The Vincis - Round 3

Starring:

Gretchen Shin, Adult Knowledge Sim, LTW Become Mad Scientist

Salvatore Vinci-Chin, Child Knowledge Sim, LTW Grow Up Well

Last round at the Vinci household, Paolo fell in love with three different girls, while Enzo begged his friend Gretchen Chin to move into the house and keep it for them while the brothers went away to college. What does Gretchen have up her sleeve while the boys are away?

As soon as Enzo and Paolo left for school, Gretchen immediately began filling out paperwork for adoption. She knew what had happened to the little brother of Enzo and Paolo, and it broke her heart. She very much cared for Enzo, and she wanted to do this one important thing for her.


To her delight, after a very invasive interview and background check process, she was approved, and bright and early one morning, the social worker dropped off handsome little Salvatore to his former home and his new mother.


She was shocked at how delighted (though also terrified) she was to have a child of her own now. True, she hadn't birthed him, but she wanted so much for Salvatore to have something of a normal life.


Almost immediately, it seemed they took to one another. They were both very playful and outgoing, and neither ever turned down an invitation to play catch or red hands or spin me around. Not only that, Gretchen could see that Salvatore had a bright, inquisitive mind, and that he was always eager to soak up knowledge. That was something she could appreciate, and she thanked the universe for giving her the opportunity to raise this little boy.


Sal liked Gretchen, too. She was fun, and nice, and it was cool to be back in the house. He hadn't seen his brothers in ages, but he wanted to surprise them the next time they came home for a visit. He was so happy to be out of foster care, where you had as much chance of being with an insane parent as a sane one.


Gretchen was doing well in her career, and that also meant that Sal had good luck.


Gretchen spoiled Sal rotten. He wanted a lemonade stand, and so she obliged, figuring that it would help him learn how to handle money and deal with the public.


He was pretty good at selling; almost everyone who came buy bought a cup from him, and he loved emptying out his piggy bank at the end of the day.


Gretchen also bought him a jungle gym since he had so much energy to burn. She figured it would help him wear off some of that restlessness after school, and she was right.


They frequently ate together, and even though Gretchen wasn't as good a cook as Sal's mom, dad, or brothers, he enjoyed spending time with her anyway. Sometimes he felt like she was kind of a kid herself - she got excited about some of the same things he did and was always interested in hearing about his day.


She even cheered for him whenever he showed off, which reminded him of Enzo. He was lucky to have been adopted by Gretchen, he knew.


Gretchen, too, started getting new hobbies. She was making more money with every promotion at work, and it allowed her to afford a tiny greenhouse where she thought she might be able to grow some fresh produce for she and Sal.


Sal made friends quickly, including with Caralina Villalobos, who lived down the street. Everyone seemed to be drawn in by his outgoing and enthusiastic personality.


Gretchen wasn't as quick to make new friends, but once she met someone she felt she could trust, she became attached to them quickly.


Fortunately, she kept coming home with promotions, in no small part due to the fact that she was also very good friends with a co-worker who she had to admit was quite handsome and even flirted with her a bit, good-naturedly.


One night, Gretchen's poor cooking skills started a little fire, but she was able to put it out before the firemen even arrived. They warned her she might want to practice a bit more, and she agreed fearfully, joining Sal to watch The Yummy Channel.



The next day, Gretchen came home with another promotion, and with her bonus, she managed to purchase Salvatore one more thing he begged her for. It had taken a little convincing because she wasn't sure what would be involved, but finally, she gave in to him, his sweet face too much for her to resist.


That day, they welcomed Henry the Parrot into their home. Salvatore decided he wanted Henry to live in his room so he could keep an eye on him all the time, and Gretchen agreed. She hoped this would result in Sal learning how to care for a pet instead of with her ending up the primary care provider after he lost interest in a week or two.



Sal LOVED Henry immediately off the bat. He and his mother both shared a love of nature, and so having a pet bird only seemed an extension of that love. He frequently walked around the house with Henry perched happily on his shoulder.


Even Gretchen had to admit, their new pet was pretty fun. She had to clean the cage because Sal was too little to yet, but she didn't mind, as she also got to spend time trying to teach Henry how to speak.


Sal didn't let his nature interest limit him to bug collecting and playing with Henry. He also helped out Gretchen in the garden, and they really became friends while playing in the dirt together. They couldn't quite figure out how to make their tomatoes grow properly, and when Sal made a suggestion, Gretchen allowed him to try it, to encourage him learning by trial and error. They made a very good pair, even if they never did get any decent tomatoes out of their plants.


Gretchen frequently helped Sal with his homework, teaching him all the study skills she had learned when she was in university, and he picked up on it very quickly.


Before long, he was coming home with A+ report cards, jumping up and down with excitement because it was the first time ever he'd managed that feat. "I couldn't have done it without you...Mom..." he tested hesitantly, and Gretchen beamed with pride, giving him a hug that threatened to crush his ribs.


She continued to have social problems at work, making bad decisions and feeling dejected each time.


Nevertheless, she continued to keep raking in the promotions, rapidly making her way toward being a Mad Scientist (and spoiling her new son rotten in the process).

Up next, the Cleary Homestead.

~*~*~*~*~

Scoring:

New sim added to neighborhood (or rather regained): +1

Net worth to be added to network total: $42,128

[[Author Notes: HOORAY!!!!!!! I finally got Salvatore back, and the age disparity between he and his brothers shouldn't be too severe (only ten days). Getting Gretchen to move in and adopt him was officially the best thing I could ever have done. The two of them get along marvelously. They are both knowledge sims, and they are both extremely playful and outgoing and nice. They're almost like two little kids playing instead of mother and child, and it gives me such great joy to allow her to spoil him positively rotten. Call it player's remorse for allowing him to get taken by the social worker, but I'm like YAY LET'S BUY EVEN MORE TOYS FOR SALVATORE!!!!! Le sigh. I love that little kid and his new mama. :)

No bloopers for this round, so I leave you with music!

This Entry's MP3:
Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae]]