The Opus Legacy

Chapter 4: The Family Man

My dad Gilgamesh has a new lifetime want to become a rock god. It’s very similar to his first lifetime want: being a professional party guest. He quit his job as a full time partier and accepted a position in the Desiderata Valley record store. Basically my dad is in charge of selling records, stocking the shelves and closing up at night.

The Opus LegacyChapter 4: The Family Man

Written by: ilovereecee/Katie

Welcome back to the Opus legacy! In the last chapter you read Lydia’s chapter in which Gilgamesh and Yuki finished their family. Their six kids: Robinton, Sallah, Nerilka, Sebell, F’lar and Ramoth grew into intelligent and attractive young people. Diver and Kimi, the family pets, were trying to start their own pet family, but were having difficulties. So let’s pick up there with narration by Sebell Opus, the chosen heir for the second generation.

My big brother Robinton and his longtime girlfriend Ginger Newson are stilly going steady. They’ve been together ever since Rob turned into a teenager and despite him being a secondary romance aspiration, he has stayed faithful to her always. They have been talking about going to college together and decided that there is no time like the present. Rob and Ginger packed their bags and called a cab to take them to Sim State University.

“Ginger, I’ve always loved you and only you. You’re the girl of my dreams and I think the time is right we got engaged. Will you marry me?” Rob’s proposal may not have been the most romantic, but it was plain

and simple. Ginger of course agreed to marry him! The night they moved into their tiny college home, Rob and Ginger became engaged!

Rob is having a difficult time adjusting to life as a college student. At home he had Mom, Dad and the rest of us siblings to help cook, clean and entertain him. In his and Ginger’s tiny new home it’s pretty quiet with just the two of them and since Ginger doesn’t have a lot of skill points, Rob tends to most of the cooking and cleaning.

Although college life is proving to be a ton of responsibility for Rob, he doesn’t mind one bit. Mostly he wants to make the transition easier for his fiancée Ginger. She didn’t attend private school as a teenager as my siblings and I did. So the course work seems like an overload to her. With Rob’s help and all the studying she does though, Ginger is adjusting fairly well.

Both Robinton and Ginger have skills that they need to keep up in order to continue doing well in their classes. My brother is pretty active, so he enjoys jumping rope to keep up his body skill points.

Of course Rob and Ginger don’t take themselves too seriously all the time! They make time for date nights too. Once all their homework is done for the week and they’ve studied for upcoming tests, they enjoy spending time goofing off together. Both of them are playful, so usually their date nights end in a pillow fight, water balloon fight or a tickling fest!

Back at home things are progressing very well! My father is excelling in his new career. He gained a lot of fame as a professional party guest, so it’s helping him advance quickly in his new music career. On his first day of work as a record store clerk, my Dad Gil came home with a promotion to a piano tuner!

“I have been thinking a lot about moving in with Rob and Ginger. If they’ll have me that is,” Sallah, my oldest sister, chatted her thoughts to Nerilka, my twin sister. “I’m almost an adult and I don’t want to miss out on the college life. Plus, it might be a great place to meet a nice guy!”

“You should definitely go, Sal! It would be fun!”Sallah agreed my twin sister – college would be fun. At home she spends most of her time painting to help out with the bills – my dad’s new job doesn’t pay well at all. It’s time she gets out and lives her own life in college.

While my oldest sister Sallah contemplates college, I, Sebell, have been diligently working toward my lifetime want: to max all seven of my skills. It’s a pretty easy lifetime want compared to others, so I’m taking my time and not getting stressed out about completing it as fast as possible. In between study sessions, I try to help out my family as much as possible. As the heir, this house and garden will be mine to run one day. I hope I can find a nice wife to settle down with and help me with all the things that come along with being an heir to a legacy.

I’m not the only Opus child working toward completing a lifetime want. Nerilka, my twin sister, would love to become a criminal mastermind one day. I don’t see why she wants to go into such a shady career, but if it’s what will make her happy… I always thought she would chose a more prestigious career path though. She is a knowledge aspiration after all.

F’lar, my youngest brother, is a great help around the house. We take turns tending to the garden and try to cook dinner for the family every now and then. We do it to help out our parents who are working hard to keep money in the bank. F’lar loves our family pets Diver and Kimi. Right now Kimi is actually pregnant and F’lar is patiently awaiting the arrival of her and Diver’s pups.

My father Gil has been promoted again! With these two promotions, he has brought home a couple of nice bonuses and we’ve been able to put some money aside in savings. This time he got promoted to a coffee shop sound engineer. Still pretty low, but at least he is advancing. My mother rushes out to greet my father with a kiss. Even though it’s pretty gross to see them kissing, I hope to have a marriage like theirs one day!

“You guys, I’m packing my bags tonight and moving to SSU! I called Rob and he and Ginger said I could move in with them to attend college!”

Sallah broke the news over a family dinner that she was moving out. I wasn’t surprised by the news, my big sis has been wanting to go to college for a while now. She’s about to be an adult and it’s a great opportunity for her.

“Goodbye, Sallah. You take care of Robbie – I mean Rob – and Ginger. Remember to study while you’re there, thank your brother for letting you move in. And to clean up after yourself…” My father Gil rattled off a list a mile long when it was time to say bye to Sallah.

“Bye bye, darling. Don’t forget to call your father and I from time to time. Especially if you meet a cute college guy! I want to be the first to know.” My mother Yuki halfway joked with Sallah. And with that Sallah was off to college!

“Thanks for letting me move in with you and Rob, Ginger. I really appreciate it,” Sallah thanked our future sister-in-law as soon as she got settled into her new place in SSU.

“No problem!” Ginger reassured my sister that it’s no big deal. “…”

Things are going to be awkward for a little bit, seeing as how Ginger and Sallah have never really talked before. Ginger spent most of her time at the house snuggling up to Rob instead of getting to know the rest of the family.

But, my big sis Sal better get to know Ginger real quick, because it’s close quarters in the college home! The house only has one bedroom and one bathroom, so Rob, Ginger and Sallah are always around one another. Even when they sleep! They don’t have enough money right now to expand the home, but hopefully they will soon and then they can all have a bit more privacy.

Sallah has already taken on the motherly role in her new college home. It’s been a few days since my sister left our family home and started school and she’s already noticing how much work there is to be done in the house. Rob and Ginger don’t have enough money to hire a maid, so Sallah essentially takes on that role very quickly. She’s only a tad bit neater than my brother and Ginger, but it makes all the difference to her!

----------------------Sallah has one point higher in neatness than Robinton and Ginger, but believe you me, she’s not putting up with a dirty house!

It’s the end of another semester and that means money for my siblings and Ginger! They all have made the Dean’s List and have all been rewarded with a large sum of money. Rob, thinking quick, put the money towards expanding their small home. They now have a proper living room and a second bedroom.

Both my big brother and sister are artistically blessed – this means they don’t always have to rely on their grant from the Dean’s List as means for income. When they get bored or have free time, they can whip up a masterpiece to sell in just a few hours. It helps keep the funds above negative while they’re attending school.

Ginger and Sallah are starting to hang out more. This means Rob has a lot of time to spend by himself. Oddly enough, he’s taken to calling me at home when “girl time” is going on. Mostly he keeps me up to speed with what is going on at SSU. He says Ginger and Sallah are trying to tone up, but he can’t take them seriously because of the outfits they wear when working out.

----------------After a yoga workout with Sallah, Ginger was on the way to shower before bed when she ran into Robinton. She is always heart-farting over him whenever she sees him. It’s pretty cute and reminds me of Gilgamesh and Yuki!

Winter is here and Rob makes it sound amazing at SSU. He says that everyone on campus is building their own snowman and having snowball fights! College sounds great! He says I have a lot to look forward to when I graduate and join him in school.

It isn’t all fun and games though. Even though the snow is tempting, homework and studying has to come first. Rob and Ginger are almost juniors and their course work is becoming more rigorous, resulting in more study time.

Ginger and Sallah are now best friends and do practically everything together. They help keep each other focused on school, which is great! Of course, there is always a spare moment to be captured for a good pillow fight between the betrothed.

Although my sister Sallah is freakishly shy, there is something about springtime that makes her want to tackle her fears and make new friends. The snow is melting, the flowers will be blooming soon and she’s meeting new peers left and right.

“Sebell, you absolutely have to move in as soon as you graduate next month. I have a room ready for you and everything! I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’m glad Ginge and Sal are getting along… but I’m swimming in freaking estrogen over here!”

“They have started this ‘women’s group’ thing with another girl named Tara from one of their classes. They meet at the house like once or twice a week. I don’t know why they say it’s a women’s group. All they do is sit in the floor gossiping and laughing. It’s always when I’m trying to study for a test too!”

“I’m telling you man, I need some testosterone over here. I’m always surrounded by girls. Which sounds awesome, but trust me – I think I’d rather poke myself in the eye than have to hear how trampy Susie Chapman is one more time!”

It’s been a month since my brother called me freaking out about living with all girls. Exciting things are happening back at home! Not only am I preparing to move in with Rob, Ginger and Sallah, but our family is expanding! Kimi had one girl puppy we named Maybelle.

--------------------------------

Diver and Kimi’s new puppy is named after a character from Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Maybelle Merriweather is a minor character whom Scarlett O’Hara (the main character) grew up with as a child. Maybelle is definitely one of the popular Southern belles and comes from a prominent Southern family. She marries a man named Rene Picard and together they have a son. After the Civil War Maybelle and her family try to adapt to the new ways of the south without losing their old values – as many families did at the time.

My parents are both still diligently working towards completing their lifetime wants. My father Gil has just received a promotion to be a summer camp music instructor! My mom also came home with a promotion tonight; she is now the shift manager at the local fast food joint. I’m happy that my parents are excelling at what they want the most.

You would think that after being married for so long and having six kids together, the spark in my parents’ relationship may have dimmed some. That just isn’t so! Whenever my mom enters the same room as my father she always stops to fan herself – it’s quite awkward, but again, I hope to have a marriage like theirs with my own wife one day in my future!

Diver is a great doggie daddy! Maybelle is nearly as big as him already, but he still likes to cuddle up to his new pup and bathe her when she’s dirty. It’s cute to see them interact together – I’m happy to see that Maybelle is a friendly little girl and gets along with Kimi and Diver.

The time has come for me to pack my things and move in with my siblings at SSU. I’m nervous that I won’t make a good heir – I can’t exactly explain why I feel this way, but I do. I still have a while to go before I reach my lifetime want (to max all seven of my skills), but I don’t want to miss out on college. I just hope that I can carry on my family name as successfully as my father has.

“Whoo Gilgamesh, that sounds great. You’re doing awesome, my handsome man muffin!” My mother Yuki doesn’t feel the need to filter what she says around us at all. It’s sweet to see her supporting my father in his efforts though. I will miss them when I leave home. It’s scary thinking about moving out and away from my mom and dad. I know I’ll be fine though – at least I’ll have Robinton and Sallah living with me.

My parents are earning promotions every day! Literally, they just got promoted and now it’s happened again. My dad is now a battle of the bands judge and mom is a hostess in an upscale restaurant in town. She’s happy to be out of the fast food service and Dad is thrilled to be judging music instead of trying to bribe summer camp kids to actually practice their instruments.

“Are you sure you want to leave too, Nerilka? Just because Sebell is leaving doesn’t mean you have to go off to school too. I’m going to miss you, baby girl.”

“Dad! You’re supposed to encourage me to go to college. Not guilt me into staying home!”

“Oh, you know I’m joking. Go and have fun. Keep your siblings on track with their school work and don’t forget to call your mother and I. We’re very proud of you honey.”

“Well, son, this is it. You’re taking a new step in your life. Your mom and I couldn’t be prouder of you guys.” My father shook my hand as I said goodbye early in the morning before the cab picked up Nerilka and myself.

“Thanks Dad. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous. I feel so much pressure to go off to college, find the right girl and be as successful as you and Mom have been. Being an heir is kinda nerve wracking!” I don’t know why all of a sudden I was feeling scared, but I just let out my fears of carrying on my family’s name in these last few moments while Nerilka was loading her things into the cab.

“I had the same fears myself before your mother and I settled down. Believe me Sebell, things are all going to fall into place before you know it. When I was your age I didn’t even want a family; boy, I sure am glad that changed! You’re already ten steps ahead of where I was when I was a teenager. You’re going to make a great heir!” Dad pulled me into one of those manly hugs and patted me on the back. “Now you better run before the cab takes off without you. Love you, kiddo! Try not to worry so much and enjoy yourself in college!”

“What the heck, Robinton Opus! I thought you said you had a room ready for me.”

“I do, man. This is your room. Well you and Nerilka’s room anyway.”

“There’s no paint on the walls. There’s hardly any furniture. There aren’t any windows! This isn’t ready!”

“Dude, I’m sorry Seb. I may have stretched the truth a little bit. This is the best I could do – funds aren’t exactly high around here.” So my big brother may have lied about having a room ready for me. And I have to still share a room with my twin sister Nerilka. But I guess things could be worse. And at least I’m here in college with family.

I was surprised at how quickly I was able to start meeting my peers. It seems that my new home is a pretty popular hang out – that has to be thanks to the “women’s group” Robinton was telling me about. I’m glad I was able to start getting to know some of the students around campus. I was nervous my first few weeks would be awkward. Heck, I may even meet the girl of my dreams soon!

Nerilka is without a doubt, the neat freak in our family. The morning after we moved into our new college home at SSU, she began deep cleaning the whole house! Things that were already clean by my standards were getting a good scrub down from my twin sis!

It seems that my sister Sallah is seeing a man named Garrett from her class. Well, I’m not sure if they are official or not, but he calls her quite a bit and comes over for dinners sometimes too. After dinner they hang out alone – I really can’t tell if they are in a relationship, but I definitely think my sister has a crush on him.

Robinton and Ginger are only one semester away from graduating and starting their lives together. They’ve been engaged for what seems like forever now and I know they are both anxious to get married and start a family after they earn their degrees in a few months.

“Good morning, Miss. How are you?”

“Great, thanks. Do I know you?”

“I think we have history class together. Professor Abston’s class at four in the afternoon. I’ve always wanted to say hi, but never had the chance. So hi. I’m Sebell.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I really have to be going.” I’ve always thought this girl was very pretty and I’ve been attracted to her, but boy she sure doesn’t have a very nice personality! I’m glad nobody saw me put myself out there just to get shot down!

Since I got shot down by Rebecca, I learned her name while Professor Abston was calling roll in class this afternoon, I decided I needed to spend some time studying my skills. It’s high time I get started seriously working toward my lifetime want. There will be plenty of time for girls later – I’m just a freshman, I should be more focused on keeping my grades up instead of chasing girls.

Finals are coming up and that means we all need to sit down and make ourselves study! The girls in the house are better about this than Robinton and I. They are more focused I guess. You could call Rob and I procrastinators, but we get the work done one way or another.

I finally got to meet my sisters now official boyfriend Garrett. Sallah invited him over to dinner the night after we all passed our finals. She cooked pork chops with gravy and mashed potatoes. Garrett seems like a nice guy and I can tell he makes Sal happy – which makes me happy.

Sallah went up to her room with her boyfriend Garrett after dinner. She is a family aspiration like me, so I don’t worry about her being

alone with him in her room. She wants to wait until marriage before anything

Serious happens. I can tell they make each other happy – so I do hope marriage is in their future.

“Seeing my sister Sallah so in love with her boyfriend made me want to start a relationship with someone special myself. But I’m having trouble finding the right girl, you see. That’s why I called you. I hear you’re the best of the best – you get results. I need a girl with good morals, who wants a family, red headed if you can please. She needs to be smart, oh and of course she needs a kind heart. I want kids one day and so she’s got to have patience and be loving.”

“Goodness boy, don’t has for the whole world on a silver platter!”

“Is that too much to ask for?”“You just described a girl that only exists in

fairytales, kid. But I’ll do my best… a kind hearted, smart red headed babe coming right up!”

Boy, oh boy did the matchmaker deliver! I paid her the maximum amount and received Andrea Gunderson, one of the top runners of the girls cross country team here at SSU. I know she also happens to be in the top of our class. Plus, she’s got red hair – one of my turn ons!

------------------One of the rules Lydia and I are playing by is that the heir/ess has to have three chemistry bolts with their spouse. This is the first girl Sebell has had three full bolts for since arriving at SSU. Looks like we might have a winner!

“Sal, this chili is great! Perfect for the cold weather outside. You’re such an awesome girlfriend!”

“Thanks, babe! I put a little extra love in it just for you. You know, Garrett, we’ve been together for some time now. I love you more than the whole wide world…”

“…And with us graduating in a year I think it’s time we committed to a future together.” Sallah stayed surprisingly calm throughout her proposal to her boyfriend Garrett. I’m so happy that another one of my sisters is forging a bright future for herself!

“Really, Sal? Oh, I think we should too! You beat me to the chase, silly girl. I was going to propose on our graduation day. Didn’t you know patience is a virtue?” Garrett and Sallah laughed as he slipped the ring on his finger making their engagement official.

Seeing my sister so happy after she and Garrett got engaged made me long for a similar relationship. Andrea and I hadn’t been on a date since the matchmaker introduced us, so I figured I should invite her over. It was a bit awkward at first because we didn’t know each other at all.

“I didn’t know you liked to paint, Sebell!?” The more Andrea and I talked, the more we figured we had in common.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been painting since I was a kid. It’s pretty much how we keep our funds up around here too. You know college gets expensive!”

“Thanks a good idea. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about college expenses – cross country scholarship takes care of that.”

“And how long have you been running, Andrea?” … Andrea and I talked late into the night and got to know each other pretty well! It was a great date.

“I’m glad we met, Sebell. I’ve never had a connection with anyone else like this before.”

“Agreed.” I wish I could have thought of something sweeter to say, but looking into Andrea’s eyes made me speechless. She’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met and my attraction to her is undeniable. I think she may even be the one!

“I can’t believe we’re graduated, Rob! Now we can start our lives together, finally.”

“I know, love kitten,” Rob teased his fiancee on the morning of their graduation, “and I can’t wait!” My big brother Robinton and Ginger moved out of the house and into their own home together in a flash!

With the money they’d both saved up in college, Rob and Ginger were able to build their own small two story home. It has four bedrooms, for all the kids Ginger wants as soon as possible, and three bathrooms. Ginger decorated the inside to perfection and Rob gave permission to anything that would make his love happy.

Robinton and Ginger didn’t wait on any of us to come over to see their new house before they got married! It surprised us all that they didn’t have a big wedding, but Ginger wanted to start their life together right away.

Ginger found a job as an elementary school teacher right away. On her first day of school, the principal saw how well she did with the troubled students and thought she was more fit for high school. So she got a promotion that very first day!

Robinton got a job as a family law attorney and has no wish to advance any further. He loves being able to fight for the rights of kids in custody battles and see that they get the best possible outcome of a terrible situation. My brother has a great heart! I wouldn’t be strong enough for that job. He and Ginger spend every moment alone together that they possibly can – they are newlyweds after all.

Rob told me that Ginger’s job is catching up with her. Not only does she work forty hours a week in the classroom, but she brings papers home to grade and carries her student’s personal lives on her mind always. She’s constantly exhausted when she comes home from work, but she loves her job.

It’s more than the long hours at school that’s wearing Ginger down. She and Robinton found out that they are soon going to be parents! I have a little niece or nephew on the way! This will be the first baby born into the family in quite some time – so everyone is excited about the upcoming birth.

Ginger, such the hard worker, continued to teach during her pregnancy. Her efforts paid off, because she was promoted to a university guest lecturer. She didn’t accept a full time position just yet – she wants to make sure she won’t miss too many lectures once the baby comes.

Robinton and Ginger had a little boy with brown hair and brown eyes. They named him Peter. Rob is ecstatic to be a father – in fact, he’s one of those dads who spends his down time feeding his baby – even if Peter just had a bottle an hour ago!

----------------Peter is named after Uncle Peter in Gone with the Wind. Uncle Peter, the Hamilton servant, takes care of Aunt Pittypat, Melanie, Scarlett and her children while they are staying in Atlanta during the Civil War. He is repeatedly referred to as “part of the family” by the women because he was born into the family as a servant and stayed loyal to them for all of his days.

It wasn’t too long after Peter was born that Ginger began to feel sick. Having been through all the symptoms once now, she knew them well enough to know that she was pregnant again. Another little niece or nephew for me!

Peter is growing so quickly. Rob says every time he turns around, his little toddler has grown another inch. He is so smart too – he loves reading books with his mom and dad and learning new skills from his toys.

Robinton and Ginger love being parents – Rob says it’s the absolute best feeling in the world. Listening to him talk about how Peter makes me wish I could speed up my college years and settle down with the woman of my dreams – maybe Andrea? Who knows. That’s still a good ways off anyway.

The next baby born into the Opus family to Robinton and Ginger was a precious little girl. Ginger named her new baby Prissy.

-------------Prissy is named after the O’Hara servant/nursemaid. She is very young with a sassy mouth and a tendency to stretch the truth. She eventually becomes the nanny for Scarlett’s children and is most famously known for saying “But Miss Scarlett, I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies!” after she promised she had delivered many children before and offered to help deliver Melanie’s baby boy while the city of Atlanta was under seize during the war.

Rob says having two children is much harder than having one. Prissy requires a lot of attention, so Peter has to do many things for himself now. Thankfully he is potty trained and can entertain himself while his parents are busy with his baby sis.

Ginger says it’s funny seeing Robinton with little Prissy. She’s convinced that their little girl is going to be a chunky little thing because Rob is constantly feeding her bottles.

Peter and Prissy are growing so quickly! Prissy didn’t grow up to be chubby, but she definitely has the chunkiest cheeks I have ever seen on a toddler. That’s not saying much though, I’ve only ever seen my youngest siblings as toddlers. Her cheeks have to be the result of all that milk Rob fed her as newborn.

My brother and sister-in-law have added another little one to their family. Pauline makes their third child together.

-----Pauline is named after Scarlett O’Hara’s Aunt Pauline who lives in Savannah. She is the sister of Scarlett’s mother Ellen and comes from the prominent Robillard family.

Goodbye!This is where I see it fit to stop the chapter. It’s getting pretty long now. I want to thank you for taking time to read this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading about the awesome Opus family. You can find this legacy and more great stories at SiMania.