The Villaloboses - Round 3

Starring:

Santiago Villalobos, Elder Fortune Sim, LTW Own 5 Top Level Businesses

Diego Villalobos, Teen Fortune Sim, LTW Become World Class Ballet Dancer

Catalina Villalobos, Teen Fortune Sim, LTW Become Hall of Famer

Dorotea Villalobos, Teen Family Sim, LTW Become Education Minister

Last season at the Villalobos household, Vinnie moved out and went to college while the children transitioned into teens. Dot, Cat, and Diego each got jobs in their chosen careers, reaching the top level of teen careers, and Santiago continued to grow in his relationship with Roisin Cleary. This round promises even more good things to come.

~*~*~*~*~

Santiago's dedication to his grandchildren showed in their determination to do well. Frequently, on any given evening in the Villalobos househould, the three teens could be found studying, working out, or otherwise attempting to better themselves.


It paid off quickly as the teens were promoted at their workplaces, not simply content with maintaining status quo but constantly making influential friends at work and increasing their knowledge and abilities so they could succeed. Santiago could never remember being this proud of his son and daughter-in-law; perhaps his grandchildren were his opportunity to rectify whatever it was he'd done so wrong with his own son.


Of course, the children weren't all seriousness; Catalina got a major kick out of giving her siblings noogies almost constantly, then charming her way out of bickering with them with a charming grin and a hug. Truly, they couldn't deny how much they all loved one another.

Santiago had hobbies of his own. He continued to practice his pottery, earning himself a bronze badge in the hobby and making his very first tea set. He knew he'd probably never turn the skill into a business or anything like it, but it was entertaining and a source of a small bit of income to make these little clay projects that he could then sell.


He had always been conscious of money, ever since he was a boy with a coin collection, it seemed. One day while filling in a hole that a neighborhood dog had dug in his front yard, Santiago thought he saw the corner of a box of some sort peeking from the hole. Instead of filling in the hole, he began digging more enthusiastically.


It didn't turn out to be more than a rock, and a disappointed but chagrined Santiago finally filled in the hole.


And it wasn't a total loss, after all. He had a new pet rock...or paper weight.


Meanwhile, the three teens became the primary breadwinners in the family. They went to school in the mornings and worked in the evenings, and though it was hard work, they met new friends and were happy to contribute to the household.


Catalina in particular seemed to attract a stream of new friends, including a lot of boys who seemed to stare moony-eyed at her. She never noticed though, concentrated as much as she was on her hobbies and spending time with her siblings. Boys; who needed them?


Because his grandchildren worked so hard and had turned out so level-headed, Santiago was lenient about their social lives. He allowed them to go out (within reason, on weekends) to downtown with friends, as long as they promised to be home by midnight.


Diego used the opportunities to spend more time with his childhood best friend, Amber MacArthur, who had recently become his girlfriend, officially.


Catalina loved these excursions as well, admiring some of the older, more self-aware and stable women she met and befriended. These women were far more exciting than any of the stupid boys her own age she had found. She thought nothing of it; it was more hero worship than anything, as she'd never had any sort of female role model she could remember very well.


She even met some very strange and unusual characters on her excursions with her siblings. Once she met a woman who introduced herself as an Atrociously Evil Witch. Catalina wasn't sure such creatures existed, but she had to admit that the green skin lent the claim credence.


On one of their trips in particular, Catalina met a strange man who seemed to have some affected mannerisms. He was, Catalina thought frankly, way too full of himself and not that good looking to boot.


Cat immediately disliked the strange man after they met; he was disagreeable and rude, and it was only thanks to the gypsy lady there breaking up a potential fight that Catalina was able to keep from slapping him silly.


Cat seemed to be the only one in the family with love troubles, though. Santiago and Roisin certainly weren't having any problems. Now that the children weren't children anymore, Santiago found himself with a lot more freedom and privacy, especially during the day and evenings when his grandchildren were either at school or work.


He and Roisin definitely felt the tug of age and shared the viewpoint that they might as well do what made them happy in the years they had left. It lent their relationship a distinct air of jollity, a carefree 'kick up your heels' sense that caused them to act like teenagers rather than elders.


If Vinnie knew what his Abuelo was using the car for these days, he would never have wanted to drive it again.


Santiago always made time for his grandchildren first and foremost, however. They still tried to have family dinners or breakfasts together every day, needing that comforting ritual to feel grounded.


And the teens seemed to flourish under his attentions. They were constantly bringing home praise from their teachers and employers, and Dorotea even managed to get her bronze flower arranging badge after only a few months of her abuelo purchasing the flower stand for her.


She was recognized by the local arts and crafts group for her increasing talents and invited to stop by their local lot in the next town over if she ever felt a hankering to mingle with like-minded creative individuals.


The kids frequently had friends over as well - new and old. Nerissa Chan was a household favorite of everyone, though she had been closest to Diego as a child.


The more time Catalina spent with Nerissa, the more she realized how important the girl was to her. She had never really paid that much attention to her when they were smaller other than to get involved in a good game of cops and robbers, but now, she'd grown up into a really beautiful girl. Catalina couldn't help but notice.



Catalina also appreciated a lot of Nerissa's qualities. She felt drawn to her intensely, though she assumed it was in a best friend sort of way. Perhaps they were just meant to be best friends then, Catalina decided.


She decided to ask Nerissa to go out sometime, just the two of them, so she could have some time with the girl apart from her siblings. It wasn't that she didn't love her brother and sister, it was just that she felt she wanted to spend some quality time with Nerissa alone, so she could get to know her better.



While Catalina was gone, Dorotea was faced with the challenge of trying to fix the bathtub. She'd never fixed a tub before, but repairmen were expensive, and her abuelo had taught her a little bit about how to fix basic things. Perhaps she could take a whack at it...quite literally. It took a few tries and a lot of wet frustration, but she finally got it. It gave Dot a very satisfying sense of self-reliance.


That night, the girls turned in after their respective busy evenings, and they were so tired, they didn't notice the man from downtown slinking down their hallway.


It was Count Vasyl Hogan, the one with whom Catalina had had a near-brawl. He certainly wasn't invited in the house, and the alarm never triggered, either from the movement sensor or the heat sensors. The girls slept soundly, unknowing of the eerie creature stalking around their bedroom.


He slunk around the bedroom for hours, undetected, thinking about how much he hated the slumbering girl who was so insolent as to threaten him.


He was gone at daybreak, and the girls woke up with no idea that they'd been watched nearly all night in their sleep.



That day at school, Diego ended up having a spot of bad luck. He thought that he was good enough to try out for the school dance team, despite the fact that the gym was filled with auditioners. It turned out that he didn't quite make the cut, though, and he came home dejected. "How am I ever going to become a world class ballet dancer if I can't even make the high school dance team?" he wondered, sulking and hiding himself in his bedroom.


Catalina wouldn't let him sulk for too long, though, and she dragged him outside for a game of hackey sack. "Come on, Diego," she argued, panting slightly and eyes on the ball. "You know you're great, those judges were just obviously douchebags." As always, Catalina had a way with words. Both of them were too busy paying attention to the game to notice the strange Count Vasyl lurking behind Cat.



Sure enough, Diego's spot of bad luck didn't turn into a streak, and all three siblings got promotions that day.


Santiago himself wasn't having such a bad day either. He and Roisin had decided to go out for a date that night. While they sat munching their lime-seared prawns, Santiago looked across the table at Roisin and had a sudden inspiration of thought.


He wanted to marry her. He knew it suddenly, as though he'd been hit with a bolt of lightning from above.


As they left the restaurant, he knelt down on the pavement and pulled a magic engagement ring out of thin air. "Roisin, we've been together for a while now, and I know you feel the same way I do. Neither of us are long on this earth. All I know is I want to wake up next to you for the rest of my days. Will you marry me?"


She felt like a girl again, and she couldn't even form words for how happy she was. Instead, she just jumped into his arms and kissed his face over and over. "I guess that's a yes, then?" he said with a soft laugh, his face beaming as he set her down. She nodded, overcome and unable to say anything for the tears choking her throat.


That night, Santiago couldn't bear to part with her, nor she with him, so they snuggled up together in bed and had their very first sleepover.



Roisin wasn't the only visitor that night, though. Count Vasyl Hogan stopped by again to stare at Catalina in her sleep. Sensing his gaze for the first time, Catalina rose groggily and screamed as soon as she saw the dark figure standing over her.


"What are you doing here, you freak!?" she shouted, approaging him with fists balled at her sides. "Get out of my house!" With no gypsy to stop her this time, Catalina reached up and smacked Count Vasyl silly. "Get out, get out, get out!" she shrieked, and he jumped back in terror and pain.


Catalina stared at him as he cried after her attack. "If you think I'm going to feel bad for you, you're wrong," she said, hardly. "Now get out. You're not welcome here." She thought he had gone, but little did she know...



Count Vasyl stayed and watched Catalina eat her breakfast. He wasn't sure what it was that kept drawing him to the girl, especially since he hated her so vehemently. He ran out the door smoking into the daylight, swearing inside that he would be back.



Later that day, in a modest ceremony in the Villaloboses' sweeping backyard, Santiago and Roisin exchanged their vows in front of their closest family.



When the preacher said that Santiago could kiss the bride, he waggled his eyebrows at her mischeivously and dipped her low to hoots from the crowd. When they kissed, it was like the whole world disappeared except the two of them.



They danced late into the night and ate copiously from the buffet table. When it began to get dark, they cut the cake and delicately fed it to one another. Never in either of their lives would they have thought they could find happiness and marriage again so late in life. They couldn't have been any happier.


Stick around to see how the Tanaka house is faring now that Jiro came back to join his grandmother and younger siblings!

~*~*~*~*~

Scoring:

No new points.

Net worth to be added to neighborhood total: $31,376


[[Author's Notes: AWWW, I love Santiago and Roisin!!!! It was a complete spur of the moment decision to have them marry. Santiago got the want while they were on a date, and I thought...hells yeah my favorite golden oldie, have at her. Plus, it will be nice for him to have company while the kids are away at university next round. As for Diego and Dot, they pretty much skilled and got promotions, and Catalina...haha, sigh. I have had her check out probably a hundred sims, checking for attraction, and the only people she's attracted to are women! I didn't really want to have a billion lesbians in the neighborhood, but I'll do whatever makes her happy. If that's Nerissa Chan, so be it! This round made me smile. A lot. :') I'm going to cry so hard when Santiago dies. OH. And about Count Vasyl Hogan? Yeah, that dude like STALKED Cat the whole round. I've never seen anything like it. Glitch? Vendetta about to happen? You tell me.

This Entry's MP3:
The Second Time Around by Frank Sinatra. In honor of Santiago and Roisin, le sigh. Classic.

Bloopers:
Um...shouldn't you be dust by now? // Diego tells his sister about two girls, one cup. // Coolest display ever. // More magic vamp!]]