* Puppy Love

I left Susan and Boyd Wainwright, a couple of weeks back (maybe longer, can't be arsed to check), with a boredom solver, firmly ensconced in a dog bed, in their living room. It was Boyd's idea, not mine - so I figured I'd let him be the one to explain to Susan, just what he had done when she was out working late...

... as she walked in the front door, he jumped up off of the sofa and guided her eyes away from the view out over the valley (which was slightly obscured by the dog bed)... and into his own eyes...

"Honey, I've missed you!" he said, staring soulfully into her eyes, trying his best Frank Simatra impression and fluttering his *ole blue eyes* at her, in a decidedly retarded fashion.

Susan was immediately suspicious. "What have you done?"

"I've um... I've bought...

... you some FLOWERS! Yes, here... I've bought you some flowers. because, becaaaauuuuuuse.... I love you?"

"You're asking me if you bought me some flowers because you love me?" She took the bouquet of roses that sims magically produce at the most opportune of moments from the depths of their vast pockets, and inhaled their delicate fragrance before eyeballing her sheepish looking husband.

"What. Have. You. Done?"

Boyd fidgeted for a moment then moved slightly to one side, to reveal the dog bed... and the puppy that was sleeping in it.

Susan looked from the softly snoring ball of fur, to her husband, then back again. "You bought a puppy."

"You said you were bored."

"You bought me a puppy?"

"Us. I bought us a puppy."

"You bought you a puppy."

.... "Possibly."

Susan rolled her eyes at him, put her flowers in water and headed towards the bedroom. Her back to Boyd, he couldn't see her grinning. "I'm not walking it. I'm not cleaning up after it. I'm not training it.... and you can stop the little victory dance that I know you are doing right now Boyd Wainwright, and come to bed."

Boyd stopped dancing, mid hip jiggle, and grinning himself, followed after his wife.

Thankfully, exhausted from his exciting and exhausting move to live with his new family, the puppy - Sprockett (Boyd was a Fraggle Rock fan) - slept through the entire night without needing any attention. Boyd was still up early though. Like a kid at Christmas he wanted to go play with his new toy.

"Daddy loves his little Sprockett, he does!"

Susan stood cooking pancakes, good naturedly rolling her eyes at her brilliant but *special* husband. Perhaps the newest addition to the family would help to take Boyd's mind off his daughter's persistent absence.

Boyd had the day off, and decided that a bit of penance was in order before he could actually enjoy it - so when Susan headed out to work, he fixed the dishwasher and hired a maid. The maid arrived in time for him to bribe her into never revealing her existence to his wife, thus aiding him in his quest to score brownie points...

... then he jumped in a taxi with his new best friend and headed towards Riviera Pool for the day.

When I decided to finally have a pet in my game (Sprockett being the very first), I checked out, in various places, what a dog could actually do. I was a tad disappointed when I learned that as a puppy, the answer was "not very much". They can't swim, they can't go up and down steps, and they can't go for walkies on a lead.... however... they are SO DAMN CUTE!

My dog never did this. Sprockett did this every time he was left alone for five minutes. Sprockett was scolded for doing this, and eventually ended up with the *neat* habit (I think. It might have been a different habit, but I don't currently remember which one, if it wasn't).

Both Susan and Boyd were promoted, several times in just the one sim week that I played them. Susan decided to add to her abilities by taking up art. They had a beautiful lookout room, in the top of the house, that was perfect for a studio.

When Susan was home alone one day, Sprockett had a birthday (I got bored with puppydom and aged him up), and for maybe the first time, Susan decided that she quite liked having him around. He could now get up and down staircases/steps so whilst she painted in the *look out* room, he'd lie on the rug behind her, quietly keeping her company.

It was the belly rubs, that Sprockett lived for. He adored Boyd, but Susan was the Queen Of The Belly Rubs.

One evening, when Susan was out networking at a party, Boyd received a phone call to tell him that his Aunt Brunhilda had died, and that he was her only surviving heir. She'd left him a small fortune in her will ( this was a reward, unlocked when Boyd fulfilled his LTW of becoming some sort of robot cross breeder thingy at work... I think).

 

Boyd, took Sprockett for a walk to the beach, and contemplated his sudden good fortune and the loss of his previously non existent favourite Aunty.  He felt as though he were appearing in an episode of JJ Abrams *Fringe*, where nothing was actually as it seemed.

Susan returned home, fairly late, to find Boyd sitting out on the deck, watching the stars and "Harrumphing" quite noisily. She sat down beside him, still slightly merry from her evening out.

"You okay? I've had a wonderful evening. Did you miss me? I missed you."

"My favourite Aunt - Brunhilda - died," he frowned.

"Are we rich?" Susan giggled and hiccuped, then snorted. "Sorry.... but are we????"

"Little bit."

Susan slid her hand towards Boyd's and sighed softly as she stared out at the stars... "I'll miss her," she said.

Boyd grinned and twisted his fingers through hers, "Me too... terribly."

Susan hiccupped again and whispered "Are we having a romantic moment... but one where we're rich?"

"As opposed to one where we're poor?" He pulled her close and she rested her head against his shoulder. "Yes, my love... I think we're having a rich romantic moment."

"Boyd?"

"Yes, beloved?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

They spent the money turning this...

 

... into this...

... there was plenty left over to brighten up the previously soothing, calm and DULL living area, as well...

It was a bloody good job that they took the time to install an alarm system, because no sooner had the builders/gardeners left - than they were burgled.

Sprockett was alerted first, and I watched, with some confusion, whilst he ran across the road and waited for something to happen. I can't quite remember if he did anything more than sit and wait for the burglar to walk past him and attempt to rob his sleeping owners blind, or if he did anything... dogworthy... *shrugs and shakes head*.

Boyd and Susan's previous little corner plot of gardening glory, was glitchy for some reason, and they got stuck every time they watered/harvested anything, so when they inherited Aunt Brunhilda's fortune, I moved it out of the corner and behind a strategically placed hedge... but only as long as they promised to continue to look after it, properly, and together. Which they did, every morning, in their PJs, before work.

Sprockett got his own pool, one that he had to share with Boyd and Susan.... and I finally got to see a pixelated pet swimming. Sprockett had the *likes to swim* trait, which was bloody confusing when he was a puppy, because he couldn't swim.

It was time to (very grudgingly) leave the Wainwrights behind and move on to another Sunset Valley resident. I was incredibly tempted to stay, and sod the SV chronicles. I have a feeling that I won't be playing every single resident in SV, because I have my favourites that I already want to get back to.... but you know how fickle I am. That could change with the wind.

I'll leave you (and me) with an image of Boyd and Sprockett, playing fetch... man and mans best friend.

Dammit... I wanna play these guys again already *sob*.