Episode 221. The Wrecking
Still at the Crane’s household…
When Robin finally managed to get in the bedroom, Ann was standing in front of the window, she was crying.
As soon as she heard him come in, she kept a brief, awkward silence; Robin guessed she was trying to control herself to maintain her dignity.
“Ann?” he muttered. Another brief silence during which she struggled to hold back her crying.
“H-how did you get in? I thought I locked the door,” she stammered.
“I had an extra key in my desk, I went to get it and opened it.”
Ann wiped away her tears, took a deep breath and faced him, her eyes still watery.
“What else do you want, Robin? You just wrecked our family, and now you won’t even let me cry in peace?”
Robin swallowed hard before he could answer.
“I heard you cry, and I thought I would…”
“If you came here to apologize even more, you better save it,” Ann got ahead of him.
As she turned her back on him, Robin mustered up all his courage, cleared his throat and continued:
“I’m not here to continue apologizing, I just want us to part on good terms, for the sake of our daughters.”
“If you cared about our daughters, you’d stay with them. But I suppose there’s no point in asking you to do that, and it’s not my style to beg anyway.”
“You don’t have to beg for anything, you know I’d never leave them helpless.”
“They’re not helpless, they have me. Neither they nor I need you; now please leave me alone.”
“I won’t leave until we have finished talking.”
“I don’t have anything else to say to you.”
“But – you said earlier that you had something to tell me too. May I know what it was?”
“Does it matter anymore?” Ann replied and her voice cracked again.
“Of course it matters. You and the girls will always be my responsibility, even if we part ways. Come on, Ann, tell me, what is it? Are you in trouble at work, or are you sick or something?”
Ann hesitated, her gaze wandered to a fixed point, as if she could see her future crumbling in it.
Thanks, and credits to Bee (@poses-by-bee on Tumblr), for her pose packs Convo/Emotion Set 2, Emotion/Body Language and Adult Argument.
Episode 222. The End
“Ann? Please tell me, what is it?” Robin asked once again, as tears inevitably escaped from Ann’s eyes.
“Whatever it is, I’ll be able to handle it on my own”, she answered, containing a sob. “The last thing I want to do is stir up your pity, so just forget it.”
“My pity? What do you mean? Come on, Ann, speak already.”
“Robin, stop it, okay?” she exclaimed, facing him. “I’ve heard and said enough, if you want a divorce, you got it, but it will be on my terms”.
“And what would those terms be?”, Robin asked sheepishly.
“The girls stay with me, and I’ll keep custody, if you don’t agree we’ll settle it in court.”
“No, I – I agree that they stay with you, I’d only ask that you let me see them every once in a while. Now about custody, I think we should both…”
“We’ll talk about that some other time, now is definitely not the right moment”.
“And don’t even think that seeing the girls ‘every once in a while’ will suffice. As their father, you still have an obligation to provide for them.”
“Of course, and I’ll make sure that you and they have everything you need.”
“Take care of them only, I don’t want anything from you,” Ann shut him off.
“Now please get out of this house,” she ended.
“W-what?”
“You heard me well. I said Out”.
“But Ann, it’s late, I have nowhere to go. Plus, you can’t throw me out, this is my house, I bought it, I’m the one who pays for the bills!” Robin defended himself.
“Are you suggesting that the girls and I are the ones who should leave then?” Ann argued.
“I would never suggest such a thing, and the house is yours if you want it, I just thought I could stay at least until we…”
“I don’t care about your stupid house; I’ll get my daughters out of here as soon as I can. And I’ll take them with me back to Sunset Valley.”
“Really? And… when will this happen?
“I don’t know, whenever I deem it appropriate.”
“Is that what you do now, take my daughters away from me?” Robin asked, flustered.
“You wanted your freedom, didn’t you? Well, you got it. Now, don’t wait, start packing your crap already.”
“Can I at least say goodbye to the girls?” Robin asked.
“All right, but please make it quick”, Ann exclaimed.
“Okay, just one more thing”, Robin said. “I didn’t lie when I said I loved you, and believe it or not, I will always…”
“Robin, please don’t”, Ann cut him short, her voice beginning to crack again.
“Say goodbye to the children and leave, I don’t wanna see you here in the morning”, she added, and rushed out of the bedroom before tears rolled from her eyes again. Robin stood there, stunned and with a lump in his throat. That was it, the end of their marriage, and of Ann’s dream now shattered by him.
The thought that he was abandoning Ann and their daughters, like he had done with Kaleigh and Collin before, struck him and turned into another burden to carry upon his shoulders. He was being selfish, all his life he had been, but only now he could actually feel the guilt, the regret and the numbing pain it brought. He had broken not only Ann’s heart, but his own.
Truth be told, he had mixed feelings, on the one hand he was relieved to know that he was now free to run to Juliette’s arms; but on the other hand, it still troubled him to think about what Ann had not gotten to tell him. What could it be? Well, whatever it was, he’d find out later, now he’d better start thinking where he was going to spend the night.
“I never meant to start a war,
I just wanted you to let me in,
I guess I should’ve let you in.
Don’t you ever say I just walked away,
I will always want you.”
(Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus)
Credits and thanks to Bee (@poses-by-bee on Tumblr) for her pose packs Convo/Emotion Set 2, Emotion/Body Language and Adult Argument. Thank you so much! 🤗💗
Episode 223. Homeless
“I figured it made sense building me a fence,
building me a home, thinking I’d be strong there,
But I was a fool, playing by the rules.”
THE CRANE HOUSEHOLD, ALMOST AN HOUR LATER…
“Now where will I go? I can’t move in with Juliette until the divorce is settled. Maybe Dustin will let me stay at the headquarters while I find a place of my own. It should be only a night or two. Or three?” Robin thought, as he packed up, his brain spinning a mile a minute.
“Also, I could use a support system, if Dust and Judith will have me, of course.”
“But then there’s that guy, Gilon…. “, Robin paused to stretch. He felt edgy, even angry. It was no wonder, he was homeless… again. “Damn it, first it was my house in Oasis Landing, and now this one? All this time working for a comfortable life to end up with nothing, except for that stupid suitcase.”
“The worst is having to leave my girls not knowing if I’ll ever see them again. Ann could take them away from me, if she does, what will they think of me when they grow up? That I let them down, that I abandoned them like my parents did with me? That I’m repeating my own story?”
“I don’t want the mistakes I’ve made to affect them or cause any suffering to them. I don’t want to hurt Jul either with my personal and legal issues.”
“When we’re finally together, I want it to be because there’s nothing between us anymore. Just now it wouldn’t be right, or fair to you. I’d just… drag you into my chaos, I have to fix the f*cking mess that is my life first.”
“Well, enough brooding and self-pity. If I am to keep my word, I must go ahead, one step at a time. I’ll finish packing first, then I’ll say goodbye to my girls, and last, if I muster the courage, I’ll call Dust for asylum, even if it’s just for tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Judith, I wouldn’t want to bother you on the eve of your wedding, but I really need a friend to talk to and that’s Dust. As for Gilon Mannin, I guess I’ll have to deal with him.”
Half an hour later, Robin had finished packing. He wasn’t carrying much, just a suitcase with a few clothes, his holo-computer, and a briefcase with all his important documents.
Some other time he would return for what he might be missing. And if Ann eventually left Aurora Skies, it would be easier for her to pick up the rest of her things like the workshop, the science station, and his car. Now came the hardest part, saying goodbye to his daughters….
Credits and thanks for the poses in this episode go to:
Rob’s Sims @tumblinrob on Tumblr for their Mover Pose Pack poses.
Mr. Pon. @paranoia-or-Drunkard on Tumblr for his Don’t say That you Love me Pose13 poses.
Bee. @poses-by-bee on Tumblr for her Emotions/Body Language (Emotion Poses – Set 2) poses.
My perpetual and sincere thanks to all of them. 💗
Song is The Winner Takes it all, by Abba
Episode 224. Farewell
The winner takes it all,
The loser has to fall,
It’s simple and it’s plain.
Why should I complain?
After leaving his luggage in the lobby, Robin went straight to the girls’ room.
He paused at the door for a moment to watch them sleep.
All three were sleeping soundly and peacefully, unsuspecting of the terrible time they were going through because of him.
“Forgive me, my little ones, I never meant to do this to you.”
First, he said goodbye to Wanda. Always cheerful and lively, the baby woke up right away, waving her little hands at her father.
“Goodbye my feisty little redhead, be good to mommy and don’t forget about me”, he said, giving her a kiss.
Then he carefully returned her to her crib.
“Sleep well, and remember, Daddy loves you.”
Next, he said goodbye to Carrie, the other twin, who, unlike her sisters, was not yet asleep.
“Goodbye, sweetie, I know you feel scared at night, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. Just remember how much I love you and everything will be okay”, he said, kissing her tenderly.
He was about to return her to the crib when he noticed something he hadn’t noticed before: Carrie had pitch-black eyes, where did she get them from? Jessi’s and Wanda’s were clear, just like his and Ann’s,
Her hair was black too, like his, only his real color wasn’t that, where had Carrie’s come from then? Oh well, Wanda was a redhead and neither he nor Ann were, probably one of their ancestors had hair or eyes of some other color?
Never mind, Carrie was his daughter regardless of her features, and having to leave her was breaking his heart. “Try to get some sleep, honey, I’ll be back to get you”, he said, putting her back in her crib, as carefully and tenderly as he had done with Wanda.
Finally, he went to say goodbye to Jessi, she woke up as soon as she felt his arms holding her.
“Daddy, hi”. Her tender, drowsy little voice instantly brought tears to Robin’s eyes.
“Hi, sweetie, sorry if I woke you, I just wanted to say goodbye.”
“Where you going?”
“On a trip, as always… Tell me, did you like your birthday party?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, now you’re a big girl, I hope you’ll look after your sisters when I’m gone”.
Unable at his age to understand what his father was talking about, but sensing the sadness in his words, Jessica just hugged him warmly.
“I love you, daddy”, she answered.
“And I love you, please don’t you forget it”, Robin whispered in her ear.
“Now go back to sleep,” he added, concluded, placing her back in her bed.
“Daddy, stay,” she pleaded.
“I can’t right now, sweetheart, but I’ll be back, I promise,” Robin told her, struggling to keep his voice from breaking, and kissed her on the forehead. He had to stay with her for a few more minutes until she finally fell asleep.
Before leaving, he paused at the door again to take one last look at each of his daughters.
“This farewell is not forever, we’ll see each other again soon, I swear.”
The gods may throw a dice,
their minds as cold as ice.
and someone way down here
loses someone dear.
Song: The Winner Takes it all, by Abba
Episode 225. One Last Look
Once out of the girls’ room, Robin picked up his bags and headed for the study, where Ann was still locked in. He put the luggage aside and walked to the door; from there he could hear her quietly sobbing, he tried to get in but again it was locked.
“Ann?” he called, knocking softly; Ann’s sobs stopped abruptly.
“Why are you still here? I thought you’d have left by now.”
“Well, I – I wanted to say that…”
“DON’T you dare say anything else, just go!”.
“Okay, I’ll call you, we still need to talk about the girls.”
“You’ll talk to my lawyer, now please get the hell out of here!”
Robin sighed in defeat. “Fine.”
He grabbed his suitcase and headed for the stairs, not without glancing back at his daughters’ room. He didn’t want to leave like this, knowing he probably wouldn’t see them again for a long time.
“Forgive me my little ones, I’ll make this up to you, I swear.”
Once downstairs, he took one last look around what had been his home, where he had first known the joy of having a family.
“Goodbye, Ann, I hope you’ll forgive me someday,” he thought, as he headed for the door.
Nothing compares, no worries or cares, regrets and mistakes, they are memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?
Credits and thanks for the poses in this episode:
Emotion Poses Set 2 and Travel Poses by Bee @poses-by-bee on Tumblr
Don’t Say That you Love me Pose13 by @paranoia or Drunkard [Mr. Pon]
Song is Someone Like you by Adele
Episode 226. Out on the Street
It’s time to walk the streets, smell the desperation. At least there’s pretty lights, and though there’s little variation. It nullifies the night from overkill.
Outside, with the icy air in his face, Robin put his bags on the ground and sat down on the outdoor bench. Although cold, it was a quiet, starry night, with an out-of-the-ordinary calm. Should he walk now – which would clear his mind – or call a cab? He was too exhausted to do either.
To think that Juliette’s house was only a block away… Ah, how gladly he would run there now!
She would probably welcome him with open arms, ready to love him and start their life together. Then, all the problems and bad times would instantly be erased from their minds.
“Yeah, I can’t just come in like this, I need the divorce papers signed as proof that I kept my word. Still, Jul deserves to know what’s going on, should I let her know?” Robin wondered, now standing with the phone in his hand.
“She’s probably sleeping right now, but if I send her a message telling her what happened, she’ll be able to read it in the morning. Or maybe she’s awake?”
“Jul, hi, are you awake?”, he typed.
The ellipses, a sign that Juliette was writing, made him breathe a sigh of relief.
“Yes, I haven’t slept a wink, you?”
“Same,” Robin replied. “I just talked to Ann; I asked her for divorce.”
“Oh, dear, are you okay?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t easy, but she finally granted it. The bad news is that she threw me out of the house.”
“In the middle of the night? That witch!“, wrote Juliette, then almost immediately: “Oops, sorry.”
“That’s okay, I’ll call Dust for shelter. Tomorrow as soon as the sun rises, I’ll come to see you and tell you everything in detail.” Juliette took a bit longer to write her next message.
“Sorry you are going through all of this because of me...”
“I’d ask you to spend the night here, but I don’t know if it’s right given your current situation. I don’t want to cause you any more complications.”
“I know, don’t worry, as soon as my divorce is settled, we’ll be together, this time forever. “
“I can hardly wait.”
“So can I.”
“I don’t want to keep you up any longer, I’m gonna call Dust, you go back to sleep, okay?”.
“Okay, take good care of yourself, please.”
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you. See you tomorrow, dear.”
“See you tomorrow, my love”, read Juliette’s message followed by a red heart and a kiss.
“My love”. In the middle of the cold night, and despite the anguish that gripped his soul, Juliette’s last words were a comfort to Robin. Also, the prospect of seeing her, feeling her close and, above all, showing her that he had kept his promise, gave him peace of mind in the midst of his anguish.
“Okay, Jul’s in the know, now to call Dust.”
Poses are SMS Mâle and Tchat Pose Mixte by Au Fil Des Sims, thanks and credits to them. 🤗💗
Song is Overkill by Men at Work.
Episode 227. Late Night Call
And all this science I don’t understand; it’s just my job, five days a week…
Robin hesitated before dialing, he was sure Dustin would support him, but Judith lived with him now and, as a couple, they needed their privacy. Not to mention Gilon Mannin, Juliette’s ex, who was also staying there; Robin wasn’t in the mood to meet him, but still…
Finally, after thinking about it for a few more minutes, he decided to make the call.
Shivering from the cold, he waited on the line for his unconditional friend to answer.
It was obvious, at that hour, that Dustin would be sound asleep.
But the ringing of his cell phone on the nightstand woke him up and made him sit up.
“Hello?”
“Dust, hi, it’s me, Robin.”
“Rob? What the… Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Three or four a.m., I’m not quite sure.”
“Exactly, the wee hours of the morning, dude.”
“Sorry, I know it’s late, or rather, too early, but I just broke up with Ann and I have nowhere to go.”
“Oh, shoot, I’m so sorry… Wait, you broke up? You mean you asked her for a divorce?”
“Yes.”
“And? She granted it?”
“She did, but she got so upset she kicked me out of the house.”
“What? Man, that sucks.”
“Yeah, well, now I’m out on the street, literally, and… you know, I was just wondering if…”
“If you can stay at my place? Of course you can, buddy, you don’t even need to ask.”
“Thanks a lot, Dust, I-I didn’t want to bother you, but…”
“Nah, it’s no bother. Now tell me where you are, and I’ll come pick you up.”
“Oh, no need, I can call a cab.”
“A cab? No, none of that, come on, give me your location.”
“Mm… okay, I’m on 68 Velkominn Road. It’s not hard to find me, I’m right across from the mall and I’m the only guy on the street at this hour.”
“Velkominn Road, across from the mall, got it.”
“Wait a minute, Velkominn Road? That’s Jul’s street!”
“Yeah, I know, she lives on the next block over, at 58.”
“So you live with your wife on the same street as my sister?”.
“Lived. Past tense. Like I said, I broke up with Ann and she kicked me out. Also, how would I know Jul would move right down this street, it’s not like I’d planned it.
“True”.
“Anyway, I have an idea. since you’re on Velkominn, why don’t you walk over to Jul’s house and wait for me there?”
“To Jul’s house? Are you kidding? It’s the middle of the night!
“So what? She sure will be happy to see you, to know you’re finally free, maybe she’ll even invite you over to sleep”.
“Dusty…”
“No, really, what would be wrong with it? You guys love each other and waited so long for this day.”
“I know, but I don’t think it’s the right time, you know, I’m not divorced yet, it wouldn’t be fair to Jul. Besides, I’m not exactly at my prime right now ….
“Really, why?”
“Well, my talk with Ann was not exactly a picnic. She kicked me out, I was left without a home, without my daughters. A lot of my clothes and work tools are still in there, I couldn’t even take my car. I obviously don’t feel good about all that, I wouldn’t be good company now.”
“All right, all right, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll get dressed and in ten minutes I’ll be there to pick you up, sounds good to you?”
“Sounds perfect. Oh, please don’t take too long, okay?”
“It’s getting colder by the minute and the sky looks pretty weird.”
“Define weird.”
“I don’t know, it has a funny green glow.”
“Hm, I can’t see it from here, but that must be the northern lights.”
“No, I’ve seen the northern lights, this is different. I don’t know if it’s my perception, but the atmosphere in general is just – well, weird.”
“O-kay, don’t worry, I’m flying there right now.”
Dustin was about to hang up, when strange noises were heard on Robin’s end.
“Rob? What are those noises? Are those the weird lights again?”
“Yeah, I think… Hey, what the hell is that?”
“W-what the hell is what?”
A sudden silence fell on the other end of the line.
“Rob? What’s going on there? Talk to me.” Dustin insisted.
Robin took a few seconds to catch his breath, yet his voice still sounded shaken when he spoke again:
“I saw something flying above me and then headed to my backyard”.
“Something? Like what?“
“I – I don’t know, it was like a cluster of colored lights, it made some strange noises. I think I’ll go check it out.”
“Woah, no, no, no, that sounds dangerous, better leave it alone. Just – let it fly by, okay?”
“But it’s over my house now, Ann and my daughters could be at risk”.
“Okay, go check, but please be extremely careful, and stay on the line at all times.”
“I will, don’t worry…”
Line at the beginning of this episode is from Rocket Man by Elton John 💙
Episode 228. “The Sun Came Out Last Night” (Second Part Finale)
Who are they? Where are they? How can they possibly know all this?
Do you see what I see? Why do we live like this?
Is it because it’s true that ignorance is bliss?
Still holding his phone, Robin headed toward the backyard, where the strange noises he had heard before were coming from now.
Before reaching the gate that divided the street from the yard, he paused for a few moments.
“Hey, Rob, are you there? I’m starting to get worried, please tell what’s going on,” Dustin’s voice said on his cell phone’s speaker.
“Rob?” Dustin insisted. Robin was so mesmerized by the sounds, that he didn’t even hear him. As he reached the backyard, he could see full on the lights that had passed over him earlier. He no longer found them intimidating, but so compelling to look at that it was impossible for him to stop staring at them.
He couldn’t help running to them either, as soon as he recovered from his astonishment.
“Rob, what’s going on there? Can you fill me in?” Dustin insisted; Robin didn’t answer.
He was too busy gawking at the colored lights, which were getting closer and closer, emitting the same odd but hypnotizing sound.
“Those are definitely not the northern lights,” he muttered, pausing under the intense glow.
Once there, he found impossible to move, the array of lights seemed to have him trapped.
“Rob, buddy, what’s going on over there? Care to enlighten me?” Dustin asked. Once again, Robin couldn’t answer.
For a brief moment, the lights dissipated and, now against a clear sky, Robin could see that round, somewhat blurry shape circling above him.
“For goodness’ sake. What the fuck is that?”
“What the fuck is what? Rob, talk to me please, dude.” Dustin begged. At this point, Robin was unable to hear him.
The formerly harmless lights, then transformed into a bright, greenish beam, which, emitting a whirring sound like that of a powerful turbine, descended upon Robin, enveloping him in a chilling glow.
“Damn, is that a…?“
“No, no, no, no, please no,” he exclaimed, turning around to run. But the beam of light emerging from the saucer, previously cold and weak, turned into a thick force field that blocked him from fleeing.
“W-What’s wrong with me? I can’t move!”
The round saucer above him whirred again like an airplane engine; the beam became even stronger and started to pull him strongly upwards.
“No, wait, don’t do this, please, noooo!” He exclaimed, as he felt with horror how his feet separated from the floor.
“Let go of me, this is a mistake, I’m not who you think I am! Put me down, please!” Robin implored, waving his legs and arms in the air, but his pleas were in vain.
The shimmering ray continued to suck him towards the huge, brilliant hole at the bottom of the flying saucer.
Hearing the screams coming from the backyard, Ann, who was still in the study, stopped sobbing and ran to the window, only to be met with the shocking scene.
“Oh, my God… Robin??”
“Help! Somebody help me, please!” Robin cried.
“Robin, what the HELL is going on! Please tell me or I won’t be able to help you!” Dustin yelled on the line.
Robin’s phone fell from his hand in his attempt to answer to his friend. He pawed and kicked in a last-ditch effort to free himself from the force that trapped him like a bug in an invisible spider’s web.
Ann stood there, contemplating the scene, speechless and with tears in her eyes, no longer of wrath but of terror.
“Aaaann! I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you, I swear! Help me, please, don’t let them take me!” Robin shouted once more, before being sucked into the flying saucer in the middle of a deafening noise.
“Wait, don’t take him! Give him back! Robiiiin!” Ann screamed in panic.
The saucer waited a few moments, spinning in front of Ann, turning its lights on and off. She thought of running to the door, but her feet didn’t move from their place, as if the same force that had pulled Robin into the ship had paralyzed her.
Then, with a roar similar to an explosion, the saucer turned into a sort of comet with a blazing, colorful stele.
And flew away rotating at high speed, to lose itself behind the high Aurora Skies mountains.
After that, Velkominn Rd. was left in the most profound silence…
“Oh, Robin, I’m sorry…” Ann whispered, tears still in her eyes. The distant sound of a voice then reached her ears from the backyard.
“Robin? What was that all about? Are you alright? Rob, if you’re still there please answer me!”
And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then,
I miss the Earth so much; I miss my wife.
It’s lonely out in space on such a timeless flight.
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
’til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home.
Oh, no, no, no
I’m a rocket man,
rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone.
END OF PART TWO: STUCK IN THE PAST
CREDITS AND THANKS 🌸
Ann poses are from Convo/Emotion Poses by bmit04, poses-by-bee (Tumblr site),
also Poses-by-bee (WordPress site).
Phone in hand is by Lorandia Sims. (Couldn’t find a link that still works, sorry).
Phone on floor is from the Inside My Purse clutter by SIMcredible!
Songs:
They, by Jem. (Beginning of the episode).
Rocket Man, by Elton John. (End of the Episode).
Title of the episode is inspired by a dialogue from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind:
Old Man: ¡El sol salió anoche y me cantó!
Translator: He says the sun came out last night. He says it sang to him.
[Literally: The sun came out last night and sang to me!]
Thanks Wikiquote! 🤗
Part 3: “To the Moon and Back”, coming soon!
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