I realize it has been a while since I posted. I have a chapter that should have been this
one, but it just won’t come out right. In the meantime, here’s a little bit of fluff that popped in my head yesterday. I’m really sorry it has taken so long, I’m just too fussy I guess!

I woke up and groggily looked around. I saw that Debbie wasn’t in her bed, so I lay back, closed my eyes, and let myself feel the house with my new perceptions. I couldn’t feel her anywhere in the house. I “saw” Grandma in the kitchen, but Mom was gone, so maybe they went to the hospital or something. It couldn’t be an emergency, Deb would have awakened me.

I took a quick shower and got dressed. I decided to go casual today, so I wore a tan denim skirt, a bright green t-shirt, my ankle sox and my trainers. Suitably clothed, I finished brushing my hair out and then headed to the kitchen.

“Good Morning,” Grandma said as I walked in. “I wondered when you were going to get up, dear.”

I gave her a hug, and scanned her quickly. I could tell she was feeling a little of her arthritis this morning, so I eased the pain and did a little bit of repair to make her feel better.

“I took a shower and I’d planned to take Deb to the hospital, but I don’t think she’s here. I’m guessing Mom took her into town when she went to work?”

“Yes, Debbie asked if Jenny would run by her house so she could change, and then they went to the hospital. She said she would meet you there later.” She gave me a quick kiss. “Thank you, dear, that’s much better.”

“No problem, Grandma. I love you, and I just wanna keep you around as long as I can.”

Elisabette stepped in to the kitchen, looking like an exotic and glamorous model in a beautiful blue dress. I pray that when I’m a little older, I’ll look at least a little like her.

“Good morning, ladies, how are you this morning?”

“Much better thanks to my wonderful grand-daughter. Can I get you something for breakfast, Elisabette?’

“I’ll just have a cup of tea, if it’s handy. Oh, thank you!” She said when a steaming cup of her favorite tea appeared in front of her.

“I’ve been practicing,” I said, smiling. I added a small selection of cookies and tiny cakes.

She took a sip of her tea. “Very nicely done, just the way I like it, Emily.” She picked up a cookie and took a bite. “Yes, very well done, indeed.”

I took a bow. “Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week!”

I put a fresh cup of coffee and another plate of sweets in front of Grandma’s chair.

“Come on, Grandma, have a seat, the coffee’s waiting on you. Is there anything I can do to help you out today?”

“Thank you, but no thank you, dear. Weren’t you and Debbie meeting Tim at the mall?”

“Oh, crap. I gotta go, I’ll see you later. Love you, Grandmas!” I shouted as I went out the door. I pulled my keys out of my purse and hit my new remote manager. I can lock or unlock my doors, start my truck and turn on my interior or exterior lights before I get to my truck. It also controls my alarm system. I guess I’ve got enough guy left in me to be a geek sometimes. I love this stuff

I drove to the hospital, and then went up to see Mama Gwen and to pick up Debbie. Mama Gwen was in a regular room now, and when I walked in, she and Deb were playing cards. I went around the bed and gave her a hug.

“Hi, Mama Gwen. I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”

“Well I owe it to you, and your family, Emily. I had been trying to find a way to tell Debbie about the cancer, but I was just too scared. Thanks, both of you.” A tear fell from her eyes. “I thought I’d never see my grand-babies.”

“MOM!”

“Now just shush. It was my biggest worry, ‘cause I know you’d be all right, Debbie. You’ve got good people around you now, and they’d never let anything happen to you.”

“You’re right Mama, but now we don’t have to worry about it.” Debbie said. “Have they said anything about going home yet?”

At the same time that Debbie asked her question, a doctor came in to check on her.

“Although they can’t find anything wrong with her, the Doctor in charge of her care has to be the one who releases her, and he’s worried about any side effects.”

“So how long do I have to stay here with nothing wrong with me? Oh, and just so you know, since nothings’ wrong with me, I ain’t paying to stay here. You might want to run that past your hospital administrator before my lawyer does. I’d also like to be paid for my time as a research subject.” She relaxed into her pillow. “Now what would be a fair rate?”

“I see your point, and I will try to impress upon Dr. Langdon the seriousness of your suggestions. Have a good morning, Mrs. Holloway.”

“Thanks, you do the same.”

As soon as the Doc was gone, Debbie began to quietly giggle. “Wow, Mom, playing some hardball, huh?”

“If I don’t, they’ll keep me here for another week trying to figure out what happened. I want out of here.”

“I guess we should stick around for a while, it sounds like you’ll be leaving real soon.” I said.

“No, there’s no reason for that, my car’s parked downstairs by the admitting desk. I didn’t bring much except my purse, thanks to my daughter, so I don’t have to carry much home. I’ll be fine, if they release me I’ll just head home, and if not, well, I’ll be making money.”

“All right, then I’ll probably see you at home, okay?”

“That’s fine, I’ll see you later. Now get outta here, this place is full of sick people!”

We laughed, even at such an old joke, and headed down to my truck. We jumped onto I-196 West, toward Holland and got off at Grandville, then turned left and got into the lane that would allow me to jump off into the Rivertown Mall parking lot. I found a spot on the upper level of the North parking lot, and we walked in and headed for the food court.

We were a bit early, so Deb and I walked over to the theatre to check out the movie posters. We talked about coming back later and seeing the latest Disney movie, then walked back and found a seat near the A&W. It wasn’t long before Tim showed up.

I gave him a quick hug and kiss, then we sat down.

“So,” he said. “What’s the plan of attack?”

“Well, I was thinking we could just wander around and see what we see. I definitely want to check out FYI, so why don’t we head that way first?” I said.

“Sounds good to me, but I need to stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond on the way back. Mom gave me a list of things to pick up for her.”

“Not a problem, I love going in there.” I said, and Debbie agreed.

We strolled down to the West end of the mall. We met a few friends from school and generally had fun. I picked up an Anime DVD I’d been looking for, and a couple of old cassettes for my Dad’s car. I’m planning on buying him a new mp3 capable head unit for Christmas, just to bring him up to this century. We were headed back towards GameStop and the bookstore, when Debbie pointed out an unusual looking store we’d never seen before.

Unlike the other stores, the entrance had an old fashioned wooden door for the entrance, and there was a wooden sigh with the stores name on it, but I couldn’t read it from up here on the upper floor.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but I felt a strong magical presence coming from the store. Debbie looked at me strangely, and I knew she felt it too. Something told me I didn’t need to check it out further-it wasn’t any of my business, so I decided to ignore it, and we went on our way. Debbie and I checked out the Victoria’s Secret store, while Tim went down the big glass elevator to Bed, Bath and Beyond. We followed him after a few minutes. I’m still not comfortable at VS, although I could tell Deb was right at home.

We helped Tim fill his list, and then headed on down to the Eastern end of the mall. We stopped at Dick’s sporting goods, and Tim couldn’t resist the climbing wall. As athletic as he was, he had very little trouble. He teased me to try it and I almost did, but I realized that my current outfit was not appropriate, to several boys’ dismay. I told him he was bringing me back here when I was dressed for such an activity.

As we left, I wondered what would happen if they put a Hooters next to Dick’s. Just a thought.

I walked up next to Tim and took his hand so he couldn’t walk away, then whispered into his ear, “Next time you embarrass me when I’m in a skirt, you just might find yourself in a leotard and tutu,” I giggled.

“Promise?” He said, and with my back against a wall, kissed me passionately. My knees went weak and I almost had an orgasm from the pleasure he was giving me. Wow! I had to sit down and catch my breath, but he just walked away like nothing happened. No fair, I wanted more!

If there hadn’t been rules against it, I’d have changed his clothing then and there. I wonder what would happen if the next time he came through the door of the locker room, his gym shorts and tee shirt changed to a bright pink leotard and tutu-with sparklies all over it? Hmmm...