OK next part hehe... :D
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I stepped back inside and quietly closed the door behind me. I put my shoes back on and tiptoed through the large hallway and into the dining room. My mother sat there, face in hands, rubbing her temples. I sighed and forced myself to step up and quietly tap her on the back. "Mom," I whispered.
"Oh!" She jumped and looked me in the face. "Mirage! Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry," I said, pulling out a chair and sitting next to her on the light teak wood table.
"Hmm," she said, going back to rubbing her temples.
"What's wrong?" I asked, smiling brightly at her. "You seem a little down."
"Nothing, it's just-.." she stopped and looked up at me. "Wait a second, did we just flip scripts? Why are you so happy?"
I giggled lightly and said, "Mom, what's there not to be happy about?" I stood up and took a hold of her shoulders. I made her face the window over looking the beach, with two white hammocks laid comfortably on two palm trees. "Paint a picture with me. We just came from a beat up old apartment with a junkyard sofa for a porch seat, and two dumpsters for a peaceful view. Now," I walked around, waving my hands around the room. "We're in a beach house, overlooking the OCEAN!! And...you're happy again," I said, smiling down at her.
Her face brightened and she whispered through tears, "Yes, I AM happy!!" She clasped both of my hands and said, "I'm so glad you understand now," she said.
I nodded. "So where's this..." I paused. "James guy?"
Her face returned to a frown. "He had some business to attend to," she said, standing suddenly. "I actually have a spa appointment to get to, so you'll be alone here for a while." She wrung out her hands. "That's okay, isn't it?"
"OK," I said, taking off my coat and walking into the living room.
"Thank-you, honey!" She called out.
"No problem!!" I called back. I flopped down on the couch and flicked on the TV. Even the TV here was nice. A silver Bravia flat screen. Wow.
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After watching two episodes Jessica Simpson's new show about beauty that I was beginning to like, I was just about to put on 27 Dresses on On-Demand. I loved that movie, and could watch it over ten times in succession. It was just beginning when I heard a light tap on the door. I angrily threw down the remote and trudged down the hall to the door. I opened the door, saying, "Mom, alrea-...dy?"
There standing at the door definitely wasn't my mom. A tall guy, wearing a honey brown sweater vest, white slacks, white dress shirt underneath and a white tie stood in the doorway. He had a dark brown head of spiky hair and had on white framed glasses. He was speaking on an iPhone and muttering something into it.
I cleared my throat. He turned and looked at me with magnified amber eyes. Then with a quick look-down, he hung up the phone and stared down at me. "Why hello there," he said, grinning at me.
I rolled my eyes and said, "Chrystal's" (my mom's name) "not here."
I was about to shut the door in his face when he said, "Wait, wait wait." He put his hand out and stuck it in between the door and the frame.
