Wow. Since it's now 2020, I'm already starting to flip through my journals to see if I could try writing a story based on the entry, but nothing quite yet. Seemed to work. I also kept those journals when I did those Quailman stories. Maybe there could be an idea. I didn't see anything there, but I decided to give up for now. I could always come back anytime.

I usually never share my journals with my friends, Skeeter is the only friend I trust about these journals I have kept, but I never let him look at it. At least my best friend supports my writing without even looking at them. He has seen all of these journals from the fifth grade with Mrs. Wingo until today. At least he respects my privacy. He's a good friend.

I called Patti just to say hello. I haven't heard her voice in quite a while. If I don't write a story, I'm fine with that. Skeeter is the only friends who remembers I like to write, but my other friends never known I do something like this. After finding something in a journal, I finally found some luck, but I wasn't sure how it would work. I might try to come up with character names for time being.

I listened to the phone ring a few times before Patti answered.

"Hi, Patti."

"Hi, Doug. How are you?" Patti asked me.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"I'm good also. I was thinking of calling you first, but you beat me to it."

"I guess I did. I wanted to say hello, so here I am."

I came up with an idea.

"Patti, I thought of something."

"What's that, Doug?"

"Maybe you and I could have dinner sometime?"

"I would love that, Doug. I can't do it at the moment."

"I'm not expecting you to, Patti. What have you been doing?" I asked.

"You remember my father has a disability?"

She's had a father who is disabled as long as I can remember.

"Yes, I remember," I answered.

"Well, he's in a nursing home now. I am going back to my old house I grew up in and pack some stuff for him. He's doing okay, but is pretty frail now."

"Sorry to hear that, Patti. I hope he's going to be okay."

"Thanks, Doug. I'm not sure if he will be or not."

"Why do you say that?" I asked her.

Ever since the first day I moved here to Bluffington, I always had a secret crush on Patti. I still do, to tell the truth. She doesn't know about that crush. Mom and Dad really like her.

I am not so sure if she will fall for the idea if I ever asked her to be my wife someday.

We talked for a bit longer and then she had to hang up. We planned to talk in a few days and see what we can do to get together. I haven't seen her in quite a while.

I felt bad for Patti when she mentioned her father being in a nursing home. He's a nice guy, but when we were younger, he would drive her around places until she was able to do it herself.

Last time Patti mentioned him, she said that her father is close to ninety. No wonder he's in a nursing home. She did also say that his brain is still sharp, which is good.

There was nothing else I could do, is what Patti told me, but I do want to support her, no matter what. She just means so much to me from day one when I moved out to Bluffington when I was in the fifth grade and that's when the crush started, and still is there today.

Maybe one of these days I'll try to propose. Every time I think of it, I just decide to put it on hold again for the thousandth time.

I still had to find the perfect ring if there is one.

Now all I had to do now is start looking for one, no matter which day I propose. I hope I'm not spoiling this for you. That can be saved to share another time.

Let's see what Patti can come up with the next time we talk and her update on her father. All she has to do is wait until we get together again.

I am so thankful she is still here in Bluffington since this is the only place she calls home.