TITLE: "Matchmaker Lane" (chapter 2)
AUTHOR: Dream Catcher
DISCLAIMER: Everyone knows I don't Sailor Moon, so I don't know why I bother with this.
A.N.: Here is the next chapter of "Matchmaker Lane." I hope you enjoy it! I am soooo sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. It's not my forte. Please review. I love them. And if you have time and haven't already read it, check out my other story "Love through Pain and Sorrow."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This country has more problems than it should tolerate
And more solutions than it uses.
-Ralph Nader
(consumer rights advocate)
Chapter 2
The next morning Serena awoke to the rising sun again. Only this time, it was of her on accord, and she had slept in a bed instead of on the floor. She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee, this time with lots of cream and sugar.
After having herself a sip or two she began to make herself a nice Southern breakfast consisting of beacon, eggs, and grits. Once she had finished eating she decided she could start to unpack the rest of her belongings.
At two o'clock, she flopped down on her bed and gave an exhausted sigh. She was finished and was now officially moved in. Now, she could invite her parents over and show them how well she was doing. She had graduated from college a few months ago and hoped to find a job as a secretary until she could raise enough money to open a dental practice somewhere. But until then, she had to cope with what she could find.
She rolled off the bed and headed to the kitchen. She had yet to look at the newspaper she bought the previous day. Before she could enter the kitchen, her doorbell rang. Opening the door, she discovered Raye had decided to pay her a visit.
"Hello, Raye," Serena said while letting Raye come in.
"Hi. They girls and I were going to the movies so we could get away from our husbands for a while. We were wondering if you would like to come with us. Afterwards we were thinking of going to the mall. Do you want to come?"
"Sure let me get my purse and fix up my appearance a little. Will I be riding with you or will I be taking my car?"
"We're going in my van. Your place looks great."
"Thanks, I finished today," Serena called from her bedroom. Serena walked out dressed in kaki shorts and a baby-blue tank top. Her long hair was redone in a half ponytail. She grabbed her purse and locked her front door before fallowing Raye to her house where the other girls were waiting in her van.
On the way to the theater the girls chatted casually about their families and jobs. Serena listened intently as Amy spoke of her job at Messenger Hospital and of how it was there she met her husband of two years, Greg.
Lita spoke of her restaurant, Oasis, where she was head chef. From what Serena had tasted of Lita's cooking (the cookies she had brought over for her), she had talent. And, Serena was a huge fan of anything editable. Lita also spoke of her husband Ken, an accountant.
Raye was a stay-at-home mom who took care of her two-year-old twins, Phoebe and Damian. Her husband Chad was, from what Serena heard, high up the corporate ladder of a city bank and was able to support his family.
Mina owned her own a thriving beauty salon called Love and Beauty. She and her husband Andrew, a lawyer, had been married for almost a year now and were hoping to have children soon.
All the talk about families made Serena wish she would find her soul mate. She had always believed in soul mates, but thought not everyone found theirs. Whether the reason was because one died before meeting their other half, or miles separated them.
So, instead of talking about a husband and children, Serena talked about her mother, father, little brother, and of her hometown in Tennessee. She told them of her brother's approaching wedding in the fall, and of how she was planning to invite them over for a visit to see her new place.
When they finally reached the theater and bought their tickets, all of them were ready to watch the latest James Bond movie. All of them unanimously agreed that Pierce Brosnan played the best James Bond.
As the girls were looking for seats, Serena never noticed that the other girls were not only looking for five empty seats beside each other, but also one with a single guy near by. And when they did find some seats, the girls strategically placed Serena by a very handsome single guy. Or so they thought until a woman with a bag of popcorn squeezed through the small space in front of them and sat down on the other side of the man, who immediately placed his arms around the woman's shoulders. The movie started, so Serena never saw the look of disappointment in her friends' eyes.
As the movie went on, Serena wondered how a man like James Bond was able to get that many women. It was almost as if getting into his bed was like winning the Nobel Prize. They went freely. Must be movie magic, Serena thought, no one can be that irresistible.
Darien had come back to the office after a lunch brake, relaxed and ready to work. Before heading into his office, he checked with his secretary of three years, Angela, to see if he had received any messages while he was gone.
"You received one call from your friend Andrew, saying for you to call him at his office when you got in. Other than that, it's been peaceful, Mr. Shields."
"Thank you, Angela." Darien then turned towards his office. But before he made it his secretary called out to him.
"I'm going to be out of town a few days next week. I hope you don't mind."
Darien turned to look at his secretary and saw the smile on her face; his suspicions were confirmed. He then returned the smile before asking, "You're sister is having another hysterectomy?" When her smile brightened and she nodded, he inquired, "I guess Rob didn't work out? Too, bad I thought you had found the one from the way you talked about him."
"I did too," she said.
"Oh well," he continued. "I'll see you when you get back, but I don't know what I'll do without you while you're gone. I guess I will have to tough it out for a few days." He smiled once more and entered his office.
Angela looked at her boss's closed door, a smile still tugging at her lips. It had become a private joke between her, her family and Mr. Shields that whenever she decided she had had enough of a man she had been dating for and extensive period, she would claim, "My sister's having a hysterectomy, and I will been out of town for a few days." Of course, if the lie had been true, then her sister would have had about eight hysterectomies by now; of course, there was no telling how many more guys she would tell the story to.
She would then go on a short vacation or visit family, and while she was gone she would come up with a way to calmly dump the man she didn't deem worthy of her. And maybe check out any guys she met.
She was so lucky to have found such a nice boss that gave her three weeks vacation a year. There was no telling how many guys in a year she went out with, but most of them didn't qualify to the hysterectomy story.
Her thoughts returned to her boss. He is such a nice man, she thought, too bad he isn't a couple years older. Otherwise, she thought, my sister might be permanently sterile. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why her boss never dated. After all, she wasn't blind to the looks the younger secretaries gave her boss. Heck, she's even taken a few glances herself in the past. Someday he'll find a nice girl, and when he does, I better be invited to the wedding.
Darien entered his office, threw his blazer over the back of his chair, and flopped down in front of his computer. Before he got to work, though, he decided it would be best to call Andrew, his best friend since law school.
"Hey, Andrew, why did you call?"
"I just felt like talking to my best buddy. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Why, yes, there is. When you call, it is because you usually want something."
"Well today is different. My call is a sort of warning for when you come to visit next month for Raye's birthday. We have gotten a new neighbor, and the girls are at it again."
"So, another victim perishes to Matchmaker Lane. Who is it this time?" Matchmaker Lane is the nickname Darien and Andrew dubbed Andrew's neighborhood. Poor Andrew was a victim two years ago when Darien invited Andrew to come with him to visit his sister Raye. Raye, Amy and Lita had pounced on Andrew like wild dogs, trying to set him up with their new single neighbor, Mina. A year later Darien was the best man at Andrew and Mina's wedding.
"From Mina's ranting about the new neighbor, I was able to figure out that she is twenty-five and her name is Serena. Apparently the girls decided to get off work early to take Serena to a movie- the poor girl. I haven't met her yet, but it's only a matter of time before Mina invites this Serena girl over for dinner and just happens forgets to tell Serena a single guy friend of hers is coming over too."
"Some things never change, Andrew."
"Darien, I'm warning you. I think you're going to be one of the candidates for this Serena person."
"What makes you so sure they will try to set me up with her? They have never tried before."
"That's because, Darien, you are never in town when these single ladies are still single. The only time you were in town during one of their little schemes, you brought me. And guess who they thought would be a better match."
"But, you were the better choice, and besides, when Raye would start calling to tell me about her 'single neighbor', or 'her pretty unhitched neighbor', I knew to make an excuse why I couldn't visit."
"Well, Dare, you can't make an excuse this time, can you? It's your sister's birthday in a month, and you know she won't let you weasel you way out of coming this time, even if she has to go to New York and drag you here by your ear. She'll do it, too."
"The bad thing about what you're saying is that I know you're right. I just hope the case I'm working on right now will be finished; or else, Raye will come in the court and then proceed to drag me out by my ear."
"Yeah, and that won't be very good for the judgeship you're rumored to be getting. I can see the headlines now 'Darien Shields Loses Judgeship after Sister Gives Him an Earful.'" Darien could hear the laughter in his friend's voice and was surprised to find he was smiling at Andrew's small joke.
"Yes, that would ruin my chances of becoming a judge. Well, I hate to say goodbye, but I need to get back to work. See you in a month."
"Yeah, bye."
After Darien hung up, he immediately went back to work, trying to complete what he wasn't able to finish the night before.
As the girls' eyes adjusted to the bright sun outside the movie theater, they couldn't help but laugh at Raye's impression of the latest Bond Girl.
"You have to admit that it was a pretty good movie. I just wish we saw Never Been Kissed (A.N. A gatta see movie)."
"I agree with you, Mina. I would have rather seen a romantic movie. Why did we go see James Bond anyway?" asked Serena.
The girls didn't answer for a while. They didn't want to tell her it was because there was a less likely chance of finding a single guy at a woman's movie. Well, at least a straight guy.
"Lita has a huge crush on Pierce Brosnan." Amy supplied. Serena laughed and never noticed the death look Lita gave Amy, clearly stating she did not like the mentioned actor.
"Hey let's go to the mall. Andrew and I will be married a year in three weeks, and I want to have some new lingerie." Mina giggled in hopes to advert Lita's attention from the poor Amy.
It worked as soon as Lita heard the word mall. Even Amy perked up at the idea, but she was even happier to not be at the end of Lita's death glare anymore. So, they unanimously agreed that the mall would be their next stop.
Two hours and ten stores later, the girls were still at the mall. It was a busy day and shoppers were bustling about. Teenagers crowded the food court, elderly couples sat on benches for a rest, and Serena and the girls could be found sitting by the wishing fountain inside the mall.
"Look at that one; he's hot." Lita admired the blond that just passed by.
"Look at that one," pointed Mina.
"You are supposed to be married. Serena is the only one who should be aloud to make comments like that," scolded Amy.
"Amy, we can look but not touch. Besides we're scoping them out for Serena." Mina and Lita nodded in agreement with Raye, while Serena rolled her eyes.
"Be serious. None of the guys here are my type," said Serena.
"And just how do you know if they're your type or not?" questioned Lita.
"I just do."
"Well what do you look for in a guy?" asked Mina.
"Well, he has to be tall, strong arms, but not bulky mussels. He has to be romantic, kind, fanny but knows when to be serious, and just plain cute."
"What hair color do you like on a guy?"
"I go for blonds, but I'd like to have a guy with dark hair."
"Sounds perfect, but so is Andrew," giggled Mina.
Each of the girls had a different guy in mind once they heard Serena's dream guy, but for some reason no one thought of Raye's single brother Darien.
"Oh, look at that one's butt," Lita said, her attention back on the passing men.
TO BE CONTINUED
A.N. Hoped you liked it. And if you did, you can tell me just how much in a review. ^_^
AUTHOR: Dream Catcher
DISCLAIMER: Everyone knows I don't Sailor Moon, so I don't know why I bother with this.
A.N.: Here is the next chapter of "Matchmaker Lane." I hope you enjoy it! I am soooo sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. It's not my forte. Please review. I love them. And if you have time and haven't already read it, check out my other story "Love through Pain and Sorrow."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This country has more problems than it should tolerate
And more solutions than it uses.
-Ralph Nader
(consumer rights advocate)
Chapter 2
The next morning Serena awoke to the rising sun again. Only this time, it was of her on accord, and she had slept in a bed instead of on the floor. She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee, this time with lots of cream and sugar.
After having herself a sip or two she began to make herself a nice Southern breakfast consisting of beacon, eggs, and grits. Once she had finished eating she decided she could start to unpack the rest of her belongings.
At two o'clock, she flopped down on her bed and gave an exhausted sigh. She was finished and was now officially moved in. Now, she could invite her parents over and show them how well she was doing. She had graduated from college a few months ago and hoped to find a job as a secretary until she could raise enough money to open a dental practice somewhere. But until then, she had to cope with what she could find.
She rolled off the bed and headed to the kitchen. She had yet to look at the newspaper she bought the previous day. Before she could enter the kitchen, her doorbell rang. Opening the door, she discovered Raye had decided to pay her a visit.
"Hello, Raye," Serena said while letting Raye come in.
"Hi. They girls and I were going to the movies so we could get away from our husbands for a while. We were wondering if you would like to come with us. Afterwards we were thinking of going to the mall. Do you want to come?"
"Sure let me get my purse and fix up my appearance a little. Will I be riding with you or will I be taking my car?"
"We're going in my van. Your place looks great."
"Thanks, I finished today," Serena called from her bedroom. Serena walked out dressed in kaki shorts and a baby-blue tank top. Her long hair was redone in a half ponytail. She grabbed her purse and locked her front door before fallowing Raye to her house where the other girls were waiting in her van.
On the way to the theater the girls chatted casually about their families and jobs. Serena listened intently as Amy spoke of her job at Messenger Hospital and of how it was there she met her husband of two years, Greg.
Lita spoke of her restaurant, Oasis, where she was head chef. From what Serena had tasted of Lita's cooking (the cookies she had brought over for her), she had talent. And, Serena was a huge fan of anything editable. Lita also spoke of her husband Ken, an accountant.
Raye was a stay-at-home mom who took care of her two-year-old twins, Phoebe and Damian. Her husband Chad was, from what Serena heard, high up the corporate ladder of a city bank and was able to support his family.
Mina owned her own a thriving beauty salon called Love and Beauty. She and her husband Andrew, a lawyer, had been married for almost a year now and were hoping to have children soon.
All the talk about families made Serena wish she would find her soul mate. She had always believed in soul mates, but thought not everyone found theirs. Whether the reason was because one died before meeting their other half, or miles separated them.
So, instead of talking about a husband and children, Serena talked about her mother, father, little brother, and of her hometown in Tennessee. She told them of her brother's approaching wedding in the fall, and of how she was planning to invite them over for a visit to see her new place.
When they finally reached the theater and bought their tickets, all of them were ready to watch the latest James Bond movie. All of them unanimously agreed that Pierce Brosnan played the best James Bond.
As the girls were looking for seats, Serena never noticed that the other girls were not only looking for five empty seats beside each other, but also one with a single guy near by. And when they did find some seats, the girls strategically placed Serena by a very handsome single guy. Or so they thought until a woman with a bag of popcorn squeezed through the small space in front of them and sat down on the other side of the man, who immediately placed his arms around the woman's shoulders. The movie started, so Serena never saw the look of disappointment in her friends' eyes.
As the movie went on, Serena wondered how a man like James Bond was able to get that many women. It was almost as if getting into his bed was like winning the Nobel Prize. They went freely. Must be movie magic, Serena thought, no one can be that irresistible.
Darien had come back to the office after a lunch brake, relaxed and ready to work. Before heading into his office, he checked with his secretary of three years, Angela, to see if he had received any messages while he was gone.
"You received one call from your friend Andrew, saying for you to call him at his office when you got in. Other than that, it's been peaceful, Mr. Shields."
"Thank you, Angela." Darien then turned towards his office. But before he made it his secretary called out to him.
"I'm going to be out of town a few days next week. I hope you don't mind."
Darien turned to look at his secretary and saw the smile on her face; his suspicions were confirmed. He then returned the smile before asking, "You're sister is having another hysterectomy?" When her smile brightened and she nodded, he inquired, "I guess Rob didn't work out? Too, bad I thought you had found the one from the way you talked about him."
"I did too," she said.
"Oh well," he continued. "I'll see you when you get back, but I don't know what I'll do without you while you're gone. I guess I will have to tough it out for a few days." He smiled once more and entered his office.
Angela looked at her boss's closed door, a smile still tugging at her lips. It had become a private joke between her, her family and Mr. Shields that whenever she decided she had had enough of a man she had been dating for and extensive period, she would claim, "My sister's having a hysterectomy, and I will been out of town for a few days." Of course, if the lie had been true, then her sister would have had about eight hysterectomies by now; of course, there was no telling how many more guys she would tell the story to.
She would then go on a short vacation or visit family, and while she was gone she would come up with a way to calmly dump the man she didn't deem worthy of her. And maybe check out any guys she met.
She was so lucky to have found such a nice boss that gave her three weeks vacation a year. There was no telling how many guys in a year she went out with, but most of them didn't qualify to the hysterectomy story.
Her thoughts returned to her boss. He is such a nice man, she thought, too bad he isn't a couple years older. Otherwise, she thought, my sister might be permanently sterile. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why her boss never dated. After all, she wasn't blind to the looks the younger secretaries gave her boss. Heck, she's even taken a few glances herself in the past. Someday he'll find a nice girl, and when he does, I better be invited to the wedding.
Darien entered his office, threw his blazer over the back of his chair, and flopped down in front of his computer. Before he got to work, though, he decided it would be best to call Andrew, his best friend since law school.
"Hey, Andrew, why did you call?"
"I just felt like talking to my best buddy. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Why, yes, there is. When you call, it is because you usually want something."
"Well today is different. My call is a sort of warning for when you come to visit next month for Raye's birthday. We have gotten a new neighbor, and the girls are at it again."
"So, another victim perishes to Matchmaker Lane. Who is it this time?" Matchmaker Lane is the nickname Darien and Andrew dubbed Andrew's neighborhood. Poor Andrew was a victim two years ago when Darien invited Andrew to come with him to visit his sister Raye. Raye, Amy and Lita had pounced on Andrew like wild dogs, trying to set him up with their new single neighbor, Mina. A year later Darien was the best man at Andrew and Mina's wedding.
"From Mina's ranting about the new neighbor, I was able to figure out that she is twenty-five and her name is Serena. Apparently the girls decided to get off work early to take Serena to a movie- the poor girl. I haven't met her yet, but it's only a matter of time before Mina invites this Serena girl over for dinner and just happens forgets to tell Serena a single guy friend of hers is coming over too."
"Some things never change, Andrew."
"Darien, I'm warning you. I think you're going to be one of the candidates for this Serena person."
"What makes you so sure they will try to set me up with her? They have never tried before."
"That's because, Darien, you are never in town when these single ladies are still single. The only time you were in town during one of their little schemes, you brought me. And guess who they thought would be a better match."
"But, you were the better choice, and besides, when Raye would start calling to tell me about her 'single neighbor', or 'her pretty unhitched neighbor', I knew to make an excuse why I couldn't visit."
"Well, Dare, you can't make an excuse this time, can you? It's your sister's birthday in a month, and you know she won't let you weasel you way out of coming this time, even if she has to go to New York and drag you here by your ear. She'll do it, too."
"The bad thing about what you're saying is that I know you're right. I just hope the case I'm working on right now will be finished; or else, Raye will come in the court and then proceed to drag me out by my ear."
"Yeah, and that won't be very good for the judgeship you're rumored to be getting. I can see the headlines now 'Darien Shields Loses Judgeship after Sister Gives Him an Earful.'" Darien could hear the laughter in his friend's voice and was surprised to find he was smiling at Andrew's small joke.
"Yes, that would ruin my chances of becoming a judge. Well, I hate to say goodbye, but I need to get back to work. See you in a month."
"Yeah, bye."
After Darien hung up, he immediately went back to work, trying to complete what he wasn't able to finish the night before.
As the girls' eyes adjusted to the bright sun outside the movie theater, they couldn't help but laugh at Raye's impression of the latest Bond Girl.
"You have to admit that it was a pretty good movie. I just wish we saw Never Been Kissed (A.N. A gatta see movie)."
"I agree with you, Mina. I would have rather seen a romantic movie. Why did we go see James Bond anyway?" asked Serena.
The girls didn't answer for a while. They didn't want to tell her it was because there was a less likely chance of finding a single guy at a woman's movie. Well, at least a straight guy.
"Lita has a huge crush on Pierce Brosnan." Amy supplied. Serena laughed and never noticed the death look Lita gave Amy, clearly stating she did not like the mentioned actor.
"Hey let's go to the mall. Andrew and I will be married a year in three weeks, and I want to have some new lingerie." Mina giggled in hopes to advert Lita's attention from the poor Amy.
It worked as soon as Lita heard the word mall. Even Amy perked up at the idea, but she was even happier to not be at the end of Lita's death glare anymore. So, they unanimously agreed that the mall would be their next stop.
Two hours and ten stores later, the girls were still at the mall. It was a busy day and shoppers were bustling about. Teenagers crowded the food court, elderly couples sat on benches for a rest, and Serena and the girls could be found sitting by the wishing fountain inside the mall.
"Look at that one; he's hot." Lita admired the blond that just passed by.
"Look at that one," pointed Mina.
"You are supposed to be married. Serena is the only one who should be aloud to make comments like that," scolded Amy.
"Amy, we can look but not touch. Besides we're scoping them out for Serena." Mina and Lita nodded in agreement with Raye, while Serena rolled her eyes.
"Be serious. None of the guys here are my type," said Serena.
"And just how do you know if they're your type or not?" questioned Lita.
"I just do."
"Well what do you look for in a guy?" asked Mina.
"Well, he has to be tall, strong arms, but not bulky mussels. He has to be romantic, kind, fanny but knows when to be serious, and just plain cute."
"What hair color do you like on a guy?"
"I go for blonds, but I'd like to have a guy with dark hair."
"Sounds perfect, but so is Andrew," giggled Mina.
Each of the girls had a different guy in mind once they heard Serena's dream guy, but for some reason no one thought of Raye's single brother Darien.
"Oh, look at that one's butt," Lita said, her attention back on the passing men.
TO BE CONTINUED
A.N. Hoped you liked it. And if you did, you can tell me just how much in a review. ^_^