Something for the Wedding - Part 1

 It's been a long time since I posted on this little blog. But I wrote a short story not long ago and since I'm not planning on publishing it, I thought I'd at least share it on here. Not that anyone will read it, but at least it will be available if anyone wants to read it.

 

Something for the Wedding

Part 1

    “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” five-year-old Missy chanted to herself as she stood with her small hands on her hips as she’d seen her older sisters do.
    “I have a new dress and new shoes and new socks. I don’t have anything old or borrowed or blue.” She wrinkled her nose. “Blue doesn’t match the wedding. I heard Molly tell Randa that when she wanted to wear a blue dress. And a blue hair ribbon wouldn’t work either because that wouldn’t match my dress.”
    “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” she chanted again. “Maybe I should borrow something first.”
    She ran to Miranda and Molly’s room where her sisters were busy reading. “Can I borrow something?” she asked politely with her hands behind her so she wouldn’t be tempted to touch their pretty things.
    “Borrow what?” Molly asked.
    “Something. It’s for the wedding.”
    “No, you have your own things,” Randa said.
    “Our things are too big for you, Missy.” And Molly returned to her book.
    Discouraged but not daunted, Missy marched down the hall to the boys’ room. Tanner was getting married, and soon there would only be Taylor and Travis in there. She did love Alaina, but she did wish it wasn’t her favorite brother who was leaving.
    Knock, knock.
    Tanner and Travis looked up at her knock on the doorframe.
    “Hi, Missy, what are you up to?” Tanner asked, smiling at her.
    “I came to see if I could borrow something.”
    “What do you need?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just something.”
    Travis shook his head and went right on folding his socks. He liked them folded in just a certain way, so no one else folded them.
    Tanner paused in the box he was packing. “Is this something to wear or carry or to play store with?”
    “It’s not to play store. I think–” Missy tried to remember what her friend Lindsey had said. “I think wearing it.”
    “Hmm. Did you check with the girls?”
    “Yep, they said they didn’t have anything. It had better be something kind of small or I won’t be able to wear it.”
    Tanner nodded soberly while Travis laughed.
    “I’m afraid I don’t have much, but–” Tanner opened a drawer and dug around. “Well, I have an old tie clip or a red bandana. Everything else is either packed or I have to have it myself.” He held up the offered items.
    “The clip!”
    “Here you are.” Tanner handed the old tie clip to her.
    “Oh, thank you, Tanner!” And Missy flung her arms around his legs and squeezed. “I love you way more than Alaina, ‘though I love her a lot too.” She only stayed long enough for Tanner to give her a little hug before running back to her own room.
    She had something borrowed! Lindsey had said you could count one thing as two, but Missy wasn’t sure how old the something old was supposed to be. The tie clip was as old as she was, for she’d seen a picture of Tanner from before she was born and he was wearing it.
    “Maybe I should get something else that’s old just in case,” she thought. “But I don’t know what else is old.” With a sigh she sat down on the floor to think.
    After some time she got up and walked slowly downstairs. She had a question and needed an answer.
    “Daddy.”
    Her father looked around his computer and smiled at her. “Hi, Missy. What’cha up to?”
    “I have a question.”
    “Okay.” And Daddy pushed his chair away from his desk and gave her his full attention.
    “When does something get old?”
    Daddy looked puzzled. “Well,” he began, “that depends on what it is. Food gets old pretty quickly, other things last a lot longer.”
    “I don’t mean how long is lasts, but when it is old. Tanner got a new tie clip from Alaina last week. Will that be old in six years?”
    “Some people might think so. Things like that could be considered old in a few years if someone finds one they like better.”
    “So it’s old if they get a new one.”
    Daddy nodded. “Pretty much.”
    “Okay. Bye.” Missy almost danced out of the room, leaving her father looking after her with an amused smile.
    It was okay then. Tanner’s tie clip was old and borrowed. Now she just needed something blue. With a frown, she looked all around the room she shared with seven-year-old Matilda. Tilda was shopping with Mom or Missy might have asked her if she had anything blue. But Tilda didn’t always understand and often laughed at her.
    “I have to find it myself,” Missy decided. “Blue. Something blue.”
    A look in the closet gave her inspiration. “A button! Maybe I could sew a button on the inside of my dress. It won’t show then, and it could be blue.”
    With this thought, she ran back downstairs to find the button jar. She had always loved playing with and sorting and looking at all the many buttons in that jar. Many had come from Grandma years ago. But this time she had a specific job. She needed to find a blue button. There were brown ones and red ones, silver and gold ones, plain white ones, yellow, pink, and black buttons, and even some that were shaped like teddy bears and balloons. Finally she found a blue button. It was bright blue, and Missy clutched it in her hand with a smile.
    Finally she had something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
    But who would sew the button on for her?
    After putting all the rest of the buttons carefully away again, Missy walked back to her room. She could ask Molly and Randa. But they might laugh. Mom was always busy now with things for the wedding and wouldn’t have time.
    “I can do it,” she decided. “I can sew things.”
    She found a needle and thread. After cutting the thread she tried and tried to get it through the needle, but the hole was too small. Finally she gave a long, dismal sigh.
    “What’s the long sigh for, Missy?” Tanner asked, pausing on his return from carrying several boxes out to his car.
    “I can’t get the thread to go in the needle,” Missy replied. “Can you do it?”
    “I don’t know. I can try.” He took the offered needle and thread. “It’s been a long time since I’ve threaded a needle. Are you planning on doing a little mending?”
    “No. Just sewing.” She watched eagerly as her favorite brother did what she couldn’t do.
    “Do you need a knot on the end?”
    “Yes.”
    “Single thread or double?”
    Missy looked at him puzzled. What was he talking about?
    “What are you going to sew? If it’s fabric you might want a single thread, if it’s something like a button you might want double as that holds buttons longer.”
    “Oh!” Understanding lit Missy’s face. “It’s a button, so double. Thank you, Tanner!” She gave her brother another hug as he knotted the thread.
    “You’re welcome. Here you are. Happy sewing.”
    With a giggle, Missy took the threaded needle and carefully walked upstairs and back to her room. Now to sew it on. Tomorrow was the wedding. Tonight was the rehearsal, and now was the only time to sew the blue button on.
    “But where am I going to sew it?” Missy stood in her closet and looked at her dress. “I have to sew it on the inside because blue doesn’t match the wedding. If Alaina had just had a blue wedding we wouldn’t have to think about something blue.”
    With that logical thought, Missy unzipped the dress and looked at the inside. Her gaze fell at once on the gathers and the seam that held the skirt and the bodice together. Maybe it wouldn’t be too hard after all.
    Carefully, the little girl pushed the needle into the white fabric and pulled. Tanner’s knot held. Then came the button. Remembering what she had learned from watching her mom and sisters sew on buttons, Missy pushed her needle through the button over and over and over. She didn’t want it to fall off and get lost. When she was sure it would stay on, she looked at the needle. How was she to get that off?
    “If I cut the thread the button might fall off,” she said. “And I can’t tie a knot with the needle on it.” Tipping her head to one side, like Tanner did when he was thinking, she studied the problem. She couldn’t remember how Mom or Molly kept the button on something and what they did with the needle.
    “Maybe if I stick the needle into the fabric here, it will be okay. Then I can take the button off after the wedding,” she decided at last. It was harder than she had expected but satisfied at last, Missy zipped up her dress and nodded.
    “Something old.” She nodded toward Tanner’s tie clip that sat on her bed. “Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue. I have everything now.” She put the tie clip into her little purse to take to the church with her. She was ready.

Come back next Friday for the rest of the story.

Communication - Part 2

 Hello again!

And here we are. Back with the last of this random story. Like I said, it's not a great story, but hopefully it's not terrible either. But it's something you can read if you want.

Communication

Part 2

    Shelby yanked up another stubborn weed from beside her steps. She really should do some sort of landscaping or something. After all she worked at a flower shop. Shouldn’t that be an indication of her love of plants and an extension of her lovely gardens at home?
    She gave a snort at the thought and stepped up on the edge of her steps to grab her water bottle off the porch.
    Right then two things happened. Someone with a voice very much like Bradley Mullins said her name, and her foot slipped off the side of the step.
    With a startled cry she fell. Pain shot up her leg and her wrist began throbbing from her effort to catch herself.
    “Shelby! Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    She looked up. It was Bradley. He was crouched down beside her, his face concerned. Was this a dream? No, the pain was too real for it to be a dream. But what was he doing there? How did he know where she lived?
    “Shelby?”
    She blinked and focused. “Hi.”
    “Hi.” His dimples came out with his grin. “Do you have a first-aid kit somewhere?”
    “Why?”
    “Uh, you really scraped your leg on the step.”
    “Oh.” Is that why her leg hurt so much? She looked down and instantly felt faint. She didn’t do well with blood.
    “Don’t look at it. I don’t think it’s bad. First-Aid kit?” Bradley positioned his body so her leg was harder to see.
    “Under the kitchen sink.”
    “Right. Just close your eyes and catch your breath.” Then he was gone.
    Had he really been there? Trying not to look at her leg, Shelby slowly pulled her gloves off and rubbed her aching wrist. Why did she have to be so clumsy? It was a good thing tomorrow was Sunday so she could lay around the house all afternoon and get over this wild fancy that the man she had secretly loved for the last four years had come to see her.
    “Ouch!” The exclamation came involuntarily as she pressed on her wrist. “I need to get up,” she said. But she didn’t.
    The thud of her screen door made her start and her heart began to pound.
    “I grabbed an ice pack from your freezer.” Bradley knelt beside her. “Here, let me see your wrist.” His fingers were gentle as he felt it. “I’m not a doctor or even an EMT, but I don’t think it’s broken; it’s probably just strained.” In another moment he had the ice pack wrapped around her wrist. “There, hold that on and I’ll wash this scrape on your leg. No, don’t look at it!”
    She turned her face and squeezed her eyes shut.
    “It’s going to sting when I wash it,” Bradley said. “But it’s appears just a surface scrape.”
    Sucking in her breath as the antiseptic hit her injury, Shelby’s hand tightened on the ice pack on her wrist. “I don’t have flower beds,” she blurted out.
    “That’s all right.” Bradley’s voice was calm and conversational. “Not everyone has flower beds. My new house doesn’t have any.”
    “Your wife might want some.”
    “I’m not married. not even engaged. I took my cousin shopping for flowers for her garden the other day. She’s blind and can’t see the colors, but she can smell the flowers. Her husband will plant them for her.”
    “You’re cousin?” Shelby felt her heart skip a beat.
    “Yes.” His voice was quiet and his hands careful as he wrapped a light bandage around her leg. “That should do it. Want to sit on the steps?”
    Shelby nodded and let him help her up and over to the steps. He sat down on a lower step and looked up at her.
    “I got something in the mail that I don’t think I was supposed to get. I read it because I wasn’t sure at first and then I just didn’t stop.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket. “The envelope was addressed to me, but I’m not sure how you knew where my new address was.”
    Shelby’s eyes widened. “I . . . That . . . How . . .”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “I did address an envelope to you,” she found herself admitting. “I didn’t know you had moved back here when I did it. It was just my favorite house and I had already written your name thinking I’d write to you maybe. Someday . . .” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the envelope in his hands. “I was going to throw it way. But I didn’t mail it. I didn’t mail anything! I--” A low moan escaped her and she closed her eyes. She hadn’t done that, had she?
    “Shelby? Are you okay?” Concern etched Bradly’s voice. “Does something else hurt?”
    “My pride,” she whimpered. A soft sort of chuckle made her eyes pop open.
    “Did you perhaps write a letter to Hayley and maybe put it in the wrong envelope by accident?”
    “I think so.”
    “I’m glad you did.”
    Shelby stared. “What?”
    “I’m glad you did because I thought you ignored my letter to you and that you didn’t like me.”
    “Your what?” Shelby winced. She was starting to sound like a broken record.
    “I wrote to you after I moved asking if you’d be interested in writing to me while I was away. I never heard back so I assumed your answer was no. I think now my letter must have gotten lost in the mail. I should have written again, but I didn’t want to annoy you.” He looked up at her. “I’m sorry for reading what wasn’t mine, but at the same time I’m not sorry I did.”
    “Is that why you came over?” Shelby whispered.
    “Yes. After reading this letter I prayed and felt like I should come and talk to you in person. There was some miscommunication, or lack of any at all, that needed cleared up. I hope we can be friends now and see where that takes us.”
    She nodded not trusting herself to speak.
    Bradley gave a slight chuckle. “You know, Shel, I think I liked you the first time I ran into you in the cafeteria and knocked your tray of food out of your hands. I was really sorry about your food, but I noticed you. You didn’t get all mad at me.”
    “I was too shy to get mad,” Shelby admitted feeling the heat creep into her cheeks at the memory.
    “But you let me get you a new tray of food even if you never said a word.”
    There was a long silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable. A bird sang in the neighbor’s tree and a dog barked somewhere. The distant hum of traffic sounded like a white noise machine.
    “I liked you that day too,” Shelby admitted at last in a low whisper.
    “Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow after church?”
    “Where?”
    “My parent’s house.”
    Shelby nodded.

What do you think happens next?
Why does Shelby call Hayley "B"?
And does Hayley come for a visit?

Communication - Part 1

Good morning!

 I have a story! It's a short story that I don't think is worth much. After not writing at all in April, and then editing and rewriting and such on another story, I needed something to just write because all my other stories were stuck. 

They are still stuck, come to think of it.

Anyway, I just grabbed the first words that came and started dumping them on NEO. And this is what came out. Well, here's the first part anyway. The last part will come next week.

Enjoy!

Or don't. I'm just tossing this story here because I wrote something.

 

Communication

Dear B,
    It’s all a mistake, you know. I’m not married. Probably never will be. Bradley never loved me. I know he didn’t. It’s a shame it took me five years to figure it out. I should have noticed the signs, paid attention to the things he said. He left, you know. Went to New Orleans with his uncle two years ago. I never heard from him since.
    I know, I know. You’re asking why on earth I didn’t tell you about all of this sooner. Well, I was still convinced he would come back. That he would write to me. Somehow I just couldn’t bring myself to admit the hard truth that Bradley Mullins and I would never say “I do.”
    Well, it’s time I admitted it and moved on with life.
    Oh, HayleyBee, I wish you weren’t living in far away Alaska! I know that’s still the U.S. but it might as well be China or South Africa for all the good it does me. I need to go get coffee with you and talk for about five hours straight. I know you are doing what you are supposed to be doing and of course that’s where your husband is anyway, so ignore my wishful thinking and pitiful selfishness and keep doing what God has called you to do.
    I’ll keep working here at Gardenia's Garden planting, watering, selling flowers for other people’s homes and gardens and try not to imagine what I would plant at that cute house on the corner with the red door and shutters. And don’t tell me I should buy the house even if it was for sale. That was supposed to be the house that Bradley and I shared. I don’t think I could live in it alone. Besides, it’s been sold. I’ve stopped driving by it. I take the other way to work.
    Just ignore me. I’m tired and miserable. Self-pity does make one feel so blue. And it’s dreary outside. Cold, wet, drizzly, and windy. If it would downright storm it would be better.
    What a pathetic and melancholy letter! I’m tempted to just rip it up and throw it away. I might after I finish it. Maybe it’s good to get the truth out in black and white. It finally forces me to face facts. There’s an alliteration for you, oh lover of words. Or almost one. Can it still be an alliteration if there are two small words between?
    I suppose I haven’t told you how I know Bradley and I were never meant to be together. It’s quite anti climatic, really. No, I didn’t hear he was married, or get invited to his wedding. I didn’t hear anything from or about him since he left. Until yesterday.
    I was working. The sun was shining yesterday and it was lovely. A perfect day to shop for flowers and plants for your garden or yard. I was watering the rose bushes when I saw him. Yes, Hayley, Bradley Mullins was shopping at my store. I would have recognized him anywhere. Besides, I heard him and I think I’ll always remember his voice. He was talking to a girl who wasn’t his sister.
    They were laughing about something, and picking out flowers. She asked his advice about plants around the porch. I don’t remember what he answered. No, I didn’t go up and say hi. I finished watering and then stayed away. But she had a ring on her finger and walked with her hand tucked in his arm. I don’t know if he had a ring, so they might have just been engaged and not married. Well, I’m not going to their wedding.
    What a dreary letter this is. You probably don’t even want to read it. If you are reading it, you are probably laughing at me. Go ahead. At least someone should be able to laugh even if I can’t yet. Perhaps some day I’ll laugh with you about this. Right now my heart is too sore and the hurt is too fresh. You’d think I’d have been smart enough to figure out that; that I was chasing a daydream, a figment of my imagination, a mirage. Hayley, I don’t think I’ll ever be smart enough to figure out life. Not like you have.
    Other than my life shattering news, life goes on as normal. I still live in my little duplex and ride my bike to work if it’s over thirty-five degrees and not raining. I still go to the nursing home twice a week and visit anyone who needs a visitor. Church is the same. No new families, no one even remotely close to my age has come since you left. Now quit telling me I need to make friends with people who aren’t my age! I’ve tried. I don’t belong. One, I don’t have kids. Two, I don’t have a boyfriend. Three, I don’t have any family to hang out with. Four, everyone else seems to be in one of those first three categories or they are kids.
    And now I’m going to make a box of mac and cheese and watch a movie. Such a stimulating evening lies ahead of me!
    Kiss those babies for me.
    Much love,
    ShelbyDoo

*

    Brad sat down on the front steps in the sunshine. His mind was spinning and he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it all. He looked down at the letter in his hand. The envelope had his name and his new address on it. It was stamped and the return address was just a few streets from his new home. But the letter was not for him.
    He hadn’t intended to read it, but on catching sight of his name he was pulled in until he’d reached the end. The question now was, had Shelby meant to send that letter to him? Or had it been a mistake? He couldn’t imagine quiet, shy, Shelby mailing such a letter as that to him.
    “But why does she have my name and my new address on the envelope?” He studied the address again. Yes, they were in the same handwriting as the letter.
    Suddenly he frowned and looked back at the house behind him. Was this house the corner house with the red door she had mentioned in her letter? He wouldn’t call the door red. It was more of a dusty crimson.
    “What if I should walk over and talk to her?” he mused. “I should explain a few things while I’m at it. If she’d talk to me.”
    He continued to sit, his eyes on the sidewalk in front of him and prayed.
    At last he rose, locked his front door, tucked the letter into his pocket, and strode down the street. It was time to make amends for the years of silence.

Well? How bad was it?
How has your writing been coming?
Ever want to write and can't?

Mountain Village

 Deep in the heart of the mountains of France lies a village steeped in medieval lore. It is a little place; a tourist destination, yet so small it might be overlooked. Come with me now on a tour of this village.

We will start at the castle as it is the first thing that catches your eye when you arrive.

 

This castle is the main attraction. There are reenactors dressed as knights, minstrels, and even a king. Tours are given of the castle and there is even a gift shop where you can purchase fake but realistic weaponry. (The castle was designed and built by Nephew 1, Nephew 5, and myself.)

To the side of the castle and down the cliff sits the first cabin. I'm not sure if, Benjamin, the man in the tree was trimming it or taking a dare. And why is there a man doing pushups on the roof? I'm not sure on that.

 

 This is Kailyn's home. She seems to have some visitors. And look, there is a cat on the roof!

 

 

This is my house. Cute, isn't it? I built it, and here I live with my dog, Archie, my horse, and some chickens. Come and visit me when you get the chance!

 

 Just a man with his snowman.

 

If you look back into the woods, you will see a man practicing his archery new a smaller castle.

 

The cobblestone streets are for non motorized vehicles unless you are unloading your things at the inn. So you will find horses, cattle, and other animals roaming the streets. But what is happening near the castle?

 Wow! It looks like this quiet, little village does get some excitement after all! The police are taking down a robber! Did he steal from the castle? Or from one of the shops? I hope the police aren't hurt in this take down!

 

 Next comes the village blacksmith. I believe he is working on a sward. And yes, I did say that animals roamed the streets, didn't I? Here we have quite the herd of pigs. And even two sheep. Perhaps the smithy has tossed some food out for them.

 

 

Here's the flour mill.  Not much going on here. At least not from this angle.

 

 

 But if you look to your right a little you will find Thomas and Lucas with their herd of cattle coming down the street. It's quite the sight to see cattle wandering down the road.

 

 

In fact, it's such a novel thing, that Grant, his wife, and Kinsley, who just recently moved to the village to set up their candy shop, all came out to watch.

 

 

 Are you a Hallmark movie lover? This couple is! The man is trying to make it as much like a Hallmark movie as he can when he proposes to his girl. You can't see it, but there is a man on the roof of the inn with a portable radio playing music for the proposal. All that is missing is the falling snow. 

 

 

 I mentioned that the only motorized vehicles are when you unload at the inn as these two collage fellows are doing. Hey, look, there is a bonfire going on beside the inn. A great place to warm up.

 

 

Beside the inn is a small alleyway. Situated with tables and chairs, you can order your food from Tiny Bear's Café and eat outside. Just don't share your food with the chickens.

 

 

 Here's the front of the café. It's it cute? Don't you want to go enjoy a meal there? I wonder what sort of foods they serve. I'm not sure they'll have pizza, though I have heard stories of some people smuggling Italian pizza into the village. I'm not sure how much of what I hear is true.

 

 

 Next is the village clock tower! It's an imposing structure, but apparently it is being repaired right now. If you look closely you can see men at work. That doesn't seem to stop the visiting though!

 

 

 Nor the sale of hot drinks and sausages. Hungry? It sure smells good!

 

 

Oh, they are cooking them right here! No wonder if smells so good!

 

Next we have the village park. Or do they call it a green? I'm not sure. There's another snowman. I wonder if those two men built it or if they are just taking a break. It appears that one of them has been shopping at the castle.

 

 There is even a horse drawn sleigh you can sit in and get your picture taken as these kids are doing. I don't know if he gives rides or if it's just for photos. You can ask him if you want.

We have a long walk before us now as we are heading out of the village and into the mountains.

 

Here is the wood mill. If you look closely you can see the ox-cart filled with lumber. I believe that is the miller standing in the door talking with one of the lumbermen. (This mill was designed and built entirely by Nephew 3.)

 

 

 Near the mill is the lodge. It looks pretty quiet right now. Oh, look, a deer is looking around from the back. Can you see him? Be careful though because there is a pretty big cliff near the lodge.

 Here is the home of the police captain. I suppose he must be off today since he's not in town catching that thief. He and his wife have a lovely place.

This cheery, yellow house was built by Nephews 4 and 5. Isn't it cute? It looks like they are receiving some boxes today! 

And last of all we have the Sherlock Holmes Hotel. It's a pleasant place to stay with a small place to dine on the lowest level. You may notice the carriage beside it, that's because no cars are allowed nearby. You park and then either tramp through the snow, or ride in the carriage to reach your destination. The driver will also take you to the village if you want.

And that brings our tour to an end. What do you think? Have I convinced you to take a trip to our little village? Would you be staying at the hotel or the inn?

An Adventure - Part 3

 

 

 An Adventure
Part 3

    John laughed. “I like the sound of that, Randee!” He looked up ahead. “Except they are watching us at the moment. Come on, guys, let’s get going.”
    At last we were at the top. The view was great, but Tom and I were more interested in eating than in the view. Thankfully it didn’t take long to get the food out, and soon we were all eating. I don’t know why, but I’m always twice as hungry when we eat outside. But Mom and Aunt Angie must have remembered that for there was plenty of food. We didn’t even eat it all.
    Mom and Aunt Angie, with help from Lisa, packed up the coolers, and then Aunt Angie wanted to take pictures of us.
    “It’s the perfect time of day and year!” she begged. “And Jay will want to see them, you know he will, Shannon.”
    Mom gave in. Dad would want to see pictures of us, but it would have been even better if he had been there.
    Aunt Angie took a few individual shots, then some of all us kids, and then she began taking some of us with Mom. “Hmm, let’s change spots,” she said, after looking at her camera screen. “The lighting is just perfect from this angle.” Soon she had us positioned with our backs toward the path we came up. After arranging us just right, she snapped a couple pictures, then got down on her knees with her camera at a different angle. “All of you look at each other. Come on, I thought you liked each other!”
    This made us laugh.
    “Here,” Aunt Angie said, standing up, “what do you think of this one? I think it’s the best.”
    We all leaned in to look. It did look good. We were all laughing and–
    Suddenly Mom gave a gasp, almost shoved Lisa away, and sprang up.
    That’s when I noticed. There was another person in the picture. A man in army fatigues stood behind us, a huge smile on his face.
    “Dad!”
    I was a little late, for Mom was already in Dad’s arms.
    In a moment he was surrounded by all of us kids, and hugs, tears, laughter, and talk followed. Dad gave me a bear hug, and I fought back my tears. He was home!
    “Angie, did you know about this?” Mom demanded, clinging to Dad’s arm after the commotion had died down.
    “Yeah.” Aunt Angie didn’t look the least bit sorry. “It made some great photos. I was just afraid he wouldn’t arrive before the light was gone.” She came over and hugged dad. “Welcome home, brother.”
    “Thanks for setting it up, sis.” Dad winked at me. “I won’t have any more chances to surprise them.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    Mom stared at Dad.
    “I’ve retired from the army.”
    “What?”
    “I’m home for good.”
    “Really?” Mom’s voice wasn’t quite steady.
    “Yep.” Dad kissed her.
    We gathered the coolers and blankets and headed down the path to the part of the park where the swings and climbing things were and spent half an hour running off steam. Bob, Joe, David, Tom, and I played freeze tag while Lisa sometimes joined us, and sometimes ran back to sit in Dad’s lap for a few minutes.
    “Bob, Joe, David!” Dad’s voice rang out across the park. “Tom, Randee! Load ‘em up!”
    There was a race to the car which Tom won. Bob, Joe, David, and Lisa scrambled into their seats while Tom and I helped make sure we had all the jackets, water bottles, coolers, and that Aunt Angie had her blankets back. Then we also climbed in. I didn’t ride shot gun. That’s where Mom rode, and Dad was behind the wheel.
    “Bob, Joe, David, you three buckled?” Dad asked.
    “Yes, sir.”
    The engine started, and Dad pulled out of the park onto the road. We were going home as a complete family. For good. I smiled in the darkness. It was good to have Dad home again. And I was actually looking forward to seeing the pictures Aunt Angie took of us on our best adventure.

An Adventure - Part 2

 Hey!

Glad you came back! I'm really busy with lots of filing and voting people. Not much time for anything else. Oh, and I'm grading papers and preparing to teach writing class again today. But I don't have to work on Monday, so a 3 day weekend will be wonderful! I already have a list of things I need to get done.

Anyway, enjoy this next part. 

 

An Adventure
Part 2

    Our shoes thudded on the wooden stairs. “What do you need, Mom?”
    Looking up from redoing one of Lisa’s pigtails, Mom glanced at us. It only takes Mom two seconds to know if we’ve cleaned up or not. “Those shirts look good on you boys. Carry out the two coolers to the suburban, please. Then make sure everyone has jackets. Oh, and Randee, will you check and see if the blankets got put back in?”
    “Sure, Mom.” I wanted to ask where we were going, but Mom never said until we were all in the vehicle and on our way. Maybe that was a ploy to keep anyone from trying to get out of whatever we were doing. I picked up the larger cooler and shoved the screen door open with my hip.
    Tom followed with the smaller one.
    “Hmm,” I said softly, “two coolers, jackets, and making sure the blankets are in the car. Think we’re going to be star gazing?”
    “Maybe. It might be rather fun.”
    “Well, it’s a clear night for it,” I said.
    Opening the back of the suburban, I checked for the two emergency blankets we always kept in the vehicle. Yep, they were there, rolled up and ready. Our last trip had ended with a sudden downpour, and we’d spread the blankets over the seats to ride home requiring us to hang them out to dry in the sun the next day.
    After loading the coolers, Tom and I found jackets for everyone and put them in the suburban too. Returning to the house, we waited in the kitchen with Lisa. She didn’t know where we were going either.
    Soon Mom and the boys joined us.
    “The dogs put up?” Mom asked. “Chickens taken care of?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Then let’s get going. Everyone grab your water bottles.” She pointed to the counter where they all stood neatly in a row.
    There was a rush, a clatter of boots and water bottles, and a few calls for “shot gun!”
    “Randee is riding shot gun,” Mom called over her shoulder as she pulled the kitchen door shut and made sure it was locked. “I might need him. You boys get in the back. Tom and Lisa in the middle.”
    It was where we usually rode, but now and then Mom would let someone else ride in the front with her.
    Seatbelts clicked into place and the engine started. The suburban wheels crunched on the gravel until we reached the road and turned onto the blacktop. Then it was time to ask.
    “Where are we going, Mom?” I asked.
    “Aunt Angie invited us to join her and John at a park they discovered. The directions are on the yellow paper, Randee. You’ll have to navigate for me once we get out on the highway.”
    I picked up the paper. Mom’s navigating skills weren’t the best, and after trying to use that fake person on her phone telling her where to go and getting her completely lost, she always goes to a map and plots out her route. Then Tom and I take turns being the navigator. Unless we’re just having an adventure, and then Tom and I have to figure out how to get us home again, which is kind of fun because we aren’t always sure.
    Of course, when Dad’s home no one needs a navigator of any kind. Dad just seems to know where things are. Even if he’s never been there before. He might look at a map for a couple minutes and then he’s never lost. And sometimes he doesn’t even need a map.
    The drive wasn’t short, and the younger ones played the alphabet game and the “I’m going to Argentina and I’m taking apples for my lunch” game. It got quite hilarious because of what they said they were bringing for their lunch. I gave Mom the right directions at the right time, and we found the hidden park right where Aunt Angie said it would be.
    We found Aunt Angie too. She had brought her fiancé, John, with her.
    “Hey, guys!” Aunt Angie greeted us, giving hugs freely and talking as she hugged. “We’ll have to take our food on a little hike. There’s a perfectly lovely spot up on the hill with a view of the river and the trees. And the trees are almost at their peak and look so pretty! You all did bring jackets, though, right? Good. There’s a picnic table up there. John, can you, Randee, and Tom get the food? Bob, Joe, David, get the blankets from my car. Yep, those are the ones. Shannon, we might have to help carry water bottles.”
    “Why’d you bring your camera?” Lisa asked.
    “I always bring my camera,” Aunt Angie replied. “I like taking pictures.”
    “The boys don’t like having their pictures taken,” Lisa reported.
    “Well, maybe they won’t mind if I take them.”
    Tom and I had lugged our coolers out of the suburban. I hadn’t known we’d have to carry them anywhere. Oh, well. We could manage.
    It turned out to be quite a climb to get to the picnic table Aunt Angie had in mind. Bob, Joe, and David didn’t have much trouble since all they carried were a few blankets. But Tom and I had to stop a few times. John did too.
    “We should have brought along a mule,” John said with a grin. “Or eaten supper at the cars and then hiked up here.”
    “We’ll be plenty hungry when we get there,” I replied. “Hey, maybe we should just lighten the load and eat something now.”
    John laughed. “I like the sound of that, Randee!” He looked up ahead. “Except they are watching us at the moment. Come on, guys, let’s get going.” 

Have you ever had a picnic at a new park?

Do you like knowing where you are going?

Or do you like being surprised?

An Adventure - Part 1

 Hello!

 Life is busy! I got called into work at the County Clerk's Office a week before I was scheduled to come in. Which means . . . I'm working the entire month of October! I thought I'd have this week to write, but so far I only wrote on Monday (started work Tuesday). I'm trying to get into a pattern for work, grading papers and preparing for the writing class I'm teaching, keeping up with emails, posting on Instagram, and other home things. So far I haven't gotten any pattern figured out yet. I've been doing lots and lots of filing so my shoulders, neck, and back are sore. 

Anyway, today's story is the first part of a 3 part story. I took the names, every one of them, from the ballot in August. I worked after the election helping certify the ballots which meant hand counting several hundred ballots and the boys names were all names that were in a row. We said them so many times we decided they must be a family. And that's how the story started.

 

An Adventure
Part 1

    “Bob, Joe, David!” Mom’s voice rang out from the house and across the large yard and into the trees beyond. “You boys get inside and clean up your room!”
    I looked at my younger brothers. “You seriously didn’t clean your room this morning, guys?”
    “We were going to–” Joe began.
    “Going to isn’t the same as getting it done,” I cut in. “Better go do it.”
    With groans and sighs, Bob, Joe, and David, ages ten, nine, and eight pushed out from our fort and trudged toward the house.
    “Tom, Randee!” Mom’s voice came again. “Better start on the chores and get the dogs put up.”
    “Coming, Mom!” I shouted back. “Let’s go, Tom. Come on, Lisa.” Tom was thirteen and I was fourteen. Lisa, our little tag-along sister, was almost six.
    It was Friday afternoon. We didn’t usually start chores this early, but maybe Mom thought it would take Tom and I longer since the three boys had to clean their room. Had it been some other job than our usual evening chores of taking care of the two horses, the chickens, and the dogs, I might have grumbled, but I like the animals.
    Leaving the shade of the trees, Tom and I jogged across the yard toward the barn with Lisa following like a shadow. As the only girl, and a rather cute one with brown pigtails, big brown eyes, and a few freckles over her nose, she was spoiled and teased and loved and bossed around by all of us boys. She stood it all pretty well and could give as well as she got most of the time. At least as well as someone her size and age could give. There were times when she’d pull the trump card and threaten to tell Mom if one of us wasn’t being nice, but she almost never did.
    “Lisa, I need you in the house!” Mom called again.
    I glanced over at Tom and gave a slight grin. If Lisa wasn’t around, we would get the chores done faster.
    “I’ve got the chickens,” Tom said, knowing that while I liked animals, putting the feathered fowls to bed was my least favorite job.
    “Thanks.” I jogged to the pasture and whistled for the horses. Since the weather was getting colder in the evenings, we’d started putting them in the barn for the night.
    It wasn’t until I was latching the gate of the dog’s kennel that it dawned on me just how early it was and how odd that we were doing chores already. And it wasn’t just the chores. We only put up the dogs if it was time for bed, company was coming over, or we were leaving.
    “Hey, Tom,” I called, striding over to my brother who had just finished taking care of the chickens. “Do you remember Mom saying anything about anyone coming over or us going somewhere?”
    Tom secured the door and shook his head. “Don’t remember anything. Why?”
    “It’s not even five-thirty, why did she tell us to put the dogs up?”
    He shrugged. Tom wasn’t much for talking if it wasn’t necessary.
    “Race you to the house.”
    Tom and I were even until the last few yard, then Tom pulled ahead. I can beat him in wrestling or anything to do with heavy lifting, but he always beats when it comes to speed.
    Inside the old farmhouse kitchen, we found Mom and Lisa bustling around packing a cooler.
    “Are we going somewhere, Mom?” I asked, eyeing the food already packed.
    “Yes.” She lifted her head and looked us both up and down. “Change your shirts and wash up. And check in on the boys, will you?”
    “Sure.” We left the kitchen and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Tom headed right to our room to change while I made a stop at the boy’s room. Funny to think that we all called Bob, Joe, and David “the boys” even though Tom and I are boys too. That’s just the way it was though.
    “Bob, Joe, David,” I scolded, finding them messing around instead of cleaning up. “Get this room cleaned up. Mom said we’re going somewhere tonight.”
    “Where, Randee?” David asked.
    “I don’t know. Mom didn’t say. Now get to work.” I waited a moment until I was sure they were actually working and then went to the room Tom and I shared. Tom was already buttoning a clean flannel shirt, and I grabbed one from the closet.
    “Where do you think we’re going?” Tom asked.
    “No telling. You know Mom.”
    Mom was always coming up with random things for us to do or places to go. Sometimes we’d take a picnic into the woods on our land, or drive to a local park. We’ve picked up trash in Grandma and Grandpa’s neighborhood before, and another time we drove two hours and went hiking at a state park and ate our supper in the parking lot. I used to think it was to take our minds off Dad being away on deployment, but we do random things when he’s home too. Maybe Mom just likes spontaneity.
    “Bob, Joe, David, your room had better be cleaned up in two minutes because I’m going to come check it,” Mom called up the stairs.
    I shared a grin with Tom. It was almost never just Bob, or Joe, or David. They were usually called together. It was almost as though they shared a joint name: Bob Joe David. Sometimes our last name of Manning was tagged onto the end if they were in trouble or about to be in trouble.
    Mom’s voice interrupted my thoughts as I tucked in my shirt. “Tom, Randee, I could use you down here.”
    Our shoes thudded on the wooden stairs. “What do you need, Mom?” 

 

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