CHAPTER 8: On Assignment

Income....a small amount. Expenses, especially bills, a lot. This is the problem Suzy Kent found herself in. She had a job...technically, at "Hey Wow!" magazine but few there knew who she was other than "New Girl". She had an assignment to complete: Interview 3 ordinary citizens of Sim City about what they were wearing, why they were wearing it and where they got it.
Fortunately for Suzy, right across the street from her house was a woman who was checking her diary. Before she moved on, Suzy ran over to interview her.

"Hello, ma'am, can I interview you about what you're wearing....I'm from "Hey, Wow!" magazine"

"Erm...sure" said the woman. "What do you want to know?"

Suzy wasn't sure what to ask; she had the bare minimum training in this kind of thing. She looked at the woman's outfit and started to pull questions out of thin air.

"So....do you like the colour pink in general?"

"Yes"

"Erm...do you have many outfits in pink?"

"Some"

"Do you think pink's going to be the in-colour this season?....oh, she's gone"

Suzy was left to scribble down the notes for subject number one. The trouble with stopping people in the street was that they were often busy trying to get somewhere and didn't want to talk. What she needed was a place where people weren't going to go away in a hurry but at the same time not be burdened with work or things to do. The perfect place for her next interview was Magnolia Blossom Park.

When she arrived, there weren't many people around. Suzy took out her notepad and started sketching the park to pass the time whilst she looked for someone suitable to interview. But she didn't have to find them...one found her.

"What are you doing? Can I see?" said a bespectacled teenage girl dressed in grey and black.

"Sure, it's just a doodle of the park. Nothing great"

"I like it. Are you an artist?" said the girl.

"Only in my spare time...I'm a fashion journalist trying to interview people about what they like to wear" replied Suzy.

"I like to wear black" said the girl. "Sometimes grey, mostly black. Black suits my mood"

"I see you like to wear both black and white at the same time? Is this to symbolise the duality within the human soul? Both light and dark, perpetually divided with no mixing, no hope of reconcilliation?" the girl continued.

"Well, actually, it's a Mod thing with me" replied Suzy.

The teenager pondered this before saying "my brother's stuck on the monkey bars...I have to go now."

Suzy wrote up some more notes before thinking about where to go next. Downtown Willow Creek!

"Excuse me, sir...can I interview you? I'm from "Hey, Wow!" magazine...sir?....What about you, madam? No, have a nice day!"

"Now it's a cryin' shame no one can spare the time to answer a question from a pretty lady" said a male voice behind her. Suzy turned around to see a cool looking black man addressing her.

"Can you spare the time, sir?" she said.

"Call me Bakko, Bakko Jang" he replied with a smile. "Sure, go ahead"

They talked about his up to the minute, with-it style, which he claimed was part of his public image as a popular entertainer in town.

Bakko, once started, found it difficult to stop talking...on any subject. Suzy eventually had to make excuses to get away (get a new notebook) and write up what she had learned from her three interviewees.

It was getting late in the day and as she was in town she decided to pop into the Blue Velvet for a drink.

The chat from the regulars was convivial, the drinks flowed. Without fully realising it, Suzy had been goaded by the bar staff into singing at the club microphone. One person who was present that evening would go on to write that her singing combined the style and grace of a cat being bathed combined with the sensation of tin foil being dragged across the teeth. Nevertheless, by the time Suzy staggered out of the club, she was 24 Simoleons better off through tips.

CHAPTER 7: Guys' Night Out

 

Jeremy Saint came home after work one evening to find Travis Scott waiting at his front door.

"Evening, Travis, did the girls kick you out?" Said Jeremy.

"Well, they're having a night in with that new chick, Suzy. It's wall to wall fashion chat right now" replied Travis. "There's a Humor & Hijinks Festival in town, do you fancy going?"

"Sure; I've had a full day with reports and filing so I need a break...plus I'm hungry and don't feel like cooking"

They travelled downtown, to the arts quarter; a vision in minimalist brutalist architecture. Looking around, there were a decent number of people gathering...many of them women.

"Play your cards right, my friend...play your cards right" said Travis

There were various punch bowls arranged around the public square and people were drinking with gusto from them. "I'm a jokester!" one would cry and "I'm with the Pranksters!" said another. Jeremy wondered what they put in the punch, considering that mind altering chemicals were all the rage now.

Travis and Jeremy decided not to sample the punch and join in the raucous antics of the others; they preferred to sit back, watch and enjoy the atmosphere. Plus they were hungry. Jeremy tried some kind of Creole kebab on a stick and as soon as he sat down to eat, sure enough, a woman sat next to him and began a conversation.

She was very young, just out of her teens Jeremy guessed, and VERY talkative. "Hi, I'm Julia. I'm a final year med student. I haven't picked my specialty yet. I might opt for either cardio thorasics or podiatry. I'm looking to move out of my folks place. They're classic Jewish parents, by the way, don't get me started. *Snort*." She laughed. "Anyway they want me to stay at home until I at least begin my internship but my Mom wants me to stay well after that but I told her the commute times were terrible. So I'm a modern woman and have proven myself at med school despite it being full of men. Are you into women's lib? I'm not sure, but it's interesting"

Jeremy nodded a lot during this. He admired her pep and confidence and could only answer about women's lib "well....I...er...don't know that much about it". Maybe it was the drink Travis bought for him talking but he found himself uttering the kiss of death pick up line "so what's your star sign?". Julia was not impressed and walked off.

Catching up with Travis, both men looked at each other with resignation. "You struck out too?" said Travis.

"Yep. Well, there's always the comedy to enjoy" replied Jeremy. "Hey, wait....Haven't I seen that comedian on TV or something?"

"That's Penny Pizzazz, the woman who writes about culture in Hey, Wow! magazine. Suzy was telling me about her the other day" said Travis.

For a style and culture reporter, she wasn't a bad stand up comic. The two buddies drank their beers and forgot all about their sucky dating lives.

CHAPTER 6: The Mod Girl

 

Lazy Sunday afternoon, I've got no mind to worry....thought Jeremy Saint as he tidied up the lunchtime dishes. Looking out the window he noticed something happening next door: A new neighbour.

She was dressed in the latest trendy gear; a black and white minidress with white go-go boots. She was the type of girl and look that Jeremy had read about in the magazines but had not seen before now. This chick was certainly with it!

Jeremy rushed to the telephone and made a call to the Best Friends Forever. Travis Scott picked up the phone.

"Travis...cute blonde just moved in at Streamlet Single...you know what this means?"

"WELCOME WAGON!" said Travis, exictedly. "I'll get the girls and we'll be right over"

Travis turned to Summer and Liberty. "Go get the cake" he said to them.

"The what?" replied Summer.

"GO GET THE CAKE! You know, the family heirloom?"

"Oh that cake" said Summer, wincing.

Within minutes the 4 neighbours had gathered at Streamlet Single to welcome the new resident. Liberty knocked on the door, as was tradition and the trendy young woman answered it.

"Hi...we're you're neighbours and we wish to welcome you to our street. I'm Liberty, this is Travis, Jeremy and bringing you some cake is Summer."

"It's a family heirloom" said Summer, with a big smile on her face.

The young woman invited them in to the house. "I'm still unpacking...oh, my name's Suzy; Suzy Kent."

Jeremy plucked up the courage to speak to her. "Nice to meet you, Suzy...I say your outfit is really 'with it'"

"Oh this? Just something I picked up down Simnaby Street recently"

"You shop in Simnaby Street?" said Summer, exitedly.

"Yeah, it's where the fab and groovy gear is...Not only do I like shopping there it's part of my job, really. I'm a style influencer at "Hey, Wow!" magazine."

"I never miss an issue of 'Hey, Wow!'" said Summer.

The four of them talked for a couple of hours. Suzy was impressed her neighbours were young, with it folks...well, except for Jeremy who seemed a bit square, but he was a nice guy she guessed.

"Time to go and leave Suzy to finish unpacking" said Liberty, tugging at Travis' sleeve.

"Oh man, we were just getting started!" complained Travis.

"Time to GO!" she said, pushing him out of the door "and you too, Jeremy...Summer...it's dinner time and you're rostered on to cook tonight"

Suzy shut the door after them and turned to look at the unpacked boxes and cases. "Maybe later..." she said. She did have a work assignment to do...interview a Willow Creek resident about their look. She'd forgotten to ask her neighbours so she looked out of her window to see if there was anyone else around. Down at the fishing spot there was someone...a woman decked out in this seasons colours: Black and white.

Suzy jogged over to talk to her and they complimented each other on their respective outfits. But the fishing spot was popular and soon she couldn't do her job properly without local fishermen complaining that she was standing on their spot.

CHAPTER 5: Zero Percent

 

"Do you play chess, Saint?" Mr J.J. Gotcha prodded Jeremy Saint in the chest and stared intently at his young employee.

"Erm...not really sir"

"If you want to succeed in business, you need to succeed at chess. Mark my words!"

The implication was clear; if Jeremy was to get ahead at the company he was going to have to learn to play chess. Fortunately he had the day off tomorrow and could learn the basics. Heading down to the Willow Creek archive to find a book on the game, he was pleasantly surprised to find the library not only had a book about chess, it had a chess table as well.

"How difficult can this be?" he thought to himself. "Right, you have these prawns and they move one ahead, a horsey, diagonal bishops, rooks....rooks? Are they those castle things? Why not call them castles instead of rooks? Sheesh, this game..."

"Do you want a game, young man?" came a husky woman's voice from behind him. Turning around he saw a stern looking Oriental lady in a floral dress standing next to the library chess board.

"Well, I'm just learning at the moment" he replied.

"There's nothing like learning by playing" she said, beckoning him towards a chair.

He sat down and pondered the pieces. "By the way, my name's Jeremy" he said.

"Lilly Feng" she replied..."but you may call me Mrs Feng. Your move"

Jeremy was playing white so he had to make the first move. He did what chapter 1 of the book said and moved the prawn in front of the Queen two spaces ahead.

"Ah, the Queen's Indian opening...and you said you were just learning" Mrs Feng said. Pretty soon the game was in full swing but Mrs Feng started making cryptic statements.

"In life, Jeremy, one is either a Queen or a Pawn....you have to work out which one you want to be"

"Erm, what about being one of the other pieces?" he asked.

"Which piece appeals to your nature, Jeremy?"

"I guess it would be the knight"

"A white knight....is that how you see yourself? And have you encountered any dragons yet?"

Jeremy paused. Lilly Feng had the demeanour of a Jade Dragon right down to the jewellery she was wearing.

"Just that handsome jade dragon bracelet you're wearing" he said at last.

"You notice a lot...but, alas, you notice the wrong things. Checkmate!"

Later on, after his drubbing by Lilly Feng at chess, Jeremy headed downtown to clear his head and hopefully encounter Bianca...or Summer or even Liberty.

"Hey, guy, wanna shoot some hoops?" The voice was Bakko Jang's. That cool cat was everywhere!

"Sure, why not?"

He played one on one basketball with Bakko but, like with Lily Feng, his opponent was too good for him.

The game was suddenly interrupted by a loud shout from behind them.

"UP AGAINST THE WALL, MOTHER FLIPPERS!"

The shout came from an angry looking young man, brandishing a placard. He was joined by a few others, all holding placards and banners. They were chanting "WHADDA WE WANT? 0%! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!"

"Oh man, it's a protest march" said Bakko.

"What are they protesting about?"

"0%, man...can you dig it?"

"I'm not sure, it's not my scene" replied Jeremy

"Well, I tells you...this place is gonna explode one of these days. It's all about the young people fighting for peace, love and 0%. Soon we're all gonna have to pick a side"

CHAPTER 4: Spicy Stories

 

Friday, the end of the first working week for Jeremy Saint. Wondering what to do on a Friday evening, he received a flyer in his mailbox telling him about the Spice Festival happening downtown. A spice festival....hmmm, I am hungry and don't feel like cooking and I've yet to explore the city centre he thought.

He arrived downtown as the city centre started filling up. He could hear some music off in the distance so he decided to investigate. A crowd had gathered around a street musician near where the various spicy food stalls were operating. The musician looked familiar and on closer inspection it turned out to be the man he met the other night at the Blue Velvet: The man who taught Jeremy some groovy moves....Bakko Jang. He was strumming a blues tune and getting a lot of attention and approval for his silky guitar playing. Jeremy was impressed and tipped a 5 Simoleon bill into the guitar case.

"Cheers, guy" said Bakko, with a wink.

"Fancy seeing you here, Jeremy" said another familiar voice. Looking around, Jeremy saw Geoffrey Landgraab standing next to him.

"Hello Geoffrey, are you here for the music or the curries?"

"A little of both, and you?"

"I'm still exploring the city...is your wife with you?" said Jeremy, looking around.

"Erm no....she's got an important work do this evening?" said Geoffrey, sheepishly.

"Sorry to hear that"

"It's not uncommon for her to work late. Very late sometimes...it's a safe job"

"Regular pay, benefits?" said Jeremy.

"No, an actual safe job, like in a bank"

"Deposits?"

"Erm....the opposite" said Geoffrey, nervously.

There was an awkward silence before Jeremy made his excuses and ordered a Chinese dish he'd never heard of from the kiosk.

"You seem like the type of man who enjoys a bit of....spice" said a red headed lady in her 40s, who had suddenly appeared next to Jeremy.

"I'll try anything once" he replied.

"I bet you do...and if you like it you want more and more!" said the lady, batting her eyelashes at him. I swear, every time I go to eat some strange lady starts hitting on me, thought Jeremy.

She introduced herself as Katrina Caliente. The name meant nothing to him but she looked like a woman who'd eat hapless young men like Jeremy alive.

"My is that the time, I have to get up early for work tomorrow!" said Jeremy.

"Tomorrow's Saturday" she replied, making a move towards him.

"I work in security...we have no days off. Bye!" and with that, he jogged back to the subway station.

CHAPTER 3: Knock, Knock...Who's There?

 

Time for the local Beat Poetry Group meeting

Jeremy Saint had a hectic time in his first week at work. His boss, J.J. Gotcha, made sure Jeremy was on his toes with more work and chores to do than an average person could handle to see how the young man handled the pressure. After 4 days Gotcha was impressed and promoted Jeremy to a junior admin position in the company but Jeremy was tense through all the work.

There wasn't much time for anything else, there was barely enough time to eat at home. Travis would often stop by for a chat and Summer invited Jeremy to see a new play in town. He thought Summer had taken a shine to him but her vibe on the night was purely friendly. That was her manner: She didn't flirt, she beamed smiles and peppiness.

To celebrate his promotion, Jeremy headed into town for drinks at the Blue Velvet. He was getting to know the regulars now: Summer, Liberty and Travis, Geoffrey Landgraab and Bakko Jang; a cool cat with all the sharp moves.

One of the new patrons present that night was a bespectacled woman who kept flirting with Geoffrey. He didn't seem to mind at all and wondered what would happen if his wife had entered at that point? She certainly wouldn't have given him that passionate kiss she did the other night. The woman started to sidle up to Jeremy, batting her eyelashes at him as she did with Landgraab. Jeremy didn't know how to respond but Bakko pulled him to one side.

"Jeremy, don't go there....that's Eliza and it's complicated with her. Don't go there, my man, don't go!"

Jeremy took that as a good cue to leave...he was getting hungry anyway. Once he got home he fixed himself a meal when there was a knock on his front door. "I bet it's Travis...I'll just say hello"

Opening the door, he was surprised to see it wasn't Travis. In fact he'd never met this person before. It was a beautiful young woman all in dark blue and with long, flowing brown tresses. For a moment Jeremy had forgotten how to talk.

"Hi, I'm Bianca" she said.

"Of course you are" replied Jeremy.

"I noticed you moved in a few days ago and I came to say hi"

"Do you live local?"

"Erm…kind of. Could I borrow a cup of sugar?"

Jeremy knew a cue when he heard one and invited her in. He momentarily put down his dinner to make her feel at ease. not that she needed much because she was VERY talkative. Jeremy put out of his mind the weirdness of someone showing up at random to say hello, considering she didn't live in Founder's Cove itself, but...hey...cute chick and all that. At one point Travis showed up but Jeremy shoed him away, miming that he had a woman in the house. Travis nodded and winked and mouthed "say no more". Back inside Jeremy supressed his desire to go to the toilet to chat some more and not appear rude. She liked his book collection and talked a lot about books, movies and art. He struggled to think of cool and suave things to say and also keep his bladder under control until she said it was late and had to get home. Thrusting a cup of sugar in her hands, he said a sincere goodbye and rushed to the bathroom as soon as she left.

But the question remained: Who was this Bianca and why did she pick on him?

CHAPTER TWO: Get With The Beat

"Get a job and get a haircut young man!"

The generation gap hardly bothered Jeremy Saint, who was busy getting ready for his first day as a mailroom clerk at Dewey, Cheathem and Howe. Last night he had to fill in various reports, half of which he didn't understand and the other half he hurredly filled in over breakfast. He didn't want to be late on his first day despite seeing a groovy chick standing right outside of his house, checking her diary. "Focus" he told himself...."focus".

The work was tedious, the hours ticked by but Jeremy's mind was filled with stories of young hopefuls who started in the mail room and ended up being the company chairman. By the time he got home he was hungry and in need of fun.

As soon as he finished a tin of tinned fruit salad....he'd forgotten to stock up on food, the phone rang. It was Travis Scott.

"Hey, Jeremy, me and the girls are gonna head on down to the Blue Velvet...you know, that discotheque we told you about? It's pretty swinging"

"You've thrown me a lifeline, bud, I need some fun right now!" was his reply.

Jeremy was glad to see his new friends and put the tedium of work behind him. The Blue Velvet was buzzing; Summer invited him to dance and he couldn't say no to her. Or to Liberty for that matter. Travis looked on, not looking too put out that this new guy was fast becoming good friends with his housemates, but he cast a sideways glance when Jeremy got a little too close to Summer.

An older gentleman of around 40 accidentally trod on Jeremy's foot. "So sorry, I'm not with it with these crazy new dances they've got these days" he said.

"That's OK, mister. No permanent damage done" Jeremy replied.

The man danced on, awkwardly, trying to get to the rhythm of the song playing: Dusty Simfield's "I Only Want To WooHoo You".

"Do you know who that is?" whispered Travis to Jeremy "That's Geoffrey Landgraab, the millionaire"

"Really? Never heard of him. What's he do?"

"That's it...no one's sure."

A blonde lady in her mid to late 30s walked into the nightclub. She was dressed in the height of fashion and had a swagger to her walk. She walked over to Geoffrey Landgraab, grabbed him and dipped him over...passionately kissing him in front of the entire clientele.

"Golly jeepers!" said Jeremey "you wouldn't see that back in Crested Butte!"

"That's not all of it" replied Travis. "That's his wife!"