Peg's Lionhead thread / babies/ moms & more

[TinysMom]

Ok - this is where Stan meets the rabbits. He doesn't know that Kate has rabbits....she never thought to mention it to him..

~~~
Stan pulled up in Kate’s driveway and turned off the engine. He wanted to run up to the door dash right in to see her. He hadn’t seen her in five days and found that he missed their talks. But he was early and he decided that he would show restraint and take some time getting out of the car. He didn’t want to look too anxious to see her.
He’d never been inside Kate’s house before and he felt honored that she invited him over for coffee and cookies. She thought he might like to see the paintings that he grandparents had collected over the years. She knew that some weren’t his style but she knew how much he enjoyed the opportunity to study the work of other artists.
He saw Kate come to the front door so he got out of the car and started towards her house. Then he walked back to the car and grabbed the flowers he’d picked up for her on the way here. He’d always heard that you should take flowers when visiting someone in their home. He hoped she liked the mixed flower bouquet he picked out. She had never mentioned what she liked for flowers.

Kate heard Stan’s car pull up and she looked around the house one more time. Everything looked neat. Her desk was especially neat since she’d spent half the day catching up on reports and getting them filed. She couldn’t risk him seeing a report and learning what she did for a living…at least not yet.
She checked her hair in the mirror one last time and then went to the door prepared to greet him. He was still sitting in the car? She waved at him and he got out of the car and started towards her. Then he went dashing back to his car. She waited while he retrieved something and held his hands behind his back. As he approached the door he handed her the bouquet.
“Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Come on in and see the place. I’ll give you the nickel tour.”

Stan was really looking forward to seeing Kate’s place. He often learned a lot about people when he visited their home or office. He wasn’t sure yet how he pictured Kate’s house. It was probably done in warm colors that matched her vibrant personality. Judging by the way she enjoyed walking at the park, he figured that she either decorated with greens or blues. He preferred browns but any of the colors of nature were fine with him.
As Stan walked in the house, he remembered to close his mouth in spite of his shock. Decades old wallpaper covered the walls. The couch looked like it came out of the 60’s. It had velvet cushions? Wow, Kate really surprised him with her taste.
Kate told him to look around while she went and got the coffee going. He looked around the room and tried to find a place to start looking. Everything seemed so busy with the patterns and colors. He finally decided to go and look at the painting over the fireplace. He had a feeling that this was one of the ones Kate wanted to show him and he had to admit that for an older painting, it was pretty impressive. The artist had played with shadows and light before some artists made it popular.
Stan stood back from the painting a bit so he could better observe it. As he continued to look around the room, he couldn’t help but feel like he had traveled back in time thirty years. The only thing in the room that even seemed like Kate was the statue that sat beside the fireplace. He moved closer to study it.
Wow. He’d never worked with ceramics but he needed to know the name of this artist. The colors were so lifelike. The hairs looked real. He’d never seen a rabbit like this before. The pose was even interesting, as if the rabbit was trying to watch others without being noticed.
He found himself wanting to reach out and touch the statue. He wanted to pick it up and see where it was made and if it was a limited edition. He glanced back in the direction Kate had gone. Would she be upset if he examined this piece closer? He decided she wouldn’t be upset because she had invited him to examine the artwork and this was certainly high quality art.
He reached out towards the statue. He wanted to touch it first, to see how lifelike the hairs felt in his hand. But as his fingers got close to the statue, it turned and blinked at him. He gasped and stepped back a step. He turned again towards where Kate had gone. He knew she had a sense of humor. Had she set this up with a remote and made it move? When he turned back to see the statue again…it was gone.
Stan rubbed his eyes. He started to step back one more time when he felt something pulling on his pant legs. Was he caught on a piece of antique furniture?. Still looking at the empty spot near the fireplace, he tugged on his pants to free them. They tugged back. He looked down and screamed.

Kate heard Stan’s scream and came running. What happened?

Stan was standing near the fireplace and trying to pull his pant leg away from Tiny. He was backing away and obviously scared of the rabbit. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh at him or feel sorry for him. For crying out loud, compared to his dog, Tiny wasn’t that big.
Stan pleaded with her with his eyes and his voice. “Get him off me. Please. Get him off me now.”

At the look on Stan’s face, Kate couldn’t help herself. She started laughing. She laughed until tears flowed down her cheeks. Stan was afraid of Tiny?

Stan tried to back away from Tiny but the more he backed away, the tighter Tiny held onto his pants. Finally he wound up half falling onto the couch. “I beg you. Get him off me.”
Before he could say another word, Tiny let go of his pants and jumped up on the couch and started nudging him. Stan tried to back away but there was no place else to go.

How could Kate explain to Stan that rabbits weren’t like dogs. You don’t tell them what to do. They were more like a cat, you ask them to do something and hope they comply.

Tiny started to climb into Stan’s lap. He looked at Kate and said, “I’ll get you back for this if you don’t get him off me.” Tiny yawned as he stood up on Stan’s lap. Stan looked at Tiny’s teeth. “Kate, I’m begging you. Get him off.”

He looked back where Kate had been but she was gone. He was alone with this thing. He shrank back into the couch.

To this day, he still remembered the late October night when he and Ben watched “Night of the Lepus” on tv. This thing reminded him of those monster bunnies as they sought to destroy everything in their path. True, they’d had some sort of serum given to them so they were bigger than humans. But the way this rabbit was baring his teeth, Stan knew he wasn’t going to live much longer. As his life flashed before his eyes, he prayed that Ben would adopt Belle.
“Tiny, come get a banana.”
As quickly as he’d cornered Stan, Tiny took off for Kate. Stan watched as the monster ran to her and started pawing at her arms and legs to get to his banana.

“You’re giving a rabbit a banana? I thought they liked carrots. Since when do rabbits like bananas?”
Stan backed back onto the couch as Tiny started towards him again at the mention of the word banana.

“Tiny, come finish your banana. Leave Stan alone.” Tiny turned away from approaching Stan to go back to his mistress. However, every once in a while he lifted his head and stared at Stan. Once he even twitched his ears.

Once Stan was able to breathe normally again he asked, “What are you doing with a monster like that?”

 

[TinysMom]

By the time this part happens.....Stan and Kate and Abby and Craig are getting together on weekends and hanging out together at one place or another... Stephanie was/is Kate's best friend even though she's getting close to Abby and Ben is Stan's best friend. However, Stan, Kate, Abby & Craig all tend to hang out together because they work at the animal shelter so much...

~~~~~~~

Kate tried to include their friends for the holidays. She sensed that Stephanie was pulling away and worried that perhaps she was jealous. Kate often refused shops because she already had plans to attend an event with Stan or have lunch someplace else. She still completed her normal shops that she had scheduled but just was not open to most emergency shops that Stephanie might have come up. But still yet she invited Stephanie for all of the major celebrations.
It started with Stan’s birthday in early August. He’d mentioned the date in a conversation and Kate had remembered it. As she planned a surprise party for him, she contacted Ben and Craig and Abby. She invited Delta too but that didn’t work out. She hated lying to Stan about the party but she did want it to be a surprise. After all, he was turning 29. It would be his last birthday before he hit the big 30. She decorated the back yard with black balloons and the cake had a RIP on it. He never suspected a thing. She called him at work at 4 pm and was frantic because she couldn’t find Tiny. She’d searched all of his regular hiding spots and couldn’t think of what to do next. She wondered if he’d gotten out of the yard. Hearing the tears in her voice, Stan came right over. He walked in the door to the shouts of “SURPRISE” and there sat Tiny with a balloon by his side. The balloon was held in place by a large bag of carrots tied to it. From the look on Stan’s face all night long, the party was not only a surprise but a big success. They grilled hamburgers and hot dogs in the back yard. Ben left early claiming he had a lot of work to do but Kate suspected it was because Stan hadn’t appeared overly enthusiastic over Ben’s gift. Then again, she couldn’t picture anyone getting enthused about a fishing rod and lures for a birthday present. Craig’s gift of a case of Stan’s favorite soda made everyone laugh. Craig looked at Stan and said, “I never got a guy a gift before. This was all I could think of.” Abby gave Stan a tshirt. It said, “I’m not old yet…just give me time.” Everyone laughed except Stan who said, “Um. Thanks. I think.” Stan said his favorite gift was Kate’s. She made him 2 dozen cookies and promised him a home cooked meal once a month for the next year. Even Craig said that a guy couldn’t get a better gift than that. Kate poked Abby and said, “See, I told you that you need to learn to cook.”
After that party, Craig and Abby joined Stan and Kate every Friday afternoon for a cookout. They went boating together on the lake for Labor Day and laughed as Craig fell in the water by mistake. Stan was laughing as he hoisted Craig back into the boat. The girls laughed again as Craig pulled Stan into the water with him. However, neither girl was willing to risk being pulled into the water and they made the guys figure out how to get back into the boat themselves.
As the weather got cooler the two couples started getting together on Friday nights for pizza and a movie inside. Sometimes they met at Stan’s place and other times they met at Kate’s. Tiny learned to recognize when Kate was hosting the evening and stayed out of her way while she cleaned. Miss Bea still insisted on sitting by the fireplace and watching Kate as she cleaned. Kate let the rabbits stay loose while they were eating and watching movies but it often meant interruptions as Miss Bea or Tiny decided to join them. Once Tiny blocked the tv and Kate had to bribe him away with a banana. Another time Miss Bea and Tiny were having a tiff and took off through the living room thumping at each other. The foursome had other company too. Ben surprised them by joining them one night but Kate could never get him to come again. He always claimed that he was busy.
They spent the night before Halloween watching “Night of the Lepus”. Stan insisted that Kate see the movie at least once. He wanted her to understand his initial fear of Tiny. Craig and Stan made fun of the movie. The acting was cheesy and the story wasn’t so great. Tiny was in the room during the climax as the townspeople fought back against the giant rabbits. Kate grabbed him and shielded his eyes so he wouldn’t get upset. She knew that no rabbits were harmed in the making of the movie but she didn’t think Tiny would understand that. Even Abby laughed as Kate protected Tiny from the movie. But Tiny had the last laugh. Well, it was more of a yawn. As the credits were rolling and the women were getting more food from the kitchen, Tiny stood on his back legs and looked Stan in the face. Then he opened his mouth and yawned…twice. Craig laughed. Tiny looked at him and yawned again. Craig shut up.

 

[polly]

thats brilliant Peg i want to read the whole thing now and knowing your Tiny really helps me picture it!! I cried at the first bit where he is at the shelter but it is so funny to see the rest of it and recognise the things that they do. I love it :biggrin2:

 

[TinysMom]

Ok...one last post - only this isn't about the rabbits - its about Stan's new dog Belle (he gets her the same day Kate gets Tiny)...

Sundays weren’t supposed to be this hard. Stan woke up just over an hour ago and he was already tired. Of course, it might have helped if he’d been able to get a good night’s sleep.
His problems had started when he tried to lock Belle in the garage last night. He thought she’d sleep just fine because he tired her out by taking her for a walk and playing chase in the back yard. He made sure to feed her early in the evening so she could go to the bathroom before bedtime and he removed her water bowl 2 hours before bedtime. He thought it was working as she curled up in his lap while he watched a show on tv. Of course, he couldn’t remember now what show it was, he had been so wrapped up in watching HIS DOG sleep. He was so proud of her and he finally had a dog of his own. This would be perfect.
Then he tried to put her to bed. He made her a nice bed in the garage with some old blankets and even made sure to put an old pair of socks out there to chew on. She barked and whined and he yelled at her to quiet down. She whimpered quietly but he knew she’d settle down. She was quiet until he climbed into bed. Then the howling began. Not a quiet howl. Long, slow howls of loneliness and desperation. She changed her pitch every few notes, making it sound more pathetic. He figured she would lose her voice after a few minutes. He was wrong. The longer he left her alone, the louder she got. After fifteen minutes, he went out to the garage to see her.
He scolded her and told her to shush and be good. He petted her on the head and told her that he’d see her in the morning. Then he walked back into the house and stood listening. There was a bit of whimpering but she was being good.
As he crawled back into bed, the howling started again. He checked under his pillow to see if she had some sort of a trigger to let her know he was in bed. He got up and looked out the window to see if any of the neighbors were waking up and to listen for the sound of a patrol car coming to tell him to make his dog settle down. Since no one else seemed to be disturbed by her actions, he decided to ignore her so she would learn to be quiet.
Half an hour later, he went to the garage and fetched her to come sleep on the bottom of his bed. Not only did her howling sound mournful, but she’d gotten to the point where every few minutes she’d start to cough and clear her throat, only to howl again. It was when he thought he heard her choking that he gave in and brought her in the house. As he settled her on the foot of his bed he said, “Now remember, this is only for tonight. Tomorrow night you learn to sleep in the garage like a good dog.”
She was asleep before his head hit the pillow. But every time he moved, she moved too. First she moved up to his knees. He settled her back down at his feet. As he started to drift off to sleep, she moved up by his stomach. He moved her back to the foot of the bed. He finally fell asleep with her at his feet.
Stan awoke to a loud bark in his ear. He opened one eye to see her nose less than two inches from his face. He closed his eye and rolled over and Belle barked in his other ear. Forget waiting for the alarm clock, it was time to get up.
Stan stumbled to the bathroom and Belle took off running into the rest of the house. He yelled her name when he saw his bathroom. Toilet paper was shredded all over the floor. The whole roll had been unrolled from the looks of things. His towel which had hung so neatly on the rod was now laying in a puddle. A PUDDLE? He yelled for her again.
He should have stayed in the bathroom. He should have gone back to bed. He should have done anything but gone out into the rest of the house. But he didn’t know that when he went looking for Belle.
He spent the last hour cleaning up after this dog from Hades. She had dragged a shoe into the living room and chewed holes in it. She pulled a cushion off the couch and it looked like she might have chewed on a corner because it was damp. His kitchen trash was knocked over and strewn all over the floor. Saturday’s newspaper covered most of the dining room floor. Stan put Belle in the laundry room while he got his temper under control and cleaned up the mess.
When it was all cleaned up, Stan made a pot of coffee and thanked God that he’d had the door to the studio closed. He did not want Belle getting anywhere near his paints because with his luck she would try to do her own artistry with them. As it was, Belle had been whining and scratching at the door.
In the midst of his thoughts, the phone rang. Of course it was Ben…only Ben would call him at 8 am on a Sunday morning to make sure and invite Stan to church. Upon hearing Stan’s voice, Belle barked. He asked Ben to wait a moment and murmured “hush up”. He continued talking to Ben. Belle barked again and this time he moved the phone from his face and yelled, “Shut up”. That was when the conversation got interesting.
“Are you talking to me?” Ben asked.
“No.”
“Do you have someone there? Was I interrupting something?”
“No.”
“Come on Stan. You can tell your best friend anything. Remember? What’s up?”
Stan hesitated too long. Belle barked again and then once more.
“Was that a dog barking?”
“Yes.”
Stan held the phone away from his ear as Ben broke out into laughter. He laughed for two minutes while Stan watched the clock and waited for Ben to quiet down. He could almost hear Ben through the phone lines as he wiped the tears from his eyes because he laughed so hard.
“You mean to tell me that Stan, aka “Mr Professional” who never has a wrinkle and keeps everything **** and span clean has got himself a dog? You’re kidding, right?”
Belle’s bark got louder and answered Ben’s question. The laughter started again.
“I’ll be back,” Stan growled into the phone. He went and got Belle, hoping his presence would shut her up. He was wrong. She got so excited that she ran around his feet barking at her highest pitch. She circled his legs and almost tripped him twice as he made his way back to the phone. It didn’t help that Ben was still laughing when he picked up the receiver.
“What did you get, a poodle?”
“No. A puddle might be more like it.”
“Oh no. Your dog had an accident? Wait a minute. That barking is too high pitched for a dog. You got yourself a puppy?” The gales of laughter started again and Stan hoped Ben would choke on something. It didn’t matter if Ben was his best friend. It didn’t matter that Ben was going to be his boss starting tomorrow. Ben knew how to get under his skin like no one else could and he was fed up.
Once the laughter stopped, Ben asked, “So what is his name?”
Stan cleared his throat. He thought about what to say. He’d meant to get a Buddy, not a Belle. Buddy was always well behaved. Belle was not anywhere near being well-behaved. Belle was a monster in fur.
“Stan? Are you there? I asked what his name was. Please don’t tell me the dog disconnected us.”
“Her name is Belle.”
He put the phone down while Ben cackled. It would serve Ben right if he hung up on him, but common courtesy stated that you don’t hang up on your best friend even when they act like a jerk. At least, Ben had never hung up on him before.
After a couple of moments Ben stopped laughing. Well, that is, he tried to stop laughing. He composed himself enough to say, “Stan, what in the world made you decide to get a dog? You’ve never had one before. Don’t you think getting a puppy is a bit much for you. What is Belle, a cocker spaniel?”
Ah, now the truth could come out. “She’s a golden retriever. The house is empty and lonesome. I miss the sound of neighbors making noises. I wanted someone to keep me company. I remembered Buddy and how much we both enjoyed him and I’ve always dreamed of having a dog like him. So I went to the shelter looking for another Buddy. I found Belle.”
Ben stopped laughing. There was a moment of silence while he cleared his throat. Stan could almost picture him trying to figure out what to say. Finally he spoke. “I’m sorry Stan. When I pushed you to move back here, I didn’t think about all you’d be leaving behind. I didn’t realize you would be lonely. I thought that having a nice home in a quiet neighborhood would give you time to paint again. I’m sorry. I let you down because I thought of what I wanted and not what was best for you.”
The nice thing about best friends is they allow silence while you think of a response. Stan thought for a moment and replied, “No, I’m glad I moved back Ben. But I did need something or someone other than myself in this house. I’m making changes in my life and somehow adding a dog to my life just seemed like the right thing. Until today that is.”
With that Stan launched into a description of Belle’s concert last night and her early morning activities. Ben laughed again at her antics as Stan shared his frustrations at this dog. He thought she’d make his home more “home-like”. Instead, she was destructo-dog, bent on destroying all that he owned. Ben reminded Stan that Buddy was two years old before he stopped destroying Ben’s books and toys and he gave Stan tips on how to puppy-proof his possessions.
During much of the conversation, Belle danced around his feet. It was good to see her so excited to hear his voice and be with him. It was only after he stepped in a puddle that he realized why she had danced around his feet. He glared at her while saying goodbye to Ben. Upon seeing his angry face and seeing him shake his finger at her, she squatted and made another puddle.

 

[TinysMom]

Ok - this one needs to be the final post. It isn't animal related at all. First a bit of backstory.

For weeks now Kate and Stan have been seeing each other work at the shelter and they've had lunch together after their stints there. Finally, Stan got up the courage to ask Kate out for a date. He's asked her to go to Boston with him to dinner and an art show. He does NOT know Kate is a mystery shopper and she agrees to go with him since she has a bunch of shops to do in a mall down there anyway - so she offers to meet him..but he offers to go with her and spend the day together.

As a side note- Stan used to work in advertising but now manages a small bookstore for his best friend Ben.

~~~~~~~~

(I decided to add the scene where he asks her for the date at the end of a picnic in the park)

~~~~~


The sun was starting to set when they finally got back to their table. Stan was glad to see the food was still there because Kate had promised Stan he could take it home with him. As he walked her to her car, Stan asked, “What are you doing next Friday?”

Abby stood and looked at him. She tried to corral the thoughts racing through her mind. Was he asking her for a date? She paused for a second and tried to think about her schedule and also decide what to say. She knew she was doing something on Friday and then it dawned on her. She was scheduled to do some shops at a mall.
“I’m going to be in Boston most of the day. I have to do some shopping”
“That’s perfect. I was going to ask you if you’d like to go to an art show at a gallery on Friday night. You mentioned you minored in Art in college and I thought you might enjoy it. I have been wanting to see some of the artist’s work.” Stan bumbled around and could have kicked himself. He was trying to ask her to go out and not talk about what he wanted to see.
Kate thought for a moment. She knew she’d tired after a full day of shopping. Still yet, she really did enjoy Stan’s company. An art show wasn’t really her idea of fun but it could be interesting. “That would be nice. Where should I meet you?”
Stan didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath till he exhaled. “Well, I really hate to drive into Boston alone. If you’re going to be there anyway, how about if we ride down together? I’d love to spend the day shopping with you. Then we can go out to eat and go to the show. How does that sound?”
Kate looked at him. “You’d like to spend the day shopping with me? But you’re a man.”
He smiled at her. Thinking back to the morning, he got to his knees again and grabbed her hand. “Oh fine lady, after a meal like that, it seems like the least I can do. Let me go shopping with you in the big city and then take you out for supper and an art show.”
Kate shook her head. “You’re on.” She gave him her phone number so they could set up a time to meet.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was Friday afternoon and Stan was exhausted. Now he knew why they say “Men hunt and women shop.” He never knew any woman could spend a whole day shopping. He’d spent the day with Kate and he still didn’t know how she did it. Walking Belle didn’t tire him out this much. He could swear they had been in every store the mall had.
What really puzzled him though was Kate’s actions in the stores. It seemed like she had to use the restroom in every store they visited. Once she sent him in one direction and then he saw her slip into the restroom. Why was she trying to hide her actions? He wanted to ask her but it was obvious she tried to hide the fact from him. Could she have some sort of a health issue? But no, she was often in the restroom for less than a minute. Could she have some obsessive compulsive disorder? She didn’t seem that way. But she did visit the restroom a lot. What also slowed them down was that many times she would go to two or three departments in one store and talk to several clerks before finally making a purchase. After talking to the clerks, she would make notes on her shopping list. When he asked her about it, she said that she would come back later once she made her final decisions. Final decisions? She already had at least one bag from every store they’d shopped. He wondered if he should suggest online shopping to her. It would definitely make the shopping experience less tiring to click from page to page on the net instead of walking from store to store.
He was so happy when they sat down for a late lunch at the indoor café. He wanted to take his shoes off and let his feet relax but he knew that would be rude. So he sat and sighed and enjoyed the respite from walking the mall. While sipping his soda he watched her furtively while she checked her list. He hoped they were done but he suspected she wanted to visit a few more stores.
One thing sort of bothered Stan about Kate. He really liked her but he was concerned about how much money she spent on things. For example, why buy children’s clothing? She didn’t have any children. She also bought toys from two different stores. She bought shoes from two different shoe stores too and he knew he’d seen the same styles in both stores. When paying for a purchase, she whipped out her credit card without a second thought. He dreaded the thought of her bill when it came in because he figured she’d spent at least a couple of hundred dollars in just a few hours.
This bothered Stan because he was a penny pincher. He’d saved over twenty-five percent of his salary the first few years he was working and that was after paying double on his condo payments. He’d paid off his condo in less than seven years and then put the amount of his mortgage into savings too. He rarely used a credit card although he kept two for plane tickets and car rentals. He made sure to pay them off every month and never had to pay any interest. Why pay interest when you could be earning interest by saving your money?
He watched Kate as she looked over her receipts and filed them in her wallet. He hoped she was as shocked by the totals as he was. He wasn’t quite sure what to say to her though. Should he express his concerns? No. He barely knew her and he wanted to get to know her better. Perhaps this was just an occasional splurge? Then again, some of the clerks seemed to recognize her.
“How often do you shop here?” He wanted to ask her that. He was dying to ask her that. But she seemed lost in thought. Perhaps he’d ask her later.

“How often do you shop here?” Stan’s question pulled Kate out of her thoughts. He looked shocked. Apparently he didn’t realize he’d asked the question out loud. She smiled while she tried to figure out what to say.
Kate had been thinking about her remaining shops. Fortunately, she only had two of them left. One would be easy to do because it was the candle shop. She could simply ooh and aah at the window and say, “I want to check out the candles” and she knew he’d follow her into the store. But how to do the shop where she made a stuffed animal? She had planned it for the end of the day because it was right beside the candle shop and she wanted to do that shop near the end since it was easy and she knew she might be tired. If he was with her when she made the stuffed animal she couldn’t let him pay for it because she needed the receipt. She could offer to leave him here while she finished her shopping but then how would she explain her purchase? It would be hard to show up with the box and explain she just couldn’t resist making a stuffed animal. He might think she was looney.
She still hadn’t figured out how to handle her last two shops when Stan spoke up. She thought for a moment and said, “I try to come here fairly often. I like this mall.” She couldn’t tell him she scheduled shops here every month and sometimes twice a month because then she would have to explain herself.
Stan looked tired. Perhaps she should just suggest that he sit there while she finished her shops?
“You look tired. I have to go to another store. Would you like to sit here and I’ll be back in just a bit.”

Another store? Was there no end to this woman’s ability to shop? Stan could barely walk let alone deal with clerks. Still yet, he did want to spend time with her and she was going to an art show with him later this evening. Certainly he could walk a bit more.
“No. I’ll go with you. I can use the exercise.” Stan thought to himself, “I can use the exercise like I can use another hole in my head…”
Kate tried to gather up her shopping bags but Stan insisted on carrying them. He silently counted them as he picked them up. This woman had purchased from over 20 stores in the mall and she was still shopping?

Kate was thrilled. She had already completed 23 of her 25 shops for the day and only had two left to go. Her “shopping list” was full of her notes and descriptions of who she talked to in each store and what they looked like. She had a great mind for details but she had also made sure to carry a small tape recorder in her pocket and she would frequently hit the record button just before approaching a clerk. It helped her remember what they said in cases like this. Now she just had to figure out how to do the shop with the stuffed animal so she wouldn’t have to drive back to the mall later this month.
She stood beside the candle store and looked in the window. The display looked great. It was colorful and had a wide variety of items. She made mental notes of how many different types of candles were displayed and then she hit the record button and said to Stan, “Oh look. They have 5 different types of candles in those colors.” She named off the scents of the month and the types of candles as she pointed them out to him and then turned off the recorder. The rest would be easy.
She wandered into the store and browsed while timing how long it took a clerk to approach her. She noted how many other customers were in the store and included Stan in her count. She pretended to write down the names of the new scents while taking her notes.
Stan watched her and wanted to drop to his knees and pray for a clerk to approach. Why oh why didn’t this woman approach on her own. It was obvious even to him that she was looking for some help. He thought about going to get a clerk and even offered to do so. However, Kate refused and said she wanted to browse just a couple more moments.
A clerk finally approached Kate and Stan sighed as he listened to her many questions. He knew she was brighter than she was acting. Of course the candle came in all of the sizes she saw in the window. Of course they normally kept them in stock. Yes, they would only be on sale for a short period of time. Even Stan knew the answers to her questions. He wanted to beat his head against a wall. He wanted to cry. He felt a bag slipping from his grip and he almost knocked over a candle display as he tried to tighten his hold. Why had he agreed to go shopping with this woman? Perhaps she was so tired from all of her shopping that she was couldn’t help asking these questions? He had to get her out of there and let her relax. She was just tired…that was it.
Ah. She’d made her selection and was going to the cashier. Of course she’d pick the largest candle she could find in that scent. He could have predicted that from the moment they walked in the store. It was the most expensive and that must be why she had to have it. She smiled at him as she pulled her out credit card one more time. He smiled back but thought to himself that she should be on a commercial for the card and telling people how easy it was to whip it out of her purse and pay for everything. He remembered the ad he helped design years ago when a woman kept ordering products with her credit card and the boxes kept piling up as they arrived. He hadn’t known Kate at the time but she was a perfect example of the consumer he’d been trying to reach.
Then it dawned on him. Maybe he made her this way? Maybe she saw his ad and decided to be like that woman? Was it his fault?
Ok. He was tired and getting silly. He couldn’t have made her into this shopping monster. He glanced at his watch. Only three hours until the art show started and they were going to have supper before attending. He was looking forward to the rest. He really hoped this was the last store and her last purchase.
In spite of his exhaustion, he smiled at her as he approached. He offered to take her bag but she decided she better carry it herself. She offered to take some of her bags from him but he refused. Certainly he could handle a load of shopping bags.

Kate approached Stan and still hadn’t figured out how to do the stuffed animal shop. They walked out the door and she steered them towards the stuffed animal shop. She made it look like she suddenly saw the store.
“Oh Stan! Look at the adorable animals. I know you’re tired but do you mind if I just go in and look around for a moment.”
She didn’t let him know that she HAD to make a stuffed animal. She just wanted to get into the store.
“If you want you can sit on the bench over there while I look around.”

Stan eyed the bench and wanted to sit down so badly. But she liked stuffed animals. He could see it on her face. He couldn’t let her down. In fact, as he stood there thinking about it, he thought that it might be nice to buy her a stuffed animal as a momento of their first (and probably only) date. He decided that as long as he could still stand up, he would go anywhere she wanted to go. After all, he had asked to come along with her today on her shopping.
“No, I’m fine. Let’s go in together. In fact, why don’t you let me buy you a stuffed animal? It will be something you can remember our day by.” Stan tried to smile, he really did. But he was exhausted…almost too exhausted to smile.

Kate thought that the rest of the afternoon went really well. She looked at all of the various animals and then appeared to fall in love with a white teddy bear. She made sure that she picked out an animal that they didn’t have in stock so she would have to make it herself. To her surprise, Stan decided to make an animal too. She never thought he’d pick out a monkey but he really got into the idea of making an animal. After his monkey was stuffed and named he started playing with it like a little kid….making weird noises and faces as it tried to grab her bear. They tried different outfits on their animals and the longer they were in the store, the sillier Stan got. She must have worn him out for him to act this way. He eventually settled on a leather jacket and hat for his monkey. She was torn between a princess gown and pajamas so Stan bought her both since she wouldn’t let him buy her teddy bear. After she dressed Ainsley, her bear in its new pajamas, she held it up in front of her and cooed, “Oh, aren’t you a sweetie?” She turned to see Stan staring at her with a blank look on his face. Ok. She had to get him out of the mall so he could recover from a day of shopping. She almost wished she could tell him that she was mystery shopping so that he would know she didn’t sit around and eat bon-bons all day.

When Kate held the bear up in front of her, Stan realized how he wanted to sketch Kate. This was the woman he had seen in their talks. She was the woman he was falling for when she laughed. She was a little kid at heart and something about her brought out the playful side of him…even when he was dead tired. He wished that he had his sketch pad with him to capture this scene so he could draw it. He prayed he wasn’t too tired to remember it later. He studied the look on Kate’s face as she stared at the bear. Yes, he could definitely fall for this woman even if she spent a lot of money. Perhaps he could help her with that…or perhaps this was just a rare shopping trip for her. Either way, he knew he could love this woman if he allowed himself to do so.

Kate and Stan both enjoyed supper. Stan was thrilled for the chance to sit down and not have to worry about the shopping bags they’d stashed in the car. He was exhausted and almost dreaded the art show because it would mean walking again. Yet, by the time they were done with their supper, he was rested and almost thought he could shop some more. But he didn’t suggest it to Kate. He was afraid she’d take him up on the offer.
Stan was puzzled by how many people smiled at Kate and almost seemed to recognize her. When one person walked into the restaurant, Kate turned pale and looked away as they walked by. He watched her as she grew silent but then she put a smile on her face and continued their conversation. Maybe she was just as tired as he was.

Kate blanched when she saw the store clerk walk into the restaurant. In all the years she’d been shopping, she’d never been “made” as a mystery shopper. She was good at her job. But there was one department store job that she gave up in March because she suspected that a clerk was onto her. She’d shopped the clerk in January and when she returned in February, the clerk saw her in another department and asked her if she’d ever found the coat she wanted. She wasn’t too concerned about the encounter until she literally ran into the clerk in March and the clerk said, “Oh…shopping again?” There was something about the woman’s tone that bothered Kate. She decided that she needed at least six months off before returning to the store as a shopper. She had been in the store once since then and made sure to run into the clerk but she was not shopping that day and she really wanted to throw the clerk a red herring. She was afraid if the woman recognized her here in the restaurant she might approach the table and ask Kate if she was the mystery shopper. She couldn’t risk that so she turned her head away. She relaxed once the woman was escorted to another area of the restaurant.
It felt good to sit down and although this evening out would mean writing reports all weekend long, Kate decided to enjoy supper. She wanted to kick off her shoes because she was really more tired than she thought she’d be. She thought about what a trooper Stan had been during the day. Most professional shoppers wouldn’t take their husband or boyfriend with them. They found that having someone along slowed them down as they went from store to store. She’d often said that she didn’t know of a man who could keep up with her on a “mall shop day”. But Stan did great and not only did her shops go by fairly quickly, they were sort of fun because she was able to talk with Stan as she shopped.
She was relieved that Stan didn’t ask many questions as she shopped. She bought some items in sizes she didn’t wear. She knew he thought it was funny that she bought children’s toys and clothing. What he didn’t know was that she donated many of the items to some agencies that helped others. The children’s toys and clothing went to a local church-sponsored children’s home. The women’s clothing and shoes went to an organization that helped displaced women get interview clothing as they tried for jobs so they could start a new life. Normally she would have donated the stuffed animal too but for once she was keeping a stuffed animal for herself. It meant so much to her that Stan bought the clothes. When she held Ainsley up in front of her and talked about how cute she looked, he didn’t look at her as if she was crazy. He did have a strange look on his face, a faraway look as if he was lost in thoughts of his own. But at least he didn’t criticize her or complain about the time they spent in the store. In fact, he seemed to enjoy himself. She sighed. Shopping might not seem the same in the mall again because she would miss his company.

 

[polly]

OK i'm hooked i want the whole book

 

[TinysMom]

polly wrote:

Thats brilliant Peg you have been busy!!!

It will be nice to see babies again

Right now I have mixed feelings about having babies. I keep going back and forth...it is so NICE to have empty cages in the garage now - one whole stack is empty - and then there are other cages all throughout that are getting empty. By the time I have babies - I'll have even more empty cages.

::::sigh::::

It is so nice.

In addition, Amy's Morgan will be returning to her - her guinea pigs will be going to Alicia (JadeIcing)...and well - things are just cutting back. It so much easier now to clean cages.

So it is a lot to think about....so nice to have the empty cages....keeping that way is nice.

Peg

 

[polly]

TinysMom wrote:

polly wrote:

Thats brilliant Peg you have been busy!!!

It will be nice to see babies again

Right now I have mixed feelings about having babies. I keep going back and forth...it is so NICE to have empty cages in the garage now - one whole stack is empty - and then there are other cages all throughout that are getting empty. By the time I have babies - I'll have even more empty cages.

::::sigh::::

It is so nice.

In addition, Amy's Morgan will be returning to her - her guinea pigs will be going to Alicia (JadeIcing)...and well - things are just cutting back. It so much easier now to clean cages.

So it is a lot to think about....so nice to have the empty cages....keeping that way is nice.

Peg

Yeah but even if you have babies again you will still end up with empty cages along the line!! and you will have little cute fuzzballs to play with too:biggrin2:

PS is my copy of the book in the post i am having withdrawls!!:biggrin2:

 

[TinysMom]

NaNoWriMo starts in 1 hour and 2 minutes for us here in TX. I'm heading to bed to start in the morning....but I can hardly wait.

Peg

 

[JadeIcing]

ullhair:I am going to just start writting and see what happens. Umm how many words a day?

 

[TinysMom]

I just started writing - not sure I should even share it yet...but here goes..(edited to put in all of first chapter since I just finished it....1348 words...and no - I won't post the whole book in here...just the first couple of chapters to see if you can connect with the main character).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Between her sobs and the tears rolling down her face and the blinding rain falling on the windshield, Abby Dunlop almost didn’t see the dog until it was too late. However, she did see the dog running into the road and instead of following the normal advice given for a situation like this, she did her own thing. She put on her brakes…hard…and went into a skid and then hydroplaned onto the shoulder of the road. When she finally got the car back under her control, she put the car in park and wept. Why was it things always went wrong for her?
This whole mess had started a few weeks ago when she noticed Craig talking to Susan at church. She didn’t think much of it at first because Susan was a member of the Singles group at church. Although she and Craig were engaged, they still did things together with the group quite often and Susan was one of the people in charge. But then she noticed messages on Craig’s desk from Susan. More than once she saw Susan’s realty office phone number on the caller ID.
Today she overheard Craig make plans to meet Susan at his condo and she decided she would find out for herself what was happening. So she did what any reasonable woman would do if she suspected her intended was cheating on her. She sat outside his place, just out of his range of sight, and watched as “the other woman” came for a visit.
Susan must have come straight from the office because she was still in her business suit. Abby looked down at her normal working attire of jeans and sweater and wondered if that was why Craig was attracted to Susan.
After about 15 minutes, she couldn’t stand the suspense and she called Craig from her cell phone. She put a cheery tone in her voice and asked about coming over and bringing a pizza or something but he claimed he was “too tired” and going to “head to bed” soon. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of how they had decided to wait until their wedding night to spend their first time together…here he was with Susan now. Should she go knock on the door and interrupt them? Did she want to interrupt them? At least, by the lights in the condo, they were in the living room and not back in the bedroom. But still yet….what should a scorned woman do when another woman is in her intended’s arms?
Forty-seven minutes (and 39 seconds) after Susan entered the apartment, she left. Abby seethed as Craig kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug. He did not look like a man who was tired and heading to bed. He looked quite pleased with himself. Abby was about to put an end to that.
She waited for five minutes before approaching his front door. For one thing, she needed to wipe the tears from her face and gather her thoughts. She wanted to approach him as a woman of confidence and dignity. She wanted to hear him out…to be reasonable. She wasn’t going to fly off the handle like she did when she found out Mike was two-timing her. No…this time she would face the situation with facts in hand and go from there.
Finally, she got out of the car and knocked on Craig’s door. As he started to open the door, she heard him saying on the other side, “Did you forget something?”. His face dropped as he saw her… the guilty no good louse.
Abby couldn’t help herself…forget dignity…forget confidence….forget listening to him.
“You no good, two-timing, son of a….how dare you cheat on me? And with someone I know? How could you? How could you string me along all this time and be seeing her on the side too? Do you really think I’m THAT stupid?”
“Abby….it isn’t what you think. You don’t understand.”
“Oh I understand just fine. I know what men are like….I just thought you were different. But I was wrong. You’re not different from Mike. You might be a bit sneakier about it…a bit smarter. But you’re cut from the same cloth…man cloth. Well I’ve had enough.”
“You have to hear me out.” Craig ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to pull his thoughts together. She’d seen him do that many times when he was trying to figure out a problem. Well now he had a real problem….her.
Craig continued, “I knew you wouldn’t understand. You’re impulsive and emotional and I knew you’d take things wrong and be irrational. It was going to be a surprise.”
As he was talking, she looked behind him into the condo. Two glasses and a bottle were on the coffee table…used. Not only had he had Susan in his home…but they had been celebrating something too…probably the fact that Abby was clueless about their affair. She looked away from the glasses and back at Craig as she replied.
“Oh honey. I’m surprised all right. I saw the signs and tried to not think about them…but I knew they were there. Emotional? You think I’m emotional? Well mister, any girl would get emotional knowing her man was seeing another woman. And impulsive…you want to see impulsive?”
With the word impulsive, she took her diamond ring and flung it into his living room and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. She also stomped on his foot at the same time and kicked him in the shins. He doubled over in pain when she kicked his shins and she wished she’d aimed higher..
“There….I’d hate to let you down. That’s impulsive…just for you. I wouldn’t marry you now if you were the last man on earth. As far as I’m concerned…you’re dead.”
Abby ran for her car and pulled away from the curb before Craig could even stand up again. So much for that louse.

That was over two hours ago. Abby had been driving around aimlessly and avoiding her cell phone every time it rang. Craig called twelve times in 20 minutes. She ignored him. Then he sent her the message, “We need to talk. I want to explain everything.” Hmmph. She didn’t need an explanation because she had seen him give Susan a hug and kiss with her own eyes. There wasn’t much left to explain.
Then Kate, her best friend called and Abby did pick up. When Kate said, “Abby, we need to talk…” Abby couldn’t help crying. Kate tried to get her to talk to Craig, but she refused to talk about him or the situation. Instead, Abby told Kate she had to go. That was half an hour ago.
Then just moments ago Kate called again. Only it wasn’t Kate…it was that no good louse deceiving her one more time by calling her from Kate’s phone number. That was when she lowered her window (in spite of the pouring rain) and tossed her phone out into the road. She cackled with glee as she watched and 18 wheeler run over it. Now let Craig try to get in touch with her. She was in control again. She didn’t need him and in fact she didn’t need anybody.
It was when she looked back at the road from watching her cell phone get crushed that she saw the dog running into the road. She did what her instincts told her to do…she hit the horn, swerved and then hit the brakes as hard as she could. So what if she went against common advice of pumping the brakes slowly. She couldn’t think and had to act quickly.
Once she was on the side of the road, she laid her head on the steering wheel and wept. She wept for the dog she almost hit. She wept for her dreams which were now dead. She wept for the past and for the future. But most of all, she wept because she had less than 72 hours to uninvite 120 people to a wedding…hers.


~~~~~

Ali - its 1667 words per day if you write every day this month.

Peg

 

[slavetoabunny]

:great:Bravo!!!! You just have to share more......you can't be cruel enough to leave us hanging.

 

[TinysMom]

Chapter two - so far...I'm now at 2752 words (50,000 is the goal for NaNoWriMo). I need to call into work for a debriefing session for an hour - then I may finish the chapter or I may wait until tomorrow to finish it.

Here you go....(I really am NOT going to put the whole book here - but I need to see if folks can connect with Abby and see her as she is....).

Peg

~~~

It was the tapping at the window of her door that got her attention. She lifted her head from the steering wheel and the flashing blue and red lights in her rearview mirror caught her attention. She gasped at the way her face looked. Mascara ran all down her face and her makeup was ruined. There was a second knock at the window and she turned and lowered the window to speak to the policeman by the car.
“Ma’am, are you ok?”
She couldn’t stop weeping when he asked if she was ok. No she was not ok. She would never be ok again. She just looked at him and wept. She couldn’t speak.
“Ma’am…has someone hurt you?”
That’s when the words came…in torrents and gasps as she tried to breathe and talk at the same time. “Yes he hurt me. That no good two timing son of a … he’s a louse…a no good louse. He led me to believe I could trust him…we were about to get married and now I find out he’s two-timing me. I can’t believe him. Can you believe a man would do that to a woman? How can men be so horrible…just horrible?”
Abby realized then that she was talking to a man and in fact was making him stand out in this pouring rain. “Oh I’m sorry….I didn’t mean all men are horrible. Just most men. I’m sure you’re fine. But I just can’t believe what he did to me and how he deceived me.”
The policeman interrupted her at this point. “Ma’am. Is there anyone I should call?”
She laughed hysterically at that one. “Oh no. No one to call. In fact, I threw my cell phone under a big truck so he’d stop trying to call me. Can you believe I did that? Well…he did call me impulsive…I can’t let him down.”
She couldn’t tell what the policeman was thinking. Was he going to haul her in for being impulsive and emotional too? He’d fall apart if someone he loved was two timing him.
That was when she remembered the dog and she burst into tears again, “And can you believe I almost hit a dog because of him? I didn’t mean to…honestly I didn’t. But I was watching the truck crush my cell phone and the dog ran in front of me and I hydroplaned” and before she could say anymore, Abby started hiccuping. She almost couldn’t breathe and she cried again in between hiccups.
She saw the policeman’s gentle face just after he sighed. He understood. Maybe he had a mother or a sister somewhere that he cared for. Maybe he had seen someone else like this.
“Ma’am. I really need for you to get off the road. Being parked on the side of the road like this in the pouring rain is very dangerous. Its getting dark and hard for cars to see you.”
“I can’t go anywhere. I can’t go home…he’ll call me there. I can’t go to Kate’s because she’s taking his side. I don’t know where to go. Maybe you should just haul me off to jail because I’m sure he’d never think to find me there.”
She was shocked to see the policeman smile. It was a friendly smile as if he understood. Perhaps he talked to hysterical women all the time?
“Ma’am there is no need for me to take you to jail. What I want you to do is go to the restaurant that is down this road about a mile. Pull into their parking lot and take a break. At least you will be in a safe spot and you won’t get hit. If you can, I’d suggest you go in and get something to eat and drink and maybe calm yourself down. But I need you to move off of the road because you’re a hazard to other vehicles. I’ll follow you to the restaurant to make sure you get there safely.”
Between hiccups, Abby nodded her head and agreed to do what he said. He walked back to his car and turned off the flashing lights. He put on his blinkers and pulled out into traffic and then stopped and waited for her to pull out ahead of him. Then he followed her down the road to the restaurant which was really 1.3 miles away and pulled into the parking lot behind her.
Abby had stopped hiccuping by the time she parked and the officer came over to talk to her one more time. She had also stopped crying and was starting to pull herself together.
“Ma’am, I don’t normally do this, but I am going to insist that you get out of this car and go inside for a bit. If you need money, I can help you get something to eat. But I want you to stay off the road until you get some food in your system and have calmed down a bit. Can I trust you to do that or do I have to stay here and make sure you eat something?”
Abby looked up at him and just stared at him. He wasn’t going to take her to jail? All she had to do was eat something. Now that she thought about it, he hadn’t even looked at her driver’s license. He hadn’t taken her name. Was he really a policeman?
“Ma’am, you haven’t answered me yet. Do you need some money to get some food?”
His question caught her attention and she finally answered.
“I’m sorry officer. I was thinking. Are you really a policeman? You didn’t ask for my license or write me a ticket. Are you sure I’m not going to jail over this and it isn’t some trick.”
A smile came over the officer’s face as he said, “No ma’am. You are not going to jail. I didn’t ask for your license because you were already hysterical over what has happened. I needed to get you off the road for your safety and the safety of others. You didn’t do anything wrong but you could have caused an accident if I left you by the side of the road. Now will you please go in and eat something and calm down?”
She felt as if her sanity and reason were returning to her. She could do this. She could go on living and appear normal to others. She didn’t have to let everyone know that her heart was broken. She found the words to reply. “Yes officer. I will do that. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you. I’ll go in and eat something and not get back on the road until I am calm.”
The officer tipped his hat to her and wished her a good evening (as if that could ever happen for her again) and walked away. Meanwhile, she grabbed her purse, locked her car and walked into the restaurant. At least it was one of her favorite places to eat. Known for their roast beef sandwiches, she loved their curly fries and Jamocha shakes. Yes, she could eat something here and calm down for a bit. Maybe she could even make plans on what to do and where to go.
Before heading to the counter to order, she stopped at the restroom. Two women were leaving it and they gasped when they saw her face. She must look pretty bad. She headed straight for the mirror and burst out laughing and crying at the same time. No wonder they acted so strange when they saw her. She looked like…she had no idea what she looked like really.
Her mascara had run down her face and also somehow seemed to cover her eyes like patches. She almost reminded herself of the baby raccoon she rescued when she was young. She tried to save it and feed it. She even gave it daily baths and brushed its hair and used the blow dryer on low to dry it off after its baths. But it still died. Funny…she hadn’t thought of that raccoon in years.
She washed all of the makeup and mascara off her face and was reaching into her purse for her lip gloss when she found the solution to her problems. She pulled out a key and stared at it thoughtfully. Yes, she would make her plans while she ate because she knew now where she could go.

 

[myLoki]

Peg! I am completely hung up on your books! It's not fair! I want to know what happened to KATE and her man! :grumpy:







t.

 

[myLoki]

I LOVE Jamocha shakes!



t.

 

[TinysMom]

PM me your email and I'll send you the first book - just know that there are several scenes still missing and you're seeing about 75% of the book...ok?

I'll also put in a note to you about how it will end since that isn't written.

Peg

myLoki wrote:

Peg! I am completely hung up on your books! It's not fair! I want to know what happened to KATE and her man! :grumpy:







t.

 

[TinysMom]

Well, I think I'm going to finish this second chapter today - but I need to ask some questions and get some feedback. Some of you already know Abby because you've read book one - some of you have only seen bits and pieces of Abby because you've only seen bits & pieces of book one.

What I need to know is - how do you perceive Abby? Do you feel a connection to her - as if she is alive? Can you sort of picture her - the types of things she would and wouldn't do?

Also - how do you feel about Craig? Is he a bad guy? Misunderstood? I know you don't see much of him in the first couple of chapters and that is because so much of this book - at least the first part - is Abby's story.

Of all the characters I've created so far for the book(s) - and I think I have something like 7 of them roughly outlines....Abby is probably the one that is closest to me in her actions...that is not always a good thing.

I'll share more about how I'm hoping you see her - after I hear how she is coming across.

Ok...back to writing. I'd like to hit 4,000 or more words today - not sure if that will happen or not.

Peg

 

[TinysMom]

Ok guys...this will probably be all I'll share here (due to copyright) but I may be willing to send out emails as I write more to those who are interested.

The whole point of these first three chapters have been to introduce Abby to the reader...to sort of put you on her side - but also - to introduce other characters.

Where I've left off today - is where the book is going to go back in time and share the story of Craig and Abby...how they met...how they became close...the story of their friendship with Stan and Kate. You'll see some more of Ben and Stephanie (who are the main characters in book 3) and you'll learn some secrets and stuff.

For those who haven't read book one - Carl is a minor character who is actually getting a book of his own later on...if you've ever heard the old "Bert & I" series on records...this guy is definitely country - Southern Maine style.

For those who can't picture it - you can go here to get a feel for what Carl is like:

http://www.bertandi.net/mp3/notjustyet.mp3

http://www.bertandi.net/mp3/camdenpiercenewyork.mp3

http://www.bertandi.net/ - you can read more about them there.

OK - with all that said...here is the rest of what I wrote today...right now its at 4,453 words.

~~~~~~~~~~

Less than an hour later, Abby was back on the road with a destination in mind. She drove with determination and purpose…and the help of a map she bought at a convenience store. Finding the key in her purse had been a Godsend…she had a place where she could go and nurse her wounded heart and figure out what to do.

She had spent last weekend at Stan and Kate’s cabin up in the woods. Kate was her best friend and Stan was the louse’s best friend so they often spent time together up at the cabin. Last weekend had been for “girls only” and Kate and Abby went up to the cabin along with Stephanie, a long-time friend of Kate and Miss Bea, Kate’s female lionhead. The guys were willing to tend to the rabbit rescue Kate ran and deal with Tiny, the couple’s flemish giant. But Miss Bea WAS a female and it only seemed natural to bring her along to the cabin. It was one of her favorite places and when she came up for visits she spent most of her time resting by the fireplace. Many times she sat so still, strangers would think she was a statue.
The girls had a lot of fun that weekend as they told old stories and watched chick flicks. Kate had seen that Abby’s nerves were on edge and as her future maid of honor, insisted on the weekend out of town. But then Kate had to leave early to get home. Stan sort of insisted on it and everyone understood why. Kate was 8 months pregnant with their twins and Stan didn’t want her on the country roads at night. So Kate left early and Abby promised to drop by the key later when the cabin was cleaned up from their party. Stephanie left at the same time as Kate because she lived an hour away in the opposite direction.
Abby knew the cabin would be a perfect place to hang out for a bit. It was secluded and no one would suspect she was there. She could sleep and rest and figure out what to do before she did something she might regret later. Yes, she knew the wedding was in less than 72 hours…let the louse figure out how to contact the guests or she could stand him up at the altar. He deserved that. She was going to rest and hide out for a bit.
Although she’d been to the cabin many times though, Abby had never had to find her way there from this direction. After leaving HIS place, she’d driven aimlessly for so long she needed the help of the map to find her way to the cabin. But she made it there and it wasn’t even midnight.
She shot up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for giving her the idea of a place to crash and then stumbled into the guest bedroom and slept like a baby….once she cried herself to sleep. She was so tired that she never even heard the phone ring in the living room off and on during the early morning hours.


CHAPTER THREE

When Abby awoke the next morning, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. She’d forgotten how quiet this neighborhood was and how good it felt to wake up in the morning and hear the sounds of nature. She laid in bed for a few minutes and thought about her “situation”. What was she going to do? She couldn’t go home and yet she had her pets to feed…she couldn’t just leave them hungry. But if she went home it meant the risk of facing him and she didn’t want to do that yet. She could call Kate and ask her to feed the animals but she had an idea that Kate would try to get her to come home and would pressure her to come back. She was happy that GingerSpice was with Kate and she knew that her special bunny would be well taken care of. But she needed someone to go feed her pets.
Her stomach rumbled as she thought about the situation and she realized that she was hungry too. She padded out to the kitchen and looked around but there was nothing to eat. She had known that anyway in the back of her mind because she’d been the one to close up the cabin last. Still yet, she had hoped to find something she could eat while she mulled over her situation.
Ah! The general store. It was only a mile away. She could go there and grab some food and then come back and make some decisions. It was never wise to make decisions on an empty stomach and she knew that. That was one bit of common sense that she did follow.

Carl, the owner of the store greeted her as she entered. “Well hello Missy, if it isn’t Stan and Kate’s little friend. Aren’t you getting married soon? I remember you girls giggling about it the other day when you were in here getting milk and stuff. I’m surprised to see you here with your wedding coming up so soon.”
Abby groaned. She forgot that in a small place like this, Carl knew everyone and it seemed like he knew everything that was going on. Since Stan and Kate bought the cabin, they’d become good friends with Carl and in fact, it was Stan’s painting of Carl and the general store that made it possible for them to buy the cabin. Stan had named the painting, “Ya Can’t Get There From Here”. The painting of a city slicker asking directions from Carl was so popular that it was featured on the front cover of a magazine last month.
She made herself smile as she grabbed cereal and milk and bananas and a couple of cans that she could open for lunch. She tried to sound lighthearted as she said, “Oh, something came up and I had to run up to the cabin for a bit…there’s plenty of time before I get married.”
Carl watched her carefully as he rang up her purchase and she went down the front steps. He had Stan’s number on speed dial and wondered if he should call. Something about Kate’s friend didn’t seem right. She didn’t seem like her normal perky self. She had forced a smile on her face but he could tell it was forced. That girl had plenty of heartache right now and she was trying to hide it. But Carl knew human nature and he knew this gal was struggling. Yes, it was his duty to call Stan and Kate and let them know that their young friend was here. They would want to know she was upset. He was reaching for the phone when the Smith twins walked in. Good Lord…they always took 20 minutes to decide what they wanted and they talked to everybody in the neighborhood about anything they heard. This was not the time to call.

Abby made her way back to the cabin and had her breakfast. As she thought about her comment to Carl, she consoled herself with the fact that she didn’t really lie. Something had come up….the louse had been caught being unfaithful. And she really did have plenty of time before she’d be getting married…because she certainly wasn’t getting married now. Not to him.

As she finished her last spoonful of cereal, the phone rang and rang and rang. She stared at the caller ID and wondered whether or not to pick it up. Finally, the answering machine kicked in and she heard Kate’s voice, “Abby, if you’re there you need to call me. We’re worried about you. Let me know where you are. I want you to know that I went over to your apartment and fed your pets for you so they’re fine. But we need to make sure you’re ok. I’ve tried your apartment and your cell phone and I really need to find you…” The answering machine clicked off before Kate could say anymore.
Abby looked at the machine. They must have been trying to reach her for hours because there were 22 messages on the machine and the tape was full. She shook her head and walked away. She wasn’t ready yet to talk to anyone and that included her best friend Kate.
She wandered around the living room for a bit and thought about putting in a movie to watch. But the outside beckoned to her and she decided to go to one of her favorite places, the swing that Kate and Stan had put out by the brook. She loved to listen to the water as it flowed over the rocks. The sound of water always relaxed her and it always helped her think.
It was a short walk to the swing but it was a gorgeous day. It wasn’t too hot or too cold. The critters were all out and she felt like their eyes were watching her from the cover of the trees and bushes. They weren’t used to her being there at this time of the day but even they seemed to sense that she had a broken heart and needed a place to rest.
At first she sat on the swing and cried. She wept over her lost dreams of a future with Craig, of working with him to help save animals that needed homes. She wept over the lost time she spent with him all these months – time she could have invested in other things. Finally, she wept for herself.
But once she’d spent her tears, she decided to go back and remember the good times one last time. She would allow herself to take out the memories and cherish them before packing them away forever. She knew once she had done that she would be free to move on.
As with so many things in her life, it started at the animal shelter where she volunteered … and where she first met Craig. Yes, she would allow herself to think of his name during this time – and even say it out loud.
Craig.

 

[TinysMom]

Ok - hopefully the last post for a while.....this might help put the stories and characters into perspective..

~~~

[align=center]Portrait of Love
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Synopsis

Portrait of Love is a book is a book about getting beyond the past, forgiving yourself and moving forward in your life. It is also about becoming who God created you to be even if that is “non-traditional”. As “iron sharpens iron”, all the characters in the book help each other learn the lessons God has for them in a non-preachy way.

[align=center]The Characters
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Stan: Stan grew up in New Hampshire but left when he went to college and has rarely returned home. During his childhood he dreamed of being an artist but his father continually criticized his dream and his talents and told him that he needed to prepare for a real job since art would never put food on the table or pay for the bills. When he graduated from college 8 years ago, he left for California with a master plan of working and saving for ten years so that he could have a million dollar nest egg that he could invest and then retire to do what he loves most – paint. The last time he returned to New Hampshire was for his father’s funeral 5 years ago. He is working as an advertising executive and is very successful at what he does but also hates his job and is close to burning out.

Ben: Ben has been Stan’s best friend ever since the two were little. He considers Stan a brother and is actually closer to Stan than he is to his older brother Casey. He continues to keep in touch with Stan and has been trying to get Stan to come home for years. He is probably the only one who understands Stan’s compulsion to draw and paint. He finally convinces Stan to come home for a visit and during that visit, convinces Stan that he NEEDS him to return home for a few months to run one of the bookstores that Ben’s family owns.

Kate: Kate appears to be a career businesswoman. She is frequently seen with a briefcase or organizer and while she often is dressed in power suits, she also dresses casually most of the time. This is because Kate is a mystery shopper and makes her living by going into businesses as a customer and evaluating their service and cleanliness. Kate’s grandmother raised her after her parents died in a car crash when she was seven and Kate is now living in her grandmother’s house. Unfortunately, Kate has never forgiven herself for not being with her grandmother when she died of a fast-growing cancer during Kate’s junior year of college. She considers her house to still be her grandmother’s and has not changed anything because it would be a dishonor to her grandmother. The first time Kate meets Stan, she is mystery shopping the bookstore on his first day of work. She runs into him a few times during the next week and labels him “Mr. Congeniality” in her mind. However, the two start volunteering at the animal shelter at the same time and as she gets to know him better, she realizes that there is more to him than what she saw in her mystery shops.

Stephanie: Stephanie is Kate’s best friend. She works as a scheduler for her several mystery shopping companies and she is the one who got Kate into mystery shopping during college.

Abby: Abby meets Kate at the animal shelter when Kate looks for a cat to keep her company. Abby and Kate develop a close friendship.

Craig: Craig works at the animal shelter and he befriends Stan when Stan comes looking for a golden retriever to keep him company. Stan and Craig form a friendship by working together at the shelter when Craig asks Stan for help because a volunteer is taking a break.

Katherine Abernathy: Katherine is a retired schoolteacher who loves books and buys books for all of her children and grandchildren for their birthdays and holidays. She is a frequent customer at the bookstore Stan runs, but he is convinced that she is more than that…she is the mystery shopper who has written bad reviews on him. Stan is going to do his best to get a good report from her…someday.

Delta: Delta practically runs the bookstore in Salem by herself. She has a backup person she can call if she needs to take time off, but she has been with the store since they opened years ago. She has seen managers come and go in the store but she doesn’t want the headache of being a manager. She simply wants to work in the front. For the last six months, the store has been without a manager and done just fine with biweekly visits from Ben. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know that Stan is not supposed to know that.

[align=center]The Comic Relief Characters
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Belle: Stan always wanted a dog like Ben’s old golden retriever Buddy. However, when he goes to the shelter, Belle is the only retriever they have. She has a bad habit of “puddling” when she gets nervous but at least she squats first! Stan is beginning to think of her as “Destructo Dog”.

Tiny: Kate missed her grandmother’s cat Punky so much that she visited the shelter to see about getting another cat. She didn’t plan on taking home a 17 pound black flemish giant rabbit. But Tiny’s loneliness echoed her own. After Miss Bea moves in, Tiny gets the nickname “The BunFather”.

Miss Bea: Abby was desperate to find Miss Bea a foster home until she could be socialized. Against Kate’s better judgement, she took her in. After her first night with Miss Bea, Kate nicknames her “Devil Bunny”.

[align=center]Portrait of Love is the first in a series of books.
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The series includes:

Book Two: Craig and Abby’s story. They started out working together at the shelter but they wind up becoming more than friends. Craig lost his first fiancee’ in a convenience store robbery gone bad. He’s scared of loving again. Abby still doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life – especially once Craig gets the job they both try for.

Book Three: Ben and Stephanie’s story. Ben is a control freak and has to have things his way. Stephanie’s first husband was a control freak and when he died in a car crash during their first year of marriage, she was almost relieved even though she was sad. She was never going to marry again, yet Ben and Stephanie find themselves drawn to each other anyway.

Book Four: Casey & Laura’s Story. Casey is alluded to in book one – he is Ben’s brother. When Ben is in a car wreck in book three, Casey returns home to help out with the family business. Unfortunately, Laura, Ben’s secretary (who we meet in book one) does not approve of Casey at all. She is just waiting for him to run away from the family one more time.

Book Five: Tom (Ben’s Dad) and Katherine Abernathy: When Tom’s wife died several years ago, he left the business to Ben and retired to Florida. He returns to New England after Ben’s car crash but is surrounded by memories. At the last minute, he decides to attend his college reunion where he is reunited with his first love, Katherine Abernathy (from book one). Can the two find love again?

Book Six: Carl and “Just call me Tootsie” (Martha). Carl was made “famous” in Stan’s painting from book one called “You Can’t Get There From Here”. Imagine his surprise when a woman shows up at his general store saying she fell in love with him from the painting on the cover of a magazine.

Book Seven: Bob and Jasmine. Stephanie’s brother Bob is moving to Salem because he’s tired of the big city life. He figures he can be an agent for authors almost anywhere and he has plenty of contacts in both New York City and Boston. Jasmine is an older college student working at “Tiny’s Rabbit Rescue” while going to school.


In each book, the characters of Kate, Stan, Ben, Stephanie, Craig, Abby and of course, Tiny, Miss Bea and Belle will be included.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I am so hooked on your book. It's excellent reading! I spent way too much time here at work reading it (shhh...don't tell).