Beta Beaker: Week 1

This is Beta's first week on her own after uni. If you would like to read her Senior Year, click here.

Beta graduated Summa Cum Laude in Mathematics and bought this simple house in the main neighbourhood with the money she saved from all her university grants. It used to belong to Herb and Coral Oldie.

Coral's grave is on the lot; one of the few that has not been transferred to Gamesend Grounds. Hopefully, her ghost will not cause too much troube for Beta.

Here she is: Beta Beaker, half-Alien daughter of Loki Beaker. Her lifetime want has not changed: She still wants to be Head of SCIA. I am surprised to see that she has no love interest in her relationship panel, and nobody she feels attracted to. Usually, my students find someone to fall in love with on their own accord, but Beta appears to be fully focused on her LTW.
The first phone call she receives after moving in is from her young niece B'Elanna, recently orphaned. I take that as a good sign! 

Beta's welcome committee on that Monday consists of Heather Huffington, Brent Roth (formerly Broke) and Chaz Whippler. I thought I'd taken a picture, but I must have forgotten.

Tuesday morning, Beta lands a job in the Intelligence career. She will start this afternoon working as a Rookie Field Agent.
What you see in terms of furniture and decoration in this house is all as it was when the Oldies moved out (Herb) or died (Coral). Only the flowers and the university diploma on the wall are what Beta brought with her.

How nice of her adoptive mother Circe to come visiting! She did that on her own accord, like a mother would do to see how her child is doing in his or her first place of their own.

Bianca Capp walks by a little later and is politely asked to come in from the snow. She must have been shopping at the same store as Circe.

Beta needs more logic skill if she wants to advance in her career, so she purchases a chess board and two chairs and spends Wednesday morning at the board. On the wall behind her is Herb Oldie's bug collection - with just one slot filled.

B'Elanna rings again and does so nearly every day for the rest of the week. By now, aunt and niece are good friends.

That night, Beta returns from work with a promotion to Field Agent.

Thursday sees the first day of spring, and Beta feels like fresh greens on her plate and makes herself some salad for lunch.

Yep, it's B'Elanna on the phone again. I have Beta work on her friendship with Monica Bratford (whom B'Elanna lives with), so that eventually, the two of them can move in with Beta.

It is Friday morning. Beta never has to be told to make her bed, she always does this on her own accord, being a very neat Sim.

Her increased logic skill is rewarded when she is promoted to Double Agent that night.

The early hours of Saturday morning are spent studying mechanics.

She is now best friends with Monica and invites her and B'Elanna over. But when she asks Monica to move in with her, the elderly lady declines. "You think I am too old to look after a little girl, don't you? I may be 74, but I have proved all of last week that I am very well capable of raising B'Elanna on my own. Why, I have even used up all of my paid vacation to be there for her!"

B'Elanna is oblivious to the discussion about her future; she has found her aunt's bedroom and does what she likes best :-)

To lighten the mood after Monica's rebuke (and also to make her see how good it would be for B'Elanna to see more of her biological family), Beta invites her parents and her brother Björn, who married into the Summerdream family some time ago.

Over a late lunch of hamburgers, Monica brings up the subject of Beta's invitation with B'Elanna. "You see, sweetheart, Beta needs to work on her career. She does not have time to look after you the way I can do." Beta can't believe Monica would sabotage her plans that way. At first, she is deeply hurt, but then she reminds herself that Monica has only just recently lost the man she loved (and for the second time in her life), and grieving sometimes makes people do or say irrational things.

Sunday is "Repair Day" at Beta's: first the computer needs fixing...

...then the bathtub breaks.

Beta has invited Monica and B'Elanna over again - she won't give up so easily and hopes that Monica has had time to think about her suggestion. Soon after their arrival, a thunderstorm breaks out, and lightning hits Coral's tomb behind the house. Another fire!! B'Elanna, who must be deeply traumatized by the recent events killing her father and her "uncle", runs towards the flames. Good job the rain is still pouring down heavily, and the fire is put out before the girl can come to any physical harm.

Monica sees sense when Beta asks her once again to move in, and the elderly lady and the little girl join the household.

I said it's "Repair Day" today at Beta's, didn't I? :-)

B'Elanna rings her best friend Stacy Stacks to tell her that she has just moved in with her Aunt Beta.

Monica, whom I do not control other than making her greet other New Maximilianians passing by, spends hours playing in one of the puddles left by the thunderstorm.

B'Elanna has grilled cheese with her aunt. She looks a bit unsure about her future. What can she expect now that she lives with someoen she is actually related to?

I like doing this from time to time: Have one of my Sims salvage the bin and see what they find. This thing which looks like a can of spice "sells" for 4 Simoleons. Not that the household needs any money - Monica has brought a huge fortune of over 200.000, and Beta wasn't exactly poor to begin with!

Aunt and niece end Sunday evening on the settee, reading and watching TV together.

For the first time this week, Coral Oldie's ghost makes an appearance. Monica and B'Elanna have not "met" her, but Beta has an encounter before she goes to bed. As a Knowledge Sim, it is a welcome experience for her.

Monica is now 75. How much longer will she last? I don't have to worry about B'Elanna now, since there is Beta to take care of her, and she will turn into a teenager early on in the next week anyway.
Is Beta going to stick to focusing on her career, or will a Sim come along to capture her heart?