Round One: Mackenzie

Lisa Mackenzie wasn't exactly happy with her life. She adored her son Ewan, but raising him alone was difficult and she still harboured a grudge against his father for running off. They'd lost contact and he didn't even pay child support.


She didn't find a job straight away so she could concentrate on Ewan, and tried to find ways to lift her mood. It had been a long time since she'd picked up a paintbrush and she was a little rusty but she felt a familiar thrill as she stood at the canvas. Maybe life wouldn't be so bad after all.


Some of her neighbours dropped round for a visit. She was glad for some adult company but she was too busy to really connect with them so they talked among themselves while watching TV.


She was shocked to see the very married James Davies flirting with Linda Barthelet, but she held her tongue while making a mental note to drop a few hints to his wife if she happened to bump into her.


The equally very married Nobuo Nakamura had no such designs, however, and instead teased Linda mercilessly. She wasn't impressed.


Lisa tried to keep it all together but sometimes she was completely wiped out with the stress of raising a toddler alone. She lost her concentration and ended up burning her dinner more than once.


Eventually her savings ran out so Lisa got a job on a construction site while she studied Architecture. She had decided she wanted to use her artistic skills for a good cause and reach the great heights of City Planner.


Unfortunately this meant she had to leave Ewan in the care of a particularly sour-faced nanny. She was apprehensive; she'd never left Ewan alone before and wondered if being without her love and attention might scar him for life. If that didn't, then that woman's face would!


Thankfully Lisa's worries were unfounded as the nanny was nowhere near as grumpy as she looked. Ewan was well cared for while Lisa was at work; this nanny was worth her weight in gold!
(seriously, this is the first nanny I've ever had in the Sims who hasn't SET FIRE TO EVERYTHING.)

Everything was going well, but a woman has needs, and Lisa found herself calling up Will Knox for a little fun. He was precisely the kind of guy she shouldn't go for but he was so fun and creative she couldn't resist.


But in the cold light of day it seemed like a very big mistake. She thought about it as she sipped her morning espresso. Yes, it had been good, but not good enough to let another playboy break her heart. She wanted something real and if she had to wait then that's what she'd do.


Meanwhile, Ewan was growing like a weed. He was a pleasant, playful kid who was a joy to be around, and he'd begun to find a love of cooking; the house was full of the smell of burning EZ-Bake Oven cakes.

Author's Note: Lisa span up the want to fall in love and I locked it. The easiest solution would be for her to fall in love with Will but I'm not that cruel, they barely have 2 bolts and it would end in tears considering his LTW! So I'm waiting for a suitable specimen to appear, and until then it's just Lisa and Ewan.