Ramblings of a Sim Addict

The Westmore Family

“Welcome home, brother,” Hunter said snidely, as he continued to munch on a bag of chips.

“Hunter, what in the world are you doing here,” Slone asked incredulously, as he heaved his heavy suitcase into the living room.

“I have come to secure my half of the inheritance,” Hunter said breezily.

“How many times do I have to tell you, there is no “inheritance”?!?! This house is all mom and dad had,” Slone said bitterly.

“Will you two stop fighting for five minutes, so we can finish moving our stuff inside,” Ashleigh said haughtily.

“Hunter, get off you butt and help my wife with her bags,” Slone shouted.

“Why should I?”

“I’ll tell you why,” Ashleigh screeched, “because I’m pregnant! Now get over here and take this suitcase into our bedroom.”

Slone plopped down on the sofa a few hours later and sighed heavily. He could all ready tell that moving his family to Hangman’s Gulch was nothing but a huge mistake. His son, Justice, had been sulking around the house since they arrived and was refusing to unpack his belongings. Ashleigh, his beautiful wife, was resting quietly in their new bedroom, but had made it perfectly clear how much she despised her new surroundings. Lastly, Slone’s younger brother Hunter was pouting in the bedroom that he now had to share with Justice. None of the Westmores were happy about the situation that had befallen them, but Slone had the most pressure. He had to quickly find a new job, so he could support his greedy brother, wife, son and unborn child. Unfortunately, Hangman’s Gulch was far from a thriving metropolis and Slone feared he would have an extremely difficult time trying to find work. For the moment, though, Slone decided to push his worries out of his mind and get some rest.


Slone awoke the next morning to the sound of clanking dishes. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and slowly made his way into the kitchen. He stood in the hallway for a few moments and surveyed the scene before him, his brother, Hunter was stretched out on couch, flipping through the TV channels, Ashleigh was practicing yoga in the middle of the living room floor and Justice was slamming cupboard doors in the kitchen.

“Are you ready for your first day of school,” Slone asked Justice, as he grabbed a toaster pastry from the counter.

“No,” Justice said shortly, while he banged another door closed.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll love Hangman High,” Slone said, trying to comfort his son.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure I will,” Justice replied sarcastically.

“Justice the bus is here,” Ashleigh said.

“Have a good day.”

“Whatever,” Justice mumbled, as he walked out the door.

Slone finished eating his breakfast, kissed his wife on his way to the front door and walked out to the yard to fetch his paper. He began flipping through the pages, until he came to the classifieds section. There were very few employment opportunities and none that he was qualified for. Slone angrily threw the paper into the trash can and stomped into the bathroom; if the paper won’t help me find a job, he thought, then I’ll just have to go into town and find my own.

Slone hated to leave his wife alone in a new house (and with his brother), but he had no choice; he had to find work. Ashleigh understood his plight and wished him luck with his quest to find new employment. She was sad to see him leave and even sadder when she realized she would have to spend the entire day alone with Hunter. She decided her best option was locking herself in her bedroom and studying, so she could find a job after the baby was born. It took Hunter until mid afternoon to realize he was all alone in the living room. He didn’t know where his brother or his brother’s family had run off to, but he didn’t really care. Hunter was slowly heading to the kitchen; when the doorbell rang. Since he was the only one that appeared to hear the sound, he went to the door to see who was there. He was pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful woman standing on the porch.

“Hello sir, my name is Brandi and I am collecting money for the save the llama’s foundation. Would you like to make a donation?”

“I would love to,” Hunter said dreamily.

“Oh that is great,” Brandi said with a huge smile on her face.

“You have a lovely smile,” Hunter said, as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

“Thank you,” Brandi replied, as a deep crimson began to color her cheeks.

“Here is 20 simoleons, I’m afraid that’s all I have on hand.”

“Oh that is more than enough,” Brand said, as she reached for the money. “Thank you for your contribution.”

“Umm…Brandi, would you like to come in for a glass of lemonade,” Hunter asked hopefully. He had never been good with women, but something about Brandi put him instantly at ease.

“I would love to, but I really am quite busy this afternoon,” Brandi said. “Maybe I can have a rain check?”

“Of course, anytime you want to get together, just stop by.”

“Great! Have a terrific afternoon.”

Hunter watched Brandi saunter down the street, but quickly slammed the door shut when he saw the yellow school bus coming up the block. He didn’t want to face his nephew or sister-in-law, so he rushed into his bedroom and locked himself inside; there he could dream about the lovely Brandi with no interruptions.


That night at dinner, everyone was silently munching on their food; no one felt like talking about his or her day. Justice hated his new school and quickly excused himself from the dinner table, so he could finish his homework alone in his room. Hunter retired silently to the living room, so he could watch some TV and dream more about his future. Ashleigh was feeling quite ill and spent most of the night running between the bathroom and her bedroom. Slone sat at the kitchen table and starred at his empty plate for hours, as thought over the events of his day. There were few job opportunities available in town and he found he wasn’t qualified for positions that were free. He became quite depressed and desperate, when a strange, little man approached him. The gentleman struck up a conversation with Slone and quickly brought up the topic of employment.

Slone hung his head in embarrassment, as he explained that he didn’t have a job. The odd man laughed and asked him if he would like to come to work for him. Slone was shocked by the man’s offer, but figured there was a catch; he was right. The little man was part of the largest crime syndicate in Hangman’s Gulch and he wanted Slone to become their newest employee. Immediately, Slone opened his mouth and started to turn down the job offer, but quickly stopped. There were no other jobs available and he desperately needed the money, so he accepted the man’s offer; Slone was now working for the Llama Queen and her gang.

He didn’t know how he would explain his new career to his family, so he lied. He told Ashleigh he was able to find a position as a sales clerk at a grocery store in the city. Ashleigh congratulated him, but quickly excused herself to the bathroom. Slone was happy that she wasn’t able to talk; he wasn’t sure how long he could keep up the lie, but at least he had a job. His family would be provided for and that was all that mattered.