Lawrence & Lenexa - Part 3

 Good morning!

How can it be Friday again? We just had Friday. And it certainly should NOT be the 19th of August! This is crazy. Where is the "slow down" button? This week has been . . . busy.

Saturday my sis and I watched kids for a ladies fellowship at church for a few hours.

Sunday was quiet which was nice.

Monday I worked on trying to get some different things done like making corrections in the Christmas play.

Tuesday my mom, sis, and I went up to KC to help my aunt for the day.

Wednesday it rained. So lovely! And I was tired and trying to catch up on things, and the Little League World Series started so I watched some games.

Thursday we had almost all my nieces and nephews from 11-4. Then more Little League games.

Today I need to clean the house and  . . . well, I'm not sure what all. My brain feels a little overloaded with things and I'm not sure what I should do first.

On the writing front, I haven't written anything this week. Between being gone and watching Little League, I just haven't been inclined to write. And I'm not sure which to work on. Besides, I still need to make the corrections in Lawrence & Lenexa. Still no idea for a cover. I've tried about 5 different versions and nothing is working. 

It's nice out this morning so I think we'll go walk. Enjoy this next part of L & L.

 

 Lawrence & Lenexa

Part 3

    “Lawrence Johnson!” Their mother’s voice in the doorway interrupted their talk. “How many times have I told you not to sit on the floor with your school clothes on? You’ll ruin them. And Lenexa, honey, lounging like that is a good way to give you back troubles later on in life.”
    Lawrence rose and picked up his backpack. “Sorry, Mom. I forgot I hadn’t changed.”
    Lenexa sat up. “Mom, can we do something together this weekend?”
    Mrs. Johnson glanced down at her watch. “Like what, Lenexa?”
    “Oh, I don’t know, have a picnic or go to the park. You know, something fun.”
    “I don’t see how we can fit one more thing into this weekend, Lenexa. Dad has a very important meeting with a client tomorrow at one. And you know that Sunday is my bridge club. But maybe you can play golf with your father then. But change quickly now. We are eating supper early tonight.” She stepped from doorway into the hall. “Lawrence.”
    “Yeah?” Lawrence called from behind the closed door of his room.
    Mrs. Johnson sighed. “I do wish you wouldn’t shout, son. We are eating supper early so don’t take a long time changing. And make sure you put on proper dinner clothing, not shorts and a T-shirt this evening.”
    “I won’t, Mom.”
    Lenexa opened the door of her room and stood still.
    “Lenexa Marie Elizabeth Johnson!” her mother exclaimed. “Surely you were not planning on wearing that to the dinner table!”
    Glancing down, Lenexa didn’t see anything amiss. “Why not? What’s wrong with it?”
    “Your slip is showing at least half an inch. Now either find a different slip, or put on a different dress. One that is long enough to look decent.”
    “Can I just wear it without the slip? It’s just for supper–”
    “Absolutely not. No child of mine is going to come to the table half undressed. Now hurry. Your father won’t want to be kept waiting.”
    Shutting the door, Lenexa hurried back to her closet. The trouble was she had been growing. Her dresses were looking shorter, and most of her slips were too small. Except the one she was wearing. After trying on three dresses and finding that the slip still showed. Lenexa was desperate. Her mother had called her twice, and the tone of her voice said her patience was nearly gone. Grabbing a couple of safety pins, Lenexa pulled up the waistband of the slip and folded it over, pinning it in place. It was difficult to pin the back evenly, and she finally gave up trying. “As long as it doesn’t show it should work.”
    In the hall, Mrs. Johnson eyed her daughter’s outfit carefully. “You do have a slip on, right?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Then let us go down to dinner. Mr. Edger and his wife are joining us for dessert, but you and Lawrence won’t be required to eat with us.”
    Lenexa merely nodded. Mr. Edger, a lawyer from the same firm where her father worked, was friendly when alone, but neither Lenexa nor her brother cared for his wife.

*

    Mounting the stairs to their rooms, the twins looked at each other and sighed. It had been a long evening. Supper had been all right though it was a bit rushed, for the Edgers were known to be early. They were early. A whole twenty minutes early. Mrs. Johnson had the table cleared away quickly even though Lawrence was still eating. After the twins had greeted their guests politely, they were excused to eat their dessert outside. There they had remained until it began to grow dark.
    “I’m glad Mrs. Cook let me eat something else after dessert,” Lawrence murmured to his sister. “I might have starved before breakfast tomorrow.”
    “You wouldn’t have starved, Larry,” Lenexa retorted with a grin. “But you might have been awfully hungry.” Stopping in the hall, she asked, “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
    “Sleep in. Then I don’t know what. I wish we had those papers to fill out for camp.”
    Lenexa sighed. “Yeah, me too. Well, I’m going to bed. Night, Larry.”
    “Good night, Lexi.”

*

    Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday finally dragged their slow, reluctant days away, and then it was Tuesday.
    Lenexa was late for breakfast and had to rush through her meal in order to leave for school on time. There was no time to talk with her brother until they were in the car, and even then she couldn’t very well bring up the subject that was foremost in her mind.
    All during school that morning Lenexa fought to stay focused. Catching her brother’s arm in the hall, she dragged him to the side and whispered, “Do you think she’s put it there yet?”
    Lawrence shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s go eat.” He started down the hall toward the stairs.
    Keeping step with him, Lenexa wasn’t ready to let the subject drop. “What if she gives the papers to Mom? Or forgets to bring them?”
    “If she forgets than we’ll have to wait until Saturday. If she gives them to Mom, well–” He waited for a few students to hurry ahead of them down the stairs. “If Mom gets them then I’m guessing we’ll either have to do some pretty fancy persuading and hope we can get Dad on our side, or we’ll just have to forget the whole thing, listen to our lecture, and go to our usual camp.”
    “Oh!” Lenexa moaned. She felt like sitting down on the stairs but knew she’d get a lecture if a teacher saw her.
    “Come on, Lex, buck up. We only have a few more hours before we know.” Lawrence didn’t feel as confident as he tried to sound. Though he wouldn’t admit it then, he was worried too.
    
    Somehow the twins managed to finish the school day without any reprimands for absentmindedness, and they met each other at the door. Lenexa’s face was eager and excited.
    “You look too eager, Lex,” Lawrence murmured, as they were swept along by the crowd. “Mom might notice.”

How was your week? Busy? Slow? Normal?

Have you ever watched any Little League games?

Do you ever wonder which thing you should work on first?