Here is the much anticipated chapter 15, for you my dear reader (at last)! Yes, this chapter is 4ish days overdue. I apologize, but I've been absolutely addicted to playing my apocalypse Sims 2 town. That's why my Pleasantviewians were neglected for almost a week, yikes. I also apologize for the shortness of this chapter. What is lacks in length it makes up for in important events! So read on and if you would be so kind, please leave a comment, thank, and rate!

CALIENTE

“I can’t believe today is the day!”, Letti exclaimed while smiling brightly at her brother Ricardo. It was Sunday, and the siblings were impatiently awaiting the arrival of their father at Letti’s house. Ricardo had snuck out, and Letti’s mother had graciously went into work on the weekend. Thus, leaving the two alone to meet their dad for the first time. 


Ricardo smirked halfheartedly. “Yep. He’ll be here any minute.” Although Ricardo was eager to meet his dad and hopefully get some truthful answers about his mysterious past, the young man was prepared for a let down. After years of not knowing the man, Ricardo tried to keep his expectations low.


Letti misinterpreted Ricardo’s intentional lack of optimism as nervousness, and pulled her brother into a hug. “Lighten up, Ricardo. It’s going to be fine!” In the midst of their hug, Letti and Ricardo heard the doorbell ring. Each of their hearts skipped a beat as they crept over to the front door.


The siblings stood on one side of the large glass door, looking at a man who’s back was turned from the house. Walking ahead of his sister, Ricardo moved to open the door when he noticed she was no longer next to him. He turned, and saw Letti standing behind him looking rather green. “Are you okay?”, he asked tenderly.
Letti’s excitement drained and now, seeing her father standing outside her front door, she felt positively faint. “I don’t…feel so good. Maybe this was a bad idea.” Letti began racking her brain for excuses that could send Don home and allow her to hide in her bedroom.
Ricardo smiled at her. “It’s okay, Letti. We’re doing this together. C’mon, don’t be nervous. You arranged this for a reason. We want to meet him.”


With those words, Letti impulsively whipped open the door. The sound caused Don to turn around, and he and Letti’s green eyes met. They stared at each other, Letti’s mouth slightly agape. She didn’t know what to say and neither did he. She moved to hold the door open for her father, and Don stepped in with a small smile on his face. The door was shut, and the siblings looked at their father expectantly. Don looked at his daughter’s face, and then his son’s. Goosebumps crept up his arms and his palms grew sweaty. The man had never felt that way in his life.


Still no words had been spoken, and Don began to feel sentimental. To avoid anything too heartfelt from being said or worse, crying, Don decided to lighten the mood. “Well this place looks great! A lot different than I remember it. I haven’t been in the Caliente sisters’ house since…well…”, Don stopped, realizing the last time he really was there was the day Letti was conceived.
“18 years ago”, Letti added helpfully, then quickly realized what she had just said.
Don frowned. “18 years, huh?”
Ricardo clasped his hands together, trying desperately to diffuse the awkward mood. “Shall we move to the couch?”


The three shuffled over to the couch and sat down quietly. They each stayed quiet for a moment until Ricardo spoke again. “So uhm, Don, did you say this was the Caliente sisters’ house?”
Don cringed at hearing his son call him Don. “Yeah. Nina and Dina, well, your mothers live here together…at least, last I knew of…”, he trailed off, unsure of what the boy was trying to figure out.
Ricardo was surprised to begin finding out missing pieces to the puzzle so soon in their visit. He then decided he’d have to sit down with his father on a different date, in private, and try to uncover the secrets. This was their first time meeting, and he wanted to keep things light. So he simply replied, “Oh”, and then the three returned to not speaking.


Don grew sick of the awkwardness and formality, gulped, and decided to just clear the air. “Listen, guys. I know I’ve been a sorry excuse for a father. I know your mothers have probably told you horrible things about me. Probably most of it was true, but I’m a different person now. I know it’s too late and I’ve missed a whole lot, but I want to be there for you both. I want you to meet my wife and your little brother. I want to have you over for holidays and just on regular days. Please, just let me try and fix what I’ve broken all these years. I’m already sorry enough that you have to call me Don instead of dad.”


Surprised, Ricardo and Letti blinked at their father. They looked at each other, then smiled. “Well, we can call you dad, dad.” Ricardo winked at the now relieved looking Don.
Letti chuckled. “Dad sounds good to me, dad.” The three laughed, and then spent the rest of the afternoon comfortably catching up and learning about one another.


Soon it grew close to dinner time, and Don announced he had to get home. He shook Ricardo’s hand and gave Letti a little wave. They watched their father begin to walk out the door, when Letti suddenly bounded over to the man and gave him a big hug. With tears in her eyes she whispered, “I’m glad we finally met, daddy.” Don was shocked and speechless. He smiled at his daughter and left without saying another word. Despite any verbal reaffirmation, Letti knew Don felt the same way when she saw him wiping his own eyes as he walked down the street.


After a very satisfying visit with their father, Letti and Ricardo left for college with new happiness. The next day, Nina found herself celebrating her birthday alone. She puffed out her candles sadly and whined internally. I can’t believe Letti didn’t show up for this. I am her mother! She's my only kid! Nina racked her brain trying to think of all the birthdays of Letti’s she had been there for. She blinked in shock when she realized she’d missed almost all of them. Before she could grow too guilty or upset, Nina felt a strange tingling sensation in her body as the birthday cake began to work its magic.


Nina changed into an elder with a burst of confetti. A little stunned, she blinked and inspected her sagging skin. She sighed. A romance sim, she knew some of her lovers wouldn’t find her new form very appealing. Not that it matters, she muttered in her head. They don’t even care enough to show up for my birthday. Nina helped herself to a slice of cake and thought about all the people she’d lost along the way to elderhood. Her lovers, who only cared about her body and promiscuity. Her twin sister, who was turning gray just like her in the spooky Goth manor. Her daughter, who was off at college without a care in the world. At that moment, Nina realized her adult life had been spent in vain. Eating her lonely birthday dessert, she vowed to turn things around and regain what really mattered; family.

LOTHARIO

The Lothario family had just finished clearing dinner dishes away when Kaylynn called her husband back into the dining room. They each took a seat, and Kaylynn asked the question that had been burning in her mind during their entire meal. “How did meeting the kids go?!”
Don smiled giddily. “Well…”


“I think it went really well. We talked a lot, and I really connected with both of them. Their names are Letti and Ricardo, and they’d love to meet you and Lorenzo. Letti is Nina’s and Ricardo, Dina’s. It’s wild, really. I could tell who’s was who’s the instant I saw their faces. They both look so much like their mothers…and me.” Don chuckled. “As exciting as this all is, I can’t help but hate myself a little for letting them grow up without their father. Especially Letti; Nina never married or anything close to it.” Don tried to force a smile and hung his head a little.


“Oh honey”, Kaylynn cooed, “Don’t hate yourself. You were a different man back then, a boy. Even if you had been there, you wouldn’t have been the father you wanted to be. Maybe it’s better they only know the Don there is now.”
Don nodded. “I suppose. But that’s still no excuse. I want to make it up to them as best I can. I didn’t think I’d ever want to be a part of their lives. But now I’ve met them, and they’re great kids.”


“And that’s exactly what you started doing by visiting them today.” Upon finishing her sentence, Kaylynn suddenly grimaced and gripped the sides of her chair in pain.
Don raised his eyebrows at his wife. “Kay? You alright?” His pulse quickened upon observing his wife's distress.


Kaylynn stood up and brought her hands to her big round belly. “Don!”, she screamed. “The baby is coming!” Don yelped in response and shot up from the chair. This was his fourth child to be born, but yet the first birth he’d ever witnessed.


“What do I do?!” Don yelled while flailing his arms around like a mad man.
Kaylynn responded by clenching her fists and throwing her head back to let out a screeching groan.
Lorenzo heard all the ruckus and came running in the dining room, curious and afraid. "What’s happening to Mom?! Is the baby coming?!”


After several more screams from Kaylynn and miniature panic attacks from Don and Lorenzo, the baby finally arrived. "It’s a girl!”, Kaylynn cried out with happiness. She lifted the infant in the air in admiration. Don stood watching, dazzled and shocked. Tears filled his eyes. He'd never loved any girl as much as he loved his baby daughter in that moment.


The new family of four crowded together to adore the new baby, Carmen. Don played peek-a-boo with his daughter as Kaylynn watched the two lovingly. She had never felt so happy as she did in that moment, together with her husband and children.

GOTH

Dina Goth stood alone in her lavish dining room, a pink birthday cake behind her. The candles had been extinguished by her breath, and Dina now awaited for old age to take over her body. She sighed. What have I done to get to this point? There was no husband to celebrate with her, even though she’d married twice. No children to cheer her on, even though she’d given birth twice. And no sister to join her in the festivities, even though she was a twin. You're crazy, Dina. Nobody likes you.


A long forgotten, prickling feeling crept through Dina’s body before she should reflect on her life anymore. After a blast of light and confetti, Dina found herself looking at withered hands. Youth and beauty, something she once had in abundance, no longer belonged to her. Dina threw the cake in the sink in disgust and stormed upstairs to change into finer clothes.


After fixing her silver hair and changing into a more presentable outfit, Dina hobbled back downstairs to her living room. She sat alone in the dark, wondering where she’d gone wrong. The very thing she cared about most, her son Ricardo, hated her and was gone away at college. “I’ll probably never see him again”, she said aloud. “All I tried to do was take care of him.” Dina continued staring blankly at the wall while her mind whirled around from her lies and secrets to all the ways she tried to “save” her son.
A jubilant voice disrupted Dina’s trance. “Happy birthday, Mom!”


"Ricardo?!” Dina’s eyes darted around the room, ignoring the boy before her.
“No Mom, it’s me. Gideon. I said, ‘happy birthday!’”
Dina frowned, sighed, and slumped in her chair. “What do you want?”


Gideon shook off his mother’s harshness and cleared his throat. “Listen. I’m really sorry I missed your birthday while I was at work. But, I’m here now! Boy, do you look great! Still my beautiful mother, as always!”
Dina’s mind trailed off again as she stopped listening to her son. She had no interest in him, or what he was saying.


Dina stood up to walk away when Gideon stopped her.
“Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute! I still have to give you your present.” Gideon displayed a white box elegantly wrapped in red ribbon. “I got you something, remember? I saved up all my money from cleaning the dolphin tanks at work!” Gideon beamed with pride as he held the box in front of his mother.


Gideon waited for his mother’s reaction with anticipation. She took the box from him gingerly, eyeing it unsurely. Then, she smiled, and threw her arms around Gideon. “Oh thank you! I don’t know what to say!”
Gideon glowed from the inside out. He’d never received such a heartfelt response from his mom. “Awh Ma, you’re welcome. You don’t have to say anything.”
Dina squeezed the teen tighter. “Thank you so much, Ricardo!”
Gideon felt a little pang in his heart as his eyes went wide. He then closed them again, trying his best to ignore the slip up. “You’re welcome, Ma.”