A Night on the Town

Welcome back everyone. Hope you had a great weekend. Mine was pretty good, though not nearly long enough (I blinked, and then it was over). Of course, this is a pretty busy week coming up too, so that kind of contributes. Anyway, enough of my personal life - why discuss that when the sims lives are so much weirder and funnier?

Since the conception of the Miller house, Bobby and Deana have kind of gotten the short end of the stick as far as being in the spotlight goes. Truth be told, I think Stu, Peter, and even Julie, who moved out pretty much right at the beginning of the Miller story, have gotten more attention than them. I don't know what it is about them, they just never seem to be in the right place at the right time...or doing the right thing at the right time. Well, I decided to give them a break, and let them be the first to head off to the newly discovered Downtown area, since I had to visit it some time. Let's see how that went, shall we?

Seeing as how they were unfamiliar with any of the hot spots Downtown, the couple decided to hit the mall right in the center of things, since it sounded like a safe bet. It turned out to be pretty nice as far as malls go. Instead of a disgusting food court with a sticky floor and tables, where everything smells like McDonalds, there was a nice classy restaurant with waiters and cleaning staff and corner booths. The food was a little pricey, but they always charge you an arm and a leg in food courts. Better to pay $40 for a full plate of food than for a fast food gyro carved from a nasty rotating hunk of unidentifiable meat that's been sitting out for who knows how long.

Deana: "Why don't you take a hike, buddy? Oh, wait...you're the waiter? Sorry...don't take a hike!"
The mall was bustling with sim activity, much more so than most of the Studio Town lots I'd visited before. Among the recognizable faces was Kevin Wilson, who was visiting with some girl I'd never seen before. Nice. Here, he's got Kammy on the hook back home waiting for him to finally propose, and he's busy whooping it up downtown with some other woman. Typical Kevin.

Kevin: "Did I ever tell you about my days as a lifeguard in college?"
Bobby and Deana seemed to be taking to the new environment pretty well. The two started to get cozy after they finished eating. It just goes to prove the old belief that there's nothing like a trip to a crowded mall to cement a couple's romantic relationship. Well, nobody may have ever said that before, but you better believe they will be now.

Bobby: "I hope they're not expecting me to leave a tip..."
Kevin and his mystery girl weren't making out quite so well (or making out at all, for that matter). He seemed interested, but he wasn't getting a very warm response from her. It's a wonder the pair showed up together to begin with...something tells me they'll be taking separate cabs home, though.

Girl: "What do you mean, 'do I have enough money to pick up the check?'"
Bobby excused himself for a moment and headed off on a mission to buy Deana something special to remember their outing (which so far has consisted of dinner at a mall cafe). He couldn't help but admire the ugly island statues out on the main walk as he passed by. They must be designed to either scare away evil spirits or mall patrons - it's hard to say.

Bobby: "If I stand next to these statues, maybe it will make me look better."
Bobby found just the thing in one of the little shops - a teddy bear. Yes, the perfect gift...especially if Deana were five years old. Bobby apparently knows her better than we do, though, because he proceeded to buy the bear, confident in his decision that it was the right choice. The cashier remained confident in his decision to ignore Bobby as he stood by the cash register.

Bobby: "If he doesn't help me soon, me and the bear are running out of here!"
Oddly enough, as Bobby was buying the bear, Deana was standing off a little ways away with a thought bubble above her head that had the bear in it with a red "x" through it. Maybe he doesn't know her as well as he thinks he does. However, when he gave it to her, she received it gratefully. Maybe she actually does like teddy bears...or maybe she's just a really great liar.

Deana: "Oh, Bobby...it's just what I wanted...when I was five years old!"
Next, it was off to the ice cream stand, as the gut buster special they'd eaten a little while ago had apparently run it's course. This is starting to look a little more like a day at the county fair than an actual date, but who are we to judge the actions of others? Hey, guys...whatever floats your boat!

Bobby: "I'll have one scoop grapefruit and one of candy cane, please."
After the ice cream, Deana headed off to the restroom. Bobby noticed a familiar face, that of Julie Wilson, formerly Julie Miller. I think this was probably the first time the two crossed paths since she moved out initially. Whether this is intentional or purely coincidental is anyone's guess.

Bobby: "Remember me? We used to live in the same house together? I'm dating your sister?!"
Deana caught up with Bobby again, and he took her on over to the dance floor - if a juke box and some blow fish lamps qualifies as a dance floor. There, he showed her his stuff with a little lively swing dancing. Don't swing her too much, Slick...she just downed a huge plate full of food and an ice cream cone...

And you thought all Bobby knew how to do was Cha Cha...with Peter...
At this point, Bobby decided it was time to indulge himself a bit (albeit with Stu's money). And so, he headed off to the nearest...clothes store? Hmmm. You'd think a guy would head straight to the nearest power tool store or check out hunting equipment, but not Bobby. No sir, he was all about the underwear. The odd thing is that he went inside the booth to change, presumably for the privacy, and then stepped out wearing the boxers for all the world to see.

Bobby doesn't really seem to understand the concept of the dressing room...or public decency.
Of course, since Bobby is the unselfish sort (or so he'd like us to believe), he was quick to offer Deana some new "pajamas" to go with his. He picked some out for her, and moments later, she was standing out in the open in what looked more like underwear than PJ's, but what do we know? Man, these sims have some weird ways of doing things.

Bobby checks out Deana from behind and applauds wildly...what a shmuck.
Apparently, Bobby wasn't prepared to stop at just underwear. He browsed the formal rack, and next thing you knew, he was sporting a stunning new suit. Well, I'm not sure about the stunning part, but it was definitely new. Interestingly enough, I think this is the first time I've seen him wear any formal wear, so I'm only assuming he owned an old one in the first place.

Bobby: "Let me tell you about the time I invented the cotton gin!"
Well, it was starting to get a little late, and the pair had been out for some time, so Bobby decided it was time to wrap things up. He headed over to the flower shop, and spent several hundred dollars on a bunch of flowers (they must have seen him coming). Once again, Deana had the flowers in a thought bubble over her head with a little "x", but appeared to be grateful when he gave them to her.

Deana: "Help! We're sinking into the carpet!"
And so, they hopped in the cab and headed on home. The outing definitely cemented their relationship a bit more, though it will probably cause them to get spoiled and start wanting to leave the house more. As long as they do it together, though (unlike that skunk, Kevin), that's the important thing. If Bobby plans to keep on going out all the time, though, he'll probably have to get a job...what a horrid thought!

Deana: "If we just had a car, we wouldn't have to pay those ridiculous cab fares!"
And so ends Bobby and Deana's romantic little outing. Ah, what fun! It was so much fun, in fact, that another visit to Downtown is in order. Not for Bobby and Deana, though...no...it's time for someone else to get a turn, and that someone is Peter Miller! Who knows...maybe he'll meet the love of his life in the process? We can only guess!