"You're kidding!" he exclaimed to his wife.Yelena gave him a puzzled look. "You no like?" she asked.
"It's gorgeous," Kennedy answered. "I just hadn't expected ... this much of a house."
Yelena exhaled sharply. "Like I tell you, Kenny--(1) Appearance count, and (2) Must spend money to make money." She was slightly annoyed, because she had said this to her husband once before.
Unlike most women Kennedy had known, Yelena never repeated things over and over. Since, to her mind, everything she stated was a fact, she considered that all she had to do was to declare something once, and that the issue (if there had been any) would be settled once and for all."Must go to work," Yelena said, and turned on her heel. "You--husband--find new job that pay today," she ordered over her shoulder as she walked away. "And open new home venue. And hire maid."
Kennedy did as Yelena asked. He found a new, high-paying job for himself in Law Enforcement that he figured would please his wife.
He opened the new home venue, with himself as owner, and hired a maid.
He set the price to "Ridiculously Cheap", since Yelena had explained to him that this was the fastest way for him to get enough stars to reap the cash awards.
When Yelena came home from her job, Kennedy had only enough time to kiss her before rushing off to his new job.
While the maid Kennedy had hired went about her chores, Yelena fixed the shower in the new home venue.
Yelena changed out of her uniform and headed for the new home venue, which had already reached Rank 1.
She spent some time chatting up the customers, then bought her first community lot.
She went to her new venue, Yelena's Flowers, and called Brandi LeTourneau in to work. The shop wasn't open to customers; its purpose was only to create snapdragon bouquets that Yelena and Kennedy could use in their other business ventures. "Need more bouquet makers," Yelena thought to herself. She left a message for Kennedy to keep an eye out for any home venue customers who had gold badges in flower arranging. Yelena improved her skills while Brandi worked.
Kennedy was promoted on Monday.
He had gotten Yelena's message about getting more bouquet makers, so stopped to chat with Christy Inaba who, it turned out, had at least a silver badge in flower arranging. Even better, it also turned out that Christy was well connected in Law Enforcement, and said she could finagle a raise in salary for Kennedy.
Kennedy then spent a few minutes chatting up Juan Reamon, who also had a gold badge in Flower Arranging, before falling into bed, exhausted, to get a bit of sleep before work. He looked at his wife's sleeping form. "A big bed doesn't solve everything," he thought to himself.
Before she left for work Tuesday morning, Yelena had surrounded the bed with snapdragons so that Kennedy would be refreshed for his workday. Upon arising, Kennedy was touched by her thoughtfulness, but noticed a lot of noise coming from the backyard. Pressed for time, he didn't have a chance to investigate before rushing to catch the carpool. "Probably some new money-making venture of Yelena's," he thought approvingly.
Yelena was promoted on Tuesday, and brought Marisa Bendett home from work. Kennedy had left Yelena a note in the bathroom about his conversation with Christy Inaba, and Yelena spent quite a bit of time with Marisa, hoping that her efforts at getting to know her colleague would lead to increased rewards at work for Yelena.
Kennedy was promoted on Tuesday, too.
Yelena decided to try out her blossoming arbitrage skills with something a bit bigger than bookcases. She had had a helicopter landing pad installed in the backyard while she was at work. (This was the noise Kennedy had heard before he left that morning.)
After several trades, Yelena had gotten their available cash up to more than S100,000!
Looking out the kitchen window into the backyard, Kennedy quietly made himself and Yelena sandwiches while she engaged in her trades.
When they sat down to eat, Kennedy broached his question gently. "Hon, those aren't military helicopters, are they?"
"Oh, no, Kenny," she assured him. "Is all commercial. Nothing illegal!"
Kennedy was relieved. It wouldn't do for a police officer to have crime being committed in his own backyard."Hey, husband, I buy you clothes while I out last night. Go try some on," suggested Yelena.
The new outfits were a big improvement in Kennedy's look. "Now you look like solid citizen," Yelena admired.
Yelena leaned closer and whispered, "Come on, husband, let's try out that beeg bed we got."
********
When they got up from bed, Kennedy did some financial consulting,
while Yelena worked on the Charisma skills she needed in order to be promoted in her Military job.
Kennedy continued to work at the computer while Yelena improved her Mechanical skills.
While the two were at work Wednesday morning the new home venue reached Rank 2, so the couple made an additional S2,000.
Yelena was again promoted at work.
Yelena chatted up Rose Dai, who had a gold badge in flower arranging.
Kennedy was promoted, as well.
He also made an effort to know Rose Dai better.
Yelena studied Physiology with the thinking cap she had gotten with her aspiration points. While she studied, a message came in that it had been a good day for the couple's stock market portfolio.
Yelena grew weary from her reading, and used the Energizer that Kennedy had gotten with his aspiration points.
Refreshed, Yelena returned to her study, and the home venue reached Rank 3. As the couple had agreed, Kennedy chose the cash reward.
Having mastered Physiology, Yelena acquired the Body skills necessary to be promoted.
Finally exhausted, Yelena fell into bed beside her husband.
While Yelena and Kennedy were at work on Thursday morning, the home venue reached Rank 4. Kennedy again took the cash award, this time, S20,000.
Yelena was promoted on Thursday.
Excited and happy over her promotion, Yelena skipped rope right in the front yard, and got herself a needed Body skill point.
Kennedy was also promoted on Thursday, and it was another profitable day in the stock market.
While Kennedy worked on Charisma,
Yelena did some financial consulting.
As Yelena was grabbing a bite of dinner before heading off to her flower shop, the home venue reached Rank 5 and the couple was awarded S50,000!
The couple's available cash was now over S200,000 for the first time.
Yelena had managed to hire Ethan Barrett, who had a gold badge in flower arranging, for her shop, and he told Yelena he had connections in the Military that could get her higher pay.
Yelena had also managed to hire Rose Dai, so now had three employees with gold badges in flower arranging producing snapdragon bouquets.
********Yelena was promoted on Friday.
She brought Jessica Picasso home with her, and spent some time getting to know her.
Kennedy was also promoted on Friday.
He also brought home a work colleague, Melissa Fancey, and she promised to put in good word for him so that he would get a raise.
While Kennedy chatted up Melissa, the home venue reached Rank 6.
Kennedy picked up his first Connections point.
Yelena's flower shop employees worked through the night Friday making snapdragons. Yelena worked on her Creativity skill.
Brandi became upset that she was underpaid, so Yelena gave her a raise and sent her home for the day.
As Brandi was leaving, Yelena noticed a stinky green snapdragon and threw it out.
Rose had also been negatively affected by the bad snapdragon and her hygiene was pretty low. Yelena sent her home as well.
Yelena stayed until Ethan finished work, then gathered up the snapdragons and headed for her new venue, Yelena's Russian Baths.
She practiced her Sales skills. She so impressed Benjamin Long that he said he'd get her a raise.
Yelena got her Russian Baths to Rank 1 that night.
And by the time dawn broke, she'd gotten the new venue to Rank 2.
Yelena invited her flower shop employees to relax with her.
Thanks to another Energizer that she earned with her own aspiration points, Yelena was able to work through another night, and got the venue to Rank 3. She also got her bronze sales badge!
Yelena practiced her sales techniques with the evil witch, to no avail.
She fared much better with the good witch.
In fact, she got the venue to Rank 4 before she was too tired to continue. Yelena used all her new aspiration benefit points for Motivation.
As the good witch was considering entering the venue, Yelena was chatting with Trevor Ngai. He suddenly said that she was a good Sim and added something mysterious about good things happening to her.
All of a sudden, the lot was bathed in golden light. Yelena and Trevor looked up in awe. Yelena wondered how he'd known!
********When she reached home, she found that the home venue had reached Rank 7. She approached Kennedy, who was playing cards with some customers, and told him sternly that it was past time to shut down the business and reopen it so that he could get Connections rewards more quickly. She turned her back on him and went to play chess.
Regretting that he hadn't observed one of Yelena's cardinal rules of business, Kennedy quickly did as she asked.
To elevate her mood before she had to go in to work, she bought herself a car, and invited Brandi and Rose over to see it and to hang out at the newly reopened home venue.
The home venue quickly attracted customers again while Yelena and Kennedy were at work on Saturday. And, it was another good day in the stock market.
By nightfall, the venue had again reached Rank 1.
Yelena was promoted at her Adventurer job.
Not wanting to waste any time, she used Kennedy's Energizer,
and headed off for the night to Yelena's Flowers, where her employees worked for several hours and produced more snapdragons. Yelena gathered up the bouquets and transported them to Yelena's Russian Baths.
By morning, Yelena had gotten her silver sales badge,
and Yelena's Russian Baths had reached Rank 5.
Mindful of Kennedy's wish that she not be gone for more than a day at a time, she hurried home in time to hear all about his promotion and to snuggle to sleep with him.
Yelena arose after a couple hours' sleep and worked on her Creativity skills. Not that she needed any for her current job, but she was a very driven person and wanted to keep improving in case a new opportunity should present itself.
Later on Sunday morning, she invited her friend Benjamin Long to visit the home venue, and introduced him to Kennedy. Benjamin was just as impressed with Kennedy as he had been with Yelena.
The home venue reached Rank 3 that morning,
and Kennedy maxed out his Connections rewards.
Yelena was promoted Sunday.
With her usual zeal, Yelena started jumping rope in her heavy diver's bell helmet to try to get the Body skill point she needed for her next promotion. She tired quickly, and instead went to bed.
After her nap, she resumed jogging. Kennedy came home from work, promoted again.
************NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: There were 13 promotions this week, 6 for Yelena and 7 for Kennedy. (Yes, Kennedy was promoted to Desk Sergeant three times--on Monday, Saturday, and Sunday. After his promotion on Saturday, he looked for a job that paid on Sunday. The best-paying one he could find was the same job from which he'd just been promoted.) After eleven days' play, the score is 170.
JOIN US NEXT ROUND, WHEN YELENA LEARNS TO DAZZLE, AND REALLY RAKES IN THE SIMOLEANS!
************
dang, i dont know how you do it. seriously!
ReplyDelete