The Pole Renovacy Chapter 2

Chapter 2
This is based on Hi-de-Hi’s gift to me from the Holiday Gift Exchange. House here: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9351043 And family here: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9351042 “How was school?” The garden was beginning to grow, and Tad was managing to keep the plants watered, if not weeded. This had been May’s first day. “Okay, I guess.”
“Goy any homework?”
“Daddy, it was the first day.”
It was obvious that all May wanted to do was play, and Tad shrugged and left her in peace. With May at school, he seemed to have even less time to get anything done in the house and garden. There was another firepit in the park opposite their house. Tad hadn’t noticed it the first time, but this one had the advantage of being further away from the water. Less to watch out for with Ice! Most nights they ate outside: it was so much nicer than inside. The days seemed to start so early. It wasn’t even six am, and Ice had woken them both up. May had helped herself to a bowl of cereal and Tad, remembering pancakes and waffles, felt guilty about that. And Ice was hungry too, and nothing seemed to get any better. At least May was clearing up her own breakfast stuff now, albeit a bit reluctantly. He’d had to get quite cross with her about just leaving her dishes for him to deal with. Washing a cereal bowl wasn’t too hard for her, or too much to ask. “Yuck,” thought – and said! – May as she headed off to the outdoor ‘facilities’. It was smelly as well as a little chilly this morning. And probably spidery as well, she thought. Maybe there had been one bit of progress. Ice had learnt to use the potty chair by himself. Tad remembered how he and Star had celebrated when May had reached that milestone. Now there was no-one to share those small triumphs. “One of your jobs is emptying the potty in the evening. It smells awful in here this morning. I don’t ask you to do much, but you’re not even doing the little that I do ask! I can’t do everything, you know.” The place was getting Tad down. “What do you mean, you can’t do everything? You don’t do anything. The place looks just as bad as it did on the day we arrived.” And then, because they were arguing, Ice started crying. Which was getting very close to the last straw for Tad. He didn’t want to shout at Ice – it wasn’t his fault – but he didn’t have anything pleasant to say to May. Tad contented himself with emptying the potty Very Obviously. And he ignored his daughter’s sulky face. After the small thundercloud was safely off to school, Tad went to the mailbox to see if there was any post.
His legs gave way under him and he had to sit down. He had no idea how to pay these bills. No idea at all.