Sorry you all about the delay. Things came up and then I just could not seem to get my thoughts on paper. This chapter is a bit short but I wanted to post something. I hope I have broken thru the writer's block.
And and always, I hope you like...
'Mademoiselle Maureen's Baby Boutique'
"Hello, hello" the woman said cheerfully with a French accent.
"Hello" Evelyn smiled at the Frenchwoman as she stepped inside the boutique.
"I am Mademoiselle Maureen. How may I help you?"
"I'm looking for baby things" Evelyn stated the obvious as her eyes scanned the boutique.
"Ah!" Mademoiselle Maureen said, recognizing the uncertainty in Evelyn's gaze. "So this is your first child?"
"Yes" Evelyn smiled.
"And you have no idea where to begin?"
"Yes" Evelyn said in a slightly pitiful voice.
Mademoiselle Maureen laughed as she beckoned Evelyn further into the boutique. Evelyn spent most of the morning in the boutique being advised by Mademoiselle Maureen on what things she needed. Most of the items Evelyn chose where there in the boutique but some things had to be shipped in.
"When your order arrives" Mademoiselle Maureen said as she walked Evelyn to the door. "I will ring you."
"Thank you so much Maureen" Evelyn said gratefully.
"I'm always happy to help" Mademoiselle Maureen smiled warmly. "Especially new mothers."
When Evelyn opened the door, Rick was outside waiting in the car. She smiled when she saw him then turned back to Mademoiselle Maureen.
"Thank you again Maureen."
"You're welcome Evelyn."
When Rick saw Evelyn coming out of the boutique, he got out of the car.
"You spent all morning here and didn't buy anything?" Rick asked as walked up to his empty handed wife.
"Maureen, the owner, has to order some things and when they arrived, she is going to ring me. Oh Rick" Evelyn said in an excited voice as they walked toward the car. "I can't wait for you to see the things I picked out for the baby" she said as he opened the car door. "Everything is just so precious" she continued once he got in the car. "And so tiny. It's hard to believe that I was once that small. That YOU" she laughed as she turned her head and looked at him. "Were that small."
Evelyn cheerfully chatted all the way to the museum about the adorable baby items. Rick lovingly listened, though he did not understand her utter excitement about a bunch of baby things.
It had taken a month but Mademoiselle Maureen finally rang Evelyn with news that her order was ready. Evelyn was as excited as a child on Christmas Eve and she could hardly wait until the next day to pick up the order. The next morning Rick had to get down to the docks, so Jonathan drove Evelyn to pick up the order.
"My god Evy! How much did you buy?" Jonathan asked when they walked into the boutique and he saw Evelyn's order piled up next to the door.
Evelyn ignored her brother as she walked over to Mademoiselle Maureen.
"Thank you some much for all your help" Evelyn said to Mademoiselle Maureen as she pulled out the pounds to pay her.
"It was my pleasure" Mademoiselle Maureen smiled.
Evelyn and Maureen chatted while Jonathan loaded the car. Once he was done, the women said their good-byes and Jonathan drove Evelyn and her order back home. When they got home, Jonathan and Evelyn unloaded the car and placed the baby things in the sitting room. Evelyn wanted to wait for Rick to come home before opening the packages.
Jonathan drove Evelyn back into town to the museum. When it neared lunchtime, she rang Rick at his dock office. Mr. Burgess informed Evelyn that Rick was not in the office and he did not know where he had gone. After she ended her short conversation with Mr. Burgess she went looking for Hamid.
"Hamid" Evelyn said when she found him. "Would you mind terribly giving me a ride the café? I am starving and I can't get a hold of my husband."
"Oh I do not mind Evelyn" Hamid said. "I too am hungry."
After sharing lunch at the café, Hamid drove Evelyn to the docks.
"I'll only be a moment Hamid" Evelyn said as she got out of the car.
"Hello Mr. Burgess" Evelyn said when she walked into the office. "Is my husband around?"
"Afternoon Mrs. O'Connell" Mr. Burgess smiled. "He hasn't come back yet."
"Do you know where he went?"
"No ma'am I don't."
"OK then" Evelyn said, a little disappointed. "I brought this sandwich for him. I'll just leave it on his desk."
Evelyn walked over to Rick's desk and set the bag down. Her eyes scanned the desk and she took noticed of his barely legible scribble that was scrawled on a piece of parchment.
'Adara 12:00'
Adara? Who was this Adara?
Evelyn frowned as she continued to stare at the note.
Adara? 12:00?
It was near noon when she had called looking for Rick. Had he left to go see this Adara? Who was this Adara? It was now just past 1:00. Was he now with this Adara? Who was this Adara?
Adara? Who was this Adara?
"Good day Mr. Burgess" Evelyn said absentmindedly as she walked out of the office.
Evelyn was silent as she and Hamid rode back to the museum. Her thoughts began to torment her and for the rest of the afternoon, she could barely concentrate on work.
Where is Rick?
Who is this Adara?
Is he with her?
Is she pretty?
Is she slim?
Why wasn't Rick at the docks? He should be at the docks.
Had she become unattractive to him because her midsection was expanding?
Was he being unfaithful to her at this very moment?
Why was she thinking like this? He loved her. She knew it!
Who is this Adara?
Where was Rick at 12:00? Where was he at 1:00?
Was he with her? Was he with this Adara?
Evelyn berated herself for thinking the worst. She trusted Rick but those nagging thoughts continued to come.
What if...
No! Evelyn shook herself mentally. She loved Rick. She trusted Rick. And she would believe the best about him. No matter what.
'But where was he?' a small voice kept asking. 'Where was he?'
And and always, I hope you like...
'Mademoiselle Maureen's Baby Boutique'
"Hello, hello" the woman said cheerfully with a French accent.
"Hello" Evelyn smiled at the Frenchwoman as she stepped inside the boutique.
"I am Mademoiselle Maureen. How may I help you?"
"I'm looking for baby things" Evelyn stated the obvious as her eyes scanned the boutique.
"Ah!" Mademoiselle Maureen said, recognizing the uncertainty in Evelyn's gaze. "So this is your first child?"
"Yes" Evelyn smiled.
"And you have no idea where to begin?"
"Yes" Evelyn said in a slightly pitiful voice.
Mademoiselle Maureen laughed as she beckoned Evelyn further into the boutique. Evelyn spent most of the morning in the boutique being advised by Mademoiselle Maureen on what things she needed. Most of the items Evelyn chose where there in the boutique but some things had to be shipped in.
"When your order arrives" Mademoiselle Maureen said as she walked Evelyn to the door. "I will ring you."
"Thank you so much Maureen" Evelyn said gratefully.
"I'm always happy to help" Mademoiselle Maureen smiled warmly. "Especially new mothers."
When Evelyn opened the door, Rick was outside waiting in the car. She smiled when she saw him then turned back to Mademoiselle Maureen.
"Thank you again Maureen."
"You're welcome Evelyn."
When Rick saw Evelyn coming out of the boutique, he got out of the car.
"You spent all morning here and didn't buy anything?" Rick asked as walked up to his empty handed wife.
"Maureen, the owner, has to order some things and when they arrived, she is going to ring me. Oh Rick" Evelyn said in an excited voice as they walked toward the car. "I can't wait for you to see the things I picked out for the baby" she said as he opened the car door. "Everything is just so precious" she continued once he got in the car. "And so tiny. It's hard to believe that I was once that small. That YOU" she laughed as she turned her head and looked at him. "Were that small."
Evelyn cheerfully chatted all the way to the museum about the adorable baby items. Rick lovingly listened, though he did not understand her utter excitement about a bunch of baby things.
It had taken a month but Mademoiselle Maureen finally rang Evelyn with news that her order was ready. Evelyn was as excited as a child on Christmas Eve and she could hardly wait until the next day to pick up the order. The next morning Rick had to get down to the docks, so Jonathan drove Evelyn to pick up the order.
"My god Evy! How much did you buy?" Jonathan asked when they walked into the boutique and he saw Evelyn's order piled up next to the door.
Evelyn ignored her brother as she walked over to Mademoiselle Maureen.
"Thank you some much for all your help" Evelyn said to Mademoiselle Maureen as she pulled out the pounds to pay her.
"It was my pleasure" Mademoiselle Maureen smiled.
Evelyn and Maureen chatted while Jonathan loaded the car. Once he was done, the women said their good-byes and Jonathan drove Evelyn and her order back home. When they got home, Jonathan and Evelyn unloaded the car and placed the baby things in the sitting room. Evelyn wanted to wait for Rick to come home before opening the packages.
Jonathan drove Evelyn back into town to the museum. When it neared lunchtime, she rang Rick at his dock office. Mr. Burgess informed Evelyn that Rick was not in the office and he did not know where he had gone. After she ended her short conversation with Mr. Burgess she went looking for Hamid.
"Hamid" Evelyn said when she found him. "Would you mind terribly giving me a ride the café? I am starving and I can't get a hold of my husband."
"Oh I do not mind Evelyn" Hamid said. "I too am hungry."
After sharing lunch at the café, Hamid drove Evelyn to the docks.
"I'll only be a moment Hamid" Evelyn said as she got out of the car.
"Hello Mr. Burgess" Evelyn said when she walked into the office. "Is my husband around?"
"Afternoon Mrs. O'Connell" Mr. Burgess smiled. "He hasn't come back yet."
"Do you know where he went?"
"No ma'am I don't."
"OK then" Evelyn said, a little disappointed. "I brought this sandwich for him. I'll just leave it on his desk."
Evelyn walked over to Rick's desk and set the bag down. Her eyes scanned the desk and she took noticed of his barely legible scribble that was scrawled on a piece of parchment.
'Adara 12:00'
Adara? Who was this Adara?
Evelyn frowned as she continued to stare at the note.
Adara? 12:00?
It was near noon when she had called looking for Rick. Had he left to go see this Adara? Who was this Adara? It was now just past 1:00. Was he now with this Adara? Who was this Adara?
Adara? Who was this Adara?
"Good day Mr. Burgess" Evelyn said absentmindedly as she walked out of the office.
Evelyn was silent as she and Hamid rode back to the museum. Her thoughts began to torment her and for the rest of the afternoon, she could barely concentrate on work.
Where is Rick?
Who is this Adara?
Is he with her?
Is she pretty?
Is she slim?
Why wasn't Rick at the docks? He should be at the docks.
Had she become unattractive to him because her midsection was expanding?
Was he being unfaithful to her at this very moment?
Why was she thinking like this? He loved her. She knew it!
Who is this Adara?
Where was Rick at 12:00? Where was he at 1:00?
Was he with her? Was he with this Adara?
Evelyn berated herself for thinking the worst. She trusted Rick but those nagging thoughts continued to come.
What if...
No! Evelyn shook herself mentally. She loved Rick. She trusted Rick. And she would believe the best about him. No matter what.
'But where was he?' a small voice kept asking. 'Where was he?'