Brianna Chalmers-Barillas-Chapter 10-While one ends another begins.

Brianna (41), Widow of Neal Chalmers,
Children: Taylor (13), Isaiah (11) Samira (5)

Narrated by Brianna

Thanks to my job as a judge I can do a lot of my work at home now. I have been in this field for so many years that I can predict the outcome of any case before they even plead it. This is why now I request for opening statements emailed to me at home. It saves both me and the city money.

After I do a few hours I head down to get dinner ready for the kids. They sure are growing up fast and I love seeing how they all seem to get along.

The one thing that they don't do is help me clean. It seems that every time I turn around there is a bigger mess waiting to be cleaned up.

The kitchen is the worse. There are sticky fingers everywhere. I have to get the kids to start helping me clean because this is getting ridiculous.

Orlando and I are still seeing each other. We try to get lunch at least three times a week when our schedules permit. Right now he is getting ready to travel so we know its going to be a while before we talk again.

When he is here we spend time together and talk about everything under the sun. There are times when even we have nothing to say so we just eat and enjoy each other's company. I guess this is better that being alone after Neal's death.

Orlando tries to understand my new job routine but he just does not get it. He says this is the reason why he loves being a lawyer for a sports team than a judge. Before long he was due to travel yet again with his team.

Taylor has been getting what seems like a dozen phone calls or more a day. Thank God that I have a cellphone otherwise I would be phoneless. She asked for a cellphone but my answer was no. She is too young and besides she can stand there and talk where I can listen. If she does not like it then she better stick to email.

Taylor insisted that we should go bowling. It was to the point that I was going to just take her and drop her off but decided against it. I thought it would be a great idea for all of us to go and enjoy our time as a family. With all of them getting older, these moments are going to disappear.

I was shocked when Isaiah told me that he saw Orlando. He was supposed to be on a business trip not here in Viramontes bowling alley. Sure enough I turned around and there he was. He looked more shocked than anything that we were there. For a minute I thought that he was on a date and for one split second I found myself happy about it.

He looked embarrassed and ashamed of being "caught" but in the end he was not on a date. He was there to blow off some steam from his recent business trip. I suggested we go and sit down and let the kids do some bowling.

We sat where we could see the kids. Orlando started by explaining why he was there and I told him to stop. I did not need to know why he was there. We were dating. We were not exclusive and honestly if he was there with another woman it was fine.

I asked him if he was happy and he told me that we were OK. I never thought that the past between Orlando and I would make our present dating scenario "OK". It started off blazing hot but now there was not even one spark. We had not slept together because I still love Neil. I know I should give Orlando more time but frankly I felt we were wasting each others time.

Orlando was shy at first but eventually he too told me that he did not feel any sparks for me either. We both laughed and wondered why we had not ended this poor excuse of a "relationship" . We both sighed and decided to cool off and maybe in the future we could go out as pure friends.

He got up to leave and we hugged. Gone again was the boy the only other boy I had been with besides my deceased husband. Our time had passed and when we had the chance we did not take it. Now we would say good bye. At least it was a pleasant good bye rather than a blown out argument.

Taylor asked what happened and I told her the censored version. She is my daughter not my best friend and there are things best kept to myself.

We enjoyed the rest of the night. Even though Taylor tried to act like she did not know me when I began to Karaoke.

**********

After a couple of weeks, I found out why Taylor was so insistent to go bowling. Her friend and who I believe is a love interest Irfan works there. He came over the house I met him and he seemed nice. I thought to myself .... let the dating and headaches begin. Taylor was now 15 and she did not hesitate to remind me that I promised she could start dating at 15.

The dates were here at home but Isaiah made sure that they kept things clean. Poor Taylor hated the fact that Isaiah was around all the time. I myself loved the extra security help/

I know that they had their first kiss.

How do I know? Because Isaiah saw it and literally ran to tell me. I thanked him and Samira and I laughed when Isaiah realized that he had left Taylor and Irfan alone.

That night Samira asked if Irfan and Taylor were now soul mates. I have no idea where she got this from but I told her to ask Taylor herself. Where did this little girl pick up that term?

When we all went to bed I went and talked to Taylor. She rolled her eyes...but I still sat down and we talked. I talked to her about dating, boys and sex. She blushed when I mentioned sex but I did not want my daughter not being informed. At the end of our talk I told her that I was there if she needed me but that I was always watching. She could dislike me all she wanted but one day she would be in my shoes. These are the times when I miss Neal the most.

Author's note:
Whew sorry for the long post. Brianna and Orlando had NO wants for each other. It was like if they were just friends and nothing more. The backstory between Orlando and Brianna is that they did "date" while Brianna and Neal had separated. Brianna and Neal were high school sweethearts that once they got to college decided it was not enough.
You can read her first post here Brianna chapter 2..this is when I first began blogging my sim stories outside of the sims2.com website
-- I am also trying to have my teen sims have love interest. I get so involved with the adults, and their babies that I forget the teens. Hopefully Taylor and Irfan (a townie) will last. We shall see.