Carlos Contender: Week 1

We're not leaving Belladonna Cove just yet. The next surname on my alphabetical list is Contender, as in Carlos Contender. You'll meet him properly in a minute. Here is his house. 

A covered porch runs the entire width of the house. Going through the front door, the first room is an open plan area with settees, a TV-set, computer desk and book shelves. A kitchen with dining table, bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet are also on the ground floor. A spiral staircase leads upstairs.

There, we find another bathroom in one corner, while the rest of the floor is dedicated to sports - there is something like a "boxing ring" in one corner, as well as a punching bag and exercise device. Out in the garden are a jacuzzi, swimming pool, barbeque and deckchairs.

Here is Carlos Contender - a living legend in Belladonna Cove, at least according to what Maxis have written about him: "Carlos had a career that was the stuff of legends but even more legendary were his romantic pursuits. Now that he’s thinking about retirement he’s trying to focus on his niece Isabel and her family. But his romantic nature is still strong and Belladonna Cove is filled with such interesting possibilities."

That's his household bio, while his personal biography is much shorter: "Carlos thinks a lot about boxing days and what could have been. But theres nothing like a new romance to make him feel young again!". He is 83 years old and, fittingly, has currently over 83,000 Simoleons in cash, plus of course the grounds, house and its contents. 

Carlos' lifetime want is Popularity (not Romance, as you would expect from his bio), and he holds the position of Hall of Famer - but actually dreams of being a Professional Party Guest. At his age, he won't reach that goal, I'm afraid. But I will still try and let him have happy days before he'll be hosting his own Grimmy Party.

This is the first of a few Maxis-made pictures found when you open storytelling from Carlos' house. Here, we obviously witness a younger Carlos winning over an unknown opponent at - maybe - a boxing match.

Here is Carlos again, older and elegantly dressed, clearly winning some unknown lady's affection.

We do know this lady, however: It is Chastity Gere, another resident of Belladonna Cove. Her household will be played further down this round. 

And Carlos is keeping fit by rope-skipping - isn't it what boxers do? It looks like this could be the gym on the upper floor of his house.

Joining him here are his niece Isabel Baldwin and her daughter Sofia. We've already spent a week with the Baldwins; you can find it here. Let's see what Carlos is up to, shall we! Among his friends are several ladies, but nobody with a pink or red heart, and no 3-bolt-match.

After this short excursion into Carlos' past, we are back in the present day. Carlos has just received an invitation of one of his many female friends to go downtown. The taxi pulls up in front of Londoste, Belladonna Cove's poshest restaurant.

The phone call came from Jessica Peterson. Strangely enough, no other Sims are part of their casual group - usually, several get off the taxi after such an invitation, don't they? 

Anyway, Carlos is hungry, and soon the two friends are enjoying their delicious food. As usual, Carlos talks of sports - after his long career and now as a Hall of Famer, he certainly knows a lot about the topic.

But Jessica is not at all interested. Maybe that's one reason why they are friends and nothing more. 

Soon after the meal, Carlos heads home - alone. He would really love to meet a 3-bolt-match, and who could help him better than the Matchmaker? She agrees to hook him up with a blind date, but three times in a row, she summons ladies who Carlos only has two bolts for, in spite of him forking out the full 5,000 Simoleons every time. He sends her away and goes to bed, slightly frustrated.

He doesn't feel much different on Tuesday morning and spends the hours before work mooching about.

After work, he pulls himself together and, after having answered some fan mail, calls some of his friends and family members on the phone. By the way, he was lucky with a chance card at today and gained 40,000 Simoleons in royalties from his biography becoming a bestseller - his account now shows well over 100,000!

Wednesday is similarly unexciting, until just after sunset, Carlos sports a good looking sporty lady walking by. His polite greeting turns into a high-five when the lady turns out to be an ardent fan of his from old. Her name is Brittany Grove, and Carlos has 2 bolts for her. Because one of his turn-ons is swimwear, he invites her into his back garden for a quick swim in the pool.

Brittany can't believe her luck - "I am really swimming with Carlos Contender in his pool!" But unfortunately, the two bolts do not turn into three, and so Carlos says good-bye to Brittany after a while.

With his bank account holding more money than he could possibly spend in the remainder of his life, Carlos decides to take his niece and her family on a trip to Twikkii Island. They arrive at Potterhouse Bungalows on Thursday morning. 

Carlos checks himself into a one-bedroom bungalow and the Baldwins into a larger one with two bedrooms. 

They all have a good time together, cautiously watched by some of the other holidaymakers, who certainly recognise Carlos.

The ladies here are pretty enough, but somehow Carlos does not feel attracted to any of them.

He finally goes for a swim in the balmy sea and then sits all alone on the beach, ligthing a fire before he retreats to his bed - alone again.

On Friday morning, Carlos orders a taxi to take them to South End Beach. He has heard of the old pirate ship moored there, and thinks it sounds like something the entire family would enjoy.

After he has his "grandchildren" (they are his niece's kids, true, but he feels like a grandpa to them) try the local specialties, everyone heads to the pirate ship. 

Sofia goes straight for a mock sword fight with the cutlass.

Carlos explores every nook and cranny of the ship (and finds a few interesting souvenirs!), but most of all he loves manning the wheel - even when a soft tropical rain begins to fall, he stays on until it gets dark and another taxi takes them back to the bungalows.

The Baldwins and Carlos are out on the deck of the larger bungalow before sunrise on Saturday morning for breakfast. It is departure day today, and Sofia expresses her happiness at how Uncle Carlos has showed them "the world" - or at least this beautiful part of it. 

Back home the next day, Carlos does not want to spend yet another evening on his own, and invites his good friend Chastity Gere over. "Here's to my return," he announces over glasses of champagne to go with their pork chops, lovingly prepared by Carlos himself. Lovingly? Yes. As soon as she arrived, Chastity kissed Carlos on her own accord - and now the unlikely couple are in love. Not what I have planned (only one bolt), but we all know that sometimes our Sims make their own decisions.

After Chastity has had a dip in the pool, she joins Carlos on the settee - and of course the conversation turns to sports. "He can't help himself, can he," thinks Chastity. Soon after that, she leaves.

During his island holiday, Carlos found a gold coin and a leather-bound captain's log aboard the old pirate ship. He has the coin framed and displays it proudly on the wall above his desk, next to the old book. (Sadly, the book can only be "viewed" the same way as a sculpture or painting; there is nothing "inside".)

It is the last day of the week for Carlos. By rights, it should be Sunday, but because of his being away on holiday for a few days, it is only Friday. Never mind - seven days is seven days. The hedges around his house need trimming, and Carlos feels hiring a gardener is a good way to meet someone new. And indeed, an attractive lady turns up, and is generously tipped. While Carlos wonders whether she is as kissable as Chastity Gere, he does not do anything to further these thoughts.

Instead, he makes a decision - and a phone call.

The phonecall was to his niece and her family, and the Baldwins soon arrive. Carlos talks his suggestion through with Isabel, her husband and the children, and everyone agrees it's a great idea: The Baldwins move in! The upper floor will be converted into rooms for the family, and the downstairs rooms will have a makeover. 

At 86, Carlos knows he won't be around for that much longer, and why should his niece live in a rented flat while he has an entire house to himself? Yes, there is Chastity as his love interest, but marriage is not on his mind, and Isabel should by rights inherit the house anyway.

We leave Carlos and his new housemates with Sofia serving hotdogs for everyone. This was a fun week to play, but I was a little disappointed when no three-bolt match for Carlos turned up. The Baldwins are certainly going to be happy here, and the holiday was fun, too. We'll see what Miss Gere thinks about it all when it is her turn to be played.