Chapter 6 - Pendillis finds new love

Following BJs death, Pendillis (gen 2 -knowledge- age 46) had a nervous breakdown. She required emergency care from Dr. Shrink and several therapy sessions with Professor Von Ball before she was able to cope with everyday life again. He recommended painting for its therapeutic value so she went back to the hobby that had given her so much pleasure over the years and reached her 8th skill point.




Some of Pendillis's paintings

BJ died in the front hall and his urn rested there for a day while several family members took time to mourn. Then it was moved to a place of honor on a lovely new desk in the future dining room. At 5AM the next morning BJs ghost appeared in the hall where his urn had been.


He just stood there, erect and motionless, staring straight ahead until 5PM. Yes, throughout the daylight hours. Just standing and staring. And he was totally bald! As various family members walked through the hall that day, they would turn and look toward him, as if they sensed his presense, but gave no other sign of seeing him. At 5 PM most of the children were gathered in the front room along with several friends, watching TV and socializing after school. Suddenly BJ dropped his head into his hands and began sobbing silently.


He cried for several minutes then wiped his eyes,


straightened his shoulders and started walking toward the front room with a big smile on his face. He was walking more erect than he had been able to for years.


Suddenly he stopped and lost the smile. Then he started floating instead of walking and turned and floated upstairs. This was still broad daylight. He floated into the bedroom and jumped into his bed and screamed several times.


Then he floated into the exercise room where he had had his 'stroke'. Floated around second floor a while, returning twice to the exercise room then back downstairs. He then floated into the dining room and jumped into his urn. About 6:30 PM. No one saw him.

When Pendillis's life-long friend, Cleve Wilson (popularity - also age 46), heard of her loss a few weeks later, he came by to offer his condolences and a shoulder to cry on. It was the first time he had had his arms around her since they were high school sweethearts and it brought all his former feelings for her surging to the surface.


But he knew it was no time to tell her of them, so he merely offered to stick around a few days to help out with anything she needed. He was currently on leave from the military and didn't have any real home of his own so he said it would help him out too. And he didn't mind sleeping on the couch. A lot more comfortable than a military cot or bedroll on the ground. So she agreed and Cleve was a big help in getting the family organized again. He also started making friends with the kids. Without mentioning anything to the family, Cleve put in for a transfer to a local posting so that when his leave was up he would be able to stay in Heritage. When it came through, he pretended to be surprised and asked if they minded him staying around a while longer, until he could find a place of his own since the military did not provide lodgings in Heritage. The family all assured him that he could stay as long as he wanted. Over the next months they all came to depend on him, especially Pendillis. Thus encouraged, Cleve went shopping and picked out a ring. The next morning, after all the kids were gone to school and Bertillis still in bed, Cleve cornered Pendillis in the kitchen, dropped to his knees, declared his love for her and proposed.


Pendillis was so shocked that at first she was speechless then she refused him vehemently and ran off to her room.


Cleve collapsed on the floor in tears and totally out of it....


and Dr. Shrink had to make another emergency call.


Cleve later had a session with his Cup Buddy for further therapy.


Pendillis thought about it all day and wished she had not been so harsh with Cleve. She loved him as a friend but that was all yet she didn't have to hurt his feelings like she had. That evening after the kids were in bed and the house quiet again, she went to Cleve and apologized, trying to explain her feelings.


He assured her he understood and gave her a hug which was a little tighter and lasted a little longer than he had intended and brought his smoldering feelings to flame again. Then he gave her a tender little kiss...


and when she did not pull away he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her deeply. Pendillis on her part found passions awakened in her that she had thought cooled long ago. She had loved BJ deeply but after all he had always been more than 20 years her senior. So she responded to Cleve's kiss and they were soon making out ardently. It was only a few steps up the stairs to her bed where she experienced a passion never known to her before.


The next morning Cleve left for work without awakening Pendillis but planning to renew his offer of marriage as soon as he got home.


Meanwhile since her father's death and her transition to adulthood, Bertillis (gen 3-romance - age 22) had been pursuing her own hobby. Men. She spent much of each day at the Mall or the park seeing who she might run into. Several times she had brought a man home with her but Pendillis had made it plain to her that all such guests had to remain downstairs. Well, since her daughter, Cosetta, shared her bed, she couldn't very well take her friends to her room anyway. She was working as a 'reseller'. (Rummaging through dumpsters for good stuff other people had thrown away then reselling it.) She met quite a few people at her little booth at the flea market. Early the next morning after Pendillis and Cleve's romantic encounter, Bertillis finalized arrangements for a place of her own to live. She had told no one but her mother that she wanted to leave and only now that she was ready to go told her siblings what she was about to do. She told Janeesis, "Cosetta will be better off here with you and Mom than with me."

Bertiillis found a place of her own.

Since it was a Saturday all the kids were at home to say goodby to her when she left. Cosetta was puzzled but not bereft. She did not feel deserted as Pendillis and Janeesis had been more mother to her than Bertillis had. Bertillis didn't give any special attention to Cosetta when she said goodby, but then she never had.

Cosetta watches her mother leave.

The other kids were all too involved with their own lives and plans to care much that Bertillis was leaving.


When Pendillis awoke that morning she couldn't believe what had happened the night before. And also couldn't believe how good she felt and how happy that it had happened. She stretched luxuriously as she got out of bed, feeling like a girl again. She looked forward to Cleve returning home that evening and wondered what the future held in store for them.


Will Cleve propose again? Will Pendillis accept this time? How would the kids feel about that? Stay tuned for the next chapter of All My SimChildren.

Next episode: Transitions, births and more twins