Week 26/Day 179 (Sunday)
Tao: A morning so sweet as this! My firstborn son, now a teenager, prepares to tackle the last teen career!
It seems like only yesterday that Kyle was here doing his homework for grade school, just a small lad!
So, how do you feel, Kyle? You’re a child no more!
Kyle: It’s pretty cool being almost the same height as everyone else, but why am I so skinny?
Tao: The very least of your worries, Kyle. Any more questions?
Kyle: Yes, Dad. I know that Mom, my siblings, and I all share your family name of Kaneda, but are you and Mom ever going to get married?
Tao: That’s kind of an odd story and I’ve been waiting to explain…. *sighs
Tao: Do you remember the time we went to dinner at Iyashi with Auntie Erika and Uncle Surfer Guy?
Kyle: Yes, of course! Mom came, too, then everyone came here later for ice cream.
Tao: Well, after the ice cream, I tried to propose to your mother but she went into a downstairs bathroom and didn’t come out.
She wasn’t even using the facilities! I don’t know what she was doing there.
Watchette and I must have waited for more than a sim-hour, but she just stood there. I really didn’t feel like proposing in a bathroom.
Kyle: So what happened?
Tao: Well, when she finally came out, I no longer felt like taking the chance to lead her somewhere flowery and fragrant for the proposal.
I proposed to her right there in that dark ole basement floor near the stairway. And there’s only one shot of that whole incident.
Kyle: Long story short, you and Mom are engaged?
Tao: Yes, son, we are.
Kyle: Cool, but the picture is…uh….okay, I guess.
It was so bad that I was too embarrassed to include it two updates ago. It only shows that I’m a horrible, impatient Watcher!
Tao: While Makoa and Jade are off working, Watchette makes sure to keep the rest of us unemployed folks productively occupied.
Meanwhile, Kyle sits in a comfortable chair in Makoa’s bedroom, reading skills books written long ago by founder Satoru Sanada—books on Mixology, Cooking, and Handiness.
Well, yes, the door’s locked and there’s nothing else to do in the room except sleep. That’s the whole point…no dropped queues!
Kyle will be out and ready to start mixing drinks very soon now!
Mitch: Notice the large, expensive wall-mounted TV that Go earned as a career reward from Startup Enterpreneur?
No? You don’t see it? That’s because Watchette put it away. *sniffle, sniffle
What’s a bro without his sports TV?
I didn’t mind you bros watching the sports channel, Mitch.
What bothers me is when I find the lot of you either Very Flirty or Very Playful from watching the romane or comedy channel.
Why can’t you all swim when you want to have fun? In the, you know, pool?
Tao: As you can see, Watchette’s patience grows shorter with us, just when we are once again stuck at home while Makoa and Jade work.
Although Sara and Mina have already maxed Wellness, Watchette has them in the yoga room with Mitch because it keeps those two busy.
Tao: Go has already maxed Wellness as well as a host of other skills, including Guitar.
Watchette lets him work on the Musical Genius aspiration in the hot tub room.
Tao: As for me, I’ve had it pretty nice!
Besides boosting my cooking skills and learning those new experimental dishes, I recently maxed DJing.
Today, I’m just working on my dancing skill. Life is good!
I have to say—it’s hard to stay focused on skilling when the sun feels so warm!
Kyle: To max the Barista career, I only needed to reach Level 2 Mixology.
I do that in one evening—what a breeze!
Day 180 (Thu)
Gned the Gnome: A very good morning to you, Kyle Kaneda!
Kyle: Hi, Gned! What’re you doing up so early in the morning today?
Tremain the Trashcan: You rushed off earlier at 5 a.m., so we didn’t get a chance to wish you good luck on your first day at your Barista job!
Kyle: Oh, thanks, Tremain! That’s awfully nice of you!
Mel the Mailbox: Well, of course, that is what we are here for! How was your first day of work, Kyle?
Kyle: To be honest, I’m not digging this hat much. But it’s all cool. I should be maxing this career around the middle of next week!
Working 5-7 am every weekday will get old fast!
Mel: And there he goes, the youngest member of the household! Off to his first day of high school!
Gned the Gnome: He certainly looks a lot like his father, Tao!
Tremain the Trashcan: Do you think Go Sanada will teach the young lad about the government’s special dispensation toward this household regarding school dress?
Ahem, that is, attending school shirtless?
Mel: After Kyle gets a little more fit, I certainly hope so! *Checks that Lei’s smartphone still has photo memory left…
Jade: I’m off today and Makoa doesn’t work until the afternoon, so I paint his portrat.
Mitch: To return the favor, I later paint a portrait of Jade.
Now there’s a portrait of everyone who has or will lift a career unlock for this challenge.
Everyone, I mean, except for Kyle. We’ve been waiting for him to age up!
Go: While Sara writes a Book of Life for Makoa and Mitch meditates, I sit down for lunch but it isn’t a pleasant meal.
Jade needs to stay positive for work, so I won’t stand Mina being mischievous or mean to our daughter.
Go: And you can bet your bottom dollar that Watchette won’t idly watch Mina insulting her favorite sim, either.
So…today, I built a special room for unruly sims. That is, one unruly sim in particular.
It contains only the basics, as you can see. Time outside “The Room” hinges on good behavior.
I don’t plan to use it much, but it’s there if needed.
*adds a Tragic Clown painting, just to be mean *cough
Day 181 (Fri)
Tao: Watchette put Go’s TV back up on the wall, saying she’s rewarding us for being productive.
Go and the Bros (including me) take the opportunity to enjoy a snowboarding tournament.
Tao: This shot’s pretty funny! Mitch has his body turned toward Sara to show he’s into the conversation.
But he occasionally steals glimpses of the snowboarding events on TV.
Kyle: I just learned to prepare gourmet cooking this afternoon, so I’m preparing a gourmet dish for dinner this evening.
I hope everyone will like my Chicken Saltimbocca!
Kyle: Yay! Look at Uncle Mitch’s smiling face! He’s my toughest critic and seems to be enjoying the meal!
Day 182 (Sat)
Mitch: When I spot Kyle’s twin brother Albert at the pirate gym, I go bring him home.
Tao and Kyle have been talking lately about wanting to age up Albert to a teen.
I bake a cake for Albert and Tao lights the birthday candles.
Kyle: Happy birthday, Albert! You are looking mighty fine, my fraternal twin!
Albert: Do you think people will still recognize that we’re brothers?
Tao: Hey, Albert! Take a picture with your old man on your birthday, okay?
Albert: Awww, Dad! I wish I ccould see you more often! You only visited once last week!
Can’t you invite me along for fishing and stuff when everyone’s not working?
Tao: After all this time, Sara is still absolutely crazy about Mitch. It’s pretty obvious she adores him, right?
Go: I envy Mitch because Sara is so loving!
Tao: And I envy Mitch because he gets to spend all day every day with his wife. I really miss Nana!
Kyle: Mixing bar drinks—it hardly seems like work, you know?
I earned an A grade at school on Friday and I’m less than half a tick from maxing the Barista career, which I intend to do Monday morning!
Life is fabulous!
Only, I’m just a teeny-tiny bit anxious that Watchette finds Albert cuter than me. Oh well, nothing I can do about that. *shrugs
Career recap
Makoa Kalani: Writer/Author, Level 7/10
Jade Sanada: Painter/Master of the Real, Level 6/10
Kyle Kaneda: Teen/Barista, Level 2/3
Author’s Note
I couldn’t fit this information into this update anywhere but I want to add it here before I forget.
When Kyle aged up to a teen, I looked at his Bodybuilder aspiration for the first time and it said:
Work Out for 8 Total Hours: 4/8
Actually, I had never had a teen with pre-existing workout hours before and I’m inclined to attribute it to the time that Tao spent coaching Kyle to swim.
If anyone tests this and discovers otherwise, please let me know. I’ll do the same (but in another challenge, obviously).
A big thank you to everyone for reading this silly story! *waves
oshizu's asylum 
Pingback: DD 5.42: Farewell to an Angel | oshizu's asylum