The Hutchins and Mojica Renovacy Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Getting Even This is Mmdrgntobldrgn's renovacy - the link to the back story is here:
http://mamadragonssims.weebly.com/renovation-challenges/hutchins-and-mojica-renovation-challenge
And the download for the lot is here:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9190694

Emptying stinky potties! Regina turned her face away and held her nose in disgust. But Viriato had her over a barrel. His threat to splurge what he thought she was like on line…she couldn’t risk that. And then the idea came to her, just as she was putting the rubbish in the bin. She’d go on line first! She’d write a blog, tell the story, tell the truth. She’d portray herself as she really was, and not the wicked witch Viriato thought she was. First to take some carefully edited photographs, and then she’d start writing. "Hard to believe that this is the same sea that was so destructive last night. But these rocks aren’t normally as pale as this. That’s salt on them – the waves were that high!”
Regina paused to think, and then typed on.
“You’ve probably seen on the news about that out-of-control tanker that was swept into the road bridge during the storm, damaging it so severely. The coastguard got nearly all the crew off just before the tanker exploded, but three men died and the bridge is down across two spans. They’re talking five years to repair it. So we’re going to have to change our plans somewhat.”
She thought again. What reason could she give for staying? And then a snippet of conversation she’d heard from the children came back to mind.
“With no road bridge, but only the weekly ferry, house prices are taking a huge slide, so selling’s not going to be as easy as we’d hoped…” “This is Eugenio – bright as a button and as cute as anything. I think his hair’s just about to start coming in now – funny how some children are later than others. He’s going to grow up thinking living on an island is normal.” “And this is our orchard…” No. That picture wouldn’t do, not with those weeds under the trees. Sighing, Regina checked on the children and then set out to attack the weeds, digging them up thoroughly by the roots. She didn’t want to have to do this twice! “And this is our orchard.” She began again, carefully angling the shot to suggest that the surrounding land was theirs as well. “It’s a little run-down at the moment, but with a bit of work it’ll be looking as good as it ever did. And profitable, of course – I want these children to have a good inheritance.” She thought about writing “these dear children”, but decided it sounded a bit soppy.
“It’s what my sister would have wanted for them.” She’d get away with that nicely – and it hinted at her own grief, bravely borne.
“And when the road bridge is rebuilt, and house prices go up, then we can see about selling it and moving back to the mainland.” Regina carried on with her blog as the year went on.
“It’s Autumn now, and as you can see, the new fencing is going up.” No need to say that this was all they could afford to put up for now.
“Deer are beautiful, but we’re not here to provide free food for them. We need it!” And that was another thing she could post on her blog! Food! She’d once written a cookery book, and small royalties still came in from it, though nothing like as much as they needed.
Fortunately, Regina was a really good cook. Delicious meals appeared regularly, both on the table and on her blog. If at all possible, she photographed the plants the ingredients had come from too. But never herself. She wasn’t going to have anyone seeing her looking like this, dressed like this. Regina photographed things from the best and most beautiful angles she could find, always, always hiding their desperate (by her standards) poverty, the hand to mouth existence they were currently living. The children were permanently tired and so was she. And she couldn’t ignore the weight she was beginning to put on any longer. Viriato was the first to notice. After all, she saw no-one else, stuck in with the children all day long.
“You’re pregnant.” And he was the oldest – he’d been around for the rest of Aurora’s pregnancies.
Suddenly, he was concerned for this irritating aunt of his, and her unborn baby.
“But have you told – I mean, does the baby’s father – I mean the ferry still runs even if the road bridge is down. He could still come and visit, stay at the inn…”
Regina pretended that the flush on her cheeks was from the heat of the cooking.
“Just keep your long nose out of my affairs,” she snapped, and Viriato retreated into his normal cold silence towards her. Deprived of other adult company, Regina’s blog came to mean more to her than ever: it was her safe link with the world outside.
“I thought Eugenio’s hair would be coming in soon! My sister’s hair was this colour – well, mine is too: we were twins.” Regina didn’t talk about Aurora often: the odd mention, she reckoned, was enough to get her some sympathy from her few but faithful readers. Hopefully, the number would grow… Washing at the farmhouse was so difficult – and chilly! – with only one bath between the four of them, that the twins took to going to the gym after school for a swim and then to use the showers there. After that, they’d head to the library to do their homework. Home was noisy and crowded and messy and ugly… Viriato, desperately trying to catch up on some sleep after school, following, inevitably, a night disturbed by Tesni, was fine with that. The island was a safe place: the islanders knew each other, knew the children. And with outsiders only coming in once a week on the ferry now, it was safer than ever. “Egg rolls this time – the twins love them. I don’t do them very often, but all the little ones took nice long naps today, so I had some spare time.” Regina was very carefully not mentioning how many small children there were. Hopefully, she’d be able to pass her baby off as another one of Aurora’s in the blog. Depending on who the father had been, of course…
She wished they could afford to repaint the kitchen units, but money was just so tight! They could get a decent price for their fruit and veg, but they needed so much of it themselves that there wasn’t much left over to sell. And now it was winter coming in. “This is our guardian snowman. The twins made him – they say he will keep us safe from nasty surprises.”
Regina’s own stomach was now as round as the snowman’s and Uiara and Desmond had noticed as well. Spring wasn’t far off and neither was her due date. And where they were going to put another cot, she wasn’t quite sure. Going into labour wasn’t much fun. In fact it was a bit of a shock to Regina, who had led a fairly easy sheltered life. Not as much of a shock as seeing Charlie gazing up at her with complete trust and dependence shining out of his eyes. And also Henrietta. It seemed that twins did indeed run in the family. Nature had got her own back on Regina for that I-can’t-remember-what-I-did party. In style!