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#61
03-14-2012, 12:29 PM
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She handed the cards over to Ellen to shuffle. "Well, now I know to talk to the other mother before Diana goes on any more dates." She covered one cheek with a hand. "They don't tell you you're supposed to do things like that in the Maternity ward." 
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#62
03-14-2012, 05:46 PM
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Carol frowned as she took the deck of cards from the middle of the table and began shuffling them. It was pretty obvious this wasn't the first deck of cards she had ever had in her hands given the perfect bridge she was able to make not once, but three times as she mixed up the cards. "Well the maternity ward really doesn't prepare you for much of anything when it comes to raising kids, but at least the drugs are good." Carol smiled at the remark as she began dealing out the hands. As much as it annoyed her that she was missing out on her children growing up at least it seemed like they were at least choosing decent people to be around. Although it would have been nice to have learned that her son was hanging out with a girl from him instead of the girl's mother.
"So Ellen. What's your daughter like? Does she sneak off on dates without telling you or is she responsible enough to tell you everything?" Carol asked as she picked up her hand and organized it. Truthfully, she was wondering if she had been failing as a parent by letting her kids have so much freedom and talking to the other mothers might give her some ideas of how to make sure she succeeded.
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#63
03-19-2012, 09:37 AM
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Ellen sort of knew where this was going and did not want to come off as the perfect parent or anything like that. “Well I like to believe Samantha tells me everything and considering some of the stuff she has told me recently since she went back to school I think she doesn’t hold anything back.” Ellen looked at the cards she had been dealt and frowned, what was she supposed to do with this hand?
”But that is just Sam, her older brother and sister were not nearly as open with me. I tried a more direct approach with them and they rebelled constantly. That was my fault, I tried to run their lives more than I should have and didn’t know when to step back, Sam is benefitting from my learning experience. My son Alex and I are friends now and we get along almost as well as Sam and I do. Rachel is quite the handful though and I’m concerned about her but she gets upset with me whenever I try to talk to her.” The maternity ward really hadn’t prepared her for parenting and her relationship with Rachel bothered her.* “I can’t believe they are both graduating college this year, where do the years go? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just going on and on about all of them. Alex and Rachel are my oldest, they are fraternal twins, 22 and graduate college this year.” Why had she suggested this game? Or was Carol secretly a card shark?
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#64
03-19-2012, 04:53 PM
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"You have kids in their twenties?" Carol asked with some surprise. What was she like six when she had them? She set her cards down and walked out into the hallway a step to signal over one of the security agents, After a moment of what appeared to be stressful conversation, the agent left and Carol returned with a smile on her face." Sorry about that. I just figured we could all use a glass of wine while we talk. So Ellen, how do you keep yourself looking so... well so good? I mean after I had Kelly it was like the age lines sank in permanently."
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#65
03-19-2012, 07:14 PM
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Relieved that Carol had steped into the hall, Ellen turned away from Amy as she retrieved her water bottle and stifled a laugh. Taking a large drink from the bottle she was all innocence again by the time Carol returned. "Thank you Carol, this is very nice of you to say," Ellen said with a grateful smile. "It is my father's side of the family, they all age very well. My grandfather is in his 90's but looks maybe 70, 75 at the most." Ellen took another sip of water as she let it sink in. "If you only knew..."
"I also had the most wonderful night at the spa the other day and it helped tremendously, I'm sure. Henry gave it to me as an early 40th birthday present, only a few months to go." Ellen moved around a few of the cards in her hand, "So what do you two do? I'm in public works myself, which is more difficult every day with the economy down like it is right now."
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#66
03-20-2012, 08:04 PM
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I can't tell if this is supposed to be a good hand or not. Amy thought, staring down at her cards. They would make for a good cribbage hand, that's for sure. "I'm an information analyst, one of about fifty where I work." She said. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you what field of work. The company I work with tends to be quite jealous of it's information, and the slightest hint of something leaking tends to make my bosses freak out." She folded her cards on the table.
__________________"I hope you enjoy your fortieth birthday party. My mother was very gleeful about throwing mine. It was themed with all sorts of bad jokes."
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#67
03-20-2012, 09:37 PM
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Ellen groaned when Amy mentioned the upcoming birthday party. "No doubt Henry will make a big production of it but I'm sort of looking forward to it. I know he's planning on using it as an excuse for a family reunion and there are so many I haven't seen for years." She looked up when the guard returned with the wine and she gratefully accepted a glass. "Thank you very much."
Taking a sip of the wine, Ellen glanced at her phone and sighed, no messages.
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#68
03-27-2012, 01:51 PM
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What does she work for the CIA or something? Carol sarcastically thought when Amy explained that she couldn't tell them where she worked because her employers were so secretive. At least my hand isn't too bad. Gonna need to do a little work with it, but at least there's something there.
"Well it is a big occasion," Carol remarked to Ellen as she took a gless of wine and subsequently took a drink of it. Not a sip, but a drink, "Forty years is a landmark. You should have a big party to celebrate it. When I turned forty, my husband rented a limo and myself and all of our friends went out cruising around the city for the night. We had planned to just bar hop for a while, but found riding in the limo was more fun than stopping and spending even more money. Of course, you are free to do what you want, but I wouldn't turn down a big party if I were you. You have to remember, even though it seems like it is all about you, it is about everyone else around you as well. People like to be happy. Your being on this planet gives them a reason to be. Birthday parties are a way for those that love you to come together and celebrate having you in their lives all the while showering you with attention." Carol smiled as she drew a card and discarded another one. The mother of two took her glass and tilted it slightly to the other two women while a mischevous grin came across her face, "So I found a hot tub last night. You two want to ditch your husbands and join me later for a little relaxation and more girl talk?" Carol took another drink of wine and looked over to the agent who brought the glasses in, "Be a dear and go get us the bottle will you?"
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#69
03-27-2012, 05:28 PM
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Amy grinned widely at Carol's suggestion, waving a hand to politely refuse the offer of a glass of wine. "Sounds like fun. Though, we might want to make sure we only have the female agents shadowing us when we go later. I'm sure I can come up with something to use for a bathing suit, but just in case, I'd rather not have the husbands there. Hmm. My turn again?" Drawing a card, she discarded two, playing one. "I hope I did that right." She muttered to her cards.
__________________
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#70
03-28-2012, 02:34 PM
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Ellen picked up two cards and played three before taking another sip of her wine. ”The hot tub sounds like a wonderful idea, great thinking Carol.” Ellen was already wearing her one-piece but Sam’s clothing was still with her stuff and that little strapless two-piece was in there. Neither of them had thought they would need a bathing suit but it was always good to be prepared. Ellen smiled as she thought about going back to the room after relaxing and having Henry help her out of it…it had been way too long since they had spent real quality time together, just the two of them. When all of the excitement was over, they would need to take a vacation, just the two of them. Sam was old enough to take care of herself and was clearly trustworthy.
* ”Either of you ever miss the carefree teenage years? I’m not saying I want to be a teenager again but just not having all the responsibilities. Don’t misunderstand, I wouldn’t trade Henry or the kids for anything but I have to admit that it would be nice at times to not have to worry about all the day-to-day responsibilities. Despite the circumstances that brought us here and my concern for Samantha, it has been really nice. Either of you go on vacations anymore? I was just thinking how Henry and I should take one, just the two of us. she took another sip of the wine while she watched the other two women pick up and discard cards. Last edited by Nightshade; 03-28-2012 at 02:35 PM.
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#71
03-30-2012, 12:41 PM
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"No, I can't say I do." Amy said, with a shrug. "No responsibilities would be nice, but I didn't really have a period without them, after I was fourteen. I had homework and AP classes during the school year, and I worked in my dad's shop as a cashier during the summers. I haven't gone on a real vacation in...wow...apparently too long." She rested her face on a fist as she put her cards down and counted silently on her fingers. "I think we went to Disney World when Diana was eight...which would make Matt six or so...Peter wasn't around then. I don't think I've been on a vacation with just my husband since our honeymoon." She frowned. Clearly it was time to do so.
__________________
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#72
04-28-2012, 08:30 PM
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"Ahhh the good old days of high school..." Carol leaned back in thought, "When the biggest concern in life was whether that cute guy liked you or not. Can't say I miss all of it, but there are definitely times when it would be nice to go back and do things over again. Not that I would trade what I have now either, but maybe investing in Microsoft or cell phone companies would have been a good idea. Even if I didn't have much money to do so with."
The woman took another drink of wine. Strangely enough it was tasting pretty good. Carol assumed it was the company that was making it better than it actually was. Then again, everything here had been top quality so she really wasn't all that surprised by how well it was going down. "Kyle and I used to take the kids on vacations all the time when they were young. Now that they've gotten older though, it seems to be more and more difficult to go anywhere. Especially with Kyle always traveling for his job. Sometimes he acts like being home is his vacation. Not that I blame him. I'd probably love being home too if I traveled as much as he did. Or to the kinds of places he did. I don't know. I guess we've just kind of settled into a routine after all of these years. A vacation would be nice, but getting some time off from our jobs at the same time could be tricky. At least if we want to be able to afford to pay our bills." Carol grabbed another card from the deck and placed it in her hand as she debated what to throw, "So where are you from? I grew up in a small town upstate before moving to the city."
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#73
04-29-2012, 10:16 PM
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"I grew up in the city, near the western edge of the city line. I remember my parents would put us all in the car and we could visit farms and orchards only 10 minutes away. Now it's all shopping malls, housing developments and your general urban sprawl. Henry and I talked about moving to somewhere more rural but with Samantha back in High School with just over a year to go, we're holding off until after she graduates and goes to college. Even then I'm not sure. There are a lot of memories in that house, especially of the kids. It would be hard to think of another family living there." Ellen picked up most of the cards and put down all but three, discarding another one to leave only two in her hand. At the moment she was doing well but she knew it might be some time before she could get rid of what she was holding.
She took another sip of her wine and was glad Carol had gotten it. Despite the circumstances that had brought them here, she was having a nice time. Now if only Sam would let her know that she and the others were all right, then she would be able to relax. "I still have family nearby and we see them at least once a month. Well Henry and I do, Samantha is starting to do her own thing more and more. I shoudl ask her to come with us the next time. She has a great-grandfather that would love to see her and he isn't getting any younger."
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#74
04-30-2012, 08:53 AM
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"Would one of you mind helping me?" Amy muttered, looking at her cards. "Don't have a clue what to do with these...I'm from across the country myself. I went to college around here, and found a job right after, so I ended up staying here. We still see my parents on holidays, with my brother."
__________________
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#75
04-30-2012, 11:13 AM
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Ellen leaned over to look at Amy’s cards and help explain things to her. “Sure, this will be just a learning/refresher game for all of us. Now what do you have…Ellen explained things to Amy and found herself once again glancing at the phone. It would have been nice to think that they were there because of Mr. Townsend but she knew it had something to do with the super powers that Sam and Scott both had. Did Diana and Chris also have them? She had made it a point not to find out but it would not surprise her. Sometimes ignore was bliss, although Sam would have had a lot more explaining to do after the previous night at the hotel. She finished off her glass of wine but pushed it to the side, opening her water instead of getting a refill.
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