2. Dear reader, welcome back to the Bookacy Family Alphabet Adventures! This is chapter 33,
so if you haven't read the previous chapters, the following will likely make little sense to you.
Just a warning.
So, as for those of us who know what's going on, I believe there was a little bit of a shock
because of some news in the family last time. So let's dive right in, shall we?
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”Engaged? Cho?” asked Ryker, dumbstruck. He'd managed to persuade Nicholas to get up
from the floor and sit on the couch instead. ”To whom?” was the only thing Ryker was able to
ask.
3. ”That Professor guy she's being seeing, Eric”, replied Nicholas, sounding hopeless.
”That blonde dude who'd sometimes hang out here at the Greek House? That guy who
saved Cyrus' life?”
”Yeah. Him.”
”Well, from what I know he's a really nice guy and everything”, said Ryker, hesitating. ”I
mean, he's been really helpful for the family, and been around a lot, especially since
Charlie...” At that point he realized that the professor's kindness and support of Cho was
perhaps not the best possible topic of conversation at the moment, and fell silent.
”Yeah, he's a great guy. I've got absolutely nothing against him”, said Nicholas with a
deternined look on his face.
”Yeah”, said Ryker. ”He's great. But... Somehow...” he was lost for words. ”I mean...
Engaged?”
4. ”A little bit unexpected, huh?” asked Nicholas. He seemed to have forgotten to be upset for a
moment, and was simply stupefied. ”I mean”, he started and shrugged, ”as she is the
Legacy heiress, I expected that she might at least consider settling down at some point,
because it's kind of customary. But engaged, in, like what, a month after graduation?”
”Exactly”, Ryker agreed. ”That doesn't sound like Cho at all. But... how did you find out? She
didn't call you did she?”
”No, not her. It was Chris. She heard from Cyrus and thought... thought to inform me. She
knows how I feel about Cho, so she thought maybe it'd be better if...”
”... if she delivered the news gently, rather than you heard it from someone else in a
subordinate clause somewhere?”
”Yeah”, Nicholas nodded. ”She's nice like that.”
5. ”Yeah”, Ryker agreed. ”Still, it's really weird. I wasn't expecting this at all. We haven't really
been in touch a whole lot lately, I've been busy with work and stuff. Do you... like... know
anything more about it? Like... How did it happen?”
”No, not really”, said Nicholas and sighed. ”I've been in touch with Cho, sure, but I... well, I
haven't really asked about her love life”, said Nicholas, managing even a small lopsided
smile. ”I've mostly been making sure she's okay. You know, after what happened to Charlie.”
”Is she?”
”I guess so”, Nicholas shrugged. ”I mean, she seems surprisingly well, considering how she
was just a short time ago, while she was still back in college.”
Ryker looked thoughtful and nodded.
”So apart from that, I don't really know much. Chris did say that she got permaplat some
time ago.”
6. ”Oh, yeah”, said Ryker, ”I heard about that. She called me when that had happened, actually.
Must have been... a couple of weeks ago or something.”
7. ”Well, that's not very surprising”, commented Nicholas. ”I think she was almost there when
she graduated. Right?”
”Yeah”, confirmed Ryker, ”With myself included, I think she had seventeen loves when she
left college. Which leaves three to go. So afterwards, if she...”
8. ”Wait, you were one, too?” asked Nicholas, in a somewhat sharp tone. Ryker jumped a bit,
and Nicholas felt embarassed. ”I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...” He pinched the bridge of his
nose. ”I have no right to... I'm sorry.”
”It's alright”, Ryker assured. ”And to answer your question, yeah, I was one. I didn't really
mean that to happen, but well, I've kind of always had a thing for her – and who hasn't. Cho
is very important for me, and I love her, as a friend. Chloe is the love of my life, no matter
what.”
Nicholas nodded. He understood perfectly well, and to think of it, wasn't even really jealous.
9. ”Were you... going to say something?”
”Well, just that, if she dated regularly, it was probably fairly easy for her to make it in this
time. And apparently she did. But you don't probably want to know the specifics.”
”No, not particularly. Thanks”, said Nicholas.
”Soo...” Ryker hesitated. He wasn't really sure if he should even ask. ”What are you going to
do?”
10. ”Do?” asked Nicholas, and gave a small, bitter laugh. ”What is there for me to do? The
woman I love doesn't love me back, and is apparently now happily engaged to someone
else. She's the heiress, and I'm the placeholder. The only thing I can do at this point, without
making things worse and myself look like an idiot, is to pick up the pieces and keep my
mouth shut.”
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11. Indeed, it was true that Cho was back in her childhood home, and also permanent platinum.
Ryker was right, at the time of graduation, she had in total 17 simultaneous lovers, which left
only three for her to find in her adult life. In her current situation, Cho was perhaps more
determined than enthusiastic, but she wasted no time getting to that either way.
12. First in line was a rather sweet guy named Peter Sims, whom Cho had met some time ago,
most likely while on a date or waiting for a cab. It was so hard to keep track.
All in all, the date was a successful one, despite one of Cho's other loves, Vasyl Hamilton,
trying to stalk Cho and cause havoc. Apparently, even Vasyl approved.
13. Second, it was time to date the infamous Goopy GilsCarbo. Cho was of the opinion that
having met him, she could not possibly complete her lifetime want without going on a date
with Goopy, so a date it then was. This, too, turned out to be a successful date with the
desired result. This was despite the attempts of a certain Agnes Crumplebotton to cause
problems. Agnes did not very much approve of the other use of the photobooth.
14. Cho's twentieth and final lover was Jerry Almassizadeh. He was a nice young fellow whom
Cho had met in college. As it was a special occasion, Cho and Jerry celebrated by having
some lobster, which turned out to be delicious. They ate in peace and enjoyed the food and
the discussion.
15. The evening ended the expected way, and finally Cho had reached the dream she had had
since she was a teenager. She didn't know if she could actually feel happy in these
circumstances, but at least for the moment she was content, and that was already
something.
16. It was also true that Cho was engaged to Professor Eric. He was a frequent guest in the
Bookacy family house, spending a lot of time with Cho, and one evening, he got down on
one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes.
17. Truth to be told, this turn of events wasn't a surprise only for Nicholas and Ryker. Also
Baudolino, Marylena and Cyrus were rather at a loss how to react to the news. After all, they
were all still mourning the loss of Charlie, who had only recently died in a vampire accident in
the family Greek House. Marylena especially was having a difficult time.
Baudolino was the first to recover from his shock of the new change taking place and
congratulate his daughter. The rest of the family followed his example.
Otherwise life was relatively calm for the moment. Both Baudolino and Marylena were rather
immersed in music, which provided great comfort to them both.
18. But for the moment, some matters were even more pressing than even Cho's sudden
engagement.
”Honey”, Baudolino asked his wife, ”how would you feel about asking some friends and
relatives over for our birthday? It's only around the corner now, and I thought it would be nice
to see everyone, have a nice time together, maybe have some dinner... But only if you feel
up for it.”
Marylena smiled a little. ”That's a very nice idea. I've been pretty tired lately, but maybe a
small gettogether would do me some good.”
”Alright then”, said Baudolino, ”Nothing too big, but a small gettogether with a few closest
friends. Thank you, darling”, he said, pecked his wife on the cheek and went on to make the
necessary phonecalls.
19. And so the birthday party date arrived.
”Hi honey. It's so good to see you”, said Marylena, squeezing her son extra hard.
”Hi Mom, you too”, Cyrus replied warmly. ”How have you been?”
”Oh, alright. Just the usual, you know, like old people in general. Nothing much up with us”,
said Marylena with a smile. ”Too bad you can't meet your sister too, she had to work and
she'll only be coming home pretty late.”
”Yeah, that's a pity. Oh well, it only means I need to come over soon again. Or maybe you all
could visit our place for a change.”
”That'd be nice, darling.”
20. ”Hi there, buddy”, said Bill, stroking Chunni. ”How are you doing?”
”How are you doing? How are you doing?”
He laughed. ”Good girl.”
”Good girl!”
”Hey Dad. Playing with the bird again?” asked Claire, amused.
”Had to visit an old friend while I was here. What do you think, should we have one of
these?” asked Bill, eyes glistening.
”Don't you think we have enough with Suzi? She's a handful you know.”
”Aww, you're no fun!”
21. Behind them, a friendly game of Don't Wake the Llama was taking place.
”Hey, Aunt Beth”, said Cyrus suddenly, ”Aren't you supposed to be Dad's older sister? How
come it's his birthday and you're still young?”
Beth chuckled. ”Well, technically I am the big sister, but the ways of the elixir are
mysterious.” She winked.
”Oh. Didn't realize that.”
”Well, actually, it's not that much the elixir but rather that we all three”, Beth pointed at
herself, Baudolino and Bill, ”went to college more or less together. And Marsha of course.
That tends to even out age differences. But worry you not, I'm not far behind. In fact, I think
me and Sean should start planning our birthday party as well. Consider yourselves invited.”
22. And outside, Marylena and Bonnie were refreshing old vacation memories, while Aadam was
listening intently.
”... and then, I hear screaming, and when I open my eyes, I see Baudolino dancing on the
sand with a crab pinching his finger. You should have seen his face!”
23. Before too long, it was time to blow out the candles.
”Ready?”
”As ready as I'll ever be. Should I go first or will you?”
29. The birthday was a pleasant occasion and made everyone feel a little more cheerful.
30. Marylena was already on her way to bed when Cho finally came from work.
”Hi Mom”, she said, giving Marylena a hug. ”And happy birthday. I'm sorry I missed the
party.”
”That's alright dear, I understand you can't risk your new job. There's some leftover cake if
you're feeling hungry. I need to have some rest, see you in the morning. Tell your father not
to play for too long, and if you can, get Chunni back in her cage, someone left the door open
again.”
”I will, Mom. Good night.”
31. Cho's dating activities had made some sims quite happy. Indeed so happy that the way to
the basement was occasionally blocked with pinball machines and widescreen televisions.
32. Also as a side product of Cho's dating activities, some others were not quite as happy. It
became a frequent duty for George to pick up the trash can, and the Bookacies rarely got to
read the newspaper.
33. This was why, in order to make his own duties easier, George set to studying robotics in his
free moments.
34. Those free moments were, however, frequently interrupted by someone less than pleased
with Cho.
35. Baudolino and Marylena both needed a little bit of tidying up to reflect the dignity of their age,
and they took care of that at the first opportunity.
36. Nothing much changed from what they used to look like, but both decided to get a little
something new.
37. Around that time, it happened that George invited his love, count Pao Howe over for the
evening.
”Thank you for inviting me, George”, said count Pao with a smile, ”I had feared that perhaps
you had forgotten me, since it has been some time since we last met, and I have not been
able to reach you.”
George nodded. ”I apologize for that. I have been slightly... preoccupied as of late.”
Something in George's voice caught the count's attention, and he asked: ”George, is
everything in order? Has something happened?”
38. George sighed. ”Well, I cannot really say that things have been very well recently. Some time
ago, not very long yet, there has been an incident in the family Greek House.”
”An incident?” asked count Pao, worried.
”Yes. A very unfortunate incident indeed. I believe you were aware that my young master,
Cyrus, became a vampire in his teenage years?”
”Yes, I believe you have mentioned that.”
”This is what I thought”, George nodded. ”Well, this vampirism has caused my family some
grief as of late. You see, young master Cyrus did not volunteer to be a vampire. Ever since
my original mistress, Author Bookacy, was the head of this family, there has been a man who
has attempted to harm the Legacy family, and he...”
39. ”... but by the time young miss Bookacy and the professor had managed to save young
mister Cyrus' life by forcing him back in his coffin, it was already too late for young mister
Charlie. He... died of the fright caused by awakening the vampire”, George finished, staring
blankly in front of him.
”I am so sorry to hear that”, said count Pao sympaethically. ”You must have been close to
young mister Bookacy?”
”Yes, yes I was. In fact, we all were. He was such a likeable young man, and so very...
young. I am afraid the family will never be the same. The parents, they attempt to be brave,
but it has been a terrible loss for them. And the siblings... They both feel responsible, even
though they should not, for they were not to blame...”
”No, they were not”, confirmed count Pao.”It was a terrible accident, and if blame is to be
placed on anyone, it should be the man who aims to harm the family.”
”Yes. If it was not for Salahuddin Chamcha...” George started, but stopped in mid-sentence.
”What is it, Pao?”
40. Count Pao's whole demeanor had changed. He was, if possible, even paler than usual, and
his full attention was directed towards George. He looked horrified. When he spoke, his
voice was barely audible. ”Pardon me, George, but... What did you say his name was?”
George was confused. ”Salahuddin Chamcha.” He saw the count's expression sink. ”Why?
What is it, Pao? Do you know him?”
At this, the count closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded slowly. ”Yes, I am afraid
that I do.”
41. ”You do?” asked George, stupefied.
”Yes”, said count Pao and sighed. ”It has been a long time since I have heard that name,
and I had already hoped that I would not hear it again.”
George didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet.
”It all begun years and years ago, when I was, although not young, much younger and much
more foolish than I could imagine being today. Perhaps I was also more idealistic. In any
case... I am sorry to say this, dear George, but I believe that to an extent, I am to blame for
the current misfortune of your family.”
”Whatever do you mean?” asked George, increasingly confused.
The count sighed again. ”I mean that... All those years ago, it... it was me who made
Salahuddin Chamcha a vampire.”
42. George had fallen into a shocked silence, so count Pao used his opportunity to tell his story.
”There is no excuse for what I have done.” He sighed. ”I was a relatively young vampire in
that time, I had only recently been made the highest Grand Vampire, after who I now realize
must have been your old master, count Curtis Barthelet, had stepped down in order to have
a family. I was in fact rather inexperienced, and not all of the other vampires were obeying
me. I was in deep difficulties, to tell you the truth.”
Count Pao drew breath. For so long, he hadn't spoken to anyone about this. It was a relief.
”I was angry, even frustrated. I had heard of playable families, especially Legacy families,
and how they supposedly had everything better than the rest of us. How everything fell into
their laps, how they had everything they wanted, and how some of them treated us townies
and service sims as if we did not exist, or as if our only purpose was to serve them, fulfill
their needs and aspirations. That was the ground into which Salahuddin Chamcha's seed of
mutiny fell.”
43. ”He told me his story, he told me how he was always regarded inferior by the local Legacy
family, and how he could never have what he most wanted, the woman he loved. And all
because of the family. How he had been used and then left aside when he was no longer
convienient. How all that affected me! How it all affirmed my own thoughts and gave me the
feeling of righteous anger!”
Count Pao shook his head and said: ”I was a fool, naturally. Only much later did I realize that
the story mr. Chamcha had told me was only his side of it, and a strongly colored version at
best. He, for instance, never mentioned to me that he was in fact a playable sim himself.”
As George still remained silent, clearly unable to find anything reasonable to say, count Pao
decided that he should simply go on and tell everything. He sighed.
”George, I am sorry to tell you this, but I must. I have, in fact, unknowingly but all the same,
helped Salahuddin Chamcha in his attempts to harm your family.”
44. To that, George finally reacted.
”But had you not made him a vampire, he would still be immortal”, he tried to assure count
Pao, perhaps even himself. ”A man with his intelligence and influence would surely have
found it possible to gain a sufficient amount of elixir of life at regular intervals.”
Count Pao couldn't but smile a little. ”And had he desired to become a vampire, surely he
would have been able to do so without my help. Also, had he desired to harm your young
master, he could have done so, whether he was a vampire or not.” He grew serious. ”But you
do realize that I have, albeit indirectly, helped a dangerous enemy of your family in his
pursuits, and more specifically, indirectly caused the death of your young master?” Without
waiting for a reply, he went on: ”And that is not all, either. I have not only helped Salahuddin
Chamcha become a vampire, I have also given him advice that, I later learned, caused direct
harm for your family.”
”What do you mean?”
45. ”It was originally my idea that mr. Chamcha should attempt to bite his love's husband and
gain control of him – I did not know that she was married to another Grand Vampire – and as
that failed, it was also my suggestion that he should take a hostage and demand his love for
the safe return of said hostage.” Count Pao closed his eyes. ”I did not foresee how far he
would take this suggestion. Later, I found that this suggestion had caused the death of his
hostage.”
”Rebecca”, said George, remembering the old story.
”Yes”, count Pao nodded. ”Rebecca Custer was her name, as I later learned. Her loved ones
suffered terribly, in fact so much that they attempted to bring her back from the dead, which
lead to another unfortunate occurence. It was when I heard what had happened due to my
angered, selfish behavior, that I made some excuses and disappeared from the life of
Salahuddin Chamcha. It was the coward's way out, but there was nothing that I could have
done to undo what had happened, and I had no better choice than to withdraw and learn to
live with my guilt.”
46. This was the end of Count Pao's story. He didn't know what else to say, so he stayed quiet.
George, too, was too overwhelmed to say anything. Finally, the count felt that he had to
break the silence.
”George, there is no justification for my actions, and with my foolishness I have caused a
great amount of pain for your family. I would have told you earlier, had I known myself that
there is a connection between the sorrows of your family and the man I once helped. There
is no justification, not even an excuse, but I am sorry. If after hearing all this you do not wish
to hear from me anymore...”
47. ”Pao, please do not”, interrupted George. He had made his decision. ”It is true that I am
shocked to find out that you have played a role in the past misfortunes of my family, I cannot
deny that. But would I not want to hear from you? Would I like to continue my life as if I had
never met you? Pretend that what has happened has not, in fact happened? No.”
”But...”
”The past cannot be changed, Pao. But I do not wish to spend my future in misery. And that
is how I would feel if you disappeared from my life. Please do not. I love you, Pao.”
”I love you too”, said count Pao without hesitation. ”But would you not think that your masters
will be upset when they find out about this? I would not desire for you to keep things from
your masters for me.”
48. ”They will understand, I am sure”, assured George. ”They will go through an initial shock, but
they will understand. In fact...”
George seemed to suddenly come to think of something. He fell silent and looked into the
distance. ”Did you say that you were the one to end your contact with Salahuddin
Chamcha?”
”Yes. Or more precisely, I made excuses that I believe had to do with issues with the vampire
population and my responsibility for them, and simply let the contact quietly fade.”
”Would you think that in theory, you could still contact him?”
”I... I suppose so, yes. But...”
George looked determined. He glanced at the clock on the wall. ”I do not think that it is too
late yet. Master Bookacy will still be awake at this hour. Come, Pao.”
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49. Whatever was said that night around the kitchen table in the Bookacy residence, it stayed in
that kitchen. There were a few late night visitors, but they too were strictly instructed to stay
silent on the matters spoken about.
The next morning life went on as usual, even if the Bookacies did sleep a little longer than
usual. Autumn was arriving, and it was harvest time. Marylena, who enjoyed spending time
outdoors, took a basket with her and went to pick the delicious red apples hanging from the
tree. Whatever would come, would come, and in the meantime, there were things that
needed doing.
50. Cho was concentrating hard on her career. Whenever she wasn't on a date with her
professor, she was studying to keep up with her work in the dance career. She only seemed
to be idle when she slept.
51. Her hard work also paid off. Soon Cho found herself a Flamenco Master, with only one step
to go for the ultimate goal in her career. She didn't stop or question. It was just another thing
to get done, and it was going to get done.
52. Also George's hard work was bearing fruit. He gained the silver badge in robotics, which
meant that he would be able to construct hovering robots, such as the badly needed
sentrybot.
53. Said sentrybot was promptly crafted and placed on the front yard. Granted, it would not help
against intruders of Salahuddin Chamcha's level, but with any luck, it would give the family
some domestic peace.
54. It was soon found out that the new sentrybot did work as advertised. However, George still
occasionally had to pick up the garbage can, since the angry former dates sometimes
managed to get their revenge on this poor innocent victim before the bot could get to them.
But at least the word was spreading that carbage cans would no longer be kicked over
without punisment.
55. Marylena kept tending the garden, and gave the family excellent quality fruits and
vegetables. This all had a soothing effect to her, as did her other dear hobby, music.
Baudolino was still occasionally worried about his wife, but she seemed to have found
methods to cope, and that was, in the end, what mattered.
56. Speaking of Baudolino, his methods of coping resembled Cho's in some respects, although
in others he was quite different. He, too, was immeresed in work, and it gave him some
pleasure to find out that he had successfully become a Space Pirate. He'd again showed
what he was capable of, even though he was an elder now.
57. But Baudolino's daughter wasn't to be left behind in ambition and success. Cho became a
World Class Ballet Dancer seemingly with ease, and she kept working hard to stay on top.
Still, with some worry Baudolino observed that all her success didn't perhaps bring Cho as
much pleasure as it'd initially seem.
58. Meanwhile, on another side of Alphabetia.
”Hi honey”, said Chris, having found Cyrus in the kitchen, admiring the shiny new kitchen counters
that, granted, had been there for a while, but were still nice and shiny. ”How was work?”
”Oh, just the usual. It's kind of sweaty being an athlete, hence the shower”, Cyrus replied, pointing
down at his freshly changed clothes. ”The boss says I'm doing really well, there might be another
promotion coming up soon if I keep up the good work.”
”That's great. I think I need to do a bit of studying to advance on my part, but otherwise it's all going
great.”
59. ”Umm... Actually...” started Chris after a moment of amicable silence, ”were you hungry or
something?”
”No, I'm fine, I ate a pretty sturdy luch at work. How so?”
”Well... there was kind of something I was going to talk to you about.”
60. ”There was?” asked Cyrus, surprised. ”Sure, what was on your mind?”
Chris gave a small, nervous smile. ”Let's sit down.”
61. ”So... umm... Yeah. I've been thinking lately... We've been together ever since college. And now we've
been roomies after college for a while, too, and everything has been going nicely, we have a
headstart on both of our careers. And we can afford this house, just barely, but we can, which is
nice.”
62. ”Uh huh”, said Cyrus with an encouraging smile. ”Everything agreed so far.” He didn't know what was
coming, but clearly it was something important.
63. ”So... What I've been thinking is... Since we are so close and... everything is going so well and...”
Chris was swallowing hard.
”Yes? Come on, Chris, you're starting to look like you think I might bite you or something.”
Despite her nerves, Chris laughed a little. ”Well, I was thinking... Why is this so hard? I mean, I was
thinking, we don't have to if you don't want to, but... Maybe we could get married.” she finished. ”Or...
something.”
64. ”Wait...” Cyrus was quiet for a while. ”Is this a proposal?”
”It... could be, I mean, if… if you want it to be”, said Chris uncertainly.
65. Cyrus was silent for a moment..
”Let me guess”, he started, his voice growing soft, ”you've of course been thinking and worrying
about this for ages?”
Chris just blushed and bit her lip.
66. Cyrus quickly squeezed her hand. Then he, to Chris' huge surprise, burst out with a heartfelt
laughter.
”Of course I'll marry you, silly! Was there ever really a question about that?”
Chris started to look relieved, although not yet fully convinced.
”Poor baby. You really thought I'd say no?” Cyrus teased. As clueless as he was about some things,
the humorous side of this was clearly not lost to him.
He was quiet for a while, and as Chris still didn't find the words to say, he went on: ”You really should
spell these things out you know. I thought that maybe something was wrong the way you've been
acting the past few weeks, but it's this you've been worrying about, right?”
Chris nodded.
”Of course, it now all makes perfect sense, but I simply didn't realize you might want to get married. It
just didn't cross my mind. But really, had you asked sooner, I would have said yes sooner.”
67. A relieved, happy smile started forming on Chris' face. ”You're... you're saying yes?”
”I am.”
”It's not just because I want to, is it?” she worried. ”I mean... Are you sure you want to do this?”
68. ”Chris. I may be a little different, but I really do love you. And what does getting married mean?”
Cyrus shrugged. ”To me it means that I share my life with someone very important – which, in my
mind, we already do anyway. So yes, I want to do this.”
With this, Chris was happy.
”So that's it then. Let's make it official soon. What do you say, we go looking at rings tomorrow?”
”Well, actually...”
69. ”... there's no need to look really”, said Chris and placed a small, black box on the table in front of
Cyrus. ”I hope you don't mind”, she added, ”it's a family heirloom of sorts, my mother gave it to me
when I became a proper adult and...”
Cyrus didn't say anything. He stared at the box for a moment, then picked it up and opened it.
70. ”Am I... I'm being too hasty with it, am I not?” asked Chris in a small voice while Cyrus was staring at
the engagement ring in its box.
Usually, in their relationship it was Cyrus who was slightly clueless, but right then it was Chris who
utterly failed to notice how her boyfriend was beaming at her and the small black box in his hand.
71. ”Hasty?” Cyrus looked up from the ring. ”Chris, honey, how do I make you stop worrying?” he asked
her, completely endeared.
Chris didn't say anything, just smiled a little and looked apologetic.
73. ”It fits perfectly. It's a very nice ring, Chris.” Cyrus suddenly stopped admiring the ring and looked at
her. ”How do I suddenly have a vibe that this was supposed to go the other way around?”
74. This earned a giggle from Chris who was starting to recover from her shock.
”I suppose that's the usual way”, she answered. ”But we aren't usual ourselves anyway, are we?”
75. ”I suppose we're not”, said Cyrus, smiling. ”But now it seems we're engaged, then”, he said, reaching
for her hand.
She nodded. ”Yeah. Wow.”
”So now”, he went on in a slightly devious tone, ”you can start planning a big party, and call all your
friends. Isn't that what you'd want?”
Cyrus almost regretted that statement moments later, when he nearly fell from his chair as Chris
suddenly climbed on his lap and just about squeezed him to death. Almost.
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76. Back in the Legacy household life was rather exciting. The word quickly caught up that also Cyrus
was now engaged. This news, too, was a bit of a surprise for Baudolino and Marylena, as they'd
thought that Cyrus and Chris were happy as they were, especially Cyrus, and that their son would
probably never come to proposing.
Of course, as Baudolino said to Chunni, they ”should've known that if he won't understand to
propose, she will”.
77. There was also a new change around the house, namely now that there was a wedding in plans, it
was high time that Cho's fiancé, professor Eric, moved in. Although still not quite adjusted to the
thought of their daughter actually planning to get married, and to do it soon, Baudolino and Marylena
did their best to get to know their soon-to-be-inlaw.
”Delicious pancakes, mrs. Bookacy.”
”Thank you, my boy. You can call me Marylena, by the way, no need to be all formal.”
”Thank you”, replied the professor, ”And I'm Eric.”
Marylena smiled and nodded.
”Honey”, said Cho, ”about the wedding. Would you think it'd be better if we put the flowers...”
It was all about the wedding these days.
78. Or, to be precise, not quite all about the wedding. Cho found herself feeling nauseous rather
frequently, especially in the mornings. It didn't take her long to sum up one plus two, and soon
enough she told her fiancé and parents that she was pregnant with her and Eric's firstborn.
79. When Eric had properly settled in his new home, it was time for him to get a makeover. Nothing too
different from his old style, but a little something new was in order. Eric was quite pleased with the
result.
80. Eric started taking part in everything that was going on in the house, and he also wanted to advance
in his career, so he took up some studying in the evenings. He particularly enjoyed excercises in
creativity, and soon his piano playing had improved so much that the other family members often
gathered around to listen to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Prof. Eric Dallas is a Libra romance sim with the Lifetime Want to Become a Professional Party
Guest. His personality is 7/4/8/1/5, and he likes swimwear and full face makeup, but isn't too keen on
hats.
81. Meanwhile, Cho's pregnancy had started to show. She was otherwise healthy, but complained about
feeling somewhat swollen. Marylena adviced her daughter to wear something more comfortable
during the pregnancy, and after that Cho was apparently feeling better.
82. Cho had also informed her parents that she wanted to have the wedding as soon as possible. The
date was settled for late autumn, and the preparations started. Baudolino and Marylena were feeling
contradicted. On the one hand, they were happy with the prospect of having a new relative – or in
fact, two – but on the other hand, they were worried.
”... don't get me wrong, I like Eric, he's a really nice guy, but don't you... don't you think it's a bit soon?
And... our daughter?” asked Baudolino one day when Cho was taking a nap and Eric was at work. He
didn't really expect an answer, but he had to say it, once again. They'd had the same conversation
several times over the past few weeks.
”I know”, replied Marylena. ”I'm not convinced of this either. I'd have absolutely no problem with
having Eric as my son-in-law, but... I'm not really sure if Cho's heart is in this.”
83. ”Exactly. I don't really understand how our daughter suddenly feels the urge to get married, when for
all of her college life she clearly enjoyed her freedom and not being tied down”, Baudolino said,
spreading his arms in frustration. ”I don't understand it.”
Marylena sighed. ”I think I might. I'm afraid she may be doing this out of responsibility.”
”But how on Earth does this have to do with responsibility?” asked Baudolino, not for the first time.
”I don't really understand it either, but I think she has the idea that in order to be 'a good heiress', she
has to get married, and it has to be a service sim. And she has to produce three children minimum,
just like everyone has done”, explained Marylena.
”So it's 'better just get on with it, then'?”
”That's what I'm suspecting. I think it all fits. Eric is a professor, after all. And look, she's gotten
herself pregnant in record time, too. She wouldn't admit to it if we asked, but I think that her secret
image of the 'good heiress' includes being properly married before the baby comes. Hence the hurry.”
84. ”So, you're saying that in a way we're a lot more modern than our romance sim daughter?” asked
Baudolino, bewildered.
”I guess you could say so. Although, to be fair, Cho doesn't expect others to live according to the
standards in her head, just herself.”
”But where does that even come from?”
”A lot of things I suppose. First, she's always wanted to be heiress, and after she settled on an
aspiration, she's always felt a conflict there. Second, it's true that in our family it's been a sort of a
tradition that the heir or heiress marries a service sim, if you look back at the past generations. It's
not an enforced rule of course, but I think she to some extent sees it as such. And I think after
Charlie...” Marylena still couldn't finish the sentence.
Baudolino hurried to help. ”... it's only gotten worse.”
”Yes.”
85. ”I wish there was something we could do”, said Marylena, looking in front of her but not seeing
anything.
Baudolino nodded. ”I'm afraid there isn't much. We can try to talk to her, of course, but really, Cho is
an adult, and it's really her decision. Even if it makes her unhappy later.”
”I know. I'm not sure if I should even talk about it, but at the same time, I can't not do it”, Marylena
said.
”She probably won't listen to you, not if she's as determined as you think.”
”I know. But I have to try.”
86. Marylena got her chance a few days later. She was outside, just coming from the garden, when she
found her daughter on the yard alone. Instead of heading back inside as she had planned, Marylena
approached her instead.
87. ”Cho darling?”
”Yes, Mom?” Cho was just setting the decorations on the wedding arch, and only turned to quickly
glance at her mother and then looked back at her work.
”Would you... need help with the decorations, honey? You shouldn't work too hard with that belly”,
Marylena said fondly.
”Thanks Mom, but I'm almost ready”, Cho replied with a smile, and went on settling a stubborn flower
where she wanted it. ”And I'm not tired at all.”
”That's good to hear”, Marylena said, pretending to inspect the other side of the arch, trying to buy
time.
88. Then she sighed, dropped all pretence, and took Cho by the shoulders. ”Honey, listen.”
Cho looked at her, slightly confused but smiling.
”There's perhaps no good way to say this but... as a mother, I have to all the same. Eric is a very nice
guy, your father and I both like him very much. And we're of course beyond excited to have our first
grandchild. But...”
Cho looked at her mother, expectantly.
”It's just... This whole marriage thing, it's so sudden, and somehow, so unexpected. You've always
enjoyed your freedom, your dating, all that, and now all of the sudden, when you're fresh out of
college, you're getting married. Even though you're the heiress, it doesn't mean that you have to do it
in a certain way. Honestly, I have absolutely nothing against any of this. I just want to make sure this
is really what you want”, Marylena finished.
89. ”Oh”, Cho said, stopped and smiled a little. ”Yes, yes it is, Mom. That thing in college, the dating and
stuff, was... college. I'm an adult now, and it's time for me to take up an adult life. Take up the
responsibilities of an adult, have a family of my own. It's time for me to really become the heiress,
and to act like one. This is what I really want.”
Marylena was going to reply, but they were interrupted by a loud clank.
90. ”Ouch. Why do these things have to be so heavy? They're clearly not made to be carried around”,
panted Baudolino, rubbing his wrists. He'd been carrying garden furniture outside for the wedding all
afternoon, and was clearly getting tired.
91. ”Dad! You shouldn't tire yourself like that. Wait, let me help you with that!” Cho exclaimed and started
heading towards her father, to help with the garden bench.
”Absolutely not, Cho!” said Marylena horrified. ”The old man can't lift the bench so the pregnant lady
runs for help? You should be resting in any case. I'll ask George to arrange the rest of the benches,
and Eric can surely help when he comes from work.”
92. After convincing Cho that she didn't need to personally take care of every detail of the wedding,
Baudolino and Marylena were left alone on the back yard.
”Did you talk to her?”
”I did.”
”And?”
Marylena sighed. ”I'm still not convinced, but it seems that at least she knows what she's doing. I
might have hoped a different rationale for the decision, but she assured me that this is really what
she wants.”
Baudolino nodded. ”It's pretty much as I expected”, he said, resigned. ”I suppose there's nothing we
can except hope that our daughter will be happy.”
93. The next days gave Baudolino and Marylena some relief. It seemed that the young couple were both
looking forward to the wedding and excited about the baby.
94. And as the wedding drew nearer, Cho grew bigger by the day.
95. Whenever there was a free moment, Baudolino would practice his piano playing, as he and his wife
both found it very relaxing, and all that practice also brought about results. These days, free time was
scarce, though, as the big wedding was quickly approaching.
96. Shortly before the wedding, Marylena decided that it was time for her to retire. She wanted to be
home when her first grandchild would arrive.
97. And then, suddenly, it was the evening before the wedding.
”So, tomorrow at this time we'll already be married”, said Eric, giving Cho a quick peck. ”Are you
ready?”
Cho smiled. ”I'm looking forward to it. Hey, would it be okay if I laid down for a bit? The baby is tiring
me out.”
”Of course, Cho honey. You get all the rest you need. The baby needs it, and tomorrow is a big day.
I'll see if I can gain one more charisma point for my next promotion meanwhile. Do you need
anything?”
”No, I'll be fine. Thanks, Eric”, Cho said with a smile and headed for her old bedroom.
98. So this was it, thought Cho, while laying on one of the beds in her childhood room. From tomorrow
on, she'd be a married woman. No more foolish behavior, she was an adult now. A responsible adult,
and the heiress of a respected Legacy family. Tomorrow was the real beginning of her adult life. From
tomorrow on, a married woman, and soon after that, a mother. For the rest of her life.
99. The day of the wedding arrived, bright and clear. There had been some concern of the weather, as so
late in the autumn it could be quite unpredictable, but as before noon there wasn't a cloud in sight,
everyone gave a sigh of relief.
Everything was nearly ready, the guests were arriving, and there was only the bride to get ready.
”Wait, Cho, there seems to be something right there...” said Marylena, carefully examining the bridal
dress. ”No, it's just some play of light. Now, let me just see that there are no wrinkles anywhere...”
100. ”Now, there. I think you're all set, then.”
”Great, Mom. How do I look?”
101. ”You look absolutely gorgeous, darling!” Marylena couldn't help but smile widely when looking at her
daughter, besides her worries.
102. ”Thanks, Mom”, Cho said, looking happy. ”Mom?”
”Yes?”
”I love you.”
”I love you too, sweetie. I really hope you will be happy.”
Cho just smiled. After a moment of pleasant silence, Marylena spoke again.
”Now are you ready?”
”I am”, Cho nodded.
”Then let's get you that veil yet. The guests are waiting.”
103. And in the blink of an eye, or so it seemed, everything was ready. The bride had the veil, the groom
had the rings, the parents had taken their front row seats, and the guests were anxiously awaiting the
young couple to appear. It was finally time.
104. In the far corner of the family property, one more guest appeared. He didn't join the crowd, but stayed
outside the fence, out of sight for very likely everyone. He'd never planned to join the guests, and in
fact, he hadn't planned to come at all, despite the warm invitation from Cho. But then he'd realized
that he simply had to see this for himself. All Nicholas wanted was to watch from afar.
It was time.
105. I'm not strong enough to stay away
Can't run from you
I'd just run back to you
106. Like a moth I'm drawn into your flame
You say my name
but it's not the same
110. And it's killing me when you're away
And I wanna leave and I wanna stay
I'm so confused
so hard to choose between the pleasure and the pain
111. And I know it's wrong and I know it's right
Even if I tried to win the fight
My heart would overrule my mind
And I'm not strong enough to stay away
112. I'm not strong enough to stay away
What can I do
I would die without you
113. In your presence my heart knows no shame
I'm not to blame
'cause you bring my heart to its knees
114. And it's killing me when you're away
And I wanna leave and I wanna stay
I'm so confused
so hard to choose between the pleasure and the pain
115. And I know it's wrong and I know it's right
Even if I tried to win the fight
My heart would overrule my mind
And I'm not strong enough to stay away
116. There's nothing I can do
My heart is chained to you
and I can't get free
Look what this love's done to me
”I think I've seen enough.”
117. And it's killing me when you're away
And I wanna leave and I wanna stay
I'm so confused
so hard to choose between the pleasure and the pain
118. And I know it's wrong and I know it's right
Even if I tried to win the fight
My heart would overrule my mind
And I'm not strong enough to stay away
122. Not strong enough, strong enough
Not strong enough, strong enough
”I'm so sorry, Cho. I can't do this. I can't.”
123. I'm not strong enough to stay away
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(Not Strong Enough, Apocalyptica featuring Brent Smith)
Dear reader, this is the end of our current chapter – yes, I am cruel like that. So this is where I leave
you this time. I hope you have enjoyed the ride, and welcome along for chapter 34 next time! Until
then, happy simming!
