Finding Her Way: a slice of life Simstory
"So what is your daughter doing now that she's finished high school?"
Chandler and Julie Ellicott always answered that question politely, but they couldn't help feeling uncomfortable every time it was asked.
The Ellicotts: Julie (L) and Chandler (R)Some people asked it innocently enough, the way friends ask each other about their children. Others, however, were motivated by a decidedly more unfriendly emotion.
The Ellicotts were Willow Creek's "Perfect Couple." Chandler was handsome, athletic, a successful Investor. Julie was beautiful and talented, too, a Painter whose works were critically acclaimed and popular with the public. Chandler, in particular, had a fairly high opinion of himself, but could you blame him? That was the worst trait that would emerge from an honest appraisal of the Ellicotts.
Beth EllicottChandler and Julie's happy marriage produced one child: their daughter Elizabeth. A precocious Toddler and a curious Child, Beth grew into a cute, vivacious Teen. She was a core member of a group of kids, roughly agemates, who grew up together in Willow Creek and attended Copperdale High together. Beth had every advantage a child could want, and while she escaped becoming Self-Absorbed, High Maintenance or a Snob, some of her teachers wondered if her privilege made life a bit too easy for her. Her grades were good, but not spectacular, and she showed no particular interest in any field of study.
To be fair, Beth ran with a crowd that set the bar very high. Tim Horton was the most acclaimed athlete Copperdale High had ever produced. Angie Reynolds was regarded by CHS's veteran teachers as the best student they'd ever taught. Cameron Ross would have looked like a star if he'd come along at any other time; in this group, he seemed merely "average." Beth was something like Cameron in that respect.
Most of the members of the Willow Creek gang had gone on to achieve considerable success. Tim was establishing himself in Business, and doing well. Angie, to nobody's surprise, was a successful Doctor. Cameron started more slowly, but he was now beginning a career as a Veterinarian...and was in a serious relationship with Dr. Reynolds. Beth was a little younger than Tim, Angie, and Cam--barely a Young Adult now--but she finished Copperdale High without any sense of what she might want to do next. She could have easily earned acceptance to either the University of Britechester or Foxbury Institute--possibly with Distinction at UBrite--but she didn't apply to university at all.
That's why Chandler and Julie felt uncomfortable with "What's Beth doing now?" Especially when it was asked by people who were jealous of the Ellicott family and their visible signs of success.
The Rosses, Reynoldses, and Hortons weren't among those people. Dan and Courtenay Ross, Andrew and Ann Reynolds, and Aaron and Ellen Horton all believed Beth would find her place. "She'll find her passion, and when she does, she'll never look back," Courtenay assured Julie.
For now, however, Beth's passion remained undiscovered.
