A/N: Well, I finally managed to update this. Originally, it was going to be a bit longer, and I admit, it was going to be a bit...well for lack of a better word, let's call it saucy. But as I kept working on it, I kept thinking I'd finally reached a suitable ending spot for this part of the tale. So, basically, I decided to split it in half. I haven't got the second half written yet, but it shouldn't take too long.

Let me say in advance, that there will be some chapters that are 'interludes' if you will. I figured at certain transitional parts, I'd switch back to the present with Adam in the hospital. Just thought I'd say that now. Anyway, enjoy.

Surprising News

Adam had to admit he felt a bit better after his shower, although he was also glad to have it over. He'd heard some people call a cold shower invigorating, but he had a rather different idea of what to call it. He had to laugh lightly to himself as he wondered just what word would be fitting. He was sure that whatever word he settled on, it would be one his mother would have disliked hearing from him. He didn't know why, but he found the thought funny, though he supposed he was just tired.

He dropped his towel and socks in the laundry basket, which was getting full. What amusement filled his head previously faded as he realized that would mean a trip to the local Laundromat tomorrow. After the day's work, he would have rather not given any thought to errands that needed running. Still, he couldn't help but think about them.

Trudging into the bedroom, Adam donned his favorite gray sweatshirt and faded blue jeans. He didn't bother picking out a clean pair of socks from the dresser. With the workweek over, he wanted to be as comfortable as he could, even if the carpet felt stiff beneath his bare feet. If not for the large window in the front room, Adam probably would have stepped out into the front room stripped to his boxers. For the sake of modesty, however, he decided against it. Besides, he didn't think he looked fit enough to walk around without a shirt, and his clothes were comfortable enough.

Slowly and tiredly, Adam shuffled into the front room. He glanced towards the kitchen where Ayana busied herself with the meal. He wondered what she might be preparing, and his stomach replied with an eager growl.

"Is it going to be much longer, Ayana?" he asked.

"Not too much longer, baby," she replied sweetly. "Why don't you just sit down for a bit? I think that sports program you like is on now."

"Baby," Adam muttered, again wondering what reason his wife could have for her consistent use of the word. Though he continued to suspect that she had made some extravagant purchase, at least what could be called extravagant by their standards, he still could be not entirely certain. He considered asking at the moment, but Adam sighed as his shoulders slumped, unwilling to bear another heavy load.

Barely lifting his feet, Adam made his way towards the couch, although it was more like a loveseat than a proper couch. He winced slightly as he walked across the rough patches of the floor. He all but dropped onto the seat, grunting as he felt the springs through the thin layer of fabric. Adam let out a slow breath as he reached for the remote. Though he could hear the words, the screen was nothing more than a jumbled mess of lines and color, and Adam wished he could simply throw the remote towards it. In his mind, he listed all the things about this house he hated. The floors were rough, the couch was clearly old and worn out, the lights flickered constantly, the refrigerator was hardly cold, the shower was hardly warm, and even the orange paint upon the walls seemed ugly to him.

With a sigh, Adam thought of all the things he wished he could do, not just for himself, but for Ayana as well. Though he would not say it aloud, he thought she deserved so much better than what he was able to provide. Even now, he wondered why she had married him. Still, despite his doubts, he was glad that she did. He could not help but smile with her nearby.

"What are they talking about?" Ayana asked.

"Peters," replied Adam.

"Who's that?"

"Just some new hotshot hockey player. They've been talking about how he's on a big streak. Over two-hundred goals this season."

"Wow," Ayana said. While Adam knew she did not share his love of sports news, despite her enjoyment of sports, he noticed that she sounded genuinely surprised.

"I don't think too much of it," Adam replied. "Not even sure if it's really true.

"Well, is this Peters all they can talk about?"

"Not just this one. Seems this kid has a whole family involved in sports."

"Which ones?"

"I think all of them," Adam remarked, "football, soccer, racing, boxing. You name it; it sounds like the Peters are in it."

"What, no baseball players?" Ayana joked.

"I guess not," Adam said. Though his voice was lighter, he did not feel much like laughing. With a tired groan, Adam stretched before finding himself in a slouched position. He did have to admit one thing about he liked about this house. He didn't have his mother or his sister telling him to sit up straight anymore. Still, as he watched the lines on the screen, Adam did imagine how different his life was from how he had envisioned it.

He had always imaged a larger house, carpeted floors, and rooms for every hobby he and Ayana enjoyed. He pictured a room for some sporting equipment, a room for just tinkering with whatever he wanted, and a room with a large TV set so Ayana could play her games with awe in her eyes at the picture. He pictured a fireplace the two of them could sit in front of on cold winter nights. Even the little things like a dishwasher and washing machine came to mind. Adam hated that Ayana had to wash dishes by hand, and he had to admit he was a bit embarrassed whenever he had to hand over his wife's lingerie for someone else to see. He would have even enjoyed a couch long enough to lie down on or a coffee table for no other reason than for he and Ayana to prop their feet up.

All it took, however, was one look around, and Adam could not help but feel a sense of sadness and even a sense of failure that he could not provide all these things for his wife and himself. He was so lost in thought that he did not hear Ayana calling his name.

"Hey, Adam," he finally heard her say, "it's on the table."

Adam shook his head lightly, and he looked slightly upwards to see her standing right over him. Adam couldn't tell if she was annoyed or even angry, since she wore a rather wry looking smile. To him, it looked like she was waiting for the right moment to tell some poorly planned joke that was funny only to the teller. With a slight yawn and another stretch, Adam rose.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Don't worry about it," answered Ayana, as she stood right in front of him. "When you didn't answer the first few times, I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to find another way to get your attention."

"Did you think of one?" Adam asked, uncertain of what else to say.

"Oh, I thought of one way," Ayana replied, fingering the zipper on her blouse. Adam raised an eyebrow at the teasing and almost sultry tone in her voice, as if she was flirting with him, and his face did turn a slight shade of red as he understood. He resisted the urge to ask how much her purchase had cost, although Adam had to admit his curiosity was starting to get the better of him.

He followed his wife to the table and sat down, at her insistence. She lightly ran her finger down his nose, asking him to close his eyes, which Adam did without protest or objection of any kind. He was too tired to ask why. A tasty aroma filled his nose not long after. Adam was sure they weren't having ramen noodles tonight. He recognized the scent, but at the moment, he couldn't give it a definite name.

"Okay, baby," said, Ayana. "Open your eyes." Adam looked down, and to his surprise, he found himself looking into a bowl of tomato sauce. Floating in the pool of red, he could spot white bits of seafood and flakes of green that were undoubtedly cilantro.

"Ceviche," Adam stated.

"Your favorite," replied his wife. Adam's eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open as she took her seat. "Are you going to eat it, or are you going to just hope it swims in?" she added with a jesting tone.

"Ayana, how can we afford this?" he asked with no small degree of awe.

"Relax, Adam," she responded holding up both hands. "I had a little bit saved, and they gave me a family discount at the store. I had to do a lot of sneaking just to make sure you didn't see me today. Now, eat."

Adam hoped he hadn't offended her, but he knew Ayana was never one to stay angry for long. He also had to admit that he was pleased. He'd resigned himself to some cheap meal on the drive home, but he did enjoy this much better. And to know that Ayana had thought of him so made him feel like the happiest man in town, even if he was too tired to jump for joy.

"It's delicious," he said, in between spoonful after spoonful of the tart and spicy fish and the rich sauce. , as he ate, curiosity continued to gnaw at the back of his mind. What reason would Ayana have to do all of this? She had flung her arms around him earlier, and that was normal for her. But then, Adam pondered everything else she had done. She'd kissed him and that was also normal, but the she held kiss longer for far longer than usual. She'd called him 'baby' almost the entire night. She'd playfully threatened to come into the shower with him if he were to take too long. She'd suggested that he watch his favorite sports program and then showed an interest in it. She had even teased him with the thought that she would actually undress in front of him to get his attention. Now, she'd prepared his favorite meal.

"Okay, what's going on?" Adam asked. When he thought of the attention and what was clearly flirting, he found he could no longer keep quiet.

"Oh, what makes you think something's going on?" Ayana replied with a coy shrug, as if she were baiting him to press her. By now, Adam was wondering if a costly purchase was indeed the reason. While he was not suspicious by nature, he began to go over all sorts of possibilities in his mind, some good and some bad. He had to admit, however, that infidelity seemed the least likely, even if his wife could easily catch another man's eye.

"All of this," he said, gesturing to the bowl in front of him. "Come on, Ayana, what's going on?" He waited for her to answer, even though he filled his spoon again.

"You didn't get your raise, did you?"

Adam barely heard the plop of fish meat as it fell from his spoon as his mouth likewise fell open. Of all the things he had expected his wife to say, he could not have prepared himself for that. Adam had hoped to tell her in his own way, but knowing that she had already guessed took him entirely by surprise.

"How did you know?" he asked, finding his voice once again. Ayana's eyes softened, and she lightly tilted her head towards him. He thought it was curious that she should still wear a smile, but Adam had to admire that childish trait. She never could see a dark spot in anything.

"Baby," Ayana began. Her voice no longer held its earlier teasing sound. In fact, she sounded almost sympathetic but slightly reproving as well, "you've been stressed out about it all week. You kept telling me that you were going to march right in there and ask for a raise, and then you'd tell me it wouldn't be smart. I knew you were going to ask, and I figured you must not have gotten it. You probably would have been dancing around if you had."

Adam doubted that he would dance as she said. His legs still felt tired and worn, and the rest of him did not feel much better.

"So, you did all this, just to cheer me up?" he asked, though it was hardly a question. Adam expected Ayana to simply smile and nod, but instead, her mouth formed a straight line, as if she were about to tell him news that he would not want to hear. He heard her make a clicking sound with her tongue.

"Well, not entirely," said Ayana. "I got a job."

"A job," Adam repeated in utter disbelief.

"Yes, a job, Adam," Ayana stated definitively.

"But Ayana," he began, but before he could say even another word, his wife spoke first.

"Don't you give me any of those old-fashioned lines, Adam," pointing at his chest as she spoke. She repeated the gesture, as if she were punctuating every word she said. "I don't want to hear it."

Adam could say nothing, for nothing came to his mind. He could only sit there with his mouth again hanging open. Of all the outcomes he had imagined, he could not have prepared himself for those words. From even before they had taken vows, he and Ayana had talked about matters such as money and work. He had also made it known that he hated the idea of any wife of his having to go out into the workplace. However, he could say none of it as she continued to speak.

"You told me your mother worked when you were a kid. She still does, doesn't she?"

Adam sighed, even as he knew she would mention that fact. "Yeah, mom works, and looked how things turned out."

"Oh, you turned out okay, Adam," remarked Ayana, though she hardly sounded teasing or joking now.

"Yeah, but look at my brother," Adam muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Oh, stop it."

"When did this happen?" asked Adam, slightly waving his hands.

"This week," Ayana answered. "Don't worry, it's nothing big. I'm just doing some clerical work at the hospital. It won't be much, but it might help. Look, let's just finish eating," she added with a shake of her head and a wave of her hand. Adam only stared into his bowl.

He knew that he had hurt her. In her eyes, he had seen a flash of sadness and a hint of offense at how that exchange of words had gone. He knew in an instant that he should apologize, but when he turned his eyes upwards, he wondered if he should really say anything more. He wanted to talk more about this news, but he doubted that he could say what he hoped to say. In his mind, Adam rehearsed many words and her replies, but he was sure that anything he said would sound very different. So, he did nothing but eat, yet somehow, the taste of the food seemed dull to his tongue. To his eyes, the small table he and Ayana sat at now seemed to stretch on and on as the silence seemed to increase in weight.

The aches and pains of the day returned, and they seemed to double for Adam.

A/N: I bet that wasn't the news you were expecting. Yes, Ayana went out and got a job. Later, I'll explain Adam's reaction as it pertains to his brother. And what do you know? They're in a bit of a fight. But don't worry too much. Even though the Sims don't have too much in the way of personality, I always figured Adam as wanting to be the bread winner in his family. When I played him, I pictured him as wanting that bit of old-fashioned life.

I had kind of my own little joke in there. Recently, I got into some of EA Sports games, and my first was NHL 12. Well, I hurried into the Be a Pro mode. I accepted the default player Lexi Peters, not realizing until I was pretty far in that my player was, in fact, a girl. And yes, that record is true because it's my in-game record. Anyway, I got so attached to Peters that I decided to create a whole sports family dynasty, and all the sports I mentioned above are other EA Sports games. The reason for Ayana's comment about baseball is because EA Sports doesn't have a baseball game, even though I have a Peters on the one I have.