Travels of Tracy - Spring

 Good morning FFFs,

Happy Friday. It's a cloudy morning here. We've had a lot of sunshine this week though, so some clouds aren't bad. And I don't think it is supposed to stay cloudy. We've had lovely spring weather this week. We have some crocuses that are coming up and getting ready to bloom.

This week has felt a bit overwhelming at times. You see, we had to change the date for our Widows' Valentine Luncheon AGAIN! It was scheduled (after being postponed twice) for tomorrow. However, I got a call Monday night saying that the funeral for an older church member had been scheduled by the family for tomorrow morning at church. So . . . we decided to just have the luncheon right after church on Sunday. It's still okay to have a Valentine luncheon on the last day of February, right? So, I've been trying to find out who can now attend this luncheon, and get some new name cards made and take some others away. And trying to figure out the seating arrangement was a bit of a challenge. But I think I've got it now.

Yesterday evening my nieces and nephews came over and we enjoyed spending time with them. I helped my oldest niece brainstorm for the story she had to write for school (finally someone else is writing stories!), played the piano with my oldest nephew, and visited and played with the others.

Writing is going really well. I am now just past 18k for "Phil Wood" and my goal is at least 30k. Hopefully, I can get at least another thousand written today. It's been fun to see what's happening because this story feels more confusing than some of the others.

Oh, I have also been trying to work on proof listening to the audio for Triple Creek Ranch - Together. Yep, the final TCR audio book is almost done!

Well, I hope you all are having a lovely week. Enjoy this next story about Tracy.

 

Travels of Tracy - Spring

    The rain came down in torrents and Tracy, in her small, blue Road Runner, could hardly see. It didn’t help matters any that Madalyn, her long-haired, yellow tabby had decided to comfort herself from the sound of so much water by walking all over Tracy’s lap.
    “Lyn,” Tracy begged, “please stay on your side of the car until we stop.” The pleading did no good, for Lyn’s long, bushy tail swept up and brushed Tracy’s face and the cat, evidently not liking the noise the rain and bits of hail were making on the roof of the car, meowed loudly.
    “I know, Lyn,” Tracy said, attempting to see where the road was. “I wish we weren’t driving during this too. But we have to get home and how was I to know there were storms in the area?”
    There was no reply from her four legged companion save another meow and the feeling of a few sharp little claws dug into her arm.
    The rain continued to pour from the dark sky in buckets, and now and then a jagged flash of lightning would illumine the countryside, but after it was gone everything seemed darker than before. Suddenly, without any warning, Tracy felt the car move in a strange way. She tried putting the brakes on but it made no difference.
    “Oh, Lyn,” she shivered, “I think we might be floating.” Reaching up, she pushed a tawny curl from her face and then gathered her beloved cat into her arms. “Oh, dear,” she sighed, “where are we going?”
    A gentle jar shook the small car and then the motion stopped.
    “Lyn, do you think we’ve reached an island? This is when we need Tad’s fishing boat.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I wonder what he would do?” As the rain drummed on the roof of the car, she thought about her special friend who would probably be home from college already since he lived closer. She was glad to be ending her next to last year of college. Tad had graduated this spring and Tracy would next year.
    “Meow.”
    The voice of her companion brought Tracy back from her daydream to reality. The rain had slacked off and it was beginning to grow lighter. Wind was still blowing, but wind didn’t worry Tracy like the water had. Peering out the windows, she discovered that the road had been flooded and she had been swept off to the side where the car had become situated on a rise of ground near a white rail fence.
    Noticing it was only a light rain falling, Tracy decided to get out and investigate to see if she might get the car back on the road and continue her way home.
    “Now Lyn,” she admonished, setting the cat on Tad’s old high school letter jacket which now served as her traveling bed, “you stay in the car until I get back.” Then reaching back and rummaging around for a moment, Tracy pulled out an umbrella,  “I won’t be long, but you don’t like water.”
    A contented purr was the answer and a moment later Tracy had stepped from the car. The first sensation she had as she shut the car door was that of water rushing into her new white oxfords. As she took a hesitant step forward, she felt mud oozing through the small holes in her shoes and she shuddered.
    “Oh dear,” she sighed aloud, “How will I ever get the car back onto the road again? I suppose I’ll have to sit here until someone finds me.”
    Looking around, she noticed for the first time that the fence her car was beside was part of a  horse pasture and in the dim light she could see what looked like a stable on the far side. Squelching her way around the car and cringing at each new feel of mud, her dress now soaked from the blowing rain clinging to her knees, she gazed around trying to see a house.
    Suddenly the sun broke through the clouds behind her and Tracy gasped at the sight of a rainbow.
    “There’s probably a house right where that rainbow ends,” she remarked, tapping on the car window and trying to get Lyn to look at it, but Lyn was too busy cleaning her paws to notice.
    When Tracy turned again, she gave a cry of alarm for suddenly a white, swirling funnel dropped from the dark clouds and began to snake and dance its way across the treetops, turning grey as it picked things up. It was with thankfulness that she saw the tornado moving away from her.
    She never could be certain how long she stood there watching. It wasn’t until she heard a deep voice that she turned and saw a patrol car pulled to the side of the road.
    “Hey Miss,” the officer called, climbing out of his car. “Are you all right? Do you need some help?”
    “Oh dear, yes,” Tracy cried. “I don’t know how I’m to get my car back to the road. It was raining so hard and I couldn’t see and I was carried right over here by some water.”
    “You should have pulled over if you couldn’t see,” remarked the officer, making his way towards her in his tall boots.
    “I suppose I should have, but it never crossed my mind; I was so busy thinking about getting home and letting Tad know I arrived.”
    “Well, Miss, you might not make it home if you can’t see the road.”
    “I’ll remember that in the future, Sir,” Tracy assured. “Now please don’t scare my cat. She doesn’t like water.” This Tracy added as the officer got in the driver’s seat and started the engine.
    A few minutes later, the little blue Road Runner was back on the road and Tracy, after thanking the patrol officer again for his help, pulled a blanket out of the back to sit on, for she was rather wet, and settled herself to drive the rest of the way home.
    “Oh, Lyn, this dress will dry, but I’m afraid these shoes are ruined forever!” she sighed as she pulled one mud covered shoe off her almost equally muddy foot. “And I did so like these shoes.”
 

How has your week been?

Have you read or listened to the other TCR books?

Have you ever ruined a pair of favorite shoes?

Travels of Tracy - Winter

 Good morning and happy winter!

We have snow still on the ground. Sunday morning it started to snow and church was cancelled. It snowed all day. And it snowed all day Monday. Everyone was asked to stay home unless it was vitally important since the roads were slick and there were quite a few traffic accidents. And it was cold. Down in the single digits with wind chills in the -10º to -20º range. On Tuesday the sun came out! It was still cold. But my best friend and I decided to bundle up and go for a walk in the snow. The snow was powdery, not packing snow like we usually get. It was fun to get out and we stayed quite warm except for parts of our faces. Tuesday night we got more snow. And it snowed half a day on Wednesday. We probably got at least 8 inches of snow since Sunday. (Note: We usually get 1-2 inches of snow at a time in winter.) Yesterday was sunny. But the snow didn't melt much because it was just above freezing for a very short time. We'll see what happens today. It's a clear morning sky, but it's still supposed to be in the 20ºs.

Besides the cold and snow, what have I been up to? Let's see.

• Organizing and cleaning out files on my computer.
• Writing more of "Phil Wood" (it's 1/3 of the way done).
  
• Working on blog posts.
• Postponing our church's Widows' Luncheon again (This is the 2nd time this month!)
  
• Enjoying the snow.
• Reading.
• And normal life.

 Today's story is one I haven't posted for quite some time. I wrote a series of stories about Tracy and the plan was to get them published, but that hasn't happened yet. So, you get to enjoy this story here and now. At least I hope you enjoy it. :)

 

Travels of Tracy - Winter

    “It’s a good thing Tad insisted I get snow tires put on before I tried driving to Grandma’s,” Tracy Linnet remarked. There was no reply, but Tracy didn’t expect one, for her companion who occupied the other front seat of her small, blue Road Runner, was Madalyn, a long-haired, yellow tabby and her almost constant companion.
    The sun was bright in the frosty blue sky and everywhere it could possibly lie, was snow. It was piled on bare branches and rail fences. Large evergreens stood weighted down with heaps of cold, white glitter. Everything looked cold and white.
    “How nice Grandma’s warm kitchen will be, won’t it, Lyn?” Tracy glanced over at her cat who purred from a soft little nest on one of Tracy’s college jackets.
    A sudden noise brought a worried frown to Tracy’s lips and a pucker to her forehead. The car gave a sporadic cough or two and then died.
    “Oh dear,” Tracy sighed, trying in vain to restart the little engine. “Lyn, what are we to do?” Picking up the cat, Tracy squinted about her at the snowy landscape, looking for a house or another car. Nothing but unbroken snow could she see until she saw the little covered bridge. As she peered at it, she thought she could see tracks leading either in or out of the bridge. Where they came from or where they were heading, she couldn’t make out from where she sat.
    “Lyn,” she rubbed her cheek softly against the furry motor that rumbled in her arms, “if you were bigger, you could run the car instead of the real engine, but you aren’t. What should we do? Should we sit here and hope someone comes along? That might not be until tomorrow.”
    Lyn yawned and flicked her tail.
    “That’s what I thought. It might be warm in here now with the sun shining, but it won’t be up many more hours and then it will be cold, and Tad would worry if he tried to call me at Grandma’s. Maybe there is a house on the other side of that bridge, hidden behind that pine tree. At least we can go to the bridge and take a look around.”
    Reaching back and picking up her warm coat from the seat behind her, Tracy managed to pull it on in the close confines of the car. Replacing her jaunty little cap at the correct angle on her head, she tied her scarf, pulled on her gloves and opened the door.
    “Come on Lyn,” she said, turning to scoop up the cat after she stepped out into the snow. “I’m not leaving you here alone.”
    Once the car door was shut and the keys were in her pocket, Tracy started forward. She was thankful her new, black GoGo boots came nearly to her knees because some of the drifts she was discovering were quite high. The wind was rather biting and Lyn meowed plaintively.
    “Oh, you poor thing,” murmured Tracy, unbuttoning her coat and tucking her beloved cat inside.
    Soon she came to a rail fence covered with snow. Most of this she brushed off before attempting to climb it. “I’m afraid these clothes weren’t designed for climbing fences,” she sighed as she heard the sound of tearing fabric. “Oh, brrr!” A bit of snow, knocked off the fence, had fallen down the top of her boot. “Perhaps I should have stayed in the car and waited for Tad to come along tomorrow.” Sadly she looked back across the fence at the bright blue car sitting so contentedly in the sunshine.
    Discovering that the footprints didn’t go farther than an unplowed road but returned again to the other side of the bridge, Tracy decided to follow them, but paused to read the sign above the bridge. “Please walk your horses across.” She gave a little laugh. “If I had a horse, I’d be happy to walk him if he just didn’t break down.”
    It was a neat old bridge and had Tracy not been anxious to find help, she would have stopped to admire it. As it was she trudged steadily on, feeling the nippy wind on her face, the rumbling purr of Lyn tucked snuggly in her coat, and the cold, wet snow in her boot.
    At last, rounding a bend in the road, she discovered to her great delight, a house. It wasn’t large, but there was smoke coming from its chimney and someone was outside with a snow shovel.
    “Hello,” Tracy called.
    The figure with the shovel turned around. “Hi! Where did you come from?”
    Tracy couldn’t help but laugh. The boyish figure and the blunt question reminded her of Tad’s younger brother. “I came from down the road. My car is stuck.”
    “In the snow?”
    “No, it just quit running.”
    “Hmm,” the boys pondered this while he leaned on his shovel. “Well, my brother’s at college and Dad’s still at work. Mom can mash potatoes and roast turkeys and bake the best tasting pies you ever had, but she’s no good with engines. Of course there’s Gramps. He can fix anything. Why don’t you come inside and I’ll ask him.”
    To this Tracy nodded agreement.
    “Mom!” the boy hollered as they stepped inside the warm house.
    A clear voice answered, “I’m in the kitchen, Dean.”
    At his beckon, Tracy followed Dean down the hall and into a snug little kitchen with cheery red walls. A pleasant faced woman turned from the sink.
    “Her car’s broke down. Got to see if Gramps’ll fix it.”
    Tracy blinked. The boy had spoken rapidly and then disappeared from the room.
    “Where did it break down?”
    “On the other side of the covered bridge.”
    “And you walked all this way in those shoes. You poor thing.”
    Lyn, disturbed from her nap, tried to stretch and Tracy unbuttoned her coat to let her out asking as she did so, “You don’t have a dog, do you?”
    “No.” The woman turned. “Well, so you carried your cat in your coat!”
    It was only a matter of minutes before Dean came back with Gramps.
    “Gramps’ll fix it.”
    “We’ll go in the truck,” Gramps said and Tracy quickly picked up Lyn, said a quick good-bye and hurried after the two figures.

    The ride in the truck was much quicker and to Tracy’s delight her car’s trouble was fixed in half an hour.
    “Well, Lyn,” she sighed when they were alone. “Here we are again. I wonder what Tad will say tomorrow when I tell him? Maybe I won’t tell him,” she decided. Then, reaching down and unzipping her boot, she pulled it off. Rummaging around in her bag on the back seat, she remarked to Lyn who was washing her face, “I’d rather drive with my slippers on than with a cold leg and foot.” 

How has your weather been?

Have you ever had your car stuck in the snow?

What have you been doing this week?

Lawrence & Lenexa - Part 5

Good morning, FFFs,

Happy almost Valentine's Day. We were supposed to have our Widows' Valentine Luncheon tomorrow, but we postponed it due to the weather. You see, we've had temperatures below freezing since Sunday. And Sunday & Monday we had freezing mist and the roads were slick, and since then it has snowed every day. But, lest you think we have a lot of snow, it feels like we live in a snow globe right now, because it snows almost all day, and things don't melt, yet there isn't much more snow in the evening than there was in the morning. So we aren't sure if the snow is just blowing around and not landing, or what. Anyway, church was cancelled Wednesday night, and we decided to just postpone the luncheon until next Saturday so the ladies didn't have to try and get out in this.

This week has been a little different than I expected because Lawrence & Lenexa got stuck, I have ideas for 3 different stories, and I'm already almost 5k words into one of them. That story is the next Woodbreak book. Yep, Phil Wood is being written. My brain is swirling with ideas and thoughts for it. I'm hoping it all comes together well.

If you haven't taken the time to go find the items in the Scavenger Hunt for Sarah Holman's new book Fanny's Hope Chest, go do it. It's lots of fun! Some of the items are a bit more challenging to find, but I did find them all. So check the post out about it HERE. And yes, I am hosting one of the pictures on Read Another Page.

And don't forget that Fanny's Hope Chest is only $.99 pre-order right now! Saturday is the final day of this price, so grab your copy NOW!

And now I hope you enjoy this next part of this story. I have no idea what I'm going to give you next week, so I guess you'll just have to come back and see.

 

 Lawrence & Lenexa

Part 5

    “Saundra? What would she know about clothes?”
    Lawrence set his glass of water down. “She has some brothers around my age, so I’m sure she would know what kinds of clothes are going to last.”
    “And,” Lenexa went on, trying not to sound too eager, “I’m sure she knows about shopping for girls since she was one once. We could get the easy things, Mom, like the play clothes and swimming suits. Then later, maybe after school is out, you can go with us to get the nicer clothes.”
    “Sounds like a sensible suggestion to me,” Mr. Johnson said before his wife could swallow her bite of food and answer. “You are busy, Camelia, and it is time to teach our children to be responsible.”
    “Yes, but how will they know what they need to get?”
    The conversation went on all through the rest of the meal, but it was finally decided that the twins would make a list of everything they thought they needed and would give it to their mother to look over. Then, if Saundra could be persuaded to change her cleaning day to Friday, and was willing to take charge of Lawrence and Lenexa for their first shopping trip alone, they could go.
    “I suppose I’ll have to get Mrs. Hamstead to call Saundra and see about the change of plans,” Mrs. Johnson sighed. Mrs. Hamstead didn’t like plans to change without at least a week of advance notice.
    “Mother,” Lenexa said, laying her napkin on the table, “since it was our idea, maybe Lawrence or I should call Saundra. I could try her right now.”
    “Use the phone in the den,” Mr. Johnson said. “The number will be in the phone book on the desk.”
    Not waiting for her mother’s permission, Lenexa rose and walked calmly from the dining room. Inside she was elated. If only Saundra would be able to switch her cleaning day and take her and Larry shopping for clothes. “I’ll bet we’d have more fun than with Mom,” she murmured under her breath.

    When the twins went upstairs to finish their studying and go to bed, they hurried into their play room and shut the door. Sagging against it, Lenexa drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When she didn’t answer I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to do it,” she.”
    “I still can’t believe Mom agreed to such a thing!” And Lawrence shook his head. “Imagine us going shopping for clothes with Saundra instead of Mrs. Hamstead or Mom!”
    “I just hope nothing comes up to change things,” Lenexa said. “Do you think we could get those forms filled out before then so we could mail them when we are out?”
    Lawrence looked thoughtful as he slowly crossed the room. Staring out the window into the leafy branches of the oak tree, he shrugged. “Wouldn’t hurt to try. But we’ll have to find a good time to get Dad to sign the papers.”
    “I know.” Lenexa joined him. “And we still have school. Ugh. I wish it were over!”
    “Speaking of school, we’d better get to studying for that test tomorrow.”
    “You do bring up the nicest subjects, Larry,” Lenexa remarked with a groan.
    Lawrence grinned. “It wasn’t me; you’re the one who mentioned school.”

    It wasn’t until Friday that the twins found a chance to approach their dad about signing the consent forms for them to attend Mountain View Christian Summer Camp. Mr. Johnson had picked up his children after school.
    “Mom had to go over to help Mrs. Pendergrass get ready for the club meeting tomorrow,” he told them when they climbed into the car. “And Mrs. Hamstead was busy with some mix-up and couldn’t be disturbed.”
    “That’s okay, Dad,” Lawrence said.
    “I like it when you pick up up, Daddy,” Lenexa added, leaning forward to pat her father’s shoulder. “You are always so busy that we don’t get to talk to you much.”
    Mr. Johnson gave a slight chuckle. “Okay, what are you kids wanting now? That flattery was leading into some request.” He glanced in his mirror at the twins.
    “Lexi’s right, Dad,” Lawrence said, using the nickname he’d given his sister years before and never dared using before their mother or Mrs. Hamstead. “We don’t get much time with you.”
    “Uh huh.” Mr. Johnson didn’t look convinced.
    With a slight grin, Lawrence turned to his sister and asked in a loud whisper, “Do you think Dad would take us to get ice cream at Dairy Queen?”
    Lenexa giggled. “Maybe if we promise not to tell Mom.”
    At that Mr. Johnson gave a laugh. “Okay, okay, I can take a hint. Dairy Queen it is. But if I hear the slightest mention of doing such a thing before your mother, I’m cutting your allowances in half for a full month!”
    Lenexa hid a smile behind her hand. Perhaps this evening would be a good time to get those forms signed.
    The ice cream tasted good, and even Mr. Johnson loosened his tie and seemed to enjoyed himself.
    Arriving at home, Lawrence was handed the remaining evidence of their stop for ice cream, and sent around to the kitchen to dispose of it.
    “Got any homework to do, Lenexa?” Mr. Johnson asked as he walked beside his daughter into the house.
    “Only a little. Since school ends next week, we don’t have much.” Lenexa walked in silence for a few more steps. “Daddy,” she asked, looking up at him, “are you going to be busy all evening?”
    “Not too terribly. Why?”
    “Can Larry and I see you about something important?”
    Mr. Johnson raised his eyebrows. “Legal counsel or just advice?”
 

Does your dad ever take you to Dairy Queen or elsewhere for ice cream?

Have you joined the Scavenger Hunt? 

Do you have any ice and snow?

Lawrence & Lenexa - Part 4

 Good morning, FFFs,

It's a beautiful February morning here in the midwest. The horizon is glowing with yellow and a little bit of peach, but right above it is a dark strip of clouds with a stripe of glowing pink. It is beautiful! Above those clouds the sky is growing lighter and the half moon was shining brightly in the window when I got up. It's supposed to be warmer today before the cold comes. And we're supposed to get sunshine. The sky is getting prettier. The yellow is changing to a golden peach and the pink has spread and there is now purple mixed with the darker clouds.

My week has gone by rather quickly. I'm not sure how it can be Friday already. I've already written over 5k words this week, which is quite exciting. I've been working on things for the widows' luncheon at church next Saturday, and trying to get some blog posts done. Oh, and I've been reading.

Here is the next part of Lawrence & Lenexa. Right now this story is at 32k words. I'm hoping it will end up at 60k, but I don't know when it will reach there. If I have a good writing month I can get around 20k words written. It will partly depend on if this story gets stuck or just keeps moving right along. If you want to be able to read the full story, you can be praying the ideas will keep coming.

 

 Lawrence & Lenexa

Part 4

    Home at last, Lenexa led the way upstairs at a sedate pace just in case their mom or Mrs. Hamstead were watching. But once up in the long, carpeted hall, she began to run, with Lawrence right behind her. Reaching her room, she dumped her backpack on her bed, set her violin case on the couch, and darted over to the hiding place.
    “It’s here! Shut the door.”
    Lawrence did so and then hurried over. All the information about Mountain View Christian Summer Camp was there–the activities, the packing list, the medical forms, information forms, consent forms–all neatly put together.
    “Oh,” Lenexa sighed, staring at the forms. “If we can’t go there, Larry, I don’t want to go to any summer camp.”
    “Yeah, me either. Hey, here’s a note from Saundra.” He unfolded the paper and read it aloud.
    “Larry and Lexi, Here’s all the information about the camp. It’s a wonderful camp, and I hope you two get to go. If it helps any, my sister, Mary, is going to be one of the counselors for the girls, and, of course, my brothers are going to be there too. If you end up needing a ride there, I’m sure you can ride with us when we take the boys there. Saundra.”
    “Larry!” Lenexa exclaimed softly. “We’ve just got to go!” She looked down at the papers again. “Can we start filling them out right now?”
    “We’d better change and get our homework done first. We’ve got tests tomorrow, remember? And if we don’t do well on them . . .” He let his sentence die in the air.
    Lenexa signed. “I guess you’re right. Where should we put these?”
    “Back where they were. They should be safe enough there while we work.”

    Neither of the twins remembered working so hard and so quickly on their homework before. “I’ll study for my test before I go to bed,” Lenexa decided. “Why don’t we both do that. We can study together. Mr. Langly has said that it’s what you do right before you go to bed that sticks in your brain, you know.”
    Lawrence looked skeptical. “What does he know? He’s our gardener, not a teacher.”
    “We can try it.” Lenexa turned beseeching eyes on her twin. “Come on, Larry. I just can’t study any more, and I want to start working on those papers!”
    A grin came over Lawrence’s face. “Okay. Let’s do it. Go get the papers. But make sure no one is in the hall!”
    Lenexa didn’t need any urging. She jumped from her chair and raced across the carpeted floor, thankful that no one downstairs would hear her footsteps. A quick check showed no one in the hall, and she darted to her room, snatched the papers, and ran back.
    In her absence, Lawrence had shoved the school books to the side and cleared a space on the study table.
    Carefully, systematically, the papers were sorted into piles.
    “I’ve never filled out an application for camp before,” Lawrence admitted, scratching his head.
    “First time for everything.” Lenexa picked up her pencil and started filling in her name and birthdate.
    “Should you be using pencil?”
    “I’ll go over it in pen after I make sure everything is right. I don’t want to mess it up.”
    Lawrence grunted. “Good idea.”
    For some time the twins worked on filling out the applications for summer camp. They filled out every line they could. It wasn’t as hard as they had first thought it would be.
    “Lawrence! Lenexa!” Their mother’s call from the stairway startled them both.
    “Yes!” They shouted back in unison.
    “Supper is waiting.”
    They looked at each other blankly. Supper? Already?
    “Coming!” Lawrence shouted back. “Quick, we’ve got to put these somewhere!”
    “Behind the pillows on my bed,” Lenexa suggested, sweeping up the papers they had so carefully sorted and running from the room.
    Meeting her brother in the hall half a minute later, she sighed and whispered, “That was too close.”
    “Tell me about it!”
    Without another word, the two ran down the hall, hurried down the stairs, down another hall, and into the dining room.
    “Stop right there,” Mrs. Johnson ordered, lifting her hand as the twins entered.
    Lenexa swallowed hard. She wasn’t wearing a dress. But they were almost all to short and too tight. Except for her school clothes. Beside her, she felt Lawrence straighten.
    Their mother sighed and shook her head. “See, Lancaster, it’s as I told you.”
    Lenexa wondered why her mom didn’t just call her dad by his first name, and her brother Larry, instead of having to use her dad’s middle name.
    “Lawrence, your pants are too short. Don’t you have another pair?”
    Lawrence glanced down. “Sure, but they’re all the same size. And my shirts are getting kind of tight.”
    With another sigh, Mrs. Johnson looked her daughter up and down. “Lenexa, you know I don’t like you coming to the table in shorts.”
    “I’m sorry, Mom, but my dresses are getting too small for me. Except my school clothes and one or two of my very nicest dresses.”
    Speaking for the first time, Mr. Johnson motioned the twins to come to the table. “If we must discuss clothes and such, we could at least do it while we eat. I need to prepare for court in the morning.”
    Once everyone had begun eating, Mrs. Johnson returned to the subject. “I really don’t see how I can take you both shopping for clothes on Saturday. The members of the Literary Society are meeting at Mrs. Pendergrass’s home, and I promised to help her since it is her first time hosting. If you two were more grown up, I would let you do some of the shopping yourselves.”
    Lenexa darted a questioning glance across the table to Lawrence and caught his answering look. “Mom, couldn’t we try it? I mean we are growing older, and we should be learning about purchasing things like clothes. I know you couldn’t take us, and Mrs. Hamstead will be busy, but maybe someone like–” She paused and chewed on her lower lip a moment in thought. “Well, someone like Saundra, could take us perhaps.”

Did you see the sunrise this morning?

Do you like this story?

Would you like it to be a full novel?