Chapter 1: Kim-Lewis

The Art Museum was Alice's favorite place to visit. She could walk the corridors of this place for hours on end. The latest piece "Stuck in the Weeds" had her captivated. This piece spoke to her soul. Lately she'd been feeling like her life was stagnant. Living with her dad and mother in law was not the life she'd pictured when she said "I Do". Yes, she and Eric are young and they have time to make their mark, but with a family of their own it didn't feel right "mooching" off of their parents. "Stuck in the Weeds" described her life right now, perfectly.
"Sigh"

Whereas Alice felt at ease at the Museum, Eric just felt lost. He didn't get what Alice found so exciting about this place. He came along to get out of the house and to enjoy the different hookah flavors. Unlike his wife, Eric has no problems living with his mother and father in law. For one, Dennis is really laid back similar to Eric and they get along really well. For another, Eric didn't have to worry about making mortgage payments or major bills. Plus he liked the bond that Olivia had with both Dennis and Eric's mom. She was really fortunate to have her grandparents around to help with school projects and to teach her how to bake. He hadn't been so lucky. Heck, he didn't even get to know his own father. Unbeknownst to his wife, Eric could stay with his mom and Dennis until their final days. That's the quickest way to reach Mansion Baron status anyway!

 Alice appreciated Eric's support. She knows he doesn't quite understand why the museum is so special to her. The fact that he still comes with her makes her feel loved and supported.

"Well Hello Beautiful!" Maybe this place has its perks after all, Eric thought.
"Oh hi."
"You uh, you come here often?"
Nina looked the handsome man up and down. "No, this is my first time. How about you? You look like the artsy type."
Eric had to laugh at that. "Well for you I could be."

 "If you're not an artist, what brings you here?"
"Uh, just you know, checking out the downtown scene."
"So you're not from around here, huh?" Nina watched him with lust in her eyes.
"San Myshuno? No, no I don't think I could live in the city. It's nice to visit, don't get me wrong. But I'm from Willow Creek."
"Is that so?" Nina saw dollar signs. Willow Creek was the 'burbs, where the rich folks lived.
"Yeah, I uh haven't seen you around my area, so are you from downtown?"

"I'm not, but I like it. It's so...so...VIBRANT." Nina's eyes lit up. "I'm actually from Oasis Springs."
"Oh yeah, I've heard of it. It sounds a little too hot for me, though."
"What? You scared of....heat?" Nina sidled up to Eric causing him to stutter.
"Me? Oh, uh no, of course not."
"Good. You look like a man that knows how to handle himself."
Eric felt his cheeks flush. Wow, this woman is forward. For the minutes they'd been speaking he almost forgot that Alice was somewhere nearby.
"Uh, speaking of handling things..I can't stick around but I'd like to get to know you a little better Ms....."
"Nina, the name's Nina."
"Nice. So Nina, what do you say we exchange numbers?"
"That could work."
"Eric..my name is Eric." Eric pulled out his cell phone to take her number but Nina had other plans.
"Mm Hmm, Well Eric" Nina grabbed his phone from his hand and began typing. "Why don't you text me later and we can work on that getting to know one another thing." She kissed his phone before handing it back.
Eric felt he might be a little out of his league, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity.
"Sounds good to me Nina. I'll give you a buzz later."
"You do that handsome. " Nina sauntered off leaving Eric with his mouth open.
He took a moment to look around and make sure that Alice was no where around. Knowing her she would've strolled up on them if she had been, but he didn't want to take any chances. She was a sweet girl, which is how he ended up with her. But lately Eric feels like he needs something to spice his life up and Nina just might be it.
After a final glance over his shoulder, Eric slid out of the museum. He couldn't very well hang around after telling Nina that he had to leave. He definitely didn't want Alice to walk up on him and risk Nina seeing them or vice versa.
As he left the museum and headed for the car, he knew he could make up some excuse for Alice later.

 Meanwhile, upstairs Alice used one of the blank canvases to express her creativity. She loved the color combination she chose. Every time she painted, Alice felt like she had an outer body experience. It usually wasn't until the piece was near completion that she even knew what she was creating. She liked to think that the art was inside of her and released itself onto the canvas, using her as a mere vessel. She became so entrenched in her creativity that she lost track of time.
Hours had passed and she hadn't seen Eric since they passed each other earlier. She began to walk around looking for him but didn't find him. Usually he would end up in the Hookah lounge, but he wasn't there when she looked.
'Did he leave?'

 Eric was flirting with Karissa, a local mailwoman, when he felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket.
"Excuse me." He put up his finger. "Hello?"
"Eric? Where are you?"
"Hey babe, look I got hungry I had to find something to eat."
"Oh, ok, well are you nearby?"
"Uh nah, I came back to the neighborhood. You know I like the burgers from Hogan's."
"Yeah, uh ok, well I guess I'll cab it back to the house."
"Alright, well I'll see you later, ok?"
"Ok."
CLICK
"Where was I baby girl?"
"Eric you ain't slick. Go home to your wife." Karissa said before storming off.

 A definite benefit of living with the parental units was that Alice rarely, if ever had to worry about preparing meals. Vivian took care of that. Partly out of enjoying taking care of her family and partly because she didn't trust Alice's cooking skills. While these two get along for the sake of Eric and Olivia, neither of them are each other's favorite person. Unlike Alice, who tried to remain neutral, Vivian made her discontent known every chance she got.
"So, any plans to find gainful employment Alice?"
That was unexpected and almost caused Alice to spit the piece of sandwich out. She struggled to chew and swallow.
"Uh, well I have been spending time raising Olivia..."
"Pah! Chile, please tell me that isn't your game plan."

"Game plan? I don't think I understand."
"You know, you young girls today are a different breed than my generation. In my time, it was important for women to make their own way and not rely on family or even our husbands to take care of us."
"No disrespect Momma Viv, I take being a mother very seriously. Not to mention that I have my art. I sell pieces sometimes ya know."
"HA! That's not a real job. That sounds like a hobby."
"A lot of people become celebrities from their art work."
"Well you my dear, aren't a lot of people. You don't even sound like you're trying to turn that into a career."

 "Look, I get it. You live in a nice cushy house with your father and I. You're married to a handsome, intelligent guy, you have a beautiful child, the mortgage on this house is paid off, your daughter is well fed...you're living the life. But don't fall into a false sense of security dear. All of this could be taken away at a moment's notice."
Alice put her sandwich down and turned to look her mother in law in the eye.
"Oh you haven't considered that have you? Don't look so surprised Alice. Life has a funny way of suddenly changing up on us. One minute you're living the high life, next minute you're a single mother raising a young child."
"Is that what this is about Momma Viv? I mean, I understand that you and Eric had a tough time...."
"Don't you tell me you understand! You couldn't possibly understand. Thankfully when Eric's father left I had a back up plan. I was a working woman and I had money saved up. Do you?"

 "Eric would never..."
"Oh my dear you are worse off than I thought! I love that boy of mine, I do, but you have no clue what another person will do. No matter how in love you think you are. Take it from me. I know firsthand. As I was saying, you need a back up plan. So, when are you getting a job?"

"I...I..." While Alice didn't agree with Vivian's approach, she had to agree that a back up plan makes sense. She'd never given it thought before. She wondered if her mother in law knew something that she didn't. Eric and his mother are very close, is it possible that Vivian was giving her a heads up?
"I hadn't really thought of it." Alice spoke honestly.
"Well, if you ask me, and I know you didn't, a woman needs to look out for herself at all times. So I think you need to start looking for a job."
"Hmm"
Alice was no longer hungry. Her mind began to wander. Her thoughts went to her and Eric's relationship. He didn't seem to be acting any differently. He showered her with attention and affection and he was never disrespectful...well not really. Granted Alice was bothered that he'd left her at the museum earlier without saying anything. Not only did he leave her there but he went back to their neighborhood knowing that he'd driven her Downtown.
'No, no, don't let Momma Viv and her bitterness get to you girl. You know your man.'

Later that evening, when Eric finally turned up he went looking for his wife. The only downside to living in such a large house was the number of rooms, sometimes. The last place he tried was the second floor bathroom. When he attempted to turn the knob it didn't budge. He knocked.
"Babe? Are you in there?"
Alice cleared her throat and swiped at her tears. "Yeah, give me a minute."
"I've been looking all over this house for you girl." Eric leaned against the wall waiting for the door to open. He heard the faucets turn and the running water, which was weird.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Mmmhmm"
He put his ear to the door and could hear muffled sniffles. "Baby, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing I'm just washing my face." Alice hurried and wiped her face and hands dry before opening the door.
As soon as she did, Eric took one look at her and knew she'd been bawling. "Baby, what is it?"
His strong arms allowed her small frame to collapse against his chest. She couldn't stop the tears.
He pushed her back while holding firmly onto her shoulders.
"What happened?"
"I...I..your mother...she..." Alice burst out into sobs now.
Eric drew her into him again. He'd hoped that his mother hadn't been the cause of yet another of Alice's crying spells, but no such luck.
"It's ok. It's ok." He smoothed her hair down her back. "What did she say this time?"
Alice tilted her head so that she could see the side of his face. "Eric...are you happy with me?"
"Wha...? Where did that come from?" He looked down at her as best he could from this angle.
"She basically said you will leave me one day."
Eric hung his head. "Baby, I'm sorry." If it wasn't one thing it was another. Today had been a good day..a really good day. He met Nina and ended up chatting with her on the phone while he hung out at the park. He ran into Karissa and had a mini flirt session with her. Alice bought his excuse for leaving her hanging at the museum, but all that went out the window now. 'Thanks Mom' he thought.
"My mother has some real issues. You know that." He felt her move her head up and down against his chest. "But my mother's past is not our future."
Alice pulled back from him slightly "That's what I tried to tell her, but she still thinks I should get a job as a back up plan." Eric removed his hands from her waist and placed them on either side of her face to wipe her tears with his thumbs.
"You know I love you and Olivia and I'd never, NEVER do what he did to me and my mother. I know what that's like...to be without a dad. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially not my own seed. And I saw the heartache and pain that my mother went through. Everyday I wanted to take that pain away but no matter what I did, she was angry all the time and just plain bitter. I wouldn't do that to you. You're my first love. My only love." He pulled her in for a firm and passionate kiss.

 When they came up for air, Alice took him by the hand and led him up to their room. She needed comforting and Eric knew that he had to follow his words up with action to make her feel better.

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 When she isn't tormenting Alice, Vivian actually has a pleasant demeanor. That is especially true when she's around her granddaughter Olivia, who she feels is the perfect combination of her son Eric and Alice. Olivia looks like the Lewis family, if you ask Vivian...heh and even if you don't and mostly has her dad's personality. She also has her mother's creative spirit, which Vivian is determined to hone into a useful skill. There'll be no flighty plans of loafing off her parents or anyone else with occasional work sprinkled in for her bloodline. Oh no, Olivia is going to make something of herself.
"So if Robert has 71 cents in his pocket and he wants to buy 2 super balls at the toy store and each super ball costs 8 cents, how much money will Robert have left?" Vivian asked the child.
"Um, 8 plus 8 is 16 so Robert spent 16 cents."
"Ok good start. So what comes next?"
"71 minus 16..."Olivia started as she jotted down the information. After a moment more, she belted out, "It's 55 Nan! 55!"
"That's right little one. Ok, now the next one...."
Olivia had a routine with her grandparents. Her Nan Viv and Papa rotated who would help her with her homework and/or projects and who would put her to bed. Olivia loved the attention from them both.

Tonight is Papa's night to put her to bed. I must say Dennis truly loved doting on his granddaughter. She reminded him of her mother Alice when she was a little girl. Dennis doted on his only child the very same way. It's why they're so close to this day. Knowing that he has less time to spend with Olivia he wants to spend as much time with her as possible so she'll never forget him.

"Alright sweetheart let's get you tucked in." Dennis began to tuck the corners of the blanket in.
"I can do it Papa." Olivia confidently squealed as she sloppily pushed the edges of the blanket under her mattress.
"Oh my. I guess I'm out of a job with those tucking skills." Dennis winked at his granddaughter before rubbing her hair out of her face. Olivia turned to Dennis before asking, "Is daddy going to leave mommy?" Dennis' eyes almost bugged out of his head.
"Wha..what? Where did you get a thought like that?"
"I heard Nan and mom talking earlier and Nan said that Mommy needs to have a plan for when daddy leaves her."

"Oh sweetie. Sometimes grown ups say stupid things."
Olivia looked up seeming to consider what Dennis said. "It was a stupid thing to say. I guess."
"Yes sweetheart, it was. Don't you worry about it ok? No matter what happens in life know that we all love you ok?"
"Ok." Olivia slid back down and faced her wall before closing her eyes.
"Sleep tight honey and don't let the bed bugs bite."
"Nite Papa." Olivia yawned.

Whether it was all that talk from Vivian earlier or something else, Olivia wasn't able to sleep well. She jumped out of her sleep suddenly only a couple of hours after Dennis put her to bed. She put her hand on her chest and could feel her heart racing, she was breathing hard and felt damp with sweat.
She had no idea what woke her up. As she looked around her room, all looked normal. She tried to steady her breathing as she laid back down.
It wasn't long before she heard a noise under her bed. She laid very still afraid of what was happening. She pulled the covers over her head and tried to convince herself that she'd just had a bad dream. The noises only grew.

Reluctantly, she eased herself out of bed and knelt down to see better. She kept hearing the noise and swore she saw something moving. Olivia quickly sprung to her feet and backed up. "Hello? Who's there?"
The noise grew louder and sounded like a moan. Whatever it was terrified Olivia and caused her to bolt from her room.

OMG OMG! I've got to wake somebody up!!! Sometimes Olivia really liked the privacy of having the second floor all to herself. Nan Viv had a bedroom on the first level, while Papa, Mom and Dad had their rooms on the top level. Tonight was one of those nights that she wished someone had a room on her floor. As scary as it was in her room, running through a dark house was no fun. That was exactly why she chose to run up to her Papa's room instead of trying to navigate the first floor back to Nan's room.

She was panting by the time she reached the top of the stairs. Sure her parents' room was closer, but she figured she had a better chance of waking Papa. Sometimes Mom and Dad locked their door.

She flung the room door open but when she got inside she tried to calm down. She didn't want to scare Papa out of his sleep, she'd heard Sims could die from fright. "Papa?" she tried a soft tone.
"Papa are you awake?" "Liv?" Dennis thought he was dreaming.
"Papa something's in the house." Olivia couldn't contain her fear any longer.

Dennis sprung up looking for his bat. "Someone's in the house? How do you know?"
"Not some ONE, some THING Papa! I heard it under my bed."
"Oh Liv, it's too late for this. You're too old for this." Dennis reclined against his headboard feeling weighed down with sleepiness.
"No Papa! I'm not imaging things. It woke me from my sleep. I'm surprised it didn't eat me!"
Dennis chuckled, "Alright little one. Let this old man go to the restroom. Why don't you go back downstairs and I'll meet you in your room." Dennis shuffled past her rubbing his eyes.
Olivia crossed her arms with frustration. There was no way she was going back in that room alone.

She got an idea and walked across the hall to try the doorknob. She was so relieved when it turned easily.

"Mommy! Daddy! Are you awake?!" she screeched to get their attention.
Alice was the first to bolt upright. "Olivia! What? What's wrong?!"
"It...it's I don't know what it is, but IT'S in my room."
Alice rubbed her temples. "Olivia do you know what time it is?"

"I don't Mommy but that monster woke me up."
"Oh for the love of....let me get my robe." Alice got up and walked to the closet to cover up.
"You can't be mad with me Mommy, it's not my fault. It's that stupid monster's fault. If he let me sleep I could have let you sleep.
"What's going on?" Eric sounded annoyed.
"Your daughter has been watching scary movies again or something." Alice said rummaging around until she felt the silky fabric.
"I didn't I swear I didn't. I haven't watched one of those in a long time Mommy. I know you said that I wouldn't sleep if I kept it up."
"Yeah and that seemed to work out well." Alice tied a bow.

"I swear I didn't do that Daddy."
"Alright schnookums. Don't worry. Let's go see what all this Monster talk is all about."
Eric lifted the 8 year old in his arms and she buried her head in the crevice of his neck. They met Dennis in the hall.
"Looks like she's brought out all the troops, huh?" Dennis chuckled.
"Sorry she woke you dad." Alice hated feeling like a burden.
"No worries sweetheart. Turns out I needed to use the loo anyway."
"We've got it from here." Eric said patting the older man on the shoulder with his free hand and turning toward the stairs.
Alice led the way to Olivia's bedroom and turned on all of the lights once there. "Now, where is this....so called monster little girl?" Alice huffed.
Olivia lifted her head and peered from the safety of her father's arms. "It probably moved when I left the room. "It knew you guys were coming and it hid." Olivia started to cry. Alice lifted her arms to Eric, who passed Olivia into her mother's arms. He knelt in front of her bed and lifted the hanging covers. "Well it's definitely not below here."
He continued by making a big show of searching the closet, drawers and every dark corner in Olivia's room, eventually making her giggle.
Alice was able to put her back on the ground, but the child clung to her hips.
Looking at Eric, Alice said "Alright daddy, I think we should all go back to bed upstairs. What do you think about that Liv?" She felt the child's head moving up and down on her thigh.
"Ok, let's go so I can get some shut eye."
The three walked back upstairs together and settled in bed together. They weren't in the bed more than 2 minutes before Olivia was snoring.
"Guess she just needed some TLC huh?" Eric laughed while brushing her bangs out of her sleeping face.
"I guess" Alice said snuggling next to her little girl.

 Over the course of the next few weeks life returned to normal. The most exciting thing to happen was Eric decided to get a job at a Tech Corporation. It must've been all that talk from Alice about his mother pushing her to get a back up plan. Eric realized that he didn't have a plan let alone a backup. So he set his sights on working on attaining his aspirational goals.

Alice continued to paint as the urge struck her and she took up meditation to help her relax around her mother in law.

 "Little girl, I know you're not touching those brownies until AFTER you eat your dinner."
"Yes Nan." Olivia put her plate and head down making her way to the main counter for dinner.
All was pretty much normal at the Kim-Lewis household until one fateful afternoon.
On his way home from work, Eric received an unexpected message from Nina:
"Hey handsome! You up for a little fun tonight?"
A grin quickly spread across his lips. While Eric was happy with Alice and their little family, he enjoyed the thrill of flirting with other women. He'd spoken to Nina a couple of times since their first encounter but he didn't put much thought into it leading to anything...that is until that message.
He text her back with a positive reply. What could it hurt, right?

 One thing he learned quickly about Nina is that she's not the easiest to please. At first he ordered their drinks two Juice on the rocks, but Nina quickly began whining that she wanted something sweet. He complied and got her and himself fruity drinks he'd never heard of before. He offered to buy her food, but she claimed she wasn't hungry. As soon as his plate arrived she whined about him not offering her any.
"Why are you sitting all the way over there? Are you scared of me or something?"
Eric's life with Alice was looking better and better by the minute.
"How about we get out on the dance floor?" Eric figured that maybe some music would lighten her apparent grumpy mood for the night.

 Nina stalled going on the dance floor by sipping her drink. Eric, though, eased his way over to the middle of the dance floor. The DJ was pretty good tonight.
Every now and again Eric liked to come out to dance. Alice, she wasn't really up for things like this. If she'd been here tonight she probably would've been sipping a drink in the corner most of the night.

 When he first arrived and was waiting on Nina to get there, he ran into a pretty young blond named Nancy Landgrabb. She was cute, but seemed to have a little attitude. It didn't matter to him, he was already waiting on Nina, but killed a little time schmoozing until shortly before Nina arrived.
Eric didn't know what it was with women, seems like whenever they sense another one around they suddenly perk up. When he was out on the dance floor, he saw Nancy dancing her way into his peripheral view.
"Hey nice moves there." She winked.
"Really? Well you're not so bad yourself."
The two made small talk and danced around one another. Eric liked the attention that's for sure.

 He didn't know when it happened but at some point Nina found her way onto the dance floor. He watched her eyeball Nancy and slide closer to him. He felt excited as the two women silently battled for his attention. Each shook they hips in slow rhythmic motion trying to outdo each other. Eric was loving it all! Nancy eased up behind him and slid something in his pocket before dancing off to the side.

With Nina so distracted by trying to outdo the older blonde she didn't see Eric pull the small slip of paper from his back pocket. He looked up at Nancy, who was making her way off the dance floor. She mouthed "Call me" and winked as she turned away from him.

Eric couldn't believe his luck! Two hotties were into him. HA! He was absolutely the MAN...or so he thought.