Mysterious Visitors and Boyfriend Stealers
Chapter 1: Mornings on Marigold St.
Beep beep. Beep beep. The alarm set for 6:30 goes off. A hand emerges to turn it off. The owner of the hand throws off the covers, undressing its body as it gets up and throws itself into the shower. A blare of 50 Cent is heard in a nearby room, getting louder every second. Angry shouts from yet another room leads to a decrease in the volume. It is morning in the Gray house. The girls have gotten up to ready for work and school, yet the guys are still sleepy-eyed from late night partying.
The Grays' house sits on quiet Marigold Street in the residential section of Hartford, Connecticut. Few cars and pedestrians thrive in the early mornings. Most that were were walking dogs, wishing that they, too, were still in bed. So, you can see how it'd be strange to see a woman walking down Marigold Street at this hour, carrying a couple of suitcases and not a dog in sight. And how it was even stranger to see the woman walking up the Grays' sidewalk and heading for the door. She hesitates for a moment, and her hand pauses in midair, but them she gives a swift, firm knock.
At once, the Gray household comes alive. Shouts of "I'll get it!" were heard as everyone thundered down the stairs, still in robes and other nighttime attire. Lauren reached the door first, thinking that Victor must be early. After she gropes the knob and opens the door, her eyes get as round as saucers, and she slams the door in the woman's face. "Mom?!?" Lauren forces herself to ask.
"Yeah, I'm here," Amy calls, and a minute later, she is standing beside her daughter. "What do you need?"
"How...did...you...do...that?" Lauren stutters out, "weren't you just....outside?"
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? You saw me come in last night. I've never been outside since."
"Sure, Mom, I know you were at David's house. As if Victor and I don't know what you two do."
"He's Mr. McClaren to you, young lady. And anyway, he's not here. David took Victor to see his aunt and won't be back until later."
"WHAT?!? Victor isn't here? But he didn't say anything!" whined Lauren as another knock was heard. Amy, this time, opens the door, but unlike Lauren, does not slam it when she sees the woman who knocked. Seeing that she did not recognize this woman, she says hello and asks if she can help her.
"I'm looking for Maxine Gray...does she live here?" the woman responded.
"Yeah, Maxine's my mother," Amy informed, "MOM!!!"
"Amy, dear, I'm only in the kitchen," chided Maxine. As soon as she saw who was at the door, her face went white with shock.
"Grandma, are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Lauren asked Maxine.
"Oh, oh, I-I'm o-o-okay," she finally got out, and turning to the stranger, said, "So, you're looking for me? Well, come in," as cheerfully and nonchalantly as possible. The strange woman stepped in and introduced herself.
"I'm Nikki Harrison...I just moved to Hartford because I got transferred to criminal court here..." Before she could continue, Amy cut in.
"Oh, I know you! You're that new judge-Judge Harrison. Nice to meet you," Amy shook Nikki's hand, "I'm Judge Gray—Judge Amy Gray. I do juvenile," interrupted Amy, "So, how do you know my mother?"
"Oh, she's a judge on one of my cases. I just told her to drop by so I could fill her in," Maxine made up.
"Mom!! You can't do that! That's why you have case files," Amy said, shocked at her one mother for not remembering this.
"Actually, I needed a place to stay, and your mother kindly offered. I wouldn't have come so early, but I could only get an early flight from L.A.," Nikki explained, "So, can I stay? Because I don't want to intrude...."
"You're not intruding. You can have my room until the attic room is finished," Maxine offered.
"Where will you sleep, Grandma?" quipped Lauren.
"With Amy or at Ignacio's," replied Maxine to her granddaughter.
"Mom!" Amy whined.
"You can live for a few days without the intimate company of David McClaren," Maxine said absentmindedly.
"Mom!" Amy almost yelled. "Nikki, come on upstairs and get ready for your first day of work," she said, linking arms with her and pulling Lauren along.
Chapter 1: Mornings on Marigold St.
Beep beep. Beep beep. The alarm set for 6:30 goes off. A hand emerges to turn it off. The owner of the hand throws off the covers, undressing its body as it gets up and throws itself into the shower. A blare of 50 Cent is heard in a nearby room, getting louder every second. Angry shouts from yet another room leads to a decrease in the volume. It is morning in the Gray house. The girls have gotten up to ready for work and school, yet the guys are still sleepy-eyed from late night partying.
The Grays' house sits on quiet Marigold Street in the residential section of Hartford, Connecticut. Few cars and pedestrians thrive in the early mornings. Most that were were walking dogs, wishing that they, too, were still in bed. So, you can see how it'd be strange to see a woman walking down Marigold Street at this hour, carrying a couple of suitcases and not a dog in sight. And how it was even stranger to see the woman walking up the Grays' sidewalk and heading for the door. She hesitates for a moment, and her hand pauses in midair, but them she gives a swift, firm knock.
At once, the Gray household comes alive. Shouts of "I'll get it!" were heard as everyone thundered down the stairs, still in robes and other nighttime attire. Lauren reached the door first, thinking that Victor must be early. After she gropes the knob and opens the door, her eyes get as round as saucers, and she slams the door in the woman's face. "Mom?!?" Lauren forces herself to ask.
"Yeah, I'm here," Amy calls, and a minute later, she is standing beside her daughter. "What do you need?"
"How...did...you...do...that?" Lauren stutters out, "weren't you just....outside?"
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? You saw me come in last night. I've never been outside since."
"Sure, Mom, I know you were at David's house. As if Victor and I don't know what you two do."
"He's Mr. McClaren to you, young lady. And anyway, he's not here. David took Victor to see his aunt and won't be back until later."
"WHAT?!? Victor isn't here? But he didn't say anything!" whined Lauren as another knock was heard. Amy, this time, opens the door, but unlike Lauren, does not slam it when she sees the woman who knocked. Seeing that she did not recognize this woman, she says hello and asks if she can help her.
"I'm looking for Maxine Gray...does she live here?" the woman responded.
"Yeah, Maxine's my mother," Amy informed, "MOM!!!"
"Amy, dear, I'm only in the kitchen," chided Maxine. As soon as she saw who was at the door, her face went white with shock.
"Grandma, are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Lauren asked Maxine.
"Oh, oh, I-I'm o-o-okay," she finally got out, and turning to the stranger, said, "So, you're looking for me? Well, come in," as cheerfully and nonchalantly as possible. The strange woman stepped in and introduced herself.
"I'm Nikki Harrison...I just moved to Hartford because I got transferred to criminal court here..." Before she could continue, Amy cut in.
"Oh, I know you! You're that new judge-Judge Harrison. Nice to meet you," Amy shook Nikki's hand, "I'm Judge Gray—Judge Amy Gray. I do juvenile," interrupted Amy, "So, how do you know my mother?"
"Oh, she's a judge on one of my cases. I just told her to drop by so I could fill her in," Maxine made up.
"Mom!! You can't do that! That's why you have case files," Amy said, shocked at her one mother for not remembering this.
"Actually, I needed a place to stay, and your mother kindly offered. I wouldn't have come so early, but I could only get an early flight from L.A.," Nikki explained, "So, can I stay? Because I don't want to intrude...."
"You're not intruding. You can have my room until the attic room is finished," Maxine offered.
"Where will you sleep, Grandma?" quipped Lauren.
"With Amy or at Ignacio's," replied Maxine to her granddaughter.
"Mom!" Amy whined.
"You can live for a few days without the intimate company of David McClaren," Maxine said absentmindedly.
"Mom!" Amy almost yelled. "Nikki, come on upstairs and get ready for your first day of work," she said, linking arms with her and pulling Lauren along.