!!!!!
Kitty laughed at the reaction.
RoboticMonkey: LOL Harry CHIRPED when I told him you were ready. He NEVER chirps. Oh, I’m so excited for you. . .for your whole family.
Kitty laughed as another message quickly followed.
RoboticMonkey: CONGRATULATIONS!! (and send pictures!)
CuriousKat: Thank you. . .I will. . .oh, Edwin just emerged. Gotta run.
“Gram. . .,” Edwin whimpered as the smell slowly began to catch up to Kitty.
“Did you have an accident?,” she inquired, gathering him from the floor and holding him carefully to avoid the mess.
“Gram’s sorry you got sick,” she offered Edwin as she drew his bath. “Uncle Pierre used to eat those all the time and never got sick. You’re more sensitive, huh?”
Edwin gave the bath a sideways glance.
“No,” he replied.
“What? You think Gram’s going to let you go around all messy?”
“No,” Edwin moaned louder, curling his legs up as Kitty lowered him toward the water.
“You are worse than uncle Pierre,” Kitty laughed, ignoring her grandson’s protests. “When he would get sick he liked to have a bath so he could splash and make an even bigger mess.”
Edwin was still, staring from Kitty to the water’s surface and back.
“Oh, I get it. . .you want a story, huh?”
Edwin smiled.
“About. . .,” she rubbed Edwin’s chest and back simultaneously, drawing laughter.
“. . .s-e-e-rrrrr-vo-o-o-os,” he finished.
“Once upon a time. . .,” Kitty began.
“. . .there was a Servo named. . .”
“. . .Missus Doubtfire. . .,” Edwin cheered.
“Yup. And Mrs. Doubtfire lived with a family. Mrs. Doubtfire would help make the food and clean the house and even helped the mother take care of the littlest children. The mother and all the children loved Mrs. Doubtfire very much. And she loved them, too.”
“And in the same house was another Servo. . .”
“. . .HIGGINS. . .,” Edwin squeeled.
“. . .and Higgins would help the father run his store and make money for the family. The father really liked how hard Mrs. Doubtfire and Higgins worked and really liked making money. He wanted Higgins to make more and more Servos, so everyone in the neighborhood would come to his store and buy one and make the father very, very rich.”
“Higgins didn’t want to make more Servos just so they could do the chores and all the things sims didn’t like to do. He told the father that Servos wanted more but the father only wanted to make money, and wouldn’t listen.”
“But the mother did understand. She saw how much Mrs. Doubtfire and Higgins loved each other and wanted them to be happy. So when Mrs. Doubtfire told the mother about her new friend. . .”
“. . .Harry. . .,” Edwin whispered, a note of awe in his voice.
“. . .and how Harry was going to make it so Servos could be free to be just like all other sims, well the mother helped Mrs. Doubtfire and Higgins meet with Harry. Harry had a lot of friends who were kind just like the mother and wanted all Servos to be happy. And Harry and his friends, they went aaaalll the way to the most important sims in the neighborhood and told them about the Servos and. . .”
“. . .and they made rules,” Edwin nodded, clearly pleased with where the tale was headed.
“Yes, rules that said Servos were just like sims and were free to fulfill their needs and wants just like sims.”
“But. . .,” Edwin prompted, eyes wide.
“But the father wasn’t happy. When he read the rules and learned that NO sims could sell Servos for any reason, all he could think about was how much money he wouldn’t be able to make.”
“And when Higgins and Mrs. Doubtfire moved out of the house, he got even more mad. Who would clean and cook and watch the younger children?”
“But the mother and the children were happy because Mrs. Doubtfire and Higgins were going to get married.”
“The day of the wedding, Higgins could tell the father was still very mad. He explained to the father how much he loved Mrs. Doubtfire and that all he’d ever wanted was to be able to marry her and have a home and a family, just like the father had.”
“The father couldn’t stop thinking about what Higgins had said. He felt bad that he had been so mad at them.”
“The wedding was beautiful and everyone was so happy for Mrs. Doubtfire and Higgins.”
“But Higgins noticed the father was gone. He worried the father was so mad he might start being mean to all Servos because of the rules Higgins and Mrs. Doubtfire and Harry had helped make.”
Edwin’s eyes were wide. Though he’d heard the story many times he worried along with Higgins and waited eagerly for an ending he already knew.
“Then, right as the party was almost over, Mrs. Doubtfire saw something outside. . .”
“. . .a car. . .,” Edwin smiled.
“Yes, a big shiny black car. The car stopped and guess who got out?”
Edwin didn’t dare speak.
“The father,” Kitty whispered.
Edwin jumped up and down in the slowly draining water, forcing Kitty to tighten her hold.
“It was a surprise. . .,” Edwin bellowed as Kitty lifted him from the tub and set about drying him.
“Yup. The father felt bad that he’d been so mad at Higgins and Mrs. Doubtfire and he wanted to do something nice. He paid for the big shiny car to take Higgins and Mrs. Doubtfire away on a special vacation where no one would tell them to do any chores and they could do whatever fun things they wanted.”
“Everyone was so excited that the father had given Mrs. Doubtfire and Higgins such a nice surprise. But the mother was the most excited because she knew the father finally understood that. . .”
“. . .Servo’s are sims too,” Edwin finished with her.
Kitty smiled at her grandson and brushed his hair from his face. He reminded her so much of not just Lazlo but of all three of her sons. She used to tell them similar tales of aliens in search acceptance. While the characters in the story may have changed with time, the moral remained the same. And she was confident Edwin would embrace Peculiar’s first Servo with the same openness Pascal, Vidcund and Lazlo has shown to Peculiar’s first aliens.
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“. . .and you’ll have a new room, too.” Perry leaned closer and squealed as Albert tagged him with a quick peck. “Ok, time to settle down and go to sleep.”
“Eww,” Perry offered, pointing through the slats of his crib toward his brother.
“Linus,” Albert sighed.
“Eww,” Linus echoed holding his finger aloft. “Eww-wuh-wuh-wuh,” he chanted as Albert retrieved a tissue to remove the offending booger.
“Let me guess who taught you that?”
“Daddy,” Linus giggled and poked at his nose.
“Daddy comes home soon,” Perry announced.
“Daddy comes home soon,” Linus parroted, setting off a chain reaction of call and response between the pair.
“Ok, ok,” Albert smiled despite himself. Bringing up the topic of Percy always solicited this type of reaction. It was a welcome change from the crying that had plagued bedtime for the first few weeks of Percy’s absence. It had been a big change for all of them but quickly enough they had established new habits to compensate.
Over the din of the toddlers’ shared excitement Albert could just make out the sound of the telephone. He lingered in the nursery, giving Pascal some much needed time alone with Percy. While Albert longed for Percy’s phone calls, it was more to see Pascal so happy then to appease his own feelings of loneliness.
“. . .I’m going to charge you three ninety-nine a minute,” Pascal laughed.
“Deal. . .so, what ARE you wearing? Please tell me it’s Al’s little skull panties.”
Pascal laughed harder.
“It IS, isn’t it.” Percy whistled. “Mmm, you might not make much money off me after all, I think I just finished.” Percy laughed. “Hold on, I just gotta wipe this off on the bedspread. . .”
“I take it you’re alone then. At least I hope you’re not inflicting this classy conversation on anyone else.”
“Yeah, why?” Percy snickered. “You want to talk dirty? You know, I’m so pent up. . .”
“SO. . .,” Pascal snickered as he labored to change the topic.
“. . .so. . .,” Percy snorted laughter, “. . .we were in this real armpit of a hotel a few nights ago. Super dump. . .you would have been in heaven trying to clean this hole, right? But get this, it’s PACKED. So your brother and I have to share a room and it’s got this one bitty little double bed in it. The show was crazy and we roll in all late and STA-inking drunk. We pass out on the bed and the next thing I know I’m half awake and pressing this raging hard on up against what I THINK is YOU.”
“NO. . .oh, poor Laz. . .”
"Poor Lazlo my neglected ass," Percy barked laughter. “He has some serious backdoor protection skills going on. I was down on the floor before I even realized it wasn’t you.”
“Serves you right, trying to molest my little brother like that,” Pascal affected a mock accusatory tone.
“Yeah, yeah. So, what’s UP with you? Taking a night off from running yourself ragged?”
“Yeah. The store’s looking good. If it didn't I'd hang myself. I stared at the plans so long I swear I can still see the grid lines. Rocky’s working on the inventory so now I can focus on the house. We’re going to need the room.”
“No way. . .shit, I nearly dropped the phone. . .you DOG. I told Albert you’d get. . .
“Perc. . .”
“. . .the job done. Bet you. . .”
“Perc. . .he’s not. . .”
“. . .had all kinds of fun. . .damn, I wish I’d been there. . .”
“PERCY,” Pascal barked. “Al’s. . .
Pascal bit back his words.
“What?. . .Al’s what. . .”
“Al’s right here,” Pascal recovered. Percy huffed into the receiver but played along.
“Ooh, good. Put me on speaker.”
“Perc. . .”
“Humor me, you old stick in the mud. . .come on. . .”
Pascal gestured for Albert to come closer to the phone as he relented.
“You really did it, right? Al, can you hear me?”
Albert beamed.
“You giving him a hard time?,” he replied, taking Pascal’s hands. Pascal smiled and laughed. The sight and sound were infectious.
“So. . .,” Percy cleared his throat in an attempt to sound serious, “. . .what are YOU wearing? Pascal told me he’s sporting those little skivvies of yours so that must mean you’re. . .what?. . .nude? Please, tell me you’re nude.”
“Not exactly,” Albert replied, his skin tingling with Pascal’s touch.
“Why not? You know you’re not going to make much money at this phone sex thing if no one’s willing to get naked. I’m just saying. . .”
“Keep talking,” Pascal mocked, “the bill is racking up.”
“Ooh, Al. . .pick up, pick up.” Percy’s maniacal laughter was cut short as Albert obliged.
“Hmm?”
Albert frowned and reached for Pascal as he slowly slipped away. He smiled and tried to mouth the word “stay”.
“You two go ahead and talk,” he whispered, gesturing up the stairs. “I have some stuff to do.”
“. . .sounds like fun, huh?”
“Huh, what. . .sorry.”
“Put me back on speaker and I’ll tell you both.”
Albert hesitated to reply.
“What. . .shit, did he leave?” Percy sighed heavily. “You need to grab him and drag him into the bedroom and not let him out until he gets you good and pregnant.”
“Yeah. . .uh about that. . .”
“Al. . .,” Percy’s voice was low and serious. “What’s wrong? Did something happen. . .”
“No. . .,” Albert was quick to reply. “No, nothing like that. We’re just busy and. . .”
“And. . .”
“He’s been working late. By the time he gets home I’m already in bed. . .upstairs. . .”
“Upstairs?”
“I’m a light sleeper. . .we tried it, Perc but he was waking me up when he came in and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I have to be up in the morning for class. . .sharing a bed. . .it just didn’t WORK.”
Percy sighed.
“It’s not like either of us is going without though,” Albert offered. “This morning he surprised me in the shower. After, I told him he should add a grab bar to the list of renovations. I nearly pulled the curtain off its hooks. . .”
“Stop trying to distract me,” Percy snickered. “I’m trying to yell at you.”
“Mmm, that was some fun. . .,” Albert continued. “I was an hour late getting to the school. I told them I got rear-ended.”
Percy howled laughter.
“So. . .you said rear-ended. . .,” Percy snorted loudly, “. . .so I take it you’re TRYING then?”
Albert opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted as Percy muffled the phone and yelled something to someone else on the other end of the line.
“Man, I’m getting so tired of this,” he finally offered. “We have to go over to the bar like three hours early so Zoey and Lakishmi don’t get their tampons in a twist,” he muttered.
“Be nice,” Albert teased.
“Damn, I’m so ready to come home,” Percy sighed.
“And get rear-ended?”
Percy barked laughter.
“Damn right. I don’t want to be able to sit for a week.”
Albert heard someone yell something that sounded like “gross”.
“Lazlo says hi,” Percy laughed. "Calm the hell down, I'm coming," he yelled without bothering to muffle the receiver. "Sorry," he offered to Albert.
“Ok, I’ll let you go.”
“Give the boys a kiss for me then strip down and give Pascal a whole mess of kisses, all over.”
“Will do,” Albert sighed. “I miss you, Perc. We all do.”
“I miss you all too.” Percy paused and let the quiet grow between them. “Al, in between kisses remind Pascal I love him and it won’t be much longer.”
“I always do.” Albert swallowed hard.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” Albert replied.
He hung up and just stood, waiting as the emptiness and sadness slowly slunk to the background. They all missed Percy and he missed them. Dwelling on it wasn’t going to make time move any faster. If anything it would only do the opposite.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention to the task Percy had set out for him. He took the stairs two at a time and after kissing both the boys, ducked into his room and stripped to his underwear. He could just make out the low sounds of Pascal outside on the patio.
Despite how long he’d lived in Peculiar, Albert still marveled at the extremes in temperature. He shivered against the cold and turned his attention to Pascal.
Without a word he stepped behind Pascal and snaked his arm around his body. Pascal didn’t say a word just continued his work. Albert watched Pascal’s hands as they moved over the selection of different cut flowers. Slowly he worked individual stems free and took inventory of their unique characteristics. Satisfied with his selection, he arranged them together, careful to cover the flaws and accentuate the beauty of each. With each presented to the best of its ability, he leaned forward and ran a finger over the selection of twine and colored ribbon. Carefully he assessed each one, testing for softness and strength. He unfurled a length of twine against his arm and with swift precision made the cut. With only the sound of their breathing and the gentle rustle of the blooms, Pascal gently wrapped the twine around the stems. With each loop they were drawn closer and slowly hidden. Encased in their protective bonds the individual stems had merged into a thick and strong trunk capable of holding the weight of the blooms without the aide of a vase.
“Beautiful,” Albert sighed
He ran his hand along Pascal’s arm and felt him shudder. Leaning closer, he kissed Pascal’s ear.
“Percy loves you,” he whispered, gently placing another kiss. “I love you,” he continued, placing another kiss. “Percy loves you.” Kiss. “I love you.”
He continued alternating kisses and simple declarations of love as Pascal shuddered in his arms and silent tears fell onto the scatter of loose flowers in front of them.
After a few moments Pascal sighed deeply and Albert knew it was over. He kissed his ear again and slowly loosened his hold.
“Pascal. . .”
He focused his attention on the remaining flowers but said nothing.
“Please. . .”
Slowly Pascal turned from the workbench and smiled. Albert stepped toward his outstretched arms.
“Thank you.”
Albert smiled.
“Come on,” he rubbed his arms vigorously. “It’s freezing out here.”
Pascal took his hand and let Albert lead them to the first floor bedroom. Neither spoke as Albert removed first Pascal’s and then his own clothing. Pressed together on the mattress, Pascal continued to allow himself to be led, responding to Albert’s movements and breathy requests with an eagerness that reminded each of the early days of their relationship.
Only now it was different. Different and better. Face to face, lips to ear, they whispered to one another, giving words to their desires, narrating passionate tales to a captive audience.
When their stories were finally told, they relaxed, limbs intertwined, fingers tracing aimless paths over the map of their shared flesh, humid from exertion. Slowly, the winds of reality swept away the fog of passion and they readied for sleep.
“Damn. . .,” Pascal pulled Albert to him, laughing. “That was. . .”
“That was us trying,” Albert offered, covering Pascal's mouth with his.
Pascal gave him a confused look and Albert laughed. They settled next to one another as Albert continued.
“For a baby.”
“Ok. . .but isn’t that what we were doing the other morning in the shower and. . .”
“No.”
“Al, I was there. We didn’t use. . .”
“No, we didn’t,” Albert agreed. “But it wasn’t trying. It was just sex.”
“Just sex? I thought it was a bit more than just sex,” Pascal teased. “You almost destroyed the shower curtain.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Albert laughed. “It was good, wild, whatever you want to call it but it wasn’t trying.” He shifted his position. “Do you remember when you conceived Linus and Perry?”
“Yeah,” Pascal sighed. “We’d never had sex like that. It was. . .,” Pascal trailed off for a moment, clearly reliving the moment, “. . .it was powerful and. . .”
“. . .and like this?,” Albert finished.
Pascal’s laughter was all the confirmation Albert needed.
“So, in a few days you’ll pop out a little belly and have to wear Percy’s old sweats?”
Pascal laughed but Albert didn’t.
“Not necessarily. It’s not a guarantee. You definitely. . .,” Albert hunted for the best term and settled for the only one he knew, “. . .pollinated me, though. It might not take at all or it might seem like it is but. . .” Albert pulled away from Pascal as he trailed off.
“Oh. . .like Paul explained. . .how sometimes nothing happens but sometimes it tries to take root but. . .” Albert flinched as he watched the realization dawn on Pascal’s face. “I always wondered,” Pascal continued in barely a whisper. “Just the way you reacted when Paul was explaining. . .”
“Three,” Albert offered.
Without a word, Pascal slid closer and took Albert in his arms. He held him for a few moments before finally speaking.
“I’m sorry.”
Albert sighed heavily but offered nothing further in the way of discussion on the topic, content instead to pull closer to Pascal and wait for him to speak. They sat in silence for a few moments before Pascal finally offered something in the way of conversation.
“I’m happy you decided to try again.”
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“Gramps,” Edwin squirmed against Glam and scowled. “Down.”
While Edwin’s recent refusal to speak in full sentences was a source of much annoyance to Glam, he refrained from correcting the boy, choosing instead to focus his attention on Kitty.
“Look,” Glam pointed to Kitty. “Gram has a surprise.”
Kitty took a deep breath and dried her free palm against her slacks. Her mind had been racing as she crossed the yard to the workshop and set the activation codes but now it was blank. With a sharp inhalation of breath, she took a small step forward and pressed the last button.
Like a sprouting seedling filmed in time lapse, the newest member of the Curious family quickly unfurled before them.
Kitty felt dizzy and off center, like she’d been spun in a tight circle. She could feel her own smile, stretched wide over her face, and hoped it came across as happiness at finally seeing a much loved project to its completion and not the leer of a madwoman.
“Catherine Marie Curious?”
The booming voice was followed closely by Edwin’s startled shriek.
“Gramps,” Edwin whimpered. “Please, I want to go. . .please. . .”
“Shh,” Glam coaxed. “It’s ok. . .”
“This volume is better?”
Kitty’s attention snapped from Edwin to her questioner.
“Oh. . .yes, thank you.”
“Catherine Marie Curious?”
“Yes,” Kitty laughed. “But please, call me Kitty.”
“MORE,” Edwin squealed, giggling maniacally. They turned to watch as Glam indulged his grandson’s request and tickled more laughter from the boy.
“Your husband and one of your grandsons.”
With a small groan, Glam lowered Edwin to the ground.
“The noisy one is Edwin,” Glam chuckled. “Don’t be upset if it takes a bit for him to warm to you. He’s a little,” Glam waved his hands in an attempt to find the right word. He clucked his tongue and frowned at Kitty.
“He’s shy,” she offered. Glam clapped his hands and smiled.
“Yes, quite. He’s the shy one and I’m the forgetful one,” he laughed again. “We’re quite the pair.” Kitty took his hand and gave a light squeeze. “Oh, see, I nearly forgot to introduce myself, now didn’t I? I’m Glam.”
“Glam. Kitty. Edwin.” There was a pause. “I am John Henry.”
“We’re all so happy to finally meet you, John Henry.”
“Thank you, Kitty. Where is your son, the father of Edwin, who resides with you?”
Glam and Kitty tensed. While they had quickly become accustomed to Lazlo’s absence, Edwin had not.
“He’s on a little trip,” Glam offered.
“A trip for business or for pleasure?”
“Gram. . .,” Edwin tugged at Kitty’s pant leg. “Daddy comes home today?” He asked regularly and always had the weary look of someone desperate for a new answer.
“Not today,” Kitty replied, gathering him into her arms. His small body shuddered with a sigh.
“Do you want to say hello to John Henry?”
Edwin, eyes squinted as if looking directly at a bright star, whispered.
“S-eeeer-v-o-o-oh.”
Kitty smiled and opened her mouth to repeat her question but was stopped.
“No,” Edwin tensed. He pulled himself close to her ear and whispered in an even lower tone.
“Ok,” she whispered back, careful not to laugh.
“. . .it’s deceptively simple. . .”
Seeing Glam had drawn John Henry into his obsession, Kitty didn’t bother to excuse herself and Edwin.
After some time, Glam and John Henry joined her in the house. With a kiss to her cheek, Glam excused himself to the bedroom for his afternoon nap, giving Kitty some much anticipated one on one time with John Henry.
“Kitty, the layout of the house is very helpful. Thank you.”
Kitty laughed.
“My friend, Harry Primate, said the basic floor plan of his new house was one of the most helpful pieces of information, too.”
“You have Servo friends.” It wasn’t a question. Kitty had purposefully included basic information on the Primate family as well as information on her own family. Her other friends and acquaintances had been left out. It was better to let John Henry form his own opinions on the sims he was introduced to or met.
“The map of the neighborhood is also very helpful.” John Henry gave a single definitive nod. “Kitty, will you explain the locations of your other family members?”
Kitty spent the next few minutes helping John Henry label his internal map with the locations of the extended Curious family as well as some neighbors.
“. . .and Paul is Piquant’s father. So now we’re neighbors AND family.”
“Kitty, is it common for Edwin to eat from the dog’s bowl?”
Kitty laughed.
“Is he. . .,”she sighed. “Lately, yes, it is common. For some reason he really enjoys it. And what really gets me is, it’s one of the few foods that doesn’t make him sick.”
“Edwin is not well?”
“He’s just very sensitive when it comes to food. It happens to some alien children.”
“Your other children of alien descent, are they also sensitive?”
“Pierre, yes. Marie, no.”
“Pierre is able to function well within the limitations of his sensitivity?”
“Oh, yes. He knows pretty much what to avoid. And if something new comes along it’s just a matter of trial and error.”
The afternoon moved by at an invigorating pace Kitty hadn’t felt in quite some time. She was pleased to see John Henry adapting well to his new surroundings.
“John Henry, look!”
With even the most fickle of family members easily warming to John Henry, Kitty felt confident the extended family, and ultimately the entire neighborhood at large, would accept him as well.
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NOTE: So sorry, but this title is probably going to end up a four parter--I had to break part 1 into two parts (due to length). And I know part 2 (well, now part 3) is going to be every bit as long so. . .yeah, probably a four parter (lord, don't let it be even longer!). And while I'm apologizing, the pics for this are all over the place quality wise. You're looking at pics from two different computers (and some of these pics are O-L-D).
The good news is, no waiting for part two. . .that is good news, right?