Chapter 50: Restless

"OW! OW! OW!"

Iveron and Genevieve had just left for school and Tennan was still away. I guess I'm doing this by myself this time.

During labor I kept freaking out that this may be Gustave's baby and I would never get to see him again. However, I got lucky because Johann was born with blue eyes, but not blue like mine. They were dark blue. I remember everything about Gustave, and he definitely didn't have blue eyes. This must be Gym Guy's baby. I was relieved. I still had a chance with Gustave, just as long as the stupid urge didn't possess me again and make me screw things up.

I had put Johann in his crib after feeding him and went to my room to relax. I was still feeling pretty beat.

"Mom? Can I ask you something?"

Iveron was standing in my bedroom doorway smiling. I motioned for him to come in and sit on the bed.

"Sure, honey. What's up?"

"I was watching Sim Kitchen, the cooking competition show on the Cooking Channel. They were advertising the new season, and they're taking applications. I wondered if you'd be okay with me applying for the show."

He was going to be graduating from high school soon, and I was excited that he was already looking towards the next step in his life.

"Ooh, that sounds exciting. Do you know what you have to do to apply?"

"Yeah, I looked at the website, and I can apply online. They want me to send a picture of a dish I made. I think I want to send in the salmon dish I made the other night."

"That sounds easy enough. What do you have to do if you make it onto the show?"

"I have to move to Silicon Shores during filming. All the contestants stay at a hotel free of charge."

"What does the winner get?"

Iveron got a twinkle in his eye when I asked him this question. I knew he would have looked at all aspects of this trip that he might be taking before he asked me about it.

"250,000 Simoleons and they get to be a chef at the Silicon Shore Planet restaurant."

"Oh my. That is a great reward."

"Yeah!! It would be everything I want. I'd get to cook and potentially be a chef!"

"Iveron, I am not saying no, but I need to ask you this first."

Iveron's face fell a little and he looked slightly worried.

"If you don't make it on the show, what will you do instead?"

"Apply at the Colisi Bistro and try again for Sim Kitchen when they shoot their next season."

I was so proud of my son. He had a backup plan lined up already. Of course, it wasn't that I didn't believe in his abilities, I just knew how many people applied for those tv shows. Sometimes it wasn't that they didn't like you, it was that all the spots were taken. Since Iveron was being realistic and he wasn't going to fall apart if he didn't make it on the show, I said that he could apply. Iveron leaped off the bed and jumped up and down. I smiled, glad that he was happy.

After my conversation with Iveron, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I decided to just sleep without bothering to change.

---

The bartender sees what Albany's doing and quickly runs after her. He grabs one of the ruffles on her dress and pulls. She falls backwards and he catches her in his arms, kissing her chest. She's disoriented and punches at him, trying to hurt him where it counts, but she can't reach the way he's holding her. He holds her hands behind her back, making her chest rise up. He reaches under the top of her dress and touches her chest. 

"Oh yeah, baby. You've got a great rack," he whispers in her ear. He pulls her dress open, kissing her chest hungrily.

Albany starts crying again, wishing she had just left when he said it was closing time.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you're so beautiful. Don't you know how beautiful you are?"

"You're sick!"

The bartender presses Albany against the wall and rips the bottom part of her skirt. "This is too long, it's getting in the way of my view." She cringes when she hears the fabric tearing and he laughs at her. "Oh, it's ok, baby, I'll make you feel good."

He tries to kiss her on the lips, but she's too angry at him to even pretend to kiss him back, so she looks away and lets him kiss her on the cheek instead. Albany closes her eyes as she feels him inside her. She wishes that the urge would come and overtake her right now. She doesn't normally mind having sex with random strangers, but it's always consensual. She tries to think of happy thoughts instead of what she's feeling at the moment, which is extreme sadness. He thrusts his hips a few times and then he pulls out and puts his pants on again. 

"How am I supposed to go home now? You tore my dress!"

He throws Albany's underwear at her.

"Cover yourself up with those."

Albany puts on her underwear, pulls up the front of her dress and runs out of the bar crying. She manages to find her car keys and her car. Instead of driving anywhere, she gets in the car and locks it. She curls up in a ball in the passenger seat and cries herself to sleep.

---

The unpleasant dream made me open my eyes and sit up in bed. My mother was raped too? I never had any other siblings after Christian left, so maybe she didn't get a child from the experience like I did. However, I wouldn't trade Cairo for anything. He grew up wonderfully, despite my initial panic when I found out I was pregnant after it happened. I was lost in my thoughts when my phone rang. I didn't know if I wanted to talk to anyone, but I looked at the caller ID anyway. CALL FROM BARIUM ZENTERI I smiled. Talking to Barium would surely make me feel better.

"Hey Mom, how's the new baby doing?"

"Good. He's sleeping now."

"What did you name him?"

"Johann."

"Cool. How are you doing?"

"I could be better. I may have found out why my mom withdrew into herself when I was growing up."

"What happened?"

"She got raped. It kind of brought back bad memories of when that happened to me."

"Aw, Mom, I'm sorry. Do you want me to come over?"

"No, it's all right, but thank you. I'm actually kind of sleepy at the moment."

"Good night Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, Barium."

I went back to sleep, but didn't stay that way for very long. Johann was a very cranky baby. I heard the kids getting up in the morning getting ready for school. Then I heard Johann stop crying. One of the kids must have tended to him. I slept for about twenty minutes and Johann was crying again.

"Hello, my little Johann. What is disturbing you so much this morning?"

I snuggled him close to me and then checked the thermostat in his room. Maybe he was just uncomfortable at the current temperature setting. When I heard Johann crying again after another twenty minutes, I was not amused.

"Johann, honey, Mommy loves you. Please stop crying, sweetheart."