The Pole Renovacy Chapter 10

Chapter 10

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 One more year, and now the year had passed! The house had been extended a bit further. Tad had his easel and canvas and oils. And Ice had grown up and would be starting school.
“I’ll really miss having Miss Chandler for a teacher,” May said to Tad as he painted. “But Mr Norton’s great fun, everyone says. So it’ll be okay.” Ice still loved playing with cars! And he was still as friendly and outgoing as ever. Tad wasn’t worried about him starting school – he’d fit in just fine.
“Do I get Miss Chandler?”
“No. Not until you’re nine.”
“But I know her.” Ice did – this was a small town and from time to time, they’d met up when they were out, had a coffee together the four of them; occasionally Miss Chandler and May had fished together if they’d both been at the fishing pool at the same time. Tad was making the most of the end of the holidays. Teaching Ice to fish for a start-off, with May encouraging him and telling him how she’d found it hard at first, but he’d get there soon. He’d learn because she had learnt.
“And Dad’s a good teacher.” “Check out this Harbottle!” Tad yelled. May grinned at their private joke and Ice looked suitably impressed. Sure, he still had to keep an eye on Ice, but he didn’t have to carry him around anymore. They visited MamaD’s park and Tad could finally let his inner cowboy out. Then it was Ice’s turn to go wild on the waterslide, while May whacked a gnome for all she was worth. “Can I try this?”
“Yes, why not?” Tad didn’t have to say, no, we can’t afford it all the time now. Sure, they still had to be careful with their money, but it wasn’t the near-poverty that they had been living in when they first arrived. “Just one go?”
“You can have three tries. No more.”
“Three tries like three wishes!” Ice loved stories. “I wish for…”
“A bunny?”
“Maybe. A car would be best! But I can give the bunny to May.” “It dropped it!” Ice shook his fist at the machine.
“Sometimes that happens. Sometimes things get dropped. You’ve got two more goes if you want them.” Sometimes things get dropped. His and Star’s happy-ever-after had fallen through their fingers. But May and Ice were safe and well. You just have to have another go at things, Tad thought. He’d lost something so precious, but that didn’t mean that there was nothing at all left to enjoy. And this time Ice picked up the bunny and moved it safely to the drop zone. “It’s for you. Because you like pink.”
“Ice! Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you!”
“And come and see what I got too!” “I got a sheep! To go with the cow you drew for me.” And May put her pink bunny in her pink bedroom, next to her bed.
“So I can see it in the morning and it will make me feel cheerful.” This was it. Ice following his big sister out to the school bus. Something new for him and something new for Tad too. Time to paint. Time to paint a let’s-see-if-this-sells sort of picture as well as the ones that he knew would sell. Time to be an artist again. He’d missed this too, he realised – not as much as he’d missed Star, but that same feeling of something essential gone from his life. Yes, he liked that. He rather thought that he was a better painter than cook – though trying another new recipe probably wouldn’t hurt any. The menu at café Tad was getting predictable. “Look what I learnt how to do today!” It was an impressively neat knot.
“And I’m going to try a new recipe. We’re doing good, you and me. Well done!” Fish and chips. He could grow the potatoes, catch the fish – time to learn how to cook them as well! “This is really good! Ten-three, Dad!”
“What’s ten-three?” Ice asked.
“Ten good new meals, three dreadful ones,” May explained. “You won’t remember the early ones, but I do!” “Hi! How’s your day been? And how’s your new class?”
Two weeks into term now, and Tad had nipped out for a breath of fresh air in the evening while Ice and May played in the garden for a bit. He could hear them from here easily, having fun together.
It was nice to bump into Miss Chandler again. He missed her when they didn’t cross paths for a few weeks. Quite a lot, actually, now he thought about it. “I really miss last year’s class. There might have been some – interesting – children in it, but they were also interested. Lively. And bright. And you won’t repeat that to anyone, will you? I shouldn’t really have said it. It just slipped out.”
“Of course I won’t.”
“No. I know I can trust you.” “It must be hard being a teacher in a smallish place like this,” Tad said, slowly and thoughtfully. “You can’t really talk to anyone, can you?”
“No. Especially given how fast gossip can spread in this digital age. It’s very lonely sometimes.”
Tad knew lonely. And he could see it in Bindi’s face.
“You deserve better than lonely. You give so much to others.” He took a deep breath.
“I’d like to help.”
“Really?” The efficient teacher was gone, and the somewhat isolated young woman was looking at him, her heart in her eyes.
“Really,” Tad said gently.
“Really and truly.” “But what will May say?” Bindi asked as they came up for air.
“She already loves you,” Tad said. “She’s told me so more than once. Will you come and be part of our family? I miss you so much when I don’t see you. And now that you’re not teaching May…”
“It makes things so much easier. I’ve been being so careful to be professional – but yes, I’ve missed you too when I haven’t seen you for a while.” That night, after May and Ice were safely asleep, Tad went out into the garden and looked up into the night sky. At the stars. And thought about Star. What would she think? But he did know. He knew what she would say, because she’d said it to him before she died, telling him to listen, this was important. “Don’t forget me. But don’t remember me like this either. Remember all the joys we shared. Tell May and Ice our good stories.” She’d paused to gather more strength.
“And love again, Tad. When the time is right, be able to love again. I want you to be able to be happy again. Because I love you.”

“Thank you, Star,” Tad said into the night. “Thank you for everything.”