The Tinker Family: Week 5

The Tinkers' house looks (and is) very spacious, but at the moment, only two Sims live here:

        Stephen Tinker, recently widowed...

        ...and his daughter Melody. Stephen is 71 and on Permanent Platinum ever since he became General at 66. Hiw wife Wanda died last round. Her lifetime want was to raise 20 puppies, which is why there are still 5 dogs in the family.Melody is on Permanent Platinum, too. She became a World Class Ballet Dancer 16 days from Elderhood. For a while, she lived with her college sweetheart Romeo Monty, but neither of them showed that many wants about each other (let alone getting married), which is why I decided to have Melody move back in with her elderly parents.

       Usually, I would not control Stephen and Melody much, but the dogs need to be looked after, and so I make sure their food bowls are always filled, their pet beds cleaned and they get washed when necessary. "Poor Leroy, you probably miss Wanda nearly as much as I do," Stephen says to one of his late wife's dogs on Monday morning.       

Two of the dogs are still puppies.

        Stephen and his daughter are doing quite well when it comes to keeping the house in order on their own accord. But nobody had any inclination to train the puppies, what with Wanda's death weighing so heavily on the family, and so there is nearly always a puddle or too somewhere in the house.

        Tuesday morning, Melody takes out the trash (autonomously)...

        ...and does some gardening.

        For Stephen, it means back to work. Will he still be capable of dealing with the stress of space flight?

        Melody's performances only start again later in the week. She takes her ballet exercise routine very seriously, though. Maybe it helps her in overcoming the grief for her mother.

        It is Wednesday when I find Stephen listlessly on the settee.

       Melody has not spoken to anybody all week yet, except for her Dad and the Repair Man who has come to tune the piano.

        Tita (left) and Titus (right) grow up that day.

        Looks like Stephen really wasn't fit for his latest mission. He is demoted to Commander.       

On Thursday, while Melody decides to clean the downstairs bath tub (where the dog washing usually is done)...

        ...her Dad does the same upstairs.     

Later, he flies a kite. Could this be the start of his spirits lifting somewhat again after Wanda's tragic death, or is it an expression of his own Death Wish? (She died when lightning struck a "bad kite" she had made.)

        Melody, meanwhile, cleans the stove on her own accord.

        You can tell Titus wasn't trained as a puppy - he has never learned not to destroy things, as I find out on Thursday morning.

        With winter ending and the beginning of spring, the snow has gone and the hydrobot has been activated again. Unfortunately, the long winter break has probably caused some damage to it. Titus goes mad when the bot breaks down and follows it around until Melody turns it off and repairs it.

        That afternoon, Shelly dies. She was the oldest dog in the household, way past 30.

        Stephen comes home from work with colleague Jimmy Phoenix in tow.

        It is Friday, and Melody gives three of the remaining four dogs a badly needed wash.

        It is her first day of going back to work this week. I hope she'll perform well - she looks like she is happy about the distraction!

        Can't say the same about Stephen. He is 75 today, and I often find him mooching around the house.

        On Saturday morning, Melody finally throws out the old papers that have been accumulating in the living room.

       She is glad to find her Dad at the piano again. She loves hearing him play.

        Later, Bianca and Kent Capp, old friends of Stephen's, come visiting on their own initiative. They were worried about Stephen, not having heard from him all week, and want to make sure he and Melody are alright. "She's still in her PJs at this time of the day," Bianca thinks. Now she is really worried.

       But Stephen reassures her that they are, slowly but surely, coming to terms with life without Wanda, and gives Bianca a hug. She is relieved to see that Melody still is ready in time for work, and other friends and neighbours pop in every now and then, too. Here, Jonah Powers and Fenya Hart have come over.

        After Bianca and Kent have left, and while Melody is still at work, Stephen stops in front of the staircase. He feels strangely serene, all of a sudden...

        ...and happily accepts Mr. Reaper's invitation to follow him to the Otherworld, where he shall be reunited with his beloved wife.

        Poor Melody! She comes home from work to find her father gone. Now she is on her own, having to look after the four dogs and keeping the big house in order all alone.

        And of course, while she is asleep, the hydrobot breaks again.

        As if the poor woman didn't have enough on her plate yet, by the time she gets up on Sunday morning, half the back yard is flooded.

        Many other jobs need doing, but repairing the bot has priority. The kind paper girl does not have to go to school after finishing her paper round this morning, and so she helps for some hours.

        For the first time all week, Melody rolls a romantic want: she wants to have a date. Nobody specific, but her only love interest of old is Romeo Monty. He is asked over and comes to help his friend in need. (Interestingly enough, very early into the date he showed the want of getting married to Melody - while she was satisfied with a few kisses and backrubs before rolling other wants that had nothing to do with Romeo!)

        The rest of Sunday is spent doing chores.

How will Melody cope with everything on her own next round? Will she and Romeo get married? Is she going to stay in this house, and will she keep the dogs?