Author's Note: The Sims Creatives forum has started monthly story prompt challenges. This month the challenge is a story inspired by, or featuring, flowers. This is my story.
While this story does take place in the 'Wyrd'verse' it does not directly follow A Tartosan Wedding.
Flowers are Good - A Clay and Missy Adventure
It was his own fault really, Clay thought. After all, Missy was a beautiful, passionate young woman and he was just an ordinary middle-aged guy, working an ordinary office job. Honestly, he had no idea why she was with him, of all people. It didn't really surprise him that maybe she wanted a little excitement on the side. Still, she always came home to him. So, when she hadn't come home last night, it had hurt.
"I wasn't!" Missy insisted.
"I told you; I was coming home from the bar last night and suddenly there was this weird light," Missy said firmly. "They took me up in their spaceship and did all this... stuff!"
"Stuff? Really," Clay rolled his eyes.
"Not like that!" Missy cried. "They didn't... I mean, they did... but, like, in a doctor way not a sexy way."
"Missy," Clay started.
"Clay, I'm not lying!" Missy insisted.
"Missy just tell me who you were with," Clay demanded.
"I wasn't with anyone!" Missy cried.
"Like you weren't with Austin from next door?" Clay snapped. "Like you weren't with that weirdo Beardy Bill?"
"OK, yes! I did it with those guys and I lied to you about it," Missy cried, "but I stopped! I broke it off with Austin. You're the only guy for me now, Clay! And you don't believe me! You think I'm still lying!"
"Missy," Clay said, taking a deep breath. "Just..."
"No!" Missy shouted. "Forget it!"
OK... that went well, Clay thought after she'd stormed off.
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Clay slept in the spare room that night.
The next morning, he got up to an empty apartment. A hastily scrawled note on the fridge read:
Well, crap, Clay thought.
I need to think, Clay decided. He considered grabbing his fishing tackle and heading down to the river. Fishing always cleared his head. Then he imagined coming home and Missy being furious because after their big fight... and he wasn't kidding himself, this was a big fight... he'd just gone fishing like it was any other Saturday.
So, no fishing. Guess I'll just go for a walk.
Clay wasn't exactly a deep thinker. He considered himself a simple guy. He liked fishing, watching sports, having a good beer with friends, action movies. Above all, he liked Missy. He was, in fact, soppy, head-over-heels in love with her.
So, idiot, he thought, how are you going to work this out?
Looking up, he realized that his feet had taken him to the neighborhood community garden.
OK feet, he thought walking toward the greenhouse, I'm game.
"Hi, I'm Mandy. Can I help you with something?" The nice young woman asked.
"Well... uhhh... I guess," Clay said. "See, I had this big fight with my girl, and I was thinking maybe... flowers?"
"Thinking flowers is good," Mandy smiled. "Giving flowers is better. I could make you up a bouquet if you want."
"That would be great," Clay smiled.
"So, you want to talk about it?" Mandy asked as she started to arrange flowers. "The big fight?"
"No... no... thanks anyway," Clay said.
"OK," Mandy smiled.
"It's just she was out all night... and I'm sure she was with another guy," Clay explained.
"Oh," Mandy said.
"I mean, she's been with other guys before," Clay continued, "and I know I should be more upset about that... but I mean... she's younger than me and she's got all this energy and... well, she always comes back. I'm just a pathetic loser I guess."
"I don't think so," Mandy said as the bouquet took shape. "Sounds to me like you're a guy who understands her and trusts her. So, what happened? What makes this time different?"
"I guess part of it is her not coming home that night," Clay said. "Then there's this crazy story she told... she says she was abducted by aliens. I mean, aliens? Really?"
"You don't think she was?" Mandy asked.
"Come on," Clay scoffed. "Everyone knows there's no such thing as aliens."
"So, you think she's lying to you," Mandy said. "Was she up front about the other guys?"
"Well, no," Clay admitted. "I mean, I found out about it, but she didn't, like, come home and say 'hey honey, I banged our neighbor in the shower this afternoon. How was your day?'"
"Hmmm," Mandy said.
"I guess it's just..." Clay floundered, at a loss to explain his feelings. "I don't know. Like the thing with Austin, the neighbor guy. She told me he'd come over to use the shower 'cause his was broken. She just, didn't mention that she got in the shower with him and they... you know. I mean, I figured it out."
"So, the other times she just left part of the story off and this time you think she's making something up," Mandy offered. "Maybe you think, because she's making up a story, this time is different. More serious somehow."
"Yeah," Clay nodded.
"What if she's not making up a story?" Mandy asked.
"There's no such thing as aliens," Clay insisted.
"OK, maybe not," Mandy said calmly, "but what if it's something else. I mean, it sounds like you trust her. Yeah, you know she doesn't always tell you the whole story, but you trust that she loves you and... like you said... she always comes back. So maybe something weird really happened... maybe not aliens but something else she can't explain any other way."
"... and she just wants me to trust her," Clay said. "Like I always do."
"Flowers are good," Mandy said, looking at the finished bouquet. "Trust is better."
"Thanks," Clay said. "So, what do I owe you... for the flowers?"
"On the house," Mandy said. "I'm new at this. I need the practice."
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Walking back to the apartment, Missy wondered what she was going to do. Annie was right, she'd brought this on herself. She hadn't really taken her relationship with Clay seriously at first. He'd been so nice, and she liked hanging out with him, but she'd let herself get swept up with things.
Like that thing with Bill. That was just... well, crazy... but there had been something so primal about him. It had just pulled her in and, if she was honest with herself, she'd wanted to know what that wild and primal fling would be like.
Austin had been charming, and cute, but it had never been anything serious. Honestly, it had been when he started talking seriously about 'them' as if it was more than just a fling that she'd realized that it was Clay, not Austin, she wanted to be serious about.
So, she'd decided to be serious. She wasn't fooling around with other guys anymore. Clay was her guy... and now he didn't trust her.
OK, so the aliens thing was a little unbelievable... but it was true, damn it. Why wouldn't he believe her? Had she ruined everything before it even started?
"Clay, I..." Missy started.
"Missy, I'm sorry," Clay said, holding out a big, wrapped box.
"No, I'm..." Missy tried to interrupt.
"Let me," Clay insisted. "Missy, I'm sorry. I should have believed you. I mean, I really don't believe in aliens... but I believe in you. So, if you say something weird happened, then something weird happened. Are you OK? I mean..."
"I'm OK," Missy said, her eyes welling up. "I'm fantastic."
"I love you," Missy sighed as they kissed. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
"I love you," Clay smiled.
"The flowers are good, too," Missy grinned.