It wasn't as bad on the outside as he had feared. It looked like the outside had been recently painted. It definitely needed a few plants, he mused to himself, but he would leave that to his wife Kanani. They barely had any money left over after buying the house. Just enough to get the essentials. A double bed for he and wife. A decent shower, cheap toilet, and a sink that kind of worked.
They bought a cheap fridge and stove, and a couple of toys for the girls. The most expensive part was buying 3 cribs for his girls. That added up to a hefty amount of money!
He had already stopped by the Unemployment department, but he was told there wasn't any job openings currently on the Island . But he could check back weekly. When he asked when was the last time a job opening was posted, he was met with blank stares. He took that as a bad sign.
He needed to get some kind of income coming in, or they would very shortly starve and/or lose their small home. It wasn't much, but it was shelter from the boiling hot sun and the monsoon like rains that pounded the Island quite frequently.
While staring at his new home, he was bit by inspiration. Well, actually it was his cat, Mugs, playfully sinking his sharp needle teeth and razor pointed claws into Kona's ankle. It was the little somersault that Mugs did after Kona had reflexively kicked him, that gave Kona the idea. Tricks. He had been friends once, with an old magician, who had given him an old trunk full of magical items.
As a teen, he had thought the trunk was useless. But he had held onto to it, in memory of Tragic Clown. Tragic was one of the few sims a young Kona had felt comfortable enough around to talk to. Tragic had been a true friend, a stand in grandfather, an upstanding father figure. Kona still grieved his loss.
Kona figured the Island always had a ton of tourists, willing to spend their money on anything and everything. If he could practice the magic tricks that Tragic had shown him all those years ago, and get the tourists to pay him, he just might be able to hold onto his house. And feed his family, While he waited for a job to someday, maybe, hopefully open up.
With that thought in mind, Kona hurriedly ran into the house and looked for his magic trunk. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally found it. He carefully opened the lid and peered inside. The first thing he pulled out was an old clown costume. It was utterly ridiculous. But he figured the tourists may give him better tips if he dressed the part. He threw the clothes on, and rolled his eyes at his own reflection. He looked silly. He went back to the trunk and grabbed a few objects that looked easy enough to start with, and then went back outside. Okay, here goes!
Ala presto peanut butter sandwiches! He cringed in embarrassment as he experienced his first epic fail. He had almost caught himself on fire! He cautiously looked around to see if his wife was watching him. To his relief, she was busy getting the girls settled into their new home. Mugs was watching him intently though, and Kona could swear the cat was laughing at him. "Payback for the kick?" Kona grumbled at the cat. "You know that was an accident! You shouldn't be surprising me by biting my ankles!" Kona frowned, drew a deep breath, and tried again. And again. And again. He practiced for hours. His family depended on him.
Kanani was way too busy to keep an eye on her husband. She had 3 very active toddlers to chase after, and to teach. While she was helping Poulani use the potty---
Keiki took it as an opportunity to sneak out the back door and explore her new home.
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This is Generation 1---I rolled:
Couple w/5 kids; Primary Income Magician, Secondary Medical; Generation Goal Perfectionist; Miscellaneous Fun Fashion Diva
I already did an oopsie---I made 3 of the 5 kids in CAS. I didn't realize they were all supposed to be BIG. Since I had already started though, I just decided to go with it. Having 3 toddler triplets without using cheats is very challenging! My poor sims are exhausted all the time.
Their two cats are constantly infected with fleas, and I discovered that cats refuse to take flea baths. Even if they roll the want for them. Even if the human sim rolls the want to give them one. It is hopeless! Usually I would just ctrl click that moodlet right away---but---no cheats! So I concentrated a lot on Bunny's (the female cat) wants so she could get enough points to get that fancy LTR bath thingy. That has been a life saver! lol
Next: Chapter 2: The Daily Grind