Running out

Round 16: July 2026

Cal and Elissa Cooper are 64.

(Stella is 62, Brady is 7 and Tate is 5.)

Narrated by Elissa.

Cal and I are finally in the clear after years and years of financial struggles. To me the biggest luxury is to be able to pay the rent without worries and help our children if they need something. Dining at the finest restaurants is a nice bonus but being stress-free is the best thing.

We celebrated the release of my third book "November Lights" with a small party of two at Joie Délicieuse. We would probably still be counting all our pennies if it weren't for the fact that Stella Harris saw the potential in my books and turned them into a movie and then another one.

Cal and I still work full-time so it's nice to unwind on our days off. Sometimes we lounge in bed in our pajamas all day just watching TV and relaxing.

Sometimes we babysit Ben and Denise's youngest kids. Riley has a summer job now and Liam just can't be trusted to babysit Brady and Tate on his own. He's a sweet boy but he gets so absorbed in his video games that the house could collapse around him and he wouldn't notice.

We enjoy spending time with our grandchildren anyway so whenever we babysit it feels more like our kids are doing us a favour than the other way around.

Stella and I have become friends and soon we'll become business partners. I was involved as a supervisor on the first two movies based on my books but now Stella wants me to take on a more active role as a screen writer and executive producer. The whole movie business is a bit foreign for me but Stella says it's just to give me more credit because the movies would have never happened if it weren't for my books.

Stella is followed everywhere by paparazzi. They're always lurking somewhere and taking pictures. She's gotten used to it by now but she still hates it especially when she's out with her kids. The media got more interested in her again when she and Deacon adopted Minka and Nick. At first she wouldn't go out with them at all but now that they're more settled she takes them to the park. I can't imagine what it's like to have your every stop documented and I don't even want to know!

I have decided to retire from the police force next year when I turn 65. Writing takes a lot of time and I have so many ideas for books that it should keep me busy. And I definitely feel like I'm getting too old to run the SWAT team. It's time for someone else to take over.

Cal says he'll retire too. He's found his love for making toys again and he's often working on the bench. So far he's only made toys for our grandkids but he says he might open an online store if he ends up making more.

I definitely won't miss the early morning jogs before work. Nowadays I have to work harder and harder to keep up with my younger colleagues. I know I'll try to stay in shape even after I retire but then it won't feel like such a chore.

Waking up slowly in Cal's arms is a much more pleasant way to start a day.


Notes:

• Title reference: Running out by Matoma & Astrid S.
• Yay, I'm so happy to get an update done! I've missed my sims.
• I usually don't make my sims retire right after they turn 65 but I think both Cal and Elissa are more than ready for that. She's got her writing to keep her busy and he's just never been a career-oriented person at all.
• Elissa published her third book and started writing a fourth one. Stella will most likely start working on a movie based on the third book soon. I really want to make movie posters for the movies but I don't have the time right now.
• I hope to crank out another update but I'm not making any promises. I have a paper due this week for school and it still needs work.