Reminder: This is my very first Sims 4 family, which was originally posted starting in 2015. I’m in the process of moving these posts over from my Tumblr page. See more info here!
There are only 4 more hours left in Ajay’s vacation when he wakes up. He has to pee and he’s hungry. He looks over at Bryanna’s place and considers revisiting her, but he realizes that he’s heard all that he needed to hear from her. It’s time for him to figure out how to use what she told him.
Ajay returns to the national forest where there are restrooms and a grill. He quickly takes care of his bathroom needs, then pulls some fruit out of his cooler to grill. After he’s eaten…he finds that he’s feeling a bit better, despite all that he’ll have to face when he gets home.
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.
Ajay makes it home in plenty of time to make it to Abbie’s funeral, but he wants no part of it. To him…grieving is a private thing…something to be done on his own. Being surrounded by a bunch of other sad people is something that he’d like to avoid.
Rather than entering the house, Ajay turns and begins to run down the boardwalk.
Ajay keeps running until he ends up at an empty residential lot. He recalls there once being a house there and he wonders what happened to it. He’s surely trespassing, but he walks onto the lot anyway. It’s right on the beach. The location is beautiful.
Ajay turns and walks towards a big pretty tree located in the middle of the lot. Someone has placed lanterns in it. There’s also a waterproof tarp in the grass under it.
Ajay lies down on the tarp. He looks up at the lanterns wondering if this lot is available for purchase. He can’t help but consider that this might be exactly what he’s looking for. An empty lot, right down the beach from his father’s house… where he can begin to build up a life similar to what Bryanna described to him.
The twins are in their bedroom occupied, so Mina grabs a load of dirty laundry and takes it outside to handwash. Everyone else is at Abbie’s funeral, but Mina decided to stay home with the twins. She didn’t want them exposed to that type of thing so early in their lives. Plus…she wanted to be home for Ajay when he finally arrives.
Mina pauses from scrubbing clothes to wipe a few tears from her eyes. When she’s not looking…Ajay returns, sneaks past and enters the house.
Ajay goes straight to the bathroom to wash two days worth of dirt and grime from his body. He hopes that all of the funeral stuff has ended and that everyone has left. He wants to get cleaned up and go say goodbye to his g-ma alone.
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.
Mina lets Ajay know that Abbie’s funeral was held at the Fairhill Burial grounds up the hill from their house. Ajay leaves the house and heads that way…hoping that everyone else has already left. He’s just about to enter the burial grounds when he’s stopped by his mom’s voice behind him…
Carla: Ajay! You’re here! I was worried about you. You wouldn’t return any of our calls or texts.
Adwin-Jamie: *turns to face them* Hi mom…hi Papa Dex.
Carla immediately pulls Ajay into her arms, while Dexter grunts a sad reply before walking past them into the burial grounds.
Carla: We were just about to leave, but I’m glad we didn’t. You missed everyone else…including your dad. I think he said he had to go to the office to take care of something.
Ajay is glad that he missed everyone, but he doesn’t tell Carla that.
Carla: You ready to go and say goodbye?
Ajay nods, then turns to enter through the gate with Carla right behind him.
Carla: It was a beautiful service. She would have loved it…and your father did an incredible job of helping Dexter put it all together.
Ajay walks up to Abbie’s casket. He’s glad it’s closed. He doesn’t want to remember her lying there stiff and lifeless. He sits down next to Dexter.
Dexter has been followed by a cloud of sadness almost all of his life since his mother died when he was so young. Losing his beloved Abbie has added yet another layer to his misery.
Adwin-Jamie: Are you okay?
Dexter: *barely audible* Honestly son, I don’t know that I’ve ever been okay.
Ajay can somehow relate to that statement.
Dexter excuses himself, stands up and walks away…leaving Ajay a few minutes alone to grieve. Sitting there staring at his g-ma’s casket makes it all too real. Part of him wishes he had just stayed in Granite Falls…where he could actually fool himself into believing that he’d actually see his grandmother again one day.
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.
(Generation 7 Chapter Summaries)
