The Bradford Legacy - Chapter 32

I’m back with another Bradord chapter. Please note, I’m moving away from staging, as I’m burnt out on it.
There may be a staged picture or two as plot requires, but I’m not worrying about it. There will be thought
bubbles. I figure getting through the legacy and finishing what I started is more important than a chapter
full of pretty pictures.
A quick recap: Steven grew into a teenager. Rosalie finally learned the truth about her husband, Bruce,
and gave him the what-for. Walter and Shirley adopted a little girl, and then Shirley became pregnant right
after. The family did their best to cope with the threat of the Cold War looming. And Steven worried about
doing right by the Bradford name.
Okay, enough talk. More chapter. Enjoy Chapter 32 of The Bradford Legacy.

“Oh, thank you for calling! How is she? Wonderful! And the name? That’s adorable. Oh, Walter, I’m so
happy for the two of you. Give Shirley my love, and let her know I’ll be by in a few days. Congratulations
again!”

“Everything all right with Walt and Shirley?” Nick asked, only half paying attention as Alice sat down next to
him on the sofa.
“Shirley had the baby.”

Nick put down the paper. “She must be relieved. She was about a week past her due date. How did
things go?”
“I don’t think there’s much to tell. Mother and baby are doing well, and Dwight and Judith getting used to
the idea of the new baby.”
“What did she have?”

Alice snickered. “It’s a girl. They named her Pauline.”
Nick chuckled. “Poor Shirley. Two little girls to raise.”
“Oh, I think they’re lucky to have her. Any daughter of Shirley Alcott is bound to do something great.”
* * * * *

There were many birthdays celebrated that season.

Danny and Sakura’s eldest Susan became a teen.

Rosalie and Bruce’s eldest set of twins, Douglas and Franklin also became teens.

Last but not least, it was Peggy Bradford’s turn.

Like many of her Bradford ancestors, Peggy found that she wanted to pursue a life full of learning and
knowledge.

Even with their very differing interests, Peggy found herself spending lots of time with Doug Thorne; he was
a notorious “bad boy,” and Peggy was a bit of a nerd. Still, their personalities were similar, and Doug was
always looking for any excuse to avoid going home. Alice smiled upon the friendship for several reasons.
First, she thought that Peggy would be a good influence on Doug and might get him to reduce some of the
antics that resulted in regular calls home from the principal. Second, she thought that Doug would help her
daughter learn to have a little fun as a teenager, and not spend all her days with her nose in a book.
Finally, she was certain that Rosalie would be glad to have one less child to mind, with seven others
running amok the at any given moment.
* * * * *

“Is it really time for Steven to go to college already?” Alice asked one late fall morning as she and Nick
snuggled in the early light.
“I know. He clearly isn’t old enough, despite what his birth certificate might say.”
“Oh, hush. I know he’s old enough. I just can’t believe how quickly time has gone by. I swear it was only a
day ago that he was a chubby baby, toddling around and wrapping James around his finger.”
Nick sighed. “I wish I hadn’t had to miss so many of those days. Still, I know what you mean. Our kids are
growing up, and time is marching on. Do you think you’ll be able to get through the goodbyes without
sobbing?”
“Sobbing? Yes. I may get weepy, but I’m so proud of him I could bust. My son is going to SimHarvard. I’ll
figure out how to send him off with a smile.”

That evening, Steven hugged his sisters goodbye.

His grandparents, who had been there for him since his birth, were next.

“Before you ask, Mom, yes, I have packed everything I need.”
Alice smiled at her eldest before kissing him on the cheek. “I expect nothing less from you. Call us as
soon as you get settled, and don’t forget to come home for Sunday dinners every now and then.”
“Of course.”

Nick got up from the couch and hugged his son. “Good luck. Let us know what you decide on for a major.”
“I will, Dad.”

The whole family gathered in the hallway to send Steven off.

As Steven’s cab pulled away, Alice stood in the fading light.
“He’ll be okay, you know,” Nick said as he joined his wife on the front stoop.
“Eventually, he will. But Nick, he’s so serious! He’ll study himself to death without someone there to stop
him.”
“He will be okay. We’ll drag him home for dinner every few weeks and fuss over him. Any just maybe, he’ll
find himself a girl who can distract him from his books every now and then.”
“That would imply that he needs to realize that girls exist.”
“It’s bound to happen at some point.”
“I’m not sure I should hold my breath,” were Alice’s last words as she went into the house.

It didn’t take Steven long to setting into college. He chose to live in Landgraab Hall as many of his relative
before him had.

The dorm had been renovated during the war, to accommodate all the young men who had participated in
the Officer Training Program. Still, it was rather drab and basic, but Steven found he didn’t need much.

It had a reasonably comfortable bed, a dresser for his things, and a desk where he could do his
schoolwork. The most important part was that it provided a quiet place for him to escape the hustle and
bustle of dorm life.

That was not to say that Steven spent all of his time cooped up in his room. From time to time, he would
join his dorm mates as they studied for their exams in the common spaces. Still, Steven preferred his solo
study time; he was determined to make the Dean’s list and uphold the Bradford name.

He went home every other weekend like clockwork, and called his family on the weekends he stayed at
school. Just as it had been back in Simsfield, Steven’s life was very routine.

“Why on earth is he majoring in physics?” James demanded.
“Because it’s a challenge, I think,” Alice replied. “And it’s a ‘serious’ subject. You know Steven. Can you
imagine him majoring in literature, or theater?”
“He gets that from you, you know,” James said accusingly to Nick.
“No all of us can spend hours playing in a bathtub for entertainment,” Nick replied with a smirk.
“I suppose not,” James agreed. “Still, I have no idea what he’ll do majoring in physics.”
“Something in science, I imagine,” Cindy said with a smirk.
“I know that,” James retorted. “But what?”
* * * * *

“Why do you want to do that?” James demanded. “I thought you were happy with your nursing.”
“I am, Dad. And will still be doing nursing, just in different places around the world where good nurses are
desperately needed.”
“Couldn’t you have done that with the army? I thought you turned them down,” Cindy asked.
“Yes, but with the Peace Corps I’ll have more of a say as to where I end up.”

“Aren’t you worried, Dotty? Some of the places where Peace Corps workers are going aren’t very stable,”
Alice asked.
“Well, I’m concerned, yes, but there are precautions in place to keep us safe.”
“You’ve made up your mind, then,” James stated.
“I have, Dad. I’m a grown woman, and I feel I need to do this to make sure I leave the world a better place
than what it is right now.”
“You’ll come home in between assignments?” Cindy asked.
“Of course, Mom. I may want to wander, but Simsfield will always be my home.”

At that moment, Nick returned home from work.
“Why all the serious expression?” he asked.
“Dorothy is joining the Peace Corps,” James stated.
“Really, Dad? Dorothy?”
James signed. “No matter how old you are, you will always be my little girl and I will always worry about
you. Especially when you go gallivanting across the globe to goodness knows where.”

“Well I think it’s a neat idea,” Nick said, pulling Dotty up and off the couch and into a hug. “Dotty’s a bang-
up nurse, and she’ll have the chance to make a real difference for people who need help.”
“Thank you, Nick. I’ll miss working with you, but I feel like this is something I need to do.”
“I understand that. I suppose this means we’ll be seeing less of you now?”
“It will, but I promise to write lots and visit as often as I can.”
* * * * *

Not long before his teenage birthday, Dwight Gavigan had a few of his friends over after school. While
they were playing, their conversation turned to what they wanted to be when they grew up.
“I’m going to be an astronaut,” Jonathan Bradford, Danny and Sakura’s youngest announced. “I think it
would be so awesome to fly in a rocket!”

“Astronauts are such heroes!” Dwight agreed. “They get parades and everything.”

“I wish I could be an astronaut too,” Nettie sighed.
“Well, you can’t,” replied Wayne Thorne, one of Bruce and Rosalie’s many children. “Girls can’t be
astronauts; it’s too dangerous.”
“That’s not fair, though!” Nettie exclaimed. “Girls are just as smart as boys.”

Wayne shrugged as he zoomed the toy cay he was playing with around the floor. “Maybe. But astronauts
come from the military, and girls can’t join the military unless they’re nurses.”
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Nettie repeated.
“If you like astronauts so much, you should marry one,” Dwight said.
“Maybe I will,” Nettie retorted.

The children played in silence for a few moments.
“You know, Nettie,” Jonathan said, “Even if you can’t be an astronaut, you might be able to help out with
the space program. My dad says that SNASA is hiring all kinds of mathematicians and scientists.”
“Maybe,” she said. “I just wish that I could do whatever I wanted when I grew up, like you guys will be able
to. It’s not fair that I’m not allowed to do some stuff just because I’m a girl.”
“No, it’s not,” Dwight agreed. “My mom helped build war ships, so you should be able to be an astronaut, if
you want.”
* * * * *

Since finding out about Bruce’s involvement in Simmunist activities, Rosalie had taken gardening back up.
Once the war had ended and the need for the Victory Garden had passed, she’d let the plot go. Now, she
found it oddly satisfying to use the hoe to hack into the ground and to yank the offending weeds out of the
ground. With the children being older, she had the time to take a few moments for herself and indulge in a
hobby.
It gave her a few moments every day to think about what she wanted to do in regards to her husband. She
knew that the gossips of Simsfield were talking about her, and how she and Bruce were no longer at the
center of the social circles. She knew they were saying that she and her husband were on the outs, and
that everyone was expecting an announcement of some sort of separation any day now. She knew that she
couldn’t divorce him, no matter how furious she was with him. Rosalie couldn’t bear to bring that shame
onto her family name, a family name that she had worked so hard to protect.
Something had to be done to quiet the gossip. After much consideration and a long pep-talk to herself,
Rosalie decided what she needed to do.

Once lazy Saturday afternoon when all off the children and Taddy and Calla were out, Rosalie asked Bruce
to join her in the living room.
“What is it?” he asked a bit shortly.
“You may not be aware, but you and I are the subject of several rumors from the gossips of town.”
“I was not aware. What exactly are those rumors saying?”

“It’s not about your Simmunist connections, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she retorted. “No, people
are saying that our marriage is over, and they’re expecting us to announce a divorce or separation at any
moment.”
Bruce visibly relaxed, and Rosalie sneered. “I was not aware that an impending divorce was something to
be relieved about.”
“It’s not, of course, but in some ways it is the lesser of two evils.”
“I cannot argue with that. Regardless, it’s not why I want people in Simsfield to be talking about me.”
“I understand completely.”
“I am glad to hear that, as I need your help in putting a stop to this gossip.”
“How, pray tell, are you planning on doing that?”

“We need to convince people that our marriage is just fine.”
“And how do you plan on doing that? Parties and the like? Let’s be honest, Rosalie, we’ve let many of our
social connections lapse, between raising the children and my, ahem, indiscretion with a different political
viewpoint.”
“I thought about that. It does present a challenge, but I had another solution in mind.”
“Which is?”
Rosalie took a deep breath, and steadied her facial expression. She didn’t like what she was about to
propose, but she was not about to let her husband know that.
“I think we should have another baby.”

“What?” Bruce exclaimed. “Rosalie, have you lost your mind? You rant and rave about not being able to
manage the children we already have, and you’re proposing more?”
“Hear me out. When I was always pregnant, people would smile and say how much in love we must be, if I
was constantly in the family way. What better way to convince people that even if we’ve hit a rough patch
that we’ve fallen back in love than another baby?”
“Rosalie, are you sure about this?”
“Yes. I’m surprised it’s taken so much convincing of you, I must admit. I’m the one who will have to suffer
with carrying the child. I would think that you would be excited at least about the process of helping to
produce it.”

Bruce sat in silence for several moments, mulling over what Rosalie had said in his brain. She remained
calm, and waited.
“You’re sure about this?”
“Completely.”
Bruce drew in a breath, then slowly let it out. “Very well. I’ll go along with your plan.”
“Thank you. I’m sure that it will be what is best in the long run.”
* * * * *

While the citizens of Simsfield did their best to keep their focus on everyday life and its worries, the worries
of the larger world found a way to work their way into everyday conversation.
“Why is the president so worried about Vietsim?” Peggy asked. “I’d never even heard of it until they were
talking about it on the news last night.”
“It’s another country in SimAsia that might get overrun by Simmunists,” James explained. “I guess he’s
going to send troops to support the people in the country who are fighting against the Simmies.”
“It sounds like SimKorea all over again,” Alice sighed. “In the end, it really didn’t solve anything other than
setting up a border that the Simmunists aren’t supposed to cross.”

“What’s it all going to mean?” Peggy asked.
“Probably nothing for you, kiddo. For the boys, it might mean they get drafted to fight.”
Peggy frowned. “Steven?”
“I doubt it. He’s in college, and they won’t pull him out of that.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Alice sighed. “I don’t know if I could bear that.”
“Still, some of the other boys in town should do some serious thinking about their futures. Like that
hoodlum, Doug. He’ll find himself packed up and shipped off if he’s not careful.”

“Doug is not a ‘hoodlum,’ Grandpa,” Peggy stated. “He gets himself into trouble sometimes, yes, because
he doesn’t think about consequences, but he’s a good kid ag heart.”
“Maybe he needs to start acting like it, then.”
Peggy snorted. “You try living up to Aunt Rosalie’s idea of ‘good’ and see what happens. I imagine he’s
just acting out in response to her unrealistic expectations. Besides,” she added with a smirk, “I’ve heard
tales about what you, Uncle Taddy, and Uncle Sterling got up to when you were his age or a little bit older.”
“She’s got you there, James,” Alice laughed.
“Aw, we were mischievous, that’s all. We didn’t do anything really bad.”
“Other than that incident at the dance where he spiked the punch bowl, neither has Doug. I wouldn’t talk to
him for a week until he promised never to do something like that again.”
“I worry about that boy, sometimes,” Alice sighed. “Thank goodness for your influence on him, Peggy. I
think he’d really get himself into some trouble without you keeping him in line.”
“He probably would,” Peggy agreed.
* * * * *

“Nicholas Bradford!”
“Uh, oh,” Nick muttered under his breath. He looked up from the television screen to see Alice entering the
room, a determined look on her face. “What is it, dear?”

“When exactly where you planning on sharing with me that Rosalie was having another baby?”
“I…wasn’t?” he asked. “How did you find out?”

“I was at the market, and Rosalie waddled in, putting on a face as if she were happy as a clam. It’s really
too bad that I know her so well, because I can tell that deep down she’s miserable. I would be too, having
another baby at this age. So, you must have seen her at the hospital. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Yes, I’ve know for a while. I’ve discussed her case with the other doctors. But Alice, I couldn’t tell you
outright. That would violate doctor-patient confidentiality. I did ask you if you had talked to Rosalie lately,
hoping that it might spur you to check in on her and find out the truth for yourself.”

“That’s all you’ve got to say for yourself?”
“That’s all I should have to say, Alice.”

“It’s just…”
“No, Alice. I can’t talk about patients, even if they are your friends. I’m glad you know, because Rosalie’s
got a tough road ahead of her, and she’ll need all the help she can get. Having a baby at her age comes
with a whole host of risks, and you know that she won’t be able to take it easy, not with eight other kids
running around.”
Alice slowly nodded. “I guess I know that you can’t talk about patients. Still, I wish you’d been a little less
subtle about your hints in regards to Rosalie. What can I do to help, without making it look like I’m
meddling?”
“Is there any way you can talk with some of her older kids, and see if you can get them to step it up a bit?
Even if it’s just keeping the younger ones in line, that will take a world of stress off of her.”
“Between Peggy and I, we should be able to do something. Poor Rosalie. I wonder why on earth she
would want to have another baby now, especially with the prospect of college and their own lives on the
horizon for the brood she already has.”

“Oh, that’s simple,” Cindy called out from her position at the chessboard. “People were talking about how
she and Bruce were on the outs. Now they’re all going to be talking about her having another baby.
Simple diversion tactics.”
“You really think that Rosalie would go through everything that having a baby entails just to stop gossip
about her and Bruce?” Alice asked.
“You know Rosalie better than we do, Alice,” James said. “What do you think?”
Alice thought for a moment. “She just might,” she admitted.
* * * * *

With the news of Rosalie expecting a new baby heavy on everyone’s mind, it was time for Nettie to become
a teenager.

Nettie ended up taking after her grandmother in wanting a little romance in her life.

While Nettie’s party continued on, Peggy and Doug snuck off to the den to chat.
“How’re things at home?” she asked.
“Horrid. Mom’s useless and does nothing but sleep all day. At least Veronica’s old enough to help out with
cooking and stuff, cause If Franklin or I had to do that we’d probably burn the house down.”

Peggy shook her head. “It sounds awful. What about your dad? Is he helping?”
Doug snorted. “Yeah, right. Dad spends as much time out of the house as he can. Can’t say I blame him.
I’d spend more time out of the house if I dared, but I don’t.”
“Why Doug, if I didn’t know better, I might say that you actually cared about your mother’s well being.”
“I care about the well being of my new brother or sister. The kid deserved a fair shake in this world.”

“Still, you need to take care of yourself too. You should come over more often. Mom doesn’t mind.”
“Maybe I will.”
“And you should think about what you want to do after you graduate. It’ll be here before we know it.”
“Aw, that’s easy. I’m getting in my car, and driving as far west as I can and never looking back.”
“Still?”
“Peggy, Simsfield has nothing for me. It suffocates me. I need to breathe, and the only way can do that is
to get out of here.”
Peggy found herself unable to speak, and she wasn’t sure what that meant.

While Peggy tried to figure out why Doug leaving Simsfield had rendered her speechless, Nick and Alice
were busy catching up with Steven.
“It sounds like you’re spending all of your time holed up in your room or the library studying,” Alice moaned.
“Not entirely. I do spend a lot of time studying; I have to if I want to keep my grades up. But I have tried to
make an effort to meet people.”
“And have you?” Alice pressed.

Steven hesitated. “Well, yes.”
Alice’s head snapped towards her eldest. “You have? Who is she? What’s her name?”
“Give the boy a second to answer,” Nick interrupted before Alice had the chance to fire off another
question.
Alice took a breath as she waited for Steven to start talking.
“Mary. Her name is Mary.”

“How did you two meet?”
“At a party celebrating Simmedy’s inauguration that we threw in the dorm. We invited the ladies from the
next dorm over where she lives.”
“And?”

“I’m not sure what you want me to tell you, Mom. We got to talking, and I think she’s really nice. We spent
most of the evening talking.”
“Have you seen her since?”
“Not really. Our schedules are kind of opposite right now.”

“So you like this Mary?”
“I do, Dad. She’s really nice. She doesn’t seem to mind that I’m a bookworm either.”
Alice smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. I expect that we’ll be meeting her at some point?”
“I don’t think we’re quite to that point yet, Mom, but when and if we get there I’ll let you know.”

Alice got up to start wrapping up the party. Once she was out of the room, Nick turned to his son.
“You had better get to the point of introducing Mary to your mother sooner rather than later. You’ll break
her heart if you don’t.”
“I just don’t want to scare Mary off yet. We really haven’t been able to see too much of each other.”
“But you like her enough to think about introducing her to us?”

“Yeah, Dad. I like her that much.”
* * * * *

Rosalie had spent much of her pregnancy horizontal; between the horrific morning sickness early on and
the constant exhaustion as it progressed, she found it much more comfortable to be curled up in bed or on
a sofa somewhere.
She was beginning to regret her decision to have another baby. If it were not for the fact that the gossip
about an impending divorce had died down, she would have completely regretted it.

One afternoon when all of the children were gone at school, Rosalie went into labor.

Rosalie should have been shocked that she had yet another set of twins, but given that she’d had two pairs
already and the intensity of her pregnancy, she was not. The boy, Harold, came first, followed shortly by
his sister, Sharron.

In what seemed like no time at all, Harold and Sharron grew into toddlers. They continued the Thorne
family tradition of twins being very dissimilar; Harold was messy and nice while Sharron was neat and
mean.

“Hello, Doug.”
“Yo, Mrs. B. Is Peggy around?”
“No, she’s not. She stayed late at school to study for a test in…chemistry, I think. She shouldn’t be too
much longer. Would you like to sit down and wait for her?”
“Sure. You don’t mind?”
Alice shook her head. “Not at all.”

“How have you been, Doug? It seems that you haven’t been over as much as you used to.”
Doug shrugged. “I’m okay, I guess. Things are kind of crazy at the house, and it’s not fair for Mom to
expect Veronica or Marjorie to take care of the babies all the time.”
“It’s very thoughtful of you to try to help out..”
“I guess.”
“What else have you been up to?”

“I’ve been tinkering with an old car Gramps bought for me. I figure I’ll need something to help me get out of
here once high school’s over.”

Alice pursed her lips. “Yes, Peggy mentioned that you were planning on leaving Simsfield and heading
west once high school was over for you.”
“Yeah. I can’t stay here, Mrs. B. You and Peg and the rest of the folks here have been great, but I need to
get away from my parents.”
Alice nodded. “I know how difficult Rosalie can be.”

“No offense, Mrs. B., but I doubt you know the half of it. She just expects all of us to live our lives exactly
as she’s planned, and I can’t live that cookie-cutter life. I don’t want to be anything like my parents.”
“You don’t have to go all the way to Calsimfornia to not have to be like your parents, you know.”
Doug smirked. “No, but it’ll make it easier to ignore them. Plus, it’s warmer.”
“I can’t argue with that.”

“What’s this about, Mrs. B.? Trying to convince me to stay in Simsfield?”
Alice’s face became serious. “It’s Peggy. Doug, I am a mother and I notice things. It hasn’t escaped my
notice that the two of you are very close. Peggy has been crankier than usual lately, ever since you told
her that you’re leaving after gradation. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she cares about you,
possibly more than as a friend. I’m worried about my daughter, Doug, and what will happen when you
leave.”

Doug became very serious. “Mrs. B., Peggy’s the best friend I’ve got. I care about her. A lot. Enough to
have thought about asking her to be my girl. But Peggy and I are two really different people, Mrs. B. We
want totally different things out of life. It wouldn’t be fair for us to start something, especially with me
knowing that I’m out of here soon.”

Alice nodded slowly. “That’s very mature of you. Have you told Peggy yet?”
Doug shook his head. “No. I know I should, but I know that she’ll give me that look, and I won’t be able to
stick to my resolve.”
“I think you should tell her before you take off. Give her a chance to let it all sink in, you know.”
“Yeah. Maybe once finals are over; I know how important her grades are to her.”
“That sounds fair.”

Doug chuckled. “That was a heavier conversation that I had thought we’d have, Mrs. B.”
Alice laughed as well. “What, did you think I was going to scold you for sneaking out of your house again?”

Doug startled, and Alice frowned.
“Doug, you promised Peggy that you’d stop doing that.”
“I know, I know. It’s just that house. It’s suffocating sometimes. I have no space to myself; I share a room
with four other people. I just have to get out. And if that’s late at night…”

“Doug, I’m going to go ‘mom’ on you for a moment here. I know that you have no space to yourself, but is
that really an excuse for your behavior? Think about your little brothers and sisters. Is that the kind of
example you want to be setting for them?”
“I guess not. I’ll try not to sneak out any more.”
“Good.”
“You know, Mrs. B., I think I’ll head home. Tell Peg I stopped by to see her; I’ll catch up with her another
time.”

Alice gave Doug a hug before he left. Hugs were not something he was used to; Rosalie was not a very
big hugger. He melted into the motherly embrace.
“Thanks, Mrs. B.”
“See you soon, Doug,” she replied.
* * * * *

Across town, Shirley’s brood was growing up quickly. Dwight had become a teenager, and now the new
baby Pauline was all grown up and ready to become a child.

Little Pauline was, much to Shirley’s dismay, much more interested in playing with dolls and tea sets than
she was climbing trees or playing catch.

There were times when Shirley would look at her daughter and genuinely wonder where she had come
from.

“So what if she’s a girly-girl?” Walter had asked when Shirley complained to her husband when he got
home late one evening. “She’s a good kid; isn’t that what matters?”
“Walt, I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff. Remember? I was always begging you guys to let me
play ball with you instead of sitting around learning to knit or something.”
Walter shrugged. “I’m sure that you’ll find some way to connect with your daughter.”

“That’s all you have to say?”
“What do you want me to say, Shirley? That you can change Pauline? Think about that for a moment.
Your mother, even though she didn’t approve of you being a tomboy, accepted you for who you were.
Don’t you think you owe your daughter the same courtesy that your mother gave you?”

Shirley was quiet for a few moments as she mulled over what her husband had said.
“I suppose that you’re right. It wouldn’t be fair to force her into being something she’s not.”
“I’m glad you were able to figure that out on your own. And besides, I’m sure there will be some things you
both like that you can do together.”
* * * * *

Over at SimHarvard, Steven was busy with his studies.

Steven was consistently on the Dean’s list, and in the top three of his class. He took great pride in his
academic standing, and knew that he was doing his part to uphold the Bradford family name.

Still, he found himself pulled from his studies more and more often by a certain dark-haired beauty who
could be very insistent about Steven putting his books away and joining her for an afternoon in one of the
city’s many parks.

Steven, who had never had a girlfriend before, found himself acting out of character, and regularly allowed
himself to be distracted by long walks in the park or other such outings with Mary. He found it difficult to
say no, especially when she pouted, and when she didn’t get her way, Mary did have a tendency to pout.

Steven found Mary to be irresistible, and as the semester progressed he found that he wanted to spend
and more time with Mary, and less and less time on his studies.

Steven decided that it was time to introduce Mary to the rest of his family. He knew that they would come
to like her just as much as he did.
* * * * *

And that’s all there is for Chapter 32.

Meet Steven’s bride-to-be, Mary. She is the result of an unpublished Good Genes challenge I did with
some tweaks to her genetics (translation: it’s time to breed out the Bradford Mouth that’s plagued me since
Jan). She is a Libra (2/8/2/6/7), and is a Fortune Sim. I am excited to get them married and started on
generation 9 (!).

Peggy became a teenager (in a most inappropriate outfit for her, I must say). She rolled
Knowledge/Pleasure, and has the LTW to become a World Class Ballet Dancer.

Nettie also grew up, into a slightly less horrible outfit. She rolled Romance/Knowledge, and has the LTW to
become a Rock God.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. You can leave comments on the Bradford Legacy thread at Boolprop, on
my Live Journal, or on my Dreamwidth, whichever you prefer. Thank you for reading!

The Bradford Legacy - Chapter 32

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The Bradford Legacy - Chapter 32