Glenn Caswell Ch. 6 Removing the Sword Part 1

If you need information on Glenn and Gareth, go to the Errol Flynn Family tab on the home page~~Author

Gareth Caswell visited his mother, Glenn, at least once a week; she was getting older and lived alone so he wanted to check in with her and help with anything she might need. It was with relief that he learned she wanted to buy a small one-story house. He hated the thought of her going up and down the stairs in the house he grew up in, but until now she'd refused to move. She was in excellent health, looked 15 years younger than she was and as independent and feisty as they come. It was typical that when she made up her mind she'd never even asked him or told him, just found what she wanted, plunked down the money and put their old three-story home up for sale. He'd only learned about it when she called and told him that if there was anything he wanted from the old house he should come and get it because she wouldn't have room for a lot at the new place. 

Having enlisted professional movers to do the job on a weekend Gareth and Melanie were gone on a business trip she was ensconced in her new home before Gareth could even help. So today he was going to see her and it would be the first time he got a look at her new home. She was waiting on the tiny porch of her tiny house when he got there.

 
"Mom, it's so small," he worried as she gave him a very short tour, "No place for your game table or a pool table, no swimming pool, no basketball hoop. The yard is like postage stamp size." 

All the things he'd listed were items he'd had at his disposal when he was growing up, of course. There was a smallish bedroom, one tiny room that could not even qualify as a guest room where she was simply storing things at the moment; two small bathrooms; a living room and a tiny kitchenette. Not even a dishwasher.

"I don't need a big house anymore. And I already love this little house; it's so quiet on this street, I guess because of the cul de sac. There are quite a few kids, but they're all well-behaved, at least so far. I don't entertain large groups at one time, you know, no wild parties and the open concept makes it feel larger than it is; at least to me. Of course, I'm still moving things about and decorating, just as the mood strikes me. As for the games I can always go to Galaxy Arcade and play pool or any other game."

"Yeah, I heard Trey bought out Mr. Blackford; hard to imagine the place without him. I've been meaning to get over there to see Trey."

He looked over at the small dog that snoozed on a pet bed in the hall,

"So why'd you get a little rat dog if you wanted a pet, anyway? I'd have thought you'd rather have a cat; you always said you liked cats best."

"Oh, I stopped by the shelter on a whim and she'd been there a while and she was just so darn sweet," she grinned, "She's a Chihuahua mix and her name is Chiquitita. Anyway, I can always add a cat later."

"Chiquitita, huh? Quite a mouthful," he grinned back.

"Yeah, you know how I am about Abba. I call her Chiqui for short sometimes."

Gareth looked doubtful, but before long he was playing with the little dog as Glenn watched with amusement.

"Oh, I almost forgot; I saw Lori the other day at Food Lion and she said the twins are doing fantastic; growing like weeds and into everything. The health club is really starting to take off, too; she's so proud of Harvey," Glenn mentioned when Gareth sat back down at the dining table with her.

She glimpsed a flicker of irritation come over his face as he replied,

"Yeah. Well, she wouldn't really care if he was digging ditches at the north pole in the middle of February; she'd say her life was wonderful and that Harvey was a big success. She still thinks he hung the moon." 

"I wasn't aware that digging ditches was the worst that could happen to you in life," Glenn remarked dryly, "And why shouldn't a wife consider her husband to be the star of her show?"

The corner of his mouth went down as he stood and walked to the kitchen window and stared out unseeingly. Then he came back and sat down again, all without looking at his mother. 

"You're right. It's just, sometimes--sometimes she gets on my nerves the way she is so, I don't know, peppy and upbeat all the time. I've known her since we were both ankle-biters and I know what a drama queen she really can be; she's not fooling me with that Mary Sunshine rah-rah act she puts on for him."

He finished his little rant and refused to look at Glenn, who regarded him quietly for a moment.

"That was quite a speech. You know, son, I have never liked to interfere in your life, but the time has come for me to have a talk with you."

Gareth popped up out of his seat and nervously jingled the keys in his pocket.

"Mom, I'd really like that, but I need to be getting back home now. Melanie wants to go to the movies tonight."

"You can spare 30 minutes, I'm sure," she said smoothly, "So give your old mother a break and hear me out. This is serious."

His heart sank; Glenn was nothing if not honest and direct. This was not a conversation he wanted to have, but he respected her totally so he took a seat again. He would rather have been at the dentist getting a root canal, though.

"Harvey is your best friend, why should you resent Lori bragging about him?"

"I don't know; maybe I'm envious," he suggested his eyes avoiding hers, "He's working at something he loves and now I'm sitting at a desk and hating it."

"So what's keeping you from leaving that job and going back to teaching and coaching?"

He shrugged,

"The money I guess." 

Glenn took a breath and then said,

"This antagonism toward Lori predates Harvey buying the gym, Gareth. It goes back a long way. I've known for years what the problem is but I hoped you'd outgrow it."

Still not meeting her gaze he protested,

"I'm not antagonistic. I just made one remark, so big deal."

"Look at me, son."

His face carefully expressionless Gareth finally met his mother's eyes.

"You're not fooling me. You need to get this out in the open and deal with it. You've been angry with Lori since high school at least. And I know why."

To be continued...

 Next update Glenn Caswell Ch. 6 Removing the Sword Part 2

Shep Ferguson Ch. 9 Gillian Ferguson Blackford

Gillian's back was killing her lately--she was far along into her pregnancy by this time and her third pregnancy seemed a lot harder on her than either of the first two.  Ryan was a good boy but he sometimes seemed to Gillian to be a little crankier than Robby had been at that age.

"Or maybe it's just me who's crankier," she muttered.

Robby was still devoted to his father. He greeted Jeremy everyday when he got home from work--running clear out to the sidewalk from wherever he was playing.  Gillian had told Jeremy he'd best enjoy it because once Robby became a teenager there was no guaranteeing that he'd want to be with his dad as much, if at all. So Jeremy did try to spending as much time with Robby as he could, but he also made a renewed effort to give attention to Ryan, who would be having a birthday soon.

Many people said that in Pleasantview babies, like vampires, always seemed to show up after dark. The new twins, Stephen and Sabrina, were no exception in that regard. In fact it was the very middle of the night when Gillian experienced those familiar pains.

"Well, Mom wanted six grandchildren--then she upped it to an even dozen," Gillian grinned at Jeremy as they cuddled the new babies, "All I can say is I've done my part. I love all four of our children, but I'm ready to say 'enough' after this." 

Ryan might have seemed cranky to Gillian at times, but most family and friends who knew him thought he was very amiable, though quieter than Robby. He could get upset at times but it was really because he lived in his imagination so much and focused so hard at play that reality intruding could unnerve him a bit.

Early on he showed a definite preference for any animal toys like his "horsie", and he absolutely adored his teddy bear. He never mishandled, hit or chewed on "Blue Bear", as he called him, and for a toddler that was very good indeed.

Time went by, Gillian was very busy with Ryan and the babies. Jeremy and Robby did more bonding. When it was at last time for Ryan's birthday Gillian cuddled him and helped him blow out the candles. 

Now that he was of age, Ryan couldn't wait to begin school and go on the bus with his brother. He was excited that he could play games with Robby, too. The very first day of school he brought home a new friend with him, Liara Hammond. She was quiet and a little shy, like Ryan was with strangers, but once he got to know her he'd found she was a lot of fun and they played at the activity table and then had a game of Paper-Rock-Scissors. Spaghetti with meatballs was what Gillian usually served for supper when the boys had friends over, the other favorite was macaroni and cheese, of course.

Later that same week Robby brought home a friend of his own--it was Loni Faye, Liara's big sister, who had been over to the house before. 

Gillian said that supper would be late tonight so the kids could get some snacks from the refrigerator. Robby knew she was probably thinking along the lines of an apple or a jello cup, but all three of them were really hungry and there was leftover cherry cheesecake and part of a butter cake with chocolate frosting. So he served up the desserts to his brother and his schoolfriend.


Afterward Loni Faye said with a particularly sweet smile that she couldn't think of a better supper--how clever of Robby. He had a little bit of a crush on her so when she said that to him his face grew pink and he tried to think of another way to impress her. Whispering in her ear he suggested that they play "Red Hands". Ryan thought that whenever Robby glanced at Loni Faye his expression was decidedly stupid, but he kept his opinion to himself for the time being.


After all, Ryan liked Loni Faye fine and he liked Liara, too, but come on--they were girls. Girls could be fun to play with, but to Ryan they were kind of silly at times. What was wrong with Robby, anyway? Ryan didn't say anything to Gillian or Jeremy so they could not explain to him that Robby was growing up, that was all.

Now, Loni Faye was a very neat and orderly child (as well as outgoing and precocious) and before going home she visited the guest bathroom at the Blackford house. Not only did she use the toilet, she also took a shower to wash off the day's grime and then wiped down the shower stall afterward and scrubbed the sink. 

Robby quickly hugged her goodbye just as her mother's car pulled up out front, which disgusted Ryan so thoroughly he went upstairs to go to bed early, making gagging noises as he went.


"That little girl cleaned the shower and sink better than the maid," Gillian told Jeremy later that night.


"I'm surprised she didn't mop the floor," he laughed.


"There wasn't a mop handy, or she probably would have. I can't tell if she's just well brought up or obsessive-compulsive, but as far as I'm concerned Robby can bring her here any time he wants."

Gillian decided to start her Christmas shopping the next week. She was most surprised to see her Aunt Heather working behind the cash register at Inner Child Toys, but Heather said she was squirreling away as much money as possible to cover side expenses when Scotti Lynn went off to college. She and Scott had a fund for Scotti Lynn's tuition and books, of course, but this extra cash would give her spending money and extra clothes. 


Unfortunately for Gillian, Heather was still very new at being a cashier and took a long time to check Gillian out that day. On the bright side, Gillian was able to purchase a lot of items for the kids. Now she would have to figure out a new place to hide them. She was pretty sure that Robby had found where they were in the back of the master bedroom closet last year. Things had looked disturbed when she went to wrap the gifts. Maybe she'd try the attic, tucked behind one of the big trunks--and wrapping them first would probably not be a bad idea, either. She'd also have to warn her oldest son that she was aware he'd snooped in the past and it had better not happen again. Not if he wanted to have some of the things on his Christmas list, anyway. Yes, she definitely was the one who was getting crankier, she decided, it must "hormones-gone-crazy-due-to-having-twins" syndrome. She'd have to get advice from her sister, Margo...

Saturday morning breakfasts were usually a big family meal of pancakes or omelets, but this morning Gillian was busy bathing babies and the men in the family had to fend for themselves. So they ate left-over pancakes and omelets. Jeremy told Gillian he thought it was important that Robby and Ryan should learn how to prepare meals using the microwave anyway. She rolled her eyes and said,

"Whatever. Just clean up the mess afterwards."

Later that same day they celebrated Robby's birthday with cake and presents. He got a new laptop, a stamp collection, a soldering gun, some new clothes in the right size and a new TV and video game player for his bedroom.

It was a great birthday he thought and he hugged his mother on his way upstairs to check himself out in the mirror. Washing his hair and using a blow dryer he was pretty happy with the outcome, same hair style, just fluffier, really. He wondered how Loni Faye's birthday would be and how she would change--he knew it was coming pretty soon.

Robby changed things around in the bedroom he shared with Ryan, who was all about science, space and science fiction, while Robby was all about sports. He did still love quiet pursuits, though, like stamp collecting and learning to craft things and tinker--learning what makes things tick. So he kept his interests mostly to his side of the room and Ryan had all his space stuff on the other side. They met in the middle with their desks.

Ryan and Jeremy went up to the third floor to play the pinball machines there. When Robby could tear himself away from the mirror he sat on the floor in his bedroom to play a sports video game on his new player. Just because he could. Later Gillian joined Ryan and Jeremy on the third floor where her sewing machine was. If she worked at it maybe she would become good enough to sew outfits for the twins when they became toddlers.

Next blog update: Shep Ferguson Ch. 10 Margo Ferguson Candeloro

Shep Ferguson Ch. 8 Debbie; High School Senior Pt. 1

It was her last year of high school and Debbie Boyle Ferguson thought some real changes should be made in her life. This basically amounted to growing out her short hair into a new style, buying some new clothes and hopefully obtaining more privileges as in being able to stay out later and having a car of her own.

She didn’t often get to take the family car out with her friends but she hoped that would soon be changing, in fact very soon. When Shep and Madeleine were playing Don’t Wake the Llama and in a very good mood, Debbie brought up the subject of using the car on Saturday afternoon.  Her timing was good and Shep said she could use the car to drive over to Bluewater Village to have some fun at the Galaxy Arcade.

 

So Saturday came, but before Debbie could leave she saw Damon Ottomas walking by the house. She had a big-time crush on Damon (unfortunately so did her cousin, Scotti Lynn) so she hustled out to invite him in for lunch. He'd never met her mother before and politely introduced himself, then proceeded to be as charmed by the lovely Madeleine as most people were. They talked for a while, Madeleine asking him about his interests and where he planned to go to school after graduating.

"Honestly, I invite a boy in to get to know him better, and he spends more time talking with my mother than with me! What's the deal?" Debbie thought to herself, but only shrugged outwardly. 

She did get more attention from him during the meal and for a short time afterward. Unfortunately, he couldn't go with her to the Arcade because he had to go to practice with his new band in thirty minutes. He said the group was getting pretty good but, of course, they were still just starting out. After Damon left Debbie got a late start for the Galaxy Arcade and definitely wished he was going with her. Or better yet, she wished he'd invited her to the practice session, she would definitely have loved seeing him play his drums.

Madeleine was preparing to get groceries in town but on her way out the door she ran into Melanie Caswell and stopped to talk with her awhile right there on the front walk. After Melanie left Madeleine headed to Danny's Supermarket. It was surprisingly quiet there for a Saturday afternoon and she wondered what was going on that more people weren't there. Later she found out that there were big bargains going on in Bluewater Village at the supermarket there. 

"Wouldn't you know, she complained to Shep, "And I missed it."

Once at the Arcade Debbie wished some of her friends would show up. She called Scotti Lynn, but she was at the movies with Lisa Goth and Brooks Generica. Then she checked with the Blackford twins, but Janice was working at her part-time job at the restaurant and Jessamyn just wasn't answering her cell at the moment. Debbie texted a message to her and then she spotted family friend Lucy Lomax at the door mulling over whether or not to play the cover charge or forget the whole thing and head to the library. Once Lucy glimpsed Debbie trying to get her attention that decided her: pay to play. They started a game of Don't Wake the Llama.

Soon they were joined by a couple of town people they didn't know that well. The one girl was decidedly bizarre. Her makeup looked as though she was fresh from the circus. Debbie tried not to stare while Lucy cleared her throat and asked,

"I noticed your lipstick--is that one of those new Glamor Girl lipsticks they advertized in 'My Beauty' magazine?"

"This?" the girl seemed pleased and proud, "Oh, I just got a makeover at the Bei Cappelli hair salon. It was a free makeover because she's just starting out."


"Uh huh," Lucy murmured and then added, "Well, it's refreshingly different and it does match your shirt quite well."

Best to look on the positive side was obviously Lucy's motto.


"The name of the girl who did it is Barbara. If you go there let her know I sent you because I'll get another free visit if anyone says I referred them there."

"Actually, I have a skin condition and have to use special makeup I get from my dermatologist," Lucy quickly interjected, "But I'll mention it to some of my friends and give them your name."


The girl looked at Debbie expectantly,

"How about you?"


"Me?" Debbie said faintly. She was horrified at the very thought of going anywhere near the place.

"Oh, darn, I just got a complete Smashbox makeup kit from my parents for my birthday," she lied shamefully with her voice quaking, "But thanks anyway."


"Um, what is your name, dear?" Lucy asked, more to take the attention off poor Debbie than to get the information.


"Valentina Pinkley. And the name of the salon is Bei Cappelli."


"I'll make a note of it," Lucy assured her, while thinking how quickly she must warn her family and friends to stay away from this particular beauty shop.

Debbie decided this was as good a time as any to leave the Llama game and practice her pool shots. She abandoned Lucy to her fate. It was getting dark, though, and she knew she had to have the car back and herself home by 11 pm, Shep had been firm on that since she was out alone. But then in came her oldest brother, Nicky, and she knew she just had to play pool with him and learn some new moves. He was very good at all games, almost as good as her other brother, Harvey. So she called home and told them where she was and that Nicky was there and they said it would be okay on this one occasion to come home a little later. When the game was finished Nicky bought her a cold glass of berry nectar and saw her to her car.

That night Shep and Madeleine talked about the way the years had crept up on them. Debbie was still so young--Madeleine wondered if they would be fortunate enough to see her finish growing up and start enjoying her life as an adult. But Shep told Madeleine they were probably both being silly. After all, they were in good health and very active. Outside their door they could hear Debbie huffing and puffing as she worked on the exercise machine. Sometimes her little muttered remarks to herself while she worked out just cracked them up.

They both spent a lot of time in their art studio although it was rather cramped with Madeleine's sewing machine in there as well as the pottery wheel and two artist easels, paints and fresh canvasses. They had finally begun discussing what to do with the upstairs apartment that had been vacant since Harvey and Lori moved to their new house. Taking in a boarder was one option. Debbie still coveted that upstairs suite, but she would be leaving for college before too long. Anyway, her own bedroom was lovely and her en suite bathroom was quite large--the same floor plan as upstairs really. Of course it was right across from her parents bedroom and perhaps she wanted some space from them now. Possibly a good reason to keep her right where she was. Debbie definitely needed a large bathroom--she spent a lot of time in there primping. It was only that the third floor had a little parlor/living room where the 2nd floor had the studio. As far as Shep and Madeleine were concerned, though, there was no need to have Debbie move upstairs. And the money from a boarder wouldn't hurt. They'd have to carefully screen applicants, though, no sense in renting a room to a serial killer.

After school one afternoon Debbie brought home a friend, Shane Severino. He was the older brother of Vic, Jr., whom she had asked over a couple months ago. She still thought Damon Ottomas was a hottie but, although he was always friendly, he never paid her any special attention. Shane was nice and kind of cute, too. They played a video game and then she made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Debbie thought her parents were in the studio upstairs working and indeed they were upstairs but they were busy getting romantic with each other at the moment. Shep still adored his Madeleine----he had ever since he first cast his eyes upon her in San Francisco long ago. And Madeleine was just as besotted with him, even after all these years.

Debbie took Shane upstairs to Harvey's old quarters where the pinball machine now resided and she watched him play for a while. She was not really supposed to be up there on the third floor and definitely not with a boy, but they sat in the little living there watching TV. If she got in trouble later on, well, right now she would live for the moment. Before long Debbie gave Shane a kiss and he told her it was the very first kiss he'd received from a girl since he was in the third grade. He was most grateful and obviously wished to continue. According to her sister-in-law, Lori, now that Debbie had given him that first kiss, not matter what happened, Shane would never forget her now and she wrote that in her diary later that night. It was almost like being immortal, she reflected.

Next blog update: Shep Ferguson Ch. 8 Debbie: High School Senior Pt. 2