The
next morning started out slow as Kajsa was the first to wake up to
play one of those good old relaxing games on her laptop. A long
journey was ahead of them as they were to travel back up along the
coast to head home, but at the same time they were in no rush yet to
reach the next concert as the schedule allowed for some necessary
days to relax after they had returned...
Yup,
this was a beautiful and chill (but not cold) autumn morning. Gerda
decided to entertain Kajsa and Sam by jamming out some new ideas on
her guitar while they had their breakfast and Merete was in the
shower to get clean and ready to go.
Unfortunately
when she was finished showering somehow she managed to loosen the
shower knob in such a way that it completely fell off and it was now
impossible to turn the shower off..
Worried
about the owner of the house figuring it out, she rushed out to Kajsa
and told her she thought they should probably just pack up and leave
straight away. Now, Kajsa didn't think this was a very good idea....
she knew they would get the bill for it anyway, and that the best
solution was to be honest about it.. or call someone over to have it
repaired after they left.. that way the owner wouldn't notice
anything, and The Bushweeds would gain a reputation as a clean and
proper rock band, leaving the apartment just the same way as they
left!
No
broken showers or windows because they threw a tv out the window..
because would anyone even want to do that..? They were on the road to
spread their music and the word about their band, and to hopefully
have some fun while doing it, not to commit pointless vandalism..
Sure enough there was a bit of rebellious punk spirit in the band,
and they wouldn't shy away from breaking a rule here and there – if
they thought they had a good cause – but vandalizing someone elses
property just like that was hardly a statement that they would want
their name associated with.. not all publicity is good publicity, was
their conclusion...
Merete
was still in a hurry to get out of there now as she went into the
bedroom to pick up the keys to Gerdas car and called for everyone in
the band to go.. using the excuse now that she wanted to drive now
that the weather was so fine, even though the forecast had made a
promise that the sun would be shining over town all day until it
would do a demonstration of what had given this valley on the
southwestern tip of the nation its name...
..but
Merete certainly had no time to wait for that, no matter how pretty
it would be. So, bye bye Sunset Valley... maybe they will return
again some other time... ;)
It
was another long and winding road ahead of them, with several stops
along the way sleeping at motels of varying quality and stopping at
gas stations and roadside inns to stuff their stomachs with food,
before getting back on the road again..
..driving
past Bridgewood one more time and doing one last stop in the city of
Cyme Ixotic before taking the ferry to they returned to Otter Island
to drive the last few kilometers to..
..Bewickton.
Their home sweet home.. at last..
Since
it was Gerda driving this last stretch, and since it was Gerdas car
they had used all the way, they would return right where they
started.. at "The Party House" where Gerda lived alongside
Sam, Merete and a special someone whom she had missed all along while
they were on tour..
--
..and
then there was Isabell Kolstø, fellow party animal and soldier at
the local military base, who also lived with them. Not being a member
of the band, she had stayed behind and made a promise to care for
Gerdas special someone, however it's not certain how serious she has
been with the task as she was right now relaxing naked in the jacuzzi
out in their "purple party greenhouse"...
Gerda
was quick to walk up the stairs to check on her son Øyvin who was
right now left alone in his crib in the bedroom..
"Oh
my little sweetheart.. mommy has missed you so much. I thought about
you everyday while we were away...."
It looked like little
Øyvin was doing alright, as he was both clean and not particularly
hungry, and some cuddle and playtime with mom more than satisfied his
need for being social, so all in all, even if he had been left alone
with the naked jacuzzi bather for the past few days, he was doing
pretty fine.. ;)
..but
even so, nothing beats getting a good hug and a snuggle from
mom..
..and
of course, the dog downstairs needed some attention too. Gerda was
happy to see Petunia again, but the dog was a little less excited and
not so receptive for attention now that Gerda had been away for so
long, and rejected her attempt at playing with the toy
rope..
Kajsa
was a little disappointed when she came back to her house and found
her son Nikolai sitting alone on the floor. Where was Betty, and why
hadn't she even called a baby sitter for her boy? Well, that would be
something to bring up with her later when she returned from whereever
she was...
How
irresponsible to leave the toddler out alone like that! She tried to
ask her boy where Betty was, and he responded as best as he could by
saying "Out", "Out somehere" and "Back in a
minute!". Kajsa was none the wiser, but she had her
suspicions...
She
was probably out at a bar somewhere, having one to many glasses of
juice again.. She was no doubt going to hear it tomorrow morning.
Kajsa was kissed her baby boy good night, but inside a part of her
was fuming..
She
had no objection to Betty going out and enjoying a glass or two, not
really, but the least she could do was to hire a baby sitter! And not
show up stumbling and fumbling at 3 in the night leaving her baby boy
on the floor to care for himself all alone..
Oh,
Betty wasn't going to get to sleep in after her night out, Kajsa was
going to make sure of that! But for now... good night.. ;)
In
Flames – 'The Beginning Of All Things That Will End'
(acoustic
instrumental)
Wednesday September 28th
– Driving to Sunset Valley
It
was noon on the day after their concert and their trip to the
swimming pool. Everyone in the band was still in bed, snoring heavily
and dreaming about cars, endless stretches of asphalt, trees, hills
and mountains drifting by and playing the same songs over and over
again.. with only one album released their repertoir was rather
limited.. anyway, it looked like it would be a fine day in the city
until, of course..
..the
rain started pouring down again, so I guess I shouldn't have said
that.. this could only mean that it was time to leave again to head
for their next destination..
Gerda
was the "morning bird" this time, as she was already up to
prepare what was effectively dinner when Merete woke up, feeling
stiff and sore all over her body from having been up all night
swimming..
Though
that didn't stop her from turning on the stereo shaking her body
again to some groovy notes, wile waiting for dinner to be ready.
;)
..and
of course, this music attracted a couple of other dancers as well and
made them emerge from their caves to join the party...
;)
During
their.. breakfast.. Gerda was already thinking out loud about some
song ideas for their next record. If they were serious about their
ambition to live as full time musicians they would need to have a
real catalogue of albums and songs to pick from while doing
concerts.. so she had hopes of beginning the process of writing new
songs not to long after they had returned home and had their last
concert of the tour. Maybe not right away, as they would probably
need some time to relax, but they shouldn't wait to long either to
get something done.
Kajsa
had no objection there, she totally agreed, but still had to raise
the question about the musical direction for their next album. Should
they continue in the same vein with their folky punk rock or should
they mix it up by trying other styles. Kajsa was thinking about the
long term, and thought it would be a good idea to gradually introduce
something new to their music to keep it fresh and exciting, not just
for themselves, but also for their fans.. or potential fans, that is.
Yet of course, it had to be rooted in some core sound that was unique
to them, so as to as much as possible avoid accusations of selling
out...
They
didn't reach a conclusion yet, but atleast it planted the seed among
all of them to give it some more thought, before it was time for them
to leave the apartment and the city to head south along the coast...
The
rain had cleared and the sun had already began to set as they drove
off, perhaps as a hint to where they were going..
Sunset
Valley was their next destination, it was just up this hill and onto
the highway and they would be on their way...
..to
say one last goodbye to the city, and hello to the very last part of
their adventure...
It
was almost midnight when they finally reached Sunset Valley, and the
rain was pouring down as it often did this time of year, making the
town look a little grey. That didn't matter to much, because there
was only one thing to do, and that was to drive through the town and
up the hill past the old mental hospital to locate the house they had
rented in the New Town area, right at the end of the road..
"I
hope this place isn't gonna be another dump" Sam said as they
stepped out of the car and headed to the front door. What awaited
them inside wasn't necessarily a dump, but it wasn't anything modern
either. Though the area went under the name of "The New Town
Area" it wasn't really all that new, as everything there was
built in the 1970s to mitigate a housing crisis among the then young
adults of the town looking for a place to stay on their own..
Once
inside it was time to find the beds and go to sleep..
Thursday September 29th
– Getting ready for the show
Next
morning Kajsa woke up first to conclude that it looked like yet
another rainy day of their tour. So much for going to the
beach...
Eating
her breakfast in solitude with the rest of the band still asleep
suited her just fine. They had more or less lived on top of each
other for a week now, and she felt like she needed some space to be
alone – or atleast away from her band members for a while..
So
she left a note on the kitchen counter that she had gone out on her
own for a while, but also with a reminder to the band to remember to
show up for tonights concert, before she took Gerdas car and drove to
the Sunset Valley Art Association... being the band member who is
most interested in art, she had of course heard of it, as it
apparently was quite the place back in the day...
Some
background history of the Sunset Valley Art Association.
Excerpt from Chapter 2.3 – Who wants to be a painter man? (First published Jan
2021 on the Sims Forums. Unpublished on the blog, as I have decided
it's not part of the main story).
They say there are no rules in art, and that there used to be
some wild parties here back in the day, believe it or not.
Particularly in the 1940s, perhaps as an after effect of having
recovered from The Great War and being able to enjoy freedom again.
It used to be a scene for rampant bohemianism. Funny herbs, woohoo
and rock music of the era were plentiful, often playing at full
volume until day break. Not unlikely that many children were
conceived at these
parties.
Picture:
Sunset Valley Art Association, established 1902. Image hosted on Flickr.
However, the
situation escalated in the early 1950s, when it began to attract a
much shadier crowd of organized criminals. These almost mob-like
hooligans sought influence in the clubs administration, and thus got
access to use it as a locale for their own illegal business.
Consequently the Art Association was shut down in the early spring of
1955 following a serious of police raids uncovering widespread use
and dealings of illegal substances and even what seemed like
organized courtesan activities occuring on the premises. It reopened
in 1956 under a new leadership appointed by the town council, and has
since cleaned up its act.
The bohemians are dead.
Long live the bohemians.
The perfect place for Kajsa, who didn't mind at all a little bit of
rebellious and anti-authoritarian behaviour...
Back
in the New Town Area the rest of the band was now awake and having
breakfast. They had found Kajsa note, and all agreed that she was
onto something... that it would probably do them good now to go to
each their own to get some time away from each other for a while..
Gerda had already decided to go to the nearby junkyard to look for
collectables...
Sam
decided to head downtown to the Amundsen and Co. Cartoon store, the
towns nerd hangout, to play some arcade games...
Merete
pointed her nose in the direction of the Åtindbugen Fisherman's huts
on the pier to do some fishing in the rain.. "The fish bites
better in the rain..." she told herself as she ran across the
wet sand..
At
the junkyard Gerda didn't excactly find a lot of treasure, just old
trash.. as well as catching a cold. The trash had a resell value of
20 simoleons. Not a lot, but it was something to cover atleast a part
of their gas expenses.. as it was raining and due to the cold she
didn't bother checking the dumpster and went back to the house to
rehearse the songs on guitar while staying warm and dry and hoping
for the cold to pass before tonights concert...
Sam
enjoyed his day at the arcade, and was being noticed by local
resident and aspiring politician Ingrid Kråkesen- Karlsen, who had
decided to skip work to play some games herself..
Kajsa
had found a stereo to do the smustle dance to her favourite classical
music, before starting a painting whom she thought might be their
next album cover – if she could make it good enough.
Merete had limited luck with the fish, as she only
caught what looked more like bait than an actual catch.. but she was
still satisfied considering how she was fishing without actually
using any bait. Merete caught three small anchovies and one jellyfish
which she sold for 26 simoleons.
Kajsa
finished her painting while being creepily watched by Inge Reppes
father Jarle, and decided it was much to amateurish to work as an
album cover and sold it for the grand price of 3 simoleons..
The
rain eventually cleared away and Merete didn't catch anymore fish,
but instead she noticed that she actually had a pretty nice view of
the town. In fair weather Sunset Valley was actually a pretty looking
place, she thought..
Kajsa
had ventured outside in the sunshine to pass her judgement on some of
the outdoor installations, when she was approached by Thornton Wolff
who wanted to take a picture. For some reason he wanted to take it in
the shadows and not in the sunlight, but nonetheless, Kajsa was more
than happy to pose for a shot. She hadn't gotten this kind of
recognition since.. well, she had never actually gotten this kind of
recognition. Was their hard work now finally starting to pay
off?
..and
then it was time for everyone to head to the venue to get ready for
the concert.. Sam didn't want to be late, because knew that Kajsa
would get mad with him if he did, so in due to time he went outside
to hop on his rental bike to head for tonights venue..
Kajsa
was as usual first on the scene to inspect the venue.. The local
"Garage Pub", which was one of two in the country, the
other one being in the city they had just left behind.. another
legendary rock club. "Hmm, this place doesn't look to bad"
she thought as she stood there for a while to gaze through the
windows. "I wonder where the stage is..."
The
Garage pub had two floors, with the ground floor being a pretty
standard bar type environment with the concert stage located in the
basement. In spite of trying to be there early, Sam was the last of
them to arrive as there was no sign of him yet when Gerda walked in
the door just in time to catch a glimpse of Merete heading down the
stairs..
- The Concert -
Downstairs
Merete had walked over to check out the stage. This would be their
last concert outside of their hometown before they would head back to
end the tour at the local autumn festival. Merete felt a little happy
that this journey would soon be over, but a little sad at the same
time.. This was their first tour, and what an experience it had been
with it's ups and downs and travelling from town to town. She had
gotten so much closer to her band members than she had been ever
before.. for better or for worse.. and she felt that they were much
more like a real band now.
Merete
and the others weren't aware of it yet, but outside there was already
a disorganized line of people waiting to see the show... they were no
longer that one local band who nobody outside their little hometown
had heard of or cared about.. She was pretty sure that this, all of
this, would be memories she would keep with her for the rest of her
life.. This was just the beginning for the band, and this concert was
the beginning of the end of this tour.. All good things eventually
come to an end, which just made it more clear to her now that she had
to really play her best this night. This was their last chance to
show to the outside world that they were The Bushweeds, and that they
had come to stay...
Time
to start the concert and kick some bottoms. ;) Now all they needed was
an audience.. even though the first floor was now pretty crowded,
people were a little slow to make it into the basement to watch the
show..
..but
eventually as they kept on playing their first listener showed up,
Narcissa Vatos, choosing to stand by the side of the stage instead of
in front of it..
..and
that proved true for most of the audience. "Peculiar",
Gerda thought, "maybe this is just how they watch concerts here
in Sunset Valley.. but atleast we got an audience,
finally!"
Some
things were just like home though, as there was always that one
person who had no respect for barriers and wanted to be as close to
the band as possible, here represented by Jamie
Jolina-Sekemoto.
..and
as anyone who has been to more than one concert in their life would
know (or going to the cinema, I mean, it's sometimes just the same
thing..), there always has to be some that has to stand or sit there
talking where others wants to listen and enjoy the show.. here again
represented by Pauline Wan-Goddard and Jamie. And we must not forget
the barfly who is just there to have a drink or five.. such as the
local jet fighter pilot Eivind Motorsen-Karlsen. ;)
And
last but not least, people taking pictures or filming the concert
ahead of them with their cellphones, viewing it all through a tiny
screen, instead of, you know, being present in the moment and
enjoying the show. ;)
But
the band didn't really care about that now, this was the biggest
audience they had ever played for, and if somebody filmed their show
to put it up on Simtube later, that would be even better.. more
publicity for the band!
..and
don't forget a few flirtatious nods to the gentlemen on first row.
"Well hello there.. like our music? ;) Then don't forget to buy
our merchandise and record – it's for sale at the bar!"
Oh
yes, what a perfect moment! Gerda felt really admired now.. this was
the last song of their concert, and finally she felt she had become
the star she had always wanted to be! What a rush, oh, she could feel
it tingling all over the place, so much so, she had to really focus
to stay grounded and make sure she didn't start playing the wrong
notes!
Their
concert was finished now, but she was enjoying this moment so much,
she just couldn't stop and had to give the audience a little extra by
bursting into an extra guitar solo while the rest of her band went
off stage to get paid and then spend the rest of the night partying
with their new fans and listeners..
- After the concert
-
Kajsa was just headed
over to the bartender to collect their money when she was stopped on
the way by Bella Høigaffel, descendant of towns local chess hero
H.K.H. Høigaffel, to have her picture taken, and of course Kajsa was
more than willing to strike a pose. There would be many more moments
like this during the night for all of the band
members...
For
this concert they were award another 2000 simoloens to split among
them, as well as 100 additional celebrity points for each band
member.
Then
the party was set to continue in the bar upstairs as everyone flocked
towards the one spiral staircase to leave the basement and the
concert venue. The bartender was really happy about the show – he
was convinced people in town would talk about this for atleast months
to come and that he would get an upper hand on his rival, "The
Prison Warden Pub" on the other side of town. ;)
- The snapshots
-
Local
police officer Amena Alnuman securing her photo of Gerda, while
simultaneously keeping an eye out the window for any criminals.
Leighton
Jolina-Sekemoto securing a photo of Sam upon learning that he has the
same name as his son.
Pauline
Wan-Goddard giving Merete some attention.. and so the night
continued, with cellphones being continuously raised and band members
asked to pose... over and over and over again..
It
wasn't just the band members getting attention, as a local bass
player, Elfrid Osnes, stole the show for the remainder of the night
and even impressed the band with her playing. Kajsa jokingly teased
Sam now that he had better step up his game, because if he didn't
they had already found a replacement. Sam knew that this wasn't
really true, and that it was just banter made for Elfrid to hear so
that she would feel good about her own playing. Sam was still atleast
two levels ahead of her when it came to musical skill...
The
Bushweeds was pretty much guarantueed already to come back and play
here whenever they wanted. The Garage pub had never been as crowded
as this before and had never seen a more lucrative night than this
one! There were people everywhere – in every corner of the bar,
dancing, eating, drinking, flirting, kissing, playing pool, arguing,
passing out, you name it.. there simply to much going on, literally,
to cover it all without making a seperate chapter for all of it, or
making this one to long, you'll just have to take my word for it..
....but
as always, all good nights come to an end, the bar closes and it's
time to go home and get some sleep..
..but
I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time this night, even those that
ended up passing out..
..but
for now it's bedtime for the band, because tomorrow begins their last
journey back home...
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