Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Instructor
Original Poster
#76 Old 10th Nov 2009 at 4:20 PM
Default Everything Changes: With Tragedy Comes Realization (Part 7.2)
The next morning, Mommy was the first one up. I hadn’t even felt her get out of bed, but I could hear her moving around in the kitchen below. I looked over at the clock and it was only 5:30am. Slowly I climbed out of bed. It had been a long night and I was still haunted by Nori’s phone call. I wrapped up in my robe and walked down the steps. When I got to the kitchen, I saw mommy sitting at the table. Something was cooking on the stove. She looked up when she saw me walking towards her and smiled. “Well good morning, there, sleepyhead.”

“Good morning.” I yawned.


“Victoria, come sit down and talk to me for a while will you?” Mommy asked me. I walked over and pulled out a chair and sat. I could see in Mommy’s eyes that she was troubled. When I was sitting, Mommy reached over and took my hand in hers and looked at me. “Victoria, I’m sorry to hear about Nori's mother. Last night after that phone call, it was the longest night ever. And..." Mommy's voice trailed off. She looked down at our hand and then back up to me. " I know I've said this before, Victoria...But it's different now. I'm sorry Victoria. I'm so sorry." Mommy turned away a moment and then back again. "I realized last night that I've messed up....and this could be my last chance to make things right Victoria. To make things right for us... If it hadn't been for Nori's mom leaving here...who knows when we may have gotten in here. That could have been me that used just one more time....It could have been me whose daughter lay crying in her bed last night because the one thing that meant more than anything to me....than my family... my kids... finally killed me." Mommy was crying, but she wasn't fighting it this time. "I'm going to talk to Natalie this morning when she gets here about all of this and see what we can do to help out Andy and Nori. I meant what I said though Victoria. I promise you, I'm going to do this thing. I owe it to you kids....I owe it...to...myself."

"Mommy?" Estel came down the steps rubbing her eyes. Mommy stood up from the table and went over and help her tight. "What's the matter Mommy? How come you're crying?"

"It's nothing honey...I was just talking to your sister. How about you run upstairs and wake up your brothers? I've got a special breakfast for us this morning." Mommy kissed Estel's cheek and Estel ran back upstairs. Could it really be that things were going to be better now? I hoped so, but I had heard it all before and yet, things never seemed to last long.


Mommy had made sausage gravy and biscuits. It had been our favorite. Granny used to make it for us on Sunday mornings when we had stayed with her. I had never remembered Mommy having made it before, but it was surprisingly good.

After breakfast, Mommy had us all help her clean up the table and put the dishes in the washer. The trips looked at her funny when she asked them to help clean up, but they did as she asked them. The rest of the morning was filled with making beds, taking baths, and getting ready for our first day in "treatment". Mommy even helped the trips with combing their hair. "I thought we were going home, Mommy!" Junior asked her as she drug a comb through his hair.


"This is our home for a while, Junior," she told him, "Go get your shoes on." It was weird for mommy to be so attentive to us.

Natalie was in at 8am and mommy put the trips in childcare and we went to talk to her. Mommy told her all about Andy and Nori and the phone call last night. I saw Natalie wince when Mommy told her about Nori's mom and what happened to her.

"Well, we don't generally allow passes off campus or visitors in the first few weeks, Martina. But, given the circumstances, I'll work with you on this. Are you wanting to go to the funeral?" Natalie questioned.

"I'm not sure on any of the details yet, Natalie. But I think it's important for my daughter and I to be there for Andy and Nori. Nori's been like a part of our family, and I've known Andy for years. He's a part of the recovering community, Natalie. And if it will help matters any, I can have my mother go as well. I know I've made trouble since I've been here, but I really want this. This whole situation has made me realize how serious this is. However twisted it may sound, I feel like that woman gave me a second chance. One she never got. I feel like I owe it to her." Mommy said, fighting back tears.


Natalie nodded. "Yes, I understand. Well, you find out the details and let me know. I'm trusting you on this Martina, so please, don't let me down."

Mommy and I went back to the apartment and Mommy called Andy. She talked to him for a while and got information about the funeral. It sounded as if it would be a few days from now... that the few family members who were able to be contacted were out of state and would be flying in. When Mommy was done talking to Andy, she handed me the phone. Nori was on the line.

"Nori! How are you?" I asked, for the first time, unsure of what to say to my best friend.

"I've definitely been better. It was hard to take it all in. Dad has helped me though. You know, Victoria, in a way, it's almost a comfort to finally know for once where she is. I don't have to worry about something happening to her... anyone hurting her anymore. I suppose it's not been as hard as it might have been had I really had anything to do with her." I could hear Nori was crying, but she seemed to be taking everything a lot better than I ever imagined she would. "I think what scares me the most though, is finally meeting the rest of my family. I know I visited them a few times when i was younger, but I don't really even know any of them anymore."

We talked then for a while, Nori and I, though the conversation was a bit strained. When we finally hung up, I felt a bit lost, unsure of what the future held for us. I knew everything happened for a reason, yet, I felt selfish in thinking that Nori's pain was so that my family could heal.
Advertisement
Instructor
Original Poster
#77 Old 20th Nov 2009 at 12:20 AM
Default Everything Changes: The Story Continues (Part 7.3)
We returned back over to the main building when we were done talking to Andy and Nori. Mommy didn’t really seem to say much…wasn’t as talkative as she had been this morning. But, then again, I know that everything really hit her hard. Mommy peaked her head around the corner of Natalie’s door. “Come on in ladies,” I heard her say. I followed Mommy in and we sat down. “So…what did you find out?”

“Well,” Mommy began. The funeral is Friday morning at 11am. Andy said that he could pick me up if need be, or that I could have my mother come and get us. I really don’t like the idea of taking Sylvia or the trips though, so would it be possible for me to have my mother keep them while we’re gone?” Mommy asked.



Natalie looked away suddenly, but not before I could catch a glimmer of a tear in her eye. “Excuse me for a second,” she said and stepped around the corner. When she came back, her eyes were still a bit watery and red. She sat back down and looked down at us. “You know, I must confess to you, this situation is hard for me as well. I have also been quite close to Andy and Nori. You know this, seeing as how it was Andy who called me for you. But I also knew Tanya as well.” Natalie sighed. “But, no mixing work and personal matters, so on to your plans.” It was a bit odd to see a counselor cry, but I guess we’re all human.

“So I guess my plan is…I will have my mom come and get us all on Friday morning and take us back to her house. The trips can stay there with her, and I can have Andy pick Victoria and I up there.”

“Sounds like a reasonable enough plan. I know Andy and trust that he won’t let anything happen to you or put you in a bad situation. So,” Natalie continued, handing Mommy a piece of paper, “I need you to fill out a pass so that everyone knows where you are going.” Natalie then explained to Mommy what all information needed to be filled out, and when Mommy was done, Natalie took it and signed it. “Alrighty, then that’s taken care of. You will need to drop a UA when you come back and you must be back by 5pm.” Natalie smiled up at Mommy. “One more thing before you go?” Natalie stood up and walked over to Mommy. “Martina, you are a very special lady. From hearing your story and all that you have been through, your’s is a special case. Not everyone gets the second chances that you have been granted. So, please…PLEASE take this to heart and really take a look at what’s going on.” Natalie placed her hand on Mommy’s shoulder and smiled.

When Natalie was done talking, Mommy nodded silently and turned towards the door. But before she walked through it, she turned and hugged her. “Thank you for everything.” Mommy whispered. Mommy finally let go and turned towards me. “Ready Vic? I’m gonna go sign you in and then I need to head up to group.”

“You know, it may be possible for Victoria to eventually be able to stay at the apartment during the day rather than going into childcare. She’s certainly old enough, with you just being across the walk. But that’ll be something to look into once you all are in and settled.” Natalie explained. Mommy smiled at me and then motioned for me to follow.

The rest of the day trudged by. I kept to myself for the most part, except for listening to the trips’ grand stories of adventure. I kept thinking about everything going on around me and wondered why it was that my family were the ones going through it.



Friday came, and we all got up early. We had to get showers and breakfast and get ready for Granny to pick us up. She arrived at 8:30am just as she promised, and Mommy went over to sign out while Granny got us all in her van. Sylvia was in the van in her car seat and she squealed when she saw me. My beautiful little sister. I hadn’t realized until I saw her sitting there exactly how much I missed her. I leaned in and kissed her before I sat down next to her. The trips buckled up in the back seat just as Mommy opened her door. “Thanks for your help, Mom” Mommy told Granny as she leaned in and kissed Granny’s cheek. Granny closed her eyes and lowered her eyes and then looked over at Mommy.

“Before I pull away from this place, Martina Goodall. Promise me…promise me with everything that you have that this isn’t some scheme to get me to come take you from here. PROMISE ME that you plan on returning here.”

Mommy appeared a bit shocked at Granny’s words, though I was as well. “Well, yes, mother! I can’t believe you would say that to me!”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, my dear, but I never know about you, Martina. And I’ll be quite honest with you. I was a bit hesitant to have anything to do with this until I talked to Andy and he assured me that he’d see to it that you went back. It was just a couple days ago that you were calling me to come and take you…”

“And it was just a few days ago that a woman left here…giving our family a place to stay…a place for us to get healthy again…And only a few days ago that she overdosed and died, leaving behind a daughter that she barely knew existed, but that has been almost like a sister to my children.” Mommy’s face was red and I could see that Granny had angered her with what she had said.

Granny’s expression softened and she smiled. “You’re really serious this time, aren’t you?” She asked, looking deeply into Mommy’s eyes.

“Yes, I am, Mom.” Mommy said and looked straight ahead through the windshield. Granny nodded and turned the key in the ignition. We were off.


The drive wasn’t too bad. No one really said much except for Sylvia who sang most of the way. She seemed to have changed so much in the short time that she had been with Granny. I was glad that she was finally coming home with us today after the funeral. She cried a bit when she saw Mommy and realized she couldn’t get out of her seat to go have Mommy hold her, but she was fine as long as I was there sitting next to her and we were singing.



Andy and Nori were already at Granny’s house when we got there, to our surprise. I couldn’t wait to get out and hug Nori. She squealed and came running over to me, throwing her arms around my neck. I held her tightly. I looked at her when she pulled away from our embrace, and surprisingly enough, she didn’t look like she had been crying. I would have figured today of all days would be the worst. Nori caught me looking her over. “I’m not going to cry today,” she told me. “I am at peace finally with at least knowing that now no one can hurt her anymore… not even SHE can.” Nori nodded matter-of-factly, but I was sure her walls of support would crumble later when she realized the finality of the situation.

Andy walked over to Mommy’s side of the van and opened her door. “Well hello there young lady,” he told Mommy, grinning. “How’re things going?”

Mommy got out and opened the side door to get Sylvia out. “I’ll get her.” Andy offered.

“Oh, well, okay, I suppose. I think some of the stuff that they do there is quite ridiculous myself, BUT…I guess that I don’t really know it all…I am an addict, afterall.” Andy took Sylvia out of her car seat and as soon as he turned around, Mommy wrapped her arms around the both of them. To our surprise, Andy put his arm around Mommy’s back and kissed her forehead, smiling.

We helped Granny get the trips and Sylvia inside and we all sat and talked a while. No one mentioned a word about what was going on today. There was just an overall pleasant warmth in the room.

At about 10am, Andy stood and suggested that we get ready to head out as we would need to be there a bit early. Well, Andy would, anyhow, and Nori.

The funeral parlor was relatively small, but then again, it didn’t need to be huge. There were only a couple handfuls of people that attended besides us four. I watched Nori the entire ceremony and she didn’t shed a tear. I was amazed at her ability to maintain her composure. The toughest part, I thought, would be the actual burial. I remembered how it was for my daddy. I remembered how mommy fell down on the ground and cried and cried.



At the cemetary, there were even fewer people. I couldn't imagine not having family around at a time like this. We didn't see our aunts and uncles and everyone very often because they lived out of state, but we had Granny still. And good or bad, Mommy always had friends around. Nori's grandma was at the graveside and I don't know if she cried more at burying her daughter or at seeing her only granddaughter. Nori's aunt and uncle and their families were also there with a couple of their kids.



The preacher held a quick ceremony and afterwards, when everyone was finally leaving the cemetary, Nori's walls crumbled down and she wept. Andy stood next to her, his hand rubbing her back. Reaching below the chairs where they had both sat moments earlier, they pulled out beautiful bouquets of roses. One red and one pink. They placed them on the top of the casket, and stood together silently again for a moment. Finally, I heard Nori whisper, "Goodbye mom. I know you probably never really knew how much I really loved you, but I did." We all walked back to Andy's car together quietly. There was nothing more that could be said.
Instructor
Original Poster
#78 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 5:37 PM
I seem to have lost the flashdrive that has my story on it, so...sorry about the delay in the next chapters. They'll be coming soon. Hopefully I'll find it today while cleaning.
Scholar
#79 Old 3rd Dec 2009 at 7:54 PM
Thanks for letting us know.
I hope you find it soon.
Instructor
Original Poster
#80 Old 9th Dec 2009 at 3:33 PM
Default Everything Changes: Part of the Community (Part 8.1)
Andy and Nori dropped us off at Granny’s house. Andy hugged Mommy and thanked us for coming. Nori had fallen asleep in the car, and rather than wake her, I asked Andy to tell her to call me in the morning. Andy nodded and got back in his car. The air and emotion suddenly felt stagnant. Rolling down his window, Andy waved goodbye and thanked us once again as he backed down the driveway. Turning back towards Granny’s house, we could see Junior looking out the window. Not even a minute later, the front door to Granny’s house flung open and the trips came racing out. They wrapped their arms around Mommy’s waste and almost knocked her over. “Easy guys! My goodness!” Mommy exclaimed, laughing at their excitement to see us.

The days after the funeral had flown by and already we had been here almost a month. Each day seemed to blend into the next. Mommy seemed to get better each day and the trips were growing so quickly. Sylvia was working on potty training in daycare and talking more and more. As for me, I kept myself busy reading and writing. I was getting restless though. I was missing Nori and Andy and Grannie... I hated being in this room of screaming kids. Natalie had said something about me being old enough to stay home on my own, but even that was a drag. I was starting to feel very resentful towards Mommy for all she had done that had brought us here.


“You can’t stay held up over here forever, ya know,” said a soft voice and I looked up to see a short, brown-haired lady with a young boy on her hip. She looked vaguely familiar and I had seen her around before, but had never talked to her before. “Hi! I’m Celia.” She said, adjusting the boy before holding out a hand. I looked up at her and shook her hand. There was a friendliness and understanding in her eyes. “Mind if I sit down?” she asked, nodding her head to the sofa next to me.

“That’s fine,” I told her and sat up straight. She sat down beside me and put the boy down on her lap. “So, how come you aren’t over at least talking to the other kids?” she asked curiously.

“Well, I don’t know.” I told her, shrugging. “I guess I just have a lot to think about. A lot has happened in the last few weeks, well…months even.”

“Care to talk about it?” she asked. I hesitated. I didn't want to talk about anything, especially to a stranger. Before I could respond though, she began speaking again. “Actually, you know what? How about I tell you a little bit about me, first, and then you can decide what you would like to share with me, if anything.”

I thought about it and then nodded at her. “Ok.” I agreed. I guess it couldn't hurt. It would at least take up some of the long hours of the day.

She took a deep breath and I watched as she put the now sleeping youngster across her shoulder. “Well, when I was your age,” she began, “my mom was a lot like most of the moms here. My mom was addicted to drugs and she’d use all kinds. Alcohol too. So she came to treatment and my sister and I came here with her. This very place, except it was a lot smaller back then. She didn’t end up ever staying though. She didn’t like their rules and didn’t think that she needed help. But, my mom had never really been a mom, and so I took advantage of that. I was a wild child. My sister was as well. When mom was out doing her thing, we were out doing ours. And we didn’t really mind the fact that our mom wasn’t around. Sometimes, we’d even party along with her. But then, when my sister was 17 and I was almost 16, we were in a really bad car accident. My mom had been drinking and using. We all had actually. But she was driving. She ran head-on into another vehicle. My sister was killed instantly because she didn’t have on a seatbelt and was ejected through the windshield. My mom died a few days later due to severe head trauma. I got a bit banged up and had a broken arm. I also found out I was pregnant with my daughter Sadie.” There was a sad sort of happiness in her eyes now, and she paused for a moment, thinking.

“Wow,” I said. “So did you have any other family or anything?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I sure didn’t. Well, none that really wanted anything to do with me or that were fit to take care of me. Drug and alcohol addiction runs heavy in my family. So DHS finally sent me to a foster home. I was only in the 1st placement a little over four months before the family had had enough of my attitude and behaviors. I’d run away, steal, lie, drink, use…I didn’t care about anything or anyone. The only two people in the world that I cared about had been killed, so I didn’t care what happened to me either. Finally, I was court ordered to treatment for teens. I did what I needed to do to get through my 90 days. My daughter was born 2 weeks before I was scheduled to graduate, but they let me stay and finish up. By the night that I got out, I was back out there again. I had been released into an independent living program when I graduated treatment. I just couldn’t bare being alone and that was the only way I could find to numb the pain and hurt I felt. I was all alone, sixteen years old with a baby to look after. No job. No money. I was staying with a couple friends in a big house at the time. We got busted one night and DHS came and took Sadie from me. After that, I was only allowed visits and I wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t go like I was supposed to, or I’d come up with some excuse as to why I had to reschedule. It was all because I was still using.” Saryah shrugged and exhaled a deep sigh. “When Sadie was 2, my rights were finally terminated. I was horrified and it drove me further into my addiction. I also found out I was pregnant again. I tried keeping it a secret. I didn’t want to have another baby. I couldn’t even take care of the one that I had already so she’d been taken away. But I didn’t know what I was going to do. Then, I heard about the safe haven laws and planned to just take the baby to the hospital and leave it. Then, I could go about my business. That didn’t work though.”

“The night that Jonathan was born,” she continued, “I was way out of it. I was at this party when everything started. I knew what it was, I remembered it from Sadie, but I didn’t want anyone else to know. I don’t know why now, but it was so important to me back then. I didn’t want to be judged for giving up my baby and leaving it somewhere, so I couldn’t let anyone find out. I hadn’t gotten very big and could mostly hide it with baggy clothes. I figured I would have time to walk the few blocks to the hospital. On the way there, I was too out of it and ended up falling and lost all track of where I was. A lady came by walking her dog and found me laying there. Jonathan was born before the ambulance got there. His cry sent shivers through me. It wasn’t like a normal cry. It was really shrill and desperate. It was there, as the EMTs loaded me and my son into the ambulance that I knew something had to change. I couldn’t give my baby away. He needed me and needed me to be well. I needed to be well. After we got to the hospital, the lady that had found me came into my room and held my hand and talked to me. She said she could tell I needed help and then told me about this place. I guess she had gone through here herself a few years ago. When she said the name of it, I remembered having been here with my mom.”


Celia patted the boy’s back as he started to fuss and he calmed back down. She continued on. “I hated it at first, it reminded me of my mom and sister and when we had been here before. All I could do was cry and cry and cry when I’d think about things that we had done here before. Finally, my counselor set me straight. We talked about everything that had happened… my entire life’s story… and I felt a strange release afterwards. There’s been a world of difference since then."

I had been trying to figure out why she was telling me all of this, but after she got done, I realized that it made me feel a bit differently. I had been feeling so sorry for our family, but I realized that compared to what Celia had been through, I had a lot to be thankful for. She had had a rough life compared to mine and although I was irritable here, I knew I was blessed.
Instructor
Original Poster
#81 Old 10th Dec 2009 at 6:44 PM
Default Everything Changes: A Part of the Community (Part 8.2)

After my talk with Celia, we got to be pretty close. She was one of the youngest mothers there, and eventually, I had told her about all that I had been through. She had smiled at me and told me that if ever I needed to talk to someone, to not hesitate to call her or come over. I had also made friends with one of the other teen girls there, Marnie. The three of us got along quite well and break times between groups often found us hanging out outside.


One afternoon, Marnie and I had been outside listening to music. We'd taken a few of the kids out with us to play on the playground. Celia had eventually wandered over to find out where the noise was coming from and laughed when she saw us. "What're you doing just sitting there? You should be up and dancing ya know! A beat like that shouldn't go wasted." With that Celia started dancing.





Eventually, we joined her and were having a blast, when this old man came walking past. We guessed him to be a neighbor. We didn't pay attention to him, but kept on dancing. He stopped and turned and just stared for a minute. When we stopped and looked over at him, he turned quickly and acted as if he was watching a bird or something up in a tree. We just laughed. I was starting to enjoy myself more and more each day as we began to become more involved in the Hope House community.



Saturdays were becoming my favorite days of the week. On Saturdays, we had cleaning for major house, in the morning, but then the rest of the afternoon until 5pm was for family time. It was nice to be able to spend time together as a family and was a great break away from being in groups all day.

After six weeks, which had seemed like an eternity, we were able to have weekend afternoon visits. As soon as we were given the okay, I made a pass for Nori to come over for the day. When I called Nori and told her the news, she was ecstatic. Mommy had requested that Andy come over as well. We were all excited. Hopefully at last, we'd get back to having contact beyond the fences of Hope House.


I hugged Nori as soon as she got there the next Saturday. It had been a long few weeks since I had seen Nori. We had talked on the phone since the funeral, but it was never mentioned. It seemed as if she wanted to just forget all about it.


Sylvia saw Andy and immediately raised her arms to him when he walked in the door. Andy smiled and picked her up. Andy had really been the only guy around that Sylvia could probably remember. Her real father Silas had been worthless, and I hoped he'd never come back around. Mommy laughed when she saw Sylvia and went over and hugged Andy. It was good to see them again.

After a while, the trips got bored with hanging around in the house. Ruby had come over and asked them to come outside so they went out to play. Nori and I headed up to my room to hang out. Andy and Mommy had settled at the table to talk over a cup of coffee. Sylvia sat perched on Andy's lap chewing on a cracker.


When we came back down from upstairs, I could smell something burning and rushed down to see what was going on. I laughed when I found the source. Andy had attempted to make us all lunch and ended up burning it. Mommy sat laughing at the table. Andy stood at the stove, sipping his burnt concoction from a spoon. "Hmmm...I've done far worse, I suppose," he chuckled and turned off the stove. "When all else fails, there's always pizza!" he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. Saturdays were definitely going to be something to look forward to.
Instructor
Original Poster
#82 Old 12th Dec 2009 at 10:59 PM Last edited by Nukeya : 12th Dec 2009 at 11:09 PM.
Default Everything Changes: A Part of the Community (Part 8.3)
[**I've found my flash drive and been trying to be diligent in working on my story, so please, let me know your thoughts so far or even give me your rating. I'm considering changing my storyline a bit from what I had originally planned (which included the reasoning behind still referring to Martina as "Mommy") because I've thought of some new directions I'd like to go with some of the characters in the story. The changes would keep the story in the here-and-now, with it being told as it happens, rather than being a story being told to a certain someone. I haven't decided though, because I still like both ideas. Let me know what you think and prefer! If I do change the way it's being told, I can go back and change the "mommy" stuff to evolve without really changing the story. Also, as Sims aging is kinda wonky, I can't remember how old I have Victoria right now, or if I even have much of a reference, but she should be about 16-17. I'll have to do some digging and see if there's any specifics anywhere that conflict. Anyhow...let me know what you think, how you'd rate the story this far, and whether or not you'd be okay with changing the telling of the story to be an "as-it's-happening" kinda thing! Without further interruption... the story!]**

I had talked to Natalie a few weeks later and she had agreed that I would be allowed to stay at home during the day from then on. I had proven that I was trustworthy and responsible enough over the last few weeks. One day as I sat at home, a knock came on the door. When I got up to open it, there stood Natalie.


"Good afternoon, Miss Victoria," she said as she came inside. She held out her arms and hugged me. Natalie had been a God-send to our family and there would never be thanks enough for all she had helped us through. "So how are things going for you?" Natalie walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I followed her and sat down as well.

"Umm..they're going okay, I guess," I mumbled. I couldn't tell her that I was bored to death here, cause I knew how important it was to be strong for all of us.


Natalie chuckled and smiled at me. "Okay you guess?" I shrugged. "Well, here's the deal, Victoria. When it comes to addictions, it's not just the addicts that need support. The families do as well. I've watched you the last few weeks, and you seem to be withdrawing a bit. I know you hang out with some of the younger ladies here, but you've lost your spark in some ways. You need to be out with people your own age... you need to meet people on the community who have gone through things similar to what you have. I know you have Nori, and you are great friends, but I would love to see you get involved in something like Alateen. It's for the friends and families of addicts...a branch of Alanon that's specifically for younger people your age and I think it would be a great benefit to you." Natalie opened a brochure she had been carrying and handed it to me. "There's a meeting here in town every Wednesday night. Sometimes they have dances and lock-ins and things on the weekends. I'd like for you to consider going. It's at 5:30 in the evenings."

I thought about it for a minute. The idea of having people know about our problems scared me. It was hard enough to keep things quiet when I was in school, let alone to get involved in something like this. Natalie must have seen the look of apprehension in my eyes and spoke again. "Victoria, you don't have to be scared, honey. Kids from several towns around come here for the meetings."

"No, Natalie. It's not that. I just..." I trailed off for a minute.

"Then what is it?" she questioned, taking my hand and looking deeply into my eyes.

"I don't know, I...I guess..." I sighed. "I don't want people to know about Mom and everything that's going on." I looked down at my hands.


Natalie nodded understandingly and released my hand. "Victoria... None of this is your fault. Your mother made some poor choices, as everyone does, and she's getting help with it. You have nothing to be ashamed of, my dear. You are a beautiful, smart, ambitious girl and it doesn't matter what other people think. It would be good for you to get out, meet new people. Who knows, maybe you'll even find some nice young man while you're out." Natalie winked at me and I couldn't help but laugh. "So what do you say? Give it a try? See what ya think? You don't have, to... obviously the choice is yours. I just thought I'd suggest it." Natalie smiled at me again.

"I'll think about it." I told her. "Maybe you're right. Maybe getting out would help me feel better."

"That's my girl." She told me. "Actually, that wasn't what I originally was coming over here for," Natalie explained. "I saw the pamphlet on my bulletin board and couldn't figure out why I hadn't thought about it before. What I was wanting to talk to you about was school...college... what your plans are for your own future."

I blinked as she spoke. I hadn't even thought of my own future really. So far, my every day was spent worrying about our family, mom, the trips, granny, Nori... I hadn't even stopped to think about what I wanted. I hadn't even realized that college was coming up and I hadn't thought about where I would go or even *IF* I would go. "I guess, I don't really have many." I told her with a shrug.

Natalie opened her planner and got a piece of paper and pen out. "Well," she said. "You're going to be finishing high school this next year, my dear. I think it's about time that you started." Natalie wrote my name at the top and underlined it. "So... any thought as to what you might like to do? Anything you've always thought you'd be when you grow up?"

I knew exactly what I had always dreamed of, but I knew it would only ever be just that. A dream. I'd never be good enough to be a dancer. I'd never had a whole lot of formal training. And here I was...about to graduate high school in a year. But it sure would have been fantastic. Daddy would have been so proud.

"What is it Victoria?" Natalie asked, breaking me from my thoughts. "I can see there's something in there. So what is it?" I shrugged, not wanting to admit my childish fantasy. It'd never happen, so why even talk about it.

"Well, I lied. I've always been good at taking care of kids, so like... a nurse... or a doctor or... I don't know... maybe even a teacher?" I shrugged, lying. I had never thought about being any of those things before, but I guess they sounded easy enough.

"I don't believe that, Victoria. You're good at caring for kids because you've had to your whole life, and you love your brothers and sister. I don't think that that's what you were thinking about." I blushed and looked away, finding myself looking at the ballet bar that Andy had brought over and put up. Natalie caught me. "That's it, isn't it?" she asked. "Dance?" I turned and looked down at my hands again nodding. "Why didn't you say that in the first place then?"

"Cause I'll never dance!" I almost shouted. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, and an anger beginning to boil up. I didn't know why, but as I said those words, it was like a wall broke. The one dream I had held on to suddenly felt crushed. Natalie stood and hugged me. "Don't you say that, Victoria. The only way you'll never dance, is if you never try."

"And how am I supposed to do that when I'm here because my mom's a drug addict, my dad's dead, and we have no money. No money to hardly pay for our house, let alone to send me to dance classes or even college!" I guessed that maybe I had thought about this all before but had stuffed it all away, not wanting to really think about it. Dancing was something that I had loved my whole life...and every step of the way, something had always got in the way. Now I was too old and had no experience. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Victoria, if you really REALLY want to dance, you will. Nothing could stop you. There are people every day who do the impossible... something that they've always wanted to do, but that seems so far out of reach. It's not too late to try, you know. I wiped my face with my sleeve and looked at Natalie, who was writing something on the paper. "So. If you want to dance... want to get into a dance school. Let's figure out how to make it possible."

I looked at Natalie, and could see that she was serious. "But how?" I asked her.

"Well, for starters, you should probably get into some classes of some kind, right?" I nodded. "Well, you know they offer them down at the gym, right." Again, I nodded. "Well, that'd be a good place to at least start."

I sighed in frustration. "And how am I supposed to afford that? Mom doesn't work and we sure as heck don't have anything in savings anywhere."

"Well, there's nothing saying that you can't work, now is there?" Natalie stated, again writing on the paper. "You're old enough to get a job, and I'm sure you could afford to pay for your classes... even save up anything extra to put towards college. Besides that, I'm sure there's families looking for babysitters in the evenings or after school. There's all kinds of possibilities, Victoria. You just have to be creative and find ways to make things happen."


I thought about all that Natalie had just said and took it all in. I hadn't considered any of it, really. The more I listened to Natalie talk, the more I realized that perhaps itwas possible. But, it was going to take some work.
Scholar
#83 Old 14th Dec 2009 at 2:58 PM
Well, I'd definitely rate it 5 stars! As for changing the way the story's being told, well it's your story, so whatever you think is the best way of telling the story is the way you should use. Have you tried writing a chapter or two both ways and comparing them? That might help.
It really depends on where the story's going. It might be a nice ending, the reveal of who the story's being told to. But it might work better the other way.
Anyway, it's your story, tell it the way you want to tell it, and if it doesn't work, you could always go back and change it. Hope that helps in some way.
Alchemist
#84 Old 16th Dec 2009 at 5:28 AM
GREAT story. It seems very real, and i would also rate it 5 stars. I'm not really sure about changing the way it's being told... I guess, as Ginger said, it's your story, so whatever you think would work best!
Instructor
Original Poster
#85 Old 11th Jan 2010 at 5:18 PM
My laptop with my story and family on it is on the fritz so not sure if I'm going to be able to continue this story right now or not. Hoping that it's still under warranty I'll try and let y'all know if I get it up and working, though may have to make a new family to continue the story with.
Scholar
#86 Old 11th Jan 2010 at 10:50 PM
Thanks for letting us know whats going on. If there's any way you can continue the story then please do, it would be awful if you had to end it because of computer problems. It really is a very good story.
Instructor
Original Poster
#87 Old 13th Jan 2010 at 1:57 PM
Well, my laptop is officially out of commission for now. It appears to have a motherboard problem so I'm trying to decide what I want to do from there. I will try and make another family with which to continue the story, though I have to start all over from scratch for all of it, but I will try my best to get a family and places together that may somewhat resemble the original family I don't want to give up on the story
Instructor
Original Poster
#88 Old 26th Feb 2010 at 1:32 PM
I am happy to announce that I have managed to successfully restore my original family and shall be continuing the story!
Mad Poster
#89 Old 26th Feb 2010 at 7:26 PM
I'm glad you did! Loving the story, 5 stars :D
Scholar
#90 Old 27th Feb 2010 at 4:40 PM
That's great! Looking forward to reading more
Instructor
Original Poster
#91 Old 21st Jun 2010 at 12:37 AM
Two laptops and some major issues later, I'm hoping to be able to continue on once again, though it's been a few months.
Instructor
Original Poster
#92 Old 17th Jul 2010 at 7:28 AM
Default Everything Changes: Working Towards Change (Part 9.1)
*My Sims for this story are back and I hope that I can finally finish what I started in this story. Again I apologize for the long pause!*

I thought long and hard about what Natalie had told me and decided that I would do what I could. I really didn't have anything to lose, I supposed. I spent several days looking through the newspaper for a part-time job. School was almost over for the summer and I would have more time available soon. After a week and a half, I began getting discouraged, sure that I'd be stuck here all summer long and would never find anything.

After a little while of searching, I went over to the main building and used one of the computers in the kids' room. I found but one ad: a temporary housekeeper. Someone was needed for cleaning several apartments in a complex. I wrote down the number and went back over to our apartment. I called the number listed and took a deep breath. My nerves seemed to be getting the best of me as I sat listening to the line ringing. Eventually, a lady answered and explained to me the details of the job and said I could come by sometime and talk to her about it and see the apartments. I hung up the phone feeling at least a little bit hopeful that I'd be earning some money soon.

It was Wednesday, which meant that there would be an Alateen meeting this evening and I knew Natalie was going to want me to go. I still wasn't sold on the idea of talking to strangers about my family issues, but if she thought it would help, I couldn't really argue. Plus, it would get me out of the apartment and away from everything for a while.



Natalie dropped me off at the meeting and said one of the girls who helped to run the meetings would bring me home. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest as I walked up to the double doors and entered. I didn't see many people around, except for two girls who appeared to be about my age. They introduced themselves as Jacqueline and Grace, twin sisters, who had helped to establish the group. The gave me a quick tour of the place and assured me I would be fine. I couldn't have disagreed more, though, I didn't tell them that. I wanted to run out of there, but I had no where to go and no way to get anywhere unless I wanted to walk.


As the meeting began, everyone took a chair in a circle around the room. There were a few announcements, and then we were asked if anyone had anything to share. There were several teens who shared some things that had been going on for them over the last week: some good and some bad. After each had shared, others were offered the opportunity to share their thoughts/ideas/experiences or whatever, and then we moved on to the next person. I had to admit, it was interesting to hear some of the things that the others had been through, and I had kind of started to feel not quite so alone in my situation.


I listened intently as the others shared, though sometimes, I couldn't help but to think back on what I had been through. Some of it was hard to think about again without feeling anger or hurt welling up in my chest. When that happened, I tried to focus more on what the others were saying and let my own troubles be pushed from my thoughts.


As I listened, I couldn't help but to notice the blond haired boy sitting next to me. His eyes seemed filled with genuine compassion as he listened to others speak. He didn't really say a whole lot though. I found him to be rather cute, though I felt my face flush when I realized I was kinda scoping him out rather than paying attention to the meeting. I was a little embarrassed, cause I wasn't here to check out boys.


Eventually, we made our way around the circle and I was asked if I would like to at least introduce myself and then if I had anything I wanted to share. I felt myself choke up when I realized the whole room was looking at me, and my words caught in my throat. I wasn't used to being the center of attention by any means and had no idea what to say, so I just told them my name and that this was my first time coming to something like this. I shrugged and then passed. The blond kid was next and before he turned from me, he smiled and whispered to me, "You did fine." I returned a faint smile and then he started to talk. 'Why on earth did I let Natalie talk me into this,' I thought to myself.
Test Subject
#93 Old 25th Jul 2010 at 7:56 PM
ooh I want to know what happens!
Instructor
Original Poster
#94 Old 30th Jul 2010 at 2:49 PM
Default Everything Changes: Working Towards Change (Part 9.2)
When I got home, Mom was waiting for me. She was wanting to see how the meeting went. I just shrugged and said it was okay. She smiled, but didn't dig any further. When I said I was going up to go to bed, Mom looked a bit surprised, but said she'd see me in the morning. As I lay in bed, I thought about some of the things that the others had said and admired their openness. Maybe someday I'd be able to do the same. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.

The next morning, I got up and got dressed. Mom and the kids had already gone over to the main building so I was alone in the apartment. I went downstairs and picked up the phone to call the apartment lady back. I'd do whatever I could at this point, even if it meant cleaning.


I had to double check the address that the woman had given me, for it lead me to the Gardner Dance Studio and Gym. I walked up to the receptionist window, sure that I had gotten the address wrong. A blonde haired lady was sitting behind a computer and took a minute to notice me.


I noticed the young girls at the ballet bars behind her and found myself watching them more than paying attention to the woman. "You must be Victoria!" she said when she noticed me and opened the glass window.

"I am." I said, unsure of what to say. Seeing those girls made my chest ache slightly, so I turned and looked back down at the woman.

"I'm glad to meet you, finally. " She smiled and came out to greet me. "I'm Ellen," she introduced herself, sticking out a hand. "It's been so busy around here lately, I swear I barely have time to think! So let's see... I'll tell ya... I'm kind of new to this whole process. Long story short, I've leased this suite for the past few years, but in the last few months, it went up for sale. I didn't want to pack up and move my studio because I love it here, so my husband and I ended up buying the place. The only problem is... there's about a dozen apartments upstairs that we inherited as a part of the deal. Several of them have been empty for a while and aren't in very good shape. A good cleaning would do 'em good, but I just don't have the time. My oldest son Ryan's been helping me, but he works another job too, so..." she shrugged. She seemed like a nice enough lady. "Interested in checking them out?"

"Sure!" I said. Surely they couldn't be all that bad, could they? Boy was I surprised! But, I needed the money, so after a while of talking, we agreed. I'd come over at 8am for the next however many days it would take to clean them. She had a few papers to have me fill out and then I was on my way. I had a job! At least for a little while.

I spent the rest of the day back at the apartment. I went over to the main building and told Natalie the good news. She was excited for me and asked me if I needed anything else. I said I really didn't. I planned on walking or taking the bus downtown in the mornings. We celebrated that night with ice cream and movies.


The next morning I was up early and threw on some old clothes. I pulled my hair up and was heading out the door just as everyone else was waking up. Mom gave me a big hug as I put my shoes on and told me she was proud of me.

I got down to the gym about 20 minutes early and ran across the street to grab a sandwich and some chips for lunch. When Ellen arrived she commented about my being early and then let me into the apartments. She said if I needed anything, not to hesitate to ask.

I set to work cleaning the worst of the bunch. Whoever had lived there must not have ever cleaned anything, for there was crud all over all of the counters, walls, floors... It was no wonder they no longer lived here. I was determined to make a good impression, so I worked hard. The first apartment took the majority of the day to clean and I hadn't noticed when lunchtime came and went. I looked at the clock when I felt my stomach growling and it was almost 3pm.

I took a break and ate my sandwich, looking around the apartment. I was surprised that it was turning out to be a pretty nice place once I had gotten it cleaned up. Two hours later, I went downstairs and let Ellen know that I had the first apartment taken care of. She followed me back upstairs and I showed her my work.



"Wow! Amazing job!" she exclaimed when she opened the door. "I can't believe how nice it looks in here! I had little hope for this place, aside from completely remodeling it!" Ellen walked around the apartment, a smile across her lips. I followed her, sure that she'd find something I'd missed. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out some money and handed it to me. I took it from her, unsure of how much was even there, but rather than counting it, I stuck it in my pocket and thanked her. "No, hun. Thank YOU!" She smiled again, "We'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yes ma'am!" I told her.

That night my whole body seemed to ache. I knew it was because it had been a while since I had worked so hard. I had forgotten the money in my pocket until I was changing into my pajamas. I pulled it out to count it and was surprised at what I found. There were twenty-dollar bills in the stack and I counted them. One... two... three... four... five... Ellen had paid me one-hundred dollars for cleaning that apartment! It was more money than I had ever had at once! Along with it, there was a small note that read:

Victoria:

I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work you did on this apartment. I knew we had agreed on $10/ hr, but I wanted to give you a bit extra. Think of it as a "tip". Thanks again for your help!

-Ellen


I was still stunned as I lay my head down on my pillow, but I was thankful. It had been hard work, but nothing that I hadn't ever done before. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. It seemed like only a second later, my alarm was screaming in my ear for me to wake up.


I set to work on the next apartment as soon as I got there the next morning. The rest of them wouldn't take near the time that the other had taken, for they had been taken better care of. By 1130 am I was almost done with the second apartment. As I was finishing up mopping the floor, I heard a familiar voice and looked up. It was the blond kid from the meeting. I felt my face flush.
"Fancy meeting YOU here," he said with a grin. I think he could tell I was embarrassed, cause he chuckled a bit. "No need to get all worked up," he said. "Mom just asked if I would come up and invite you to lunch with us. Said she noticed you hadn't brought anything with you this morning."

"No thanks. I'm not really hungry right now and I'll just run across the street later and get something. But tell her thanks for me." Mom. MOM. So this was Ellen's son? What a small world it was. I managed a bit of a smile and began mopping again.

"Oh, come on! She's just ordered some pizza downstairs. It's not like we're going out to some fancy restaurant or something. She'll be hurt if you don't." I stopped again and looked up at him. HE looked like the hurt one. I looked down at the mop in my hand and in doing so, realized I didn't have much on for a top. It had been warm outside today, so I had worn a light work-out suite and taken off the jacket. When I looked up again, he was holding it.

"Here... if that's what you're worried about, you can put your jacket back on." He tossed it to me. I sighed and put it on. "So... you coming or what?"

"Well...Okay." I said and leaned the mop against the cabinet. I felt a bit uneasy at how nice they had all seemed to be, and hoped that I wasn't in for a rude awakening somewhere down the road.
I tiptoed across the wet kitchen floor and followed him out the door. He turned and closed it behind us. "By the way, I'm Ryan."
Page 4 of 4
Back to top