Sims 3: The Deans (part 42)

 A severe pounding in her head wakes Tania in the middle of the day.

 She groans as she slowly opens her eyes; the room spinning slightly around her.

 Once her vision has steadied, she slowly rises out of bed.

 Tania recalls having a fight with her mother and going to the bar, but can’t remember much beyond that.

 The only evidence of her drinking binge comes from the nausea that threatens her as she dresses for the day.

 Suddenly all of the feelings that her drinking temporarily helped to suppress comes back in a wave.

 George III is gone.  Tania has no hope of being visited by his spirit again. 

 This time, their goodbye is final.

 Tania brushes her hair up into a bun with tears blurring her reflection in the mirror.

 “I have to get through this,” Tania says out loud, before continuing her daytime rituals.

 While Tania is upstairs getting ready, Antwain’s friend Ralph leaves for home after losing their chess game.

Tania walks downstairs.  The first person she sees is Antwain.

“Hey babe, how are you feeling?” He asks.

 Tania isn’t sure why, but she has a feeling that she should be apologizing to Antwain.  “I’m sorry for last night,” she says responding based on her instincts.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Antwain answers.

Tania is not so sure.

 “Tania, maybe we can just forget all that has happened and start over,” Antwain suggests.

 “I’ll never forget my brother…how can you even suggest that?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.  I just…I really don’t know what to do or how to help Tania.  But believe me, I’m really trying here.”

 “I know, and I’m sorry for pushing you away.”

 Antwain smiles, “You have nothing to be sorry for!” He insists.

 He stops to think for a moment.  “Let’s get out of here.  I’m sure we could both use a change in scenery.”

 “I’m not up for any trips right now.”

“No trip, I just want to show you something.”

“OK, let’s go,” Tania says wondering what Antwain has in mind.

They hop in the car.  Antwain takes the wheel driving past the neighborhoods of Riverview.

 Once he has passed all of the locations that Tania can think up, her curiosity gets the best of her.  “Antwain, where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he says amused by her child-like impatience.

 Finally he stops at a beautiful location near the mouth of the river, where it opens up and flows into a lake.  Tania is immediately drawn to the beauty of the location.

She stands mesmerized as stars appear in the sky. Antwain runs over to join her.

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Sims 3: The Deans (part 41)

 

 Antwain stands in the kitchen feeling lost and helpless.

One day married and his new wife is upstairs sleeping off a night of binge drinking. There is nothing he can do to ease her pain.  He feels a little embarrassed about it when Tatiana comes downstairs and walks toward him.

 

 “I heard everything,” she says, confirming his fear.

“Sorry about that,” he says; unsure how else to respond.

 

 “She has a real problem,” Tatiana says; suspecting that Antwain has no idea how long the drinking has been going on.

 

 “She’s just in a lot of pain right now,” Antwain says hating himself for making excuses for Tania.

“We all go through pain, but not all of us turn to alcohol.”

 

 “Yeah,” Antwain begins, “but not all of us have lost a brother either.”

 

 He continues, “If only she would let me in.  Maybe I could help her get through it all.”

Tatiana smiles slightly at Antwain’s naiveté.  She can tell that Antwain really loves her granddaughter and only wants to see the best in her.

 

 She also knows, that seeing only what he wants to see will eventually lead to a dead end for both himself and Tania.

 “I know that it’s really not my place to say this, but I love my granddaughter so I’m going to say it anyway…”

“You will never be able to fix this.  She’ll have to fix it on her own.  The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll both be.”

“Maybe, but what do I do in the meantime?  Just wait?  I have to try to do something.”

Tatiana almost envies the love that Antwain has for her granddaughter; never experiencing such love in her own life.  She smiles to give Antwain hope, albeit false hope. “I’m sure you’ll figure out a way.”

Tatiana can see that Antwain is determined, so she leaves the conversation at that.  After all, Tania will choose her path whether she or Antwain listens to her or not.

Feeling smothered by worry, Tatiana decides to leave the house.

Only a day outside fishing will allow her a brief moment of solace to think over the situation with a clear mind.

Antwain also spends the morning seeking ways to clear his mind.  He sits down at the kitchen table and begins to write thank you cards to their wedding guests.

“Tania and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing our special day with us.  We look forward to your continued presence in our lives during the years to come.” He writes, feeling a little deceptive in his painting of a perfect life for himself in Tania in lieu of what they are already going through so soon after their wedding.

The solitude of fishing causes Tatiana’s mind to think about things in her past that she would rather forget.  She recalls the moment when her own brother Royce, now estranged from her life, began to turn to alcohol after their brother Dimitri died as a child.

Tatiana never expected to see the same pattern being repeated once again in her life.  This time with her granddaughter.

While placing the newly completed thank you cards in the mail box, Antwain receives a call from his best friend Ralph.

“How’s married life?” His friend asks, which strikes them both as funny, since Antwain has only been married for a day.

Ralph decides to invite himself over. As much as Antwain thinks about making an excuse for him not to come, he realizes that he could use the company.

Ralph arrives moments later.  Before answering the door, Antwain glances toward he and Tania’s bedroom wondering if Tania will sleep through Ralph’s visit or wake up and cause an embarrassing scene.

Seeing Ralph instantly lifts Antwain’s spirits.  “Did you come over here for another butt kicking in chess,” Antwain says in greeting.

“Butt kicking?  The only way that will happen is if I play myself.”  Ralph answers.

Antwain bursts out laughing.  “That’s right, say whatever you need to work up your nerves to play the master!”

Antwain shakes his friend’s hand.  “It’s good to see you Ralph.”

“What?  Married life getting to you already?” Ralph says jokingly, unaware of how close his joke hits home.

Antwain and Ralph sit down for a friendly game of chess.

While they play, Ralph suddenly gets serious. “So really man…is everything OK with you?”

“Yeah…why do you ask?” Antwain answers attempting not to reveal anything about Tania coming home drunk this morning.

“No reason, you just seem a little distracted.”

“I’m distracted because I’m making sure you don’t cheat like last time,” Antwain says jokingly.

“If you say so, but we both know I beat you fair and square.”

“Never!” Antwain says looking for his next move.

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