Author’s Note: If you would like to read previous chapters of “Old Stone,” you can find them here:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
The characters are as follows:
Vera Rose – mother
Erin Rose – 17 year old, daughter and oldest sister
Charlie Rose – 14 year old, daughter and middle sister
Kyree Rose – 10 year old, daughter and youngest sister
Tobin Lindor – old friend of Vera’s
I hope you will enjoy the story…
POV: Erin Rose, 17 years old
We felt pretty glum about not being able to send Charlie to summer camp with her friends, despite all the sewing we did. It didn’t seem fair to work so hard for nothing.
One morning, when I came down for breakfast, I was almost to the kitchen when something grabbed my eye. Turning around slowly, I realized there was a vast space where the room partition had been. You know, the one with the fancy ladies that Daddy had given Mama as a wedding present.
I stood there, my chin hitting the floor, trying to comprehend what I was not seeing.
Putting my hand to my mouth in shock, I could hear Mama upstairs singing along to a song on the radio with her scratchy voice as she swept the floor.
“Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.”
When I was a child, I thought we was singing, “Bringing in the cheese” in church. It wasn’t until I could read the words in the hymnal that I knew it was really “Bringing in the sheaves.” Either way, I still didn’t know what the hymn meant.
But that didn’t matter now. Horror built up in my chest, making it feel like it would explode when I realized what must have happened. Mama was all the way through the first chorus and starting the second verse when I started screaming. “Mama, Mama, we been robbed!”
I heard a clattering upstairs and knew it was Mama throwing down the broom, then clambering for the stairs, which she ran down faster than small-town gossip. It’s a wonder she didn’t break her neck.
“Erin, what’s happening? Why are you yelling like that?”
Tears filled my eyes as I frantically pointed to the space where the fancy ladies had once danced on the screen.
Mama’s mouth turned down at the corners, and her hands went to her hips. “Is that all?”
“It’s-it’s gone!” I stammered.
“Of course it’s gone. I sold it to Mr. Lindor. He gave me five hundred dollars for the stupid thing.”
Could my mouth open any wider? “You sold it?”
Mama sighed loudly. “Of course, I sold it. Did you hear how much he paid for it? I didn’t think that piece of junk was worth spit. The good news is, we have more than enough to send Charlie to that summer camp she has her hat set on.”
I stared at her dumbly, my brain skipping like a broken record. “You sold it?”
Mama’s patience had plumb worn out and her voice became harsh. “I can explain this to you, but I can’t understand it for you. Are you all right? What’s the matter?”
The tears that welled up in my eyes rolled down my cheeks now. “What’s the matter?” I was openly crying now, wiping my face on my nightgown sleeve. “Daddy gave that to you! It-it was your wedding gift!”
Mama rolled her eyes, looking a lot like Charlie when she did it. “That sentimental heart of yours will be the ruin of you, Erin. You know as well as I do how much I despised that dumb thing.”
It wasn’t dumb, I wanted to argue. It was all we had of Daddy. But I knew it was no use. At the time, I didn’t know what she meant about my sentimental heart, but the way she said it made it sound like a terrible thing.
Later, I found out Mr. Tobin Lindor, Daddy’s old friend from childhood, had made a fortune one way or another and he ran a ranch down yonder a ways. He seemed to have completely won over Charlie and Kyree, but he didn’t fool me one bit.
Sure, he was nice to your face, but then he came calling on my mama and even took Daddy’s room partition away from us. He knew we needed the money for Charlie to go to camp, and I just knew Mama never would have sold it to him if he hadn’t held that over her head.
Maybe I had a sentimental heart. In my book, that was miles better than the kind of heart Mama had.
POV: Charlie Rose, 14 years old
Something had changed at home in a big way since I got back from camp. Summer was coming to a close and no matter what I tried, Erin was like a lump on a log. I wanted to tell her all about camp, but she was never listening. Instead, she sat there looking like she lost her last friend. I prodded and pried, but she wouldn’t tell me why she and Mama were at odds.
I knew about the screen Mama sold to Mr. Lindor, but I didn’t see a reason to be hurt about it, if that’s what was bothering her. Mama knew best how to run things, that’s why she was in charge. And, well, she was the mama. I’d hate to see what became of us if Erin was in charge.
About Mr. Lindor: even though he was openly calling on Mama, she still insisted we call him “Mr. Lindor.” She said it was unseemly for children to use his first name. Would it still be that way if he and Mama got married one day? That would be weird to call my step-father “Mr. Lindor.”
As far as Mama and Mr. Lindor went, I hoped with all my heart they’d get hitched. He was so rich, he had way more than he could ever say grace over. Why, I’d be able to wear fine clothes and eat ice cream every day! That didn’t sound bad to me at all.
When I told Erin my thoughts on this, she’d scowled and said, “Don’t be so dang greedy!”
“I ain’t greedy. I’m sick to death of being poor.”
Because Fall was on its way, Mama decided this year, she wouldn’t hire the man she usually did to drive the tractor for hayrides. Mr. Lindor said he’d happily do it. This seemed to make Mama real happy. Erin still had her tail up, though.
When Mr. Lindor came over to familiarize himself with the old, red tractor, he grinned and said, “Why don’t you girls hop aboard? You’ll be the first to ride this year, and you can give me advice on which way’s best.”
“I’ll give you advice,” Erin said under her breath.
Mama glared at her, not because she knew what Erin had muttered, but because she knew Erin was acting salty toward Mr. Lindor. If she’d known what came out of Erin’s mouth, I’m sure she would’ve said something. Instead, she chose to ignore it. Mama had a lot of patience.
“All aboard!” Mr. Lindor called, making Kyree and me giggle.
I tried to get Mama to join us for some fun, but before she could climb aboard, Erin grabbed Kyree and sat her between us with a plop.
There was still room for Mama, but Erin said, “We’re ready to go!”
“All righty,” he said, his voice always good natured.
Off we went, with Mama waving at us, and yelling, “Kyree, don’t you dare try something stupid like jumping off of there!”
“I won’t, Mama!” And from that point on, Kyree chattered away, pointing out things here and there that I mostly ignored.
That’s what you do when Kyree keeps on talking like that. I’m surprised her tongue isn’t plumb tuckered.
POV: Erin Rose, 17 years old
As far as I was concerned, both Mama and Mr. Linder were about as welcome on our hayride as a skunk at a lawn party. From where I was seated, I craned my neck to get a view of his hair.
Knowing it was rude didn’t stop me from wondering how he held his toupée on in the breeze driving the tractor had caused. Had he forgotten to put his hat back on, or was that on purpose? Was it the hat that prevented it from flying away? I’m sure there was a bird out there that would love to find and make a nest out of his fake hair.
Turning back around, a pang of guilt speared my heart when I saw Mama was still waving at us.
That had been mean of me to stop her from climbing aboard. Here we were in a pleasant breeze, while Mama was back there, probably feeling hot and sticky. Summer was ending, but around here, it never got real cold.
I couldn’t help but notice how unhappy Mama looked.
Then, I remembered how mad I was at her and this man who’d taken my daddy’s room partition and probably sold it for even more than he’d paid Mama. I knew how that sort of thing worked out. We had a pawnshop in town, and most folks talked bad about the people who owned it.
I jutted my chin out and clamped my mouth shut, probably looking a lot like Mama did when she was put out.
Glancing down at Kyree, who was talking a mile a minute to no one in particular, a small smile came to my lips. Ever since Mama got her a costume for Halloween, she was hard pressed to remove it.
She also insisted we address her as “Sheriff Rose.” The pink hat and pink cowboy boots stuck out like a sore thumb, but she was happy and that’s what mattered.
Once we’d all gotten our costumes together, we stood in the living room, admiring one another.
Mama, of course, dressed without any imagination whatsoever. She was a farmer. It looked like she’d made her skirt out of a table cloth.
Charlie was obviously a huge, white rabbit, complete with a little bunny tail on the back.
And, of course, there was little Kyree Sheriff Rose.
I was a fortune teller. Literally. The entire senior class at my school was working at the Fall Festival because of a fundraiser we were doing to raise money for the old folks’ home.
The thought of speaking to any of my classmates, let alone the adults, freaked me out. It was a terrifying thought that they should even notice me. But I’d been wrangled into it, so I’d give it my all.
How was I to know what would happen?
Bonus Pic Behind the Scenes!
Kyree is a hoot! She has requested to visit the graveyard during a full moon! She is a girl after my own heart. Hopefully, the zombies and/or ghosts don’t get her! 😀 And hopefully, she can manage this without getting busted by the police for breaking curfew.
As you can see, the family farm has become quite lucrative and the family is rather well off.
Blooper Pics!
Charlie did not enjoy the hayride one bit. haha
Turns out, Erin didn’t like it either. They look like they belong in a horror movie.
Kyree was the only one having fun during this scene. lol
Special thanks to Bee (Stories by Bee / Poses by Bee) for editing this story.
Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting! I hope you have a terrific weekend!
Credits:
World: You can purchase Hidden Springs from EA for $19.99 HERE
Lot: You can purchase Grandpa’s Grove from EA for 1,710 SimPoints HERE
Sewing Machine Mod: TS2 > TS3 Functional Sewing table [BETA V2.0.0]
Premium Content: You can purchase the Milkin’ it Dairy Corral from EA for 495 SimPoints HERE; You can purchase the Fowl And Feathers Chicken Coop from EA for 456 SimPoints HERE; The Punjab Partition (from the Dreams of India – 1,550 SimPoints – set) can be purchased for 28 SimPoins HERE.
The Sims games © EA, created by Maxis.
Citations:
1. Dingus, A. (1994, December 1). More colorful Texas sayings than you can shake a stick at. Texas Monthly. https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/more-colorful-texas-sayings-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at/
2. Shaw, Knowles. (1980). Hymns of faith 463. sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness. Hymns of Faith 463. Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness | Hymnary.org. https://hymnary.org/hymn/HHOF1980/463
© 2023 Copyright | KL Hawke & booomcha.com | All Rights Reserved.
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I understand the suspicion and I understand the ned for wanting momma to marry him so they can have money. But I need him to make sure his little wig is on right! LOLOLOL
Oh how I love your stories.
LOL! I just almost spit my coffee out! haha
Thank you so much, I’m so glad. 😀
LOLOLOLOL! I laughed so hard when I came to that part in your story. I can picture his little wig flapping in the wind.
LOL I’m so glad. My work here is done. hahaha 😀
That’s what I pictured, too! LMBO
LOL! So great!
Girl Kymber, you had me rolling on floor with these lines Erin said:
“I thought we was singing, “Bringing in the cheese” in church.”
“…she ran down faster than small-town gossip.”
“As far as I was concerned, both Mama and Mr. Linder were about as welcome on our hayride as a skunk at a lawn party.“
🤣😜😂 Too hilarious! Obviously Erin is not a fan of Mr. Lindor and I can understand why she is suspicious of him. WOW! What a delightful episode chickiepie! 😎💖🎃
LOL I’m so glad I had you laughing. My work here is done. LOLOL😂
You’re right about Erin and her feelings about Mr. Lindor. I hope you will enjoy the next installment, too. 😀
Girl Kymber, your creativity and humor simply knock me off my feet! 👣 I love the entertainment you inject in your storylines! Bravo kiddo! 👏🏼🥳💖🥰💐😍✨
LOL Thank you so much, chickie. 🤍🌺
Always my pleasure Kymber. ChickiePotPie? I’m still rolling over on the floor and in the bathtub laughing at that one! 😂😝🤣
LOLOLOL I don’t know what comes over me sometimes, but I’m sure there’s more where that came from. LOL 🤍🌺😂🤣😜
Oh honey, that’s the creative writer and “comic” in you. You can’t help it. 🤣 That’s what adds so much life to your stories Queen SimLit. 🎭👑👸🏻
LOL I just think you’re the sweetest. 🤍🌺
Awwww Kymber…don’t forget you are too sweetie pie (that goes with the ChickiePotPie!) 🤣😱😂
LOL I think I might’ve just called you ChickieAlfredo in a different comment. 😘❌⭕😂🤣😱😜
Oh no, not the ChickieAlfredo? Only with 4 types of cheese please! LMBO! 🤣😱😲😜😂
Hahahahaha! Right on! 😀 😜😂😜😂
Just love the bloopers!
LOL Thank you. It took a while to get usable pictures. haha
This makes me so glad my kids are grown. They thank me for being tough and fair–like your Mama sounds! It’s a difficult job.
Thank you, Jacqui. I bet you’ve been a wonderful mom! 🤍🌺 I’m an empty-nester, too, but I remember those teen years that were oh, so hard. lol
I feel kinda sorry for Erin, but she went a little over the top over the room partition. I get where she’s coming from. She misses her father and to her, that is the only thing left of him that they had. Adulting is hard and sometimes you have to make hard choices to help someone or yourself. I hope she can get past this and this doesn’t fester into a bigger wound that will do some real damage to her relationship with her mother. Tobin seems pretty nice, at least so far. Hopefully, he has pure motives, and sincerely cares for the family. All in all, the family seems to be doing great. I was laughing so hard at the blooper pictures. Silly Sims! And OMG, the graveyard during the full moon. It seems all my Sims get that request. I’m sitting here howling because as I was dictating the comment and the hubs heard the part about the graveyard, he started howling like a werewolf. LMAO!!!!! This was a great chapter, my friend, and I so look forward to more. 😍🤗😃🦋
Hi, Nise! I’m glad you don’t see Vera as a villain here. I think both she and Erin are right to feel the way they do about the screen. And you’re right, adulting is hard. And sometimes unfair. I can see how that may happen with Erin, but let’s hope not. It’s not worth wrecking her relationship with Vera over.
I can’t wait to show more from maybe Vera’s POV regarding Tobin? What do you think? Having her POV might make her character more understandable, too.
Silly sims is right! When they had their mouths hanging open like that, I was laughing so hard. It was hard to get decent pics while they carried on like that! 😂
Your hubs is so funny! Sounds like something mine would do, too. Every October, he changes his notification sound on his phone to a werewolf. You should see people’s expressions when it goes off wherever we’re at. lol
I’m glad you liked the chapter. 🤍🌺
Hiya, Kymber! 🙂 I just couldn’t see Vera as a villain. It gave me a bit of a turn to see the screen gone, but I figured she’d find a way, come hell or high water, to send Charlie to camp. I’ll admit that Vera is hard to figure out sometimes; she’s a complex character. Like, did she reallky hate the screen so much, or did she simply put on the it’s-no-big-deal thing because making her daughter’s dfream come true was more important than an object? It’s hard, though, when ou do have a sentimental heart. I speak from experience. LOL! I tend to care too much and that can lead to the blues quite often.
Oh yeah, that’s a great idea. It’s always good to get a better understanding of a character and why they do certain things.
Oh, I can imagine! I’d have been busting a gut, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyonbe look like that on a hay ride. LOLOL!! You know, I forgot about that tractor. I have the Grandpa’s Grove set but can count on one hand the times I’ve used the tractor. It’s a great piece of content, though, for those huge gardens and fields to harvest.
LOLOLOL!!! He does have his moments. It’s hilarious when he gets into one of his silly moods. It doesn’t take long for a silly mood to strike me, so when it hits him, it’s contagious. Then, we’re usually in stitches and can’t stop for quite a while. OMG, that is so funny what your hubs does. I can imagine the looks he gets, and that eggs him on more, I’m sure. 😀 Sometimes you just gotta love playing with people’s minds. LOLOLOL!!!
I sure did and can’t wait to see more. 🙂
I love your questions about Vera and the screen, Nise. And I’m so glad you see her as complex. I’m really trying to take my time with this story so I can eventually show the different facets of the characters.
I definitely know what you mean as I have a sentimental heart, too. It means you get hurt.
IKR? I’ve never had that happen with the hayride before! I was completely shocked, and then getting decent pics where they weren’t being so absurd was hard. haha I love using the tractor. It sure saves a lot of time with the orchards and gardens.
It is definitely contagious! haha I’m grinning just thinking about it. lol
He does get quite the looks. It’s hilarious. Especially if you’re in the quiet waiting room at a doctor’s office. Oh the looks are soooo funny! Most people laugh.
I’m so glad. Thanks again, my friend.
Awww, thanks, Kymber. 🙂 I like to think through several different angles. Rarely are things black and white. Plus, once a deed is done, there is no going back. It felt to me like Vera was taking on an attitude of “Don’t sweat tthe small stuff.”
I love exploring different facets of characters. It always annoys me when a character is just a one-dimensional “paper person,” For me, character development and growth/evolution is key and if you don’t have that, you’re going down a one way street to Trainwreck City. Sometimes I worry about that in my own writing, as I’ve always prided myself on how I develop my characters.
Oh, I know that all too well. You’d think I’d learn my lesson by now but being an empath, it’s impossible for me not to care. Sadly, my heart has cracked a number of times.
Hahahaha!! Now you’ve got me wanting to make a family of grumpy cowards and make them do a hayride. It’s definitely hard getting screenshots when you’re laughing so hard., I’ve had to pause the game and let it sit until I could quit hooting. LOLOL!! I totally agree about the tractor saving oodles of time with the gardens and orchards. Unless you used magical means or a Mod, that tractor would be a must in that kind of situation.
IKR? And once the contagion takes hold, it’s hard to stop. Like, when I get to laughing super hard AND loud, I snort. That usually cracks others up, which makes me laugh even harder, therefore producing more snorts. You just feed off each other, and you get pandamonium. LOLOL!!! Geez! Can you imagine us on the phone together. I think we’d be doing more cackling than talking, 😀 😀
Oh yeah, that would be sooo hilarious! I told my hubs about what yours dones, and he started laughing. It wold sure liven up a solemn doctor’s office for sure. One time, he had me laughing while we were in one of the exam rooms. The doc came in and said, “Looks like it’s party time.” I busted a gut and couldn’t quit. Heck, I’ve laughed so hard at times, I gave myself an asthma attack. Sheesh!
Yep, keep ’em coming. I can’t wait to see how al lthis turns out.
I think that speaks volumes about what type of writer you are that you care so much for your characters and how they’re perceived. I feel exactly the same way. They must each have their own stories, their own quirks and ways of thinking.
Yes! If you make that grumpy family, let me know how the hayride goes for them. I need pics, Nise! Pics! LOLOLOL
That’s funny about the laughter. I know how that is. We’d be so funny if we were in the same room together. LMBO
No asthma attacks, but yes to laughter! lol
I’m so glad. 🤍🌺
Thank you so much! I don’t get how you can’t not care about your characters. I probably care too much, but better that than not enough. I know we have to beat up on them to get a good story, but man, it’s hard. It can be emotionally draining. You are so correct. They each need to have their own personalities, quirks, and things that make them tick. sigh I just wish my traffic wasn’t so dang depressing. I work so hard to put out good content but I think I have all of three readers. Sheesh.
LOLOLOL!!!! Oh, don’t you worry! There will be pics and lots of them. I’ve never made a grumpy, cowardly family before, but I’m sitting here cracking up about it now.
Tell me about it! I think our husband would think we have gone Loco. LMAO! We would have so much fun together though. I totally agree, no asthma attacks, but laughter and lots of it. 🤪🤪
I totally agree with you about how important it is to care about your characters; even the ones you might deem less important. Emotionally draining is right. You definitely deserve more attention, I agree with you there.
That will be too funny!
We sure would, that’s true. xoxo
It is a great story and it helps to clearly divide up the different points of view. Erin is having a hard time but it seems alright.
Thank you, Thomas, so much. 🙂 I’m glad you like how I organized the POV’s. Erin will probably be okay.
Probably. 😂
Seems like thing may be looking ip for the family. So far, Mr. Lindor seems like a nice guy who really cares for mom and the kids. But kids can be perceptive. Maybe there’s something brewing here. The story contin u e s …
Thank you, JC. I think things are looking up, too. I also think you’re right about Mr. Lindor; let’s hope so, anyway. You’re right about kids and how they can be perceptive. More on this in the near future. 😀
Lots of changes happening for this little family. I am loving this story, Kymber!
Thank you so much, Jan. You don’t know how your opinion of my story warms my heart. 🤍🌺
Bringing in the cheese is a good one. An excellent chapter, Kymber. Hope we find out why Mama is so unhappy.
True story, John. LOL 😂 Only it was the song they always sang on Little House on the Prairie which was always on at our house growing up (I want to say it was on Monday nights, but I’m not completely sure about that). 😀
We’ll find out in the near future all about Mama.
😁
What a great chapter! I’m having cheese tacos for lunch!
Darn it! I’m a day late! Was going to ask how the cheese tacos were, and if you deliver! haha 😂 I’d best take a look at Door Dash. lol
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chapter. 🙂
“Bringing in the cheese” that’s too cute. That would be have been me as a child, imagination running wild, but always close to the pantry.
LOL I’m glad you liked that. I think our imaginations are similar. LOL 😀
“Bringing in the cheese” LOL, I bet most kids thought this when they were young.
I have to say I’m suspicious of Mr Lindor and I hope he has good intentions. My first thought when reading she had sold the divider was she is a no nonsense, way too practical person to let sentiment affect how she gets through life. Especially when she made the comment to Erin about letting her emotions direct her life essentially. However, she did what she had to for the happiness of her child, while worrying about the future of her other. She may be right about Erin, on a practical level LOL
Thank you, Bee. 🤍🌺 They may have, I can’t be the only one. LOL
It’s interesting you’re suspicious of Mr. Lindor. Let’s hope he’s a good guy… but you know me well which is probably why you’re so suspicious about him. LOL
Yes, I think you’re right about Vera; she’s no-nonsense and purely practical. And I like what you said there about Vera inferring Erin lets her emotions control her.
But you are right, she did what needed to be done in order to make one of her children happy. If my child had taken initiative and worked for so long both on the farm and sewing on the side, it would be difficult for me not to reward that as best I could.
And worrying about the future of the other who is about to leave the nest; so true.
She just might be! LOL 😂