Chapter 21 - Growing Up in Trash Town

at #2 Vintage Road - home of Fester Copur (last seen in chapter 16)

Lester's second son, Fester (gen3-popularity) was rapidly approaching adulthood. His last teen years were spent working the streets to make spending money which he then spent at the Hooker house. But he also had girlfriends his own age. The most longstanding one was Jody Carr who had been his best friend since they were children despite being four years younger. She had her first kiss with Fester though it was long past his first.


He never went further than kissing with Jody though. His almost brotherly feelings for her prevented him from taking advantage of her feelings that way. His relationship with Poppy Jeffress was an entirely different matter. Poppy was the same age as Jody and they were in the same class at school. Both girls also belonged to the Marasong Girls' Club. They had a special uniform that they wore for club meetings and many of them wore it all the time. Fester had actually met Poppy through Jody. He had been really surprised that she was in the MGC when he found out who she was. Most of the girls in Trash Town belonged to the club but uptown girls usually belonged to a different one. He soon found out that Poppy was not much like the other uptown girls. She was wild as a doe and was looking for a buck. And he was the first one she met. A few days after they first met she called him up and invited him to her home. If he hadn't spent so many happy hours at Lester's home he might have turned her down. That was really a big, fancy house she lived in. But he went and had a great time. He had another first kiss with her in the kitchen.

And before long they were upstairs in her bedroom

She kept him there all night. He had to sneak out of the house in the predawn hour just before the rest of the family got up. Wow, that girl was HOT. What she lacked in experience she made up for with enthusiasm. Definitely a relationship he wanted to continue. And a lot cheaper than the Hookers. So they had other trysts at her home, though not too often. And they took advantage of the clothing booths at the department stores. And any place else they could manage. She had said something a couple of times about 'going steady'. Well, she was still a kid in some ways. So he decided to humor her. He actually invited her over to his home for supper one evening. Then he officially asked her to go steady with him. Of course she said yes.

But Fester's home was too small to avoid the rest of the family for some fun and games. And Fester's mother Ivy made herself downright unpleasant when she started teasing Poppy about going steady.

So that evening ended early.

Fester found conflicts growing between himself and his mother and step-father as he got older. He had come to accept his baby brother, Dolf, after he wound up being the one to assist the kid with his first transition.

That experience was a transition of sorts for Fester also as he found himself bonding with Dolf.

So during the final years of his adolescence Fester and Dolf became closer. When the time came for Dolf's next transition it was also Fester's turn again. There was no party and the brothers were the only ones in the house as both Ivy and Randy were at work. First Dolf became a child....

Then Fester transitioned to adult

At last no more school and no more after school jobs. He was ready for the real world now. With his experience on the street he quickly got a job as a bagman. He knew his father, Lester, would not approve of that but, hey, a guy's gotta have some bread. Maybe something better would come along later.


At #6 Vintage Road - home of Dexter Bruenig, Lester's third son. (last visited in chapter 16)

Dexter's mother, Marsha, sailed through her last pregnancy without difficulty and went into labor soon after getting up one sunny Saturday morning.

She quickly gave birth to a baby boy. Husband Christopher got that far fairly complacently.

And then another one. Christopher's complacent facade broke then and he let out a big yell. Whether of elation or dismay it was impossible to tell. They settled on Yansey for the first baby's name and Norven for the second. And also decided they would have to keep colored tags on the infants so they could tell them apart since they appeared identical.

Dexter and Christiona had arrived in time for Norven's birth and were now anxious to see the babies. At least Dexter was.

Christiona's nose was a bit out of joint. She had been the youngest for so long that she didn't really want to give that postion up. So she kind of resented the intrusion of these two squallers. But Marsha and Christopher both assured her that she was still their favorite daughter.

The next year passed tranquilly and soon it was time for the twins first transition.

First Yansey

Then Norven

The boys were still pretty identical. Can't keep them in matching outfits or they'll get mixed up.

Dexter's life was quiet and tranquil also. He focused his attention on his studies, his painting and his family. He had few friends besides his brothers.

#7 Vintage Road - the Bertinos, home of Tesler Go, Lester's youngest son.
(continued from chapter 17)

It was time for Tosha and Orlando's son, Roland, to transition to child. But there was no question of a party. Even just a family one. Besides the perennial lack of funds, Tosha was having a pretty rough time with her pregnancy. So Roland did it all on his own.


Finally it was time for Tosha to go into labor. Orlando was really worried. He wanted Tosha to go to the hospital but she refused. They just didn't have the money she said. Just as she had refused to go to the doctor during her pregnancy. Women had done this all through history without doctors, she said. She would manage just fine.

Well, she was right. She got through labor just fine, giving birth to a healthy baby boy. They named him Javier.

Then she went back to bed, as she was exhausted, while Orlando cared for the baby. She slept like the dead for several hours then suddenly woke to a horrible pain in her abdomen. It brought her out of bed screaming.

She knew something was terribly wrong. Her vision began swimming and going dark. She was dizzy and could no longer stand. As she fell to the floor, she called out, "Somebody, anybody, help!

Her family heard her calls and came running. But though they reached her quickly it was already too late. She was gone. Death had arrived before they did.

Orlando was in shock. He knew he should have insisted Tosha seek medical attention. Now it was too late. And all because he wasn't a better provider. And what would he do now? He couldn't take care of a baby and work too. And Tesler was only 14, too young to take up the slack. And probably wouldn't want to anyway, as grumpy as he always was. What was Orlando to do? Briefly he considered turning them all over to Social Services and just getting on with his own life. But the thought of giving up his son, Roland, was unendurable. So he had to find another way. He finally settled on a nanny for the hours that neither he nor Tesler were home. Then he threw himself into his job with more determination than he had ever shown in his life before. When Tesler would get home from school he would dismiss the nanny for the rest of the day to save a few dollars. So the bachelor family struggled along for a year. Then Javier had his first transition. Orlando was at work so Tesler had to help him, thus establishing a lifelong bond.

Tesler shed a few tears then while he thought about his mother and the fact that this little brother would never know her. Not that she had been that great a mother but better than nothing.


During the year since Tosha's death, Orlando had not let his social life slide. He had been renewing old contacts as well as seeking out new women. Every afternoon after work, he spent a couple of hours pursuing love interests. Since he always got home at the same time, Tesler just assumed he was at work during that time. But finally Orlando's pursuits paid off. His relationship with Platal Enabler blossomed to the point that she invited him to move in with her. Well, that had to mean the boys too, he pointed out. That was fine with Platal, cause she just loved kids. So the two families combined with the Bertino's moving to

#2 Vintage Road - home of Platal Enabler (last seen in chapter 18)

Platal's last pregnancy ended at the same time as Tosha's but without the tragedy. She had home birth also as the majority of women in Heritage did. But she had seen her doctor throughout pregnancy so went into labor with all possible safeguards in place. It was an easy labor and produced another little redhaired girl. She was named Aura.

During her pregnancy, she had finally had the house exterior painted, at the twins insistance. She had let them pick out the paint. And she had to agree it looked pretty now.

The girls were only 14 when Aura was born but they both already had boyfriends. And they weren't boys either. Lyra was going out with Dominic Phillipine, a 20 year old whom Platal suspected was a romancer, but so was Lyra.

She really hadn't expected anything different from the girl. Nor did she criticize. After all, she had been no different and her life had turned out fine. Platal was surprised at Leda though. Leda had always been more of a bookworm than Lyra and not much interested in boys. So when Leda brought home 22 year old Field Cormier one day, Platal had been shocked. But after watching Field for a while she figured she didn't need to worry.

Turned out he was an artist and every bit as bookish as Leda. And very shy. There was never any handholding or kissing going on between the two like there was with Lyra and Dominic. Leda and Field just had serious discussions about all sorts of boring topics that Platal was not the least interested in. But nonetheless, Platal made sure both girls knew how to prevent unwanted babies. She had never bothered with such measures herself as she had wanted all she could get, but she wanted her daughters to have the options.
Meanwhile she had her own life to worry about. Aura's father, Travancor Pander, hadn't been around much since she had gotten pregnant. He didn't want any responsibilities. So she had to look around for someone else. She wasn't getting any younger. And men were getting scarcer. Men of a suitable age anyway. Orlando Bertino had been a 'close' friend before his marriage to Tosha Go. Well, admit it, even after his marriage. But that had fizzled out after a while. Then after his wife died, he had started coming around again. By the time Aura was ready for her first transition, Platal and Orlando were pretty thick again.
pic 29 aura transition
Aside from her coloring, Aura didn't look much like her sisters or her mother either. Nor did she look much like Travancor. She was just herself and unique.

Finally Platal and Orlando's relationship advanced to the point that Platal wanted him around all the time. She had never felt this way about any of her previous boyfriends. Oh, she had loved them all while she was with them, but once out of sight, she didn't think about them much until she felt a romantic urge again. And when she was involved with her cousin Chader who lived in the same house she found his constant presence an annoyance more than anything. But now, with Orlando, it was different. She found herself wanting to wake up beside him every morning, to eat breakfast with him, to share all the daily trivia, even to hear him snore every night. So she asked him to move in.

He immediately said yes after making sure she was willing to take on his sons too. And so the whole tribe moved in.
But as soon as they arrived, Orlando went one better. He proposed.

They had an immediate simple marriage ceremony, while Platal's twins welcomed their new brothers.

Afterward, Lyra made a joke about them being just like that family in the old TV show they used to watch. With three boys and three girls they were now "The Bertino Bunch".
Then Orlando and Tesler demonstrated a new game they had invented, called Stomp the Feet. They held hands and each tried to stomp the others foot without getting stomped themselves. Tesler won the match which Orlando ruefully said that he usually did.

Later in bed, Orlando confided to Platal that he had invented the game to help Tesler get rid of some of his frustrations and hostilities. He thought Tesler blamed him for Tosha's death and he thought Tesler might be partly right. He promised Platal he would try to do a better job now than he had in the past. He didn't promise fidelity though nor did she expect it. She had what she wanted, in fact more than she had asked for. So she was very content.


Will Fester manage to avoid the law in his new profession? Will Dexter remain untouched by the intriques of Trash Town? How will The Bertino Bunch adjust to their new relationships? Stay tuned for more drama among All My SimChildren.

Next episode: Fledglings Leave the Nest