The Hardy Family Chronicles II

A Tale of Several Sims.The Blue Diamond – Part 1

Despite working in a garage to support her elderly parents, Hannah still found the time to play her music. Her love songs are based on her feelings for Jesse, and are increasingly popular – but she still hasn’t told him how she feels.

She adopts the stage name ‘The Blue Diamond’ and plays her music outside the theatre, trying to get noticed.

One night, when she arrives at the theatre, she is astonished to see a small crowd waiting for her to perform. This is a big deal, she’s gaining a following.

As it turns out, Hannah was right to be pleased. A talent scout for the famous agent Zelda had been watching her. The woman offered Hannah a contract, which she readily agreed to sign.

Soon The Blue Diamond was being driven all over the city playing gigs. Hannah hadn’t yet hit the big time, but she was well on her way.

Jesse swung by to see her, and tell her how incredibly proud of her he is. Hannah chooses that moment to confess how she feels about him, and he admits he never really got over her when she dumped him so many years ago.

While she’s away on tour, Hannah asks Jesse to pop by and keep an eye on her parents. Jesse is happy to, having known both Kathy and Lee since he was a kid.

But it was Hannah with whom he preferred to spend his time, obviously. The relationship between the two childhood sweethearts resumes, Ben Hargrove and his abuse forgotten completely.

Hannah is thrilled to have Jesse back in her life, and hopes it’s for good. Jesse moves into the Hardy household so he can be with her whenever she’s home.

Despite being everything she dreamed of, the reality of late nights and a punishing schedule are getting to Hannah. She may only be playing gigs in her suburban Sunset Valley, but the stress of trying to break out into the rest of the country is testing her endurance.

One morning in spring, Jesse proposes to Hannah in the park. She’s over the moon and accepts immediately. She decides there and then to take some time off to relax and plan the wedding.

Hannah’s wedding day.

Hannah wishes that Jake could be there, but her big brother is holed up in the military barracks suffering from depression after his wife Heidi ran away with their son Bjorn. But her parents are there, and of course Jesse. It was as close to a perfect day as it could be.

Jesse slides the ring onto her finger, and she becomes Mrs Hannah Osaguera.

Jake phones up Hannah to meet in the park to beg forgiveness for everything. For not helping her with supporting their parents, and for marrying a gold-digger against her advice, and for ignoring her messages for months.

Hannah replies that she isn’t ready to forgive him quite yet. She would have been there for him despite everything when Heidi left, but by ignoring her he managed to miss her wedding day, when she really wanted him to be there. Perhaps one day soon, but not yet.

With no wife or child, and a merely lukewarm reception from the rest of his family, Jake through himself back into his career, but the cracks were starting to show.

He regularly went to the theatre to see Hannah perform as the Blue Diamond, as he rarely saw her otherwise. It was in the queue for on concert that he met Holly Alto.

They went for a meal after the gig, this time Jake was on his guard and didn’t mention his job, or the fact that he was The Blue Diamonds big brother. To his delight, Holly seemed to like him anyway.

Jake took things slowly with Holly, but love blossomed despite his caution. Holly was quiet and sweet, content to just love Jake and make no demands on him. She could see he was still hurting, and suggested he try to make up with his sister again.

With the combined incomes of Hannah and Jesse, they managed to buy a new house, which was bigger and more isolated than their last, necessary because Hannah’s growing fame meant a bit of solitude was preferable.

Kathy and Lee were still living with them, and Lee’s age was becoming an increasing problem. Kathy was at her wits end, where had her charming, clever, charismatic husband gone?

Lee’s mind was slowing succumbing to the ravages of age. No one knew if early onset dementia was usual in his family, because he’d had no contact with his parents since he’d run off with Kathy. All his relatives had died without getting in touch.

Kathy became a live-in helper, caring for the man she loved as much as she was able.

One day, lee’s problems came to a head. Kathy had lit the fire to warm the living room, when Lee decided to play with it using the poker.

He scattered sparks everywhere, setting fire to the television.

After the fire service had put out the fire, Kathy rounded on Lee, furious. But there was nothing she could do, lee just wasn’t as sensible as he’d once been.

Hannah and Jesse were managing to live the life of a newly-wed couple, albeit in-between their busy careers and Hannah’s parents disasters.

Any spare moment they got, was spent with each other.

But their increasing role as help-meets to the older couple was really starting to get to them. It was not a situation that could continue for long.

One night, Hannah got a phone call from her agent Zelda. Tomorrow she was going on television, and was getting a make-over from a top stylist. Could this be her big break? Could she be about to make it bigger than a local celebrity?

She came home the next evening transformed. Her stylist had told her that her ‘blue look’ made her seem cold and uninviting. She had to look passionate and daring, so red was the new colour scheme.

Jesse tried to be supportive, but Hannah could tell he wasn’t keen on his wife going on stage in such an outfit. She wasn’t comfortable either, how far would she go to follow her dream?