Born Cooperson Samuelson Baronson to his mother, Ambrosia Alora Baronson, and father, Gildwen Patterson Baronson, little "Coop" was immediately given no chance to bond with his parents. After leaving the hospital the day Cooper was born, Ambrosia and Gildwen dropped him off at a daycare center for infants... and went on their merry way to work as if nothing had happened. Ambrosia and Gildwen were workaholics, and their new son was, unfortunately, just a burden to their corporate world careers. Too stubborn to put him up for adoption in fear of looking like the bad parents they were, they decided to provide a constant flow of money to the local daycare if they agreed to keep Cooper past their normal hours. And so Cooper's life began... living in the daycare for 14 hours a day, going home to sleep in a cold crib, and going back to daycare in the morning.
The caretakers in the daycare... they could tell he wasn't your ordinary baby. He was happy and bubbly, always laughing and singing, and seemed much smarter than most babbling babies his age. He was always playing with the center's musical instruments, and was often considered their "one man band". They felt remorse for his situation at home, but gave him all the love and attention they could each day.
But the time came where Cooper was getting too old for the center, and he needed to start school. At the age of 5, the Baronsons removed him from the daycare and sent him to Thorn Bridge Boarding School on the outskirts of town. In a new environment at such a young age, Cooper wasn't sure what to do, and he longed for the attention of his teachers at the daycare. He tried to make the best of life at the school, but there wasn't much room to be himself. Everything was strictly regulated... no TVs, limited computer time, no extra curricular activities, and a set curriculum. His life seemed more jailed with every new day, but his spirit was strong. The older he became, the more certain he was that he could escape his confined life and begin anew. In his downtime, he listened to tape recordings of symphonies and dreamed about a career in music, writing his own songs and finding sheet music in the libraries that he could only read, but not play. His parents sent monthly checks as he progressed throughout the secondary level of school as a sort of reminder that they were still around, but that they weren't planning on seeing him any time soon. Though any other child would have been depressed by the lack of parental figures in their life, Cooper didn't mind. His spirits were too focused on using that money to start a new life.
The day came that Cooper attended graduation. He did a quick scan of the crowd from the stage, and didn't see his parents... though by now, he could barely remember what they looked like, anyway. He had spent all of his schooling years at Thorn Bridge, and graduation was one of a handful of times he had been outside since his first day there. As previously stated, it was more like a jail than anything... and Cooper was more than excited to leave. He grabbed his diploma, his packed bags, and his final check from his parents, and boarded a Greyhound bus... destination? Anywhere but there.
48 hours later, Cooper ended up on the West Coast. Suitcase in hand, he got off of the bus and looked at his surroundings... he couldn't believe his eyes. To his right, there was an ocean. A lighthouse. A beautiful beach. Beautiful houses that sat on cliffs above the water... and to his left, hills! Mountains! A valley with homes and businesses and people! People that actually lived their lives, and did what they wanted to! It was the most beautiful place he had seen since his little life at the daycare... and he decided to make it his home.
A few of his first nights in Sunset Valley (as he learned it was named) were spent living on the street and searching for homes for sale that fit within his small, cramped budget. All the money he had was given to him from his parents... and although it seemed like a lot at first, he quickly learned it wasn't much. He was able to snag a home that had been foreclosed upon by an elderly couple. It was small, outdated, and starting to fall apart... but at least it was a roof over his head, and that's all he cared about. As soon as the house was his, he dropped off his things and made a stop at City Hall. If he was going to start a new life in a new town, he didn't want to do it under the name Cooperson Samuelson Baronson. He filled out the paperwork, and after a stop at a clothing store for some decent attire, he came back home with the name "Cooper Samuel Baron". Rolls off the tongue a lot easier, doesn't it?
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