Their mothers' tombstone.
She flashed back to that fateful morning. It was just another morning. One Rachel had relived hundreds of times over the years. Brynna calling the kids down to a fresh cooked breakfast, chiding them to be good and listen to the teachers as they left the house to walk to school together. Rebecca turning around to wave bye before going to her very first day of elementary school and Rachael taking her hand to walk her while their mother stood at the door watching them leave. Her hand drifting to her very pregnant stomach.
They were expecting a quiet house when they returned that afternoon. Their mom was a famous violinist, often performing out of town and their dad was getting started in the tech field, putting in long hours at the office. They weren't expecting their uncles to be there or for their dad to be sobbing in the living room.
It was bad, whatever it was had to be bad. Rachael couldn't remember ever seeing Patrick cry before. At first she just stared at her uncle unable to understand what he was saying. Then Becky was running across the room hugging her dad, Rhidian was dropping into a chair and Rhonan was yelling.
But when she could focus on him again her uncle was saying the same thing over and over again.
"I'm sorry. There was an accident."
Rachael went over to her sister and hugged her tightly. "It's not River's fault Mom died. You know that right? It was a car accident, she was hit by a drunk driver."
One second was all it took. One second led to three days of fear. To four weeks of grief and six lives forever changed by one second. All because of an accident, a stupid thoughtless accident.
"Come on. Let's go inside," she said pulling Becky around toward the house. As they began walking back Rhidian tucked an arm around her from the other side and kept pace with them. Him and his twin, Rhonan, were only 14, not quite children but not yet grown up either.
"Dad should have been here," he said quietly.
"He was up all night crying. He wouldn't stir when I tried to wake him this morning," Rachael said as they climbed the steps to the patio.
"Probably too drunk to get up," Rhonan said under his breath.
Rachael didn't say anything to that. She didn't want to agree, but he seemed to have taken to drinking ever since Brynna died. They stopped inside as someone knocked on the front door.
"Rhonan, can you take Becky upstairs for now?" Rachael asked her brother.
"Sure. Come on Becks," he said taking her hand and going upstairs.
"Check on Patrick, will you? See if he's up for food or anything," She asked Rhidian.
"Yeah. Then I'll come help you handle whoever this yahoo is."
Rachael opened the door intending to tell whoever it was that they weren't welcoming visitors until the formal wake.
"Uncle Matt," she said surprised to see him standing at the door. Opening the door wider to let him in she continued, "What are you doing here? The wake is tomorrow,"
"I know but I finished talking with some lawyers who specialize in inheritances and need to discuss it with you."
"Okay. Come inside," she said giving him a hug before gesturing over to the formal living room next to the front door. Rhidian was coming back downstairs and joined them as they entered the room. Rachael was relieved when he sat with her on the couch but was put off when Uncle Matt chose to stand on the other side of the coffee table.
"How much do you know about inheritance laws?" he asked instead of saying what it was he had found out.
"Not much since it wasn't an issue before. Mom wasn't an elder yet, Ray's not an adult and none of the doctors were even worried about her being pregnant again. I guess the only thing we know is that someone else has to take on the title of Head of Household, since mom is gone," Rhidian answered for them.
Matt sighed, "It's more than just a mere title. It's a responsibility to care for the members of the family, even members in other houses and to raise the children that will carry on the family's name."
He turned to look at Rachael directly, "Which brings us to you. Sim inheritance law dictates that the family name and fortune passes on to the eldest daughter of the family line. You, Rebecca and River are the only daughter's our family has. As the eldest you would become the next Head of Household."
Rachael sat up in her seat, "Me? But I don't even know... I'm not yet seventeen. How can I be a Head of Household?"
Matt finally sat in the seat nearest Rachael and looked at her with a compassionate smile, "I know you are young. That's why I went to the lawyers to figure out how this would work. They were quite clear though that only a daughter can inherit from her mother. Sons cannot inherit at all."
Rachael stared at her uncle, "But we're only children. I'm still a child."
Matt reached over and patted her hand. "No decisions have to be made today. Custom holds that the bereaved have until the end of the Wake period to make such decisions. You have one more week, but you need to know every option available to you.
"You turn 17 in two weeks, old enough to succeed your mom and act as an adult. Or, you can choose to pass on the inheritance and Becky or River can be next Head. If you go that route then a proxy will be named to act on their behalf until they come of age."
He sighed then, "however, the courts have a history of choosing the surviving spouse as proxy unless he is otherwise deemed unfit to act. And he has no one to answer to until the heir comes of age."
Rachael turned to look at Rhidian, who was looking at her with worry.
"You said I have until the end of the Wake period to decide," she said turning back to her uncle and squared her shoulders, "then I need this week to think."
"Of course," he said getting up. "I'll go now and let you be. I'll see you tomorrow for the Wake."
"Thank you, Uncle Matt, for doing this."
"You're my niece, my family. It was nothing," he said kissing her on the top of the head before walking out. "Come on sprout," he said to Rhidian, "you can lock the door behind me."
Rachael stood and followed to the doorway and watched as Uncle Matt said goodbye to Rhidian. She walked back into the room and sat in one of the chairs.
Rachael grimaced, "Patrick can't even take care of himself right now." She looked at her brother as he groaned and put his head in his hands.
"Can't take care of himself," he groaned again, "Ray, right now Dad would drink himself to death if you weren't keeping the key to the liquor cabinet."
Rachael grimaced hearing the worry and fear in her brother's prediction. But just thinking it, Head of Household, was scary enough that she couldn't say it. Even to herself.
Random Ramblings
So this is the new Sims 4 game. Eek, oh no, I've fallen victim to a new system. (Used to play sims 3 exclusively) Anyways, this is the O'Malley family. I started it with a single founder (female of course, which is why my make-believe sim world is a matriarchy) and played through two generations born in game (three if you count Rachael which I'm not since she isn't an adult yet). Yeah, so Rachael is the fourth generation Head of Household. That's pretty good for me, a lot more generations than I usually get through.
Mostly I've been playing the family on their home lot. Haven't been going out much for a generation or so, still trying to figure out a way that I can explore the world a little more but if I never get to it...well I'm not gonna cry over it.
Right now I have an idea to play this generation and tell the story of Rachael for a bit but I plan to end it long before the next gen is ready to take over with their story. I will see how that works out...
They were expecting a quiet house when they returned that afternoon. Their mom was a famous violinist, often performing out of town and their dad was getting started in the tech field, putting in long hours at the office. They weren't expecting their uncles to be there or for their dad to be sobbing in the living room.
It was bad, whatever it was had to be bad. Rachael couldn't remember ever seeing Patrick cry before. At first she just stared at her uncle unable to understand what he was saying. Then Becky was running across the room hugging her dad, Rhidian was dropping into a chair and Rhonan was yelling.
But when she could focus on him again her uncle was saying the same thing over and over again.
"I'm sorry. There was an accident."
"Stupid River. I hate her. I wish she was never born." Rachael turned to her younger sister as she yelled.
River, their baby sister. Taken from their dying mother's body when the doctors gave up any hope of her waking up.
Rachael went over to her sister and hugged her tightly. "It's not River's fault Mom died. You know that right? It was a car accident, she was hit by a drunk driver."
One second was all it took. One second led to three days of fear. To four weeks of grief and six lives forever changed by one second. All because of an accident, a stupid thoughtless accident.
"Come on. Let's go inside," she said pulling Becky around toward the house. As they began walking back Rhidian tucked an arm around her from the other side and kept pace with them. Him and his twin, Rhonan, were only 14, not quite children but not yet grown up either.
"Dad should have been here," he said quietly.
"He was up all night crying. He wouldn't stir when I tried to wake him this morning," Rachael said as they climbed the steps to the patio.
"Probably too drunk to get up," Rhonan said under his breath.
Rachael didn't say anything to that. She didn't want to agree, but he seemed to have taken to drinking ever since Brynna died. They stopped inside as someone knocked on the front door.
"Rhonan, can you take Becky upstairs for now?" Rachael asked her brother.
"Sure. Come on Becks," he said taking her hand and going upstairs.
"Check on Patrick, will you? See if he's up for food or anything," She asked Rhidian.
"Yeah. Then I'll come help you handle whoever this yahoo is."
Rachael opened the door intending to tell whoever it was that they weren't welcoming visitors until the formal wake.
"Uncle Matt," she said surprised to see him standing at the door. Opening the door wider to let him in she continued, "What are you doing here? The wake is tomorrow,"
"I know but I finished talking with some lawyers who specialize in inheritances and need to discuss it with you."
"How much do you know about inheritance laws?" he asked instead of saying what it was he had found out.
"Not much since it wasn't an issue before. Mom wasn't an elder yet, Ray's not an adult and none of the doctors were even worried about her being pregnant again. I guess the only thing we know is that someone else has to take on the title of Head of Household, since mom is gone," Rhidian answered for them.
Matt sighed, "It's more than just a mere title. It's a responsibility to care for the members of the family, even members in other houses and to raise the children that will carry on the family's name."
He turned to look at Rachael directly, "Which brings us to you. Sim inheritance law dictates that the family name and fortune passes on to the eldest daughter of the family line. You, Rebecca and River are the only daughter's our family has. As the eldest you would become the next Head of Household."
Rachael sat up in her seat, "Me? But I don't even know... I'm not yet seventeen. How can I be a Head of Household?"
Rachael stared at her uncle, "But we're only children. I'm still a child."
Matt reached over and patted her hand. "No decisions have to be made today. Custom holds that the bereaved have until the end of the Wake period to make such decisions. You have one more week, but you need to know every option available to you.
"You turn 17 in two weeks, old enough to succeed your mom and act as an adult. Or, you can choose to pass on the inheritance and Becky or River can be next Head. If you go that route then a proxy will be named to act on their behalf until they come of age."
He sighed then, "however, the courts have a history of choosing the surviving spouse as proxy unless he is otherwise deemed unfit to act. And he has no one to answer to until the heir comes of age."
Rachael turned to look at Rhidian, who was looking at her with worry.
"You said I have until the end of the Wake period to decide," she said turning back to her uncle and squared her shoulders, "then I need this week to think."
"Of course," he said getting up. "I'll go now and let you be. I'll see you tomorrow for the Wake."
"Thank you, Uncle Matt, for doing this."
"You're my niece, my family. It was nothing," he said kissing her on the top of the head before walking out. "Come on sprout," he said to Rhidian, "you can lock the door behind me."
Rachael stood and followed to the doorway and watched as Uncle Matt said goodbye to Rhidian. She walked back into the room and sat in one of the chairs.
Rhidian came back in and sat in the chair next to her. For a couple minutes neither one said anything nor did they look at each other.
Rhidian was the first to break the silence, "So, you're Head now."
"I don't know. It's too much to take in right now. I mean can you really imagine me as Head?"
Rhidian was silent for a moment before saying, "It's either you, Becky or River. And if it's one of them Dad would be Head by proxy."
Rachael grimaced, "Patrick can't even take care of himself right now." She looked at her brother as he groaned and put his head in his hands.
"Can't take care of himself," he groaned again, "Ray, right now Dad would drink himself to death if you weren't keeping the key to the liquor cabinet."
Rachael grimaced hearing the worry and fear in her brother's prediction. But just thinking it, Head of Household, was scary enough that she couldn't say it. Even to herself.
So this is the new Sims 4 game. Eek, oh no, I've fallen victim to a new system. (Used to play sims 3 exclusively) Anyways, this is the O'Malley family. I started it with a single founder (female of course, which is why my make-believe sim world is a matriarchy) and played through two generations born in game (three if you count Rachael which I'm not since she isn't an adult yet). Yeah, so Rachael is the fourth generation Head of Household. That's pretty good for me, a lot more generations than I usually get through.
Mostly I've been playing the family on their home lot. Haven't been going out much for a generation or so, still trying to figure out a way that I can explore the world a little more but if I never get to it...well I'm not gonna cry over it.
Right now I have an idea to play this generation and tell the story of Rachael for a bit but I plan to end it long before the next gen is ready to take over with their story. I will see how that works out...
This is really interesting, and your writing drew my attention right away. I am definitely going to keep reading and following your story :)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. I'm surprised to see a comment. I thought it was broken glad I was wrong.
DeleteI'm just getting started on your story and I wanted to do it the right way by reading it from the start! I like the depth you've already given your characters. My heart aches for this family and I hardly know them yet!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. Yeah I went to a lot of effort and gave all my sims some back story. Boy did it give me a headache some days but it was well worth it since I now have this story I am very proud of.
Delete