Monday, January 18, 2016

The Meet Up (Photo Story)

At the Christmas party, Amber crafted a plan to get to know Lea better in an effort to discover her true intentions. Right now, they’re chatting in the living room while the girls play in the adjacent play room.

Kayla’s precious. It’s clear that you’ve done a great job raising her. (Amber)
Thanks. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but it feels good to hear that I’ve done at least a few things right. (Lea)


I don’t mean to pry, but how have you managed on your own for all this time? (Amber)
Well, I wasn’t on my own, actually. I had help from my mom when she was well enough to give me a hand. (Lea)


Where is your mom now? (Amber)
She’s still in California. I asked her to move here with us, but she wouldn’t come. (Lea)
You said “when she was well enough”. Is she sick? (Amber)


She’s an alcoholic. She’s had a drinking problem since I was eleven. Every now and then, she pulls herself together and gets better, but it usually doesn’t last very long. When I got pregnant with Kayla, she was so excited to have a grandchild that she sobered up for almost two years. I think it was the longest she’s gone without drinking in at least a decade. But when things got difficult, she started drinking again. It’s how she copes. (Lea)


It must be heart wrenching to see someone you love self-destruct like that. (Amber)
Yeah, when I finish school, I plan to get a bigger place and move her here so I can look after her. I’m all she has. (Lea)


What do you mean? (Amber)
My dad remarried, so I have siblings on his side, but I’m my mom’s only child. (Lea)
How much longer before you finish school? (Amber)
Well, I start classes at AU this semester, this month in fact. I’m only two semesters away from graduation, but I can begin veterinary school once I complete this semester. (Lea)


Veterinary school? (Amber)
Mm hmm, I’m planning to be an equine veterinarian. (Lea)
Wow, you must really love horses? (Amber)
I do. I’ve known my whole life that I want to work with them. (Lea)

The kids come in to ask for something to eat.

Mommy, can we have a snack now? (Macee)
There are cookies on the table in the kitchen. Get juice boxes from the fridge. (Amber)


Mommy, I hungry. (Kayla)
Okay, follow your cousin into the kitchen. She's going to get cookies and juice. (Lea)


So, are you seeing anyone? (Amber)
No, I haven’t had time for much socializing. Finding a job, taking care of Kayla, and getting ready to go back to school have kept me pretty busy. (Lea)


Are you sure you aren’t waiting for someone in particular? (Amber)
You mean Tony? (Lea)
At the Christmas party, I thought… (Amber)


I confess that when I decided to come to Dollton, I hoped to find Tony unattached and I thought that maybe we could pick up where we left off and be a family. Lea shrugs. 
I was shocked to learn that he was engaged. (Lea)
Well, that makes two of us. (Amber)

They both laugh.

Anyway, I see that he’s quite happy and quite unavailable. Now, all I want is for Kayla to get to know her father. (Lea)
Once you’re settled, you should try to get out and mingle a bit. Despite what you may hear, there are some good single men in this town. (Amber)


Yeah? Maybe…I don’t know. It’s difficult with Kayla. I dated a little after I became a mom, but nothing ever got too serious. That’s why Tony’s still the only guy I ever…you know. (Lea)
Oh. (Amber, taking a big gulp of her coffee)


Maybe it will be easier now. Kayla has family here that can look after her while you make friends. (Amber)

Lea smiles appreciatively.


Thanks for reading!

20 comments:

  1. Oh, Lea is such a nice girl! I think Amber thinks so too :-). I can't wait to see how this develops!

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    1. Yes, Amber agrees. I have a feeling they are going to become good friends. I'm happy for Lea since she could use a good friend, but a little unsure how Brandy and Tony will feel about it. We shall see.

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  2. Lea seems a little young and/or naive telling all her business. Poor girl became pregnant first lover. They should have been more careful but especially Tony if he's older and more experienced.

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    1. Right you are, AG Lanc. Lea is 23 (Tony is 30), so she is a bit young, and with that comes a certain amount of naivete I suppose. Though I think it's more likely she's far from home and just desperate to have a friend to talk to.

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  3. Nice set-up! Very natural "girl talk "

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    1. Thanks, grandmommy. I'm impressed that Amber was able to get so much information out of her under the guise of girl talk. She would have made a good detective.

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  4. Amber stayed on her mission(?'s) she got to the point. Well now we know a lil of Lea's thinking. This was good.........

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    1. Yep, mission accomplished. But if I know Amber, I'll bet she plans to keep digging. She'll want to be sure before she makes up her mind.

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  5. Lovely story Jewell! I hope that Amber is being sincere. Lea seems kind of fragile. Everything looks great as always. Looking forward to seeing this story develop.

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    1. Thanks, Georgie Girl. I hadn't thought of Lea as fragile, but I see what you mean. That's just one more reason for me to hope that she and Amber become close friends.

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  6. It makes sense that Lea was hopeful to rekindle with Tony, but she is respectful of the fact that he's taken. I hope she can find herself someone to date. She seems like a very nice person.

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    1. I agree, Janainah. I like Lea and I hope she finds a great guy.

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  7. I like Lea too! She seems to be doing a good job raising Kayla on her own. Too bad about her mother. I know it is tough dating when you have young children. I am sure that Lea wanted to be open with Amber since she is Tony's sister. She seemed very sincere in her intentions.

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    1. I agree that Lea was more willing to share since Amber is Tony's sister. I doubt she would have shared as much with a stranger. She seems to have made a good impression on everyone.

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  8. LOL, I'm the only one who still doesn't like Lea. I don't trust easy so I would still be keeping a side eye on her.

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    1. LOL, MUff! To be honest, if you had commented that you liked Lea this quickly, I would have thought someone had hacked your account to impersonate you on my blog. You're my favorite skeptic!

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  9. Sheesh...my computer crashed again, and I can't seem to leave comments on my tablet. So I am at a friend's house. I read this story 2 days ago, and all I kept thinking was dang Amber is nosey. She isn't even pretending to be having a conversation. She is just asking questions. I'm with Muff. I'm not a Lea fan just yet. You don't all of a sudden wake up one day after denying a father his child and then just decide to show up FOR NO REASON. I'm not buying it.

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    1. LOL, Vanessa! Let's not forget that Amber is a journalist by profession, so she is definitely good at being nosey (er, inquisitive). I expected Muff to be full of suspicion, but you've surprised me.

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  10. It's a very nice story and I particularly like the fashions of yours dolls.

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