From Gaia's diary
Recently I have quite a lot of free time, and I often spend my evenings at the nearby bar. It's a good way to have a chat with someone, after all.
Yes, I have fun and many of them are nice, but I don't consider any of them as real friends. To be honest, I think I can count my true friends on one hand, maybe half. But it doesn't matter, I just take these evenings at the local bar for what they are, a pleasant pastime.
This season however my favourite pastime has become skiing, modesty aside I think I have improved a lot this year. With all my free time I can often go training, and the results can certainly be seen!
Okay, I slipped at the bottom of the track, but did you see that jump, my dear diary?
I love skiing, and even more so I love having the freedom to do it as often as I want. I think this would be one of the things I would miss the most if I managed to have kids, between the pregnancy and the role of mother I wouldn't have the opportunity to do any of this for who knows how long... But it wouldn't even be forever either, right, my dear diary?
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I returned home very late that night, and I was greeted by a very bad storm. I don't recall any seeing this much rain, wind and thunders in decades, it was even a bit scary to be honest.
People say that climate change is also this, that if we don't take action immediately we will have to get used to this type of weather. But it is a global problem and the time to take action is now running out. What can we rationally do to fix it?
Pixel seems to be the only one who shares my concerns, while Nacho seems as unperturbed as usual.
At least the bad weather passed quickly, and the next morning we were already able to return to our normal activities.
The day's plan included a nice trip to Tech Sixam, I had to help Tommy in one of the company's stores.
Thomas: The matter recomposer is over there, can you take a look at it?
Gaia: Of course. But what's the problem, exactly?
Thomas: It keeps throwing paint on the people who try using it. Absurd right?
Gaia: Um, it happened to me a couple of times already... I think it'll take a while to fix it.
When my work was done, I took advantage of the trip to Tech Sixam to make an appointment at one of those famous artificial insemination clinics Tommy mentioned. It doesn't cost anything to ask, right?
They asked me several questions, about my health, my job, and why I wanted to consider having a child in that way. They also explained to me that many other people like me, both men and women have made this same decision and that their satisfaction levels are generally very high.
The more I think about it, the more I find reasons to do it rather than back down. I took a few more days to think about it, before coming to the conclusion that yes, that was the path I wanted to take.
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A few months later…
Gaia: Hey Tommy, could you come over for a moment? There's something I absolutely want to tell you in person!
Thomas: (on the phone) Okay… Are you sure everything is fine? You sound weird.
Gaia: I'll tell you later, this is not something I can tell by phone!
Thomas: So, what did you want to tell me?
Gaia: (excited) The insemination worked, I'm expecting a baby!
Thomas: What!? So you actually did it!?
Gaia: Sure, did you have doubts?
Thomas was speechless for I don't know how long, I'm sure that for him my decision continues to seem completely incomprehensible. Seeing me so happy, however, must have reassured him at least a little, because in the end what he said to me was:
Thomas: Well, congratulations then!
Gaia: (cheerfully) Be aware that you will officially be its Uncle Tommy, and that you will have permission to spoil the baby as much as you like!
Thomas: Oh well, I think Valentina will be better at this than me. But... Okay, I guess?
A lot of people think my friendship with Tommy is a bit strange, but I know I can always count on him and that's what matters. And I really hope he thinks the same of me.
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The end of the year was approaching, it was now almost New Year's Eve.
Time passes so quickly, Pixel is almost all gray now! He worries me a little to think that he is already an old dog now, but with his cuddles he always manages to make me forget my worries.
After the compulsory cuddles, I headed to the community area to tidy up the building for that evening's party.
I have to admit that my energy level is at 80% at best, but I also don't intend to slow down too much. Staying at home for too long drives me crazy!
Setting up everything for the party took quite a lot of work, but I'm proud of having done it all by myself.
To celebrate the new year together, I decided to install a television at the ground floor of our community building. Tommy and Valentina were coming too, it was going to be a fun evening.
Valentina decided to also bring her brother, apart from his beard he looks a lot like her. The most evident characteristic they share, however, is how talkative they are: after just a few minutes with them I now know that his name is Diego, he travels a lot for work, and that he recently returned from a two-week trip to Selvadorada.
Gaia: (perplexed) I have the impression I've already seen you somewhere... Do you ever stop by the bar next to here?
Diego: Every now and then. I'm an old friend of the owner, we went to school together. Now that you mention it, you were there for Winterfest, right?
Gaia: Yes, that's when I saw you!
I'm sure that the conversation would have lasted for much longer if we weren't interrupted by the countdown.
So we chatted until midnight and beyond, I must admit I had a lot of fun.
I'm almost ashamed to say it, but at that point I was so exhausted I feared I'd fall asleep right on the floor.
I was already saying goodbye to everyone, being unable to hide some quite epic yawns, when Tommy intercepted me, to ask:
Thomas: Listen, can I ask you a favour?
Gaia: Well, yes. I guess What is it about?
Thomas: You see, Diego would be interested in seeing some plants from Sixam. You have some in your garden, right?
Gaia: Oh, those... Yes, of course, he can pass to see them whenever he wants. But starting from tomorrow morning, I really have to go to sleep now...
Diego must have been in a real hurry, because he actually showed up the next morning already. Luckily I had woken up early to look after the chickens.
Gaia: Hey, hi! I didn't think you were this interested in the Sixam plants, what do you plan to do with them?
Diego: Oh, I'm a pastry chef. I want to make a new cake icing starting with some Sixam fruits.
Gaia: (perplexed) A pastry chef, really?
Diego: (shrugging) Yes, what did you expect?
Gaia: Well, after all the crazy trips you told us about yesterday, I expected you to be a ruins explorer, or some other job like that.
Diego: AH AH AH, this is not the first time I hear this, you know?
His reaction also left me stunned, I had never seen someone laugh so heartily. Thinking about it, Valentina laughs a lot too, but certainly not with the baritone strength of her brother.
In the meantime, Diego didn't seem to have noticed my reaction, and continued with his explanation by saying:
Diego: You see, I want to cook desserts like no one else has ever done before! For this I travel far and wide, looking for ingredients, tasting exotic recipes and so on. Valentina recently gave me one of Thomas's teleportation machines, they're tremendously useful, you know? Oh, how careless, I don't need to tell you, you do his same job, don't you? Vale told me so many things yesterday that I struggle to keep them in mind, but...
He really talks a lot, but he also seems like a very funny person.
Gaia: (amused) Follow me, the plants are over there. It will turn out to be a cake out of this world, rest assured!
Diego: AH AH AH, that's all I ask for!
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Meanwhile, day after day between work, going out with friends and medical visits, the pregnancy continued.
By now I felt huge and full of aches and pains, I couldn't wait to reach the end.
I must admit that the thought of giving birth scares me a little, I really hope everything will go smoothly... However, above all, I can't wait to hug my baby.
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The big day arrived just when expected. At that point I gathered all my things, left the animals' bowls and feeders full of food, and took the teleporter to the hospital.
???: Don't worry ma'am, the doctor will take care of you immediately!
And so my little girl, Petra, was born. She's so sweet, don't you agree too, dear diary?
Until a few years ago I would never have thought I would find myself here and now, but holding my little girl in my arms I can't help but think I made the right choice.
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§HermioneSims§ corner
This turn of events was quite unexpected also for me this time, I decided to take this route like two chapters before this one :P
Anyway, today I'm here to make a little comment on the name I gave to the little girl who was just born! This is actually the only time in the legacy where I decided to change the heir name upon translation. In the original version, she was called Aria (which is the word we use in my language to say "air"), but both I and a few original readers ended up mixing up her and Gaia's name a few too many times. I think it happened because Gaia and Aria have the same vowel pattern, and (at least in Italian) they sound a bit similar, so I guess it was easy to make a lapsus.
Also considering that now I know what she will go through (bwahaha...), I decided to go with Petra instead (which is etymologically related to "stone" instead). What could I have planned for her? She will be the centre of the last generation after all, everything could happen...
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