Chapter 3 Part 2: More complications and a final goodby

After the flurry surrounding the births of their first two great-grandchildren died down Hester and Abhijeet returned to their normal routines. Which for these two, despite their advanced ages of 74 and 70 respectively, still involved extensive romancing.


Hester had been retired for a while. She had been brooding over the nasty things said to her by Meadow Thayer, just before Meadow had moved out of the Genester household and she now achieved what she considered the perfect revenge. She seduced Meadow's husband. Ricky had been Abhijeet's friend for years and often visited, sometimes when Abhijeet wasn't home. So it had been a simple matter to make him her friend also. And Ricky was after all a romance sim too, even though he rarely acted on his longings.


Abhijeet had finally met and made friends with Platal Enabler (mother of his grandson, Laser) with the expected results.


Platal quickly became pregnant to her great delight. A few months after Cosetta's birth, Platal gave birth to twin daughters. She named them Leda and Lyra, after characters in a show about mythology that she had been watching. Abhijeet was quite proud of having sired twins at his age. The thought of it put an extra jauntiness in his step as he went about his business.

This is Leda, the first born of the twins

Abhijeet finally decided that it was time for him to retire. He had been Mad Scientist for several years and his work had made Heritage known in a wider community. Time to turn the mantle over to another and he thought his son-in-law, Robi Charvat, was the man to wear it. He called all the family together for a party to celebrate his retirement


With the recent births, Abhijeet decided it was time to update his will. He wanted to make sure these baby daughters were provided for since he felt that he was not likely to be around to see them grown. Not that he was sick, just a few twinges here and there, nothing to see a doctor about, but still..... Best to be safe. Then back to dancing and dating.

Many mellow months passed by with the flavor and flow of fine wine. Abhijeet invited a new girlfriend that he was pursuing over to the house. This was Platal's cousin, Mabal Enabler. As big as the house had grown there was always someplace where a couple could be alone for a few minutes for some flirting or cuddling. After he hung up the phone he was surprised to see another of his girlfriends come home after work with his daughter, Genesis. Well, that complicated things. So he met Mabal out at the mailbox. After some flirting and hugging he finally scored his first kiss with her. As he felt that familiar surge of elation through his veins, he also felt something else. Like a cold finger touching his heart, followed by the sensation of ice spreading through his veins. As he looked past Mabal he saw a dark robed figure approaching. And not walking either, it was floating. He recognized the specter as the Grim Reaper, also called the Ferryman. Mabal didn't seem to see the figure, instead looking only at Abhijeet, with an expression of great grief as he released her and backed away.


Now Abhijeet noticed that the specter was wearing a garland of hot pink flowers and was accompanied by a pair of scantily clad dancing girls. Hey, they looked pretty interesting. Mabal had started wailing like a banshee, attracting the attention of his family who were coming out of the house.


"It is time, Abhijeet, for you to join us in Avalon, " spoke the ghostly figure in a deep, sepulchral voice. "You have fulfilled the assignment you were given and have earned your reward. Come, drink the cup of Lethe and enter the land of eternal romance." With those words, the specter handed Abhijeet a tall glass of some fruity smelling beverage. Abhijeet took it and sipped. Ahh, delicious and it seemed to remove that icy feeling from his veins. He took a hearty slug of the juice and felt even better. He noticed a suitcase beside him and somehow knew that within it was everything he would need. He picked up the bag, took another swig of juice, and started walking toward the Ferry where he could see even more beautiful girls awaiting him. He didn't even notice the mourners as he faded from their sight.


Most of the family was able to accept Abhijeet's passing philosophically. They put up a lovely memorial stone for him and had a brief commemorative service. Only the two girlfriends stayed to mourn after the ceremony.


Granddaughter Soressa however took his passing hard. She cried for hours afterward and could not be consoled and continued grieving for weeks.


Genesis, too, was affected by her father's passing though she showed it in a much different way. He had always been so vital that she felt he would live forever. His going made her realize that life was short and you had to grab what happiness you could when you had the chance. After the birth of Soressa, who was now 15, Genesis had desired no more children, despite being a family sim, and had poured herself into her career with the Heritage Llamas. Her feelings for Robi, never really intense, had cooled even more. Oh, yes, Robi was still handsome. He was a considerate husband, a good father and a wonderful provider. But there was just something missing. Robi hadn't minded or really noticed the decrease in number of their romantic encounters. He was absorbed in ascending the science career ladder and spent all his spare time studying and researching. And he had recently taken up stargazing which caused him to spend many hours at night with his eye to a telescope. When he did go to bed it was to fall into exhausted sleep. So things seemed content between them. But something simmered beneath the surface. And Genesis knew what was missing from her life. She had never gotten over her love for Hawer Enabler, the father of her son Kester. Some years previously, she had run into Hawer by chance at the shopping center. Seeing him again had been like being hit in the solar plexus. They talked briefly and she knew that the longing she saw in his face was reflected in her own.


Then their feelings exploded. First their hands met, then she was in his arms being kissed with so much passion that her senses reeled. She didn't care that they were out in public where anyone could see them. The whole world apart from herself and Hawer had disappeared for her.


Without even speaking they headed for the nearest motel. Genesis was quite late getting home that night, but once home she vowed not to see Hawer again. She did love Robi and she loved her daughter. She couldn't sacrifice them for her passions. But that resolve was five years old. She thought she had successfully buried the past until Abhijeets' retirement party. Then her brother Lester had started talking to her about Hawer and how well he was doing in his business career. Genesis had listened avidly as Lester wondered why Hawer had never married.


That simple conversation had reawakened all Genesis's longings. She was in constant torment over what to do. Now her father's death had crystallized her feelings. If he would have her, she was going to spend the rest of her life with Hawer. She called him up and asked him to meet her at Cooter's Romper Room, the local gathering place. He quickly agreed and they were soon ensconced in an alcove out of sight of prying eyes. Genesis poured out her feelings to Hawer and he responded just as she had hoped he would. Tears of joy coursed down her cheeks.


After feelings were calm again the couple made plans.


Meanwhile Robi was having his own crisis of conscience. A few years previously he had given a lecture on one of his favorite topics to a group at the library. After the lecture one of the attendees had approached him with some questions. In discussing the topic over coffee he had found the woman to have a mind quite like his own, even though she was not a scientist. Her name was Mabal Enabler. This was the beginning of a growing friendship. Every now and then when something of interest in the scientific world came up they would enjoy a discussion over the phone or in person. After a while, Robi counted Mabal as one of his closest friends. One day, just a few months before, they had again met for coffee and conversation. For some reason Robi had taken it into his head to flirt with Mabal. Just a simple bit of fun. But somehow it grew into something much more and before long he found himself at her home and in her bed.


He had considered it only a temporary lapse. He didn't love Mabal and he was sure she did not love him either. Neither of them had ever mentioned the word. They were just very good friends. Neither of them ever mentioned the incident in subsequent phone conversations. Then when he saw Mabal at the time of Abhijeet's death he was quite shocked to see that she was pregnant. Later he had called her and asked about it and she had admitted that it was a result of their encounter. But she insisted that she was fine and needed nothing and she simply wanted their relationship to go on as it had previously. The whole situation gave Robi a lot more than science to think about.

Problems had developed in Kester's and Kaylynn's lives too. Kester had finally finished his premed classes and had his third transition, shortly after Abhijeet's retirement. .


He threw himself into medical school with a passion, delighted that he was so much closer to his goal of becoming a doctor. Between his classes and his job as a paramedic he had little time left over. But every day when he got home he spent some time with his infant son, Prester, and with Kaylynn.


Kester also finally visited his Aunt Pendillis's home again. He hadn't been there since that fateful day so many months before when he had given in to his feelings for Bertillis. But at last he could no longer deny his desire to see his and Bertillis's baby daughter. He was both thrilled and grieved when he held her. She was so tiny and so precious but he could never claim her as his own.


Kaylynn had problems of her own. She has been depressed ever since Prester's birth. She was still not accepted by the family and they seemed to have taken over Prester's care. And Kester was very involved in his medical studies and had much less time for her. She took to spending most of her time in their room playing computer games. If only she could have another baby, one she did not have to share.


Kaylynn spoke to Kester about the possibility of another child since Prester was so near his first transition but Kester felt that he had enough responsibility for the time being and insisted they wait till he at least finished medical school.


Kaylynn did not argue. Nor did she cry. She simply withdrew even further from the rest of the family, even her son. Kester didn't notice. He was the typical knowledge sim, totally absorbed in his own affairs, just as his step-father Robi was. Prester didn't notice either. He had so much attention from his father, his grandparents, great-grandparents and Aunt Soressa, that lack of attention from his mother had little impact on him. They had all planned a big party for him for his first transition but Abhijeet's passing drove it from everyone's mind. That evening after the family had calmed down a bit from the excitement, Prester transitioned all on his own.