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Paul McCartney - Say, say, say
Huntsville Revived #463
Felix had spent several weeks away from home, securing some of his crime syndicate’s holdings from the V Club.
“We’re on the rise again, Bill,” Felix boasted, “There’s no way any cop will ignore our bribes again, especially not for something as dumb as breaking up a party.”
“We sure are, Boss!”
“Rock, Paper, Scissors!” Garrick announced. Rick beat him at it again.
“Um, Dad. It’s been fun hanging out with you lately, and we’ll have even more time when I move in with you, but right now it might rain soon, and I’ve got to check on my crops.” Rick excused himself from the game and headed outside.
“Well, Mary Anne, it seems like our son is ready to be a teenager,” Garrick commented, wandering into the kitchen.
“Indeed he is. I think he’ll be sad to move, when the time comes, but excited once he gets his garden growing.”
“Oh yeah,” Garrick said, although he wasn’t really focused on what she was saying. As he approached, he gently put his hand on her back, in a place he knew she had trouble resisting.
They had been spending a lot of time together again, which Felix was away. Mary Anne had never been good at being alone.
Rick was focused on his plants. The weeds were growing almost as quickly. If he wanted his crop to thrive, none of these useless grasses and nonsense could be given any freedom to establish themselves.
As much as he was excited to have an even bigger garden to tend, Rick wasn’t looking forward to moving in with his dad as much as he once had. He really liked living with his mom and Felix, his step-father. His own Dad treated him like a kid, but Felix knew that he was growing up fast.
“Garrick, we shouldn’t,” Mary Anne moaned against his lips.
“You want me to stop? I will stop. Just tell me to leave,” Garrick promised, but Mary Anne just kissed him back.
They quickly found themselves upstairs again.
“Mary Anne, you are stunningly beautiful. The most incredible woman I have even known,” Garrick told her. He didn’t make her the promises he wanted to; right now, that she was willing again was enough.
“Oh Garrick,” Mary Anne smiled at him. For the moment, she didn’t think of anyone else...not even her husband.
Huntsville Revived #486
Tragedy struck in Far Village this week.
Somehow, Special V was distributed to a number of tourists in Far Village, including a party of Frat boys, a number of professionals attending a conference, and a newlywed couple.
The Far Village authorities raided all locations known to have Special V associations.
In the end, there have been 12 arrests and 5 deaths, though no one seems to know how the Special V was distributed.
Among the dead is Garrick Lawson, who was in Far Village for his honeymoon, having married Mary Anne City the day before his death.
Mary Anne City is now missing.
Any information about her whereabouts should be shared with the Far Village authorities.
Her family is deeply worried and is offering a reward to any information that result in locating her.
“Rick, I am so sorry about everything that you’ve gone through these past few weeks.” Felix embraced his step-son as the boy arrived. He could see the lines of stress and worry on the boy’s face, the result of his father’s death and his mother’s disappearance.
To make matters worse, Gaellen had suffered a heart attack from the stress of losing his son.
“I’m really worried about Grandpa, but I’m glad it made it easier for me to move in with you, Felix.” Rick hugged his step-father tight, uncaring that most 13-year old boys would have been embarrassed even though there was no audience.
His father was dead. His mother missing - she could be dead too, for all they knew. He needed stability, and Felix had been that for him the last 6 years. He appreciated that his step-father wanted him, after all, Mary Anne had divorced Felix.
“You will always have a place with me,” Felix promised.
The room was different than his childhood spaces, but that was probably for the best. The apartment in Ashford City didn’t have any outdoor space, but Felix had got him so planters so he could grow things inside.
Everything was different now, but Rick clung to the fact that he had Felix, that he was wanted, and that perhaps his mother would be found one day.
Huntsville Revived #475
Rick stayed with his uncle Finn while Garrick and Mary Anne were in Far Village.
His room was still decorated as an ocean, which he had loved when he was little, but now seemed out of touch. And he could hear sounds coming through the walls from the neighbours. Ugh!
“You’ve got an assignment about statistics? It sounds boring and hard, until you realize that sports statistics are awesome. And, given my profession as an assistant coach, I really know how they can be applied,” Finn boasted to his nephew when Rick came home, complaining about his homework.
“Well, if you are so much of an expert, I get refuse your help, can I?” Rick liked his uncle. They got on pretty well.
“Now, in sports, you can always find the most random statistic to make it sound like your team has a good chance. Like the Ashford City Fireflies have never lost to the Dessert Valley Bulls at home on a Tuesday when it’s raining. Or the team is 7 for 7 in games where Jimmy Henderson has kissed a fan for the other team,” Finn explained.
Rick wasn’t sure this information was what he needed, but eventually, with Finn’s help, he got the project done.
“Why does Garrick like you, chickens? You stink! Rick? Rick! How am I supposed to keep this clean? This can’t be right...”
Finn struggled with the chickens, but with Rick’s help, he managed to keep them all alive and fed.
Meanwhile, Rick enjoyed not having his parents around.
He had spent so many years getting used to their divorce, to seeing that Felix and his Mom were happy together, to expecting his Dad to marry again, as Charles’ Dad had. Once he had hoped that they would reconcile, but since he had come to understand all the reasons it made sense they got divorced.
Rick floated in the pool, staring up at the clouds, and decided that he would never get divorced. Either he would get married, once, and work on it no matter what. Or he would never get married.
Huntsville Revived #474
Felix didn’t cause any difficulties, so the divorce proceedings moved forward quickly.
“Guess what! I’m divorced, again.” Mary Anne chuckled.
“Wonderful. I’ll book the tickets and take care of everything for our trip.”
“Rick will stay with Finn while we’re away. He’s also going to take care of my chickens. Are you sure Charles will be fine?”
“He’s 19. And Finn, and his father and Christy, everyone is just next door. He’ll probably really enjoy having the house to himself for a couple weeks.” Mary Anne’s look told Garrick exactly what she though - that he was a worrier. Perhaps he was, but it had got him this far.
Meanwhile, Rick was still barely speaking to both of his parents. He didn’t direct that teenage attitude toward his uncle Finn, or protest that he was going to stay two-doors down from home rather than with his brother, but he definitely wasn’t encouraging of this rekindled relationship.
Garrick and Mary Anne were packed and ready to go. Garrick had a list of things he was planning to do with Mary Anne once they were alone...starting with kissing her.
“We’ll be back before you know it,” Garrick said to Rick as he left.
There was no ‘have a good trip’ or ‘I’ll miss you.’ He actually felt lucky that he got a basic grunt and
“Bye, Dad.”
“Shall we bring you back a souvenir?” Mary Anne asked as her son went inside. He almost ignored her, but then turned back and simply said “Bye, Mom.” Which didn’t answer the question, but at least acknowledged her existence.
There would be plenty of time to heal their relationships with their son once they returned.
Huntsville Revived #471
With all the chaos surrounding the divorce, Mary Anne completely forgot that Rick’s birthday was coming.
Luckily, Charles had his back and threw a party with all the teenagers he knew.
Turning 13, Rick was ready to look like the teenager he already felt he was.
“This is a sweet party,” Apollo commented, “Tons of friends. Good food. Happy birthday!”
“Thanks. And thanks Charles for organizing it.” Rick felt pretty special that not only were there kids his age, like Rae, but the older crowd was out to celebrate too.
“Hey Charles! Where’s the birthday boy? There you are, Rick. Is it time yet?” Hunter and a few others arrived.
“You’re just in time,” Rick informed him.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Rick. Happy birthday to you!”
Everyone sang and cheered to with Rick a happy birthday.
He was well and truly a teenager now.
Once the official part of the party was over, the teens started dancing and hanging out.
At one point, however, Nathan decided to get into it with Hunter.
“Hey, you better not cheat on Delilah the way your dad cheated on your mom.”
“What the hell, man. I’m not happy about that either.” Hunter was thoroughly confused. He and Nathan had always been cool.
“I heard about what happened in the Islands. My Dad is so furious at your Dad. You better not take after him.” Nathan didn’t let up.
“Back off, Nathan. Don’t talk about my Mom. You don’t know anything about it.” Hunter was prepared to let his younger cousin have it.
Luckily, Charles and Rick realized the situation was heating up. They managed to separate the two teens.
“Nathan, you have to explain to me your latest chess technique!” Charles announced, pulling him away from Hunter.
“You’re lucky your parents are staying divorced,” Rick told Hunter, “Mine getting back together is too much drama.”
Rick ended up having a terrific birthday party.
Huntsville Revived #470
Felix agreed to divorce Mary Anne and moved out of the house where he had happily spent the last 6 years of his life with her and her sons.
“Ah, Simblr fans, I should never have married. Falling in love is a liability. I knew that. Yet I fell in love. And now, what has it cost me? And what will it cost her?”
Mary Anne, despite having determined that it was the best course of action, was rather upset about going through another divorce.
Still, she was quite happy with her choice to end her relationship with Felix so that she could put all of her attention back on Garrick.
She was so happy with this choice that she hardly noticed that neither of her sons who lived at home were speaking to her.
“Dear diary, my mom decided she wanted to divorce again. Charles is right. She doesn’t want to stay married, she just wants to get divorced, again and again. How long before she and dad get married, and then divorced. I wish I could go live with Felix. He has only been married once.”
Huntsville Revived #468
Felix was furious.
“How long?” Felix demanded, “How long have you been having an affair?”
“Felix, don’t be angry. I’ve never seen you like this. You’ve frightened the boys!” Both Charles and Rick had left the room crying.
“I frightened the boys? You flaunted your affair in front of them - of course they are upset!”
“Charles, what’s happened?” Rick was more confused than he was upset.
“I’m not sure,” Charles confessed, “I think mom and Felix are going to get a divorce.”
“What? But why?” Rick couldn’t believe it.
“I think she might be back with your dad.”
Charles was surprised when this revelation made Rick angry. There was a time when all he wanted was his parents to get back together, but now he had grown attached to Felix and didn’t want to go through all the stress again.
“Get out of my house!” Felix bellowed at Garrick. He did not want to yell at his wife, although he definitely was, but Garrick...he would have killed him in that moment if there weren’t so many witnesses.
“I said, OUT!” Felix walked Garrick to the door.
“Garrick, wait,” Mary Anne called, “Don’t go.”
“Did you still want to be with me?” Mary Anne asked Garrick. Felix could only look on, aghast.
“Of course,” was Garrick’s reply.
“Okay,” Mary Anne told him.
“Can you believe this is happened!? Simblr readers, know that I hate the idea that any harm might come to my wife, but I cannot and I will not allow this to stand without retribution. A reckoning will come and they will both regret this day, as much as I do. Mark my words.”
