The Broke-Lee Family: Week 6

Click here for the 5th week with the Broke-Lee-family.
Note: because of there having been two surnames up until recently in this household, they were played twice each round. Therefore, it is their 6th week already.

Welcome back to the Lee-Broke family. If you have read the chapter about their previous week, you'll know that they moved to this art-deco-style house which came into our games with the Mansion & Garden stuff pack (I think).

Dustin Broke (left) is, as you all know, Brandi Broke's eldest son - now an elder himself. He and Emily Lee, his college sweetheart (right), got married not that long ago. The lady in the middle is Opal Contrary, just visiting. Both Dustin and Emily are City Planners. To be in that position was their lifetime want, and of course they are on Permanent Platinum and are (mostly) treated as unplayables.

The architectural office is on the ground floor. Many of their designs are on display here.

Upstairs are the master bedroom and Lee's room. Lee is Dustin's half-Alien son; he was named Lee in honour of Emily's last name. Very fittingly, he wants to become a City Planner just like his parents. For now, he is a teenager with still a long time to go before he can start college.

The week at the Broke household (Emily took her husband's surname when they were married) starts on Wednesday, because that is the day they moved here. On this Wednesday, Pleasant Servo passes by and is greeted by Emily.

The Brokes share a meal of Grandma's Comfort Soup.

Lee is happy that his parents (ok, Emily is not his biological mother, but their relationship is just as close as if she were) finally got married and threw a great wedding party, and he tells his Dad so.

On Thursday, Emily is seen busy doing some gardening in spite of the family having a hired gardener coming twice a week.

She even finds and clears up a pile of dead bugs - I never saw it!

She has good reason for making sure that everything is spic & span, because the Private School Headmaster has been invited for an evaluation visit. Lee really wants to get ino Private School, and so I forgot my "unplayable"-rule about Emily and Dustin for a few Sim-hours and let them do what they can to make the visit a success.

The Headmaster is most interested in Lee's Alien heritage, and asks lots of questions about the home planet of his other father. Of course, Dustin can't tell him anything - he can remember that he was kidnapped by the Aliens a long time ago, but can't remember any details. Emily is amazed the Headmaster is asking such personal questions.

But the visit ends successfully, and on Friday, Lee goes to school for the first time in his brand new uniform.

Padma Patel walks by in the afternoon, and Lee greets her. So far, he has not shown any particular interest in a girl (or a boy).

For several days now, he has spun up the wish of buying a cell phone. I don't think any other Sim in the entire neighbourhood has one - I usually don't consider it important enough to act on that wish, but this time I thought, why not, and have Lee take a taxi to Sims Gone Wired, a community lot that I can't even remember ever having played.

Lee buys his cell phone and is then free to roam the premises.

He meets Padma Patel again.

Then he bumps into one of his many half-siblings. This one is Lance Landgraab, who is obviously overjoyed to meet another family member.

"An espresso for my brother, please!" Lee celebrates the new-found sibling.

Back home, he spends Saturday afternoon fishing with his Dad. He earns his Bronze Badge.

Emily prefers drafting a new design at her drawing table.

On Sunday, both his parents go to work in the city. Lee invites over some friends and half-siblings: Charlie Cho, Padma Patel, Martina Martin, Lance Landgraab, Paola Picaso (front to back)...

...as well as Hailey Hart, Ramon Ramirez and Wilma Williamson (back to front).

It is a very demure party; the young people don't even dance (there is no stereo in the house). Instead, they sit down for a meal.

There are not enough chairs for everyone, but the others don't mind eating in the kitchen.

Looks like Ramon Ramirez is quite interested in Martina Martin!

The kids leave not long after Lee's parents return home. Dustin unwinds at the fish pond and makes his Silver Fishing Badge.

Monday passes rather uneventful, with work and school for everyone. It is now autumn, and the leaves want raking.

On Tuesday afternoon, the gardener has just left when Emily puts a match to one of the piles of leaves (which the gardener should have dealt with, actually, but never did). To her horror, the flames spread much further than just the leaves.

Dustin is resting in the living room and has no idea what is going on outside.

Lee gets off the school bus and finds his mother ablaze. In his effort to help her, he gets too close to the flames himself. I wonder what I bought him a cell phone for!

Only when Mr. Reaper appears for Emily, Dustin realizes something is going on and comes running outside.

Minutes later, only a tiny pile of ashes is left of his wife and son.

And the fire is still burning! Now two townies, who happened to walk along, are panic-stricken. It had been raining a lot during the week, and even on the same morning, but now there is no rain to quench the flames.

They leave without helping Dustin, who soon follows his wife and son.

Mr. Reaper was busy today! Emily and Dustin were 66 when they died in the flames. Lee was in his mid-teens. The Broke surname still has a chance to be carried on through either Beau or Benvenuto, but so far, neither of them have a girlfriend. The week at this household is over - and so are, unfortunately, the lives of three Sims who have done nothing to deserve this - nothing but my determination not to intervene.

The Broke-McGreggor-Household: Week 4 or 5

The previous week at his household can be read here.
Note: For some reason, I seem to have not played - or not written - one week at this household. I know that I am now in Round 5 of playing New Maximiliania, but there seem to be only 3 chapters (plus a family album) for this household. Therefore, I am not sure whether this is actually their fourth or fifth week. Sorry about that!

The McGreggor farm, seen here from the back, has long been the home of not only Leod McGreggor (now Broke - only by name, not by finances!)...

...but also of his wife Brandi Broke and their dogs.

Brandi's lifetime want is to raise 20 puppies or kittens, but with the less than easy life she had as a young widow with small children, she never got round to getting started on her LTW until she moved in with Leod. So far, she has only managed to raise three, and I doubt there will be many more. Leod, on the other hand, has been doing very well: his LTW is to have six pets reach the top of their career, and five of them have already managed that.

Living with Brandi, Leod and the dogs are two of Brandi's four sons: Beau, who is an aspiring World Class Ballet Dancer...

...and Benvenuto, who has recently returned from college with a degree in Art. It should serve him well on his way to Media Magnate. Benvenuto's twin brother Brent is married to Sandra Roth and lives with her and her family at the Roth house. Dustin, Brandi's eldest, is married to Emily Lee and lives with her and his half-Alien son Lee somewhere else in New Maximiliania.

On this Saturday (the week at this household has always started, for some unknown reason, on a Saturday), Brandi is 73 (same as Leod), and her lifetime bar looks as if she won't be around for very much longer. Since she is still so very far away from reaching her LTW, I allow her to summon the genie by aid of the magic lamp left to the family some time ago. She only makes the one wish, that of peace of mind, which is instantly granted. Now Brandi is on Permanent Platinum without having made her LTW come true.

Sadly, one of the dogs, Alegra, dies that afternoon. She has been a faithful friend to both Leod and Brandi, and also to the boys, and reached a ripe old age of - I think - nearly 30. Her tombstone will be put in the pet section of the Gamesend Grounds cemetery.

There is a lightning rod in the garden, but still one of the trees is struck during a thunderstorm. Fortunately, it is raining heavily, so that the flames are put out before anything worse can happen.

Sunday is a beautiful day, true to its name.

Abby returns from work with a promotion to Rescue Pet - she has reached the top of her career, which in turn...

...means that Leod has reached his LTW, just as he is pulling a huge rainbow trout of the farm's own fish pond. Congratulations, Leod!

Tiffany, who has been just as faithful a four-legged friend to the family as Alegra, dies that afternoon. Now only Toto, Goldy and Abby are left.

Maybe you remember that when I last played Angela Pleasant's household, I had her give away as many as possible of her mother's and her own hand-crafted robots to family, friends and neighbours. This toy robot made it into the Broke-McGreggor household. They never last very long before they need repairing, do they!

Meanwhile, Leod works at his collection of bugs. So far, I have not had one Sim who owned a complete collection. How about you?

Brandi invites her eldest son Dustin (blue t-shirt), his wife Emily (pink t-shirt) and her grandson Lee over.

Just as Leod is having a drink of water...

... the Grim Reaper and his Hula Girls approach him from the side, and what was meant to be a cheerful gathering of friends and family turns into a very sad evening for all involved. Leod was 76.

Brandi cries in front of Leod's portrait.

On Thursday, Benvenuto goes to work for the first time. He starts as a Horoscope Writer. Maybe he thinks of his older brother, Beau, wondering who will be the first of the two of them to reach the top of their respective careers. He is promoted to Sports Columnist after his first day.

Brandi feels close to Leod when she works the farm he loved so much, and offered to her and her young sons as a home when they were in dire straits. She makes her Golden Gardening Badge that afternoon.

Beau decides it is time to get some more summery outfits for himself and his little brother, and heads to the "Papaya Regime".

Several New Maximilianian ladies are there, but Beau is not particularly interested in any of them.

At home, Benventuo changes into the short-sleeved shirt and lightweight trousers Beau brought for him, and then proceeds to make himself a nice dinner. He just loves to eat, as you can see :-)

Wednesday starts sunny and bright, and Beau relaxes by fishing.

The nice weather does not stay long; soon, there is yet another thunderstorm, and hail forces the boys to seek cover in the barn.

Later on, after the clouds have passed, Brandi is once more taking care of the vegetables, when she...

...turns into a Plantsim! If I am not very much mistaken, she is the 3rd Sim ever in my game to turn into a Plantsim. Leod was the first, followed by Gabe O'Mackey, and now Brandi.

But all of a sudden...

...the vegetable patch becomes rather crowded, when Grimmy and his girls make their fourth appearance of the week. Brandi dies at the age of 78.

Her sons take it very hard. Brandi was their world - Beau is well aware of the struggle she went through to raise them all decently, and he misses her dreadfully.

Benvenuto can't remember life before they moved to the farm, but to him, Leod was like a father, and now he has lost both his parents in the course of a few days.

On Thursday, when he wakes up, still in the same familiar room, in the bed he has slept in ever since he outgrew his crib, next to the wallpaper he loved when he was a kid, at first he thinks everything is as always. But then it hits him: his Mum died yesterday, and now there's only Beau and himself and the three dogs left on the farm.

Breakfast is a very subdued affair that morning.

Beau tries to cheer his little brother up by talking about the time when they all had to hurry in the bathroom every morning in order for them to all catch the schoolbus in time.

Benvenuto has to go to work, which is a good thing because it helps directing his mind to something else than the loss of his parents. Beau has the day to himself, working only in the evening, and is glad for any distraction. He gives a warm welcome to Pleasant Servo.

Benvenuto is promoted to Investigative Journalist.

Beau returns late at night with a promotion to World Class Ballet Dancer (here still in his Flamenco Master outfit) - he has reached his LTW, 15 days before elderhood. How the "boys" both wish their Mum and Leod were still around to celebrate with them!

Benvenuto has been used to working on the farm ever since he was old enough to hold a trowel, and has the Silver Gardening Badge. Most of the time, it is he who takes care of the vegetable patch and the orchard now.

Beau does his share of farm work, too; he looks after the dogs, cleaning their houses, washing them and making sure their food dishes are clean and well-filled all the time.

At the kitchen table, the two boys talk about the day-to-day things that need doing on the farm. Benvenuto admits he has been feeling as if under dark clouds ever since their mother died, but is slowly beginning to feel better.

We leave the Broke boys with a look at Beau in his World Class Ballet Dancer outfit.

How long until Benvenuto will reach his LTW? Are either of the two going to find themselves girlfriends? Will they ask one or both of their brothers to join them at the farm with their families?