Jersey Princess, Lizzie was previously married but her husband was killed in an accident. I haven't gone much into his character because it's not necessary, at least not at this point in this ever growing story.
Speaking of ever growing! I can't believe how long this is getting! Everyone, you'll have to let me know if it's getting overly boring or when the chapters aren't quite up to standards.
As always, thanks for the great reviews. And please, read and review.
'Not pregnant.' Lizzie slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. Suddenly, she felt the prickle of tears sting her eyes. She sniffled deeply as she looked up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure why she was crying. Was she relieved that she wasn't going to have a baby, or was that deep, rock- like feeling in the bottom of her stomach disappointment. Lizzie shook her head as she dabbed gently at her eyes with a wad of toilet paper. Whichever the feeling was, she didn't time to dwell upon. The answer was incredibly clear, and she had an article she had to finish before tomorrow afternoon.
Lizzie stepped through the dark frame of the house. Her day at work had been filled with meetings and revisions, and more meetings. She was over exhausted from lack of sleep the night before and was craving a fruit smoothie to energize her tired body.
She noticed instantly that the house was quiet, unusually quiet. The smell of dinner didn't rush to greet her as it typically did either. Perplexed, Lizzie stepped forward into the kitchen. Everything was clean and in its place. She hung her purse over a chair and continued forward into the living room.
Miranda was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked neatly beneath her, a magazine spread across her lap, Tori laid on her stomach on the floor, a coloring book open before her, a mess of crayons at her fingertips.
Lizzie gently cleared her throat, immediately catching the attention of both Tori and Miranda. Tori locked gazes with Lizzie before turning her attention back to the coloring book. Miranda instead stood up and pulled her friend into the kitchen.
"Should I be worried that my daughter doesn't even tell me hello?" Lizzie asked.
"No, because she's been in trouble," Miranda stated.
Lizzie arched her eyebrows. "Trouble?"
"For an average child, no, not really trouble, but for Tori and how sweet she usually is, yes trouble. I told her she wasn't going to watch television for the rest of the day."
"What did she do?" Lizzie asked, peering into the living room.
"She just didn't seem like herself today. Very argumentative, she didn't want to pick up her toys, she made messes when she ate. I tired talking to, and I didn't have the heart to put her in the corner, so I told her that if she didn't start picking up her toys, or quit making messes, that she wasn't going to watch TV until you got home," Miranda explained, crossing her arms.
Lizzie looked back at her friend, her eyes quickly scanning her face. "Why did you take television privileges away? Tori hardly watches TV."
"I know. I couldn't really punish her for something that nearly ever other child does several times daily. It's just so unusual for Tori."
Lizzie nodded in agreement. Tori was very typically a wonderful child, and that wasn't speaking from motherly pride. "I'll talk to her tonight," Lizzie stated.
Miranda glanced in the living room, then leaned towards Lizzie. "Anything you want to talk to me about?"
Lizzie quickly tried to recall if she'd forgotten an important fact to tell her friend, but finally shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Lizzie, you're my best friend right?"
"Of course."
"And you know you can tell me anything right?"
"Yes."
"Then..."
Lizzie stared blankly at her until she finally let out a small laugh. "What are you hinting at because I have no idea!"
"I took out the trash in the bathroom for you this morning, and I found the box."
"The box?" Lizzie echoed. "The box? Oh! The box!"
Miranda nodded slowly. "What was the result?"
"No," Lizzie stated.
Miranda studied her friend for a moment. "Is that a good thing?"
A smile stretched across Lizzie's pink lips. "Well, yes. I mean, I just got back to work and with everything that's been going on. Yeah. It's a good thing."
Miranda nodded again. "Okay. If you say so. Well, I made a salad, it's in the refrigerator, I'm going to head on home. Call me if you need anything."
"I will," Lizzie nodded.
She walked Miranda to the door then turned towards the living room. She walked softly in and leaned against the wall watching the small fingers grip the blue crayon as it slid across the paper. She made her way over and dropped to her knees in front of her daughter.
"Hey Beautiful," she stated softly.
Tori looked up but said nothing.
Lizzie reached out and gently pulled her daughter onto her lap. "All right, Baby. I think we need to talk."
Tori said nothing, but let the crayon drop from her hand and turned her eyes up to look at Lizzie."
"Okay. I'll talk first then you. Now, something has been bothering you, Mommy knows. But Mommy can't help it if you don't tell Mommy what it is. I love you," she emphasized this with a kiss on Tori's soft hair. "And I don't want you to be unhappy. Why didn't you want to help Miranda today?" Tori was quiet as she stared down at her hands. Lizzie sighed and rested her chin on her daughter's head. "We can sit here all night, Toots."
"You don't have fun anymore," Tori finally stated.
"What?" Lizzie asked, leaning around to see her daughter's face. "I have lots of fun. I have fun whenever I'm with you, I have fun when I'm writing for work—"
"You don't have fun with Randa or Gordo no more," Tori stated softly, reaching for her crayon. She pulled away until she could lay on her stomach once again and began to color the page.
Lizzie pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She knew that things had been different, but she hadn't realized how different. She'd had no idea that her feelings were showing through to Tori.
She heard the click of the door and footsteps pound up the stairs. Lizzie bit down hard on her lip as she looked at Tori, then up the empty stairwell. She mad the decision that things would change. As she wiped her hands on her pants as she stood up, she decided that there was no better time to initiate change than now.
Speaking of ever growing! I can't believe how long this is getting! Everyone, you'll have to let me know if it's getting overly boring or when the chapters aren't quite up to standards.
As always, thanks for the great reviews. And please, read and review.
'Not pregnant.' Lizzie slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. Suddenly, she felt the prickle of tears sting her eyes. She sniffled deeply as she looked up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure why she was crying. Was she relieved that she wasn't going to have a baby, or was that deep, rock- like feeling in the bottom of her stomach disappointment. Lizzie shook her head as she dabbed gently at her eyes with a wad of toilet paper. Whichever the feeling was, she didn't time to dwell upon. The answer was incredibly clear, and she had an article she had to finish before tomorrow afternoon.
Lizzie stepped through the dark frame of the house. Her day at work had been filled with meetings and revisions, and more meetings. She was over exhausted from lack of sleep the night before and was craving a fruit smoothie to energize her tired body.
She noticed instantly that the house was quiet, unusually quiet. The smell of dinner didn't rush to greet her as it typically did either. Perplexed, Lizzie stepped forward into the kitchen. Everything was clean and in its place. She hung her purse over a chair and continued forward into the living room.
Miranda was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked neatly beneath her, a magazine spread across her lap, Tori laid on her stomach on the floor, a coloring book open before her, a mess of crayons at her fingertips.
Lizzie gently cleared her throat, immediately catching the attention of both Tori and Miranda. Tori locked gazes with Lizzie before turning her attention back to the coloring book. Miranda instead stood up and pulled her friend into the kitchen.
"Should I be worried that my daughter doesn't even tell me hello?" Lizzie asked.
"No, because she's been in trouble," Miranda stated.
Lizzie arched her eyebrows. "Trouble?"
"For an average child, no, not really trouble, but for Tori and how sweet she usually is, yes trouble. I told her she wasn't going to watch television for the rest of the day."
"What did she do?" Lizzie asked, peering into the living room.
"She just didn't seem like herself today. Very argumentative, she didn't want to pick up her toys, she made messes when she ate. I tired talking to, and I didn't have the heart to put her in the corner, so I told her that if she didn't start picking up her toys, or quit making messes, that she wasn't going to watch TV until you got home," Miranda explained, crossing her arms.
Lizzie looked back at her friend, her eyes quickly scanning her face. "Why did you take television privileges away? Tori hardly watches TV."
"I know. I couldn't really punish her for something that nearly ever other child does several times daily. It's just so unusual for Tori."
Lizzie nodded in agreement. Tori was very typically a wonderful child, and that wasn't speaking from motherly pride. "I'll talk to her tonight," Lizzie stated.
Miranda glanced in the living room, then leaned towards Lizzie. "Anything you want to talk to me about?"
Lizzie quickly tried to recall if she'd forgotten an important fact to tell her friend, but finally shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Lizzie, you're my best friend right?"
"Of course."
"And you know you can tell me anything right?"
"Yes."
"Then..."
Lizzie stared blankly at her until she finally let out a small laugh. "What are you hinting at because I have no idea!"
"I took out the trash in the bathroom for you this morning, and I found the box."
"The box?" Lizzie echoed. "The box? Oh! The box!"
Miranda nodded slowly. "What was the result?"
"No," Lizzie stated.
Miranda studied her friend for a moment. "Is that a good thing?"
A smile stretched across Lizzie's pink lips. "Well, yes. I mean, I just got back to work and with everything that's been going on. Yeah. It's a good thing."
Miranda nodded again. "Okay. If you say so. Well, I made a salad, it's in the refrigerator, I'm going to head on home. Call me if you need anything."
"I will," Lizzie nodded.
She walked Miranda to the door then turned towards the living room. She walked softly in and leaned against the wall watching the small fingers grip the blue crayon as it slid across the paper. She made her way over and dropped to her knees in front of her daughter.
"Hey Beautiful," she stated softly.
Tori looked up but said nothing.
Lizzie reached out and gently pulled her daughter onto her lap. "All right, Baby. I think we need to talk."
Tori said nothing, but let the crayon drop from her hand and turned her eyes up to look at Lizzie."
"Okay. I'll talk first then you. Now, something has been bothering you, Mommy knows. But Mommy can't help it if you don't tell Mommy what it is. I love you," she emphasized this with a kiss on Tori's soft hair. "And I don't want you to be unhappy. Why didn't you want to help Miranda today?" Tori was quiet as she stared down at her hands. Lizzie sighed and rested her chin on her daughter's head. "We can sit here all night, Toots."
"You don't have fun anymore," Tori finally stated.
"What?" Lizzie asked, leaning around to see her daughter's face. "I have lots of fun. I have fun whenever I'm with you, I have fun when I'm writing for work—"
"You don't have fun with Randa or Gordo no more," Tori stated softly, reaching for her crayon. She pulled away until she could lay on her stomach once again and began to color the page.
Lizzie pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She knew that things had been different, but she hadn't realized how different. She'd had no idea that her feelings were showing through to Tori.
She heard the click of the door and footsteps pound up the stairs. Lizzie bit down hard on her lip as she looked at Tori, then up the empty stairwell. She mad the decision that things would change. As she wiped her hands on her pants as she stood up, she decided that there was no better time to initiate change than now.