A strange noise startles me out of my sleep and my first instinct is to protect my family. But how do I do that when I’m terrified myself? I look over at Maia, who hasn’t even stirred, before climbing out of bed. I pause for a moment to see if I hear anything else. Where’s Hiro? If someone is in the house, he should be barking.
I enter the hallway and cautiously peep into the kitchen and living room before entering Tami’s bedroom. Like Maia, she’s still fast asleep. Finally, I walk into the living room and stare out into the night through the large window before deciding that everything is okay. But I still have a strange sensation that someone could be watching us.
Maia probably won’t like it, but it might be time to invest in curtains for that window. But then again, maybe I’m just being silly and paranoid. I take a deep breath and reconfirm to myself we’re safe. Since I’m up, I might as well get dressed and start a new SimTube video.
The animals have assembled in the kitchen, which—aside from Tambara’s bedroom—is their favorite spot. That’s where Maia finds them.
Maia: Why are you two always in here? Isn’t there food in your dishes?
Maia already knows that it doesn’t matter. Even if there is food in their dishes, they still prefer food from the refrigerator. Maia wishes she had time to cook gourmet pet dishes, but she’s on a mission today. She needs to find Dub.
I’m in the middle of filming a new video when Maia suddenly enters the room. I thought having my media room would eliminate interruptions, but it hasn’t. Now, I’ve lost my train of thought and can’t continue. This video is a bust.
Maia: Sorry to interrupt. I didn’t know you were filming.
Besides curtains for the living room, maybe I should invest in a ‘do not disturb’ sign for my office door.
Wade: It’s okay. What’s up?
I’m annoyed until Maia walks over and hugs me, eliminating negative feelings. We haven’t had enough physical contact since Tami was born. I miss it and realize that we need to remedy that.
Maia steps back from the hug.
Maia: I have some work that I need to complete. It’s a rug for a client, so I’m going to the outdoor market to use the fabricator.
Wade: Oh, okay. Will you take Tami with you?
Maia: It’s too dangerous. She needs to stay with you.
Well, I guess I won’t be completing a video right now—the joy of being a daddy. But spending some quality alone time with Tami will be worth it.
Wade: Yeah, sure. The weather is supposed to be nice today. Maybe we can finally get out and explore the town.
Maia: Okay, great! It shouldn’t take too long.
Maia leaves the house and walks to one of her favorite spots in the city—the Manzanita Public Market. She’s been dying to return to work, and this place has everything she needs to get started. Her first stop when she arrives is the voting board, where locals can vote for the best market use in upcoming weeks. Maia takes a ballot and places a checkmark in the space for Maker’s Space. If it wins, it’ll encourage all the local artisans and tinkerers to come out and create, which would be a dream environment for Maia.
Maia walks through the market after slipping her ballot into the voting box. It’s still reasonably early, so it’s pretty empty, but she knows it’s a matter of time before it’s filled with people either shopping or trying to sell their wares.
On her way to the fabricator, Maia passes the food stall she hopes to possess one day. She’ll have to submit a bid to the market organizers and hope they choose her to occupy the booth. Now that Tami is older, Maia vows to do it soon.
Maia is ready to get started on her rug, but she needs some recycled materials first. Her first stop is the large recycling machine. She fills it with odds and ends from around the house, and soon, it pumps out a large hunk of ‘Bits and Pieces’ that she can use to create the rug.
Next, she moves over to the fabricator and begins planning the design for her client, who didn’t give her any specifics. Maia sticks to neutral colors and a simplistic style and shape.
But just like the fabricator at the skill academy in Brindleton Bay, this fabricator seems neglected and not properly serviced. Maia investigates the robotic arm to see why it’s not performing correctly, and the next thing she knows, she’s being pulled into the machine. The fabricator fills with thermoplastics and other materials, and Maia is chest-deep.
She attempts to hold on to the robotic arm and pull herself out but slips and falls in head first. Luckily, she thought to hold her breath before going under.
Maia again attempts to grab the arm, which proves to be a big mistake. When she thinks she has a firm grasp, it suddenly flings upward with enough force to toss her out of the machine. Maia is airborne until gravity takes over, causing her to land on the ground with a heavy thud. This is not how she planned to start her day. But she gets up from the ground unscathed and, after all that, still ends up with a decent rug for her client.
Tambara is still sleeping when Maia leaves. But when she finally wakes up, I get the privilege of picking her clothes and getting her ready for the day. I choose a cute red summer outfit, my favorite color, and take her to the lake where I first met Luca when Maia and I visited Clyde for the first time. That visit didn’t go well, so I devised an excuse to leave the house. The first friendly face I saw was Luca’s. He’s been my best friend ever since.
Now, here I am, back again with Hiro and Tami. The goal is to walk around the lake, but Tami refuses to let me carry her, so it’s more like taking a few steps and stopping to wait for Tami to catch up. But she’s happy, so I’m delighted.
On the other side of the lake is a splash park, which is our ultimate destination. We strip down to our swimwear and splash and play in the water. Tami takes to water like a fish. The joy on her face tells me that this should be our to-go destination whenever the weather allows.
(Generation 4 Chapter Summaries)
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