Rewards

Life was good on Cottonwood Crescent.

Debra was doing well at school, Dolly was already walking and talking; proving to be a very outgoing child with a keen interest in the world around her.

She seemed to find particular delight in watching Carl and Debra working on the old car.

Or listening to Malia recount tales of her travels with Carl before they settled in Hidden Springs.

In these days, though, it wasn't just at home that the Slade family was prospering. Within the space of a few days both Carl and Malia received significant recognition in their work lives.

Carl's diligence and innovations at the Lab saw him receive another promotion, with a substantial pay rise.  Equally Malia's horticultural prowess elicited a glowing review from the regional gardening circle and a nice cash prize.

On the very day that Malia was notified of her award she received a phone call from her long-time friend Jodi.  On a business trip to Hidden Springs Jodi was going to set some time aside to catch up with her old friend.  Malia had heard of a fabulous new clothes shop that had just opened and this would be an ideal opportunity to check it out.

Small, but perfectly formed, the Tres Chic Boutique was the smartest and most fashionable outlet in town.

As Jodi and Malia discovered, 'fashionable' came at a price!  With styles from some of the most respected international designers, it was certainly a cut above the generic brand stores in the town centre.

Unfortunately the leading edge of fashion trends was not quite within the budget of either of them, so they were delighted to see that the upper floor of the boutique had a good selection of slightly more affordable, but still very stylish and 'on trend', outfits.

It was here, in their 'On the Town' section that Malia found the ideal outfit for a night out.  And a good night out with Carl was definitely in her plans for the very near future!

 -- * --

So, a few days later Malia's subtle hinting led Carl to suggest a night out at the new cinema, the Juniper Lane Art Centre, and a meal at the new Italian restaurant in the town centre.

It was a beautiful late summer evening as they arrived at the cinema.

Although it was about thirty minutes or so before the first film showing started, the lobby bar was already getting busy as people had a drink or snack before the show.

Early, as they were, Carl and Malia found a spot on the sofas and reminisced about when they had first the seen the original, and 'classic', version of the film they had come to see - a modern retelling of Simspeare's story "Rudy and Julianne".

As different as it was in style from the original this new version was just as dramatic and moving; the human situation it told of was the same today as it was decades, even centuries ago; a story of love, doubt, loss, and redemption .

As the final scene faded to black and the credits rolled the couple snuggled together in the warm comfort of the cinema's "love seats" as they contemplated the meaning and beauty of the film.

On their way out of the cinema, Malia was suddenly overcome by a powerful wave of nausea and had to duck into the toilets.

Although she felt a little better, she didn't really feel comfortable enough for a big meal so, sadly, they brought their night to an early end and returned home.

At home Malia did feel a little better but that sense of queasiness never really went away, so she turned in early hoping the symptoms would disappear by morning.

That didn't happen, and in the early hours she awoke with a nagging nausea.  Well, she thought to herself, this does feel rather familiar ...

-- * --

Author's Note: I am very pleased to include in this chapter some custom content created by two good friends from The Sims 3 forums:

• Jodi Bishop by Me1620
• Tres Chic Boutique by Glenkatko

And my own Juniper Lane Art Centre makes another appearance.  :)