Chapter 8

Since Gussie was climbing up the corporate ladder, he was often asked to come speak at the local school to inspire children to work hard at their studies.  Gussie loved hanging out with the children, and every once in a while, he’d recognize the same fire that he had in the eyes of a student.

He was surprised by the sheer amount of money that the school was willing to pay him.  Elynne would be so pleased!

When he got home, he was happy to see that Turner had aged up into a child!  Gussie was so excited to have someone he could show the ropes.  Maybe Turner would even want to play chess with him!  Gussie was a master of the logic skill after all.  Hopefully some of his knowledge would rub off on Turner.

Gussie startled suddenly.  It was time to start thinking about the family legacy.  He certainly wasn’t getting any younger.  Elynne wouldn’t want to talk about this yet, but he knew they would need to choose an heir.  She hadn’t been in the best of moods lately, and who could blame her. 

Gussie had put her through the ringer, and he was ashamed of himself.  So, instead of using the money he received on something for himself or the kids, he was sure he wanted her to go on a vacation.  Her clients were asking for more unusual fruits and vegetables, and she was out of inspiration for her painting.

He called her on his way home to let her know he had a surprise for her.

When Gussie finally told Elynne about his idea, she glared at him.  Was he joking?  She half expected him to burst into laughter, but Gussie had never been the type to joke about something like this.

“So, let me get this straight, you want me to go off and leave you with two small children and a demanding job?” She questioned.

Gussie smiled and nodded.

Elynne could barely hide her excitement, but her rough life had aged her.  Instead of jumping for joy, she turned and grinned.

That was when Gussie noticed how much she had aged.  Her eyes had dark baggy circles underneath, and her skin was speckled in age spots, but the twinkle in her eye was visible.  She was happy, and Gussie couldn't remember the last time he had seen her truly happy.

Finally, she leapt into his arms, and almost knocked him off of his feet.

“Oh Gussie!” She cried, “thank you so much!  I have been needing this for so long, and you knew!”

Gussie cried too, and held her tightly.

“I love you, Elynne.  More than anything.”

Even as he said the words, he couldn’t help but think about Hailey.  He still missed her.  Would they ever have a chance to be happy as friends?  Probably not.  He ruined any chance of having any real honest relationship with her the night he cheated with her.

The next afternoon, he loaded Elynne into a taxi, and waved her off.  They could only afford three days of travel, but it was enough for her.

As Elynne’s plane flew in for a landing, she got a good look at Champs Les Sims.  She sighed deeply and pressed her nose to the window.  Elynne wouldn’t have enough time to do any real sight-seeing or exploring, but she would have plenty of time to try some nectar, look into some new fruits for her clients, and maybe sneak in some painting.

The first day was full of misunderstandings because she had no idea how to communicate with the locals.  People found her boring and frustrating, so she eventually retreated to the Nectary.  Instead of trying to pronounce the names of the nectars, she just pointed.  The clerk behind the counter nodded, and only smiled when he gave her the wrong amount of money.  He politely took the correct amount of money, and sent her on her way.

The nectar was delicious!  Inspired, she decided to start harvesting some new fruits immediately.

After spending an evening harvesting grapes, she decided to call Gussie.  It was expensive, but she missed him so much!  She told him about the nectary, and how confusing trying to communicate with the locals was.  He laughed and told her not to worry.

“Elynne, I’m a little worried about Turner,” Gussie whispered.

“Why, hun?”

“Well, ever since his birthday, he has been talking to himself.  I’ve asked him about it, and he tells me that he isn’t talking to himself.  He’s talking to his imaginary friend, Suri.”

“Oh…” Elynne was speechless.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to do about it either.” Gussie sighed. “I’ve looked online, and everyone seems to say that we should stay out of it.  Don’t say anything negative to him.  He has to work it out on his own.”

Elynne shook her head.  It would have to wait.

After they hung up, Elynne headed back to the hotel.  She had a hard time describing the hotel because although a large amount of people could stay there, it had a very cozy environment... Almost too cozy.  All the beds were in the same room, and she had the hardest time falling asleep.

She didn't sleep very well that night because people constantly bumped into the foot board of her bed, and there was a rumor that the blonde woman on the other side of the room was a celebrity.  A few people even snapped a few sleeping shots of her.

She wanted to paint, but couldn’t afford to bring her easel with her on the plane.  The charged a boatload of simoleons to check an extra package.

She checked the clock.  It was still well before 6:00 am, so she decided to try her hand at fishing.  There were plenty of poles in the main lobby closet, so she snagged one and headed across the street to fish in the river.

At first, nothing bit.  Not even a nibble.

But after a while, she managed to catch some minnows!  There were a couple of people on a fishing boat downstream that laughed at her antics, but it didn’t bother Elynne.  She was so proud of catching her first fish even if it wasn’t any bigger than her hand.