Generation 2, Chapter 1: Vive La France!

Oh god, I’m so nervous. I’ve never been so meticulously documented in my life. Did you hear that?! I swear, I will never get used to those camera clicks…

“Don’t worry, Vivi. You do get used to them.”

My mama’s voice was reassuring and calm.  I, on the other hand, was an absolute ball of nerves.  It’s my first day as a young adult and my first day taking the reins on writing the family saga. I was not used to have my most minute moments photographed by an invisible camera, and I was certainly not used to chronicling my everyday life. But I had agreed to it, and when I really thought about it, I am not sure what I expected. I knew this was the deal when I agreed to carry on the legacy, so I had best get used to it…right?

“Vivien? I have something else for you.”

I turned to face Mama and for the first time I really took notice at how much older she had become. She was still so full of life, even after Papa….never mind. My point being, it was hard to fathom how a small, frail woman could still be so feisty!

She held out a small envelope and I couldn’t contain my squeal when I opened it.

“Champ Les Sims?! I’m going to France?!”

“You’ve earned it, haven’t you? I’m proud of you, pumpkin. Your papa…despite everything Vivien, I know he would be proud of you too.”

I decided to ignore this last comment, like I had tried my best to ignore that I even once had a papa. I pulled Mama into an embrace and set off to pack my bags. I was ecstatic at the opportunity to finally use my French, which I had studied so hard for so long and which I (foolishly I suppose) thought might all be for naught.

Champ Les Sims, here I come!

I arrived in France and was slightly disappointed to find that my visa status would only allow for a 3 day trip. I decided to make the most of it and immediately set out for the nearest bulletin board to find out what this lovely countryside had to offer.

I found a listing that required exploring an old tomb in order to find a lost, sentimental object. A little odd, sure, but could I really be picky? I set off to meet the man from the board.

He was, in fact, quite odd. He implored me to retrieve his relic from some place at the north end of town called the Celtic Ruins. It sounded interesting enough.

But I was a little dismayed at the end to find I had spent nearly an entire precious day breaking my back in a damp cave looking a lost object which turned out to be an old baseball! I only had two days left in town and I had to sleep, so I vowed that tomorrow I would spend my time at the chateau and the bistro – not in an old tomb.

I awoke the next morning and started my day with a ride to the chateau. The warm breeze felt good on my cheeks.

The chateau was wonderful, and I spent the afternoon sampling delicious nectar (seriously, why don’t we have stuff this good back home) and chatting with a nice gentleman.

I found him to be attractive but just when the flirty mood struck me, he passingly mentioned his wife and kids. Oh well. I was still pleased to have made a new friend.

Later I was feeling quite hungry, so I excused myself and headed to the bistro for crepes.

And of course it was in the middle of stuffing my face that I noticed the handsome food vendor stealing a glance at me through the window. I decided to go introduce myself.

His name was Yves Bernard. He was quite charming and during our conversation I discovered that he was a bookworm and a natural cook. Smart, handy in the kitchen, and good looking? There’s a catch right? But Yves was not married or involved, not gay, and didn’t have any sort of criminal record. I was smitten. I barely realized how long we’d talked – night was already beginning to fall.

I had studied French for four years and always thought I spoke it well enough in the classroom. But with Yves, I found myself stumbling over the simplest phrases and giggling at my silly mistakes. Between my nervous French and his limited Simlish, we managed to understand each other pretty well.

Very well, in fact.

I was walking on air the entire way back to my base camp. I was so excited and giddy I could barely sleep. I’m sure the other travelers noticed the huge stupid grin on my face when I bounded up the stairs to plop onto my bed.

But the next morning I realized it was my last day in Champ Les Sims. And I also realized what “the catch” was with Yves – he lived here and I did not.

I felt like someone had let the air out of me. I had been so caught up in the whirlwind of this chance meeting that I didn’t realize how complicated it was about to become. I couldn’t bear the idea of going home to Sunset Valley with nothing more than mere memories of a very brief romance.

I headed to the bistro and was pleased to find Yves working. His eye caught mine and he smiled.

“I had hoped I would see you today.”

I explained to him that it was my last day here. I tried not to sound too unhappy but I think the disappointment was well etched into my face. 

He looked a little disappointed as well. But he took my hands and pressed into them a small slip of paper.

“This is my phone number. You will call me, yes? I can come to see you.”

I smiled but deep down I felt cheated. Who knows how long it would be before he would be able to come visit Sunset Valley? 

I gave him one last kiss before I departed on my trip home.

I arrived home to find another surprise waiting for me – Mama had expanded the studio and put in an inventor’s bench. Mama said she tried to tinker with it but found it was just too…dangerous for her taste. She thought I could use it to fulfill my lifetime wish of following in the steps of DaVinci. I appreciated the gesture but secretly I was apprehensive of the thing myself. 

 For god’s sake, look at it. It looks like its being held together with gorilla glue and a prayer.

Nevertheless, I didn’t want Mama to be disappointed, so I took a jaunt down to the local junkyard to see what I could find in the way of material. It was dirty and smelly and I forbid the invisible camera to take ANY pictures of me during that vulnerable time.

I went home and got to work and found I actually enjoyed it. It was just a touch on the dangerous side, and that made me all the more excited to get to work.

Yves and I had been talking almost every night and I found myself longing for his company more and more. Finally, about a month after I returned home, I asked Yves when he thought he might be able to visit. To my surprise, he mentioned he had been saving for the trip ever since I left Champ Les Sims and he said he could come right away. My heart raced as we excitedly made the plans.

Yves would arrive in a week. That left me with plenty of time to clean and tidy and learn how to cook.

I wasn’t the only one with romance on my mind. Since Kai had begun working out and discovering his athletic prowess, he had also changed his hair and clothing and gained quite a bit of confidence. His sights seemed to be set one of his classmates, Tricia.

So...movies?

He seemed to be really close to sealing the deal on that first kiss, but Tricia was a bit of a tease and she coyly shot down his advance.

That girl is a heartbreaker.

They decided to just be friends…for now. I had a gut feeling that this was not the end of their story, though.

Meanwhile, Mama had finally achieved her dream of becoming a star news anchor…and promptly retired. I think she might have felt a little regretful that she spent so much time working. She married later than most sims and had Kai and I right when her career was beginning to flourish. She worked a lot when we were younger and I think she wanted to take the time to enjoy herself, finally. We were all excited for her – even our maid.

The day that Yves was due to arrive, I was so nervous I couldn’t even eat breakfast. I decided to tinker on the inventing bench to soothe my nerves.

And I promptly set it and my clothes on fire.

Try not to look so inconvenienced, Kai.

This left me with very little time to shower and look presentable (including new clothes) for when Yves arrived. I was a wreck by the time he got here.  But my anxiety was calmed soon enough.

It was indescribably wonderful to see him again, to be able to talk and laugh and to show him all of my favorite spots in my hometown. I would say that I felt like a teenager again, but I was newly 18 and still a teenager so I felt that the phrase wasn’t appropriate.

I felt more alive than I ever had.

Mama seemed to take to Yves as well. Or maybe she just liked his cooking. It was hard to tell with Mama sometimes. She was always very stoic, even moreso after Papa’s betrayal and subsequent death.  But I could tell Yves enjoyed her company, which I found endearing.

Yves's pancakes can crack even the hardest heart.

I was over the moon. Everything clicked into place so perfectly and I found myself panicking at the thought of Yves leaving to go home to France.

We were both 18 and we had only known each other for a few months, and even then, our face to face interaction time was limited. But it felt so right. So I did something crazy and irrational.

I asked him to move in. My subconscious was furious.

Oh god Vivien. Are you an idiot? What part of your brain is this? I see we’ve thrown out all of the practical advice Mama gave us when it comes to fairy tales and whirlwind romances and how they DO NOT WORK LIKE THAT in real life. Real relationships take commitment and work, they need more than just a pretty face and exotic culture. You can’t just know someone for only a month as a teenager and then ask them to move in? Are you INSANE?

Perhaps.

But if that’s true, Yves was insane too, because he accepted my invitation.  I was nervous and scared, but I had also never been more excited or happy in my life. I felt like my story could truly begin.