Gen 4 - Susan (The Environmentalist)

Susan was born in the too late - or so she thinks as she was too young for the Summer of Love, Woodstock and everything else she had to watch from the sidelines as a young teen. A hippie at hart, Susan always admired and idolized her aunt Barbara, and from a young age threw herself head first into the politics of her time. A staunch environmentalist she took part in die-ins, protests and debates, and when it was time to apply to university, Susan knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to save the environment and fight for women's rights as she did so! 

Women's rights were one thing in theory and another in practise. When she fell in love with the older Tony, she was prepared to do anything to keep him happy. He called the shots, and she was happy to be taken along, even when he was mean to her or yelled at her. Her heart broke when he suddenly started to ghost her, and even more when she found out the reason - he had gone and married someone else than her! Susan swore she'd never love again, and for a while she dated without consequences, having "fun" without real emotional attachments. 

Following her dream, she focused on her studies, and got her degree from Foxbury before moving to Evergreen Harbor, shortly north of San Seqouia. An old industrial region badly in need of a clean-up, it was perfect for her ambitions. The fact that flat prices here were dirt cheap didn't hurt either.  

But life has a way of throwing curve balls, and in Evergreen Harbor, Susan runs into Tony again. Now married with two twins, he still manages to squeeze into her life again, finding her weak spots. Having never gotten over him, Susan is vulnerable. She tries to tell him no, to insist that if he wants to be with her he leaves his wife first, but his promises are empty, and as time goes the relationship becomes more and more destructive. Bit by bit, Tony tears her down, making her believe that she's not worth more than this, that no one else would be able to love her, and that she does not have the strength to leave. When she's at her weakest, words turn to violence. Susan feel isolated, alone, and helpless. What she doesn't understand is how much that image is false. 

Once a friend see what trouble she's in, her cousin Ken steps up. He persuades her to move in with him, promises to keep her safe, and slowly Susan can start rebuilding her life, her sense of worth, her personality.

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