"Nooo…" Laurie said annoyed. Bill had been nagging her to come back to Germany for Christmas. He wanted her to visit his parent and his family, but she didn't like the idea and was scared to meet them because she felt she might make herself look like an idea.

Bill stalked her as she walked around the room trying to fix breakfast. "Laurie, it'll be fine. I know you will do great."

"No, I'm horrible when it comes to first impression with anyone over the age of thirty. I don't know why!" She pulled some bread out of the refrigerator and placed it into the toaster.

"That's ridiculous. Look at all the people you signed on. Us-"

"Oldest was Georg, 21."

"Lily Allen?"

"21"

"Melissa-"

"18"

"Ugh. Fergie?"

"What?" The toast popped out of the toaster. "I didn't sign her."

"Yeah, I was desperate to make a point. Come on, Laurie, please!" She put the toast on a plate and went back to the refrigerator for some butter.

She groaned, "Bill…"

"Please, this will our first Christmas as an us, I don't want to spend it on different sides of the hemisphere." She spread the butter on the toast. "Laurie, they're really nice. You'll have a great time. It's not just you, Georg, Gustav, and Alexz will be around to. Please?"

"I don't know." She picked up the plate but it was taken by Bill.

"I'm not going to give you back your toast."

She put her hand on her hip and gave him an annoyed look. "That's just plain desperate."

He gave her back the toast. "Yeah, you're right. Please, I promise you won't regret it."

"Umm…" she turned around and left for the living main room of her condo. She mindlessly placed her plate on the table. She sat down the table but before she could eat Bill had his hands on her neck and began to move his fingers.

"Come on, Laurie. You know that it's a good idea."



"Uhh. Fine."

"Really?" she nodded her head. "Oh," he kissed her hard. "Thank you."

"Now leave me be. You know how I am when I don't get breakfast."

(Underline now means German)

Laurie loved shopping in New York. She and Bill walked down the streets as December dawned down on them. They observed the various sights along the way. No matter how many times she passed by it everything was exciting.

They got to the bus stop when Laurie confronted one of her biggest fears she had ever experienced.

"Laurie?" the voiced questioned.

It wasn't subtle either. She knew the voice as soon as she heard it. Taylor.

She turned around to see a young girl, about her age, standing on the edge of the street. She wore a grey knitted hat on top of her blonde and brown hair. Her fur trench coat was fitted around her purple sweater and dark wash jeans.

"Laurie is that you? I haven't seen you since 71st!"

She smiled a fake smile. "Yeah, those were the days." Laurie glanced at her man to make sure his shades were on all the way and that his hoodie covered most of his hair. "What are you doing up here in the big apple?"

"Ya know, visiting the family and seeing the sites. Nothing special." She staggered up to the couple. "You on the other hand, have been headlines everywhere you go. There was a recent petition back in Fayetteville to hang up a sign saying 'Welcome to Fayetteville, home of music royalty Laurie Collins!' Wow, how long has it been, four years?"

"Yeah, four sounds about right. Hard to believe." She famous Taylor mouth had managed to make its way into her day. Wonderful

"Hello." Bill said. Laurie gave him a look that said 'SHUT UP!'

"Is this your new beau?"

"Who? Him? Um-uh, no, just a client. You know it's just wrong to be with a client. See nothing more than a client." She forced her lips to make the fakest smile she ever made.

"Wow, so this guys famous. I wonder if I can guess who it is." She gave Bill a flirty smile as a rush of rage consumed Laurie. "Looks like he's right out of a rock band."



"Yeah, well, don't they all?" Laurie pulled Bill to get into the bus.

"Wait!" Taylor shouted. "It's been so long. We have to catch up. Why don't you and your 'client' meet me and my guy at the bistro at the end of 15th street, at say, eightish?"

"I don-"

"Ja." Bill finished for her. "Ve vould love to."

"Oh, he has an accent. How… exotic."

Taylor allowed Laurie and Bill to go on their way.

They stood in the crowded bus as Laurie began to think to herself. Exotic? She had to be kidding. Anyway that wasn't the problem. The problem was:

(Underline now means English)

"How could you say yes?" Laurie asked stomping her foot.

"She seemed like a perfectly nice girl."

She threw her head back. "Nice? It was girls like her that I nearly had an eating disorder."

"Eating disorder?"

"Long story. Anyway her and her friends made my life miserable in middle school. You wouldn't believe how lucky I was to be in a different high school than she was."

Laurie only then noticed the stares that they were attracting from the various New Yorkers. Now that she thought it a teenage girl and some weird kid in huge sunglasses and an old hoodie arguing in German did seem a little bit strange inside New York City.

"Sorry," she said. "Bill, God, why did you have to say yes?!"

"I didn't know. I'm sorry! There's nothing we can do now. It would probably be best for us to go. You're not exactly hard to notice in this city."

"Ughh. Right. We go in, we eat, and we leave. Got it?"

It was their stop. "Okay, maybe a little shopping can get my mind off of this."