This is happening after college! Lol. Thanks for the spelling. I'm an editing nut too but my spellchek didn't catch it and I only re-read it once before I had to go to skool. I fixed all of it, hopefully. Sorry about the "down to the states" thing. I live in Canada so I'm totally used to sayin it like that, eh? The conflict will come! Its starting to hint with the carmen/Lena section but just you wait! Muahhhahahahaha! Ok
Chapter two
Bridget was in Alabama. She was sitting up in the attic. Greta had been happy to let her visit. When Bee had told her the news about the twins, she was so happy that she had baked a cake. However, Bridget still hadn't told her why she had come. Her suspicions and her fears that she might become like her mother had, as she was gradually becoming more and more like Marly in other ways. She had always had the hair, as was her legacy, and she had always been extremely outgoing. But recently she had started becoming closer to herself, and farther away from everybody else. She could still get up early and party around, but occasionally slept in and withdrew from the world. It was troubling her, and she couldn't sleep tonight.
Bridget got dressed in a pair of jogging pants and a tee shirt, because it was still hot at night, especially in Alabama. She tip-toed down the stairs so as not to wake Greta, and made her way out of the house and onto the dirt path. She had taken this road fourteen years ago, every day, to loose weight and gain back the person she had been before she had met Eric. Now she felt the same, although she was eating more and gaining weight for a different reason, Eric was the cause of both though. Now she started running, just like she had then. She ran to forget her worries, to exhaust herself and to loose the normal troubles of her life. She concentrated on keeping a steady pace, it wasn't as easy in her pregnant state and she was loosing her breath faster, still, it felt good. Healthy and natural. She ran through the country, passed fields of wheat and corn and pastures where cows would normally graze during the day. Bridget turned around and ran back after an hour of running/power walking. When she saw a side road that she knew would take her back to her grandmothers' house, she took it. The road was lined with old trees. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to climb one. She attempted to clamber up an oak, then remembered that if she fell, two other beings would get hurt too, not just her.
Walking back down the road at a leisurely pace, Bridget spotted someone in the distance. She had a feeling that she knew them, whoever they were. She ran towards them and slowed as she got nearer.
"Billy?" Bridget saw her old friends' face as he turned around to look at her.
"Umm…ya.? Wait." He paused, "Bridget Vreeland? Is that you? You look different, but the same. It is Bridget right?"
"Yes I am Bridget, Billy. And I am older, and pregnant. That's why I look different. I'm not seventeen anymore. God, I havent seen you in years!" She patted him on the back. "How is every thing? Are you married? Are you a dad?" She drilled him with a smile. It was nice to see someone that knew hardly anything about your life.
"Well, actually, I'm just getting over a sticky divorce, we were fighting over the custody of our eight-year-old daughter, Hailey. I get her during the school year and Shannon gets her during the summer. I'm happy because I will be able to help her with school and my house will basically be her home."
"And you still live here?" Bridget asked bluntly.
"No, I live in Olympia, Washington. I camedown for the summer to visit my parents. How about you?" He looked at her, studyingher features.She could tell he was making a mental note of howshe had changed.Bridget was doing the same to him. His hair had been died black and he was wearing a white tee shirt with gray Capri pants. There were new lines on his forehead and around his blue eyes, but he hadn't changed much since she had seen him last.
"I live near Mexicalli Mexico, With my husband, Eric. But I'm having doubts, about, well, everything. So I came here, to talk with Greta. I'm glad I saw you here though, maybe we could get together and play soccer, for old times sake? Do you still play?" They were both being incredibly open with each other, but why hide anything? They probably wouldn't see each other again for years. Why wait to open up? They only had the summer.
"Very exotic. What do you do there?" He ignored her soccer question.They were quickly approaching Billy's parents' house.
"I write and co-own a consignment store, but mostly we live off the royalties from my soccer guide and Eric's various financial investments he's been adding to since he was twelve. I think I'll get a better paying job though, when the twins are born."They had stopped walking. Hewas suddenly closer thanShe'd anticipated.
"Oh, that's interesting. I work as a geologist in Olympia. I own a house and have a few pretty close friends." Billy was incrediblynear to her now, Bridget could feel his breath on her face as he moved even closer to kiss her. She let him. Maybe he could help her figure out her future. Maybe an affair could help both of them sort out their feelings. They stayed together for several moments, then she broke off.
"I have to get back to Gretas' before she wakes up. See you."she whispered, then ran down the dirt road towardsher grandmothers' house. Breathing hard but not becauseshe was tired.
sorry the dividing lines dont work no matter what I try. bare with me I'll figure something out!
How could it be a boy? Carmen was amazed. This is wonderful! It is ruining all the plans the four ofus had for our futures! Perfect! They had all agreed that they would each have girls, and that they would be best friends, just like they had been before. Carmen had ruined their foursome with her rage, and she knew they resented it. Plus their constant love for her, even when she was screaming at them, was really, really annoying.Also, they had all moved to different parts of the continent. Tibby to L.A, Carmen to New York city. Lena to Rhode island, and Bee to Mexicalli.
Carmen kept thinking bitter thoughts and it helped her keep up her pace on the treadmill she was walking on in the gym. Still, there was that small part of her that still wanted to love her friends. It told her that it wasn't their fault that Win had died. It told her that it wasn't her fault either. Carmen got even angrier hearing this part of her mind. If Win couldn't enjoy his life, then Carmen wasn't going to either. At least not for a very long time. Her friends would continue to be pushed away from her, until they stopped bothering her.
Carmen caught the number seven bus to the coffee shop she liked to go to. It was called the Dancing Bean and she liked it because the servers made what she ordered without question and other people usually left her alone. Today it was almost empty, aside from a few people with their laptops at the tables by the window. She ordered a large Americano and went to sit down on a couch beside the empty fireplace. It was June so it wouldn't be lit for another few months. That was why Carmen liked it. She often stared into it when she needed inspiration about a case. She picked up her coffee to take a sip but was interrupted when a man sat down at a couch across from her.
"Hello!" He said, Carmen glared at him, "I'm Russ, what do they call you? Beauty?"
Unsettled that her glaring wasn't working, she gave him a look that she reserved only when she was mad at her mother as she said, "Most people call me pissed off, or a workaholic, or more recently, surrogate mother to my friends baby. They also call me thirty one, and you cant be any older than Twenty-six. So lay off, I'm not in the mood." Carmen knew she was being unreasonable and bitchy, but she seriously didn't need some happy young guy on her case, she just wanted to drink her coffee in peace.
"Oh come on! I'd kill myself if I didn't even get a beautiful woman like you's name! And I'm Twenty-nine, but thanks for the compliment. I try not to be superficial, plus theirs something special about you, I can tell. So what do you say?" Miraculously, he was still trying, that amused her, but it was the compliment that made her relent.
"I say that my name is Carmen and I wasn't trying to compliment you, now that I look harder you look more like fifty-four." She smiled, the ice fortress around her heart was beginning to melt a little.
"Oh well then you wouldn't mind going out with me this Friday then,as long as you feel so young?" He grinned and smoothed back his messy red hair.
"What about being pregnant makes anyone feel young? And I'm busy on Friday." She took a sip of her coffee.
"Knowing that you still look like you could be twenty? How about Saturday then?" He finished the cookie her had bought and took a swig of his mineral water.
"Shut up. I am free later on Saturday but if you bring me to a bar I'll drink and my friend wont be happy if I give her baby alcohol poisoning." Carmen laughed, thinking of Lena and Paul's reaction. Still, she didn't want to hurt the baby, it hadn't done anything wrong. She wrote her home phone number on her business card along with her address and buzzer number.
"It's a date!" He said as she handed the card to him.
"It's a movie." She told him as she got up to leave, throwing her finished coffee cup in the trash.
"See you on Tuesday, Carmen who wasn't trying to compliment me!" He held her gaze as she replied.
"I guess so, relentless and somewhat annoying Russ." She walked out of the café and caught the bus back to her apartment.
sorry the dividing lines dont work no matter what I try. bare with me I'll figure something out!
Tibby was on the set of her new movie, The Stalker's Mutation. For the next two weeks they were shooting in San Francisco. She hated to be away from Brian when she should have been helping him get ready for the baby, especially since she was due in two weeks, but this was the only time that they could book to film in this venue so she had to jump at the opportunity.
Walking over to set three shetalked with the actors to make sure they were ready to shoot the scene. After she had gotten their O.K., she prepared the crew and walked to her spot behind the set.
"Scene thirty-five, the rainstorm, take one. Lights ready, camera rolling, sound, and…action!"
The actors walked onstage and started the scene. The woman was screaming at the man, they were both getting drenched with the artificial rain falling on them. This was what Tibby loved, creating lives, moments, and then sharing those moments with the world. Although this was going to be a rather scary film, it was still amazing to create something that would not otherwise happen.
Five minutes into the scene, Tibby felt her water break.
"Oh shit. Cut! Stop rolling! I'm sorry everybody! I have to get to the hospital. The baby's coming early!" Tibby grabbed her cell phone and called Brian. It rang four times before his voicemail got it.
"Brian! Pick up! It's an emergency honey! The baby's coming and I'm still in San Francisco! I'll be at the general hospital, can you fly over here? Use my credit card and hurry! I have to go! Love you!" Tibby had to hang up as the contractions started. She screamed at Harold, her assistant director, for a ride to the hospital. They ran together to his car as Tibby tried phoning Brian at work. This time he picked up.
"Brian! Its time! I'm on my way to the hospital…..ohhhh……listen to your voicemail….I have to go…come here fast…."
"OK, but its too soon. Well, two weeks isn't that bad but still…. were not ready! I'll be there as soon as I can! Hang in there!" They hung up and Tibby was breathing hard. It was too soon. This birth was reminding Tibbyso much of the time Carmens mom, Christina gave birth to Ryan. Tibby had been there and vowed never to have children. Now she was reconsidering her broken vow. She was in pain, but it was natural pain, it was O.K. Tears ran down her face in effort as Harolds car sped faster down the street to the hospital.