Fanon:Dreamer family (K6ka)

The Dirk family is a family in my version of Pleasantview. It consists of Darren Dreamer, the widower, and his son Dirk.

They are the second poorest family in Pleasantview, next to the Brokes. While Darren enjoys painting, he hasn't finished enough to pay off the bills. With Darren's financial crisis, the repo-man isn't too far away...

Meanwhile, Dirk has recently recovered after his bad encounter with a D- at school. He is almost an A+ student by the time the game begins. He may bring Lilith Pleasant home from school.

Part 1. A typical morning
It was just before dawn.

Darren rolled over in his bed, wishing for sleep to come back and keep him in his fantasies for another five minutes. He threw the covers over his head, hoping it would help bring sleep back. It didn't.

He tried shielding his head with the pillow, but it only made it difficult to breathe. He tried putting his arm over his eyes, but his arm soon felt cold, and he buried it back underneath the blankets. The fidgeting continued until sunlight streamed through the windows and onto his eyelids, tickling them until they surrendered and opened.

Blinding light was all Darren could see. If this was God, he thought, I'd ask Him dearly to give me five more minutes.

But alas, it seems the five minutes had come... and gone. Time to get up.

It was a lovely June morning. Darren cracked open the window and let the fresh morning air in. The birds were chirping, the wind a gentle breeze, and the horizon a beautiful hue of red and orange as the sun peered over it and onto Pleasantview.

The sight lifted his spirits, and for the first time in a long while, he didn't think of Darleen's death in the morning. He got dressed quickly and exited his bedroom.

He headed downstairs and knocked softly on Dirk's bedroom door. "Time to wake up, rise and shine!" he said. "It's so nice outside, I thought it was something out of a postcard."

"What time is it?" a sleepy voice answered.

"15 past 6," Darren replied. "No really, just come out and see for yourself! This isn't a morning where you want to sleep in!"

The groaning of springs could be heard. "Alright, I'll be out in five minutes," was Dirk's reply.

"So, are you going to Cassandra's wedding tomorrow?" Dirk asked.

"I dunno... maybe, but I just can't stand watching her say 'I do!' to that Lothario twat," Darren replied. "Besides, how many girlfriends does that guy have, 20?"

Dirk stared at his toaster pastries thoughtfully before he said, "Y'know, if Lothario can't keep the knot tied, maybe you have a chance at getting Cassandra while she's crying at the altar."

"That would break poor Morty's heart," Darren said. "Besides, he doesn't know that I love her daughter, and if he caught me trying to console her, he might faint at the sight of another 'potential heartbreak.'"

"Then how are you going to get her?"

Darren sighed. "I... don't know."

"Well, if you get any ideas, let me know about it. I'm curious." With that, Dirk got up and left the table.

Let's face it, Darren thought. I love this woman, but she doesn't seem to share the same reciprocal love. It's an awkward friend zone. Cassandra's nice, cute... and rich. Yeah, mostly rich. I'm practically eating my painting canvas while Cassandra's living like a queen, with her father's money at her disposal. If Don gets a huge chunk of that money... will there be any left for me?

Well, that's providing Don doesn't ditch Cassandra and actually ties the knot. Darren was hoping for that to happen. It would leave Cassandra open to him. Imagine the look on Don's face once he sees Darren with Cassandra! It would give Darren an automatic promotion in influence and wealth, and soon Darren would be able to look down at Don and say, "Dear dear, Uncle Lothario, you must amend your womanizing behavior. It looks bad on you, and you can't possibly hide your affairs from everyone forever. I already know that you're in love with both Caliente sisters. Oh yes, I saw you..."

Darren blinked. No, let's not go there. Let's focus on what we can do to "save" Cassandra from Don (and possibly save Don from having to tie the knot too), and most importantly, make Cassandra his.

Maybe I'll pay Don a visit today. I'll see if I can coax him into dumping Cassandra. He might not appreciate my presence, but he has to agree with me that he doesn't want this commitment. If Don doesn't want to marry Cassandra, that's alright — I can have her. She'll be happy with me, I with her, our poverty problems will be solved, and Don will be spared the promise he can't keep. It's a win-win situation.

The school bus pulled up in front of the house and honked its horn. Dirk was out the door in a heartbeat. Darren caught a glimpse of his son waving goodbye through the window. He gave back a small wave and a weak smile as the bus drove off. I hope Cassandra's okay with me using her money to pay for Dirk's college tuition, he thought.

Darren got up, washed the dishes, and got ready to pay Don Lothario an uninvited visit.