Calista and Randy (pre-wedding)

Of all the recent graduates, Randy and Calista were the only ones who already had a fully furnished apartment.

This was in part because (1) Meadow and Orlando had gratefully returned to Calista all of the furniture Calista had lent them to use in their rented houses when they were virtually penniless, and (2) Calista had gotten other pieces of her overwhelmingly huge furniture collection--that she had amassed over years of bohemian international travel--out of storage.

In addition to their elegant dining room, Calista and Randy had a pleasant kitchen,

a comfortable master bedroom/office and bathroom,

a cozy living room,

a study nook where Calista could read while sitting on her throne,

a second bedroom for Calista's grandfather Berjes (whom the couple intended to have live with them after their marriage), and a small bedroom for the baby they were currently expecting.

One late afternoon, while Rebecka and Maria gabbed in the hot tub, Calista--who had suffered a bad bout of morning sickness and was feeling too queasy to join them--caught up with Yuri. "I haven't seen you around the building too often--are you playing much music these days?" she asked him.

"Sure," Yuri replied glumly. "What else do I have to do till my job starts?"

"What do you mean?" asked Calista, confused. "You and Rebecka have a huge apartment upstairs--I figured you'd be decorating it."

"Rebecka's decorating it," he answered, glancing at Rebecka and lowering his voice so she wouldn't overhear him. "She told me she won't move in with me before we're married, and she was actually planning to share an apartment with Ashley Pitts, if you can believe that," he snorted. "Obviously I wasn't going to let that happen so--though I'm paying a mint for the apartment upstairs--I moved back in with my parents."

Calista marveled at Rebecka's wiliness. "So, when's the wedding?" she teased.

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Well, we've got yours and Randy's this weekend, then George and Tosha's, so maybe after that."

Meadow arrived to visit Calista, and the two went upstairs and settled into chairs to chat.

"That looks comfy," Meadow observed, admiring Calista's throne.

"Sitting in it while reading makes me feel a lot better," Calista explains. "It's the only thing that stops the morning sickness."

"You poor thing," Meadow empathized. "But trust me," she assured her friend, "it will all be worth it once you hold your lovely new baby in your arms."



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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Join us next week for Calista and Randy's wedding.

Randy is a Fortune Sim, so this is the start of his own Million Dollar Challenge. His score so far is 80 points, as follows:

Randy's promotions: 3 x 10 points = 30 points

Calista's promotions: 5 x 10 points = 50 points

Calista is a Knowledge Sim, so doesn't really care about money.