Stories from the Savvy Simmer
Pinups' Place: Emily Doll
Chapter Two: Sleuthing for Truths
Norman and Emily moved in together before she could ask any more questions or dig up any more dirt. She admired his work ethic, but he was just on the grind all the time. Em told herself she was moving in with Norm because they were dating, and it was a logical next step. She tried to dismiss the thought that she moved in with him because she was a failed writer who couldn't figure out what the hell to do with her life.
Norman came home one night soon after Emily unpacked, and she could tell he'd already tied one on. He had good reason, though.
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| Norman has been promoted to Module Cleaner! |
"Did you go to Willow Creek?" Emily asked, referring to the neighboring town which she knew housed Norm's favorite hot spot.
"Yep, I had a drink with the boys before I came home." Norm was grinning; he was obviously proud of himself. "Boss promoted me to Module Cleaner today. That's my official title."
"Module Cleaner?" Em quirked a perfectly arched black brow.
"Yeah, I get inside the pods and clean 'em. I'll be making an extra eight Simoleons an hour. I think I might install a basement."
"A basement?" Emily repeated. She felt a little dizzy. Could Norman really afford his beautiful, sprawling house for 34 Simoleons per hour, and add a basement? Why was she worried about it? She couldn't help wondering how he paid for all the wonderful things he owned, but she never pried or asked too many questions. That ends today, she decided. "How much is that altogether?"
"What?" Norman blinked blearily at her. His train of thought had obviously gone off track.
"How much money are you making altogether now?" Asking outright, Emily wondered if that made her sound like a gold-digger. That wasn't her aim, but right now she didn't care what Norman might think. Admittedly, she was feeling a little irrational.
He took it in stride, though, without even noticing. "Thirty-four an hour," he said, confirming exactly what she'd thought. "With three vacation days tacked on for good performance. Y'know, Em, I was thinking..."
She didn't hear him. Her stomach was twisting into knots. "You're a Module Cleaner? What were you before that?"
Norman squinted hard at her. He was beginning to find it a little odd that she was so damn interested all of a sudden. Still, he answered without flinching. "An intern."
"An intern? At NASSA? Really, Norman?" She was frowning now and crossing her arms over her chest.
"What, you don't believe me?" he shot back defensively. "It's the truth!"
"I believe that part." Emily moved in close and jabbed a finger at him. "What I don't understand is how the hell you can afford this gorgeous house as an intern at the space academy."
"I'm not an intern," he said stubbornly, shoving his way past her up the stairs.
"You were an intern yesterday!" she yelled, eyes wide, unable to help herself now. "I don't understand it, Norman. It doesn't add up. So why don't you explain it to me?"
"You should just be happy I got a promotion and a raise," he responded bluntly, "and stop asking questions."
...Oh, HELL no. Emily could feel exclamations popping off like fireworks inside her head. "'Stop asking questions'?" she repeated, her jaw dropping. "I can't believe this."
"You don't need to pry into my personal life, Emily!" he yelled at her over his shoulder. She could hear his work boots pounding angrily up the staircase.
"I'm your GIRLFRIEND!" she yelled back up, her pale face red with the heat of her argument. "I should have a free pass to do that!"
Emily wasn't going to demand that Norman sleep on one of the couches in his own house, but she refused to do that, either - so she ended up curled angrily at his side with her back to him. Because he had his back to her first, though, he didn't really seem to notice or care, and she resented the way he could sleep like a baby. She lay awake in the bedroom for about an hour and a half, questions running through her brain like rats in a maze.
Around 2:00 in the morning, she got out of bed without disturbing Norm and stepped outside. She just wanted to sit in the garden beside the fountain for awhile. The peaceful sound of the running water was really soothing. Maybe she'd just dip her feet in the pool and come back inside. She was feeling pretty crappy on her way back to the house, when an odd noise made her look up. Emily was suddenly bathed in a bright blue light...
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| Emily was suddenly bathed in a bright blue light... |
She had a brief moment to wonder whether she was being pranked, but no time to scream for help. Emily was sucked up into the blue light, where she seemed to simply vanish, clear off the map. Norman slept on within the house, completely unaware that Emily was gone.
She returned about three hours later, quietly and without any measure of pomp or circumstance. She strode confidently into that sprawling House Beautiful and straight up the stairs in her red stiletto heels. Anytime her shoes matched her lipstick, Em felt really put-together. She was starting to notice it was something the women in this neighborhood had in common...
Her usually hazel eyes were lit with an eerie electric-blue glow as she approached Norman's side of the bed where he soundly slept, snoring and dreaming and unaware of her gaze which now saw much more than she'd bargained for, much more than she ever planned on seeing...
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| The disguise seemed perfect... |
Norman McSims wasn't just a Module Cleaner for the National Aeronautics and Sim-Space Administration. He was an alien Module Cleaner.
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