"A Rose By Any Other Name"
By: Rena Cresten
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: Is it just me or is this getting repetitive? I don't own Sailor Moon. Big Surprise ... NOT!
Author's Notes: I loved each and every review! Write more, please!!!! I love to hear whether or not the emotions I express in my writing actually follow into the readers. Those of you who said you cried ... a special thanks to you for making my day. Oh, and it was all of you who did review that got me to sit down and write the next chapter. You can all give yourselves a big pat on the back. You deserve it! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I did say they didn't like each other in the summary, right? Well, this chapter certainly shows it. Enjoy.
*************
Does anyone realize what it's really like to be me? Lets see ... I have to raise my daughter, which may I tell you can be like living in hell. Not that I would trade it for anything. Then, I have to find time at night to lock myself in my room and try to mourn my wife. I didn't have the time after she died to feel sorry for myself. Nope. I had diapers to change. I had bottles to prepare. I had one ear infection after another keep me up night after night. Then she got older. The terrible twos came. And I finally came to realize exactly why they called them that. Funny thing is, that stage never leaves. They don't mention that in the cutesy names they have for everything. Oh, and did I forget to tell you that she got the chicken pox over her fourth birthday? Yeah, that was fun. When I finally did something right, she got the damn pony for her party, she catches the chicken pox at her daycare.
Oh, and another thing. She was blessed with her mother's fashion sense. When she was a baby, I use to think it was cute to let her pick the outfit she liked. I held two up, she chose one. It was a riot. Don't try this with your children. Now she has like a thousand pairs of shoes, most of them she scuffed and now refuses to wear anymore. It's like they have some flesh eating disease. She won't even look at them. But God forbid I throw them out. They might go with one of the zillions of skirts she just had to have. I am not even going into shirts, jackets, and socks. How many different kinds of socks does a four year old need? If you want your budget in tact, don't ask my daughter.
If you couldn't tell ... she's a little spoiled. Well, what did you expect for my little angel? If I go overboard, it's my problem. She's still sweet and loving and kind. If she's spoiled, so be it.
And hey, to top it all off ... Andrew has made it his goal in life for the last two years to fix me up with someone. He thinks my adorable Serenity needs a mother. More than that, he thinks I need another woman in my life. Me, I think Rini is more than enough. Yeah. Teeny Rini, sometimes I wished that name fit her. She came into this world with a flourish, and she has certainly kept it up.
Now, back to the subject at hand. I have been set up on yet another blind date by my well meaning, but soon to be dead, best friend. I must admit, this woman has made it through the last few hours without singeing my eyebrows off, screaming, freeing the lobster, or protesting I would look great in a pale green eye shadow. So I decided to give her the last big test.
"Yeah, I have a four year old daughter." You would be amazed how many women run for the hills when I say that. You hear horror stories about men doing that, and you would think the motherly instinct in women would kick in some of the time. Negative. Most of the time it crashes and burns.
"Really? How sweet." She seemed actually sincere when she said that. Good God, could I have found the ONE at last? She didn't pick her teeth with her knife. She didn't snort when she laughed. Which wouldn't have been bad, had I not been on a date with a woman who would snort so hard she gave herself a bloody nose. That was amusing the first time. That's it. This one was attractive as well. So I invited her up to the apartment for a nightcap. I wasn't sure if she understood I really meant I was offering her a drink. She spent the next few minutes primping in the bathroom. Why women do that, men will never know. And personally, I refuse to ask. Now what comes next is the part I kinda wish I could forget. When Michelle, that was her name wasn't it? No, that was the one before. This was Bethany. Yeah, Bethany. Well, when I was about to go check on Bethany she suddenly came running out of the bathroom, screaming and tearing at her hair. Can you understand why I want to forget this? No? Well, her hair had magically caught on fire. Yes, now you understand. And you probably also understand why I forbade Rini to have candles in her room anymore. Which of course lasted five minutes. Just until she stuck out her bottom lip to quiver a little and her eyes filled with tears. I'm not stupid, I know its all a ruse. But if you ever meet her, try to say no to that face. Try it. I dare you.
So ends another night, and soon begins another work week.
I quit my job at the hospital shortly after my wife died. I couldn't stand the machines and that horrible beeping sound of the heart monitors. I opened my own private practice. Just a small little office for menial little problems. It was a family practice, so my daughter could come and visit sometimes. My head nurse, Mina, loved her from the moment they met. My Rini, well lets just say Mina is the only woman she would not set fire to.
This was one of those days when Rini would come to visit. She spent most of the time picking out her favorite stickers and shoving them in her little purse. Did I mention on the list before she had a purse in every color? Just try to imagine her closet for a moment. Makes me shudder. Anyway, Rini was quite busy that day with our new shipment of stickers and I was having a horrible time with our computer system. I'm not a computer whiz by any means, but I was just about to the point of giving in for the system upgrade. Knowing full well it would mean I would have to learn a whole new system and embarrass myself horribly.
You know when they have those moments in movies when the most beautiful woman in the world walks in and everything moves in slow motion? Well, this was not one of those moments. In fact Mrs. Mallone walked in with her three children and the waiting room was taken over by the little monsters. So I never noticed the woman who walked in just after her. My receptionist took care of her in fact, so I never once had to glance her way.
My receptionist, Amy, showed her into a room and Mina checked on her briefly to make notes. When I did walk in I was looking at the chart for the little boy I was to check for some sort of infection in the glands.
"All right, Albert, and how are we feeling today?" I don't remember ever having the sensation of being knocked off my feet before. But that day I could have fallen flat on my butt from shock alone. The little boy was as adorable as they came. He had bright blue eyes and a mop of curly brown hair. But I really didn't notice him. I found myself entranced instead by the woman who had brought him in.
Her beautiful blond hair was like sunlight with moonlight highlights, even pulled back in that tight bun. And her skin was like perfect porcelain, peachy and creamy. And her eyes were ...
Well, to sum this all up. My Anna was standing before me all over again. She was just a little taller, maybe. And had filled out a little more than my Anna, not that I'm complaining about Anna. Just trying to keep my sanity about seeing her double sitting before me after four years.
"What are you looking at?" Her voice was the same but ... it sounded hard and cold. Anna never sounded hard or cold. She was always warm and tender. "Should I charge admission or are you gonna take a look at the brat?" Definitely not Anna.
"Oh, sorry. You look remarkably like someone I use to know."
"Yay, for me. Can we get this over with, I have a meeting in an hour." That strained civility in her tone set off a cord inside of me and I would have loved nothing less than to staple her pretty little mouth shut. Mind you, I'm a peaceful and benign kind of person. But the urge to tie her up and throw her off a cliff was very real and very strong.
"Your son?" Please say no, please say no.
"Are you kidding? Take a look at this figure. Do I look like I have children?" I did take a look. Well, she offered! And I had to admit, she did look amazing. "He's my sister's. Thank God."
Well, if the urge to staple her mouth shut was strong before, it was overwhelming now. What did bug me a little though, was why. I had dealt with many a vile, yes vile is a good word for her, person and never wanted harm to come to them. This woman though, her I badly wanted to see go through a wood chipper. It was a brand new sensation to me. I wasn't particularly sure I liked it.
"Well, this shouldn't take too long." She gave me a smile. Well, I think it was a smile. Looked more like a sneer. So I quickly checked his glands, took a look down his throat, and swabbed it. Then sent the swab off to the lab across the hall. When I returned to the room the boy hadn't moved, but his aunt was up and pacing. She was yelling something rather nasty into her cell phone before slamming it shut and glaring ruthlessly at me.
"Well?" I could almost picture myself with that staple gun. I would aim it right at her mouth and ...
"The results should be in by the end of the day. We have your number, well the parent's number on file so we'll call them with the results." She quickly grabbed the little boys hand and lead him out of the room and into the waiting room to pay.
I admit, I watched the way her skirt slid over her hips and along her legs as she walked. Bad me. But she was such a dead ringer for my wife, and my wife was such a beautiful woman. And ...
Okay, slow down. Unclean thoughts. Bad for family practice. Bad for me.
"You okay Dare?" Mina was a kind soul, and lord knows any man would fall for her in a heartbeat. In fact, Andrew once told me I should ... what did he say? ... saddle up and ride? Something horrible like that. Mina was okay. A beautiful blond bombshell with a kind personality and a great sense of humor. But she seemed more the type I would set my brother up with, if I had a brother.
"Sure. Who was that siren anyway?" Mina thought that over for a second before answering.
"Her name is Serena Kingsly. And I think siren is the perfect word for her. She would sing to any man to get what she wants, then let them die painfully on the rocks at her feet." Serena Kingsly huh? Where had I heard that name?
"How do you know so much about her Mina?" It occurred to me then that I hadn't gotten the little boy a sticker. I felt like I had somehow failed. But he would have to come back, for a checkup at least. And I would give him a huge handful then. Yeah, that would make it right.
"You don't know her? She's on the cover of every business magazine in the country. And her company has been featured in the Top 100. She's the biggest name in business since Bill Gates and the Silicon Valley. Oh, and since she's in charge of half of the fashion industry by now, every fluff magazine out there wants her to pose for them." The name suddenly clicked. She was the new up-and-commer in the fashion industry. She owned a handful of modeling agencies. Had her own fashion line created, which I might add became a hit instantly. And owned a few magazines, hotels, and a shipping business to boot. It was no wonder she was dressed so nicely. If I had her money I'd dress like that too. Well, Rini would dress like that. I still enjoy my jeans and a T-shirt.
Unbidden came the picture of her in jeans and a T-shirt. Followed shortly afterward by just her in my T-shirt. Nothing else. Oh no, unclean thoughts again. I have gotta do something else.
"Daddy? Can we go to lunch now?" Saved by the angel.
"Yes, of course sweetheart. In just a minute." I checked a few more charts, but she had already done that. Did I mention how smart she is? That was a real pain to deal with. Most children are parrots. Mine not only mimicked, she actually learned the meaning of the world or action. Uh huh, you can guess what that was like. She knew more about my schedule, at four, than I knew at thirty one. So shortly there after, we went to lunch.
Can you use a staple gun on your mind?
NO MORE UNCLEAN THOUGHTS!
Disclaimer: Is it just me or is this getting repetitive? I don't own Sailor Moon. Big Surprise ... NOT!
Author's Notes: I loved each and every review! Write more, please!!!! I love to hear whether or not the emotions I express in my writing actually follow into the readers. Those of you who said you cried ... a special thanks to you for making my day. Oh, and it was all of you who did review that got me to sit down and write the next chapter. You can all give yourselves a big pat on the back. You deserve it! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I did say they didn't like each other in the summary, right? Well, this chapter certainly shows it. Enjoy.
*************
Does anyone realize what it's really like to be me? Lets see ... I have to raise my daughter, which may I tell you can be like living in hell. Not that I would trade it for anything. Then, I have to find time at night to lock myself in my room and try to mourn my wife. I didn't have the time after she died to feel sorry for myself. Nope. I had diapers to change. I had bottles to prepare. I had one ear infection after another keep me up night after night. Then she got older. The terrible twos came. And I finally came to realize exactly why they called them that. Funny thing is, that stage never leaves. They don't mention that in the cutesy names they have for everything. Oh, and did I forget to tell you that she got the chicken pox over her fourth birthday? Yeah, that was fun. When I finally did something right, she got the damn pony for her party, she catches the chicken pox at her daycare.
Oh, and another thing. She was blessed with her mother's fashion sense. When she was a baby, I use to think it was cute to let her pick the outfit she liked. I held two up, she chose one. It was a riot. Don't try this with your children. Now she has like a thousand pairs of shoes, most of them she scuffed and now refuses to wear anymore. It's like they have some flesh eating disease. She won't even look at them. But God forbid I throw them out. They might go with one of the zillions of skirts she just had to have. I am not even going into shirts, jackets, and socks. How many different kinds of socks does a four year old need? If you want your budget in tact, don't ask my daughter.
If you couldn't tell ... she's a little spoiled. Well, what did you expect for my little angel? If I go overboard, it's my problem. She's still sweet and loving and kind. If she's spoiled, so be it.
And hey, to top it all off ... Andrew has made it his goal in life for the last two years to fix me up with someone. He thinks my adorable Serenity needs a mother. More than that, he thinks I need another woman in my life. Me, I think Rini is more than enough. Yeah. Teeny Rini, sometimes I wished that name fit her. She came into this world with a flourish, and she has certainly kept it up.
Now, back to the subject at hand. I have been set up on yet another blind date by my well meaning, but soon to be dead, best friend. I must admit, this woman has made it through the last few hours without singeing my eyebrows off, screaming, freeing the lobster, or protesting I would look great in a pale green eye shadow. So I decided to give her the last big test.
"Yeah, I have a four year old daughter." You would be amazed how many women run for the hills when I say that. You hear horror stories about men doing that, and you would think the motherly instinct in women would kick in some of the time. Negative. Most of the time it crashes and burns.
"Really? How sweet." She seemed actually sincere when she said that. Good God, could I have found the ONE at last? She didn't pick her teeth with her knife. She didn't snort when she laughed. Which wouldn't have been bad, had I not been on a date with a woman who would snort so hard she gave herself a bloody nose. That was amusing the first time. That's it. This one was attractive as well. So I invited her up to the apartment for a nightcap. I wasn't sure if she understood I really meant I was offering her a drink. She spent the next few minutes primping in the bathroom. Why women do that, men will never know. And personally, I refuse to ask. Now what comes next is the part I kinda wish I could forget. When Michelle, that was her name wasn't it? No, that was the one before. This was Bethany. Yeah, Bethany. Well, when I was about to go check on Bethany she suddenly came running out of the bathroom, screaming and tearing at her hair. Can you understand why I want to forget this? No? Well, her hair had magically caught on fire. Yes, now you understand. And you probably also understand why I forbade Rini to have candles in her room anymore. Which of course lasted five minutes. Just until she stuck out her bottom lip to quiver a little and her eyes filled with tears. I'm not stupid, I know its all a ruse. But if you ever meet her, try to say no to that face. Try it. I dare you.
So ends another night, and soon begins another work week.
I quit my job at the hospital shortly after my wife died. I couldn't stand the machines and that horrible beeping sound of the heart monitors. I opened my own private practice. Just a small little office for menial little problems. It was a family practice, so my daughter could come and visit sometimes. My head nurse, Mina, loved her from the moment they met. My Rini, well lets just say Mina is the only woman she would not set fire to.
This was one of those days when Rini would come to visit. She spent most of the time picking out her favorite stickers and shoving them in her little purse. Did I mention on the list before she had a purse in every color? Just try to imagine her closet for a moment. Makes me shudder. Anyway, Rini was quite busy that day with our new shipment of stickers and I was having a horrible time with our computer system. I'm not a computer whiz by any means, but I was just about to the point of giving in for the system upgrade. Knowing full well it would mean I would have to learn a whole new system and embarrass myself horribly.
You know when they have those moments in movies when the most beautiful woman in the world walks in and everything moves in slow motion? Well, this was not one of those moments. In fact Mrs. Mallone walked in with her three children and the waiting room was taken over by the little monsters. So I never noticed the woman who walked in just after her. My receptionist took care of her in fact, so I never once had to glance her way.
My receptionist, Amy, showed her into a room and Mina checked on her briefly to make notes. When I did walk in I was looking at the chart for the little boy I was to check for some sort of infection in the glands.
"All right, Albert, and how are we feeling today?" I don't remember ever having the sensation of being knocked off my feet before. But that day I could have fallen flat on my butt from shock alone. The little boy was as adorable as they came. He had bright blue eyes and a mop of curly brown hair. But I really didn't notice him. I found myself entranced instead by the woman who had brought him in.
Her beautiful blond hair was like sunlight with moonlight highlights, even pulled back in that tight bun. And her skin was like perfect porcelain, peachy and creamy. And her eyes were ...
Well, to sum this all up. My Anna was standing before me all over again. She was just a little taller, maybe. And had filled out a little more than my Anna, not that I'm complaining about Anna. Just trying to keep my sanity about seeing her double sitting before me after four years.
"What are you looking at?" Her voice was the same but ... it sounded hard and cold. Anna never sounded hard or cold. She was always warm and tender. "Should I charge admission or are you gonna take a look at the brat?" Definitely not Anna.
"Oh, sorry. You look remarkably like someone I use to know."
"Yay, for me. Can we get this over with, I have a meeting in an hour." That strained civility in her tone set off a cord inside of me and I would have loved nothing less than to staple her pretty little mouth shut. Mind you, I'm a peaceful and benign kind of person. But the urge to tie her up and throw her off a cliff was very real and very strong.
"Your son?" Please say no, please say no.
"Are you kidding? Take a look at this figure. Do I look like I have children?" I did take a look. Well, she offered! And I had to admit, she did look amazing. "He's my sister's. Thank God."
Well, if the urge to staple her mouth shut was strong before, it was overwhelming now. What did bug me a little though, was why. I had dealt with many a vile, yes vile is a good word for her, person and never wanted harm to come to them. This woman though, her I badly wanted to see go through a wood chipper. It was a brand new sensation to me. I wasn't particularly sure I liked it.
"Well, this shouldn't take too long." She gave me a smile. Well, I think it was a smile. Looked more like a sneer. So I quickly checked his glands, took a look down his throat, and swabbed it. Then sent the swab off to the lab across the hall. When I returned to the room the boy hadn't moved, but his aunt was up and pacing. She was yelling something rather nasty into her cell phone before slamming it shut and glaring ruthlessly at me.
"Well?" I could almost picture myself with that staple gun. I would aim it right at her mouth and ...
"The results should be in by the end of the day. We have your number, well the parent's number on file so we'll call them with the results." She quickly grabbed the little boys hand and lead him out of the room and into the waiting room to pay.
I admit, I watched the way her skirt slid over her hips and along her legs as she walked. Bad me. But she was such a dead ringer for my wife, and my wife was such a beautiful woman. And ...
Okay, slow down. Unclean thoughts. Bad for family practice. Bad for me.
"You okay Dare?" Mina was a kind soul, and lord knows any man would fall for her in a heartbeat. In fact, Andrew once told me I should ... what did he say? ... saddle up and ride? Something horrible like that. Mina was okay. A beautiful blond bombshell with a kind personality and a great sense of humor. But she seemed more the type I would set my brother up with, if I had a brother.
"Sure. Who was that siren anyway?" Mina thought that over for a second before answering.
"Her name is Serena Kingsly. And I think siren is the perfect word for her. She would sing to any man to get what she wants, then let them die painfully on the rocks at her feet." Serena Kingsly huh? Where had I heard that name?
"How do you know so much about her Mina?" It occurred to me then that I hadn't gotten the little boy a sticker. I felt like I had somehow failed. But he would have to come back, for a checkup at least. And I would give him a huge handful then. Yeah, that would make it right.
"You don't know her? She's on the cover of every business magazine in the country. And her company has been featured in the Top 100. She's the biggest name in business since Bill Gates and the Silicon Valley. Oh, and since she's in charge of half of the fashion industry by now, every fluff magazine out there wants her to pose for them." The name suddenly clicked. She was the new up-and-commer in the fashion industry. She owned a handful of modeling agencies. Had her own fashion line created, which I might add became a hit instantly. And owned a few magazines, hotels, and a shipping business to boot. It was no wonder she was dressed so nicely. If I had her money I'd dress like that too. Well, Rini would dress like that. I still enjoy my jeans and a T-shirt.
Unbidden came the picture of her in jeans and a T-shirt. Followed shortly afterward by just her in my T-shirt. Nothing else. Oh no, unclean thoughts again. I have gotta do something else.
"Daddy? Can we go to lunch now?" Saved by the angel.
"Yes, of course sweetheart. In just a minute." I checked a few more charts, but she had already done that. Did I mention how smart she is? That was a real pain to deal with. Most children are parrots. Mine not only mimicked, she actually learned the meaning of the world or action. Uh huh, you can guess what that was like. She knew more about my schedule, at four, than I knew at thirty one. So shortly there after, we went to lunch.
Can you use a staple gun on your mind?
NO MORE UNCLEAN THOUGHTS!