Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 1.30 "Eddy Returns To Bridgeport"

Eddy Returns to Bridgeport

Eddy arrived back in Bridgeport and after a five hour plane ride and trip by car back to the Montegrande mansion he was still steaming mad.  How dare she!  It was one thing to hide herself from him but do do it with his aunt and uncle, who had as much disdain for him as he them.  He never would have pegged Maya for sun an ungrateful selfish wench.  After all he had done for her. She should be begging him to come and take HER back.

Eddy came charging up the sidewalk to the front gate and pushed his way through all the while with this dialogue running in his head.  Just as he stepped through the gate, he saw the Montegrande's daughter who had been trying to get his attention from the first day he arrived.  He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him roughly, kissing her forcefully until she was breathless.


Grabbing her hand he stormed his way across the backyard to the hot tub, stripped them both of clothes and pulled her down into the tub.  He began kissing her again, pushing her back against the side of the tub and climbed on top of her.





He knew he was being too rough and that her face would be scratched from his unshaven beard from the last few days, but he just didn't care.  He continued to kiss her and pulled her into the hot water to woo hoo.

He was not gentle, using her body to punish Maya for all the anger he was feeling. Finding his release, he pulled back away from her and fought to gain control of his breathing.  But it wasn't enough. He took one look at her and was angry all over again so he pulled her under for a second time, pushing harder until he found his second release.  When he surfaced he laid back against the edge of the tub until his heart calmed down and his breathing relaxed.  He was feeling a little better and incredibly exhausted, so he left her to make his way to bed. He should probably be feeling a little guilty, because he assumed it had been her first time.  But he didn't.  She had practically been begging for it since he first arrived in Bridgeport.  He just gave her what she wanted and judging by all the pleasurable noises she was making, she had no complaints.  He was sure she had enjoyed herself immensely. Perhaps tomorrow he would remember to ask her name, if he cared a little more by then, which he sincerely doubted.

The next morning he woke late, feeling a touch of jet lag and still a little angry at Maya's stinging rejection.  The band had no plans to play or practise that day, but that didn't really matter.  He was the lead of the band.  If he wanted to sleep in then it was his prerogative to do so.  Leaving the bedroom he was met in the hallway by his band mates who were concerned about his behaviour the night before.

"Man, what were you thinking?  She is the daughter of our host."

"You're lucky I saw what was going on and stopped her father.  He was just about to walk out in the back yard."











"You need to get your head on straight.  Go out to a lounge and find a woman there if that is what you need to do.  We'll go tonight."

Eddy had to admit that they were right.  He wasn't thinking straight and he had let his anger rule his behaviour.  He didn't regret it, but he would make sure that he was unavailable from this moment on so that it couldn't happen again.

Just after dinner the four of them landed a gig to play at the Waylon's Haunt bar.  It was a packed crowd who danced and sang along to the music.  The women were plentiful and all seemed to have an eye for Eddy.  He danced with many a woman and signed quite a few autographs, but one woman really caught his eye.  As the crowd began to thin out and the paparazzi left for the evening, he decided it was time to make his final move.  She was up to his flirting and was quite aggressive herself, leading him to the photo booth out back.

She had a smoking hot body but the woo hoo itself wasn't really all that great.  Not like it was between him and Maya. There was just something about Maya that pushed all the right buttons and rang all the right bells. He didn't think that was love though, just chemistry. They had really great chemistry.  They at least always got that part right.













The band arrived home around three in the morning and each tip toed to their bedrooms in hopes of not waking the household.  Eddy was about to hop into bed when he turned to see that same daughter in his bedroom standing behind him.  She blew him a kiss and offered to give him a massage.

He didn't know if it was because the last woman was such a disappointment or what, but once she threw herself into his arms he was doomed.  Before he knew it he was back in bed with the Montegrande's daughter.

Hot little piece of ass, she was exactly what he needed and when he was done, he sent her on her way, so that no one would find out what they had done.  He would try to find the time tomorrow to explain to her that it could never happen again and perhaps maybe learn her name as well.

He didn't get much sleep that night because he had another filming day for the movie he was in with Paola called Love After Death.  It was a challenging part which forced him to get in touch with emotions he kept buried very deep, bringing up all kinds of memories of his mother and the pain he went through when she left.  It was a difficult shoot and he couldn't wait for the filming to be done.
They had one more day of filming which was just retakes and then the movie premier in a week's time.

The write up of the movie:

Eddy Mullins, stars as Michael Buddy and Paola Montegrande stars as Simollina Buddy. Two once happily married parents, who must learn to love again after the loss of their three year old daughter Kb, played by Lucie 4321, to leukaemia. Take this journey with them as they deal with her death, walk away from their marriage only to find one another again.

Cast Role

Paola Montegrande Simollina Buddy

Eddy Mullins Michael Buddy

Lucie 4321 Kb (daughter)

Brandi Lee Pastor Jeanie

Michele Powers Doctor Donna Walden

Jonny J Jackson Jones (bestfriend to Michael)

Alexsiri Susan Pace (sister to Simollina)

Diogobarata John Buddy (brother to Michael)

Kacie Babysitter/Next door neighbour

Idm027 Preschool Teacher

MFAK Dog Walker

Nayrex Nurse

Rosie Waters Counsellor Rosie

Smoke for Jesus Angel
Vicente Candy Striper at hospital

#Midnight Sun Challenge- Love After Death Movie Poster

Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 1.29 "Eddy Confronts Maya"

Eddy Confronts Maya

Maya had managed to stay out of the spotlight for most of her stay in Sunset Valley until one reporter did a story on her volunteering in the children's wing at the hospital.  Maya had wanted to give thanks to all the members of the town for their gracious hospitality and decided to entertain the sick children at the hospital.  She felt it was the least she could do as everyone had been so gracious.  The story was picked up and before she knew it, Sunset Valley was full of paparazzi.  She supposed it was inevitable anyways, when news got out about the unveiling of the mural they were bound to come. She just wished she could have had her whole vacation away from the flashes of cameras and reporters constantly trying to talk to her.  She wanted to spend the the remainder of her time just hiding out at the Landgraab's, but Nancy wouldn't hear of it.  So she was dragged to every charity event in the town. The most exciting surprise was that she had been asked to provide a painting for an artist gallery night at the local art gallery.  She was thrilled and got to work right away.  She thought about painting the view of the town from the backyard of the Landgraab's home, which was absolutely spectacular.  But she wanted to do something different, unique to herself.  She had just finished sketching it out and couldn't wait to start choosing colours and shades to make it come to life.

The night sky drew her out of the house and she stood on the edge of the property near the cliff, staring up at the stars, thinking about how her time in Sunset Valley was almost done and she would be returning to university.  How different it all was going to be.

"Maya"

Startled, Maya spun around at the sound of his voice.

"Eddy.  What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?  What are you doing here?  Here of all places!"

Maya backed up a space from him, sensing the anger radiating off his whole body.  Eddy was so angry he was almost shaking.

"Do you have any idea how crazy I have been looking for you?  Then to find out your here!"

"Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to be found?  You shouldn't be here Eddy.  This isn't a good idea.  If your aunt and uncle knew you were here, they would not be happy."

"I don't care!  I never would have thought you could be so cruel.  You know how I feel about them!  How they feel about me!  Of all places I could have found you!"

"Contrary to what you may think Eddy.  Staying here has nothing to do with you."

"Of course it does.  I all has to do with me.  Everything.  You think I cheated on you so you go to the one place you know would hurt me the most!"

"I didn't ask to stay here Eddy.  I needed a place to stay.  They called me.  They asked me, even knowing that I am dating you.  Or at least I think they know.  Doesn't matter.  Fact is, I've done nothing wrong."


"Neither have I!"

That statement hung in the air like an echo off a distant canyon wall.  Eddy took a step towards Maya but she put up her hand to stop him.

"I didn't sleep with Katie," he said a little quieter. "I didn't.  It was just one of those stupid party game dares that went too far.  I never would have done it if I hadn't been so juiced."











"How am I supposed to believe that?  Katie has been sniffing around after you for months Eddy. How can I know for sure?"

"You can ask her yourself.  Come back with me."

"No.  I'm not going anywhere with you.  I still have commitments here. And beside I was very clear with you.  If Katie is still around when I get back, we are done!  I really don't want to do this right now.  You should go."

"Yes, you need to go."

Maya turned to see Nancy standing there with a none too happy look on her face.

"Maya, come back with me," he pleaded.

"She is not going anywhere.  Least of all with you."

"Fuck you aunt.  This has nothing to do with you!"

"And Maya being here has nothing to do with you!  I know you would like to think otherwise.  But contrary to your common opinion, the whole world doesn't revolve around you!  Now just go.  Or I will be forced to call the cops."

Eddy took one last look at Maya and gave her a pleading glance, but Maya just looked at the ground and Eddy walked away.  Nancy walked over and gave Maya a hug.

"You knew.  About Eddy and me."

"Of course I knew dear.  I don't approve but I have always known.  Doesn't change the way I feel about you at all."

"I'm so sorry."

"Ach, don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about.   Hmmm, I never thought he would have had the nerve to show up here.  Guess I was wrong.  Oh well, no harm done."

Looking into Maya's face she saw the indecision in her eyes.

"I asked you to stay here because you needed a place to stay.  But I also thought getting away from Eddy would help to give you some perspective.  He is not the man you think he is Maya.  Chip off his mother's block he is.  His mother may have left him and he may hate her but he is a lot like her.  He doesn't love you Maya.  He never will.  He is just using you."

"I'm not sure I can believe that."

Nancy sighed.  "No I guess you aren't ready to see things clearly yet.  I just want you to be careful. I've known that boy his whole life.  Watch yourself with him.  That is all I ask."

Maya nodded her head.  "I will try."

Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 1.28 Christmas in Sunset Valley

Midnight Sun Challenge

Christmas in Sunset Valley

The one thing Maya had learnt about the wealthy lifestyle, was that it took a lot of clothing changes. One outfit for breakfast tea, then she changed into her painting clothes.  Another outfit for the afternoon to receive any guests and then formal wear for dinner.  She was surprised to find out that even for the cook's night off, formal wear was required even though all they ate was macaroni and cheese and sat at the island in the kitchen.

The house was all a bustle of energy and goings on for the celebration of Christmas.  Malcolm, the Landgraab's son was excited for Christmas morning and all his new toys.   Geoffrey was looking forward to some much needed time off with his family.  Nancy was very busy attending all the parties and galas, some of which she was involved in the planning.  Christmas Eve, the family attended the annual Christmas gala at City Hall for the whole town.  The event was packed and Maya, feeling uncomfortable in the crowd, feigned a headache and went back to the empty Landgraab home.

Standing by the Christmas tree in the formal living room, she felt out of sorts and more than a little sad.  This was her first Christmas ever without her family and she wondered how everyone was at home in China.  Which led her to thinking of Jin.  Her mother had many Christmas traditions that Maya had grown up with and she wondered what things Ian would be doing with their son.  Rubbing her temples she thought that perhaps she did have a headache after all.  She walked to the window and said goodnight to her family, wishing them all well, and turned in for an early night.

The next morning she had only just risen when she head a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in, " she replied.

"Merry Christmas."  Nancy came in and gave her a big hug.  "I have a present for you!"

"A present? For me?  But we agreed no gifts."

"Oh. It's not from me dear.  It came by messenger this morning.  Open it up!"

Maya opened the card attached to the gift and read

To My Dearest Wife,

Merry Christmas Maya

So you never forget

Love you always

Ian 

Maya gasped

"Oh, ah, I think I will open this later."

Nancy looked at her quizzically but turned to leave the room.  "All right then.  Breakfast is just about ready. See you in a few minutes."

When Nancy shut the door, Maya opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver heart locket, with purple gems and diamonds embedded in a line on the front.  She opened it up to find a picture of her son and tears began to roll down her face.  My beautiful boy!  I will wear it always! 

But wait!  How did Ian know where she was? 

Outside Maya's door, Nancy leaned her head quietly against the wood, listening to Maya opening her gift and softly crying.  Ian would be pleased to know that she had such a reaction to seeing both the card and Jin's picture.  It wasn't over!   Maya just hadn't figured it out yet.

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Thank you for these Creations at The Sims Resource

Jasmine Bridal Gown in red by Ekinege

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-clothing-female/title/jasmine-gown/id/1083075

Heart Pendant Necklace by tifaff7

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-accessories-necklaces/title/heart-pendant-necklace/id/1250599

Maya's Hair-Soldier by Anto Alesso
http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-hair-hairstyles-female/title/anto--soldier-%28hair%29/id/1208533

Nancy's Hair-198 by SkySims

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sets-hair/title/skysims-hair-198/id/1238453

Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 1.27 "Maya and The Tea Party"

Midnight Sun Challenge 

Maya and The Tea Party

Once Maya had completed the mural, which took six days, she decided it was time to really start exploring the rural areas outside of the town and she knew exactly where she wanted to go first. Walking up the steep hill, she was filled with excitement to see the beautiful secluded area where she had spent that afternoon with Eddy.

But once she reached the top of the hill she quickly realized that her dream property was no longer going to be hers.  She wasn't quite sure what the property was, all she knew was that her dream of a vacation home was no longer an option and she greatly felt the loss.  She spent some time on the edge of the water listening to the thunder of the waterfall on the rocks before heading home.

All the while wondering why Eddy hadn't followed through with his promise to buy the property.

It was almost time for afternoon tea and as it was Leisure Day she knew that everyone would be home to sit together for a meal, which was rare in this very busy family. Time to change my clothes, again, she thought a little sarcastically.  What a pain this all was!!  Especially since she hadn't brought that many clothes with her for the seventeen day trip.  At least not enough to support three to five clothing changes in a day.  Probably was time to do some shopping.


 

When she arrived back at the house, she found Nancy in the front yard inspecting the plants.  She decided to broach the subject of the mysterious property to her.

"Up by the waterfall?  Why yes.  That's a tea room.  Just opened up a month ago I believe.  It's quite the lovely place."

"I see," replied Maya.

"I just had the best idea!  We should plan an afternoon tea party at the Mill!  You could meet some more of the townsfolk.  How does Saturday sound?  Are you free that day?"

"I don't believe I have any prior commitments.  Yes that sounds lovely!"

"That's wonderful!" replied Nancy.  "I'm going to get on that right away after dinner.  Perhaps you will grow to love our town and decide to stay.  I'm so going to miss you when you go!"

"And I you Nancy."

True to her word Nancy put together a small get together of local residents to attend a tea party at the mill.  Maya was a little nervous because she had never attended such an event and didn't know the proper etiquette.  She did not want to embarrass Nancy or somehow let her down.  Nancy was the most prominent figure in the town and she didn't want her actions to tarnish Nancy's reputation.  When she conveyed those concerns to Nancy all she could say was,

"You'll do fine dear.  Just be your lovely charming self and everyone will love you!"

The party was set to begin at two so Nancy left early to make sure everything was properly in place. Which meant that Maya was going to have to enter the party alone.  She couldn't stop her hands from shaking at the thought.  She thought back to Eddy's words to her on occasions when she felt insecure about a situation.  "Think of it as fun"  But she didn't think that applied in this case.  It was a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon with little to no breeze next to the waterfall.  She imagined that it would have been like that most of the time, sheltered from the wind.  Most of the guests had arrived by the time she got there and she was mad at herself for not arriving earlier than she had.  She saw Nancy across the yard mingling with the new Meirs family who had just moved to town.  Nicole Meirs, the girls aunt had recently died and the nieces had been bequeathed the manor house. Lady Michele Meirs would now serve as head of the family and would have many of the same duties about the town as did Nancy.  Maya was already quite fond of the four sisters, Maria, Michele, Charlotte, Brenda Lee and hoped to form a lasting relationship with them all.

Maya decided to mingle with the guests at the gate and slowly make her way over to Nancy and the girls.  Everyone seemed to be quite gracious and genuine in their greetings and she was indeed enjoying herself immensely.  Her only hope was that she remembered everyone's name for the next time she spoke to them.  Joining a small group of guests off to the side of the front gate, Maya was met with a glare from a very severe looking woman and a man in a top hat.

"Good afternoon.  My name is Maya.  How do you do?"


The woman looked to the man, who appeared to be slightly stunned, lifted her nose and proceeded to push past Maya.

"Excuse me!" said Maya incredibly annoyed.

"You should excuse yourself, you harlot.  If I had known you were going to be here I wouldn't have come," said the woman.  The man agreed with a nod of his head.

                             "I don't understand.  I'm Miss Maya Wang.  You must have me confused with

                              someone else."

"Oh no.  There is no confusion here.  You're that girl that keeps ending up in the papers in all kinds of degrading situations.  I have no desire to have any connection to you."

At this point the crowd had begun to quietly murmur among themselves behind Maya's back. The more the woman talked, the louder her words had gotten, reaching Nancy on the other side of the yard.  She quickly made her way over to the two guests keeping an eye on Maya who had walked away in obvious distress.







"What is going on Vita?' Nancy asked.

"If I had known you were going to invite that girl to this tea, I never would have come.  I can't believe you of all people would be consorting with such a whore!"








Nancy was shocked at Vita's words like a slap in the face.  Maya a whore?  She worked hard to keep her temper in check as to not make a bigger scene than had already occurred.                                                                                
"I'm sorry you feel that way.  We obviously have differing opinions about that wonderful girl you are trying to malign."

"You have to understand," began the man.  "We have a reputation to uphold and we wouldn't want our good names to be tarnished by her past indiscretions.  I apologize for Vita's outburst.  Perhaps it would be best if we just left."

"Yes definitely.  Please enjoy the rest of your afternoon" said Nancy.  Enjoy it well because I will be over to give you a piece of my mind in private later!

Maya had left the party to stand on the bridge over the creek at the edge of the property.  She worked hard to hold back the tears that forcefully threatened to flow.

Did people actually see her that way?  At least there were no paparazzi around to catch that moment!  This whole thing was almost their fault anyway.  It was their pictures that portrayed a view of her she supposedly was.  But she wasn't that person.  She wasn't any different than anyone else.  She hadn't actually done anything wrong!  She turned to see Lady Brenda Lee coming up the bridge.

"All clear, they're gone.  I wouldn't worry about it," she said seeing the tears in Maya's eyes. "You wouldn't find one person in that group who actually likes Vita.  She is a horrid horrid person!"

"Thank you.  That's very kind of you" replied Maya.

"Come, have a pot of tea with me.  Cheer you right up and give you time to gather yourself.  Come."  Taking Maya by the arm, they walked back to The Old Mill and shared a pot of tea on the balcony.  Maya was grateful for this hand of friendship she had been offered.  As etiquette goes, the guests couldn't leave without speaking to the Meirs family in deference to their rank in society.  One by one the guests made their way to the table to greet her and say a few words.  Every guest had kind words for Maya which basically reinforced how the town really felt about Vita and her family.  Maya felt extremely better by the time the tea party was over and was very grateful to Lady Brenda Lee for having the insight to do that for her!

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The day after the unfortunate incident at the Old Mill, Nancy went to visit Ian to give him an update on how things were going.

"She's absolutely lovely Ian!  Everything you said she was.  We've become the best of friends!"

"I'm so glad.  How did the tea go?"

"Oh well.  It went fine.  Except there was a little incident with Vita Alto."

Nancy took the time to explain exactly what had happened, not leaving out a single detail.

"Oh that's great!  Just great!" said Ian throwing up his hands in disgust.

"It was handled Ian, and quite expertly thanks to the Meir sisters.  Everyone walked away with the impression of Maya as a beautiful, charming young lady.  No harm done."

"That's all well and good Nancy.  But it's not really the town that I am worried about.  It's how Maya sees herself.  That is the issue here."

Ian began to pace the floor.

"I don't want Maya to come home a broken woman.  She needs to come home a confident woman who loves her husband and has no doubts about where she wants to be or the life she wants to live.  Coming home has to be for the right reason and not because she has no where else to go."

"I see.   Well you are definitely right.  How do we go about accomplishing that?" Nancy asked.

"It all starts with a plan." Ian replied.  "We need to boost her confidence so much so that when she returns to university she won't need to cling on to anyone.  Especially Eddy.  Who do you know at the local paper?"

Nancy smiled a co-conspirator smile.  "Why?  What do you have in mind?"

Ian flipped open his phone and started dialing numbers.  It was all going to start with a little favor....


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CC Used in This Chapter

Afternoon Tea Floral Rose Dress
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=8455243

Heart Pendant Necklace by tifaff7

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-accessories-necklaces/title/heart-pendant-necklace/id/1250599

Maya's Hair by Anto- "Touch"
http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-hair-hairstyles-female/title/alesso--touch-hair/id/1214424

Lady Michele Meirs
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=8456537

Lady Maria Meirs
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=8456504

Lady Brenda Lee (created by pstll0)
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=8445231

Lady Charlotte Meirs (Started as a sim from Metens called Spencer)
http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sims-female-youngadult/title/spencer/id/1214770

Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 1.26 "Maya With The Landgraab Family"

#Midnight Sun Challenge

Maya With The Landgraab Family

When Maya arrived at the Landgraab mansion in Sunset Valley, she was in awe by the grandeur of the estate.  Their three bedroom home was five times the size of her home in China, which itself had not been a small house.  The mansion was huge!  The floors were marble, the bathrooms were exquisite and the furnishings were absolutely beautiful.  The property had a pond, a pool, and as it sat high on a cliff, a view of the ocean that on a clear day went on for miles.  She found herself drawn in by that view and a sense of peace settled over her washing away the stress from the past three months.

Nancy Landgraab was a lovely lady who seemed genuine in her affection for Maya.  She was very elegant in the way she carried herself and in her manner of speech, that made Maya wish to emulate her every move.  She asked her many questions about every aspect of Nancy's public life.  Nancy was very patient in her teachings and at times, a little amused at Maya's enthusiasm to learn.  She told Maya that deep down she felt they were kindred spirits and was blessed to have been given a chance to know her.  They became very close and Nancy made it her mission to introduce Maya into good society to help with her social standing.  She was always very gracious as to not mention Maya's public indiscretions, which unfortunately had been many since she had met Eddy.

Geoffrey Landgraab was also just as kind, although since he was a doctor, Maya didn't get to see him much at home.  He did however, come visit her in the hospital while she was painting, or he would bring her food for lunch.  He had a very quiet demeanour about him that Maya imagined made him a better doctor.  He told her that currently he was working on gene therapy and even though she had no idea what it was, he made it all sound so very interesting during their lunch time meals.  In the short time she had been with the Landgraabs, she felt like she had really become part of the family.

Maya had kept her word and called Chloe when she first arrived in Sunset Valley.  Chloe thanked her for calling and advised Maya to keep her phone turned off for a while.

"He's looking for you Maya.  He has no idea where you are and he is going out of his mind trying to find you.  I've received eight calls from him already. He keeps saying to tell you how sorry he is and how it is all just a big misunderstanding."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Chloe!"

"Don't be sorry! You didn't do anything wrong!  But I strongly suggest you keep your phone off while you are there and let him stew for a while.  He won't show up on their door step even if he does find out where you are.  So you are safe.  If I need you, I will call the house.  Have a good vacation!"

"You too.  Say hi to Scott for me!"

Maya knew how much Chloe had been looking forward to going home and spending the holidays with her family and her boyfriend Scott.  She felt terrible that Chloe had been put in the position of go between because of Eddy's indiscretion.

Maya worked hard at completing the mural in the children's wing at the hospital.  It was a tougher job than she thought and very physically taxing on her muscles.  She had planned on painting for eight hours a day with a goal of finishing the wall in four days.  But after that first day her shoulders were incredibly sore from having her arms up above her head, and her calves ached from standing on a step stool for hours.  So she changed her plan to painting four hours a day and to take the rest of the day relaxing and exploring the town.

She had started the routine of rising early and spending some time on the beach below the Landgraab house, just staring out at the water and watching the ripples of water roll up onto the beach.  The calm of the quiet morning was the perfect time to contemplate the direction her life had taken since she had left her country home in China.  Leaving her first husband had been the right thing to do, of that she had no doubt.  It wasn't that he was a bad man but it was that they literally had nothing in common.  He had been raised with the traditions of the Chinese people solidly ingrained into his morals and ideals.  She couldn't relate to that as she thought most to be degrading to a woman's intelligence and their dignity.  It was like living with an acquaintance.  She had tried to find love for her husband, but there just was no spark and a great deal of that had to do with those ideals that he had been taught.  He was so closed off that he barely spoke to her other than to direct her in the running of his home.  So she had gone about her day fulfilling her duty as his wife by cleaning his home, washing his clothes and preparing his meals.  At night in the bedroom, she had learnt to lie still while he had performed his husbandry rights.  Maya had wondered at the time, if he had taken more time to consider her needs in the bedroom, if perhaps she would be able to find the beginning of the love a woman should have for her husband.  When she had approached the subject with him he looked at her like she was a whore for asking.  Lying with him made her feel dirty inside and out and she had learnt to lie as still as she possibly could while he laid on top of her grunting and pushing till he was done.  His desire to have a son to carry on his family name, had made the episodes become a nightly ritual.  The more she opened for him, the sicker she became inside.  She lived in fear that the herbs she had been taking wouldn't work and he would either get his son to raise in his image or a daughter that he didn't want.  She knew what happened to girl babies born to men like him.  She couldn't stay with him, feeling the way she did.

When she first met Ian that day at her front gate, it was desperation that made her do what she did. In China, sleeping with another man automatically made a marriage null and void.  No man would want a wife that had been soiled by another man.  Sleeping with Ian was the safer choice for Maya at the time.  If she had followed through with her plan to sleep with a local boy, she may have put her life in danger from her husband.  Traditional values ran deep within him, but she wasn't sure if that also meant he was capable of murder or having her killed.  If she was going to take this risk, it had to be with someone who could get her out of China and Ian fit that bill.

You didn't have to spend much time with Ian to see the truly good soul that he was. He was kind, generous and loving, qualities that you could see just from one look into his beautiful brown eyes. She believed that he must have been very well loved as a child and raised by two parents who spent a lot of time with him teaching him values to be proud of.  She knew his parents must have been greatly in love.  Her son will do well being raised by him.  Perhaps Ian will find a new wife and begin again.  Someone who would be a good mother to her child.  The thought of it made her ill to her stomach and she chastised herself for being so selfish.  Ian deserved a good and happy life.  If it wasn't going to be with her, then it was selfish of her to want him to be alone the rest of his life. Then why did the thought of it turn her stomach into knots?

A great deal of her alone time was spent thinking about Eddy and the path her life had taken since she met him.  As a child dreaming about celebrity life, she never thought about the ins and outs, or the maze of right and wrongs one has to navigate when being a celebrity of  her status.  Winning the lottery and meeting Eddy had thrust her into a lifestyle that she was no where near ready to experience after coming from a small village in China.  She had thought that she would come to university to study the arts, improve her skills and meet some influential people that could help further her career.  She had to say in all honesty that the Landgraabs were the first people who qualified in that respect.  But instead, her life had been filled with scandal after scandal, which was not the reputation she was hoping to create for herself.  How naive am I?  she thought.  She had taken one look at Eddy and saw stars. Before she arrived at university, she couldn't wait to explore what the male population had to offer her in the bedroom, and she realised how idiotic that notion really was. She was not the bed hopping kind of girl so why was she trying hard to be something that she clearly was not?  But she knew why.  Her thoughts had been so clearly focused on her miserable life in China that she fantasized how great the other side of the fence would be.  Living like a westerner, fast and loose.  But she was starting to understand, that wasn't her.  She wanted to be successful in her field and well respected for herself as a person and her work.  She wanted to be loved and be secure in that love. She wanted to be cherished.
"Why can't I have it all?" she posed to the clouds.  But sadly, no reply came back to her.

On her third day of creating the mural for the children's ward, Maya's back was a mess of strained muscles and painful knots.  Feeling like she could use a little exercise, she decided to check out the local gym and then perhaps a relaxing massage at the spa.  The workout area was very busy and she had to wait for half an hour in the mezzanine before a machine became available. She spent that time talking to some of the local residents asking them questions about the town.  Everyone was quite friendly and seemed to be very proud of all their town had accomplished.  She appreciated that no one made a fuss about who she was, and she wasn't sure if that was because they didn't know or they just didn't care.  It was a relief to be out in public without a gaggle of paparazzi following her every move.  Finally a weight machine opened up and she had just started into her first set of reps when she heard a group of men talking below the mezzanine at the front door of the gym.  She strained to hear what they were saying.  There....just there....that sounded like.....  But it couldn't be.  She rose from the machine and walked to the railing overlooking the foyer and the front door.

But she had missed the men as they left.  Her mind must be playing tricks on her, because she could have swore she heard Ian's voice in that group of men.  But that wasn't possible.  Ian would be back on Midnight Sun Isle, happily living there alone with her son.  She gave her head a shake and went back to the weight machine.  Counting off reps she mentally pictured her husbands face and imagine what could be happening on the island at that very moment.

*********************************************************************************
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Ian became increasingly unsettled in the thought of not spending Christmas with Maya.  He had faith in his plan but felt perhaps he should be doing more. He had already arranged for Maya to stay with the Landgraab family in Sunset Valley while she was there to paint her mural.  Ian and Nancy had become close friends since he had painted a family portrait for them.  She of course had been referred to Ian by Olivier Harbucks in Roaring Heights.  They spent a great deal of time talking about family during their meetings and it was then he heard about Eddy's family history.  Taking a leap of faith, he confessed to Nancy all his woes about Maya. Together they concocted a plan for Nancy to help Ian while Maya would be in Sunset Valley.  She was very excited about helping Ian win back his wife!  She told Ian that it was very obvious how much he loved and need Maya in his life.  Love like that should never be let go, she had said.  By the time Maya arrived in the Valley, Nancy felt like she had known her for weeks.

Nancy had helped Ian find a place to stay in the Valley on the other side of town.  The house belonged to a famous artist who had taken her infant son home to France for the Christmas holidays.

She was more than happy to help out a friend of Nancy's.  The house was a little more feminine than Ian would have liked and was full of bright colours. 

 But at this moment he just didn't care, for he was in the same town as Maya and would be for the full seventeen days. Plus it was set up for a toddler and already had a nursery for Jin, which was his biggest worry in finding a place to stay. 

It was time to get to work, putting all the pieces into place.  But he had to do it without being seen by Maya.  She couldn't know he was here until she was ready to see him. Even though there was a rift between her and Eddy, Maya was still no where near ready to come home.

Ian's Rental House  (fully clean and checked for any corruption)
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=8321124

*snail, frog and ladybug pics by marcorse
  http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3/id/1198887


*black and white painting of female by aloleng
  http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-objects-furnishing-
  decor-paintingsposters/title/black-and-white-collection-v2.1/id/930720

*white sculpture painting by Devirose
  http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-objects-furnishing-
  decor-paintingsposters/title/high-relief-what-women-think/id/1139421


*master bedroom carpets by PralineSims