Taa daa! Here is the almost week late chapter 11. Hopefully, chapters should be coming out weekly from here on out (for a while at least). This was a challenging chapter to organize and write; maybe you’ll see why when you read. Or maybe not. Please comment, thank, rate, and enjoy!

LOTHARIO

Don Lothario enthusiastically blew a noisemaker in his son’s direction. It was Lorenzo’s birthday, and Don was greatly relieved to see the ornery toddler move on to a more low maintenance stage of life. Lorenzo smiled up at his mother as she swayed him back and forth.


Although Kaylynn was happy to see her husband finally make it to their son’s birthday, the thought of her only baby growing up made the day bittersweet. As a family Sim, Kaylynn desperately wanted more children. She knew deep down that Don was an inadequate father, and did not want to bring anymore children into the world with him.


Kaylynn blew out Lorenzo’s candles and then set the boy down on the kitchen floor. Don and Kaylynn cheered for their son, and soon he sprang up into his new, child sized form. Lorenzo cheered loudly, and helped himself to a slice of cake. Kaylynn spent the remainder of the night deep in thought about her family.


The next morning, Kaylynn decided to have a little chat with Don while Lorenzo was away at school. Don smiled slyly when his wife explained to him her idea. “So you’re telling me you want me to connect with my other kids?” Kaylynn’s sudden interest in the well being of his eldest children amused him.


“Well, yeah!”, Kaylynn said, a worried look on her face. “I don’t know their home situations, but I don’t think it’s fair that they’ve had to grow up not knowing their father. They’re teenagers by now, right?”
Don frowned, trying to count dates and years in his mind. He grumbled when he realized he didn’t know how old his kids were and that, in fact, he didn’t even know their names. Now irritated, Don grew short with his wife. “Why do you care about them so much? Doesn’t the thought of me talking with Dina and Nina make you jealous?”


“Well, not really.” Kaylynn shrugged. “I think you’ve matured significantly over the last few years; I trust you for the most part. Not to mention, I don’t think Nina and Dina are interested in you anymore.”
Don scowled. “Well gee, thanks.”
Kaylynn held back a chuckle. “I’m just looking out for the kids Don. Not just your eldest, but Lorenzo as well. I want him to know his siblings, be friends with him. We’re certainly not having anymore children, and I don’t want him to be lonely.”


Don stayed quiet after that, reflecting on his wife’s words. Maybe he should try and get in touch with his estranged children. They should be older now, more like friends than a responsibility. Although he didn’t have a particular interest in either child or a desire for a relationship, he didn’t want to be remembered as the horrible father who was only as good as a child support check every month. “I’ll think about it.” Don wanted the conversation to be over.
“Thank you”, Kaylynn said. “That’s all I’m asking right now.”



Letti Caliente huffed and puffed until her blazing orange birthday candles were extinguished. The child blinked through the smoke, smiling slightly. It was her birthday, and her mother Nina was nowhere to be found. In fact, there were no guests at Letti’s humble birthday celebration. “At least she got me a cake”, Letti thought to herself. “I still wish I could have had a party.”


After Letti blew out her candles, she felt a strange, tingling sensation throughout her body. “Whoa!”, she cried as she wiggled and spun on the white linoleum. Suddenly, Letti was a young woman. The teen inspected her now larger hands, and ran them down her newly curvaceous thighs.


After the transition, Letti cut a single slice of cake and dismally padded over to the kitchen table with it. She munched on her dessert solemnly while reflecting on her childhood. Her once innocent mind now saw all the flaws in her mother, and the parenting style she raised her under. Letti recalled all the instances and various forms of neglect she put up with throughout her life. She thought especially about the day her mother explained to her the twisted, dark roots of her family tree. The cheating, the secrecy, the illegitimate children. Despite the horrible depiction of Don that Nina laid out, Letti wondered if her father had been around, whoever he really was, could things have been better?


Later that night, Letti played around with different makeup techniques in her bedroom. She looked in the mirror with an exacting eye, perfecting her simple eyeliner and rearranging strands of her hair. She’d never really given much thought to her appearance until now, but the new teen quickly realized she was indeed beautiful. The realization made her nervous, so did the thought of boys and dating. Perhaps, she’d keep the makeup simple for now and concentrate on science and school.


Letti shook of the thought of awkward first dates and kisses. She turned around and found her dog Scout napping on her bed. “What do you think, Scout? Like the new look?” The little dog’s ear shot up at the sound of his name and his master’s voice. He arose and looked her over carefully, gave a small yip of approval, and hopped off the bed.


Letti laughed and bent down to pet Scout, who was now sprawled on the floor begging for a belly rub. “You’re such a good boy!” Letti sighed. Scout was a wonderful dog, and she loved spending time with him. Still, she ached for human companionship. A shy girl, her only real friend had been Ricardo, her half brother and cousin. They hadn’t seen each other since the day in the park, when Nina suggested the children not play together anymore. Nina thought it best to tell Letti her side of the story, and not get involved with the lies she knew Dina was feeding her son. At that moment, Letti made the decision to disobey her mother for the first time in her life. She believed Ricardo deserved to know the truth, and she deserved to have a friend.


The next day, Letti contacted Ricardo in secret, and they agreed to meet at the park at 250 Main Street. Letti told him everything she knew about their own, and their parents’ dark history. Ricardo sat on the wobbly park bench and listened while gazing off into the distance absently. After taking in every word, he was quiet for a long moment. “Wow”, he eventually whispered. “So my Mom is your Mom’s sister?”
“Twin sister, yes.”
“And we have the same dad.”
“But I don’t know who he is.”


“You’re sure of this?” Ricardo hoped it was all a joke, maybe a misunderstanding.
“Positive.” Ricardo sighed, trying to organize his thoughts.
“I just don’t understand…” he trailed off, hanging his head.
“I know. It’s a lot to take in. I’m sorry, but you deserve to know.” Letti waited patiently while Ricardo buried his face in his hands.


Suddenly he shot up, his eyes narrowed and wild. “How could my mother lie to me about something like this?! I have another whole family I didn’t know about! I’ve grown up thinking my father was dead and now I find out that wasn’t even him! What else don’t I know?!”


Letti could tell how livid Ricardo was and she tried to calm him. “Listen, Ricardo. I know you’re upset, but don’t take it all out on your Mom. We don’t know the details. All my Mom told me is that our Dad slept around, got both of them pregnant, and then just left the picture. She didn’t want us to be friends because she wanted your Mom to work things out with you on her own. What I’m trying to say is maybe it’s not your Mom’s fault; maybe he didn’t want to be a part of our lives. Mortimer may not be your real dad, but he did help raise you. Your mom must have saw something in him. ”


Ricardo snorted. “Money.”
Letti scolded her brother. “Ricardo…”
“No, I know what you mean. You’re right. I’ll try not to make accusations and assumptions.”
“So are you going to talk to your Mom?”
Ricardo thought a moment. “I don’t know what I could say without getting mad.”
“I know what you mean.” Letti gave her brother an understanding look. They looked at each other sadly for a moment before hugging and parting ways, sure they would be seeing each other again soon.

GOTH

Gideon smiled and laughed while staring at the flickering candles on his birthday cake. His family’s butler, Scot Rauscher, held the child and blew out his candles after singing to the tot. Gideon laughed at Scot lovingly, unaware of his mother’s absence at the important celebration. He was content with being held by the butler.


Scot, however, understood Gideon’s neglect and was deeply saddened by Dina’s lack of affection towards the boy. He had grown to love the toddler, and took care of him as if he were his own son. “Happy birthday, Gideon. I hope your next birthday brings you much more love and happiness.” The butler gently kissed Gideon’s forehead and watched him transition into a child.


Despite the circumstances Gideon proved to be a happy and fun loving child. Like his mother, Gideon was fascinated by nature. Unlike his mother, Gideon liked to hunt for bugs and insects where Dina took to gardening and cultivating plants. The child tried connecting with his mother through their hobby, but Dina found Gideon’s interest disgusting. Through all his attempts at winning her love, Gideon only succeeded in pushing his mother away further.


It was no secret that Ricardo was Dina’s favorite child. When she had the third floor of their house made into a private art studio for Ricardo’s birthday, nobody was surprised. “What do you think, son? I had all kinds of supplies bought for you, all your paintings hung on the wall. Absolutely anything you could ever need is right here!”


Ricardo looked around the room in awe; he was truly thankful for the generous gift despite his new feelings towards his mother. “It’s great Mom, really. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m your mother, it’s my job to take care of you. You’re a wonderful artist and you deserve the best! The designers did a great job, don’t you think?”
Ricardo smiled at his mother halfheartedly. “They did.”


Dina smiled and sighed happily. “I just want to look around at all of your work, and then I’ll leave you be.”
Ricardo chuckled at his mother. “Okay, Mom. I think you’ve seen them all before though.”Dina waved off her son’s comment and walked further into the studio. She began to admire her the many paintings covering the walls. Some of them she had seen dozens of times, and others were new. One painting in particular, a painting she had never seen before, stopped Dina dead in her tracks.


Dina’s heart skipped a beat as she locked eyes with the painted Bella Goth. Guilt, confusion, and fear surged through her as she gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth.
Ricardo immediately noticed his mother’s reaction. “Mom? Mom, what’s wrong?!”
“Ri-Ricardo? Did you…did you paint this?” Dina felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest.


Ricardo gulped, concerned. “Uhm, well, sort of.”
Dina grew angry, and spun around to face her son. “Answer me! How do you know this woman?!” While she was screaming at Ricardo, Dina racked her brain. How could Ricardo have known about Bella to paint her? Does he know what I did, how I lied?


Dina’s own anger towards her son, as well as his new knowledge of his family’s dark past, turned him hostile.
“What are you talking about?! I don’t know who she is! I found the painting half finished up here when I was a kid and just painted the rest! Why are you getting so defensive?! What are you hiding?!” Dina suddenly regretted her reaction. Ricardo didn’t know as much as Dina had originally thought he did.


“Don’t take that tone with me!”, Dina yelled in effort to avoid the situation. Her mind was reeling.
“Don’t change the subject! I know something is up! I met Letti. Yeah, you know, my sister and cousin. She told me everything! I know about your sister and my dad. You lied to me my whole life! Mortimer isn’t my father! It’s all about money, isn’t it? This house doesn’t belong to us. You’re a manipulator and a cheat! Now the only thing that doesn’t make sense is that woman! Who is she, and why are you getting so upset over her painting?! Tell me the truth!” Ricardo demanded his mother’s honesty with a dignified, booming voice. He did not receive it; all Dina could do was blink at her son in fear.


“I’m done with you”, Ricardo declared. He was disgusted by his mother. After speaking with Letti, he had hoped she was mistaken. Their fight only confirmed Letti’s words and showed Ricardo there were even more secrets to be uncovered. He turned his back and began to walk away.
Finding her voice, Dina called out to her son. “You think you’re so smart playing Sherlock Holmes. You think I’m the bad guy. You have no idea what I’ve been through! Everything I’ve done has been for you.” Ricardo ignored his mother’s statement, kept his back turned, and walked down the stairs.