Gen 9 Ch 3: Bouillabaisse

Amy could spend entire days on the couch without moving, which Icarus understood only too well. She’d just had a baby and needed rest after all. Instead of gaming, however, her entertainment of choice was the shopping channel, which bored him to tears.

But as days went by and Amy still continued watching TV while the horses were largely left to their own devices, Icarus started to wonder. Was Amy unhappy with her career choices? He was just about to suggest, once again, that they could comfortably live off the family fortune when Amy spoke up.

„Let‘s have another baby,“ Amy said, as if in response to Icarus‘ thoughts.

Icarus was only too happy to comply.

And so the Cardwell family gained another member. On a stormy summer night they welcomed Jodie into the world.

Pregnancy, birth and caring for small children were no cakewalk. Icarus hadn‘t been able to help with the first two, so he strived to give it his all with the latter. He loved spending time with Julius and Jodie, but to make things easier on Amy, Icarus also took over the majority of the horse care while she rested.  

Mucking out stables was not something he‘d ever signed up for, but he had always been a team player.

Eventually, Amy did get back in the proverbial saddle—and the actual one, too.

Contrary to what those derbies on TV had led her to believe, when Amy competed, there were very few princesses and queens in the audience. Even more disappointing, there were no elaborate hats and summer dresses; instead it was all cowboy hats and denim, like the rest of Appaloosa Plains.

Childish dreams aside, equestrianism was a lot of work. Amy‘s once silky-smooth hands had grown calloused from wielding a pitchfork and, embarrassingly, her behind was constantly sore. She shifted to let hot water reach one particularly uncomfortable spot.

There never seemed to be an end to the work. Even now, sitting in the tub after an exhausting workday, Amy could think of dozens of tasks that still needed doing. The worst part of it was that Amy had very little to show for all the work she’d put in. Icarus had praised her endlessly for her one measly bronze trophy, but she knew that in the end only winners were remembered. Her dreary thought was punctuated by a neigh from outside the window. She still needed to stable both horses for the night.

Amy let out a sigh and sank deeper into the warm water, submerging completely for a few moments of blissful silence.

*

Always needing to outdo her cousin, Lena had just had her fourth child. Now that her maternity leave had ended, Lena was back at work at Crestview Elementary and not at all happy about it. The two cousins spent a rare afternoon off shopping at Appaloosa Plains‘ best—and only—fashion boutique.

„Here I am with all my qualifications and they‘re treating me like a glorified babysitter,“ Lena complained. „One would think that as a mother of four I‘d be used to it, but it‘s such a pain. Anyway, how about you? How‘s the whole horse training…thing…treating you? Is it everything you were hoping for?“

Amy paused to think for a moment. How to describe how she felt? The never-ending chores, the  constant pressure to perform, the layers upon layers of bruises…

„There‘s a lot more poop than I anticipated,“ she said finally.

„So, pretty much like being a teacher then.“ Lena sighed. „Except you get to wear tight pants and knee-high boots. Crestview’s staff dress code is the worst. They’re making me dress like some librarian, and not the sexy kind.“ 

 

Amy tilted her head and looked Lena up and down. She had noted that Lena‘s outfit was quite matronly, but it wasn‘t hopeless. „We can work with this.“

The boutique’s dedicated stylist glowered at the customers taking over her workstation, but Amy barely even noticed. She hadn‘t had this much fun since she was a teenager giving her friends makeovers. She spent the rest of the afternoon putting together several outfits for her cousin.

Over the course of the afternoon, she‘d put together an entirely new wardrobe for Lena, who was more than impressed. Even the stylist stopped frowning for a moment to give an appreciative nod.

„You know,“ Lena said, still admiring herself in the mirror, „You‘re pretty good at this. It‘s a shame you‘re not doing anything with it.“

Amy blinked at the rare compliment from her cousin.

*

Lena‘s words were still on Amy‘s mind when their two families met up at the beach a few days later. Was there really a place for fashion in the life they had built? Amy always made sure that her little family was impeccably dressed—picking out cute clothes was one of her favorite perks of having little children. Even Icarus never complained when she told him what to wear, though he showed about as much regard for the clothing as the two toddlers. She looked over at him, where he sat on the ground with the children, elbow-deep in the sand. 

Icarus loved weekends, when everyone could let loose and relax after the work week. Not that his job at the bistro was particularly stressful. The hours were more than flexible—Icarus still wasn‘t sure his boss even knew who he was. But flying under the radar suited him just fine.

It meant more time for what was important to him. He caught Amy‘s gaze and waved at her, smiling wide. He was so lucky, he reflected. Spending the day with his adorable kids, his beautiful wife and their best friends. What could be better?

But Amy didn‘t return his smile. In fact, she seemed to be looking through him, her thoughts a thousand miles away.

***

Icarus was determined to cheer Amy up.

„Thank you,“ Amy said as Icarus placed a bowl in front of her. She gave the contents a cautious sniff. „Did you bring leftovers from the bistro again?“

„Nope.“ Icarus grinned. „I made this especially for you. Want to know what it is?“

The reddish broth had a distinct fishy smell. Amy wrinkled her nose „Uhm… Some kind of fish…soup?“

„Bouillabaisse.“

„Oh. That’s nice.“

„Guess why!“

„Uhm…“ Amy furrowed her brows. Icarus had some talent as a cook. At first she had thought it would help him rise through the ranks at the bistro, but his culinary ambitions seemed confined to their kitchen at home. She gave Icarus a questioning look.

„It‘s French,“ he prompted.

„Okay?

Icarus had planned this a little differently, but if online gaming had taught him anything, it was to be adaptable. Time to move on to phase two. He reached for the bouquet he had prepared.

Amy immediately noticed the slips of paper sticking out amidst the red roses. As her eyes glanced across the printed text, she could barely contain her excitement. „Icarus! Those are tickets to—„

Icarus beamed. „I know you always wanted to go.“

*

Parisim was everything Amy had imagined and more. She darted from one shop window to another while her family trailed patiently behind her.

They frequented chic boutiques, they sampled delicious pastries — and through it all, the picturesque wrought-iron landmark towered over them. At night the sparkling of its lights was practically mesmerizing, lending the city a distinct magical quality.

The family vacation ended much too quickly for Amy‘s liking. After just one week of shopping with some sightseeing thrown in, they were back at the hotel and packing their bags—plus an extra suitcase to accommodate all of Amy‘s new clothes.

She couldn‘t wait to show off her new wardrobe back home, but somehow wearing them in Appaloosa Plains lacked that certain je-ne-sais-quoi.

___________

Parisim. I agonized for so long about a name, then settled for the silliest one. Sorry. (It feels so weird to me writing about France/China/Eqypt in a universe where America is SimNation. République Simaise or République Françaisim are the best I could come up with for France, and those names objectively suck. Yes, I am overthinking this.)

Challenge-wise, I rolled Idle Careers for this generation. It’s easy enough to do with Icarus‘ boring rabbithole job—his current, and likely permanent, position is vegetable slicer. I did make the mistake of getting him the professional slacker LTR, so he edges closer to a promotion as long as he shows up to work. To make up for it he stays home a lot.

It’s more difficult with the equestrian career, mainly because I just really want to play and experience it! I’m compromising by not stopping Amy when she autonomously decides to watch the shopping channel for hours on end.