#day 3.7

[mysimsloveaffair]

Ajay walks to the stairs, ready to end this trying day. Adwin stops him...

Adwin: Hold up son! I almost forgot to give you your Winterfest gift.

Ajay didn’t expect to receive anything.

Adwin-Jamie: What is it?

Adwin: You have to open it.

Ajay opens the lid and peaks inside. His father has given him a nice set of earbuds and a big box of condoms.

Adwin-Jamie: What is this?

Adwin: Something I should have given you a long time ago. You would think that I would have learned from my dad’s mistakes. 

Adwin-Jamie: Uh...thanks.

Adwin: Believe me son...you may think that you don’t need them now, but there will come a time when you will. I just want you to be prepared. Okay?

Adwin-Jamie: Um, yeah...okay.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Adwin: *continues fussing* And it’s a shame you missed the funeral. I thought your ride was scheduled to bring you back in plenty of time. What happened?

Ajay decides to tell the truth.

Adwin-Jamie: I was here - on time…but I didn’t want to be around a bunch of other people. I went after it was all over and I ran into mom and Papa Dex. We went and grabbed something to eat after.

Adwin: *deep sigh* I guess you have to deal with things your own way…but everybody was asking about you!

Adwin-Jamie: Sorry dad *slight pause*…I really need to pee - 

Adwin: Go…we’ll talk more later.

Ajay passes the twins as he heads towards the bathroom. 

[mysimsloveaffair]

Carla sits down next to Ajay.

Carla: She loved you so much, Ajay! You were all she ever talked about.

Ajay thinks about that for a while. He doesn’t doubt that it’s true.

Adwin-Jamie: Are you okay? You don’t seem very sad.

Carla: That’s because I’m all cried out.  *deep sigh* I’ve been mourning for a looong time now. 

Ajay’s not exactly sure what that means, but he doesn’t pry. After they sit for a while in silence...Carla speaks up again.

Carla: I was just about to take Dexter out to get something to eat. Wanna come?

Ajay would like some time alone but doesn’t want to pass up the chance to spend time with his mom. He’s sure she won’t be in town for long. 

Adwin-Jamie: Yeah...sure.

They stand up to leave. Ajay walks straight towards the gate. Carla remains behind and walks over to her grieving stepdad to gently inform him that it’s time for them to leave. He follows behind her like an obedient child. 

[mysimsloveaffair]

Ajay and Adwin sit down to finish their talk. 

Adwin:  After the funeral, I went to the office for a few hours. I found out that there’s an opening in the mail room. If you applied, I’m sure you’d be able to get a job there...with my recommendation of course!

The last thing Ajay would ever want to do is work in some stuffy mail room. It’s totally against the plans he has for his life.

Adwin-Jamie: Thanks, but there’s something else that I want to do.

Adwin: Okay...let’s hear it.

Adwin-Jamie: There’s this empty lot on the beach that I plan on buying.

Adwin remains silent waiting for Ajay to say more, but he doesn’t.

Adwin: That’s it? You want to buy an empty lot? Son, that’s not exactly a life plan. What about starting a career...or at least getting a job?

Adwin-Jamie: That’s the thing, dad. If I buy this lot...my plan is to live simply, that way I won’t need much money. When I do need money...I can make it in alternative ways. Maybe I can return to Selvadorado to seek out treasures or make money growing crops or fishing. I can even travel to local towns and find collectibles and make money that way. 

[mysimsloveaffair]

The house is a bit chaotic as usual when Ajay arrives home. There’s so much going on that Adwin almost doesn’t even notice when Ajay steps into the house. But when he does, he hurries over and greets him with a hug.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Mina hangs the freshly washed laundry. She’s in the kitchen making lunch when Ajay finally exits the shower and comes down the stairs. Mina looks up, happy to see him.

Mina: You made it back! How long have you been home?

Ajay doesn’t want her to know that he wasted so much time trying to avoid the funeral, so he lies...

Adwin-Jamie: Just now...long enough to take a shower.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Dexter gets up and walks away. 

Adwin-Jamie: *pulls out his phone* Can I show you something?

Carla: Yeah...sure

Ajay pulls up a website on his phone, then hands it over to Carla.

Carla: What am I looking at?

Adwin-Jamie: It’s an empty lot that I’m thinking about buying. I discovered it today.

Ajay doesn’t say much more than that. He doesn’t want his mom to know how long he’d actually been back in town. 

Carla: It’s nice! Right on the beach?

Adwin-Jamie: Yep...the view is so pretty. I’ll wake up to the sounds of the ocean every morning!

Carla: *hands back the phone* But there’s no house. Will you have one built?

Adwin-Jamie: *evasive* Something like that.

[mysimsloveaffair]

He forcefully pushes all sad thoughts out of his mind. He has about an hour left before his ride arrives to take him home. Ajay decides to use this time by doing something daring. 

He thinks about Bryanna standing outside barefoot in the snow. He takes off his coat and strips down to the bottom layer of clothes. Slowly he takes off one boot at a time, removes his socks and places his feet in the snow. At first, the cold feels unbearable. He ignores the impulse to replace his boots and begins to jog. 

After he’s gotten used to the initial shocking sensation of bare feet in the snow...he finds that it’s not so bad (or his feet have become completely numb). Either way...he enjoys the feel of it. Concentrating on where he places his foot while running, combined with trying to ignore the cold actually helps him put aside the pain and grief that has gripped him since hearing the news of his g-ma passing.  

He increases his speed and runs until it’s time for him to leave.