The Bubbler-Thomas Household: Week 8

For week 7, simply click on either of the labels "Bubbler" or "Thomas".

The two buildings to the right here belong to Ty Bubbler and Sam Thomas. They have been together since they first met and fell in love at university. While Sam made her lifetime want of becoming general true a "week" before reaching elderhood, Ty is still working on his LTW of having 5 top-level businesses.
So far, the businesses have always been run from the home lot: the larger building is where Sam and Ty live, while the smaller house has first been a shop for wedding cakes and champagne ("Bubbler's Bubbly"), then a place where they sold bubble blowers ("Bubbler's Bubbels"), then a flower shop ("Bubbler's Blossoms") and right now, it is "Bubbler's Bakery".

Here they are: Sam and Ty. As much in love as always, Ty knows very well that he would not be where he is today - with 4 top-level businesses under his belt - without Sam's help. The moment she reached her LTW, she retired from the military and put all her time and energy into helping Ty's businesses. He often rewards her with a tender backrub when her shoulders are tense from all the mixing up batter for more cakes to sell at the bakery.
Ty and Sam are both 74 at the beginning of this week.
       

Baking enough cakes to keep the bakery running is a huge challenge, and more often than not, the bakery is sold out moments after a full batch has been put up for sale. Therefore, on this Monday, I try a different approach:
I have Sam order Chinese food and pizza at the same time, hoping to sell this at the bakery for a change.
It does not work, however; delivered food can not be placed on the "for sale" displays (or at least I wasn't able to figure it out).

So I decide it is Crêpes Suzette Day today.

Ty is busy selling, while Sam is busy making more crêpes. This gets the bakery to level 8.

On Tuesday morning, the first thing Sam does after getting up and dressed is to accept the daily groceries delivery.

Thomas makes breakfast for the two of them while their cleaner is already at work.

More crêpes are sold today.

Wednesday is declared Baked Alaska Day.

It doesn't look like it in this picture, but the baked alaska is actually a big hit with customers.

The pizza that was ordered on Monday and could not be sold is now placed upstairs on the counter in the café. Charlie Cho helps himself to a free slice.

[More supplies are needed to do more baking, and Ty duly places his daily order.

Winter has ended, the Christmas decoration is taken down and some flowers are put on the walls instead. Cheese cake replaces the baked alaskas.

After the pizza has all been eaten by customers, Chinese food is put on the counter for them. Here, Jennifer Burb is thinking about joining Parvati Patel and Jessica Peterson at the table.

Thursday morning, Ty has a left-over slice of pizza for breakfast.

More cheese cake is sold today, and the bakery reaches level 9.

I try yet another idea and put up shelves full of birthday cakes. It works, but the cakes sometimes go off, which makes the environment bar drop.

On Friday morning, Sam changes into a more spring-like outfit with a flowery print while Ty is still asleep.

At 6:15 pm that day, the bakery reaches level 10! That's four top-level businesses for Ty. He is now 79 years old, and it does not look as if he will have enough time left to bring yet another business to the top. But he is going to try.

To give him a fair chance at making his LTW come true, I decide he will have a community lot business this time. That means he can go back and forth while time on the home lot does not pass as quickly; maybe it'll work.

Saturday morning sees a taxi pulling up in front of the so-far empty "Contempo Moderne", a Maxis-made community lot where I have not yet played (I think).

After a few changes, Ty and Sam are ready to open.

Welcome to "Bubbler's Beds"!

Customers start to come in right from the start.

The first Simoleons taken in with the new shop! Always a great moment in the life of a business owner.

After they have managed to get "Bubbler's Beds" to level 3, Sam and Ty are exhausted and head home for some sleep. Meanwhile, their gardener is busy outside.

Back at the shop (still on Saturday), Sam grabs a quick slice of pizza before she is back to the usual round of selling, restocking and manning the till, taking turns with Ty in all these activities.

After several hours of hard work and just 1 star short of level 4, the couple has to go home for the second time that day.
The moment they get off the taxi, someone wearing a hooded cloak and carrying a scythe approaches Ty.

He dies at the age of 80, witnessed by Sam, his (almost) life-long sweetheard and faithful companion, in spite of the two of them never having tied the knot officially (they just never showed the wish).
Although Ty was not on Permanent Platinum, his having made so many of his daily wishes come true means he still gets the PP "treatment" with cocktail and hula girls, and a marble headstone, which is of course transferred to the cemetery at Gamesend Grounds.

Sam is devastated, venting her frustration and grief by kicking about in the puddles.

She does not go home and to bed, as she should, but has coffee in the café instead, where she feels closer to Ty.

She even sleeps for several hours in the armchair that was his preferred place to grab some minutes of rest between customers.

On Sunday, Sam has a bowl of chili con carne for lunch. She misses her best friend and lover very much.

The week ends with a visit from Jared Starchild, who is one of Sam's best friends, and former fellow student.

Sam is now 81 and will probably not last long into the next week. But it will take some time before the letter "T" as in "Thomas" comes up this round, and who knows what will happen in between!