Holisdale: Round One -- The Knox Family
The next family is the Knox Family, comprised of a single father, two children (twins), and a toddler.
31 pictures; warnings include: partial nudity and sexual situations.
Doug Knox was partially glad to move into Holisdale, but also very scared. Being so blatantly rejected and abandoned by his wife had left Doug with many issues, most of which he had to push away at present to be there for his children. All of them were still too young to fully understand the impact their mother's absence would have on them later on in life. In fact, his twins didn't even know their mother wasn't coming back yet.
To say the least, the Knox family's new life in Holisdale would take some getting used to.
Nia, the eldest of the twins, did not mind the move to Holisdale. She didn't really understand why they had to move or why their mother hadn't been with them, but she was under the impression that her mother would be joining the rest of the family soon. Until then, Nia would just hold out for her and do well in school and make friends, the way she was used to. Their new house was much smaller than their old one (mostly to the lack of funds and Doug's lack of a new steady job), but Nia didn't mind. She figured she'd quite like it here.
Mia, although younger than her twin (by a few minutes) and totally unconcerned (for the most part) with the going-ons of her family, was much more observant than Nia. She seemed to understand that her mother would not be coming back--not that Mia really understood why. For some reason, she didn't accept this with a heavy heart. It seemed perfectly normal to her. She had heard many arguments between her parents and seen her mom angry for presumably, no reason. Mia knew her mom was unhappy with her dad and that her parents weren't getting along right. Some of her old friends' parents didn't get along either and they moved away from each other too.
Mia figured that was what was happening with her family now. It didn't matter too much to her; as long as she could still chat with her old friends online, she'd be fine in her new home.
Within the first couple of hours of the Knoxs settling in, a small group of people came to welcome them to their new neighborhood. Doug talked with them all, but one woman got his attention much more than the other two guests. Her name was Leslie Bailey and she too was new to Holisdale. As Doug continued chatting with her, he discovered they had much more in common than just that. Leslie was also currently a single mom although her situation was slightly different from Doug's--Leslie had been the one to leave her husband, apparently for his infidelity and general sleaziness. Doug apologized for her situation, but applauded her move, causing Leslie to grin.
It seemed like the beginnings of a very beautiful friendship.
As the night wore on, Leslie and Doug continued to focus all their attention on each other, completely oblivious to what Marissa Bendett and Benjamin Long were doing across the room. Funnily enough, Marissa and Benjamin were doing much the same thing. It was obvious that Leslie and Doug found each other endearing and interesting and if Doug wasn't mistaken, there was definitely some chemistry between them. It could have been the love in the air from Marissa and Benjamin, it could have been the thrill of moving into a new home and a completely new town, but whatever it was, it made Doug rather bold.
He started flirting with Leslie, telling her how beautiful and alluring he found her and saying that he couldn't understand how her ex had gone off with other women when he had someone so wonderful at home. Perhaps it would have gone farther if Leslie hadn't had to leave--she was afraid that she'd been away from her kids for too long and leaving them alone with their grandfather apparently wasn't the wisest of ideas.
She made sure to give Doug her number before leaving though.
Before she managed to leave however, Leslie ran into young Mia Knox, who simply gave the older woman a knowing look that made the child look wise beyond her years. The two of them had joked around a little earlier that evening when the welcoming party had first come to the Knox's house and Mia had instantly taken a liking to Leslie. Perhaps it was the strong motherly vibes she gave off...
"I think I like you," Mia told Leslie with a cute smile, catching Leslie off guard. "And I think my daddy does too."
Leslie just spluttered out a thanks and left soon after, blushing quite hard.
After putting his children to bed and saying goodbye to the rest of his guests, Doug settled down at his computer and tried to find a job. His hunt was successful and he (luckily) got a job in the Politics career. He started right away and earned a decent amount of money. There was only one setback...
The hours meant that not only would he not be able to be home when Mia and Nia got back from school, but Doug couldn't take care of Talin all day long as he would have had he still been unemployed. Doug knew it was unfair for his kids, but it was a sacrifice he was ultimately making for them. This was all to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates. Had money not been an issue, Doug would've been happy to spend his days at home with his kids--that was good enough for him.
As it was, they were slowly but surely going into a financial rut, so Doug's job was more than just necessary. He didn't like the look of the old nanny that came to look after his kids though...
She certainly was just as competent as she looked. Her first day on the job, she broke the Knox's rather expensive dishwasher and didn't even bother telling Doug before she left. Doug would have fired her if he didn't need her so badly; he decided to instead dock some of her pay and repaired the dishwasher later himself.
The girls' first day at school was rather uneventful in their minds.The only difference between their new school and their old one was the people there. Mia was already starting to make friends and although Nia was a little behind with the socializing, she was confident that she'd have at least two new friends before the week was over. She did think it was kind of unfair that her sister would be popular at their new school and still stay in contact with so many of her old friends as well, but there was no way for Nia to say that without looking totally jealous.
Which, in a way, she was.
A couple of days after their first meeting, once Doug had enough time off from his new job, he bravely called up Leslie and suggested that they "hang out" at his place. Leslie laughed at his attempt to be hip but agreed to come over without any hesitation. Minutes later, she was at Doug's house. Once again, conversation flowed easily between the two and they were joking like old friends in no time. The only thing that made either of them uncomfortable was how easy it was to bond with one another after the tragic relationships they'd been through. Instead of focusing on that though, Doug focused on making Leslie laugh as much as possible--he thought the sound of her laugh was just about magical.
All Doug's worries about his relationship with Leslie were answered when he daringly kissed her (it was definitely a spur of the moment kind of thing), but she positively responded and even kissed him again. It brought Doug so much joy; he'd been so scared to see what her reaction would be. Leslie admitted to being surprised by it (Doug was definitely shocked by his actions himself), but she couldn't deny that she'd been developing feelings for Doug as well. The two got along so well, it seemed only natural that they would become more than just friends.
Neither was ready to put an official name on their relationship though and that was just fine. Both had just come out of some hardships concerning previous relationships, so it was definitely reasonable for them not to want to jump into another one so soon. Leslie did worry that she was being used as a rebound or something (or that she would end up thinking of Doug that way), but ultimately decided that the two of them were far too sweet to hurt one another like that.
Just like Doug's relationship with Leslie, time moved rather quickly. Before Doug could even blink, it was time for Talin's birthday! He for one felt it was far too early for his son to be growing up, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He did wish that Talin's mother was around to see her little man growing up, but at this point, Doug hardly believed that she cared for her children anymore. He would never tell them that though. If she'd loved them though, why was she gone now?
Doug cleared his head of such thoughts once he brought the beaming birthday boy to his cake. Talin had the perfect mix of his father and his mother's genes and Doug could already tell that he'd be a handsome man. Doug had had his confidence knocked down a couple of notches when his wife had left him and his family, but his new romance with Leslie definitely made him feel better about himself. He certainly wasn't completely undesirable, he knew that much. And if Talin's old man was doing well now, Talin was pretty much guaranteed to get some ladies when he was older, wasn't he?
But the ladies would come later. Right now, Talin was still a wide-eyed child, eager for his first day at "big kids school," and all the great experiences that awaited him in childhood. How fulfilling it was for a parent to see their child grow up well.
Doug wasted no time in calling for his own celebration of Talin's birthday. As is apparent, someone got some birthday sex and it wasn't the birthday boy! Doug didn't know why, but it seemed like the right time for him and Leslie. She seemed to agree wholeheartedly. This was just another step for them--who knew where they'd go from here?
Life fell into a lovely, happy routine for Doug--for once. He had his time with his children, his family. Those were the times he was at his best, all smiles and nice Daddy. His children loved him for it and so did their friends. Then he had his time working hard at his job and sometimes work carried on at home. Doug loved his job so he didn't complain too much and sometimes it was fun explaining to his ever-so-curious children what he had to do (when they weren't bothering him too much, of course). And then there was his time with Leslie.
What had started as a seemingly innocent crush had recently bloomed into so much more. They now met regularly, whenever they could. Any minute they could squeeze in to spend time with each other, they did. Although Doug had yet to visit Leslie's house and meet her family, Leslie had been at (and slept over, occasionally) Doug's house many times and was very familiar with his children. All three of them were rather fond of her and cheeky little Mia had already asked Doug if Leslie was their new mom.
Doug didn't know about that just yet, but there was one thing he was sure of: he was falling for Leslie Bailey.
They finally took their relationship to the next level and as childish as it sounded to them (Doug blamed it on previously being married), they officially started "dating" and "going out." They were going out and it felt fine. It felt right. Doug was glad his children approved of Leslie already; it would certainly save him from some awkwardness later on--having to explain why their mother wasn't there and Leslie was. Or explaining exactly what Daddy was doing with Leslie and why she was at their house so often. These were things Doug didn't really know how to deal with as a parent, but he was sure his children would be behind whatever choices he made, even if they didn't fully understand them. They loved him so much and they were all each other had at this point.
Once they began officially seeing each other, Doug's feelings for Leslie intensified greatly. Now he really had something with her--something he could hold on to and call by name. He wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible. There was no turning back now; Doug knew at this point that he was definitely in love with Leslie. He'd yet to say those three words to her (at least, not in so few words and so straight-forwardly), but he was planning on it. And soon. He had no idea what Leslie felt for him at this point--he wasn't even sure she reciprocated his feelings. But she'd yet to protest when he asked her to meet him anywhere and she had even taken the initiative some times herself. Things were going great.
So great, in fact, that Doug already wanted to make the next move. Of course, he wouldn't mention anything to Leslie just yet. He didn't want to scare her away and even he knew that popping the question at that point in their relationship would be a bad move. He didn't want to pressure her or move too fast. But he did care about her and he wanted her to know that.
Time went on and pretty soon it was time for another round of birthdays--this time for the twins! Doug was excited and terrified to see his little angels grow into beautiful young girls. He knew they were a little smarter than he probably gave them credit for and that they knew much more than he thought they did (and probably more about certain subjects than he wanted them to), but he wasn't planning on smothering them in their teenage years. He was going to give them freedom and let them spread their wings a little. He was going to make sure they'd be able to make their own mistakes and know that their dad would be right behind them to catch them when they fell.
Of course, that didn't mean he'd be encouraging them to get into trouble and doing who-knows-what inappropriately in the hours of the night. But they knew that.
The girls were just as excited to be able to experience the part of life they'd only heard and read stories about. Nia was hoping to land herself a boyfriend and Mia was rather excited about the parties she'd be invited to.
...And then of course, there was college to start thinking about!
Mia grew up and started to show her style more, wearing stylish clothes and putting her hair up. Her love for glamorous makeup shone through as well. She definitely looked the part of her wild, spunky personality.
Mia Knox -- Pleasure; Capricorn (7/6/1/8/3); LTW: Have 50 1st Dates; turned on by hats and formal wear; turned off by glasses
Nia grew up looking considerably sweeter and more innocent than her sister, definitely achieving the "unattainable girl next door" look she loved. She hoped some boys would fall for it, or at least look her way.
Nia Knox -- Popularity; Pisces (5/3/7/5/7); LTW: Become Mayor; turned on by formal wear and brown hair; turned off by red hair
With all his children growing up so quickly and life moving at such a fast pace, Doug had to take all the time he could to make sure he coddled them as much as he could while they were still young. Growing up with only one parent must have been hard and Doug hoped that he was doing a good job as a father; he only wanted the best for his kids.
The next day, in the wee hours of the morning before school, Mia suffered a horrible accident while fixing the trash compactor. She was electrocuted! It sent her brain cells a-buzz and for some reason, she decided to try her hand at fixing the machinery once more...
...which ended in much the same way.
Apparently, lightning does strike in the same place twice. Or at least, you can get electrocuted in the same place twice... Electrocute her once, shame on you! Electrocute her twice, shame on her!
Or something like that.
Bad luck seems to run in the family today. Doug got a chance card and...
...ended up losing his job.
Now depressed and jobless, Doug doesn't know what to do. What's he going to tell his kids? What's he going to tell Leslie?!
That's all for the Knox family; next up is the Baileys!
Thanks for reading! :]