03.27.08
There Are No Extras
For once in the past, what month-2 months?, I have nothing to say. There are no little boys running shouting “Extra, Extra, Read All About It” on the streetcorner of my mind. I’ve just worked, slept, and fooled around with Scott when he isn’t working. The only thing happening right now seems to be taxes. The only certain thing about my day is that I have to get my tax stuff ready when I’m not busy at the shop. Bill has seemingly gotten that much needed clue and left me alone, but one never knows if a guy is really gone. I feel extremely bad about the situation because if I wasn’t with Scott, I would’ve gotten ahold of him in less than a heartbeat. I was also content with being good friends, but doesn’t it seem that my guy friends never seem to work out?
Okay, so there is one little event that flashed across my radar because it freaked me out quite a bit. Tuesday morning, (the one day a week that he gets to go into work late) Scott and I were lying in the bed listening to the sounds outside of the window, talking about how poetic it is to listen to the city wake up around us (it’s adorable, right? lol) when he propped himself on his his elbow, looked down at me with those big puppy dog eyes of his and expressed his thoughts on marriage as our future. I looked up at him as if I were watching a dog read the encyclopedia. “Bubby,” I said very slowly. I make a nickname up for this dude about every week or so now. I list it as a hobby. “You’re moving way too fast for me here. This is not the Daytona 500 that we’re trying to win so they can pour gatorade on you. This is a relationship, a fast moving one to begin with I’ll admit, but you can’t rush someone that you love.”
He nodded, but I could tell from the hooded look of his eyes that this wasn’t the reply he was expecting. I kissed his forehead a few times and stole the blanket to wrap myself in to go watch the morning news. I looked back at him from the bedroom door. “I love you,” I muttered and saw him smile and say it back before I turned on the tv.
I don’t know what to think about him sometimes. He moves fast and then steps back a little while I catch up. It’s like he’s got the whole book read before I ever get past the Table Of Contents. And, I don’t like people finishing books before me!
03.19.08
Can’t Do Anything Right
Well, my new motto has become “Damned if I do, Damned if I don’t.” Tuesday evening my mother put my father in the hospital down in Savannah. I was paying bills and working in Quick-Books when she called to tell me.
About a year ago, my father was hospitalized with a heart attack. He spent a few weeks in the hospital, had some surgery, and went home with a lot of meds and strict instructions to make himself healthier
So, for the past year, he’s been taking all these different medicines, and he gets messed up at times because of a reason nobody has been able to figure out.
Well, he had another heart attack… a bad one. Once they had him in the hospital, he was basically catatonic. He was breathing and everything on hs own, but he wasn’t responding to noise or touch for a day and a half. I drove down to Savannah with Scott on Wednesday; we spent the whole day at the hospital with my mom and my sister. Thursday, I parked in the waiting room and worked on the laptop. Scott had to leave that morning, but it didn’t bother me because I had slept in his arms at my parents’ home. Without him, I would have probably broken down when I left the hospital. He promised to get his work To-Go and come back the next day. I kissed him and told him not to worry because I was coming back the next day.
My dad is conscious, and I’m not worrying too bad because he asked me why I wasn’t at work. He’s got a lot of problems going on, and they’re still trying to get him stable before they tackle the reason behind him getting this bad in the first place.
I have been offering to stay with him so my mom can go back to work, but she doesn’t want to leave him (even though he’s awake and nothing has changed for 2 days), but my sisters got pissed at me for driving back up to Atlanta instead of staying in Savannah the entire time. Nobody in my family really understands what it takes to run a business and keep things running smoothly by yourself. Communication in my family has never been perfect (we’re a family of evaders), but it’s gotten worse since I moved away for college. I grew into a different person because of all the things I experienced, and they are still the same.
Everybody deals with things differently. Most of my family can handle going to the hospital Everyday and sitting with him, but I’m the black sheep somehow. I can’t sit there and just watch and listen to him. One: I go stir crazy and have to be doing something. Two: It tears me up to sit there and listen to his ragged breathing.
My family has been researching heart surgeries and transplants and junk. I’ve been killing my bank account driving down there when I can, but my job is more demanding than my father. I talked to him on speakerphone. He told me to go to work, take care of my dogs, and be careful. That’s all I need; never needed anybody else’s approval but his.
I don’t have time right now, but I will fill you in on who called me while I was eating dinner this evening.
03.16.08
W-W-What?! (Wedding Weekend: Part Two)
The little church where Halley and Edward’s wedding was held was absolutely beautiful. Simple, elegant, and reeking of class and cash. I stood and stared in awe. Seeing the inside of the church for the first time was a shock, making me feel bad for not making time to perform my wedding party duties. Karma has officially made me its trash can. I got my bouquet after Jesse and Bella sighed with relief when Jesse hooked her arm in Bill’s and stood by the door, ready and waiting.
Bella came over to me. “Your man is looking for you. I looked through the crack in the door, and he looks like a little lost puppy dog in a sexy suit. What did you do to get that man like that?”
I grinned. “If I told you, you’d have to go to church. Do you know the best man?”
“Honey, we’re in a church. And, only briefly, why? He’s handsome, too, but in an intelligent and sexy professor way.”
I blushed a little, telling her about the huge crush I had on him in high school. Plus, he seemed to show interest in me for a time and then just flirted but never followed through, which pissed me off. I still don’t know why he acted that way.
We stopped talking soon after that because the music had begun and Halley was glaring at us as if to say, “If you ruin this, I’ll bust your kneecaps!”
Alas, we didn’t ruin it and the ceremony was perfect. I almost started crying, but I saw Scott out of the corner of my eye giving me the “Find a closet” look. He does the most romantic things sometimes.
After a million more pictures by the altar, my stomach was telling me, “I hate you!” and so was everybody else’s. A limo took us all to the reception in some gorgeous banquet hall. That’s where Scott caught up with me. He lifted me off my feet and into a breathtaking kiss. “You look gorgeous, Picante. Plus, you were one of the tallest ones up there.”
I laughed and dragged him to the side of the room where the enormous buffet was set up.
Later, after I had thoroughly pigged out on fruit, chicken salad, and cut vegetables (there were tons of different kinds of foods but I’m not adventerous when it comes to things that I haven’t seen prepared before)I joined Halley and Bella at the head table. “Thank you both so much!” cried Halley, who was at risk for killing her liver and messing up her makeup.
I took the glass from her hand and motioned to Edward to not let her drink anymore. “No thanks required. You’re not going to remember much anyway. Who let her get so drunk?” I added to Bella, who was sipping her punch and nibbling on crackers and dip. She shrugged and then pointed to Jesse who was dancing with Ray across the room.
Just then I lost what thought had been in my head when Bill caught my eye from the end of the table and jerked his head to one side to get me to come sit with him. I tried to send Bella or Halley, or anybody for that matter, a mental distress call, but my telepathy seems to be broken these days.
“I’m glad I get a chance to talk to you,” he said as I sat down. “You know, when I saw you standing there today, I got this flood of old memories that won’t go away.” He leaned closer. “Besides, you remember how crowds make me feel.”
My jaw dropped as he laid his hand on my leg; his body heat seared through the fabric of my dress and hose. I felt that if I had lifted the hem of my dress to look at my leg, I would have seen a perfect red handprint, as if he had been burned into my skin. I moved my leg away, shaken and aroused for reasons I don’t know. “I’m with somebody, Bill. If you had really ever felt anything, you should’ve done something a LONG TIME AGO.”
I got up and stormed off to the ladies room to compose myself. Scott knocked on the door after a few minutes to see if I was all right. I let him in and just leaned against his strong, broad chest. When he asked again, I just said that I had eaten something that didn’t agree and wanted to go home. I was, and still am, confused and frustrated, and all those other feelings that I thought I had left back in high school and college. We sat and waited for the cutting of the cake and watched the bouquet and the garter toss, neither of us participating because Scott and I don’t think of ourselves as single anymore.
When I first told him that Halley was getting married, he took my hand and refused to try to catch the garter because we’re taking our time and don’t need some old tradition to tell us if, or when, we’re getting married. “We’re committed to each other, and that’s all that matters to me, babe,” he told me. He’s so sweet that he should come with a warning label for diabetics.
We spent the weekend walking around town together or relaxing on the couch, watching the world run circles around us while we enjoyed the little downtime we had. I didn’t tell him about Bill, and don’t plan to at the moment, because I don’t feel like having to bail out my boyfriend after he beats the shit out of my high school crush for touching on his girlfriend. It’s not that high on my To Do list right now.
Next up: Why I spent the week in Savannah with my family… at the hospital.
03.14.08
It’s A Small World After All (Wedding Weekend: Part 1)
So many things have happened in the past week that it is going to take two posts to get it all out. I’ve been at the hospital with my family, but that’s another post for later.
I woke up at the crack of dawn on Friday morning to Halley practically beating a hole in Scott’s door. I stumbled around, cussing at Scott for keeping me up and mad at nobody in particular because I couldn’t find my robe. Instead, I pulled on one of Scott’s t-shirts and somehow found the door. “Bitch, it better be damn important,” I muttered under my breath as I swung the door open and walked away.
“Lina, turn around so I don’t have to talk to your bare ass.” I found my robe in the bathroom of all places (who would’ve guessed? lol) and sat down at the kitchen table with her. She made coffee, rubbed her hands together, and began to outline the things we had to do before the wedding.
I, of course, held up one beautifully French manicured finger, it could have been the one you’re thinking about, and told her to slow her roll. “This is the reason the Maid of Honor is usually a family member,” I growled, “because a friend wouldn’t be able to put up with the bride’s shit like a flesh and blood relative can. Go bang on Jesse’s door or go back to sleep. Hell, sleep on the couch. Anything so I can get those precious few hours of bitch-prevention sleep with my naked boyfriend.”
Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes got that scary glint to them. I smacked her arm. No way was she going to see my best kept secret naked. He looks good in clothes, but out of them? Whew!!! HoT!!!
After a few more withering glares, she left with a loud reminder that I’d better not be late for pictures. I crawled back into my warm spot and went back to sleep.
I was awakened by the smell of coffee, eggs, and sausage, so I brushed my hair, put on my glasses, and slid into the kitchen like I was Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Can you tell the difference a few more hours sleep makes?
Anyway, after breakfast, it was time to start the glam routine. Shower, mousterizer, bronzing lotion, and then I sat on the couch for a few hours with Scott to watch the shows we’ve DVRed all week. He got in the shower while I went to my apartment to put on my underoos and hose. I think that the other people on my floor have gotten used to me walking the halls in my different stages of readiness. We ate a light lunch of pasta salad before I went to fix my hair and put on my makeup. I had just slipped the straps of my dress over my shoulders when Scott walked in, dressed to the nines and looking like a perfect 10. I threatened to take away his PDA and hide it for a week if he wore the red stud in his ear, so it didn’t make an appearance. He wore a sexy, tailored black suit that made him look like he belonged in the social section of the New York Times or something. A red, black, and silver tie completed the ensemble of Mr. GQ.
I threw my arms around his neck. “I’m gonna have to keep my eye on you. All the single girls are gonna go gold digging at this place. They might mistake you for some millionaire.”
He twirled me around, making the fabric of my dress swish and rustle. “I’m a millionaire in life, but I don’t have the funds to back up the charisma and the prescence.”
I shoved him, calling him a retard as I went in search of my shoes and jewelry. I had been wearing my new shoes, that I had taken reserves out of my savings to splurge on, in the store with my jeans rolled up to prevent tripping, so there was no pain in my broken-in lovelies
(This splurging trip isn’t the same as my profile pic. Hey! What can I say I have a weak will when it comes to HOT shoes, good books, and big purses.)
Let me just tell you, I filled out this dress WAY better than this skinny girl did. I have hips, shoulders, and muscles. Plus, Halley didn’t compensate for my height, so the dress was shorter than it was intended to be. However, it made it look better with my shoes, turning somebody else’s mistake into my advantage. I love these shoes! I’m going to start wearing them more often (and it’s not just to get my money’s woth out of them.
As I was sliding my license into the bust of my dress, Scott grabbed it and shoved it into his pocket. “You are not digging in your bra in front of everybody.”
I mocked him and sighed dramatically. “Well, you better make me change my bra then because this thing is making me itch.” And bounced away in my sexy lady shoes.
We took pictures forever, and as we were lining up for the procession into the church, a stranger came up to me, grinning ear to ear. “Caroline! Wow, you look s-great!”
I tilted my head to one side. “Are you in the wedding party?”
An elbow jabbed into my side. It was Edward, looking nervous and pale in a tuxedo, but he was smiling and restraining laughter. “Lina, this is my best man, William Oliver.”
I looked around for the hidden cameras. There were none. “Bill? From high school?”
“It’s a small world after all.”
I mentally swooned but caught myself. No swooning for old high school crushes. “It sure damn is! Guess I missed a lot when I didn’t come to the rehearsal.”
“And the dinner, and the engagement party. Come to think of it, you’re a pretty lousy bridesmaid,” retorted Halley as she walked by. Or rather, she strutted like the belle of the ball.
Next time, Lina will find out how Bill REALLY felt for her in high school and what happened at the wedding party’s table. Tune in to find out!
03.06.08
Hobags And Fake Nails
After a day of pampering with Bella, I have concluded that I am not meant to reproduce. Bella talked about the changes happening to her body, which tells her that things are going as they should… according to her doctor. Well, my body tells me to shut the hell up whenever I feel domestic-like.
I am going to market myself as a psychic! Today, during lunch that Scott and I made in the tiny kitchen in his office building, which included fresh Everything bread and freshly sliced ham and cheese from the mom and pop shop near my apartment, he got really quiet and contemplative while we ate. Of course, I had to bring it up because he loves to talk during our meals, since that seems to be the most time we spend together these days.
He shrugged when I asked him if something was up. What the hell? So, I poked and prodded until he fessed up. It seems that one of his writer’s mother lives in our building and told her that her boss was a very immoral man and that she needed to find another job, for she “feared for her soul,” and any boss who “cohorted with hobags and jezebels,” was not anyone with whom she wanted to work.
I snorted up a piece of ham and choked for a minute. “WHAT?!”
“I supposedly kept her awake a few nights ago with the noises I was making in my apartment, which is above hers. I told ____ that her mother was mistaken because I was here last night.”
Can you see where this is going??
I put my sandwich down and laughed until my stomach cramped up and tears where smearing my mascara. Scott was just staring at me like… I don’t know, I can’t describe the confused look on his face. I took another minute to calm down, drank a swig of my iced raspberry drink, and smiled at him innocently.
When I was done explaining the events, he was still staring at me… until he began laughing. He didn’t have makeup to smear (thank god!!), but he did get the stomach cramp episode going. I thought he was going to puke with the way he was hunched over. Somebody actually came into the kitchen to see what all the noise was about, which got us both laughing because we couldn’t explain without coming across as insane people.
The bed-jumping evening will forever be remembered in mine and Scott’s time together. All the times I’ve embarrassed myself or done something far from the norm is mentally branded in my family and friends’ memories forever, which I do all the time.
Moving on, I got my nails and toes done, which was a must considering I am notorious for biting my fingernails. Sitting next to Bella, her in a loose red babydoll dress and black stockings, and me in jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of Ugg boots. How can she be so glamorous after morning sickness and such I’ll never understand.
I stared at her until she smiled and pulled the dress tight to reveal a bump in her normally athletic figure. “Okay, so how far along are you really?” I demanded; Bella is a very introverted person and even with 2 of the closest, most outgoing and social friends, she still holds back details close to her person.
She blushed. “2 &1/2 months.”
I freaked, which sent the young woman doing my nails into a tizzy in a foreign language. I caught bits and pieces that made me laugh before rounding on Bella, who shrinked back in fear.
Jack and Bella go against the natual concept of a couple. They come from opposite ends of the social scale, have ENTIRELY different views of their futures, and compete when it comes to anything and everything. Although, here she is, engaged, pregnant, and finishing her internship this year. She’s taking a year or three off before going into her residency, but between you, me, and the worldwide web, she’s not going back. She’ll love being a stay-at-home mom so much, because she’ll have time for her few favorite hobbies, that she would be content with just Jack working. We all know he makes more than enough to support them. I mean, Gosh!, I’m just sorry I was dating slob/hottie Jake at the time and didn’t scoop him up for myself.
When I wasn’t telling Bella about the things that happened on my side of town, she was gushing over all the things her and Jack have been doing together and how well/ easy her pregnancy seems to be going. They’re going to do a lot of vacation-type things in the next few months in order to get alone time in before the baby is born.
The world is mind boggling,and my brain probably looks like a shaken up game of Boggle, but maybe one day I’ll make sense of everything and learn to not get so over-excited about things and embarrass myself. Maybe, maybe, maybe…
Wedding tomorrow! Wish me luck so I don’t fall on my face!
btw, Halley has guarenteed that the EX will not be crashing her stylish, elegant wedding because one: it wasn’t announced ANYwhere, and two: there are doorman checking invitations and I.D.s
Oooh Whee! I’m goin’ to a high class function! But where will my i.d. go, I don’t have any pockets in my dress…
03.04.08
Jumping On The Bed In Secret
Can you guess where I am? I’m a little out of breath, a little drunk, and I’m sure my neighbors downstairs think the worst of me by now…. Ugh, you went there didn’t you? A bunch of gutter-minds, you all are!
Just kidding. I drank a half a blender of daiquiris by myself and jumped on the bed for a while. My blog hit 1,000 hits today!!!! I ought to go dancing, and I would… if I weren’t drunk and alone. Scott has been working late all week in order to be able to be out of work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I miss him, but I have been reacquainting myself with my apartment. I haven’t been alone in the evening for a few weeks now. It’s something that takes some getting used to.
The funny thing about jumping on the bed is that I’m jumping on Scott’s. He’ll come home and wonder why his bed is a war zone replica and I’m laying in the middle of it dead asleep.
No stress in a few days. I will not let Halley’s nerves get on mine. (my new mantra!) I’m getting a manicure and pedicure with Bella tomorrow, so I get to pick her brain and find out how she’s holding up.
Saturday and Sunday, Scott and I are driving down to my parents’ for a belated birthday get-together for my mom. I got her this set of old cookbooks and bought a knitted blanket. I hope she likes them.
Well, the blender is calling my name. Oh, wait. That’s Scott! And no, I don’t share when it comes to daiquiris!!
03.03.08
My Finds In Search Of IT
![]()
What do you think? A haircomb to put in my short locks? A great idea, huh? I can’t claim it though. It was all my mom. She suggested it after I worked up the nerve to talk to her. We talked for hours. I email her every other day and call when I can, but we just don’t have the face time I know she wants, considering I’m the youngest of her children. I’ll never be grown up entirely in her eyes.
I love these earrings! I wanted to wear simple post earrings, but I was easily persuaded by Halley to wear dangling ones since my hair’s so short.
I’m going for a very simple necklace since I don’t want it to be too busy with all the other stuff. But the pendant is huge! I love it!!! Weddings are great excuses to go shopping!
Now, if I could only make up my mind whether to wear the ruby and diamond ring Scott gave me just to add a splash of color to the monochromatic ensemble. Scott mentioned something about a ruby stud in his ear (yeah my Scott has a ear piercing -can you believe that?!) and I laughed him into submission. His new nickname is The Red Snitch. (i told you Halley watched too many episodes of the Sopranos and it rotted her brain)
Comments? Suggestions?
I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to Bella in a while, but with Halley running the show, everything will run smoothly… as… long…as THE EX (see “The EX and el vecino”) … doesn’t show up….OH Damn! I gotta call Halley!!! Why didn’t I think of this before now!
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead/Not Wasting My Breath
I’ve mentioned before I have major issues sleeping. Now, I seem to have another one… Scott thinks I’m not serious enough. He says I play around too much…. hmm…
I just looked at him, kind of speechless from the anger.
There’s a man who runs a sort of on-line watering hole for the town I used to live in. I have it saved to my favorites and check in from time to time because I’m not a fan of all the political bull-crap, and people who complain daily about how the government, no the world, is screwing them over. That’s all they seem to be doing these days.
Well, I was laughing about some of the things these folks were saying and caught Scott’s attention, which is hard to do when he brings work home with him. It’s like trying to get in a screaming match with Helen Keller. (Oh God that was offensive!!!)
He looked over the top of his sexy reading glasses (i love my old geezer boyfriend- no matter what I say to point out otherwise) and asked, “What’s so funny, may I ask, before you lay an egg with all your cackling?”
“Folks take stuff so seriously!” I remarked, wiping the tears from my eyes. btw, may I add that I get over things faster than high speed Internet. It’s there one second and the next, I’ve moved onto something else and all is forgiven. I wish somebody would get that one-day rather than calling me insensitive.
He nodded, the all wise, all knowing weirdo, but then stopped. “Those are their beliefs that you’re laughing at.”
Somehow, I’ll never know how exactly, that innocent conversation turned into a screaming debate. He thinks I don’t know my shit! I wouldn’t be a successful conservative businessperson if I didn’t! The reason our argument has me scratching my head is the fact that we vote the same!
Just because I never discuss politics, the economy, or any of the other mumbo jumbo that pores out of every media orifice doesn’t mean that I’m such goofy, shallow, broad with her head stuck up her- never-mind. Deep breaths.
Nothing pisses me off more than people who assume, underestimate, and underachieve while spending more time making up excuses than the hard work would have taken them in the first place. I worked my tail to the bone and my fingers to the nub getting where I am today and that’s why I am a damn conservative.
Any liberals who believe free health-care, free childcare, welfare, and any other something-for-nothing programs created in this wishy washy nation can vote for Obama or whoever for all I care because I can’t change your mind, so why waste the precious time I have trying.
*Darn, now I’m all worked up with nobody to talk to. This is why I’m never posting about any of the “breaking news” you hear about everyday. This is the first and last time for me; my blood pressure already gets high enough talking face to face with all these darn people who come in my place of business trying to sell me on that shit. I’m making a sign saying, “No solicitors, loiterers, and especially NO politicians.”
Scott has cooled down though. He apologized for calling me shallow and not serious. Thank God I didn’t have to put him in the headlock until he conceded because I don’t that would have been a task easily accomplished. All is well… until he decides to watch the news or the Presidential Debate :0

