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Post by larue on May 14, 2006 7:46:31 GMT 10
The community theater play opening was a huge event for their family. Abby and Luka surprised Susie by driving in from Chicago for her opening nightperformance. Susan’s Dad had flown in earlier to spend the entire weekend. Their house was crowded and noisy and delightfully homelike. Susie basked in the attention of all the people she loved...and that loved her. She convinced Cosmo that HE was Lauren’s babysitter and needed to stay home to make sure Grandpa fed her correctly. Luka followed suit with a promise to pay him some real money if he did the job well. It was all too soon that Susie was off to the Opera House with Heather’s family and Susan was holding her breath in anticipation.
The Opera House was packed and Susan sat on pins and needles through the first few scenes after the curtain rose. She held Chuck’s hand tightly waiting for Susie’s first appearance on the stage. There was the whistle, the slamming doors and then seven white sailor suits in a row...the third of which belonged to her niece. Susan grinned when she saw her and let her breath out slowly. Chuck squeezed her hand and she looked at him. They smiled at one another and then relaxed a bit to watch the show.
The lobby was crowded after the play was over and Susan, Chuck, Luka and Abby found a safe corner where they could wait for Susie.
“Dr. Lewis,” Susan turned as she was approached by a man leading a woman toward her.
“Brad!” she exclaimed an hugged a friend from the hospital. “You know my husband, Chuck. And these are our friends from Chicago, Drs. Abby and Luka Kovac. Brad Jennings, head of vascular surgery at the hospital.”
“Susie looked great up there on stage,” he said with a smile and nodded toward them. Susan grinned.
“Yeah...and didn’t miss a note either...I think,” she laughed. He stepped back a bit to introduce his companion.
“This is the Honorable Judge Rebecca Morgan,” he said formally. “She is a friend of mine and was inquiring about Susie. I think she’d like to meet her.” At that moment Susie burst into the middle of the little circle and threw herself at Susan. She was still wearing her costume from the last scene and was covered with stage make up.
“Did you like it?” she asked as she looked up at her. Susan hugged her tight and grinned.
“You were wonderful!” she laughed. Susie smiled happily and hugged Chuck and then Abby. Luka handed her the bouquet of flowers he’d been holding and then picked her up in a huge hug.
“Thank you!” Susie said excitedly. “It was so much fun!” She buried her nose in the bouquet for a second and then handed it to Chuck to hold.
“Uh, Susie,” Susan said as Heather approached them. “This is Judge Morgan. Judge Morgan, my niece, Susie Lewis.” Susie smiled politely and held out her hand.
“I am so pleased to finally meet you, Susie,” Judge Morgan said as she took her hand. “I have heard a lot about you from my friends at St. Alyosis. You were wonderful tonight.” Susie smiled politely.
“Thank you,” she said. Heather tugged on her shoulder and Susie looked at Susan.
“I have to go backstage and change. They need to put our costumes in order for tomorrow,” she said. Susan nodded.
“We’ll wait for you by the front door,” she said as the girls raced off. “She’s a little wired, I think.” Judge Morgan watched her go and smiled at Susan.
“My daughters will be so pleased that I have actually met her. That child has reached folk lore status in our household, you know,” she laughed. Susan frowned in confusion.
“How so?” she asked.
“My husband is on the Board of Directors at the school,” she explained. “He has been sharing the letters and emails he and the other board members have been receiving from her regarding the required team sport policy.” Susan’s face blanched. Abby stepped back and bit her lips trying to hold back a laugh as she watched Susan’s face. Luka looked away and rubbed his chin as he glanced over the crowd in the lobby. Chuck’s eyes danced as he carefully reached over and took Susan’s hand in his.
“Oh, don’t worry, Dr. Lewis,” Judge Morgan said with a smile. “My daughters are in college now but they had the very same issues at St. Alyosis. I am sorry to say that they didn’t have Susie’s spunk about doing something about it, though. Believe me, we are all rooting for her. It was very nice meeting you.” She patted Susan’s shoulder and stepped away to talk to someone else. Abby leaned in and laughed softly. Chuck touched Susan’s head with his own and sighed. Luka turned around and grinned broadly.
“Oh, my god...” Susan murmured. “Would someone PLEASE show me how to dump the hard drive on her computer so I can find out what that child has been up to?”
The next morning Susie opened her lap top and looked around at the five adults gathered in the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Susan shrugged.
“Nothing,” she said. “I just want to see what has been transpiring between you and the school’s Board of Directors.”
“It’s my project for my government class,” Susie said as she adjusted her glasses and ran her fingers through her curly hair. “I told you I had to do one.”
“What happened to getting the stop sign on Wendall street?”
“Jessica’s group is doing that and Eva and Robin’s group are petitioning for a peanut free cafeteria. I forget what the other groups are working on.” Susie’s fingers flashed over the keyboard and the screen filled with files.
“Groups? Who is in your group?” Susie grimaced.
“Well...my group kind of fizzled when they saw all the work I had planned with surveys and stuff. So I went to Sister Mike and she said I could do it on my own.”
“You have a Sister Mike?” Abby asked.
“It’s actually Sister Michaela but she prefers Sister Mike. She is so cool,” Susie said as she turned to her. “She’s kind of like that nun in that way old movie with Rosalind Russell.”
“I love that movie!” Abby chuckled. “The one where they take all the girls in to town to buy bras...”
“Binders,” Susie corrected her with a grin. Abby laughed and then stopped when Susan frowned at her. Susie clicked the computer and opened a file.
“Here are all the letters that I have sent, the surveys I created and passed out, the calculations of the results...and a copy of the email telling me that I am on the agenda of the March school board meeting.”
“What?” Susan exclaimed.
“The March school board meeting,” Susie repeated. “It’s right here...the date and the time. I was going to tell you about it...after the play was over.” She looked up at the clock and then at Luka.
“I went on that soccer web site you sent me,” she said. “Wanna see what I learned how to do?” Luka suppressed a grin and nodded. Susie looked at Susan.
“Are we finished here?” she asked. “I know they want to leave for Chicago and I have to be at the theater for the matinee soon.” She looked across the table at her grandfather.
“You’re coming to that one, right? With Aunt Susan and Cosmo?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said with a wink. Susie looked at Susan who just nodded.
“I’ll get my soccer ball!” she said as she raced off.
“She’s so cute...” Luka said.
“Damn cute...” Chuck echoed. Abby snickered and Susan’s dad laughed.
“You know...you guys are not helping me one little bit,” Susan moaned. “Am I the only one that is terrified for her?”
“She’s not afraid of anything,” Abby shrugged. “Just enjoy it.”
“Oh yeah...just wait till your little one starts down this road,” Susan said sarcastically. “I’ll be so sympathetic.” Abby laughed.
“Ah...I’m afraid they broke the mold with Susie,” she said. Susan shook her head and buried her face in her hands.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on May 14, 2006 9:32:25 GMT 10
I love the update!
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 14, 2006 9:38:19 GMT 10
Great update! I really love this story. It's one of the best I've read!
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Post by sammiejm on May 14, 2006 18:04:26 GMT 10
Love the update Larue. All your characters are so lifelike and you put them in such simple, but realistic settings, it works so well.
I love all your stories, keep updating. Please.
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Post by larue on May 15, 2006 20:46:17 GMT 10
Susan glanced over at Susie and smiled slightly. She was frowning and going over the notes in her hand. Susan nudged her and Susie looked up. She took a deep breath and smiled. Susan winked at her and Susie stood up. She smoothed her plaid school skirt and straightened her shoulders in the blue school blazer. She walked up to the audience podium, put her notes down and adjusted the microphone for her height. Susan glanced around the packed room and was suddenly aware of all the people wearing the school uniform. Her eyes met those of Judge Morgan who stood against the wall across the room and the woman nodded with a smile. The judge nudged a tall girl standing next to her who smiled at Susan as well. The microphone whistled slightly and Susie tipped her head back a bit.
“Hello,” she said quietly. “My name is Susan Elizabeth Lewis and I am a student at St. Alyosis. I am here to speak to you, our esteemed Board of Directors, about a requirement for our students that appears to be archaic and unfair. That requirement is that we are bound to participate in a competitive sport.” Susan’s chest swelled with pride as she watched and listened as Susie took charge of the meeting. Her speech was concise and precise. She had facts and figures. She had heart and soul. She had everyone in the palm of her hand.
“Thank you, Susie,” Mr. Morgan, the Board President, said when she had finished. “I don’t think that there is a Board member here who has not been impressed with your tenacity, your organizational skills and now, your poise, in speaking to us. Anyone that can bring my own daughters home from their colleges to attend a school board meeting gets a gold star in my book.” A laugh rippled through the audience and Susan glanced over again to where Judge Morgan stood with her daughters. Something drew her eyes to the back of the room and her heart jumped to her throat. It was Chloe. She was standing by the door with her eyes riveted on Susie. Susan frowned and sat back in her seat. She swallowed and looked up at Mr. Morgan again.
“You have brought up some very valid points for us to consider,” he was saying, “and we have considered them. As you pointed out, our goal for our girls should be to foster a life long love of fitness and exercise. You are also correct in stating that they may not be playing these sports after they leave school. I am happy to say that we are seriously considering changes within our program. Unfortunately those changes cannot be implemented for this school year. You mentioned that you have signed up to play a spring sport?” Susie nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m on the roster to play soccer but it won’t be pretty. I still run like a duck.” Susan grinned as another laugh filled the room. Mr. Morgan shook his head and laughed.
“Well, maybe next year you will be able to forego the competition aspect and try something else. We will definitely be looking at instituting some of the suggestions that you have given to us...as well as looking at the various survey results you have compiled which include our students’ interests and desires.” He sifted through the file of papers in front of him. He took his glasses off and smiled.
“Well done, Susan Elizabeth Lewis,” he said. “Well done, indeed.” The room exploded with applause - and cheers - as Susie turned and stepped away from the microphone. She was smiling happily as she made her way through the outstretched hands shaking hers and patting her on the back. Susan stood up and Susie stopped in front of her. Susie shrugged and Susan wrapped her arms around her in a hug. They both let out a huge sigh and Susan kissed the top of Susie’s head. She glanced toward the back of the room and saw that Chloe was gone.
Chuck was waiting up for them, reading in the livingroom, when they got home. Susan blasted him a mile a minute as she chattered on and on about the meeting and what happened. Susan quietly put her things away and listened. She headed into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Susan bounced in and hugged her.
“Thank you for coming with me tonight, Aunt Susan,” she said. “Thank you for everything.” Susan squeezed her tight and held her for a moment longer than she really needed to. Susie kissed her cheek and hurried off to bed. Susan opened her bottle of water and took a long drink. When she pulled the bottle away from her lips, she saw Chuck leaning against the door jamb watching her.
“Chloe was there,” she said quietly. He nodded.
“She called for you just after you left tonight,” he said. “I told her where you were.”
“What did she want?”
“To talk to you.” Susan nodded.
“Did she leave a telephone number or something?” Chuck nodded. He gestured toward the notepad on the kitchen counter. Susan picked it and looked at it for a long moment.
“I told her you would call when you got home tonight.” Susan nodded.
“I will,” she said. “I want to wait until Susie is asleep first.”
“That might be a while. She’s pretty keyed up.” Susan looked at him pointedly.
“She can wait.” Chuck sighed.
“Call her now and meet her somewhere. If she asks, I’ll tell Susie that you were called in to work.” Susan looked at him for a long moment and then picked up the cell phone on the counter.
Chloe was waiting for her when Susan entered the restaurant. She saw her immediately and waved. Susan made her way to the back booth and slipped into the seat facing her sister.
“My god, Chloe,” she said as she studied her sister’s face. “It’s been five years. Where have you been?” Chloe shrugged.
“Here and there,” she said.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have for you.”
“How could you just walk away from Joe? From Susie?” Chloe was silent for a long moment.
“She’s beautiful, Sus,” Chloe said softly.
“You have no idea how beautiful she is.”
“She’s smart too...” she said softly. “She always was smarter than me.”
“Oh Chloe, you are pathetic. Don’t turn this into a pity party for you. This is all about making choices. Your choices have always been at the expense of the people who love you.”
“Love me?” Chloe said as she raised her eyebrows. “Not...loved?” Susan sighed and crammed her fists into the pocket of the sweater jacket she wore.
“You are the only sister I will ever have,” she said. “Of course I love you.” Chloe looked up at her and smiled a little.
“What is she like?” Chloe asked. “Is she a hellion?” Susan chuckled and sighed.
“Yes, she is,” she said. “But not in the way that you mean.” She hesitated and then opened her purse and took out a small photo album. She put it on the table and pushed it toward Chloe. Chloe opened it and blinked as she laughed softly. It was a picture of the technicolor hair, black garbed Susie from last summer.
“What was that all about?” Chloe asked as she traced Susie’s face with her finger.
“I asked her about it this winter,” Susan said. “It had something to do with trying to fit in with the high school kids she was attending summer school with. She didn’t want them to think she was weird or... something...and after that she just wanted to make sure we would keep her no matter what she was like.” Tears filled her eyes as she watched her sister’s face while she flipped slowly through the book of pictures...Susie with Cosmo...Susie with Chuck...Susie with her...Susie and Heather in their play costumes... Susie in her school uniform...Susie balancing a detested soccer ball on her finger ...their family together...
“Can I keep this?” Chloe asked. Susan nodded.
“I put it together for you.”
“Thanks.” Chloe slipped the photo book into her bag. She looked up at Susan and sighed.
“What now, Chloe?” Susan asked. Chloe shrugged.
“Maybe back to Seattle...maybe Chicago. I have friends in San Diego. I lived there for a while,” she said. Susan closed her eyes.
“Don’t walk out of her life again,” she said. Chloe blinked back tears and frowned.
“We don’t...fit...together,” she said. “She could never function in my world. She’d be the kid of an addict. I don’t want that for her. And I can’t make it in her world either. This is the best thing. She needs to be with you.” Susan took a deep breath and then sighed.
“She needs...” she corrected herself, “...we both need you, Chloe.”
“Naw...you don’t need me, Susie,” Chloe shook her head. “ You always gave me more that I’ve ever given you. But I’m fixing that now.” Chloe reached across the table and took Susan’s hands in her own.
“You have the best thing I ever did. That’s all you’ll ever need from me.” Susan sat still and gripped her sister’s hands tightly in her own.
“Please come and see her,” she said. Chloe shook her head.
“I wouldn’t know what to say to her right now. I just wanted to make sure she was okay,” she said. “Someday I will see her though. I promise.” Chloe pulled her hands gently from Susan’s.
“I won’t disappear again,” she said softly. “I promise you that too.” She stood up and moved to the other side of the booth to hug Susan.
“I will call you...as soon as I am settled somewhere,” she said. Susan choked back a sob and hugged Chloe close for a long moment.
“Take care of her,” Chloe said as she turned and walked away. Susan watched her leave the quiet restaurant and sat quietly thinking for a long time. The waitress approached and Susan began to chuckle. She shook her head and opened her bag. Chloe had left her with her dinner bill.
The house was quiet when she got home. She locked the door behind her and went up the stairs. She flipped on the hall light and peeked into Susie’s room. Susan smiled as she opened the door a little wider and stepped inside. Cosmo was sound asleep in Susie’s bed with his fingers wrapped in her curly hair. Susan gently untangled his fingers and tucked his arm under the light quilt. Susie stirred and opened her eyes a bit.
“Was it a bad accident, Aunt Susan?” she murmured as she frowned in the light from the hall. Susan smiled softly.
“We’ll talk about it in the morning, sweetie,” she said.
“Okay,” Susie yawned and closed her eyes. She wrapped a protective arm around Cosmo and slipped back to sleep. Susan leaned down and pressed a kiss to both of their cheeks. She smiled and turned out the hall light as she made her way to the master bedroom. Chuck was propped up on a pile of pillows on their bed with the television on. He’d obviously tried to wait up for her...unsuccessfully. Susan changed into a soft night gown and crawled under the covers next to Chuck. She smiled at him for a moment and then kissed him. Chuck came awake slowly and slipped his arm gently across her back holding her closer. Susan drew back and smiled. Chuck nodded and snuggled her against his shoulder.
“I take it things went well?” he said. Susan nodded.
“She’s leaving again,” she said. “But she promised to call when she is settled somewhere.” Chuck frowned and looked at her.
“And Susie?” Susan looked at him and smiled.
“She’s staying right here,” she said. “But you already knew that.” Chuck grinned and kissed her again.
“So what do you think? Cosmo and Susie...a preschooler and a teenager,” Susan sighed. “Do you think we can survive this?” Chuck laughed.
“Oh...I think we’ll have our hands pretty full,” he said. Susan nestled up against him and sighed happily.
“Oh yeah...”
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Post by larue on May 15, 2006 20:56:58 GMT 10
This was intended to be the end....but after getting some requests to do so, I carried it on for a bit more. Sooo....there is more to come.
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on May 15, 2006 22:39:38 GMT 10
Love the new update! Can't wait for the next part!
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 15, 2006 23:35:50 GMT 10
Great update! I love this story.
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Post by larue on May 16, 2006 9:02:47 GMT 10
Oh, I love it too! Susie was SO much fun to write.....and was sort of how JK Rowling described how Harry came to be. She just jumped out of my imagination fully formed and soooo endearing.
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Post by larue on May 17, 2006 3:37:07 GMT 10
“My Mom was here?” Susie’s brows furrowed as she looked at Susan in confusion.
“That’s where I was last night,” she said. “I met her so we could talk.”
“She didn’t want to talk to me?” Susan reached across the table and picked up one of her niece’s hands.
“She doesn’t know what to say to you just yet,” she said. “But she promised me that she would stay in touch with us. She won’t just disappear again.”
“So...she is just going to leave me here?” Susan nodded. Susie thought for a moment and then shrugged.
“Okay,” she said brightly. She squeezed Susan’s hand quickly and then stood up.
“Is it all right if I go over to Heather’s house? She has some more summer camp brochures to check out.” Susan glanced at Chuck and then nodded. Susie bounced toward the door and then turned around.
“Um...Aunt Susan...” she said as she leaned against the door jamb. Susan looked up.
“You know how parents have to have a plan for their kids in case something happens to them?” Susan shook her head.
“Nothing is going to happen to us, sweetie.”
“Oh, I know,” Susie said quickly. “But what would your plan be?” Susan looked at Chuck and shrugged. He raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
“Um...well,” Susan said finally. “There’s Grandpa...and Chuck’s mother. But if you were old enough we would want you to be Cosmo’s guardian.” Susie nodded.
“And if Grandpa couldn’t take care of you, I suppose we would ask Abby and Luka to do it.” Susie smiled brightly.
“That’s what I was hoping,” she said. “I won’t be too long at Heather’s.” She turned and left. Susan frowned at Chuck.
“That’s it?” Susan said. “No reaction?”
“Don’t go looking for problems, hon,” Chuck warned her. “Let Susie deal with this in her own way.”
“But do you think she really is dealing with it?” Susan asked him. Chuck stood up and shrugged.
“I don’t know. She did refer to us as her parents...sort of. That’s something,” he said. “You might want to tell Abby about this conversation though, before Susie starts emailing Luka with specific instructions about how she wants to be raised.” Susan chuckled and rolled her eyes.
It was several hours later when Susan sat at their table with Heather’s mother waiting for Susie and Heather to join them.
“I don’t know about you, Beth,” Susan said as she set her tea mug back on the table. “It makes me nervous to get a ‘summons’ to a meeting with Susie.” Beth laughed.
“She has been so good for Heather,” she said brightly. “She has really taught her how to organize herself.” Susan laughed.
“Is that all?” She said. They both looked up as the girls entered the kitchen and sat at the table across from them. Susan exchanged looks with Beth. Susie straightened her glasses and Heather flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder.
“Aunt Susan,” Susie said.
“Mom,” Heather said at the same time. The girls looked at one another and Susie shrugged. She nodded at Heather.
“Susie and I would like to discuss what we want to do for our summer vacation.” Susie slid a camp brochure across the table toward them.
“We want to go to camp together,” Heather continued. “We’ve been looking for one that has the things we like to do and found this one.”
“It’s in Michigan,” Susan said slowly as she read the brochure cover.
“Only five hours away,” Susie said quickly. “Just on the other side of Chicago. And it’s only for two weeks.” Beth shook her head slowly.
“I don’t know, honey,” she said. ‘You’ve never been that far away from home for that long - alone - before.”
“I won’t be alone,” Heather said. “Susie will be there.”
“And this camp has everything that we want,” Susie explained. ‘We’ve looked at dozens of them.”
“I know you have,” Beth said. “The brochures have been coming in our mailbox. But still...”
“Mom, this camp has a special diet allowances and a full time nursing staff. We made sure of that,” Heather stated firmly. “I’ll be okay.”
“I still think you need to look into getting an insulin pump,” Susie said to Heather.
“I told you, not until after summer,” Heather said. “I like swimming too much.” Susie shrugged and Susan bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“How much does this camp cost?” she asked as she cleared her throat.
“Well, we have half the money we need in our tutoring account,” Susie said. “We just need to float a loan to cover the rest until we can pay you back...with interest, of course.”
“Of course,” Susan nodded. “I guess then, you aren’t planning to go to summer school again?” Susie shook her head.
“I only went because I didn’t have anything better to do,” she said. “This summer I want to go to camp...and then there’s the kids’ play with the theater group. I want to audition for that.” Heather nodded.
“And if we don’t get a part we want to work backstage,” she said. Susan’s eyes were dancing as she took in the dismay on Beth’s face.
“Um...well...you girls have presented your case very effectively,” Susan said. “I just think we need to talk it over with Uncle Chuck and Heather’s dad before we give you any kind of firm answer.”
“But?” Susie tipped an eyebrow quizzically. Susan looked at Beth who shrugged.
“It sounds like a good idea to me,” she said. Heather and Susie grinned and high fived one another. They stood up from the table and hurried out of the kitchen toward Heather’s bedroom chattering excitedly. Beth shook her head and then looked at Susan.
“What just happened here?” she asked. Susan laughed.
“Prepare yourself,” she said. “I think they are already talking about which colleges they want to attend.” They both laughed softly and shook their heads.
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 17, 2006 5:25:27 GMT 10
Excellent!
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Post by Lubyfanatic316 on May 17, 2006 5:35:36 GMT 10
Great update!!
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Post by larue on May 18, 2006 20:23:16 GMT 10
Susan clutched her jacket closer about herself and shaded her eyes in the bright evening sun. The game was just starting. Good. She hadn’t missed anything. She found her way to the bleachers by the field and looked for Cosmo. She smiled when she saw him sitting with Chuck and Heather. Chuck stood up and waved. Susan made her way to their seat and sat down.
“What did I miss?” she asked. “Where’s Susie?” Chuck nodded toward the goal net where Susie stood scuffing her cleats in the grassy dirt. She had a goal tender shirt over her uniform, huge gloves on her hands and shin guards under her purple team knee socks.
“Well...she looks good,” Susan said worriedly. Chuck laughed and offered her some popcorn from the bag in his hand. She smiled as Cosmo climbed into her lap. Susan wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
“Can you see Susie?” she asked him. Cosmo nodded his head.
“Yay, Susie!” he yelled. Susan laughed.
They lost the game. The rest of the season didn’t go much better but it was more fun than Susie had anticipated. The best thing about being a goalie was that she didn’t have to run too far...and she was good at zoning in on the ball. She actually stopped more goals than she let in. Best of all was the comraderie of her team mates.
Spring waned and summer loomed. There were birthdays to be celebrated... Susie’s 13th and Cosmo’s 4th...the end of the school year...and summer vacation. Susie and Heather were both cast in the summer production of ‘Hans Christian Andersen’ and chattered away about their script and rehearsal schedules the entire 4 hour trip to camp. Susan and Beth listened to them from the front seat of the car and shook their heads. They were both bossy and opinionated and the very best of friends. Leaving them at camp had been difficult but it was a pleasant drive back to Iowa. They even made a quick stop in Chicago to see Susan’s dad and Abby and Luka.
The house seemed so empty without Susie. Susan hadn’t really anticipated that. They were all counting the days until the two weeks would be up. Susie had made a calender for Cosmo and every night before he went to bed he would cross off another day until her return. Susan was exhausted and seemed to be fighting the flu. Then she had another nagging thought...one that really caught her by surprise. She brought home a test kit from the hospital and tried it out.
She sat on the side of her bed and tapped her finger on the small plastic stick she held in her hand. Her mind was reeling. How could this have happened? Now of all times? She didn’t move when Chuck came in the room and rummaged through a dresser drawer for a clean shirt.
“Hey, Sus,” he said. ‘I need to run to the hardware store. I’m going to take the Cosman with me. Gotta acclimate him to the guy things in life.” He turned to look at her and frowned.
“What’s up?” he asked. Wordlessly she handed the little stick to him.
“What’s this?” His eyes widened a bit as he recognized the pregnancy test stick. He sat on the bed next to her when he read the blue lines.
“We’re having a baby?”
“Apparently so.” Susan sighed heavily. Chuck turned to her and smiled a little.
“We’re having a baby...” Susan looked at him and rolled her eyes.
“How could this have happened?” Chuck smirked and then shrugged.
“Well...I seem to recall some good times and a few interesting posit...ow!” He groaned playfully as she punched him in the chest.
“We’re not teenagers, Chuck,” she said. “We’re both in the medical profession, for cripes sake. A surprise pregnancy?” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“Susan,” he said. “We are a happily married couple that enjoy each other... alot.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck. She stiffened.
“We can’t afford this right now. And where are we going to put a baby? This is a three bedroom house.” Chuck sighed. He sat straighter.
“We’ve always talked about finishing the basement sooner or later. We’ll put a bedroom down there for Susie. She’ll love having the privacy...and the rest of the basement for entertaining her friends. In fact,” he grinned and nuzzled Susan’s neck again, “we’ll put her in charge of the project so you know it will be done right...and cheaply.” She began to relax and he drew her back on the bed beside him and kissed her.
“So do we know how far along you might be? Do I get the benefits of that really horny first trimester for very long?” Susan’s laugh was cut short as Chuck kissed her and slipped his hands to her waist under her tee shirt. Neither of them noticed Cosmo until he was standing on their bed looking down at them.
“Hey!” he said as he bent down and rubbed Susan’s head. “Daddy is buying me a hammer. My very own!” Chuck groaned and rolled over.
“We gotta work on his timing...” he said. Susan laughed and sat up as she straightened her tee shirt. Chuck stood up and pulled her up from the bed.
“Let’s go get that hammer,” she sighed. Chuck frowned.
“What? I like hardware stores,” she said. He grinned and nuzzled her neck again as they crowded through the bedroom door together following Cosmo. Susan yelped and grabbed his hand as he pinched her behind.
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Post by sammiejm on May 18, 2006 22:39:09 GMT 10
Oh, what a surprise (for Susan and for us readers). Lovely update Larue. Don't keep us waiting for too long for some more.
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Post by <3 LubyII <3 on May 19, 2006 3:24:32 GMT 10
Awesome update!
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