The mini break with the few days spent lounging on the beach, had proved beneficial for all of them, and they quickly slipped back into their normal routine, with a few adjustments. Apple usually took a few minutes extra in the morning to tuck her hair up, and Vince would scan for ships, get excited and then subdued when the shipment he was looking for wasn't on board. It didn't matter how hard he was pressed, he wouldn't say. Then one day he was handed a letter by the ship's captain and Vince's eyes grew big. Magda could tell he wanted to jump up and down but instead he composed himself and went off with the captain to talk. Frustrated Magda hauled her latest purchase up the hill on her own. She had no clue what her son was up to, but if he didn't spill the beans soon she was going to yell at him. The additional solar panel meant that the oil lamps were now just decor. Between the two panels they had more than enough electricity for their home. Magda ignored the unused kennel that Vince had built. She could have told him that the raccoon's would never use it or the small bed he'd made, but she hadn't wanted to stop him from discovering his own talents. Watching his face glow from accomplishment, and not just the accomplishment of constructing a properly finished kennel, but the secondary accomplishment of numbers finally clicking for him as he saw first hand how the math he'd struggled with had real world applications had been worth the materials used. His new found skills were a mixed blessing for Magda, on the one hand sometimes it was hard to get him to stop talking about grand ideas that could never happen, which made him sound to much like his dad who was living in Lucky Palms, and other times he would surprise her with wonderful practical builds that helped improve their lives. As Magda inspected the seeds she'd found, on the gardening station Vince had made, she wondered why she'd never pushed Vincenzo for help getting the twins or herself off the island. It wasn't as if she didn't know where he was, or hadn't sent him an email informing him of the twins. Granted his reply had been a request for money for some crazy fashion idea he had, and hadn't written back after Magda polity informed him she didn't have any money. Somewhere deep down she knew that if she wanted what was best for the three of them that he couldn't be involved. When the time had been right she'd even shown the twins how to locate him on the internet, and even they had chosen to do nothing more than keep distant tabs on him after the multiple requests for money any time they tried to talk to him. As Magda harvested the late summer harvest she wondered how hard it would be to use the preserving station that Vince & Apple had insisted on ordering as a gift for her. It had been there waiting, and yet still wasn't his big surprise, for her one morning as she'd come out to tend the garden. She'd stood there reading the note they'd left on it for her and cried. She knew that when she'd left the orphanage intent on becoming a wealthy widow she'd been cold and callous. She still wanted luxury and wealth. Yet the simplest little things like the canning station or Vince cooking meals for them had her feeling like she'd won the best prize on the planet, and she couldn't understand what she'd done to deserve it. As she wandered upstairs for an afternoon nap she overheard Vince saying "Remember you pinky promised!" in a barely audible, but fierce whisper to Apple. To tired to make him tell Magda trudged up the stairs, what was her son up to, she had a sinking feeling that she'd find out soon enough. Cluck, cluck, cluck ..... Magda bolted upright in bed, her afternoon's nap had turned into an all niter, what was that noise? No birds on the island made that noise! cock-a-doodle-doo! Magda, was fully awake now, her mind was racing that sounded like .... but it couldn't be, could it?! Magda raced down the stairs and out the kitchen door. There stood Vince grinning from ear to ear feeding chickens in a chicken coop. That had not been there the night before Magda was certain of it. Unsure if she was dreaming or not, Magda decided to go tend the garden to sort her thoughts before confronting her son. Apple was inside waiting for her. "He made me Pinky swear when I stumbled on the coop being built last month or I would have told you about it." Apple blurted. At almost 17, Apple was getting close in height to Magda, which distracted her from the topic at hand, the appearance of a chicken coop with some very real chickens, and one rooster, to go with out in their yard. Reflecting back to her younger years Magda drew a deep breath, and reassured Apple that she fully understood how important pinky swears were, and that no one would be in trouble for Vince's surprise. Vince, having walked in at that moment, said he was glad he wasn't in trouble and then sheepishly admitted that he had something even bigger on the way. When Magda tried to press him for what, all he did was grin, before handing her a basket with four fresh eggs in it, and darting out the door to go fuss over his chickens. With the first bit of waffle that Magda'd had in close to 18 years she completely forgave him for keeping the chickens secret. When she learned how much trouble he'd had getting them transported and how it almost didn't go through on several occasions she understood why he'd kept his secret. He'd been afraid of looking like a money wasting looser like his dad. Magda had had a long talk with him about how he was very different from his dad. Yes sometimes some of his ideas fell apart, but his heart was always in the right place. Lastly he worked very hard on his ideas to make them come together and learned from the mistakes. She reminded him of the garden chairs in the greenhouse and asked him how many attempts to get them just right he'd made without abandoning the project altogether. Over a dozen, Vince mumbled before grinning. The remainder of that month Vince was either no where to be found, which is very hard to do on a small island, or fanatically fussing over his flock of chickens. Magda sat up in her bed, surely that wasn't ...... again! Magda walked down the stairs with a calmness she wasn't feeling. This made the second time in a little over a month she'd been woken at day break by sounds that were not a natural part of the islands wildlife. Magda delicately leaned against the corner of the greenhouse in stunned disbelief. Rubbing her eyes and pinching herself, assured her that she was awake, that that really was her son, hair no longer greased up, and yes he really was milking a cow. Overcome by motherly pride Magda quickly wiped a tear away before turning away and resolving that for once and for all she was going to stop avoiding the canning station. If Apple could earn steady royalties from a book on the garden they grew, and Vince could learn animal husbandry, they by golly and gosh she could and would learn how to use the caner. Magda was surprised how easy it was to can their produce, and before she knew it she was filling their pantry with fresh jams, preserves, and more. While she'd learned canning Vince had taught himself how to make cheese, and Apple documented everything they were doing into yet another non-fiction book. As she watched the shelves fill with each batch, the germ of an idea she'd had ever so long ago sprouted a bit more. She'd need a good pitch, but would those who she needed to pitch to be interested? That was the part of her idea that bothered her, the uncertainty of her very limited market. Despite the crisp of the fall air, Magda found herself rooted to the ground. She'd been getting ready to start supper when Apple had called down the stairs for her to go outside. Surely unicorns weren't real. Yet there was one standing in their yard, and Vince was addressing it as if he'd met it before. When the pure white horse, which Magda wasn't sure she could believe was a unicorn, nuzzled Vince's pocket for a treat, she finally shook herself out of the daze she'd fallen into. The white horse might or might not be a unicorn, but that the horses would now come into the yard meant that she should probably let Vince put the feed and water trough that he had been begging her for. Hands still slightly shaking, she changed her dinner plans from lasagna to a simple fresh loaf of bread to go with some preserves from the pantry. The wood fired bread oven had been another one of Vince's ideas, but this project they'd built together. Magda checked the oven. The second cake was raising nicely and it was almost time to pull it out. Eighteen years where had the time gone, it was hard for Magda to believe that the time had flown by so fast. In parts it felt surreal. As she pulled the second cake, allowing it to cool before decorating it, she hoped the twins would be okay with her big surprise for them. If they weren't she already had a plan B for back up, but hoped she wouldn't need to mention it. Vince had combed and slicked his hair back up for the occasion, and April had thrown on her latest outfit and left her hair down. Sold! Vince still had shock in his voice, Apple on the other hand had asked about what to pack and what to leave. Yes, sold! Magda repeated for what felt like the twentieth time. She explained again, how she had signed the title over to the institute, and that some of the scientists would live here year round while conducting their arctic research. How in exchange they would get transportation for the three of them off the island back to Aurora Skies with enough left for three plane tickets. For good measure she repeated how she'd submitted their academic records to a university match website, and that Vince had two scholarship opportunities if he wanted to either PolySci or MIT. Additionally due to his ability with animals he had an option to be a vet tech intern on a ranch in Appolosia Planes, as well as a farming community on the island of Winchester. Apple had been very pleased with her scholarship options, a range of choices in all subjects but science and physical fitness. She also had an offer to be an intern from an already famous author in the sleepy town of Midnight Hallow. When Apple asked about the return date, Magda honestly answered, that there wasn't one, unless they really wanted to come back as part of the institutes science team. Apple asked what Magda was going to do. Magda honestly answered that she wasn't 100% sure yet, but she was either going to run a resort someplace very warm and tropical, or move to Bridgeport and work there. No matter what her door would always be open to them, and that they could always reach her by email or simbook. At the airport in Aurora Skies Magda wiped tears from her face and hugged each of her children and wished them luck at university. She'd gotten them both to promise they'd do at least one full term before making up their minds on their futures. Both physically and emotionally exhausted Magda settled into a lounger while she waited for her flight. She hadn't intended to fall asleep, but sleep she did, not even waking when the intercom announced flight arrivals and departures.
2 Comments
7/16/2019 02:35:43 pm
I always adored farming and the provincial life in Sims 3 ...
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Mama Dragon
7/17/2019 08:55:57 am
Me too, to a degree. ;)
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