Disclaimer: I don't own them. I can only wish.
Rating: PG-13 for a little language.
**Mary Anne Spier***
Mary Anne rolled over in the soft, silky warmth of her bed, groaning at the intense pressure on her bladder. She got up and practically ran to the bathroom. When she finished, she washed her hands and glanced at her reflection.
"I am getting SO huge," she murmured, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. She placed her palms down flat on her distended abdomen, marveling at how the skin had stretched over the past six months. As if that reminded her, she reached for a large tube of coca butter, lifted up her Oxford University t-shirt, and began to massage the cream into her sides.
A slightly rustling noise at the doorway of the bathroom startled her, and she looked up in time to see Cary, her husband, looking at her, blinking rapidly at the light. He looked like a little boy, dressed only in a pair of blue pajama bottoms, his hair mussed. "You okay?"
"Just fine," Mary Anne said, quietly. "This little guy was kicking me quite a bit, though."
Cary yawned and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it up even more. "Well now, don't-" and another yawn nearly cracked his jaw. Mary Anne smiled. "Cary, go back to sleep. I'll be there in a minute."
"Yeah...." Cary was too tired to argue. He turned around and headed back for the warmth of his covers. Mary Anne flipped off the light, and crept back to the warmth of their bed. All she could see of Cary was a tuft of dirty-blond hair poking up from under the covers.
"Cary?"
The hair didn't move. Mary Anne tiptoed over to the side of the bed, and rested her knee on it. "Cary?"
He still didn't move.
Mary Anne grabbed a copy of People magazine from the bedside table, and headed for the living room. A glance at the digital clock told her that it was nearly five-thirty- an ungodly hour in Cary's standards- but she felt like being up. She crept into the kitchen, and flipped on the light.
Bending backwards in an attempt to stretch out the small of her back, she straightened and squatted down, trying to reach the pans in the floor cupboard. "Drat this tummy!"
Somehow, she managed to get the pan, and set to work cutting and peeling various vegetables, as well as breaking three eggs into a bowl and whisking them well together. She dropped the veggies into the pan with a bit of oil and began to sauté them.
Humming as she stirred her dish, which was beginning to fill the kitchen with a delicious aroma, she opened the magazine and began to read through it. This habit, although pretty bad, was one she had picked up from her stepmother, Sharon- she was ALWAYS reading in the kitchen, which led to many mishaps over the years.
She poured her eggs over the vegetables, sprinkled on a little black pepper, and busied herself looking for the spatula, all while reading the magazine. All of a sudden, she saw something in it that made her gasp, then laugh. "Oh, my gosh!"
"What's so funny?" Cary sauntered into the kitchen, sniffing the air appreciatlivly, the sleepy look in his eyes now being replaced by one of hunger.
"I thought you were still sleeping," Mary Anne said with a smile, raising her face for the peck her husband gave her on the lips.
"I was, but the smell, oh, the smell...what TIME is it, anyway?" He peered in her pan, licking his lips. "Is there enough for me?"
"Get away!" Mary Anne laughed and took a swing at him with her spatula. "If you want some, there's still plenty of vegetables and eggs left in the fridge."
"This has VEGEtables in it?" he said incredulously. "It smells so good, though."
Marry Anne scooped the omelet out of the pan and onto a waiting plate, putting it behind her to ward off his wandering fingers. "It is good. Dawn taught me how to make it, a long time ago, when we were still kids. I just had a craving for it this morning, I guess. I can make you one, if you want."
Cary screwed up his face and shook his head. "No, thank you. I'll put sausage in mine, I think." He began rummaging in the fridge for all the nessecary ingredients.
"Cary?"
"Hmm?"
"Take a look at this. Do you recognize her?"
Cary picked up the magazine, staring at the picture of a slender Asian woman who Mary Anne had pointed out. She was dressed unconventionally in a short, tight white skirt, a tight leather t-shirt, a white suit jacket, and matching knee-length boots. Thin silver hoops from her ears nearly touched her shoulders, and she was wearing a furry white newsboy cap that was decorated by three black leather buttons. Her sleeves were scrunched up, eighties-style, and she had on tight black leather gloves. She was also carrying a black-and-white man's walking stick. In spite of the bizarre quality of the outfit, it looked incredibly classy on HER.
"Whoa, Claudia KISHI? Made the stylewatch's winner's circle?" Cary dropped the magazine and began to fry his sausage. "That girl is getting famous."
"She is," Mary Anne said. "Claudia- could you put the kettle on, Cary?- is really getting famous, now. I saw an article about her New York show in the paper, and she's having a show in Paris as well, just like she did last year."
Cary tuned his omelet over with loving care. "Isn't she married to-"
"Yeah, Todd Kendall." Mary Anne stood up and shook the water around in the kettle, trying to make it boil faster. "That probably explains all the publicity she's getting."
Cary nodded sagely and lifted his steaming eggs to a plate. "Have you heard from her recently?"
"Not since Jade was born," Mary Anne sighed and pushed back a lock of hair, staring musingly at the picture. "She looks so good. I don't think she's changed at all since college."
"You look pretty good yourself," Cary said, caressingly. Then he added in a lighter tone, "Eat, woman. You're eating for two now, you know."
The water began to boil, and Mary Anne made her tea, then sat down at the table with her husband. They began to eat in companionable silence. "Hey," said Cary, with his mouth full, after a few minutes- "Remember that silly club you were all in? I mean, in junior high?"
Mary Anne laughed out loud, her normally soft, even-toned voice reverberating through the kitchen. "You mean the BSC? I'll never forget that club. You tortured us constantly, if I remember correctly."
Cary grinned impishly. "I helped you out, though. Remember when that girl, Candy, was trying to steal your man?"
"Her name was Cokie, NOT Candy- and Logan and I had broken up by then- the year before high school, I think. Yes, you DID help me out with Cokie. Did I ever thank you properly, by the way?"
"You danced with me that night." Cary gave her another grin. "And I realized for the first time that shyness is cute."
"Oh, please." Mary Anne rolled her eyes, though she felt herself blushing. "YOU had a little something going on with Kristy Thomas in high school, if I recall correctly. You didn't even NOTICE me till you came back from Oxford." Cary had dated Kristy on-and-off throughout high school, and once in college. Then he'd headed off to England to get his master's degree, and when he came back, Kristy was gone. That's when he'd started spending time with Mary Anne.
Cary shrugged. "Think whatever you want."
Mary Anne laughed, then dug into her food. "It'll be interesting seeing all of them again at the reunion."
Cary groaned. "Don't remind me. I hate those things."
"How can you hate them, when you've never been to one?"
"I KNOW I'll hate it. What kind of a school throws an eleven year reunion? ELEVEN years?"
"They couldn't throw it last year, because the superintendent passed away."
Cary rolled his eyes and took a sip of his wife's tea. "It's not like you keep in touch with any of them, anyway."
Mary Anne gave him a severe look. "That's not true. I talk to Mallory and Shannon all the time. I saw Kristy last year at Charlie's wedding, and Abby, Stacey, Jessi and Logan still call on holidays and things like that. I talked to Dawn and Gracie just yesterday," she said, referring to her stepsister and her younger half-sister.
Cary's face sobered at the mention of her name. "Is she..."
"She's a lot better." Mary Anne didn't choose to elaborate, and Cary didn't push her. Instead, he laid his hand over hers. "Are they all coming down for the SHS shindig?" he asked after a moment.
His wife's face brightened slightly, though he could detect a slight sheen of tears in the corners of her eyes. "Far as I know, yes," she said. "Maybe we could have a BSC reunion party or something."
"Good, lord, as Claudia used to say. The BSC together again? I don't think that I can handle that." Cary made a mock-serious face and leaned in to kiss her, but Mary Anne pushed him away, impatiently.
"Are you kidding? It's a fantastic idea!" Mary Anne leaped to her feet, rifling through the 'junk drawer' for her address book. "I'll call everyone. We can even meet in Claudia's old house; the Kishis would probably love it. I'll call up Mal and Abby and Shannon and Kristy and...."
Cary looked at her, amused. It was so rare for his normally sweet, sensitive, quiet wife to get so worked up about something, that he immensely enjoyed watching her when she did. "You sound just like Kristy used to."
Mary Anne spun around, the combination of her sudden move and the petiteness of her form, as well as her ponderous belly nearly throwing her off balance. Cary leaped up to steady her, but she was already headed for the phone.
"You can't call anyone at this hour, Mary Anne!" Cary was running after her. "Mary Anne?"
***Claudia Kishi****
"Mrs. Kendall! Mrs. Kendall!"
Claudia Lynn Kendall rushed through the crowd of reporters, struggling to keep her head buried in the high collar of her Carmen Sandiego style trenchcoat, though the weather outside was warm. She immediately jumped into the waiting black Jaguar on the corner. "Drive!" she gasped, then turned and gave a furious look to the man sitting next to her in the backseat.
"Todd Christopher Kendall!" she said, even as he winced at the use of his full name. "WHAT is going on? I came a whole day later than you so I wouldn't have to be hounded by those damned reporters!"
"Sweetie..." He looked at her mournfully. "you know they always find out, somehow. I'm sorry. I really am."
Claudia glared at him, folding her arms over her chest.
"C'mon...you're not going to stay mad, are you? I took the day off shooting so I could meet you at the airport." he leaned closer and began to rub her neck and shoulders with warm, gentle fingers. "Now, how was France?"
"Every bit as beautiful as I expected." With a sigh, Claudia sat up straighter, looking into her husband's eyes. It was impossible for her to stay mad at him for long. He was just TOO gorgeous- dark green eyes, thick, blonde hair, and a deep dimple in his left cheek that could instantly turn his usually serious expression from that of a deacon to a daredevil. "Where's Jade?"
Todd gave her a secret smile and lifted a huge blanked lying on the seat between them. A large lump was under it, and Todd raised it to reveal a little girl, curled up and sleeping soundly. "She insisted on meeting you."
Claudia smiled, all annoyances forgotten, and lifted the child onto her lap. "Jade?" she said. "Jade, sweetie? Mommy's back."
The girl opened her eyes and blinked them at Claudia, reaching up to hug her with short arms. Claudia squeezed the girl tenderly. She'd been away from her daughter for two months while she was in France preparing a show, and she had been so frightened that the child wouldn't remember her.
She pulled her back and kissed her, looking at her face in satisfaction. Jade was a perfect combination of both her parents- she'd inherited Claudia's smooth, satiny ivory skin, dark hair, and almond-shaped eyes, but inherited her father's super-curly hair texture, thick lashes, and the vivid eye color that was the reason for her name, as well as his famous dimple.
Jade snuggled back to sleep, and Claudia turned to kiss her husband soundly on the lips. He then yawned, resting his curly head on his daughter's side. Amused, Claudia played with his hair, gazing down at the face that had graced so many magazine covers over the past few months. She still couldn't believe that she, Claudia Kishi, was married to a movie star!
It hadn't always been that way, she reflected. She had met Todd after college, while he was still a struggling actor, playing Hamlet as an understudy in a small off-Broadway production of the Shakesphere play. She herself was a struggling artist, teaching classes to seniors on the weekends in order to make a few extra bucks. They began dating, and quickly got serious, eloping and moving into a small studio apartment outside Connecticut.
Todd's big break had come in the form of a complete accident, and his co- starring, scene-stealing role in the romantic comedy "Getting to know you," had launched him to instant stardom. He was offered millions to do everything from toilet paper endorsements to the WWF, and the young couple found themselves in a whirlwind of almost sudden publicity, fame and fortune. And on top of THAT, Claudia became pregnant.
Now, two years, four movies, and one unsuccessful TV show later, Todd and Claudia were living in California with two-year-old Jade, and Todd's career gave Claudia the exposure she needed, making her almost as famous in the artistic world as Todd had become in the entertainment business. Luck had certainly seemed to favor the two, but....Claudia sighed. Sometimes she longed for the days when it was just her and Todd, eating mac and cheese, just hanging out, without the stresses of a public life.....
"Oh my lord, am I going nuts?" Claudia muttered to herself, shaking the thoughts loose with a vengeance. She rearranged her legs and pulled open her tote. "What on earth?" Her cell phone was ringing loudly. She picked it up, pushing her mirrored sunglasses up to her forehead in a single swoop. "Hello?"
"Claudia? Claudia Kishi?"
Claudia was silent. She didn't recognize the feminine voice at the other end at first. And why would some stranger call her by her maiden name? "Um...yeah?"
"Oh, thank goodness!" the person was clearly relieved. "I was hoping you'd be back from Paris. I called Todd's agent and got this number from her- it's Mary Anne, Claudia! Mary Anne Retlin."
"Oh my word...." Claudia shook her shoes off and propped her feet up on the seat. "How ARE you? Haven't heard from you in a while. And wait- Mary Anne RETLIN??"
Mary Anne laughed apologetically. "Yeah. But you're so HARD to get a hold of now."
"True, true. So- what's going on? How is everyone? And most importantly, how the HELL did you get the name Retlin? "
"Well, that depends mostly on you. How's your schedule in the next couple of weeks?"
"Don't know yet. Why, should it be open?"
"Kind of. See, here's the thing...."
If ya like it, please review. If not, flame away. More on the other characters to come!!
Rating: PG-13 for a little language.
**Mary Anne Spier***
Mary Anne rolled over in the soft, silky warmth of her bed, groaning at the intense pressure on her bladder. She got up and practically ran to the bathroom. When she finished, she washed her hands and glanced at her reflection.
"I am getting SO huge," she murmured, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. She placed her palms down flat on her distended abdomen, marveling at how the skin had stretched over the past six months. As if that reminded her, she reached for a large tube of coca butter, lifted up her Oxford University t-shirt, and began to massage the cream into her sides.
A slightly rustling noise at the doorway of the bathroom startled her, and she looked up in time to see Cary, her husband, looking at her, blinking rapidly at the light. He looked like a little boy, dressed only in a pair of blue pajama bottoms, his hair mussed. "You okay?"
"Just fine," Mary Anne said, quietly. "This little guy was kicking me quite a bit, though."
Cary yawned and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it up even more. "Well now, don't-" and another yawn nearly cracked his jaw. Mary Anne smiled. "Cary, go back to sleep. I'll be there in a minute."
"Yeah...." Cary was too tired to argue. He turned around and headed back for the warmth of his covers. Mary Anne flipped off the light, and crept back to the warmth of their bed. All she could see of Cary was a tuft of dirty-blond hair poking up from under the covers.
"Cary?"
The hair didn't move. Mary Anne tiptoed over to the side of the bed, and rested her knee on it. "Cary?"
He still didn't move.
Mary Anne grabbed a copy of People magazine from the bedside table, and headed for the living room. A glance at the digital clock told her that it was nearly five-thirty- an ungodly hour in Cary's standards- but she felt like being up. She crept into the kitchen, and flipped on the light.
Bending backwards in an attempt to stretch out the small of her back, she straightened and squatted down, trying to reach the pans in the floor cupboard. "Drat this tummy!"
Somehow, she managed to get the pan, and set to work cutting and peeling various vegetables, as well as breaking three eggs into a bowl and whisking them well together. She dropped the veggies into the pan with a bit of oil and began to sauté them.
Humming as she stirred her dish, which was beginning to fill the kitchen with a delicious aroma, she opened the magazine and began to read through it. This habit, although pretty bad, was one she had picked up from her stepmother, Sharon- she was ALWAYS reading in the kitchen, which led to many mishaps over the years.
She poured her eggs over the vegetables, sprinkled on a little black pepper, and busied herself looking for the spatula, all while reading the magazine. All of a sudden, she saw something in it that made her gasp, then laugh. "Oh, my gosh!"
"What's so funny?" Cary sauntered into the kitchen, sniffing the air appreciatlivly, the sleepy look in his eyes now being replaced by one of hunger.
"I thought you were still sleeping," Mary Anne said with a smile, raising her face for the peck her husband gave her on the lips.
"I was, but the smell, oh, the smell...what TIME is it, anyway?" He peered in her pan, licking his lips. "Is there enough for me?"
"Get away!" Mary Anne laughed and took a swing at him with her spatula. "If you want some, there's still plenty of vegetables and eggs left in the fridge."
"This has VEGEtables in it?" he said incredulously. "It smells so good, though."
Marry Anne scooped the omelet out of the pan and onto a waiting plate, putting it behind her to ward off his wandering fingers. "It is good. Dawn taught me how to make it, a long time ago, when we were still kids. I just had a craving for it this morning, I guess. I can make you one, if you want."
Cary screwed up his face and shook his head. "No, thank you. I'll put sausage in mine, I think." He began rummaging in the fridge for all the nessecary ingredients.
"Cary?"
"Hmm?"
"Take a look at this. Do you recognize her?"
Cary picked up the magazine, staring at the picture of a slender Asian woman who Mary Anne had pointed out. She was dressed unconventionally in a short, tight white skirt, a tight leather t-shirt, a white suit jacket, and matching knee-length boots. Thin silver hoops from her ears nearly touched her shoulders, and she was wearing a furry white newsboy cap that was decorated by three black leather buttons. Her sleeves were scrunched up, eighties-style, and she had on tight black leather gloves. She was also carrying a black-and-white man's walking stick. In spite of the bizarre quality of the outfit, it looked incredibly classy on HER.
"Whoa, Claudia KISHI? Made the stylewatch's winner's circle?" Cary dropped the magazine and began to fry his sausage. "That girl is getting famous."
"She is," Mary Anne said. "Claudia- could you put the kettle on, Cary?- is really getting famous, now. I saw an article about her New York show in the paper, and she's having a show in Paris as well, just like she did last year."
Cary tuned his omelet over with loving care. "Isn't she married to-"
"Yeah, Todd Kendall." Mary Anne stood up and shook the water around in the kettle, trying to make it boil faster. "That probably explains all the publicity she's getting."
Cary nodded sagely and lifted his steaming eggs to a plate. "Have you heard from her recently?"
"Not since Jade was born," Mary Anne sighed and pushed back a lock of hair, staring musingly at the picture. "She looks so good. I don't think she's changed at all since college."
"You look pretty good yourself," Cary said, caressingly. Then he added in a lighter tone, "Eat, woman. You're eating for two now, you know."
The water began to boil, and Mary Anne made her tea, then sat down at the table with her husband. They began to eat in companionable silence. "Hey," said Cary, with his mouth full, after a few minutes- "Remember that silly club you were all in? I mean, in junior high?"
Mary Anne laughed out loud, her normally soft, even-toned voice reverberating through the kitchen. "You mean the BSC? I'll never forget that club. You tortured us constantly, if I remember correctly."
Cary grinned impishly. "I helped you out, though. Remember when that girl, Candy, was trying to steal your man?"
"Her name was Cokie, NOT Candy- and Logan and I had broken up by then- the year before high school, I think. Yes, you DID help me out with Cokie. Did I ever thank you properly, by the way?"
"You danced with me that night." Cary gave her another grin. "And I realized for the first time that shyness is cute."
"Oh, please." Mary Anne rolled her eyes, though she felt herself blushing. "YOU had a little something going on with Kristy Thomas in high school, if I recall correctly. You didn't even NOTICE me till you came back from Oxford." Cary had dated Kristy on-and-off throughout high school, and once in college. Then he'd headed off to England to get his master's degree, and when he came back, Kristy was gone. That's when he'd started spending time with Mary Anne.
Cary shrugged. "Think whatever you want."
Mary Anne laughed, then dug into her food. "It'll be interesting seeing all of them again at the reunion."
Cary groaned. "Don't remind me. I hate those things."
"How can you hate them, when you've never been to one?"
"I KNOW I'll hate it. What kind of a school throws an eleven year reunion? ELEVEN years?"
"They couldn't throw it last year, because the superintendent passed away."
Cary rolled his eyes and took a sip of his wife's tea. "It's not like you keep in touch with any of them, anyway."
Mary Anne gave him a severe look. "That's not true. I talk to Mallory and Shannon all the time. I saw Kristy last year at Charlie's wedding, and Abby, Stacey, Jessi and Logan still call on holidays and things like that. I talked to Dawn and Gracie just yesterday," she said, referring to her stepsister and her younger half-sister.
Cary's face sobered at the mention of her name. "Is she..."
"She's a lot better." Mary Anne didn't choose to elaborate, and Cary didn't push her. Instead, he laid his hand over hers. "Are they all coming down for the SHS shindig?" he asked after a moment.
His wife's face brightened slightly, though he could detect a slight sheen of tears in the corners of her eyes. "Far as I know, yes," she said. "Maybe we could have a BSC reunion party or something."
"Good, lord, as Claudia used to say. The BSC together again? I don't think that I can handle that." Cary made a mock-serious face and leaned in to kiss her, but Mary Anne pushed him away, impatiently.
"Are you kidding? It's a fantastic idea!" Mary Anne leaped to her feet, rifling through the 'junk drawer' for her address book. "I'll call everyone. We can even meet in Claudia's old house; the Kishis would probably love it. I'll call up Mal and Abby and Shannon and Kristy and...."
Cary looked at her, amused. It was so rare for his normally sweet, sensitive, quiet wife to get so worked up about something, that he immensely enjoyed watching her when she did. "You sound just like Kristy used to."
Mary Anne spun around, the combination of her sudden move and the petiteness of her form, as well as her ponderous belly nearly throwing her off balance. Cary leaped up to steady her, but she was already headed for the phone.
"You can't call anyone at this hour, Mary Anne!" Cary was running after her. "Mary Anne?"
***Claudia Kishi****
"Mrs. Kendall! Mrs. Kendall!"
Claudia Lynn Kendall rushed through the crowd of reporters, struggling to keep her head buried in the high collar of her Carmen Sandiego style trenchcoat, though the weather outside was warm. She immediately jumped into the waiting black Jaguar on the corner. "Drive!" she gasped, then turned and gave a furious look to the man sitting next to her in the backseat.
"Todd Christopher Kendall!" she said, even as he winced at the use of his full name. "WHAT is going on? I came a whole day later than you so I wouldn't have to be hounded by those damned reporters!"
"Sweetie..." He looked at her mournfully. "you know they always find out, somehow. I'm sorry. I really am."
Claudia glared at him, folding her arms over her chest.
"C'mon...you're not going to stay mad, are you? I took the day off shooting so I could meet you at the airport." he leaned closer and began to rub her neck and shoulders with warm, gentle fingers. "Now, how was France?"
"Every bit as beautiful as I expected." With a sigh, Claudia sat up straighter, looking into her husband's eyes. It was impossible for her to stay mad at him for long. He was just TOO gorgeous- dark green eyes, thick, blonde hair, and a deep dimple in his left cheek that could instantly turn his usually serious expression from that of a deacon to a daredevil. "Where's Jade?"
Todd gave her a secret smile and lifted a huge blanked lying on the seat between them. A large lump was under it, and Todd raised it to reveal a little girl, curled up and sleeping soundly. "She insisted on meeting you."
Claudia smiled, all annoyances forgotten, and lifted the child onto her lap. "Jade?" she said. "Jade, sweetie? Mommy's back."
The girl opened her eyes and blinked them at Claudia, reaching up to hug her with short arms. Claudia squeezed the girl tenderly. She'd been away from her daughter for two months while she was in France preparing a show, and she had been so frightened that the child wouldn't remember her.
She pulled her back and kissed her, looking at her face in satisfaction. Jade was a perfect combination of both her parents- she'd inherited Claudia's smooth, satiny ivory skin, dark hair, and almond-shaped eyes, but inherited her father's super-curly hair texture, thick lashes, and the vivid eye color that was the reason for her name, as well as his famous dimple.
Jade snuggled back to sleep, and Claudia turned to kiss her husband soundly on the lips. He then yawned, resting his curly head on his daughter's side. Amused, Claudia played with his hair, gazing down at the face that had graced so many magazine covers over the past few months. She still couldn't believe that she, Claudia Kishi, was married to a movie star!
It hadn't always been that way, she reflected. She had met Todd after college, while he was still a struggling actor, playing Hamlet as an understudy in a small off-Broadway production of the Shakesphere play. She herself was a struggling artist, teaching classes to seniors on the weekends in order to make a few extra bucks. They began dating, and quickly got serious, eloping and moving into a small studio apartment outside Connecticut.
Todd's big break had come in the form of a complete accident, and his co- starring, scene-stealing role in the romantic comedy "Getting to know you," had launched him to instant stardom. He was offered millions to do everything from toilet paper endorsements to the WWF, and the young couple found themselves in a whirlwind of almost sudden publicity, fame and fortune. And on top of THAT, Claudia became pregnant.
Now, two years, four movies, and one unsuccessful TV show later, Todd and Claudia were living in California with two-year-old Jade, and Todd's career gave Claudia the exposure she needed, making her almost as famous in the artistic world as Todd had become in the entertainment business. Luck had certainly seemed to favor the two, but....Claudia sighed. Sometimes she longed for the days when it was just her and Todd, eating mac and cheese, just hanging out, without the stresses of a public life.....
"Oh my lord, am I going nuts?" Claudia muttered to herself, shaking the thoughts loose with a vengeance. She rearranged her legs and pulled open her tote. "What on earth?" Her cell phone was ringing loudly. She picked it up, pushing her mirrored sunglasses up to her forehead in a single swoop. "Hello?"
"Claudia? Claudia Kishi?"
Claudia was silent. She didn't recognize the feminine voice at the other end at first. And why would some stranger call her by her maiden name? "Um...yeah?"
"Oh, thank goodness!" the person was clearly relieved. "I was hoping you'd be back from Paris. I called Todd's agent and got this number from her- it's Mary Anne, Claudia! Mary Anne Retlin."
"Oh my word...." Claudia shook her shoes off and propped her feet up on the seat. "How ARE you? Haven't heard from you in a while. And wait- Mary Anne RETLIN??"
Mary Anne laughed apologetically. "Yeah. But you're so HARD to get a hold of now."
"True, true. So- what's going on? How is everyone? And most importantly, how the HELL did you get the name Retlin? "
"Well, that depends mostly on you. How's your schedule in the next couple of weeks?"
"Don't know yet. Why, should it be open?"
"Kind of. See, here's the thing...."
If ya like it, please review. If not, flame away. More on the other characters to come!!