We just never know what life is going to throw at us.
One minute everything is going along like perfect clockwork, almost to the point that a Sim is downright bored because life is so predictable and then, in a blink of an eye, everything changes, plummeting a Sim into an abyss of not knowing what to expect next.
As you can see in the photo above, Sammy is out in the middle of the night, up to her knees in the freezing snow, tending to the yard work.
Why would she be doing such a thing?
Well, because life has a way of shifting underneath our feet and what we thought was solid ground turns out to be nothing more than loose, unreliable sand.
As you recall, Sammy's husband, Nick, had just suffered a huge loss when his, (and Nicole's), mother, Ruby, died. It was a sudden, unexpected death and Nick took it very hard.
The weeks following Ruby's passing found Nick spiraling deeper and deeper into a dark, severe depression that no matter how hard Sammy or anyone else tried to pull him out of it, it was of no help. He cut himself off from everyone, even his kids and especially Sammy. He spent most of his time either sleeping or out at the cemetery alongside Ruby's grave.
At the time of Ruby's death Nick was one promotion away from being made Head Of The CIA but after not showing up for work so many times, he lost his job. This was a tough blow to the family with the burden falling upon Sammy's shoulders to keep things going.
At the time of Ruby's death Nick was one promotion away from being made Head Of The CIA but after not showing up for work so many times, he lost his job. This was a tough blow to the family with the burden falling upon Sammy's shoulders to keep things going.
With Nero and Nesnia in college there were big bills and then Stuart and Belinda were still at home too. Losing their dad to his depression like this was very hard on all of them, especially Stuart and Belinda.
And that's why Sammy has to go out in the middle of a snowy night to trim bushes and pull weeds, they can't afford a gardener and Nick refuses to do ANYTHING to help out around the house.
Losing his job made his depression worse.
He and Ruby used to keep the yard and gardens in pristine condition but nowadays Nick could care less. And he doesn't care about himself either. He rarely showers, let his hair grow long, started wearing shades all the time, sleeps all day and then leaves the house, not telling anyone where he's going and stays out all night long.
He turned into someone that Sammy and the kids don't know -
it was like being married to a stranger and the worst part is that Nick developed a mean chip on his shoulder that didn't make him very pleasant to be around.
Money vanished from their bank accounts and Nick took it upon himself to sell their only car, (keeping all the profit for himself), forcing Sammy to walk everywhere, call a taxi or ask friends for rides.
Nick bought himself a high end, fancy motorcycle that he seemed to love more than his own kids.
It was always around 3pm that Nick jumped on that bike and took off, not to be seen again till the wee hours of the morning. Sammy would find him passed out on the couch when she got up in the morning and she learned real quick to not wake him as he was downright evil towards her and the kids if she did.
He started smoking cigarettes in the house and reeked like alcohol most of the time. He would play his electric guitar so loud the neighbors complained and when he wasn't being a selfish slob inside the house he was making a huge mess out in the driveway with an old beater of a car he decided to renovate.
The car renovation wasn't going well at all.
He'd let his Tinkering points fall to almost zero and most days he'd get so frustrated with the thing he'd walk away from it. The car was a hideous eye-sore and Sammy hated it, (and so did the neighbors).
The worst part is that they had no money.
Sammy had quit her job as Hand Of Poseidon to stay at home with the kids, (Nick was making a very good income then), but it became painfully obvious very quick that she needed to get back to work in order for them to survive. Nick had wiped out all their money and whatever cash he might have stashed away she knew there was no way he was going to give her any.
She assumed getting back into the Oceanography biz would be easy but she was wrong. As much as they wanted her back there just weren't any openings at the level of pay that she needed. She couldn't be picky and ended up taking a job in the world of Politics.
She hated it but it was the best paying job she could find real fast.
She had to do it in order to put food on the table.
The one thing Sammy couldn't bring herself to do was to turn to her friends in her time of need. She was so ashamed of Nick and what he'd turned into that she kept all her Simski friends at arm's length.
She politely bowed out of every social invite that came her way and never asked anyone over to the house. It was her big secret - one that she shared with the kids and that's all. Linnie came over a few times, trying to talk some sense into her dad but it never made a difference. Eventually she quit coming around just like Nero and Nesnia - it was just too heartbreaking to see what Nick was allowing himself to be - a no-good, lazy BUM!
Sammy found herself very lonely.
She missed the man she married and loathed the person that now lived with her. Stuart and Belinda felt just as lonely without their dad and Sammy did everything she could to keep them happy and distracted from the blob on the couch that was their father.
Sammy began working out a lot to get rid of the stress and turned to their dog, Munch, to help ease the loneliness when the kids were gone.
Sammy's life began to feel like a prison and when Nick would take off in the afternoon and be gone all night, she began welcoming his absence. She was considering a divorce but there was a small flicker of hope that the day would arrive that Nick would come to his senses and change back into the decent, loving husband and father he used to be.
When Stuart's birthday rolled around she was stunned when Nick didn't bother to stay home for that. Stuart teened up without any kind of party but he kept a brave front and acted like his dad's absence didn't bother him, (although it did, it bothered him a great deal).
TA DA!
TEEN STUART!!
That night Stuart, Sammy and Belinda made the best of a very bad situation. They shared a special dinner in Stuart's honor and talked about as many positive things as they could.
Not once did they talk about Nick.
The next morning Stuart broke the news to Sammy that he had plans to head off to college that day! He'd achieved every scholarship he could and he just wanted out of the house.
Stuart wanted to start a new life.
Sammy couldn't blame him and with her blessing, off he went to join college life with his brother Nero and sister, Nesnia
So, now it was just Belinda at home and Sammy vowed to make sure her daughter didn't feel lonely or neglected -unfortunatley, easier said, then done.
Of all their children, Nick had a soft spot for Belinda and Sammy caught him more than a few times playing darts and sharing jokes with her. But those times were far and few between, he was still gone every night.
She saw the hurt and disappointment in Belinda's eyes caused by not having a dad at home. But there wasn't much Sammy could do about it. Nick did what he wanted, when he wanted and there was no changing that. And that same hurt could be seen in Sammy's eyes too.
One day a good friend of hers and Nick's, Malcolm O'Shannon, (the nurse that was there for them when Ruby was in the hospital), came by unannounced to visit.
Malcolm was a huge help and source of support when Sammy and Nick needed it most when Ruby died. They remained friends and Malcolm was close to both of them. He had no idea how much Nick had changed and it was basically why he was stopping by - Sammy or Nick hadn't returned any of his calls and he was concerned.
Sammy couldn't help herself, she ended up telling Malcolm everything.
And like he was when Ruby died, he was there for Sammy when she needed a friend most.
She invited him to come in and hang out with her.
Belinda was spending the night with a friend and Nick had already left to go wherever it is he goes all night. She'd always liked Malcolm a great deal. She enjoyed his company and they had a lot in common.
It didn't take long for them to start sharing silly jokes and like Sammy likes to do, get some good-natured tickling in.
It was just the kind of fun Sammy needed!!
And yes, they have a 3 bolt attraction - from the day they met.
As much as she tried to keep up that strong front, Sammy's laughter was quick to turn into tears. And Malcolm was quick to move in and comfort her.
Their close encounter caught them both off guard a bit and felt rather awkward.
But their awkward feelings quickly turned to the two of them expressing their deep down, genuine feelings for one another.
Yep, Sammy and Malcolm fell in love.
And the two of them couldn't help themselves - one thing led to another.
And then of course, all that led to THIS!
Of course Sammy couldn't hide her pregnancy and being she hadn't had woohoo with Nick in a VERY long time, it was obvious she was having someone else's nooboo. She had no choice but to tell Nick the truth.
But before she had a chance to do that, he came to her and basically dropped a bomb in letting her know that he didn't care.
Sammy was shocked, yet relieved.
Nick was quite blunt in telling her that she could be with whoever she wanted and have as many kids with whoever she wanted - he just didn't give a care anymore.
He wanted to go on with his life and she needed to move on with hers. He never said anything about a divorce but Sammy couldn't help but feel a huge sadness deep down in her soul - it was really over between them.
Yes, she'd cheated and yes, she did love Malcolm, but there was a part of her that still loved Nick very much and the fact that he no longer cared about her hurt, it hurt a lot.
When it was time for her and Malcolm's nooboo to arrive it was on her day off and she was all alone at the house.
It was how she wanted it to be.
It's A BOY!!
Meet Baby Mason!!
Mason toddlered up in no time and he's a real cutie!!
Yep, Mason looks like his daddy!
After the birth of Mason, Nick started spending even more time away from home - sometimes being gone for 3 or 4 days straight. Belinda was effected by his absence the most, although she tried her best to be tough and not let Sammy see how much she missed her daddy.
The other kids called Sammy all the time but rarely came by.
Sammy tried to not let it bother her but it did! She felt abandoned by everyone she loved the most- except Malcolm.
He came over often and was a doting, loving father to Mason and a true, loyal friend to Sammy.
But not everything was perfect for Sammy and Mason's daddy - Malcolm was very much married with another young son at home. His wife knew nothing of his life with Sammy and it was agreed upon between Malcolm and Sammy that it would stay that way.
Sammy didn't want to be married to Malcolm and Malcolm didn't want to be married to Sammy. Yes, they loved each other deeply but that love was built on a strong foundation of friendship and neither one of them wanted more than what they had now.
Plus, Sammy still wanted her old Nick back, the man that used to be her best friend and lover. If Nick were to change his ways and come back home the man he used to be, she'd take him back in a heartbeat. But that wasn't the case and Nick wasn't showing any interest at all in being the man he was and he certainly wasn't showing any desire to live at the house.
Sammy couldn't be sure but she had a gut feeling that he had another woman out there somewhere. So many times she wanted to confront him and ask him if he'd found himself someone else but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She knew Nick would tell her the truth and that was a truth she just couldn't handle.
When it was time for Belinda to teen up they were all quite surprised when Nick showed up for the celebration and most surprising is that he was in a good spirit and joined in with a positive attitude, not the normal gruff, mean mood they were used to seeing.
It made Belinda's birthday extra special to have him there in such a a happy state.
POOF!
TEEN BELINDA!!
Belinda teened up a bit on the homely side, (her hair was awful!), but with a little help from Sammy with a make-over, she ended up looking really good!
No way was she going to lose those glasses - she loves 'em!
Just like her brothers and sisters, Belinda was able to get every scholarship available and right after teening up she left for college.
That was a very sad day for Sammy but she knew life on campus was exactly what Belinda needed. She could hang out with her siblings, make new friends and leave the pain caused by her dad behind. Granted, Nick was there for her on her birthday but that didn't excuse all the other days and nights he came up missing when she needed him.
Belinda promised to come home and visit often but Sammy knew her daughter wouldn't. Just like her brothers and sisters that promised the same thing, they never kept their word. She knew the change in their father was why they stayed away but it still hurt.
A lot of things hurt in her life but one thing for sure, having Mason didn't and he was the one fine joy that she was very grateful to have.
It was an exciting day when it was time for Mason to kid up!
And yes, Malcolm was there to help in the celebration.
BA-BAM!
KID MASON!!
Mason got a much needed make-over too!!
So life goes on and right now it's just Sammy and Mason at the house.
Nick is gone more than he's there and he and Sammy rarely talk.
If they do, it's always something that involves the kids, never anything else. He's polite to Mason but doesn't offer the boy any closeness, which Sammy prefers. Malcolm is very involved in his son's life and he and Sammy have even discussed the idea of giving Mason a little brother or sister.
Malcolm's wife can't have anymore children and he'd love to have more with Sammy.
Sammy's not sure what she wants right now.
She is slowly making her way up the career ladder in the politics biz, which she loathes and Nick still doesn't offer any kind of help with the bills.
She keeps her focus on herself and her children. Nero and Nesnia are set to graduate college soon and she is hoping to see more of them once they do.
More children with Malcolm might get in the way of that.
For now, she takes things one day at a time -
it's about all she can do.
