The Broke Legacy: Generation 2.1.

[simgaroop]

Previous update: Gen 1.4.





The moment I had my son for the first time in my arms, I knew that my life wouldn't be the same ever again.
Things couldn't stay the way they were, and I had to work harder than ever to give Cosmo a better life than the one I had.

But how?




The first thing I realized was that a baby couldn't grow up in a shack like mine.
It was even worse than the trailer I had lived all my life in.




So, with the last of my savings, I built a small room for Cosmo. With carpet and painted walls. Even a light bulb.
Sure, it only had a crib, but at least it was a safe and warm place for my baby.




I had no experience with babies (last time I had been in contact with one was when I was a kid, with David), but I was sure that Cosmo was the quiet kind.
He spent hours in his crib, smiling, never crying.




With such a sweet baby, it was easy for me to get used to my role as a Dad.
And I enjoyed it very much.




First thing I did every morning was to feed him.
I had to leave him with a nanny for a few hours everyday for my job.
But I never let her wake up my son. I always had to be the first one Cosmo saw every morning.




Of course, once I returned from my trainings, first thing I did was to hold and play with Cosmo.




I often interrupted my studies and work out to bathe, play or feed the baby.
My job was on second place now.
And girls... well, I hadn't thought about them for a long time.




Cosmo was born on the first night of the winter. I expected the climate to be a little colder... but I never expected snow!
Or to actually see a penguin out of my window!
Of course, compared to my baby alien, it was a normal thing.
Strangetown was a place in which everything could happen.




I always loved winter, despite the bittersweet memories it brought me.
One morning, I left Cosmo asleep and went out to see the snow.




And in that moment, a woman walked by.




"Hello, Sir. My name is Reneé Andrews."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Beau Broke."




"Oh, so you are one of P.T.'s pregnant guys! I can see you still haven't lost all that weight! Ha ha ha ha!




"Hey! Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?"
"Oh come on! Don't take it like that! I'm just joking! Actually, I'm kind of impressed that a guy could endure a pregnancy!
I'd like to know about your experience!"




"Uh... sure. I was just going to have lunch... would you like a grilled cheese sandwich?"




That day I spent a long time talking with Reneé. I was impressed by how easy it was to tell her everything, from my childhood at Pleasantview to my abduction and my experience as Cosmo's father. She was a great listener and never judged anything I told her.




She was thrilled to meet Cosmo too.




She was also a very playful Sim. Once Cosmo was taking his nap, she invited me to snowball fight.
"You told me you used to play with your brothers back in your town. Show me what you've got!"




"You're on!"




To tell the truth, I hadn't had that much fun in several years. Reneé was such an easygoing girl that made me feel happy with myself.
I knew we'd become the best of friends.




Speaking of friends, I still got letters from Lilith frequently.
She had finished her college studies a long time ago. She was now working at an important company as a business woman.
She had also married her high school sweetheart, Dirk Dreamer, and given birth to her son, Henry, a couple months before Cosmo's birth.
She knew about my abduction and Cosmo, of course, and frequently told me that she'd travel one day to Strangetown to meet him.







The months went by, and soon it was time for Cosmo's first birthday.




It was incredible how fast he grew up.
One moment he was a tiny baby...




... and the next one he was an adorable toddler.




"Beau, that's no way to dress a toddler!"
"Well, Reneé, I wanted him to look fine for his birthday!"
"You are such a hopeless case. Here, let me show you..."




"See? I'm pretty sure he now feels more comfortable."




Cosmo was as sweet and smiley as he had been as a baby.




It was a joy to spend time with him.




Except for the moments in which he'd cry and whine to no end...




Or he'd follow me everywhere not caring if he had to crawl in the snow.




The shack was a complete mess!
Between my trainings and my hyperactive toddler, I felt so tired that I usually forgot to dispose his old bottles.




Which somehow he always found!




Ugh... and the whole potty training deal.
I wasn't sure if he'd ever get the idea or if he'd need to wear diapers for the rest of his life.




Seriously, I was always relieved when he played with his rabbit toy.
Those were the precious moments in which I could study... or sleep!




Because the rest of the time he was calling out for me. He was never quiet!




I wasn't so sure about this whole fatherhood thing now.




Mom called frequently to give me advice. I now admired her more than ever.
How was she able to raise the three of us all by herself?




P.T. visited often too. He was some kind of spiritual leader for all of us men who had been abducted by aliens.




One night, someone entered our shack.




Someone with the sole intention of stealing what little we had.
I woke up just as he was taking our bookcase.




But I didn't care about that.
The only thing I thought about was protecting my son.




Having a criminal as a brother, I knew that this guy was probably doing this out of lack of studies or job opportunities.
I didn't want to call the police, because after all, I spent my whole childhood living from the money Dustin made in the crime scene.

But then the guy went to Cosmo's room and stole his toys!
That's the moment I decided this bastard needed a lesson!




But Cosmo woke up and cried at that moment, so I went to him.
The burglar chose that moment to escape.




Cosmo was very scared.
He was so sad as soon as he realized that his toys and potty were gone.
It had taken me a long time to earn enough to buy them... I wasn't sure when I'd be able to replace them.




The bastard! How dare he do that to my son! Not even Dustin would do that!




The following day, Reneé visited us.
She was shocked when I told her about the burglar.
"This shack is not safe place for Cosmo. You need a real home, with secure doors and windows"
"Yeah, but I can hardly afford that. I'm not getting a raise until I finish my training... and taking care of Cosmo requires all my time, so I can't study or work out."
"Well, what about we join forces? I'd move in with you and help with the expenses and Cosmo. I've lived by myself for so long... I need the company."




"You'd really do that for us? I... I don't know what to say..."
"Just say that you want me as your roommate, Beau."
"Well... OK."
"Then it's a deal!"




With the help of Reneé's savings and her salary as a judge, we destroyed our shack and built a small, decent house.
I was thrilled, I now had a real room for the first time in my life!
Sure, the house was almost empty and we lacked a lot of stuff, but I didn't mind.




Well... Reneé did.
It was bit difficult for her to live the first few months without many of the luxuries she had at her apartment... like hot water or nice plants.
She was always saving money and looking for ways to earn more.
For her, money was the key to happiness.




Cosmo didn't accept her at first. When I left for training, she'd spend hours trying to calm my son to no avail.




But as the months went by, they quickly became friends and spent a lot of time playing together.




And I now had time to study. I soon was promoted to Drill Sergeant.
I didn't enjoy my job at the Army, but Reneé said we needed the money.




One day, Jenny gave a strange machine.
She said it was alien technology from P.T.'s planet that would help me with Cosmo's education as long as I was in a good mood.




It freaked me out to see my baby actually glow as soon as he finished his bottle. But that formula, whatever it has, really improved his learning abilities.
I soon was able to teach him to talk,




And to walk.







Reneé cheered the both us. Every step and new word from Cosmo was a victory for our peculiar family.




The years went by, and soon Cosmo began to leave behind his toddler years and acted more like a little boy with each passing day.




It was common to listen to his small steps around the house as he explored everything around him.
He was such an active boy!




Sure, he often ended exhausted from his small adventures.
Nothing a good nap couldn't fix, though.




One day, I approached Reneé and said,
"Cosmo is such a happy boy thanks to your help. He loves you as if you were his mom. You are the best friend a man could wish for."




I was really grateful to my friend, but I soon realized that Reneé felt different for me.
"Cosmo is a very important part of my life. But so are you, Beau. I wish we could form a real family one day. I know you're not ready to love but... could you leave the past behind? You always talk about the future... don't you see I'm the woman you need? The mother Cosmo needs?"




I loved Reneé, but not in that way.
But as she kissed me, I felt obliged to kiss her back.
Perhaps with time I'd learn to love her.
She was Cosmo's mother figure, and I had to put my son's interests before mine.
It was time to leave the past... to do this for my future.




Three years went by.




Three years filled with happy moments with my son.
Three years I tried so hard to love Reneé as much as she loved me.




Three years in which my son went from a little toddler...







... to a young boy.




He was still as active as always.
He didn't have many toys, but just like me, found great pleasure in jumping on the bed.




Also, just like his Dad, he was also a bit of a nerd.




And despite a grudge he still carried from his toddler days,




He was a happy boy, and very close to Reneé.




A few days after Cosmo's fifth birthday, I got a phone call from Lilith.
She was crying.
She said that her husband, Dirk, had died in a car accident.
I felt so bad... I was so far away and I couldn't be there to comfort her.
She had always been some kind of big sister for me.
For the first time in the almost 13 years I'd been away, I felt the need to return to Pleasantview.




But my life was already here.
I had work to do in the Army.
I had to stay with Reneé.
I had to look after my son.
Sure, it wasn't the future I had planned, but that's life.

The morning Cosmo left for his first day at school,




Reneé had already left for work earlier and I had a free day.
I was having breakfast when someone knocked at our door.
Perhaps it was P.T. or Jenny. It'd been a while since I last saw them.




But what waited for me at the other side of the door was a huge surprise.




It was Lilith! Right there in front of me after 13 years!




"Lilith! How glad I am to see you! Wh... what are you doing here?"
"After I talked to you, I felt the need to escape from Pleasantview for a little while. And Strangetown was the only place I could think about"




"You can stay here all the time you want to... I don't have much but..."
"It's OK, Beau, I'm already staying at a hotel. But we've got a lot to talk about."




"This is my son, Henry Dreamer."




"Nice to meet you, little guy! I'm pretty sure Cosmo and you will get along fine!"




"Yup! Mommy already told me he's an alien! It'd be so cool to meet him! I'm sure Auntie Lucy, Cosmo and I will have a lot of fun together!"

Wait a moment! Auntie Lucy?




"Hello, Beau."- a soft, familiar voice said.

Shocked, I turned around a lost my breath as soon as I saw her.





It was Lucy Burb.



________________________________________
Notes:
- I've never seen two sims hold a bigger grudge against a burglar than Beau and Cosmo. Really, the "See Oliver's ghost" want was stuck in their panel for a long, long time (and I think it's still in Cosmo's wants).
- Lucy and Lilith were extracted by SimPe and turned into townies with the help of the teleporter shrub.
- It's weird how Sims work. I had planned Beau to marry Reneé. She's already in love with him, but he just won't fall in love despite having a 100/100 relationship with her. No want to be in love with her, to get engaged nor married. Nothing. So, I decided to bring back two girls from his past and see how things work.
- I created Henry by extracting Dirk and then rolling the pacifier at CAS. He's an adorable kid... but such a horrible adult. His nose is twice as long as Ben Long's.
- I'm so bad at administrating my Sims's funds. Beau's house is still so awful and empty! :( I expected to have a decent house by now.