Chapter 2: New Faces

“Hey, Dad! Have you heard? Mel’s got the job as a Head Dishwasher!”

Adrian knew that Melia applied for that position. He, however, didn’t know that she was already hired. How great! Sure, it wasn’t the most noble job in the world, but with Mel’s dedication and talent, she would be promoted soon. It was only a matter of time.

He rushed to congratulate her. (She was in the garden, of course.)

“Hey, girl, I’m proud of you. You’ll be a world-famous chef one day, I’m sure!”

Melia hoped so. She didn’t mind washing the dishes, it was actually kind of relaxing (what can I say, she’s a neat sim). But it wasn’t paying so well. And it bothered Melia more than it should. Now that she was an adult, she wanted her own room. It’s absolutely normal to want some privacy, right? And a big, comfy bed would be nice, too. And they definitely needed a new stove. Or an entirely new kitchen…

‘Oh, I could do incredible things, if I only was a little richer.’

And so she fully immersed herself into her work. Eira was really happy about her daughter and her responsible behavior. She was absolutely certain that Melia did the right choice when she decided for the culinary career.

“Om-nom-nom. This grilled cheese is to die for.”

But she was a little concerned about Melia’s love life. Sure, work was very important, but Eira (surprisingly) wanted some grandkids! She wanted to see that the legacy would live on. And she was afraid that this part of heirship could be problematic for Melia.

‘She’s never had a boyfriend before. Not even a teenage crush!’ Eira thought to herself nervously. And she decided to do something about it. (Uh-oh.)

Her plan was very simple actually: she knew that Melia didn’t have friends because she was too busy helping with the household. She really needed a rest; just one afternoon without all those duties.

And so, on Melia’s first vacation day, Eira suggested that it would be nice to take Dory to the park, since the poor baby hasn’t visited any community lots before. Melia agreed.

M: “Oh, wow. It’s so nice to be here with you two. I haven’t visited the park for ages! I almost forgot how I love it here – it’s like a beautiful, giant garden.”

E: “Wonderful! And you’ll love it even more when you hear this: …”

Eira paused her speech for two seconds before she continued: “…I saw a fine, good-looking gentleman on our way here and he was looking your way!”

Melia had to put a lot of effort to stop herself from rolling her eyes at her mother.

M: “Seriously, Mom?”

Eira: “Go talk to him. Please. Do it for your mother.”

Melia: *sighes* “Fine! But just to show you how tragically embarrassing it’ll be, so you won’t try to play matchmaker again.”

Melia was slightly annoyed by her mother’s behaviour, but she was expecting it. Her Mom grew up an orphan, so she was all about having a family. Her children were her greatest success and the more descendants she produced, the better she felt.

‘But not everyone is like that…’ Melia thought angrily on her way across the park. But then she got all nervous because she realized she hasn’t talked to boys much before. Except for her brothers, of course. She had no idea what to say.

“Uhm, hello! Mind if I join you?”

“Because my Mom, who is an expert on my life, thought I should speak to you.”

“Hahahaahaahha. Moms will be moms, right?”

Melia felt encouraged by his laugh. He seemed nice.

“My name’s Melia, by the way. I li…”

“Melia? Melia Rossini?”

“Your Mom is the woman who bought Oakenstead years ago?”

“Yes! Why? Do you know her?”

“No, not personally. But I am a big fan of her work. She’s a wonderful violin player. And I happen to love music, especially classical. I saw a lot of her performances and I was amazed everytime. Do you play the violin, too?”

“Weeeell, I play the piano a little. But…yeah, it’s nothing like my mom’s…not even close.”

Melia was surprised how easy and pleasant their conversation was. Alexander talked about his musically gifted sister Cassandra who taught him to love music and Melia talked about the songs her mom wrote. It was going quite well.

And Melia was not the only member of the family who was having a nice time socializing that afternoon.

“So you got another A+ on your paper, didn’t you, you big nerd?”

“Don’t you dare call me that, Damon Rossini!”

“Remind me again, who got the highest possible score on a Math test today? That’s right, it was you!”

“So who is the big nerd here now, huh?”

Damon’s new friend, Katie Hogue, came over after school almost every day. They were the best of friends already. Damon was an excellent student and Katie was a Genius. They had a lot to talk about. It was like they knew each other for years.

“Okay, okay. You won.”

D: “Homework time?”

“Homework time,” she nodded with a soft smile. And so they sat on his bed and studied molecular biology. It didn’t look like something was going on, but Damon felt like singing every time she visited. Doing homework was suddenly the best part of the day.

‘She’s just so…beautiful.’

Back in park, Melia realized she was talking to Alexander for hours.

“So, umm, it was nice meeting you, Alexander, but I should probably go now. I, uhm, I’m here with my little sister and she has homework to do and…”

“Can I see you again?” Alexander interrupted her.
Melia didn’t answer. Instead, she called out to Dory to announce her it was time to go home.

“On my waaaay!”

Then she looked at Alexander again.
“Well…” she hesitated before answering “…yes. I think we can see each other again.”