A Fresh Start

16 Puddlewick Drive... also known as home. With its family-friendly layout and cute white trim, it would be virtually impossible for a sim to not fall in love with this home at first sight.

Unless, of course, that sim were Moe Pesce.

"I'm not so sure about this." Moe's deep voice was filled with skepticism and doubt, and for a brief minute Jane was filled with guilt. It had been her idea to move here, after all, and he'd had a certain amount of resistance toward the idea. She'd had to use all of the tricks in her repertoire to convince him, and a good deal of those conversations had taken place when she could be certain he'd be in a more... cheerful disposition. But she couldn't really feel too guilty about it. Moving here had been important to her; she wanted it to be important to him as well. And after he got over his initial reluctance, she was sure he'd enjoy it as much as she did.

"Moe, just give it a chance. I'm sure Twinbrook will be amazing... can't you picture Sophie and Ethan riding their bikes down this street? Look at how many kids their age live here! It'll be great!," she assured, her enthusiasm a little too obvious to be genuine. Moe nodded absent-mindedly, heading inside to set Ethan down in his high chair. He was far from convinced, but if it meant that much to his wife, he'd give it a try.

"Besides," Jane continued. "I hear they have great fishing here!" Her enthusiasm was nothing if not persistent, and Moe managed a slight smile.

"That's better." His wife smiled back at him, smoothing his hair out of his face. "And I'm glad to see you're happier about things now, because it looks like Ethan's already getting settled in his new home."

"... Perfect."

---

Despite the initial hiccups, the Pesces' transition to Twinbrook seemed to go fairly smoothly.

Jane was hired as the head of the English department at Stary Community School...

While Moe spent his days driving down to the pond and fishing.

Thanks to his open work hours, he was able to watch the kids while Jane was at work, a solution that seemed to please everyone involved. Their life in Twinbrook began to take on a simple daily routine that was almost effortless.

In the mornings, Moe would make breakfast, while Jane tried to get the children dressed and fed. They'd learned early on that having twin toddlers meant waking up several hours earlier than they'd planned.

As much as Jane hated to leave her children at home, her love of her career was almost equally strong. Every morning, she kissed her toddlers goodbye and left them in the capable hands of their father.

And as soon as Jane arrived home, Moe would take off for an hour or two of fishing.

And in this way, the first few weeks of their new lives in Twinbrooks passed idyllically. If you'd asked any of the Pesces, they would have insisted that there was nothing that could make their lives more perfect. Even Moe had grown accustomed to the transition.

Even so, there was a feeling that he couldn't quite shake... almost as if someone were watching him. He told himself he was just being paranoid, and that it was just the stress of all of this change....

Or was it?

Posted in: chapter 1, story