Saturday, February 18, 2012

Lomax Family Ch. 12 Mike & Lucy's New Addition

For a recap of the Lomax Family relationships go to the Lomax-Hammond Family tab at the top of the home page.~~Author

As Mike Lomax headed to work as usual, ever the busy business tycoon, his wife, Lucy, who had been outside posting some bills and a letter waved goodbye. She had things to do and they all centered around the house. When Mike got home she was working on a new recipe: grilled and stuffed green peppers. For the past couple months she'd been concentrating on widening her repertoire and actually was having a lot of fun in the process.



They had finally decided to start their family; they wanted two children, maybe three, spaced about three years apart, and felt if they didn't get started soon that might be harder to pull off; they didn't want to be gray-haired parents. This was unlikely since Mike was barely 30 and Lucy was almost two years younger, but still they felt the time was now. The reality was that, after seeing some of their friends' and family's young children they simply wanted some rugrats of their own. To that end Lucy went off the pill and they'd been told it might take a while for her to conceive. So they were somewhat astonished when she suspected only about six weeks later that she was pregnant. The doctor confirmed it and so they found themselves discussing names the next morning over bacon and eggs.


As Lucy slept soundly that night, Mike suddenly began to get qualms. He worried whether he would be a good father. He certainly had no problems in the financial department, but did he have the patience and the wisdom? He was confident about Lucy as a mother, though. She was so sweet and she'd always been good with her little sisters. Um, except for that time during their engagement party when Karen had acted up rather disagreeably. Lucy had been furious. But that was not a usual thing--for either Karen or Lucy--and had only lasted a couple minutes. He tried not to remember the nightmare he'd had right after that. It was only a nightmare. A nightmare that he and Lucy had children who were monstrous brats and Lucy just laughed at them while the little heathens lectured Mike and insulted him. Just a stupid dream...

The chapter where Mike worries about demonic children


One weekend not too much later Mike was dozing in the hammock when Lucy came over to him and said flirtatiously,

"Hey, handsome, why can't we share that hammock?'

He grinned at her,

"Come to Daddy."

It wasn't easy to get frisky in the hammock; but it was definitely possible, as they proved that afternoon. If only it hadn't start raining and hailing in the middle...


To her amazement Lucy had recently sold a story to a magazine. It had been so thrilling to see her words in print in a national forum and Mike had been so proud of her. This gave her the encouragement to work on a new story and consider writing a second novel. 


Now that her morning sickness days were well past Lucy was feeling great and her belly was still not enormous so she said to Mike one morning,

"Let's invite Chelsea and Trey and Andy and Holly over on Saturday. We'll cook out and enjoy the pool."

"Sure it's not too much for you?" Mike asked, "I can man the grill."

"Oh, but I want to use that new rib recipe I got; I can do it, Mike. I'm fine. If you'll just make sure the grill is clean and wipe down the outdoor chairs and tables."

Little did she know that in the middle of the night her abdomen would blossom into nearly full-term size. But it all worked out anyway.


As their family arrived Lucy considered both couples. They were different, of course. Trey Lassiter wanted children, the sooner the better, but his wife, Chelsea--who was Mike's sister--was on the fence. This was mostly due to her own childhood coming from a broken home. There was her florist shop to think of as well and the size and style of their home, too. Seeing two of her sister-in-laws pregnant at the same time, though, was breaking down her reservations. She never wanted Trey to think she didn't want his child; it wasn't true, she definitely did. She was just a little afraid of motherhood. Her own mother had not turned out to be the best when she'd deserted her family. Chelsea had to be honest, though, Jenny had been a wonderful mother until that point in time. She certainly seemed to be a good mother now to Loni Faye and Liara, too. That reminded Chelsea, she wanted to have the girls over to the house next weekend for sure.

Andy Lomax and his wife, Holly, had made it clear right from the start that they hoped to have a large family, maybe as many as six children. Holly had 5 siblings and Andy had 3; they were used to big families. Holly was expecting, too, about as far along as Lucy. This would be her third pregnancy, they already had the twins, Arliss and Alexa, and little Bradley.

Holly and Lucy made over each other's baby bumps while Andy and Mike played a quick game of catch. Chelsea and Trey had gone right in to change into their suits and hit the pool. It was a sweltering day.

                        Chelsea and Trey                  Lucy, Mike, Holly, Andy



Not long after that the others came out to the backyard, ready to swim except for Mike, who took his leisure poolside. But then the heat finally got to him, too, and he suited up and headed for the water slide. A lively game of Marco Polo had been going on.  Finally Mike got the grill going for Lucy,"I think it's ready, hon," he called.So Lucy clambered out of the pool and grilled the meat, using a big soft brush to continually baste it with her homemade barbeque sauce. They all ate the sweet succulent ribs with baked beans and coleslaw as the sun went down.

 

While they dined Andy and Holly told the latest happenings at their house, keeping them on the humorous side. Trey and Chelsea had just got a beautiful cat they'd name Minger and so they related their adventures in pet ownership. Mike and Lucy looked at each other, hmm, should they have considered getting a puppy or kitten? Well, too late now, maybe when the baby was older.



Later that very night Lucy went into labor and their little daughter, Michelle Katharine, was born. They felt their happiness was complete.


Two days after Micki arrived Lucy's parents and sisters came over to see her. Karen and Kirstie were teenagers now. Karen had sleek, straight hair cut in a short classic style and Kirstie had let her naturally curly hair grow long. Of course, Katharine and Josh Burb couldn't wait to see and cuddle their grandchild.



When the baby was back in her crib for a nap, Lucy and her parents visited out in the backyard while the twins played Marco Polo. Soon after that Mike got home from work and joined them. Lucy grilled chicken for a late supper and they dined outside.



Little Micki was easy to care for and, so far, Lucy still had time to be the bookworm she'd always been.


Mike wasn't much of a hands-on Dad; he loved cuddling and playing with the baby and he'd occasionally do feedings as well if it was necessary, but when it came to diapering and bathing, he was useless. Lucy didn't really mind so much only he was also kind of lazy around the house. A hardworking executive, he was used to a secretary and staff that danced attendance on him and handled any repetitive or unpleasant jobs for him; he was spoiled. He'd take out the trash, he always insisted on doing their finances himself and paying the bills, and he did the yard work which was relaxing to him, but anything else like making the bed, washing dishes, picking up his clothes, cooking or cleaning he not only left undone, he didn't even seem to see the mess. If Lucy pointedly asked him to do something he would do it but he always made a face and grumbled under his breath like a ten year old. He would only make meals when they could be done on the grill since he didn't consider that work, more like a hobby. The only time he'd helped much was during Lucy's pregnancy and a few days after she'd had Micki, he was back to his old ways. He thought she should just get a maid, but the maid, of course, didn't do everything.


Lucy remembered when they used to split chores down the middle way back when they had their apartment at University. Yep, those were the days. Those were the days before he had employees ready to do his bidding. So she handled most everything else that he did not and kept quiet, but decided she might not want another child after all. Counting little Micki; she already HAD two children to take care of, it seemed.


 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Lomax Family Ch. 11 Larry Max Goes Scooter-pootin'

For a recap of the Lomax Family relationships go to the Lomax-Hammond Family tab at the top of the home page.~~Author

So far things had been fairly quiet for Larry Max--and he definitely wanted that to change. So on the next Saturday night he gussied up and headed to the Fabulous 50's Diner in Crystal Creek.


He loved the atmosphere and the food wasn't bad either--not as good as that of his cafe, but, hey, how could it be?

From there he went to the Lucky Cuss Shack; he'd heard it was a laid back gambling place and he hadn't played poker in a long time. He started a game with Bob Blackford and Josh Burb.



After he'd won a decent amount of money--not a killing, but not that bad--he went to the bar to get another drink. The bartender was an attractive woman who seemed to know her way around and flirted with him a bit. Soon a woman he'd noticed earlier sat down at the bar and introduced herself as Chris Hiatt.They talked about this and that; just small talk.

"I'd like to try that singing machine; but I have no idea how to do it," Larry Max remarked. His easy southern drawl seemed to charm Chris. Actually he'd lost a lot of his accent, but it was still noticeable. 

"Well, I know how; let's give it a shot," she smiled and led him over to the karaoke machine.



So they tried singing a duet.

"At least nobody threw rocks," Larry Max grinned. 

He was feeling an attraction to Chris and evidently she felt the same way so he asked her to dance. And then he shocked himself by dipping her back and grabbing a kiss. He'd actually never kissed anyone but his ex-wife Jenny until that moment. Except for a girl he'd had a crush on when he was ten and you could hardly count that. After he'd begun romancing Jenny no one else had mattered. They were both just teenagers then and when Jenny got pregnant their parents had signed permission for them to marry. But that was so very long ago. Four children ago; children who were now grown and living their own lives. That was all before he'd caught Jenny in flagrante delicto with Lonnie Hammond--who was now her husband. That was long ago, too.



He jotted down Chris's phone number saying he'd call her and bid her goodnight. Going on to The Flow, Larry Max reflected that the evening was getting on, but he wanted to check this place out. He had barely sat down at the bar and ordered a drink when Chris plopped down on the stool next to him. Of course, it was a free world, but had she followed him here? Suddenly she did not appear as charming and he fought that feeling. After all, she could have been planning to come to The Flow next anyway, just like him. But when he'd left The Shack she had not said anything about it. On the other hand, he'd intimated he was on his way home, so he'd been rather disingenuous himself. At any rate he put up with her yammering at him but had no plans to encourage her. Then who should show up but his daughter-in-law, Lucy.

"Hey, hon! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Mike wanted to have an evening out; he's parking the car. So, Dad, are you becoming 'a rake and a ramblin' man'?" she grinned as she hugged him.

He grinned right back, 

"Well...not yet. But I'm determined to kick up my heels a bit."

His oldest son, Mike, came in then and Larry Max stood up as they began to laugh and joke. Lucy called his daughter, Chelsea, who came up to join them. Trey had a meeting that night so he wasn't with her. Larry Max realized Chris was hovering at his elbow angling to get in on the conversation, which he resented so he pointedly ignored her. When she left the lounge at last Larry Max felt nothing but relief. So much for calling her; she was just too pushy.




Still not ready for the evening to end and determined to meet as many women as possible as long as he was out, Larry Max tried to talk his kids into going with him to an after-hours place called Red's Hideout, but they declined. Chelsea was going back home since Trey would be there soon. Mike and Lucy had been dancing romantically and now they said they were also heading home. Probably for some loving time, Larry Max conceded and was happy that their marriage was going so well. So he went to the Hideout alone.

He'd barely arrived when his gaze met that of a beautiful, sexy blonde and his love meter went into overdrive. Or maybe it was his lust meter. She obviously felt the same way and they began to dance. Soon they were lost in each other's arms.

"My name's Nadine," she told him in her smoky voice and before she left she wrote down her phone number.

"Call me," she said as she went out the door, "Just anytime."

Va-va-voom! Larry thought as he soaked in his tub once he got home. It was four in the morning; what a night.



The next day was Sunday, fortunately, but even at that he didn't get much sleep. He went out to get the paper and met a neighbor, Scott Ferguson. He hadn't seen him in quite some time so he invited him in for lunch. Scott was a relaxed and upbeat family man who shared a lot of the same interests as Larry Max, like fishing and cooking. After he left Larry Max took a long enjoyable nap. Later he spent some time with his new parrot, Sinbad. He talked to the bird and enjoyed his responses. Now if he could just remain patient while he taught Sinbad to talk it might not take too long; Larry Max was a patient man as a rule. But he was extremely anxious to experience the dating scene; a social life was something he'd never really had and now craved.



Monday morning Larry Max woke long before dawn and headed to the cafe. The hours were 6 am to 3 pm, Monday through Saturday; he wanted the breakfast and lunch working crowd, but Saturday mornings at the cafe were busy, too. Perhaps he'd open it for evenings later but that would mean very long hours and probably a second shift. Too much work for now. 

He was feeling cheerful as he acted as host, even though he'd had some trouble with an obstreperous server and a strange elderly gentleman who was evidently interested in becoming the chef. He wouldn't leave, wouldn't talk and stayed right at Chef Jenna's elbow until in aggravation she cussed him out. It had no effect. Larry Max finally physically ousted him, but he walked right back in as though he had no recollection of being thrown out. He should have called the police, but he was in too good a mood.


He'd brought a change of clothes with him and after he closed the restaurant and drank a protein drink Larry Max showered quickly and changed, dousing himself liberally with an after shave labeled "Stud". Then he headed downtown to Lulu's Lounge. Ordering a drink at the bar he said to the bartender,

"Well, I heard this place was wild but it's sure dead tonight. I guess because it's Monday."

"Nah, you're just a little early. Give it 20 minutes and we'll be busy. This place is crowded every night," the bartender looked at his watch, "Yeah, just about 20 minutes."


Larry Max waited and, sure enough, the place began to fill up. Then in walked a girl he'd seen around town, but never been introduced to; Belinda Candeloro. She had long, lustrous black hair and china blue eyes surrounded by thick sooty eyelashes; not beautiful but attractive in an off-beat way. Which was about how he would have described his ex-wife, Jenny, except for the black hair. A woman did not have to be classically beautiful to trip his trigger.

He asked her to dance out on the terrace and she was most receptive. Since dipping and kissing had worked before he decided to give it a try now. Belinda's big blue eyes widened and her soft lips parted easily. The kiss from this girl got to him the most of all. Both Chris and Nadine's faces faded away. Evidently she felt the same, going by the way her heart was beating. He asked for her phone number having no idea that she shared her house with a friend who was actually her foster sister. And that friend was Chris Hiatt; the girl he'd met two nights ago at the Lucky Cuss Shack and who'd then followed him to The Flow. Did unknown conflicts lie ahead? If they did Larry Max was blissfully unaware of them.