Changing Seasons. Summer IV, part 2

Summer IV, part 2 “I kind of wasn’t expecting anyone quite so soon.” Chas and Sal had slept on the sitting room floor the night before, Chas pulling sleeping bags out of the enormous backpack. The bedroom just wasn't quite ready yet...
Chas grinned. “We saw the advertisement, and just did a: Well how would we get there? sort of internet search. There were two super-cheap flights for the very next day. So we just came. There is a letter in the post for you – we were planning to stay in Newborough for a little while. But then we were asking about how to get here and this lady overheard us and said she could drop us off as she was going through Newborough anyway, to pick up her mother. Name of Julie? Runs an art gallery?”
“Minnie’s daughter. You did right. Cab fare out to here is kind of expensive.”
“Anyways, I’ve got this room ready to decorate. I’ve even got the glass for the window. If you’re on for helping me, I reckon we could have it done in less than a week. And I’ll talk to Minnie about getting some beds for you both.”
“I’ll be happy to help. And I do know one end of a paintbrush from another. And we did land on you with no warning! But with Dad gone, and we were living rented anyway, there wasn’t really anything to keep us there. And there were some interfering relatives who didn’t want Sal to be a jockey, but to take a secretarial course instead. Bossy aunts! So we ran, before they railroaded her into doing just that.” “Well, I reckon that’s pretty impressive for two days’ work! What colour do you fancy for the woodwork?” And, as Chas hesitated, Artie went on. “Or do you want to ask Sal first? Most girls seem to have opinions about colours, more’n men. That Clara, now, she’s real certain about what colours she wants where.” “Well, actually, I think you should just choose whatever you’d like best. You see Sal and I – and I know this might be a bit crazy or totally unworkable: we just don’t know yet – but we thought we’d like to see if we could re-open the Woodside stables. As a stud, like it used to be. Live there and breed horses there. I mean, I haven’t even seen it yet, so…”
“Say no more. You get yourself changed and I’ll do the same and I’ll take you round there. And then you can take Sal later, when she’s back from Marianna’s place.” “Everyone’s been so kind and welcoming to Sal. And so quickly!” Chas said as they set off.
“Well, they heard you’d come here from Minnie. And someone new – well, that’s good news. Nearly always, anyway. Wonder how she and Clara will get on? That’s another girl who knows her own mind.” “It looks like a piece of England. Here. That backdrop is so incongruous.” “Yep. Story goes, Charles built it to look like the place his wife had come from, so she’d feel at home here. Just this little house first. Then of course, she never got here, but he built the rest of the place in the same style. Nothing fancy, but all really well-made. I think you and Sal could live here. With a bit of work on it…” Chas peered in through the window.
“I think we’ll be a lot better off at yours for the time being! How about green for that woodwork? Can we look at the stabling and pasture and so on? How did he raise horses here? It looks so dry?”
“We’ll check out the stables and then I’ll show you.” “Water. Lots of it. Lovely, clean water – now at any rate. Plenty to irrigate the pastures as long as no-one’s greedy, and of course the grass held the soil down, stopped it blowing away.”
“You said: Now, at any rate. Is there a story behind that?”
“Man, is there ever a story! Time was, this was a nice little town…” And as they headed back, Artie told Chas the story behind the town being abandoned, the pollution, the destruction of the farms, the drying up of the lakes…
“There was only Old Tench still here. And then Marcus and Annette turned up, and things have just slowly grown since then.” “Shall I take another rail off?”
“No, that’ll be fine, I think.”
It was time to try Old Pete out over the jumping course. They’d spent a week getting to know each other, hacking gently at first and then learning his turn of speed. And now this. This was what she wanted to do. More than anything. Feeling Old Pete’s muscles bunch beneath her, finding that balance, moving with him, gathering him and readying him for the next jump…it didn’t get much better than this. And Artie, watching from the old stands, reckoned that the two of them made a good team. Chas was watching too, and Sal and Old Pete rode the course again. They would have cleared that missing bar too, no problem, he reckoned. Artie couldn’t quite believe the difference in Old Pete’s jumping – sure, Sal was smaller and lighter than Blake, but the girl and the horse just worked well together. “Well, she looked pretty good to me. If you’re happy and Sal’s happy, then I’m happy. We’re going to have to hire transport to get to Newborough until we can afford to buy some, and I’m not looking for any wins straight off. It’s going to be a little while before there’s any real money coming in. How do you feel about that? It’s a mighty uncertain future for you both.” “Artie, we’re young! All our future is unknown. And Dad said to us, go for the things you really want to do. He’d have been cheering us on. He was all for Sal’s riding: it’s just those bossy aunts on the other side of the family who don’t think Sal should do it. We both want to give this the best in us. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll still have learnt a lot.” Chas could tell that Artie still wasn’t quite convinced though. Maybe Sal could put his mind at rest. “You’re a great little rider. I’d be more’n happy to have you up on Old Pete. But are you going to be okay living somewhere like this? You’ve seen around now – there’s not much in the way of shops or entertainment for a young girl…” Was this what had been bothering Artie, Chas wondered. Maybe Artie was right. Chas hadn’t thought about that side of things either. But he needn’t have worried.
“There’s a horse! If you just knew how much this is what I want…And there’s the library, and Minnie’s shop – shops, now – and the laundromat has a coffee machine and then there’s the tea room, not to mention Leo’s place. And everyone’s been so welcoming. I’ve made more friends in this past week than I have in the last two years.” Sal paused. Here, away from everything else, it felt easier to explain things: to Chas in particular. She knew he worried about her.
“I mean, I had friends at school, but most of them didn’t get why I liked horses so much, and horses take up a lot of time. And then – the friends who wanted to be riders: there was always the competition. And then when Dad got sick, that really freaked people out. They just didn’t know what to say. I mean, who does, at fourteen? But Marianna understood.”
She’d told Marianna about Dad? Already? Chas was amazed. And relieved, he realised. It felt as though a burden had been lifted from him – one he wasn’t even sure he’d knew how to handle. And Artie had lost his faintly unsure look.
“Guess we’ve got a deal then.” “So Old Tench said…” and Chas imitated him remarkably well for someone with an English accent “…Frank’s the guy you wanter get fixin’ up your ‘lectrics. What he don’t know ‘bout doin’ that could be written on a dime…” Frank’s somewhat sober face almost broke into a smile.
“You just want to start with this small house first?”
“Yes. Cheaper and easier. What I need to know is what will the parts cost and what’s your labour charges? And then I’ll let you know what we can afford and when. We’re still sorting out stuff back in England as well.” “That’s fine.” Frank paused and looked at Chad. “You look pretty fit. Do any running ever?”
“Running, weights – and shovelling horsemuck! Are you looking for a running partner?”
“No-one else round here can keep up with me – even if they had the time. And running’s free.”
“You’re on! You know the neighbourhood – tell me the best places and times.” Frank was fast! And this was fun. And the graveyard looked cool and green and inviting – he’d been so right to let Frank pick the routes. There was a useful watering can by the well – they both took a very impromptu shower!
“Okay, where shall we go next time?”
“If you’re up for a longer route, I’ll take you to the far side, round the old factories. But we’ll need to go early.”
“That’s not a problem. Sal’s up super-early with the horse anyway. Look forward to it. Now, I guess, we need to run back…”
“’Fraid so!”

An Old Jockey’s Nightmare is here: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9394756 and that was by LMC6254, for the SummerFest gift exchange.
So were Artie and Old Pete https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9394755 I’ve altered the buildings very slightly, to fit in with the town – the telegraph poles are by Cyclone Sue at TSR.

Woodside Barns is by Cyclone Sue at TSR

Sandy at ATS3 made all the gardening gear by the well.