The Gavigan Family: Week 7

For week 6, click here.

The Gavigan family home has had an extension added to it last round. It houses Nathan's third business out of the five he wishes to bring to top level: Gavigans' Garments. In this shop, the Gavigans sell home-sewn clothes and curtains.

Here is Nathan, busy at work at the sewing machine. The shop is at level 4. Nathan is 67.

His wife is the same age. Mary seems to feel the strain of constant work - either at the shop or at home - quite a lot. But she is on Permanent Platinum: Her lifetime want of having six grandchildren was more than fulfilled with seven of them!

Three are from her eldest child, Isaiah, who married Ariel Capp and gave her Caleb, Cataldo and Calogero. (Caleb tragically died some years ago.)

The other four grandchildren are from one of the couple's twin daughters, Gerlinde. With Sirius Swain, she has the twins Clarence and Helen, and another set of twins was born this round, Gavin and Gary.
       

All of Monday, Nathan and Mary are busy with the shop, house work and sewing. In between, Nathan manages to ring one of his grandsons, while Mary can only dream right now of being friends with her granddaughter Helen. In the evening, Gerlinde comes visiting her parents on her own initiative.
       

Tuesday morning, showering and getting dressed means quite an effort for Nathan, because he feels so unwell.
       

Mary is the same, but the couple still decide to open the shop.
       

It is a busy day, and Mary wonders when she will have time to visit her grandchildren again.
       

Well, she never will - at 6:00 pm, just as she is about to start on some restocking, a customer she has never seen before appears... it is Mr. Reaper, and he is NOT looking to buy a new outfit or curtains. Mary dies upon turning 69, witnessed by her husband and several customers.
       

They still want serving, though, and Nathan has a hard time ringing up their purchases. The business had only just reached rank 5 and is now down to 4.
       

Nathan feels closest to Mary when he is at the shop. It is as if she never left.
       

On Wednesday morning, he opens the shop as usual, but it is not easy keeping everything going all on his own, and he has to shut down after a few hours in order to restock.

It is Thursday morning, two days after Mary's death, and Nathan gets up... all alone.
       

This photo on the wall in the living room reminds him of happier times.
       

How good, then, that his other daughter, Gesine, comes visiting in the afternoon, just after he has decided to take a late lunch break from the shop, where he has been working hard all morning.
       

Gesine sits down with her Dad for a spot of telly and a chat and then does a few chores for him while he has a much-needed rest.
       

For Nathan, Friday begins with a session at his sewing machine. It is the first time since Mary's death that he feels his creativity coming back.
       

Then it is time to open the shop, and a busy day it is, too.
       

When he shuts down for a break, I discover one customer, townie Tiffany Young, has found her way into Nathan's bedroom, where she is playing with the toy robot. That is odd, since so far, everyone left when Nathan closed the business. Also, I was sure the door to the house was locked for anyone but the family, but apparently, I must have unlocked it at some stage.
       

On Saturday morning, this customer finally leaves. The business reaches rank 6 today.
       

In the afternoon, Nathan invites over his daughter Gerlinde (not pictured) and the man she lives with, Sirius Swain, with the older two of their four children, Helen and Clarence.
       

Nathan's son Isaiah and his wife Ariel Capp join them later for a meal of hamburgers.
       

There really is a chill in the air now of an evening, and Nathan lights the fire in the living room.
       

On Sunday, Nathan thinks "money is just that - money", and does not open the shop in the morning. Instead, he takes his car to...
       

...the Hills Community Centre, where he meets up with his two daughters and grandson Clarence. They skate together, have hot chocolate and generally enjoy a good time.
       

Other New Maximilianians do that, too. Here is Meike Riley, seemingly very impressed by Romeo Monty whom she has just met over a game of Myshuno.
       

When his family members go home, Nathan drives back to his house, too, and spends the rest of the day working at the shop. He is now 74 years old and should "technically" move to the Senior Residence - but for now, I am letting him stay at his house so that he can keep working in his shop.

How much longer will he be around? Is it likely for him to reach his lifetime want? Are any of his family going to take over the house once he is no longer here?