Category: This and that

He said, and she was interrupted

~ Lenore Diane ~ 1 Comment

One nice afternoon, Rob took the boys outside to play. While he was outside, he noticed Bill coming out with his kids. Rob walked over to Bill’s house.

“So Bill,” Rob begins. “How are you doing?”

“Great, Rob.” Bill replied. “How are things with you?”

“Can’t complain. Can’t complain.” Rob said. “Hey, did you take part in The Big Green Egg Festival this past weekend?”

“Actually, Rob, I did. I’ll go get a couple of beers, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Great! I’ll take an Oktoberfest, please.”

“You got it.”

Moments later, Bill returns with two cold beers. He begins to tell Rob all about the Egg-fest. Two hours (and two more beers) later, Betty and Veronica emerge from the house.

“Hey guys!” The gals yell in unison, “Where are the kids?”

The guys look at each other, shrug their shoulders and say, “They’re around here somewhere.”

###

One nice afternoon, Betty takes her kids outside to play. She notices Veronica is already out with her kids, so she joins her in the driveway.

“Hi, Veronica.” Betty says with smile. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Veronica says. “Adam! Stay out of the mud, please!”

“Where is Bill?”

“Oh, he’s inside resting. And, Rob? Stephanie! Leave the cat alone!”

“Inside resting.”

“Did I tell you my Auntie was coming in town from England?” Betty asks.

“No. When will she be in town?” Veronica responds.

“Well, it looks like -” Betty stops short, “David! Don’t throw rocks at your sister!”

She continues, “It looks like she’ll arrive -”  Veronica cuts her off, “Oh. Hang on a second – Adam! Stop digging around Mr. Smith’s yard.”

“Sorry.” Veronica says.

“She’ll arrive later this week. She has her last show in London on Tuesday, and she’ll –  Stephanie! Quit pulling the cat’s tail!”

“Her show?” Veronica inquires. “Is she an actress?”

“Yes. She’s been – “David! What did I say about the rocks?”

“Adam! Get out of the street! There is a car coming!”

“Stephanie, did you wet your pants?”

“Scott! Don’t run or you’re going to – SCOTT! Are you OK?”

“Sorry, Veronica. We need to cut this short. Maybe we can try again tomorrow?”

“That’s fine.”

Betty and Veronica head back inside with the kids. Bill greets Betty by asking “How is Veronica doing? Did you gals have a nice conversation?”

A Tooth Fairy Tale

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

“My tooth fell out!” He said.

His tooth was loose for weeks, though no special attempts were made to pull it out prematurely. “It will come out when it is ready.” He heard his Mom and Dad say frequently. Still, he hadn’t expected the tooth to just ‘come out’. He had just put his finger on the tooth lightly, and he didn’t even wiggle it much. Suddenly, the little tooth was in his hand. Did he do something wrong?! He was new to this whole ‘losing a tooth’ thing. What was going to happen next? He wondered.

He walked into the kitchen. His parents looked at him and smiled. He wasn’t sure what to make of the experience, so he looked back at them with an expression of confusion and excitement. His younger brother came running to him, “Let me see! Let me see!” He rolled his eyes. ‘Younger brothers,’ he thought to himself. ‘They can be so annoying.’

“That’s great!” His Mom said. “Yeah! That’s exciting!” His Dad, agreed.

“Don’t get so excited about it.” He said back to his parents. Couldn’t they tell he was a little confused with what just happened? Couldn’t they see that he wasn’t ready for a big deal yet? How did the tooth just fall out? Why didn’t it hurt? Why didn’t he feel it? That is what troubled him most. He was expecting pain. He was expecting something bigger. This was too easy. Surely, there was more to losing a tooth, right?

After a few minutes, he did get excited. He remembered hearing about the Tooth Fairy from his friends. He ran to his Mom, “Does this mean the Tooth Fairy will come to my house?” He watched his Mom glance at his Dad. Her eyes got big, she shrugged and said, “Yeah. I guess it does mean the Tooth Fairy will come to our house tonight.”

Then he heard his Mom say to his Dad, “Looks like I’ll be going to the store tonight.” He hoped she’d get some ice cream sandwiches when she went to the store. He loved ice cream sandwiches.

Before bed, his Mom asked him for his tooth. He watched as she placed it in a small bag. “Put this under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy.” She said.

“What is she going to bring me?” He asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.” His Mom answered. “What do you want her to bring you?”

“A lollipop.” He said with a big missing tooth grin.

“Well, I don’t know if the Tooth Fairy brings lollipops. You’ll have to wait until you wake up. I’m sure she’ll leave something, though.”

All ready for bed, he found himself more excited about what the Tooth Fairy might bring him. “How will she get the bag, if it is under my pillow and under my head?” He asked, as his Mom tucked him in bed.

“Oh. I’m not sure. I guess she is just a clever fairy.” His Mom said.

He was going to try hard to stay awake. He wanted to meet this Tooth Fairy to make sure he was being given something good in exchange for his tooth. Unfortunately, he could feel himself falling asleep. He couldn’t hold on much longer …

Morning came, and he quickly moved his pillow to see if the little pouch was still there. It was! He quickly unzipped it. ‘Hmmmphf’ He thought with a frown. ‘That’s not a lollipop.’ He got out of bed and opened his  bedroom door. His Mom was standing right there, as if she was waiting for him.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“The Tooth Fairy just left me a note. I wanted a lollipop.” He said, as he walked away sad.

“Are you sure that is all that is in the pouch?” He heard his Mom ask. He didn’t listen. He wanted a lollipop, and he didn’t see one. He didn’t care if there was anything else in the pouch.

“I found a quarter.” His Mom said.

“I don’t want it.” He said, as his crossed his arms and huffed.

‘Stupid Tooth Fairy.’ He thought to himself. He didn’t care if she ever came back to his house.

“Well, I have to go to the store this morning. How about I buy you a lollipop?” His Mom asked.

He smiled. His Mom NEVER let him have lollipops. That is why he was hoping the Tooth Fairy would come through for him. “Really?!” He asked, hoping she wasn’t kidding.

“Sure.” She said.

“Yeah! Thanks, Mom!” He said, as he jumped up and down. ‘We don’t need no stinkin’ Tooth Fairy’ he said to himself.

“Let me take your picture, please.” His Mom said.

“No. I don’t want my picture taken.” He said. Though is Mom NEVER gave him lollipops, she was ALWAYS taking his picture. ALWAYS. Sometimes he thought about hiding her camera.

“Please?! I want to get a picture of your missing tooth.” She said again.

“Noooo!” He whined. He knew he was going to lose this battle, but he still wanted to fight it.

“I’ll give you two lollipops, if you let me take your picture.” His Mom said.

‘What?!’ He thought. ‘Is she serious? Man, I was going to let her win the battle eventually. I can’t believe she caved so quickly. Losing a tooth is a great thing! I can’t believe I am getting TWO lollipops.’

“OKAY!” He grinned.

Feeling generous (and knowing he was getting two lollipops), he let her take TWO pictures. ‘Take THAT Tooth Fairy.’

The Long Awaited Approach

~ Lenore Diane ~ 7 Comments

“Finally.” She thought to herself. “Tuesday night is here again.”

She looked forward to Tuesday nights. Tuesday nights got her through the week. Tuesday night was ‘Pool Night’. Time for her to hang with her guy friends and be a self-proclaimed pool groupie. Whether she was headed to Good ol’ Days, Cheers, Diggers or Whiskers Pub – wherever the game took place on Tuesday night, she was there to watch them play.

She had fun hanging with her two guy friends, but her eyes were mainly gazed in the direction of the tall and silent stranger. Also on the pool team, he always hung back from the crowd. He was mysterious. He was handsome. He was tall. And, she was nervous every Tuesday night, wondering if she would see him. Pool night wasn’t the same, if the tall stranger wasn’t there to play.

She inquired to her friends about him, but he was a mystery to them, too. “He doesn’t talk much.” One of her guy friends said. “But, he is a great pool player.” She agreed. He took his time with each and every shot, landing more balls in the pocket than not.

Weeks passed, and she continued to watch him from afar. She told her girlfriends about him, and she dreamed about him. Too nervous to approach the tall and handsome stranger herself, she hoped he’d one day reach out. She hoped he’d one day notice her, the way she noticed him.

Another Tuesday night and she was headed to Dos Copas. And, like every Tuesday night, she had butterflies in her belly, anxious to find out whether or not her handsome stranger would be playing. She walked into Dos Copas and smiled, as she noticed him standing by the pool table, getting ready to play.

While getting a beer, her friend grabbed her. He was having a bad night. Girlfriend issues. He wanted to get her feedback on what had taken place earlier in the day. When it was his turn to play pool, he did not do well. His bad pool game made his already bad mood worse. He stormed out to the patio, and she followed him. Suddenly, someone stepped in front of her.

“Hi. My name is Rob.” She looked up, startled. It was him. It. Was. Him! The tall and handsome stranger had approached her! What should she do? His eyes were so blue. Her legs became weak, as she lost herself in his blue eyes… She shook her head and tried to snap herself back to reality. She did her best to compose herself . She took a deep breath, and she responded to him.

Four years later, she stopped talking long enough for him to ask her to marry him. 8yrs later, she’s still talking, and he’s still with her.

:::

Newly engaged

The past 8yrs have been far from complacent and peaceful. My husband and I have had our good times and bad times. Unfortunately, we seemed to have more bad times than good times; and admittedly, the bad times were due (mostly) to my own low points. However, with the help of friends, family, medication and counseling, Rob and I have made it 8yrs. And, because we made it through some horribly horrible times, I am confident we’ll make it the rest of the way – together.

Once I asked him how long it took him to notice me back during the pool playing days. He told me he noticed me instantly. He said he couldn’t get over how much I talked. Apparently, while standing alone in the corner, he could see (and hear) I was a talker. 12 years later, I haven’t changed.

Rob balances me. While my mind races from one point to another to another, Rob can always be found stationary and stable. He is my geostationary satellite. I am thankful this tall and handsome stranger approached me. And, I am thankful I stopped talking long enough for him to ask me to marry him.

October 12, 2002

We’ve made through some rough and rocky roads, and I suspect we’ll have a few more bumps along the way. Much to my dismay, Rob is still not perfect. And, much to Rob’s dismay, I am still talking. (Okay, okay – I’m not perfect either. ‘Whatever’.) But, we are each other’s forever after, and I am so glad he didn’t leave when I asked him to leave. And, I am glad he asked me to stay, when I said I was leaving.

Happy Anniversary, Rob. I love you.