The Burb Family: Week 3

Back at the Burb's house, we find John and Jennifer on their own just as we had left them - with a difference: their daughter Lucy will never return from college. If you have read the previous post on this blog, you will know that Lucy tragically died in a fire at her dorm at La Fiesta Tec, along with fellow student Carolina Curious. She was the Burbs' only child, and now the two of them face their old age without the prospect of their daughter coming back, or having grandchildren one day. Last time they saw Lucy when she had invited them to the dorm for a Christmas party. Now all they have left is each other.

Jennifer still goes to work, although she has reached her lifetime want of becoming Hand of Poseidon some time ago. But what else is she supposed to be doing?

John is home on his own today and greets Jason Greenman who happens to walk past the house.

Monday and Tuesday pass uneventfully. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, lightning hits the tree in the front garden, and at first it seems the rain will extinguish the flames.
But then the rain stops, and some sparks reach the potted plant Jennifer has put next to her koi pond.

Soon, even the pond itself is ablaze (how does that work, I wonder?!), and Jennifer and guest Ashley Pitts come running out of the house when they realise what is going on.

The tree that started the whole fire off once again catches fire, too, and neither Jennifer nor Ashley are smart enough to either call the firemen or use an extinguisher themselves.

John has been unaware of the goings on in the front garden, but now he races out to save his wife - I am not sure about what happened to Ashley Pitts, whether one of the small piles of ashes are his remnants or he ran off the lot and made his way home.

Sadly, John's heroic efforts come too late... how tragic that his wife should suffer a similar death to that of their daughter!

John still directs the extinguisher against the parts where the flames were raging, like a madman; meanwhile, the Grim Reaper is already there to collect Jennifer.

Finally, John lets go of the extinguisher and pleads for his beloved wife's life.

And he wins the little game Mr. Reaper suggests!

Jennifer is brought back from the dead... One of the rare incidents when I have actually intervened in such a situation in my game. But somehow I could not do this to poor John!

In daylight, John surveys the damage from the fire and clears up the yard. The fish are, by the way, alive and kicking (or, rather, swimming)!

Jennifer seems to think "new life, new clothes" and goes to do a bit of shopping.

On Thurdsay, Jennifer turns into an Elder. The traumatic experience of the previous day seems forgotten already.

John returns home with his last and most important promotion: Now being a Celebrity Chef, he has reached Permanent Platinum at the age of 58.

With both of them now being on Permanent Platinum, I do what I often do with my Sims and leave the Burbs to their own devices, just watching. Who would have thought a Celebrity Chef can't be bothered to make himself something to eat?

Possibly, the trauma of losing first her daughter and then (for a short time) her own life in a fire has been deeper than Jennifer acknowledged at first. She sleeps in her daughter's bed, in the room that has remained exactly as it was when Lucy still lived there.

John, meanwhile, goes to bed on his own.

Still not intervening, I watch John cleaning the kitchen...

...and Jennifer sitting on the garden bench in her PJs - in the rain!

These portraits of John and Jennifer at a younger age were done by Lucy... how sad that she never did one of herself!

While Jennifer gives financial consulting online, her husband would so much like to talk to her. Instead, he just watches her.

On Friday night, our Celebrity Chef serves... burnt Lobster :-)

While he is awake, Jennifer sleeps - but at least she has returned to the marital bed.

John finishes a painting he has begun a while ago. Mind you, I am still not intervening here.

Before it turns completely inedible, Jennifer eats a plateful of John's burnt lobster.

The two of them finally seem to have found comfort in each other again; here they are, dancing in the kitchen.

What would I be doing without my John, Jennifer seems to think. You probably can't see it, but in the painting of their house Lucy did, she can be seen at the window in her room, painting.

On Saturday, John makes another attempt at Lobster Thermidor... ...and burns it again! That is in spite of him having 10 cooking points and very good kitchen equipment.

Jennifer reads the fitness section in the paper.

On Sunday, the bathtub breaks. Of course, no Sim repairs any broken item on their own accord, and the Burbs are no exception. Jennifer wipes the puddles on the floor, though.

Later, she has a can of juice. So far, she has never made a meal on her own accord.

But she takes care of cleaning and tidying on her own; here, she has just gotten rid of the old newspapers that had been piling up near the front door (and, funnily enough, did not burn during the fire earlier this week!).

Oh! Jennifer surprises me by making Grandma's Comfort Soup.

The couple hug and kiss more often now. It looks like they are indeed finding some comfort in their marriage.

As their week ends, they are both fast asleep next to each other in the marital bed. A sad story, but such is life, and at least they are still together.