Tuesday, October 26, 2010

#15--The Infamous B

Life.

I want to start this story!

But life brings me down a little bit.

Not in a bad way, but just enough to leave me too tired to write anything besides a nagging journal entry.

From Friday, she's being charged with attempted murder. Two very large words. Its hard to get the mind around. Bail posted at 250K. That's a quarter mil!

The Infamous B texted me today, saying he respected my wishes by not coming to the wedding, wished us both the best, even though he's hurt that he wasn't included, and that he wishes me a happy birthday this weekend too. He phrased it nicely, but it was still about him. Sad. Pathetic. *sigh* I don't think this can ever be fixed. I'm not sure I want it to be. I can't give in, I can't give up on myself. I won't respond, which will make me look awful to him, but if I do, it leaves room for rudeness and insults that are undeserved (towards me).

I am washing my hands of it for now, since I don't like to think about it and all it does is bum me out.

Meant to get dinner with my mom this week but a bigger task than anticipated for replacing shocks on the hubby's suburban has led us to cancel for now, and weekend plans plus sunday work puts it back into next week sometime.

I'm looking forward to Thursday with Gracie, cuz it'll be fun and I'll probably feel better after burning stuff.

I keep getting compliments on my wedding ring, which is fine with me cuz frankly its fantastic. It's a puzzle ring (four bands) with a stone--opal triplet to be precise. The setting looks like a little crown. It makes me happy to look at it, though it is a tad loose, its not loose enough to send back for a resizing. Plus I don't think I could go without it for very long. :D

NaNo is coming up fast. Faster than I thought. I'm not nervous about it, I just hope that in four days or so I can manage to be motivated enough to attack the project head on. I have a few days to get back into my groove... and I seem to be doing okay with these entries, so hopefully that helps.

Another reason I look forward to Thursday, I think that my mind will be more clear after that day... Chucking stuff that is emotional clutter should help me to get straightened out in time for NaNo, and the continuous job hunt that is my life.

Ah. Sleepiness is kicking in, so I fear this is a relatively short post as I am off to bed.

Monday, October 25, 2010

#14 NaNo Planning & Research

Dr. Jack Price--> general surgeon, physician
Napolean Otto (formerly Pedro, for those who care) --> mechanic from Detroit
Jack's missing lady friend --> epidemiologist, general surgeon, and physician.
Napolean Otto's twin brother --> doing field work in the same area as Lady

1. Relationship between Price & Otto... longstanding/mysterious beginnings OR, build from scratch for this novel? (I'm thinking long standing for the purposes i have).
2. where does the lady go that she does not return from? (also, what is her name?)
3. need background info on the lady, what she's like... tidbits about her relationship with others, especially Dr. Price.
4. How long has she been missing? A few days? Years? Is it easy/difficult to notice that she's missing--> how long does one expect to stay in one particular area? It can take years to "fix" a certain issue.
5. Where is she during her missing period? This is important because the place she goes to is where the people will hold her hostage. (or something)




~~Doctors without Borders --> An international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from healthcare, or natural disasters.

~They accept medical and non-medical volunteers.

~Cholera in Haiti
~Floods/tsunamis
~providing healthcare for isolated regions
~migrants overwhelm caring facilities

Nigeria --> oil, car bombings, lead poisoning cases.

~neglected tropical diseases:
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/topten/2009/story.cfm?id=4107&cat=top-ten-humantarian-crises


Very basic, sort of step-by-step intended (hopeful) plot:
1. From the beginning, Lady is missing.
2. Otto travels to Dr. Price, to comfort and assist him in finding Lady.
3. Lady was doing field work for DWB/MSF in an isolated place in __________ country.
4. The rest of the story is them searching for her, finding her? and so on. I don't want to give away anything, and other parts aren't thought out very far either.


**I tried to point out the major loopholes with the first set of questions... I think these are easily fixed. I also listed some info about DWB/MSF for the general audience... trying to think of a way to incorporate that into the novel. The bits with the ~ following DWB are current event happenings that would require assistance from DWB and their volunteers.

Please if you have any ideas or questions post as a comment below this entry, and I will do my best to address them. I realize that i have not given you the audience ALL of the information that is in my head, but this should be enough for now. Expect humor and quirks and the like that is not already mentioned here.

#13 FrEaKy!

So, this weekend has been fantastic (outside of that which happened on Friday, not really involving me...I'm not naming names, or giving details because its not my place and I can't do anything anyway even though i tried). SO.... yes. great weekend.

Today was the meeting for NaNo, the one i could go to this weekend. Went with Gracie! and it wasn't what i expected, but it is what it is.

HOWEVER. teeny-boppers annoy me. Please don't think that because you've done NaNo longer than me that you're better than me. I have a college degree--you don't even have tits yet.

I'm sorry, that was mean. *sigh* but still! (disgruntled). I look forward to going to another write-in, but i do not look forward to discussing much with them again or ever.

And suddenly I realize I am not ready for children. Not yet.

In the meantime there is some pumpkin fudge that G made, chillin in her fridge, and i do hope to get me somma dat. :D

My birthday is at the end of this week, and I'm looking forward to that. perhaps i'll have a laptop between now and then, on which to do all of my own writing and docu-saving. yes yes. hmm.

okay so this post isn't this freaky. but halloween is freaky, and that's coming up! and i might paint my face this year! (considering i haven't done anything for halloween since, oh, high school, this is an achievement).

Today's Top Five
(and greatest Top Five of All Time):
1. Mother Theresa
2. Ghandi
3. David Bowie
4. Thomas Edison
5. Jesus Christ

(in no particular order, or in whatever order you choose).
~~ Thank you Grace. ~~

On another note, after a talk again with dearest Alex, I have decided to change a bit about my NaNo story! No twin, (or maybe there is, but he is no longer the focal point!) Instead, a lover for Dr. Jack Price, and a missing one at that. I have some research to do this week--I want to be able to accurately describe what it is that is going on and how settings look (especially for those places I've never been to). Real writers need a good knowledge of just about everything, and you can begin anywhere. Real writers write for themselves and NOT for an audience.

To make this clear, I'm writing this blog for me. If it is noticed, fantastic! If not, meh. I mean, I can't worry about it being noticed, cuz then I'll try too hard and end up writing only crap. Blegh. There's enough fan fiction in the world already, lets get some originality going!

..... anyway.... letting that settle in our tummies, I'll start getting into the vibe of this story for NaNo. I am not quite sure what I'll title it yet (and the best titles are the ones you pick after the story is done anyway) but it will be easily differentiated from the other posts here on my blog.

I am still very excited about NaNo, and I cannot believe it is only next week! I'm wondering how I will need to compensate for the Thanksgiving days... I intend to be with my family, but my current job (retail, blegh) demands that I work... so... hm. I don't want to lose my job until i have a new one i can consistently rely on. I don't want to get a consistent new job at another retail place, because they just don't pay enough... so tomorrow i think will be a big day for me, searching for jobs and what not..

I basically need to make at least 9/hr in order to actually have a decent amount of money to work with outside of rent, bills, food, gas, insurance, more food, bigger bills (ah, winter), and *gasp/shudder* school loans!!! not to mention the delayed honeymoon Alex and I plan to take next year (hopefully) to europe for a couple of weeks to a month. ish. roughly. we hope. *sigh*

and car repairs/maintenance. for both of us. or even a new car. and a computer that i've been talking about for awhile now. :p money and the talk of it is exhausting.

i can only imagine how tired kidnappers must get of talking about money. and everyone always wants to "negotiate." blegh. poor guys. or gals. or both. maybe they should suck it up and earn money the respectful (but hard) way like the rest of us. or most of the rest of us. or whoever. sheesh.

this is a really random post now and i'm not really sure where all my thoughts are going or coming from so i think that for now this one is finished. thought i am sure some of you would be entertained if i continued on and on  in this post. whew.

<3

Saturday, October 23, 2010

#12--We Are The Zombies, Of the World!

Life is strange.

I say this because its true.

And because you can experience any range of events in one given day.

If your day is dull, maybe you haven't experienced it enough.

Sometimes i think about the cars on the highway. We get so mad at each other for cutting in line, not using blinkers (its the law!), and for driving slower than the speed limit... but to what point and purpose? Why do we get so angry with each other?

Society today leads me to think that we are ALL brainwashed. We are ALREADY zombies of our own nature. We go through the motions of our day, acting but not experiencing. If you wake up with a kink in your neck and a headache, it constitutes the entire day as rotten and not worth anything. Driving on the highway we see *cars* not the people in them. If we do look at the people in other cars, its generally with a scowl on our faces or even a finger in the air. Its a different kind of society on the road, based on size and the power of your engine.

Every person in every car has a life. A mother, a boyfriend. A wife, three daughters and a sick uncle. You can be guaranteed to see upwards of several hundred different vehicles in one day, all with at least one person occupying that vehicle. You may never see that person again. If their day is already shitty, then why would you want to reinforce that negative feeling?

I heard somewhere that for every happiness there is an unhappiness. For every happy person, someone else is depressed. I have no way to prove this for certain (though it would be an interesting social experiment) but the more I look for it the more I see it. I suppose most theories are that way, whether they be social, conspiracy or otherwise.

Today I experienced doldrums, excitement, happiness, stress, worry, zombie-ism, relief, excitement, relaxation, stress, laughter, relief, contentment, surprise, shock, tragedy, heartbreak, relief, worry, heartbreak, disappointment and am currently slipping into a stage of relaxation/pre-saturday stress.

That's a lot!

Think about all the emotions you go through in your day, step-by-step, and see where that leads you. At the end of the day, was it a good one? A nice little exercise to cheer up those skeptics out there: At the end of the day, right before you fall asleep, list FIVE things from your day that were GOOD things. Don't list it if its bad/made you uncomfortable/caused stress or worry. List only things that were good about the day. Struggling? Keep it up. Every day.

We have so many reasons to be blessed with the things that we have and so many of us take these things for granted on a daily basis. Those of us with cars drive them everywhere, polluting things. Those without cars ride bicycles or carpool with a friend. Women who are capable of childbirth have too many babies that they never wanted in the first place and so literally throw them away. Those of us who desperately hope and pray for children are barren and must turn to adoption.

I cannot express how ungrateful some people can truly be. At the same precise moment when one is fully ungrateful for something, they are generally making decisions that will change their lives forever. For the worse? Perhaps. Depends on the decision. But really, the important thing here is, when we are taking advantage of the ones we love or the things we have created, we almost never have their best interests at heart, and so make the "wrong" decision.

***

Pain is undeserved. Agreed. But without pain is to be without progress. That is not to say that one cannot make progress except through pain. There are other ways of achieving one's goals. There is trial and error and trial again.

If you think you're pretty low on the totem pole, and you think you can't make it, and you say to yourself "I can't," then you won't. You never will.

You have to keep your chin up, suck in your breath, and put one foot in front of the other.

Friday, October 22, 2010

NaNo Prep (#11)

So, ladies and gentlemen, this post will be different than the others I've posted before.

(Sorry this isn't about Angela this time, but I fully intend to catch back up with her at a later time.)

NaNoWriMo is swift approaching! As I am planning and thinking, plotting and internally drafting, I have come to realize that while my story has a PLOT, it does not have anything necessary to fulfill said plot.

This issue was brought to my conscious mind today (earlier is better, I still have a week-ish to sort this out) and I can't get it out of my head now that the thought has arrived. This is a very light reference to Inception, so you might get it if you've seen it, if not, you may not get it anyway. lol.

Back to the point! There is an infamous Dr. Jack Price, and "Pedro," the nickname of Jamal Bartholomew Rutherford Swalinsky (or something like that). Pedro has a twin (male? probably.) Twin is missing. No one knows why. Pedro has his own resources, which might seem shady but really aren't. Pedro has done all in his power to find his twin, and has continuously failed.

The PROBLEM here, is that I don't know where the twin is. Its like playing "Where in the world is Carmen SanDiego" with myself. Its not only boring, but its irritating because I don't know the answer.

I have a feeling that once I determine where Twin is, whether or not he was kidnapped and by whom, (is that correct? gah, who and whom! i shake my fist at thee!) and from there whether or not he is safely recovered that all else will fall beautifully into place.

However, I know that is almost never the case when it comes to writing a story, and that one tiny (yet power-packed word) can change an entire story.

I'm not worried about not having a story at all, but on bigger projects like this I am mostly concerned with having great material all bubbling away in the pot, but not having a spoon to stir with, or not having bowls to serve it in. If that makes sense. As it should.

Sunday is one of two kick off parties this weekend for NaNo, and they are asking me to be able to more or less "sum up" my story into a sentence. A daunting task in itself, though not impossible. I am left feeling even more overwhelmed because I have a dangling plot line that is attached to nothing.

Its time to get serious for this. I need to know what I'm about to launch myself into. And once November first hits, at midnight, I will need to be able to not back down from what I've started. There is no changing lanes halfway down the road. I have to stay in the space I've chosen.

Another obstacle: Life tends to do what it wants, with you in it. I have (roughly) calculated that I need to write between 2500 and 3000 words a day MINIMUM or I will not make the goal of 50K for the competition. This is all fine and good, and with some practice, I know the time it takes and how much space on the comp. screen I am using with that amount of text. Yet I am nervous slightly about the fact that I am not currently writing that many words per day, and that sometimes I can only manage about 1500, or on very slow days, around 730. While word amounts may not mean much to some in the audience, the count is crucial. If I do not keep up with the count, I will not succeed.

This is make or break. Its game time and I've got my elbow pads on. Maybe I should prep my wrist brace just in case... Which makes me wonder if I should buy one for my left hand too... Hm.

Perhaps I'm overanalyzing. The snobby part of my brain says I'm better off being prepared and getting the willies out now, before the crunch begins.

Another obstacle: I am due to work an overnight shift on Halloween (which is fine) but it means that I cannot start right at midnight, that I will have to wait til daytime. And I'll probably be working the overnight on the first as well, so that *may* set me back at the beginning. I am also currently job searching, because 16 hours a week just doesn't cut it, and certainly doesn't make that fancy piece of paper with BA on it feel truly earned.

Alas, I feel I am rambling onto tangents unknown, and I feel that I should cease this behavior. Hm. Perhaps I shall write a beginning scene for the NaNo story... knowing there is no way I could crank out 50,000 words in a week, I'll not consider it cheating, lol.

Off I go!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

#10--Married!

So here I am, a married woman. Its been a long engagement, a long process, and LOTS of fun. Everyone who showed up was on the "cool" list, and absolutely everyone had a good time. There were times of high emotion, and times of stress, but we all did great to overcome our obstacles. (IT WAS REALLY FANTASTIC AND I CANNOT EXPRESS THAT ENOUGH, AND I'M TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH MY HUSBAND!!!!)

I don't get the "real" photographs back from the photographer until 6-8 weeks from now, but I'm really looking forward to those. I'll have to figure out how to post pics in the meantime, so I can show off all my faves later.

Other than the wedding, my writing has been on a temporary hiatus for a few weeks now (or at least it feels this way). I am glad to announce that I will be getting back into the swing of things to make my final gear-up for NaNoWriMo in two short weeks. This Sunday is a kick-off party, so I will be going to that with my friend Grace. :D  (p.s. can't wait!)

I am still working on the piece temporarily entitled "Friend" but I will be resuming Angela's story until November hits (Jason, I know you are celebrating and booing all at the same time.)

I will try to post the progress from NaNo here, but if I cannot, then know that I am working on it very diligently.

Peace

Friday, October 8, 2010

#9--My Father Gave Me A Name

As in, Love Potion #9.

But this is not a funny post.

I WILL NOT DWELL ON YOU.
YOU WILL NOT BOTHER ME.
i hope.


I thought I fixed this. By ignoring it. HA. Maybe that's why its not fixed. Maybe that's why the wound is continuously reopened.

I AM ANGRY AT YOU!!!!!

You cannot exclude yourself for so long and claim its my fault for not contacting you, or claim that you were "there" all along. BULLSHIT.

:'(

You are a product of your own effort. Your lack thereof has changed the outcome of your physical product, and therefore I will never be like you. We will probably never relate.

I can't rely on you. I don't trust you. I never know when you're lying, or when you're telling the truth. Your "give a damn" is permanently busted.

I can generally forgive someone who has done wrong by me, and most times I can recognize (even if it takes time) that part of the wrong was due to my own actions/words; it has never been this way with you. It is NOT my fault that you cheated, that you lied, that you said one thing and did another. It didn't matter what you said when I was six, because I believed it. I was spoon-fed on lies, nursed with bitterness. When I was old enough to understand that you were lying, I chose not to believe what everyone else said. I ignored them because I WANTED to see the good in you.

But year after year, on the one day a year, I would not receive even a phone call. Never a card. You promised me things and then refused them later. You yanked my emotional chain back and forth, to and fro. Finally, I dismissed you.

If you really loved me, if you really had loved me all this time, you would have called me every day only to ask how the dog was. You would have scolded me for having my music on too loud at night, you would have made me do my homework, you would have asked me to help you with your own chores. You would have told me about how dangerous boys are, and you would have told me when you thought I was with the wrong one. You *should* have done these things, but you didn't.

YOU DIDN'T.

and that's all that matters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbzt1HnVzIQ

Thursday, October 7, 2010

#8--Change of Pace

Dear friends and readers--

I am putting Angela's story on a temporary hold (Jason, I know you will say "What?!")

I feel a sudden urge to *gasp* WORK ON SOMETHING ELSE!

Horrific, I know.

However, I feel this project (which shall for the time being be called only "Friend") must be hammered out.

The really tragic part is, I will NOT be posting this one on my blog until it is finished. FINISHED!

It will be tricky for me to not post up something that I am working on at the moment, but I feel like I can achieve this quickly (hopefully before next weekend!) and therefore, have lots of hope for the project.

I can almost promise that it will be better than Angela's story, with more suspense, more twists, and a pinch more emotion.

Have questions about the project? Tough. I won't answer any until its done.

Its kind of nice being the only one who knows the story. :j

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Angela (VI)

Once Angela was safely seated inside the car she flashed a wink at the handsome cop before he closed the door. He smiled back at her naturally. He walked around the nose of the cruiser and let himself in the car. He leaned to the right when he buckled his seatbelt, and Angela placed her left hand on his cheek. He looked up at her, bewildered. Dwayne took her hand and gently lowered it from his face. He placed it back on her side of the console, and straightened up in his seat. The look she had given him sent a chill straight to his core. He felt like he could have been sweating bullets.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked him. "You don't like a display of affection once in awhile?" Dwayne took a moment to respond, giving himself a few seconds to make sure his voice would be under control when he spoke.

"I would hardly call that appropriate for two people in our position." He started the car and backed out of the parking lot.

"And what position is that? Doggie?" Angela flipped her head around to face out the passenger window. She buried her bandaged hands into her sweater on her lap.

Dwayne's mouth dropped open, but he closed it quickly. He didn't want a response from him to inspire her to go any further. He could consider filing sexual harassment but it was hardly anything to go on and would really cause more trouble than it was worth. He bit his bottom lip and changed lanes smoothly. He grinned a little as he thought of a response.

"If you don't behave yourself then I'll have to make you ride in the backseat." Angela whipped her head back around to face him but was taken off guard by his bold smile.

I didn't know he had it in him. Angela thought as she smiled back at him.

"Does that mean you'll be in the backseat with me?" She fluttered her eyes and smiled. Her smile seemed more like a dare. Dwayne had no idea what to say.

"One minute I'm trying to recover from what you say, and the next minute I'm doing it all over again. Do you have a limit?"

"No." She grinned that impish smile again. "I'll crack you eventually, Dwayne."

"Officer Jackson, please. Let's at least try to keep this a formal acquaintance?" He turned onto Old Southton Highway.

"Fine. I'll call you by your official title. But only in public, Officer," Angela smirked again. "As long as we're alone together, I'll keep to calling you Dwayne."

Dwayne shook his head a little in disagreement, but gave a sigh that indicated he was giving in to the argument. If you can even call it an argument. He thought for awhile about what she had said earlier about a display of affection. It has been a very long time...


"Where are we going anyway?" Angela interrupted his train of thought, but he was okay with making conversation. He had always been a social being.

"We're going to 'Eats 'R Us.' Its a small place but they have really great food." He glanced over at Angela and found her staring at him in what he took to be disgust. Her facial expressions are so varied, it was hard to tell what was what.

"Eats 'R Us?" Seriously?" Her mouth was still open in surprise. Or awe. Dwayne chuckled softly.

"It's cozy. You'll see." He put on his blinker and moved into the left turn lane. He noticed that Angela looked anxious as he pulled into the parking lot and found a space.

"Everything okay?" He waited a moment, and she looked down at her lap. "Angela?" He put two fingers under her chin and turned her face towards him. Her eyes were cloudy, threatening rain.

"I'm fine." Angela almost managed to whisper this, but couldn't quite bring herself to that volume.

"Is it your uncle? Or is there something else bothering you?" Dwayne had dropped his hand to hold hers. She glanced at his hand, taking a deep breath.

"I'm okay. Let's go in and eat." She shook away any sign of tears and smiled softly, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. Dwayne patted her arm and stepped out of the car, coming around to open Angela's door for her. He found she had already done his job for him.

Walking into the greasy diner, several patrons greeted Dwayne by his first name. He waved at some in a far off corner, but he did approach an elderly man near to the door.

"How are you doing, Walter?" Dwayne shook the old man's speckled hand vigorously. Angela thought he looked too frail for that kind of action.

"I'm doing just great Dwayne. Who is this young lass you've got with ya?" Walter's thin hair was wispy and clumped together in small tufts that branched away from his scalp in all directions, like the branches of an old gnarled tree. His face had more age spots than his hand, and on part of his neck it was hard to tell if they were age spots or if they were birthmarks.

"This is Angela. She's in town on family business." Dwayne looked at Angela and was surprised to see her staring at Walter with her eyes wide. Maybe where she's from they have plastic surgery for old chums like Walter. She's already had enough for one day.

"Well that's dandy. Who is your family that you have business with?" Walter asked Angela directly, raising his bushy white eyebrows until they too looked like the tufts of hair on his head.

"My uncle passed away and I'm in charge of selling the house." Angela responded calmly, her face going a bit back into its normal expression. She still looked uneasy, but at least it wasn't obvious now.

"Tha's too bad. S'never a good thing when you lose a loved one." Walter put a spoonful of cottage cheese in his mouth and swished it around a little, giving Dwayne some time to jump in.

"Her uncle lived up in that house at the top of Suncrest Hill, on the backside of the Laughlin's place." Dwayne looked at Angela, who nodded meekly. "You remember Old Murray don't you?"

Walter smacked his spoon down on the table, sending small flecks of cottage cheese all over. Some of it landed on Dwayne's uniform but a bigger splotch managed to hit Angela's sweater that she was still carrying around with her.

Walter turned his head slowly to face Angela, his eyes narrowed. His mouth pulled back in a grimace, showing his jaunty yellow teeth.

"Of course I remember Old Mister Murray." Walter sneered again. "How could I forget such a despicable man?"

"Alright, Walter, I'm sorry I brought it up. Let's just drop it now." Dwayne took a step and placed himself between Angela and the table where Walter sat. He could tell the room was more quiet than before, but he paid no attention.

"I'll drop it for now, but you can bet your black ass that I won't forget. No sir, there is no forgettin' a wrong that's been done to ya." Walter's yellowed teeth were exposed again in another sneer. "No, I won't be forgettin' any time soon."

"I'm sorry, Walter. I'll stop by again tomorrow then you and I can have a chat to ourselves." Dwayne took Angela by the elbow and began to lead her away. When they were a table's distance away, Walter began to get a little louder in his exclamations of exquisite memory. "I'll talk to you later, Walter."

Dwayne directed Angela to a booth in the back of the diner and sat her down with her back to the door. There was a curtain next to the booth, tied up with a dusty black cloth. Dwayne untied the curtain and let it fall between them and the rest of the diner. It was rather successful at blocking out the other diners.

"That better?" Dwayne asked Angela.

"Yeah, thanks." She gave a half smile and picked up a menu from behind the ketchup bottle.

"How do they know when we're ready to order if the curtain is down?" Angela glanced over the small menu as she asked this, glad for the security the curtain seemed to provide.

"There is a little flag we run up on the outside. The rope is behind your shoulder, just there." Angela looked around and found the worn rope. She peeked her head out of the curtain to see the lowered red flag on the outside of the booth.

"Neat." Angela played with the rope for a moment before leaving the flag in its lowered position.

"Are you getting anything, Dwayne?" He shook his head and she continued looking at the menu. Once she had decided on the chef's salad, she hoisted the flag and the waitress came over promptly.

Dwayne ordered the biscuits and gravy, with a carafe of black coffee to go along. Angela went with a water. The waitress returned with their drinks and left again, just as efficiently as before.

"So, I was wondering," Angela paused to look at Dwayne in the eye. "What was with Walter when we came in? How does he know my uncle?"

"Ah. I figured you would ask me that." Dwayne sighed. "I suppose it all began years ago, before I was even graduated from high school. The two of them used to go drinking together. They were great pals, Stephen and Walter."

"This sounds cheesy. Is this really a legitimate story you're telling me?"

"You haven't even let me finish yet, missy."

"Sorry. Please continue." Angela sipped her water and listened as patiently as she could.

"As I was saying. There was a set of twins, Marlene and Maribel. They were beautiful girls, and sharp too."

"How do you know they were beautiful if all this happened before you paid any attention?" Angela interrupted again.

"I repeat. Let me finish." Dwayne shot her a quick glance and she huffed and waved him on. "The boys were both attracted to the twins, though at first they only ever saw one girl at a time. They fought over her. The girls thought it would be funny to tease them a little, so each girl would date Stephen and Walter on the same night. The only problem was they risked running into the other group since the town was so small. So they decided to reveal themselves, and were well received."

Dwayne paused here to pour himself another coffee. A few moments later, the food had arrived, so he paused a bit longer while they ate. He was finished rather quickly, so Angela didn't have to urge him to continue the story. She continued eating while he picked up again.

"The boys were fine with the arrangement of being with beautiful girls. They were all happy until Walter decided that he wanted to be with Marlene, who was Stephen's 'steady' as they called it. Stephen wouldn't allow the switch, and Walter became furious. What Walter didn't know was that the girls still would routinely pull the switcheroo on Stephen and Walter. They kept it up even though the boys would fight, so neither one of them really knew who it was they were kissing goodnight."

"So what happened then? Didn't they just get over it?"

"No, Walter never was good at letting anything go. So one evening, they were all together, and Stephen told Walter to leave him and his girl alone. Walter refused and grabbed Marlene by the arm. She resisted but he hit her, so your uncle defended her. They began fist-fighting in the street. Maribel was standing by, and other men had come out to cheer on the fight. No one would help. So Maribel jumped in to try to break it up. It ended up that Marlene got injured in the fray, and as a result died from her injuries. At her autopsy they discovered that she was pregnant."

"Wow," Angela gaped at this unexpected turn. "What happened to Maribel?"

"Well, since it was Walter and Stephen fighting, the family never really forgave either of them. Maribel went on to marry an accountant but died a year or two afterwards from missing her twin. Or that's what they say. Walter married someone else, but she left him later on in life. Your uncle holed himself up in that house on Suncrest Hill and never showed any interest in getting married or even courting."

Angela stared at her salad. She didn't feel hungry for it anymore. The waitress brought her a refill and boxed up her salad for her. Dwayne peeked around the curtain and saw that Walter had gone home for the evening. He escorted Angela back to the car, leaving money on the table for the tab and tip.

It was quiet for a few moments. Dwayne could tell Angela had a lot on her mind.

"I know it probably hardly matters now, but do you have any idea who or what was in my house today?" Angela sounded nervous, so Dwayne answered in a soft tone.

"I don't think there was anyone there. The wind was strong last night, its possible that it knocked a branch out of a tree and that is causing some noise around the house." He glanced over at Angela, but what he had said didn't seem to have helped.

"I didn't see anyone or anything in the house when I arrived. There were no footprints, no sign of forced entry into the house, nothing seemed to be missing or out of place." He heard Angela sigh in relief.

They pulled up to Aubrey's Bed and Breakfast, and he showed her inside. Angela followed, clutching her sweater to her with her bandaged hands.

"Miss Aubrey, this is Angela Murray. She needs a bed for the next two nights if you have it."

"Why certainly, Dwayne. Anything for the best man on the force." The redhead smiled and took a key from a box on the wall. "Do you have any bags dear?"

Angela shook her head no. "I'm afraid I forgot all my things in my car."

"Don't worry about your luggage, Miss Murray. I'll pick all that up for you tomorrow." Dwayne reassured her.

"Thank you." Angela spoke in a soft tone, and followed Aubrey up the stairs. "Goodnight, Officer Jackson."

"Goodnight, Angela." Dwayne waited for Aubrey to return from showing Angela to her room.

"If she wakes up screaming, or says anything about hearing clawing sounds, please let me know." Aubrey raised her eyebrows at this statement from Dwayne, but didn't inquire further.

"Not a problem, Dwayne. Will you be back tomorrow with her belongings?"

"Yes. And I intend to help her get whatever she needs for that old house. Her uncle was Stephen Murray."

"You don't say! Well, she'll get a good night's sleep here, and a hearty breakfast in the morning."

"Thanks, Aubrey. I owe you one." Dwayne turned to leave, his hand resting on the antique doorknob.

"No, Dwayne. It's on me." She grinned again. "Get outta here. I'll see you tomorrow." Aubrey disappeared into her office, and Dwayne walked back out into the dark, crisp night.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

#7--Orchestra

A big shout-out to my friend Grace, who is pure awesomeness in human form. Thank you. We will have to take advantage of that home kit i'm thinking.

A shout out to all those who read my blog. Thanks thanks.

On to the real stuff: today wasn't so hot. but that's okay. I worked. Went to Derek's concert (AWESOME!) and dinner with the fam (very cool!) got nasty letters in the mail from my financial institution, and now am throwing up my hands and the rest of my cash in complete surrender.

Looking forward to Friday night and next week. Really have no clue how i'm getting those all-important pumpkins now :(  maybe i'll find a way... Friday might be a stay-in night also due to Mr. Moneybags at the bank.

Besides all that, NaNoWriMo is coming up and I can't wait to get started. Got some good ideas floating around in my head and an intense need to flesh them out.

Was also inspired by Derek's concert tonight, so I'm looking for a way to incorporate that into a story. Hooray orchestra!

Also: FACEBOOK SUCKS. just sayin'. Why? oh, because it won't load. at all. stupid. :p

Yes I'm excited. Yes there is frustration. Yes I wish things were more on track. But what else can I do? I only have so much power. Interesting isn't it? I just realized that last sentence was made up of words that all started with the letter "I". That is potentially more interesting than the former. HA.

#6--Gah

It's one in the a.m. and I haven't written a word. I said I would but I have not. I feel bad for this. There are lots of things on my mind lately.

Tomorrow should be better for writing. I have several ideas in general I'd like to share, and I'm itching to continue on with Angela. I fear some of it sounds juvenile though. And before you peg it as a dimestore-romance, let me finish it.

No hard feelings, just a statement for you to consider.

More tomorrow.

I hope.