Chapter THREE: Visions of Perfection

How the two characters destined for love first meet...

The sound boomed all around her like an echo deep inside a seashell.  She felt a tingle of sorts begin from the center of her head, slowly traveling through every limb in her body.  She tried to run, but something held her there. 

The more she tried to move her legs, the more her heart raced.  Why was she here? WHERE was she?  One moment she was headed to her computer, and the next she was in this… this… strange room pushing buttons on a machine that she had never seen before.

The harder she tried to keep her fingers from landing on the buttons, the faster and more steadily she pressed on.  It was as if her mind was there, but her body was being controlled by an unknown force.

Just as she began to feel as if she couldn’t go on…

… She awoke in a pool of sweat.

“Wow, that was the dream of all dreams!”  Jeanine announced to a room full of fur babies

It wasn’t often that she had a dream remarkable enough to remember.

With a sharp breath, Jeanine sat on the edge of her cot feeling not so awake.  She could have easily laid back down and dozed off for a few more hours. 

 

Waking up somehow wasn’t quite as pleasurable as it used to be when she was a child.  Thinking back on it, she remembered just how much she loathed sleep. She especially dreaded it when she used to be expected to take a nap every day around noon.  At that age, there just wasn’t enough hours in the day to live in her own fantasy world.

Now she welcomed the calm of night like a thickened curtain of blackness falling over the earth in its protective hold.

 

“Winchester, Tuffy,” Jeanine called out as she zipped her sleeping bag and fluffed her pillow

“Come on Casper… Harmony.” 

When her cot was made up to her own approval, she filled her fur baby’s bowls with food and headed back inside for a quick shower.

She decided on a lukewarm shower in hopes of washing away the groggy feeling that had a hold of her. 

Stepping into the shower, her toes flinched as they moved along the icy tile floor.  Shivering, Jeanine’s body was now completely exposed to the tepid water cascading around her every curve.  It wasn’t long before she grew accustomed to the temperature. 

 

Soon her body was completely lathered in the silkiness of her lily scented shower gel. 

 

“Where should I go today?”  She thought out loud

“Hmmm…”

 

She had already made her mind up that she would check out the Jade Eclipse later at night, but she really didn’t want to spend the first part of the day at home.  She had spent most her days at home unpacking, arranging and rearranging since her move.  Now her energy level was telling her she’d go stir crazy if she didn’t find something to do away from the house sooner rather than later.

“Maybe I’ll walk Winchester to the dog park on the other side of town.”   She said as if waiting for someone in the mirror to respond.

 

Not too long ago, one of her neighbors stopped her as she was walking Winchester.  Jeanine was used to complete strangers coming up to her to pet her fur baby.  It made sense, because not only was she a gorgeous dog, she was also very sweet. 

 

Miss Sloan lived down the street.  She was an elder Sim and had two dogs of her own.  As she kneeled down to pet between Winchester’s ears, she asked Jeanine if she had ever been to the Wesley Park on the corner of Walnut and Johnson. 

“No, I haven’t.”  Jeanine had replied

“Oh, you must take your baby girl there.”  She said

Jeanine could hear the excitement in her voice as she continued.

“It doesn’t compare in size to the itty bitty one around the corner.  It’s even equipped with bathrooms… Sim’s bathrooms at that!”  She’d chuckled as she went on

“Did I mention the fact that it has a doggie playground?”  Jeanine had barely shaken her head before Miss Sloan continued

“Well that’s what I call it, but it’s an old obstacle course which was donated by the local Agility League.”

At that moment, Jeanine made a decision to walk the extra couple miles to the Wesley Park to check it out.  As she finished brushing her teeth, she felt her stomach begin to growl.

“Now that’s what I’m talking’ about!”  Jeanine threw a compliment toward the mirror

“I really need to recolor my hair though.”

After a little bit of primping, Jeanine felt secure enough to go ahead with breakfast.  She was always worried about her weight, so today she would start it with something natural and healthy.

When Jeanine made it to the kitchen, she busied herself slicing different types of fruit.  Her favorite fruit was watermelon.  She never could seem to get enough of it. 

 

By the time she was finished cutting, her stomach began to growl even louder.  She quickly stirred her salad so she could start eating, but almost ended up wearing every bit of it in the process.

Jeanine quickly changed out of her now drenched robe, into her gardening overalls.  She planned to do a bit of gardening after breakfast. 

“Mmm…” she loved the natural sweet smell of fruit.  Soon she was gulping her fruit salad down like it was going out of style.   She packed it in heavy, ingesting the fruit that had taken half an hour to cut and prepare in just a matter of minutes.

As she finished up the last of her breakfast, her eyes became fixed on one of the cracks in her wall. It had a peculiar pattern to it.

“I wonder how those cracks got there.”  She muttered to herself

“I don’t think they have earthquakes here… hmm…”

After finishing her breakfast, Jeanine began to clean up.  While she wiped the counter down, her thoughts got the better of her.  She was eager to start her career in the veterinary field, but at the same time, she was nervous about being in a new city and all.

She really liked her new boss and felt everything else would fall into place.  It was mostly the thought of meeting new people that made her stomach turn.

After the last dish was washed, Jeanine decided to make a pot of Chamomile tea to help calm her now wired nerves.

“Today is for fun”, Jeanine reminded herself,

“I will not let ANY thought get in my way!”

Jeanine made her way down the steps to the backyard.  She usually started her mornings just sitting outside taking in all the fresh air and beauty Talabu Bay had to offer.

Jeanine sipped her tea until it felt like the perfect time to tend the garden. 

 

She really enjoyed nurturing her plants.  It was something she had fond memories of with her late grandmamma.  As a young child, she spent her summers with her before she passed on.  There wasn’t a morning the two of them wouldn’t devote to her garden.  Jeanine usually brought what felt like a ton of fruit and veggies home after her summers were over.

“Ugh, I REALLY wish I had an oven and stove,”  Jeanine muttered as she began tugging at a stubborn weed.  Eventually, she would save enough simoleons to rent a better place.  She had so many ideas for dishes to try out once she was able to make better use of a kitchen.

                                                                ***

William was in the middle of a rather odd dream about a strange contraption used to make muffins, donuts and other pastries by the click of a button; when his alarm went off.  It was 7 in the morning and he couldn’t wait to get his day started.

Today he would start out with a shower, rather than waiting until bedtime.  He knew he would be doing some extra sweating since he decided to take Treble to Wesley Park instead of the park down the street. 

The last time he took Treble there, they had a run-in with a stray dog who seemed to think he owned the park.  Fortunately, William bought some Protector Dog Spray not long after the incident.

Instead of having his normal cereal for breakfast, William decided to put on his chef’s hat and create bacon and eggs gourmet.  He needed more protein for fuel in preparation for the extra-long walk.

 

“Trisha,”  William shouted

“Yeah, Bud?”  She replied

“How do you want your eggs this morning?”

“Cooked… for sure cooked!”  Trisha laughed

William rolled his eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

“Scrambled Willy, boy.” She giggled

William couldn’t wait until Monday.  He would take over as the manager for his father’s bakery.  He thought about all the possible new flavors of muffins and pastries he would create.  Eventually, he wanted to harvest his own fruits.  He would much rather use home-grown fruit in his recipes.

“Willy,” Trisha started “You have truly outdone yourself this time. This is scrumptious!”

William tried to fit in a thank you between her ‘mmm’s, ooohs and ahhhs.’

“So, what do you have planned for today bud?”  Trisha asked between bites

“Oh, I thought I’d take Treble to the park downtown.”  William answered

Trisha looked puzzled, “I thought you didn’t like that park.  Isn’t it over-taken by strays?”

“No Trish.”  William laughed

“I only had an issue once, plus I’m prepared with protection just in case.”

“And do you have anything special planned today?”  William questioned, as he finished the last of his bacon

“Ya, well…” Trisha started

“I’m probably just going to relax by the pool most the day.  I might go out later for drinks with the girls though.”

“That sounds grand.”  William was happy his best friend was doing something fun.  She worked so many hours that she rarely had time for herself.

“Well heck,” He continued

“I think I’ll have a quick swim before I run off with Treble.”

With that, he was up heading toward the pool.

He got in a few laps before he was interrupted by his phone. 

 

“William here.”  He answered

“William?” Came a familiar voice

“Yes?  May I ask who is calling?”

“Well, I’ll be!  I have been trying to track you down since you left.”  The Sim sounded excited

“It’s me, Professor Winghurste”

“Oh yes!”  William said with a smile

“It’s been how long?  Two weeks?”

“Just about.”  Came the professor’s reply

“I would really like to sit down and talk to you soon.  I have a very important proposition.  I’m going to be driving your way next week, how does Thursday sound?”

“Oh, Thursday would be awesome.”  William tried to hold back the excitement

After making the arrangements and saying their goodbyes, William ran inside to change out of his shorts.

                                                                     ***

 

After everything in her garden was to her satisfaction, Jeanine gathered her supplies and produce heading indoors. She almost wished she’d waited to take her shower after working on her garden. She quickly changed out of her soiled clothes into something more appealing.

“Come on Winchester,” She whistled

“Let’s get this day on the road!”

Leash in the mouth, Winchester came running to meet up with Jeanine.  It wasn’t long before they were on their way.

If you ever saw Winchester when it came to their walks, you would see just how much she looked forward to them by the pep in her steps.  She always seemed so happy as she walked proudly beside her master. 

 

The walk was much longer than Jeanine had expected.  Soon as they reached the canal, she decided to take a break.

Winchester was in obvious need of water as her pants became more pronounced.  Jeanine reached into her bag pulling out her collapsible water bowl and bottle of water.  It wasn’t long until Winchester was eagerly lapping up the last drop.

Jeanine sat on the concrete next to Winchester.  The two shared a peanut butter granola bar.  They were almost picture perfect sitting side by side.

After a twenty-minute rest, Jeanine and Winchester headed off again.  Soon their walk turned into a jog.  Jeanine wanted to make it to the park before it was too hot outside. 

No sooner had Jeanine started to jog, did Winchester stop dead in her tracks.  When she had to go, she really had to go.  Jeanine was glad she brought the poop bags with her.  She knew with the distance they’d be traveling, Winchester would have to do a dookie at least once!  It was almost comical the ‘dance’ she would do I preparation.

“Come on Winchester,” Jeanine coaxed

“Let’s get going”

Now that Winchester had done her business, it was time to get on their way again.  They only had about another mile and a half to go.

                                                                    ***

Meanwhile… on the other side of town, William and Treble were just about ready to depart in the same direction.  William lived closer to the park than Jeanine.  He only had a couple miles to travel.  Treble, on the other hand, wasn’t as fit as Winchester therefore, William went at a slower pace than Jeanine.

“Treble,” William pleaded with him

“Come on big boy, let’s go!”

Treble wasn’t showing much interest in walking this morning, but with a bit of persuading, he finally gave in.

They made it for about a half a mile before Treble decided he wasn’t walking any further. Treble was a horrible aim when it came to going potty.  You would have thought after many years of practice, he’d have it down to a T.  William was a bit embarrassed over his now urine drenched pants leg.

When William realized there were a few Sims heading toward them.  He decided to pick up the pace to a jog in hopes that none of them would stop to pet Treble.

Treble, however, had other plans.  He chose this moment to have a weak bladder again… RIGHT in front of a Sim walking past them.  William again felt humiliated due to Treble’s untimely behavior. Luckily, other than a quiet chuckle and wave, The Sim wasn’t fazed.

After Treble finished his business for the second time, their walk commenced.

Not five minutes later, Treble stopped a THIRD time.  That’s when William decided no more water for Treble until they arrived at the park!

After arriving, William was surprised to find how empty and quiet it was there.  It almost felt as if they were in a ghost town.  Something made William look up at the sky, realizing he didn’t check the weather report last night.  He felt a drop hit his forehead as the dark clouds slowly hovered above him. 

 

Just when he was sure they were alone, he saw another Sim.  She had just come through the gate on the other side.  She looked as if she wasn’t from these parts.   Funny, because he thought he knew most Sims living on this side of Talabu Bay.   Maybe she was here for the Talabu Bay Festival starting next week.  They had one twice a year, bringing in a handful of tourists.

                                                            ***

 

Jeanine was happy they had finally arrived at the park.  She really had to pee.  As she looked around for a restroom, she noticed another Sim, accompanied by his dog.

Jeanine saw a blue brick building to the right of her.  She took off as fast as she could, as now she really REALLY had to pee!  Winchester didn’t seem to mind.  She loved running beside her master.

 

Jeanine was a bit disappointed that they weren’t alone.  She really wanted to give Winchester free roam.  Soon as Jeanine walked out of the restroom, Winchester began to tug at the leash.  That was an automatic ‘I need to potty’ signal for Jeanine.

Jeanine walked Winchester to a spot away from the other Sim and his dog.  But, the other Sim had another idea… they literally arrived nearly at the same location at the same moment as them. There were maybe 10 feet of dirt and dry grass separating the two parties.

 

While Treble did his sniffing around, William began to look Jeanine’s way.  He watched as she followed Winchester to her chosen spot to leave her ‘gift’ to nature. 

William’s heart began to race as his eyes wandered about Jeanine’s features.  Soon as the sun began to peak through the gloomy clouds, Jeanine’s hair appeared to change along with it.  What was pale blond in color, quickly began to shimmer like the gold at the end of a rainbow. The sun rays seemed to shine straight through the silkiness of her essence, bringing out a magical lure that beckoned for William’s continued presence.

Jeanine was beginning to feel self-conscious. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him staring in their direction. She was too nervous to look toward him just in case he was staring directly at them.  She didn’t know whether she should leave or stay.  All she could do at the moment was pretend she was pre-occupied with her dog.  Sadly her paying attention to Winchester taking a huge dump somehow made her feel even more awkward!

She was beyond happy when Winchester was finished.  Sometimes while on their walks, Jeanine thought Winchester would purposely choose the most embarrassing opportunity to go.

As Jeanine headed toward the empty picnic table just a few feet away, she glanced toward William.  He swiftly looked away, trying to appear as if all his attention had been on Treble.  Almost too quickly, he kneeled down and began talking doggie talk to him.  Treble stood there with the strangest expression on his face.  William was not so great at hiding his obvious interest at hand.

Jeanine certainly wasn’t misguided, she saw just how quickly he turned his glance away from her.  She was amused at the way he dealt with almost being caught.  She was convinced at this point that he was interested in her.  She didn’t want to seem too confident, therefore continuing to behave as if she was unaware of his attention.  Something about his boyish shyness really caught her eye. 

 

William was becoming nervous from the silence. Here they were, two perfectly good strangers standing only feet apart.  Suddenly without warning, Treble pulled William with his leash.  It was as if Treble was trying to get him to confront her.  It would soon be reviled why he pulled toward her, for Treble was about to ‘baptize’ the area between them with his urine.  This time it wasn’t a weak bladder… no, it was obvious both dogs were slowly but surely inching their way toward the other.

Jeanine couldn’t help but let out a giggle.  Seeing Treble lift his leg how he did was comical in every way imaginable!  Upon hearing her giggles, William busted up laughing.  Almost instantly both William and Jeanine felt more at ease.  It almost seemed as if they were no longer strangers.

William took his chances and sat across from Jeanine at the picnic table.  There must have been something in the air that morning, or maybe it was William’s after-shave.  As the breeze carried the scent, Jeanine could smell its soft musky aroma.  It almost made her head spin.

“So,” William cleared his throat as he tried to think of words to start a conversation

“Are you here for the Talabu Bay Festival?”

“No, I just moved here a couple weeks ago.”  Jeanine smiled as she answered

“I’m not sure if I’ve heard of the Talabu Bay Festival.  What is it?”

William felt relieved that she added to the conversation.  He wasn’t prepared for what to say next, had she not.

“Well,” William replied “It’s nothing big.  It’s just some of the locals started a horticultural Festival. The main reason for the festival is to have a contest to see who has the biggest and best produce.  There’s also a potluck and wine tasting most days of the festival.  Before the end of the festival, Sims will have a chance to vote on their favorite dish, as well as wine.  It’s located on the pier just a few blocks from here.  I try not to miss out on any of the festivals.  There’s nothing like free food and wine.”

Jeanine jumped up from her seat right after William spoke his last word.  He was worried he may have sounded too eager, but then realized her dog was the reason for her abrupt move.

“WINCHESTER!”  Jeanine yelled as she began to give chase

William followed not far behind.  He could see Winchester was chasing a lone squirrel. 

“Oh, my.”  William chuckled to himself

When Jeanine arrived back with Winchester, William couldn’t tell who was out of breath more, her or Winchester. 

“Wow,” Jeanine began as she tried to catch her breath, “That sounds like an interesting festival.”

“So I caught your dog’s name,” William changed the subject, “would it be too forward if I asked yours?”

Jeanine smiled.

“Yes, you may.”  She responded, “My name is Jeanine… and yours?”

“I am William,” he smiled back at her, “And my faithful companion here is Treble.”

“Treble?”  Jeanine questioned, “I’m assuming his name has some significant meaning?”

“Yes, it does.”  William responded as he went on to illuminate the significance of Treble’s voice in a musical relation.

Jeanine found his explanation interesting.  The rare musical understanding he had such as this made Jeanine even more curious.

William and Jeanine continued their conversation for the next part of an hour. 

“Well, Jeanine.”  William concluded, “I really enjoyed meeting you… you and Winchester.”

“Oh!  Yes, Me too.”  Jeanine agreed

“I’ll tell you what.”  William continued, “I had a bit of a walk here.  I’m not sure how far you live from this park, but I have worked up quite the appetite.  Are you hungry?”

William knew he went out on a limb with his question, but why not take a chance?  He really enjoyed her company so far and wanted to see where the day would take them. 

“I could eat some grub.”  Jeanine returned

“Well then,” William tried to hold back his excitement, “I know Mc Donald’s isn’t the fanciest place for a first date, but it’s close to my house.  We could drop our pups off there and head over to grab a bite to eat if you’d like.”

“Oh no,” William thought to himself, “Did I really just go there with the first date label?”  He was worried she might think he was over assuming.

“Well,” Jeanine started as William’s heart skipped a beat, “That would be splendid!  I love me some Mc Donald’s fries!”

Again, William tried not to show his eagerness, much less relief.  He wasn’t much of a pro on the dos and don’ts of asking a girl out.  He was however very relieved her answer didn’t make him feel more of a jack a*s.

 

Thank you so much for reading… PLEASE stay tuned for chapter 4

Author's Note

I hope you enjoy reading my 3rd chapter to the on-going series of chapters for my Sim's story chapter book!!! ALL reviews are loved and welcomed!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the site!!! :)