🎨: I hung around Dad and my grandparents' memorial while I waited for Mom. I got a call from Aunt Brandy asking when she’d see me? I got a text from Capri-Sun reminding me she was coming with me to the last ultrasound appointment. It was quiet; the rustling of the trees and the soft footfall of the groundskeeper were the only sounds to be heard.
There wasn’t a soul around when I got a chill down my spine and heard my name on the wind. I looked around to be sure I hadn’t missed anyone. I tried to shrug it off, but the feeling remained. I was sure I was losing my mind and debated whether to go into the crypt to find Mom and demand we leave. Before I could decide, I heard my name clearly this time; no whispers and no mistake. Whatever or whoever was here wanted me to know they were here. Still, I saw no one. I made the decision to risk going into the under crypt to find my mom just so I wouldn’t have to be out here alone when he appeared from thin air.
Kennedy: Drew? Is-is that you?
He looked exactly like I remembered him, tall, broad shoulders, spikey hair, and that sad smile.
Drew: Hey, babe.
Kennedy: Drew…no. No. How did you- what happened to you?!
Drew looked down at his translucent form as if he hadn’t noticed his ghostly state until I’d pointed it out. I knew some people thought I should hate him, but I didn't. I loved him once, then I was scared for him, then I was scared of him, then I was mad at him, but I never hated him. I was disappointed and so many other things, but hate was never part of the equation.
Drew: I wish I could have gotten clean for you and Lane. Wish I had been smarter, trusted you, and asked for help, but I didn’t know how to, and it cost you so much. In the end, I scared you away, I made you so afraid you felt you had to take our daughter and run, and I'll never forgive myself for that. Before I let it take my life, I let it take everything I cared about. I let it hurt the people who cared about me, and for that, I may never find peace.
My chest felt tight, and my throat was closing. My eyes stung with unshed tears. How could he be dead? How could his addiction have won? It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He was supposed to get clean. The prison was supposed to make sure of it. He was supposed to make sure of it. Damnit, the watcher was supposed to have made sure of it! The moment was overwhelming, and I placed my hands on my swollen belly. Drew's eyes were immediately drawn to the action.
Drew: Are you pregnant?
I couldn’t help the smile that formed at the mention of my unborn child as I nodded. His body turns an angry shade of red, but what right did he have to be mad at me? He would learn quickly. I was no longer afraid of him, alive or dead.
Kennedy: Isn't it obvious?
Drew: It's his, isn't it?
He asked as if I should feel as disgusted as he looked at the idea. I didn’t bother to answer that question and asked one of my own.
Kennedy: Are you going to ask a question that requires an actual answer?
As I waved him off, the sunlight reflected off my engagement ring, and his scowl deepened.
Drew: You're engaged to him?! Never mind, don't answer that, here's one. You didn't even know I was dead until now, and you just moved on?! Pregnant and engaged? What about Lane? What about us?
Kennedy: What about her, Drew? What do you know about Lane? Nothing! Don't you dare question the choices I've made for me and Lane after you left us on our own! Our daughter was not even a year old when you...I made choices for our lives after you showed up "unchanged" after rehab, and clearly so did you. She is happy, she is safe, and she has someone to look after her. I will not apologize for that. And there was no us after you showed up at our front door with our daughter inside, trying to pound the door down.
It was obvious from his silence that he knew he was wrong, but he remained an angry red color.
Kennedy: I never saw this as our end, Drew, but you didn't give me much choice back then. Even now, I wish I could do something to change what's happened to you, but I can't, and it wouldn't change the choices I've made. I love Jack and the family we have made together. I hope you find peace, Drew. You deserve that much after what you went through. I know it wasn't all your fault. Addiction is a sickness.
When I was finished, the last thing I saw was his sad expression before he vanished. I hoped Mom was on her way back. I was ready to leave.
🎨: Drew pulled me outside to talk. I settled for a seat on Linda’s hood. Immediately I thought he’d changed his mind about the baby, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was graduating this year and that meant I’d be moving out of campus housing. I was from Henford and Drew was from Nordhaven not an ideal setup for raising a baby together.
When he asked what my plans were after graduation I was honest, my original plan was to move back home until I found an apartment in San Myshuno, where I could work on my art and maybe more music.
That was still the plan, mostly. I’d obviously have to find a bigger apartment than when I first worked out this plan, and I’d have to pay attention to the neighborhood and school district if we were there long term but otherwise nothing had changed. Until Drew asked if my plan had room for one more.
Drew graduated when I was a sophomore, he continued living with his roommates because he’d secured a job on campus that paid well. His dad told him he could come home whenever he needed but Drew wasn’t interested in going back to the awkward silence that would greet him back there. His father had recently married a young woman he met when Drew was a freshman. The handful of times he’s been in the same room as her had been a disaster and it was slowly creating a rift between him and his father.
His dream job as an Information Security Analyst would allow him to work from anywhere, considering most of it was home-based, and businesses everywhere needed internet security, so it was a no-brainer. He wasn’t giving up anything he didn’t feel he couldn’t live without. Actually, his exact words were “I can live without anything except you and our baby. I never want to be without those two things”
It was like a declaration of love, a proposal, and an invitation to move in, all wrapped into one neat little sentence, minus the ring. I wasn’t saying yes to marriage, but the thought of coming home to him made my heart warm. So just like that, my little plan grew again.
🎨: The banging on the front door pulled me from my already restless sleep. I cautiously approached the door when I heard his voice.
Drew: Kennedy. Kennedy, please open the door.
I didn’t answer him. I held my breath and prayed he was just guessing I was on the other side of the door. I’d gotten the locks changed, so I knew he wouldn’t be able to get in, but I had my phone ready in case I needed to call for help. It’s strange when someone who used to make you feel safe could suddenly make you feel this much fear, but I knew he could be unpredictable now, and I wasn’t going to visit that upon MY daughter.
He got frustrated after a few more whispered attempts to get me to answer him. I could hear him cursing. I felt him rattle the knob. Then a loud bang. Then nothing but Lane’s cries. The noise had woken her. I ran to get her in case he was still out there waiting. I took her from her crib and put her in bed with me. As we lay there trying but failing to fall asleep, a feeling of unease settled over me. I didn’t feel we were safe here.
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*Drew showed up at the apartment, and I immediately set the door to “No Entry”. He knocked and I got the “guess who notification. He had that goofy walk, which means he was either high or drunk. I didn’t even bother to check this time. After he stood there for a while, he shouted the forbidden word and left…
**Mel Bennett Dear Mom posepack (Lane and Kennedy on bed) and Through the Door by @samssims (Kennedy and Drew) 🙏🏽 thank you both.
🎨: I immediately returned to the crowd. If he were here, I wouldn’t let him corner me. He never hurt me before, but I didn’t think encountering him alone was a good idea. My wonderful piano friend, whose name I couldn’t remember for the life of me, returned, giving me the cue to begin painting again. Again, I was swept away by the excitement and music. I didn’t realize he’d found me till I heard Capri's voice behind me.
I was at her side in an instant. My posture dared him to go after my sister. He glared at her but didn’t make a move. I recognized the signs immediately. The hunched shoulder walk, glossy eyes, and pasty skin were a dead giveaway that he was high. I asked what he was doing there and how he found me. His response to why he came made my skin crawl. How he found me was an easier pill to swallow. He'd seen the Simstagram post about the event, which was open to the public, and I hadn't thought to tell Diego about Drew.
No one seemed to have noticed the disturbance, and I didn’t want to make a scene, so I tried to get him to step outside, agreeing to speak with him if he did. Capri started to protest, and when I turned to shush her, Drew rushed forward and grabbed me. I shoved him off and slapped him before I knew what I was doing.
That gained the attention of a few guests passing nearby. I grabbed Drew by the jacket and dragged him outside with Capri not far behind us. I sat next to Capri, trying to keep a distance between us and him. The conversation was going nowhere, but Drew had refused to sit down, so we were trapped. I didn't know what to do, but Capri had taken care of that for me. I didn’t know she made the call till I saw him approaching. I was unsure if the relief or fear would win, but I knew this wasn't going to end well for Drew.
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*YALL!!! This is not just storytelling; this man is really losing it. He is writing his narrative himself. I changed some of the wording, but these are the actual notifications that I got when he randomly showed up, and these are his actual moodlets (thanks to control any sim).
♠️: The days following the fire got me thinking about life. All my first since I met Kennedy. She was changing me for the better. For the first time, I felt like I could be loyal to someone other than myself, that I could rely on someone other than myself. She’s the first girl I’ve ever thought I could be with, she’s the mother of my child, and honestly, the only person I trust in this world. I felt it then, what I wanted and needed to do next. First, I had to get clean, and then I’d make her my wife.
🎨: Saturday afternoon Drew called to see if I wanted to go to the club I suggested we go to the park*. I wasn’t really in the mood to dance or drink. So I packed a lunch and dessert of course and we headed to the park.
**falls donuts are from Icemumun food mod.
*I accepted the invitation but then cancelled it when they got to the club and sent them to the park instead The nature event has started plus Kennedy grew up in Henford, and loves nature so win-win.
🎨: The gallery was packed from the moment Diego opened the doors. I was mesmerized to see the turnout. Sims from all over San My and further had traveled here specifically to view my art. And for the first time, my dream of having an art gallery of my own seemed like a reality.
Diego was a masterful curator. I was positive I was getting more than my 1200 simaloans were worth. Diego was nothing like I imagined. He praised my work and helped me keep my nerves at bay, reminding me to let the art speak for itself and just enjoy the night. And I did. I painted in front of a crowd to a live pianist whose skill nearly brought me to tears.
When he needed a break, I stopped painting, figuring we were more of a two-man show. I moved to a less crowded area and started on another painting. I got consumed by my inspiration, and everything in the background faded away until the painting was finished. That’s when I got the call from my aunt.
Watcher No.
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* No lie, he creeped me out. I got the notification that he was looking for her on the lot, but I couldn’t find him. When I panned the camera back to Kennedy, he was just standing there… also, I thought it was a window; I later found out it’s an archway…there was nothing separating them in that photo of her painting. 😥 The notification was also kinda creepy considering they aren’t together anymore (relationship bar completely red), so why, as an NPC, is he still making romantic references 😔 I told y'all he’s off his rocker and writing his part of the story himself.
