The Dating Game

Well, vacation is officially over now, and it's back to the old work grind. That's okay, though. If it had gone any longer, I'd probably have forgotten how to do my job, and would have been so used to not working that you could never convince me to return to work. I actually found myself getting sort of anxious to get back to business as usual, and was a little freaked out this morning when I thought I heard freezing rain outside (especially since the heater/defroster on my vehicle just recently bit the dust).

Okay, enough about me. Let's see what the Jacksons are up to, shall we? When we last left them, they'd just gotten done playing host to Matt and Branson, who didn't seem terribly interested in hanging out with the Jacksons, but stuck around for a bit anyway (till Matt got jealous and things started going downhill). When they finally left the house, there was still plenty of evening left, and Leon decided he had time to run downtown and check out the scene there. Besides, he only had one pair of pajamas, the ugly default ones, and he decided there was no way he was going to be caught sleeping in those.

When Leon first ditched Steve and "Moon Dawg" and arrived downtown, he was pleased to see that the place was hopping (he went straight to the mall, only because I was familiar with the place and knew where the pajama store was at). Of course, being the "Ladies Man" and all, he was keeping an eye open for ladies in the process of checking out the shopping locations. Fortune smiled upon Leon, and the first lady he ran into had the face of Jennifer Lopez, because life is just that kind.

Leon: "Excuse me, can I buy you a fish sandwich?"

There was instant chemistry, and the couple actually wound up hanging out together. Wow! I actually made Leon propose hanging out right away so I could see him get shot down and have a good laugh, but I guess I underestimated his powers with the ladies. That'll teach me. Leon wasn't the only familiar face to be seen hanging out downtown. I spotted Kitty Wilson and Gunther Goth Sr. sneaking around together out back for some reason. I don't know if Marty knows about this or not, but I'd say he doesn't have much to be jealous of either way.

Kitty: "Careful...we don't want the paparazzi catching us!"

Even though Leon was nice enough to ditch his buddies to head downtown on his own, they were not about to waste the evening sitting around at home. No, sir. Shortly after Leon's arrival, I spotted Steve dancing at the juke box over in the little tiki area. Yeah, it's a good thing he got out of the house, because he couldn't have done this at home or anything (sarcasm, sarcasm).

Steve: "How come we don't have cool lamps like these at home?"

Over in the restaurant area, the strange "relationship" (over which I had no control) between Kitty and Gunther continued to unfold. Though the two don't really seem to have much in common, they seemed to be hitting it off pretty well. I can't imagine what sort of things a crusty old college dean and a much younger singer/model have in common, but they found enough to discuss to avoid those awkward silent moments.

Gunther: "Did I ever tell you I almost got Bogart's role in 'Casablanca'?"

Leon was making out similarly well (figuratively, not literally) with Brooke, the "J-Lo" look-alike. It probably didn't hurt that he was paying for dinner, and she was probably starving after being kept talking to Leon for hours on end. What a smooth operator that Leon is. If he doesn't screw things up too bad, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship (possibly the first of many).

Leon: "Did I tell you I own an original copy of 'Saturday Night Fever'?"

Things were going so well, that before the food they ordered even came, Leon decided he was in love with Brooke. Now, don't get too excited...Leon's fallen in love with people in the time it's taken them to ring him up at the McDonald's drive thru. Now if Brooke were to decide she had a thing for Leon, well...that would be something. Don't hold your breath, though.

Leon: "Brooke, baby...I think I love you. Let's get married!"

I guess not everybody was having as productive and exciting a time as Leon. Steve quickly got bored, and wandered over to the eating area and decided to stand behind Leon's booth while he tried to do his thing. It's bad enough that Leon can't get rid of Steve and "Moon Dawg" when he's at home, but this just kind of makes you feel a little sorry for him.

Steve: "Hey, uh, if you can't eat all of that, I'll finish it for you!"

Despite the distraction of Steve standing right there while they tried to bond, Brooke eventually fell victim to Leon's irresistible charm (not shown), and decided that she was in love with him. Wow, that was fast work! Of course, we all know that love in the sim world is kind of fickle, and just because they both have the pink heart kind of love for each other doesn't mean that Leon could even plant a friendly kind of smooch on Brooke without getting smacked. Hey, these things take time.

Brooke: "I love you too, Leon! Let's get married and move in together and have lots of kids!"

Okay...so that's probably not really what Brooke would be saying...in fact, I'm pretty positive it's not, but it's all in fun, right? Anyway, as I mentioned, Steve quit bothering the pair, and headed off in search of other amusement. He found it in the form of Gunther Goth Sr. playing with the electric train set over in the toy store. Wow! Steve really knows how to take advantage of being out on the town!

Gunther: "Hey, Sonny, let me tell you about my days as a railroad conductor!"

Meanwhile, Leon tried to get a little too frisky over in his booth, and tried sliding closer to Brooke. Well, though they claimed to be in love, she wasn't having any of it, and the the couple's relationship took a dip. It's probably just as well, though...if things had kept on going as good as they did initially for the pair, Leon probably would have been pretty full of himself by the time the evening was over. He's already got a big afro...he doesn't need a big head to match it.

Leon: "I guess this means you won't be sticking around for dessert!"

Seeing as how things were starting to take a downhill turn, Leon decided to redirect his focus, and do what he came for initially, which was buying some new pajamas. Of course, he made Brooke come along with him, because who doesn't love shopping for pajamas/underwear with somebody they only met a couple of hours before?

Leon models his new PJ's, while Brooke and the salesman try extra hard to ignore him.

Well, even though Gunther ditched Kitty to go play with the electric train, she was still hanging around, doing her own thing. She wasn't alone for long, though, because "Moon Dawg" showed up on his own and was quick to provide her company. We'll see what kind of company he turns out to be when she finds out she's probably going to wind up paying for both of them. Oh, well. She's famous...she can afford it...

Kitty: "I like to hike too, but I prefer to wear shoes when I do it..."

Seeing as how his mojo was running in short supply, Leon decided he'd better redirect his attention back to Brooke if he was ever going to stand a chance with her. He'd apparently settled on a suitable pair of pajamas, and headed off to the florist to buy some flowers. Sure, it's overdone and a little bit cheesy, but has that ever stopped Leon before? Heck, no!

Brooke: "Flowers? For me? Oh, Leon...how...cliché!"

Actually, the flowers did serve their purpose. Brooke was apparently blown away by Leon's originality in giving her roses, and allowed him to plant a smooch on her. The timing was just perfect, too, because by this point, Leon was pretty much exhausted and starving, and Brooke probably was too. More than likely, she only had one thing on her mind, and that was getting home as quickly as possible (and I don't mean Leon's home!).

Leon: "Ah, yes...lip action! Mission accomplished!"

Well, this looks like as good a place as any to lend this post. After the smooch, Brooke and Leon went their separate ways (with Leon in possession of her phone number, of course). Brooke claimed to have had a great time when they said their goodbyes. Whether there was truth to this, or she just wanted to satisfy him so he'd go home and let her leave, we may never know. I guess only time (and their future interactions) will tell. Stop by again for more insanity in posts to come!