The Vincis - Round 2

Starring:

Enzo Vinci, Teen Fortune Sim, LTW Become Head of SCIA

Paolo Vinci, Teen Family Sim, LTW Have 6 Grandchildren

~*~*~*~*~

Last week at the Vincis, Enzo, Paolo and Salvatore struggled to adjust to a life without their parents. Salvatore, unable to keep his grades up, was taken by the social worker. Enzo, determined for he and his brother Paolo to do well and win Sal back, got a job and got the boys into private school at the end of Fall. Will they get any closer to their goal this winter?

One of the first things Paolo bought with his meagre paychecks was a chess table. It was expensive at 500 simoleans, but Enzo knew it would give them a fun activity that would help them get smarter and more logical. Plus, they could talk while they played, or with friends if friends came over. The boys spent a lot of time at the new chess table, wondering aloud how Sal was and how they could get him back.



That afternoon, Paolo's friend Opal Raymond stopped by, and he was glad to see her pretty face. They always had a great time together, and he was glad to forget about their troubles for a while to go downtown for an outing with her.



While they walked downtown, they passed a gorgeous blonde that made Paolo turn his head until he remembered his manners, focusing on Opal once again. Still, Paolo felt a jab of jealousy as Enzo rushed out to greet the pretty girl instead.


Opal said she felt like going to the spa, and Paolo couldn't deny her enthusiastic pleading. Once there, they peeled off their outer clothes and hurried to dunk themselves in the hot water of the hot tub, escaping the cold lick of winter breezes.


As he looked at Opal, Paolo realized she was a pretty and nice young lady. Maybe they could be together? They got along well, and he was lonesome. Maybe they could at least...get a little closer, he thought, asking her if she might like to cuddle a bit in the bubbling water.



As she slid close, Paolo couldn't resist reaching out to touch her face, Opal turning her face faintly against his palm as her eyes slid shut shyly.


Their first kiss sent a shot of electricity through his spine...or maybe it was simply pure nervous energy. When they finally pulled away, he blushed deeply and let out a tiny, sheepish chuckle. "I'm sorry, Opal. I didn't...didn't plan to do that." She hugged him and kissed his cheek, her smile telling him she didn't mind - planned or no.


Later that day after their date, Opal stopped by to drop off some thank you flowers for Paolo while Enzo and Meadow still talked in the front yard.



Paolo figured that Enzo would have total "claim" on Meadow since he met her first, so he didn't bother to dress up when he saw she was still around the house. After his shower, he changed into his bathrobe to whip up some chile con carne. Meadow wandered into the kitchen, and Paolo looked up, again overwhelmed by her beauty but surprised Enzo wasn't with her. "Where's Enzo?" he asked suspiciously. "He went to bed," she said, face somewhat incredulous. Paolo's eyes widened. "Well...he's been working pretty hard. Do you want some dinner?" She thanked him and they sat down to talk.


After dinner, Meadow seemed unwilling to leave, so Paolo invited her for a game of chess. It was clear Enzo HAD gone to bed, but Paolo secretly and a little guiltily was glad for the fact. Meadow wanted a family the same way he did, and they shared stories of their families and what they wanted for their own families someday.


When it got late, Meadow finally stood and said she had to go. Paolo couldn't help what he did next - the Italian charm he inherited from his father was natural and as unstoppable as breathing. Reaching down, he took Meadow's hand in his own and kissed the back of her soft, tiny hand, feeling the fine bones underneath his lips and smelling the faintest soft whiff of perfume on the underside of her wrist. Lord help me, he thought, feeling attraction hit him like a punch to the gut. He swallowed deeply and let go of her hand. "It was my pleasure to spend time with you this evening, Meadow." He couldn't tell, but he thought maybe she enjoyed spending time with him as well. They certainly had a lot in common. That night, he went to bed feeling a tangled mix of emotions - attraction, happiness at meeting kindred spirits, and guilt, for liking two girls at once. Finally, he drifted off to sleep.



Later that night, Enzo woke up with a troubled mind and went out to the refrigerator to grab a piece of pie. As the time drew near for his and Paolo's graduation from high school, something had to be done about the house. Who would stay here? How could they maintain their home? They couldn't just leave it empty for four years!


He worried himself almost sick as he cleaned up his dishes and vowed he would find some way to fix it so they could both go to college. He HAD to.


The next day at school cheered Enzo some, as he had a nice time with his teammates playing dodgeball. When he got home, he had the beginnings of a plan stirring in his head.


He knew one adult that he'd met since moving to Rosebud with whom he got along well: Gretchen Chin. That afternoon, he was off from work, and he invited her over to hang out. She was playful like Enzo, and they spent the afternoon running around having a huge snowball fight.


When Paolo saw Enzo had company over, he figured he may as well invite Meadow over as well. As he hugged her hello, he wondered to himself: is this the girl I'm supposed to marry? He knew it was unusual for boys his age to be thinking about marriage, but Paolo had always loved family, and he wanted a family just as warm and loving as the one he'd lost.



That evening, Enzo and Gretchen laughed and gossiped together happily...


...and Paolo made them all dinner. He noticed Meadow looking at him strangely, and it made his heart pound a bit faster, but he tried his best to ignore it.


He couldn't ignore it when she scooted closer on the couch and slid under his arm, though. The program on the television was non-existent to Paolo. All he could concentrate on was the smell of Meadow's perfume, the tickle of her hair against his cheek, and the warmth of her thigh under his palm. Even through his lingering trail of guilt at feeling as though he were betraying Opal faded in the face of how strongly attracted he felt to Meadow.


He felt a bit indecorous as his thoughts began to wander to...less chivalrous places, and so he awkwardly stood and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. "Hey, do you want to hang out?" he asked her sheepishly. Meadow agreed amiably, and they relocated to the less tempting kitchen floor to get to know one another better.


Meanwhile, Enzo and Gretchen were still chatting up a storm. He thanked her for coming and mentioned how nice it was to see her again, and how much he enjoyed having her around. She hugged him for his kind words.


"I love coming over, Enzo," she answered. "You're quickly becoming one of my best friends, even if you are barely legal," she teased with a wink.


Enzo was hoping that Gretchen felt close to him and kindly toward him, though he wondered if perhaps she didn't have more than just friendly sorts of feelings. However, he knew it was now or never to ask her what he had to ask.


"Gretchen," he began, biting his bottom lip. "I have to ask something that's...going to sound crazy, but it's really important." He paused, then spit it all out in a rush. "Would you move in here and watch the house while Paolo and I are away at school?" He couldn't believe it when she enthusiastically and immediately agreed! It certainly solved their problem, though he wasn't sure what that made Gretchen in relation to him. A houseguest? A girlfriend? A sugar mama? No. She was kind, and he liked her. He didn't want to mistreat or use her. He was confused but relieved. At least now he and Paolo now had the opportunity to go to college without worrying about losing their home, and that was the most important thing.



That night, their home got a little redesign to accomodate their new housemate. Enzo felt confused but relieved, and Paolo felt no less conflicted as he waved goodnight to Meadow. Gretchen was in the bathroom, and the two brothers simply looked at each other in a daze. What in the world...? the look seemed to say.


No sooner did Meadow leave than the phone rang. Paolo answered and didn't recognize the strange voice on the phone. The young woman explained herself, and Paolo's jaw nearly hit the floor. What was going on here!? All these girls! He stammered at her compliment, guilt popping up anew, and insisted that he really wasn't that great...that Opal was just exaggerating. But Caitlin would hear none of it, and Paolo hated to blow off a friend of Opal's. It just wasn't polite. So he said yes and headed downtown.


What he didn't realize is that Caitlin was coming...along with every other female in her household AND Opal!! It was, by far, the most bizarre outing he'd ever been on in his life.


Feeling like he must have been on some sort of candid camera show, he sat down with Caitlin while the others got a table nearby. "So...um...would you like something to eat?" he asked the redhead across from him, offering to wave over the waitress. "Sure!" Caitlin said pleasantly and began chatting with him, asking him about his life, his family. It turned out SHE wanted a family too. Paolo was still too stunned with all the females that had been around lately to make anything of this, though he recognized in a matter-of-fact sort of way that she was beautiful.



After dinner, they all smustled to the terrible vocal stylings of some random townie's bad karaoke. Paolo, exhausted, apologized profusely but had to go home. He'd had a long day, and he was about ready to pass out from exhaustion. The girls seemed to understand and thanked him for a great time. Paolo crashed into bed the moment he got home.


Enzo, always with a head for money, investigated his possibilities for college grants and found that he should have just enough to go without having to ask Gretchen for money. She brought money with her, but he would never ask her that favor. The grants would do just fine.


By the time Paolo woke up, Gretchen had already built a snowman and gone to work, and Enzo was gone at work as well. He walked out and was surprised to see a penguin talking to the snowman.


"Poor little guy," Paolo commented, patting him on the head. The penguin chittered and waddled off to wherever it came from.



Paolo made an unhappier discovery that morning, though: all of that cooking and eating out made his pants fit a little too tightly! He thought of Opal...no Meadow...no Caitlin... okay, he thought of all three of them and put on his workout clothes. He didn't have to be a muscle head, but he didn't want to have extra pudge either.


That afternoon, Caitlin Cleary stopped by to thank him for the nice time she'd had the night before. Paolo couldn't help but notice as he invited her in that the freckled skin covering her high cheekbones was flushed attractively with cold. What was with this town and beautiful girls, anyway? Caitlin herself had more reason for stopping by than just to thank him...she'd found him warm, engaging, and unlike any teenage boys she'd met before. He was definitely, as her mother would have said, "The marrying kind." And Opal hadn't said they were going steady...only that she thought he was nice and cute... Besides, how well did Caitlin really know Opal anyway?


They played a bit of chess and talked more that afternoon. Paolo learned that Caitlin had lost her Mom recently. Paolo shared the loss of his parents with her, but left out Salvatore because the wound and the guilt was still too fresh. Caitlin was not only beautiful, she was smart and compassionate as well. And she understood exactly what it felt like to lose a parent. Paolo was definitely drawn to her.


That night at dinner, Caitlin chatted pleasantly with Gretchen, and Paolo could no longer deny to himself that he was as attracted to Caitlin as he had been to Meadow, only...in a different way. Meadow and he shared a love of family, and she was definitely sexy, but Caitlin...was classy, beautiful, lovable, even? He said goodbye to her that night with a respectful and restrained handshake, asking her to please stop by again soon.


Paolo walked back in to an incredulous look on his brother's face. "What are you, wearing Love Potion #9?" he asked. Paolo groaned and put his head in his hands. "They're all so nice and pretty!" he mourned, as though he were stricken with a plague of boils instead of girls. Enzo laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Come on. I know what'll distract you." That afternoon, Paolo found he qualified for the same grants Enzo did. They were college bound!


Gretchen, in the meantime, decided she no longer wanted to be in the food service industry, where the hours were long, the job thankless, and the patrons rude. Instead, she wanted to study science and nature! She got a beginning job as a test subject and quickly came home with a promotion. She was bright, and talented.


That afternoon, Paolo called Caitlin and invited her over. She greeted him with a warm hug, and he felt butterflies flit in his stomach. "Hello, beautiful," he greeted her, and she blushed. Watch it, Paolo, he threatened himself, straightening up and forcing himself to behave.


He apologized, to her assurances that a compliment was never something to be sorry for, and she laughed when he told her it was his family's fault - Italians couldn't help themselves.


He invited her in, and they sat down to watch some television. "Caitlin..." Paolo began. "I really enjoy being around you." He slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a little sideways hug. "I just wish we could be best friends," he laughed, then stopped as he realized what he'd said. "I mean," he hastened to correct, "not JUST best friends...or..." Panic flashed across his face as he bungled his words even further. First he didn't want her, now he was making a pass at her? This was AWFUL. "I only mean I'm going away to school and am scared I won't see you, and I don't want that to happen," he finally managed.


Caitlin was flattered, her fair Irish skin turning pink again under her freckles. "I really like you too, Paolo," she said simply, hugging him tight. "And you don't have to worry about not seeing me if you're going to Sim State. Fiona and I are going too." Paolo could hardly believe his good luck. "I'm glad I know you, Caitlin," Paolo said sweetly. "I'm glad to know you too, Paolo," she said, kissing his cheek affectionately.

That very night after he said goodbye-for-now to Caitlin, he and Enzo packed up their bags and headed off to a brand new adventure. Though Paolo, for one, couldn't imagine college could be more confusing than Rosebud!


Next up, the Clearys!

~*~*~*~*~

Scoring:

New sim added to neighborhood (Gretchen): +1

Net worth to be added to neighborhood total: $38,222


[[Author's Notes: WHEW. That was an exciting round! My original plan for this house was to have Paolo stay home from college and marry, then adopt Salvatore back from the social worker. Then he rolled the want to go to university, and I realized that unless he majorly hit the elixir, he would age faster than his supposedly older brother Enzo. That was no good, so it became apparent I had to get an adult placeholder in the house fast. Gretchen Chin was the adult Enzo had the best relationship with, plus she seems young and fun and pleasant. I'm not sure if it's because of InTeen that Enzo could propose she move in, but I'm glad it was an option and that she accepted. I didn't necessarily want to add another playable sim to the neighborhood, but I chose well in terms of sims I could have added, I think.

She's a knowledge sim with the LTW to become a mad scientist. She came with at least two points in every skill, a bronze flower arranging badge, a silver sewing badge, $12,000, and a job in the culinary career. I'm not sure what will happen in terms of her relationship with Enzo, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. She's a decent sim, but he has NO bolts with her, and I kind of...hope for better for Enzo than someone I rushed to shove in the house so they wouldn't lose it while they were away from college. We'll see. I do have definite plans for the rounds I play with her in the house by herself, though. Mwahaha. Evil Scientist laughter.

And Paolo!!! HAHA holy mother of god, that poor boy! I really wanted to hook him up with one of the Cleary girls right off the bat this round, but neither of the Vinci boys knew the Cleary twins. In the meantime, Opal invited him out, and I thought she would be a nice first kiss. What the heck, you know? They get along well. THEN, when he got back from his date, he immediately swooned over Meadow. Can we say three-bolter, anyone? D'oh. So then I was like...okay, Paolo, you can have her. She's a family sim, and she makes pretty babies. Go for it. AND THEN OF COURSE HE MET CAITLIN, who, in case you don't remember, is ALSO a family sim, and with whom he has two bolts of attraction. SIGH. So. I think Meadow will be stored away for some other lucky family sim, and Caitlin and Paolo can explore the possibility of a relationship at university. Yay. :) Enzo I haven't paired up mentally with anyone yet, so we'll see what happens at uni.

Another house I couldn't bear to stop playing. I really am pleased with how well and equally I love all my families. I'd hate to be the kind of "parent" who picks favorites. :)

This Entry's MP3:
Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) by Billie Holiday

Bloopers:
Even sim females all go to the bathroom in packs. // Invisible houseguest. // What happens when you MoveObjectsOn a sim who is jump roping. // That looks really painful, Gretchen.]]