Ginny's Story A novel by Karen Lockhart Copyright© 2019 Karen Lockhart All Rights Reserved.

CHAPTER 93

I woke up first and made a beeline for the bathroom. After taking care of the call of nature, I decided to have my shower. I couldn't wait to wash all the hair spray from my hair!

Half-way through my shower, I heard the door open and close; someone else was awake. Then I heard giggles and the door opened and closed again.

I stepped out and grabbed two towels, one I wrapped around my body and the other I swept my hair into. Walking into the living room, I shouted “Next!”.

Ariana jumped up and headed for the shower, while Wendy headed for the kitchen and filled the tea-kettle with fresh water, then put it on a burner on the stove.

“Sorry for the interruption Aunt Ginny, but we were bursting at the seams.”

“Apology accepted, I understand completely,” I said, “I'm used to three girls and only one shower.”

Ariana joined us dressed like me in towels and said “Your turn Wendy.”

The kettle was whistling by now, so I made a mug of tea and headed for my room to get dressed.

As I pulled on jeans, I realized we needed to pack up Ellen's remaining clothes, and move Wendy into her own bedroom. She's going to be so excited!

Ariana and Wendy were soon dressed, and curled up on the sofa watching the Rose Bowl parade.

I asked if they would like pancakes or scrambled eggs for breakfast. I heard two requests for scrambled eggs, so got out a mixing bowl, and sprayed Pam into a large skillet before breaking 8 eggs some milk and a little bit of sugar into it.

“Wendy,” I asked, “How about you making the toast and bacon?”

Ariana answered first, “I'm a good cook, let me help, Ginny.”

This worked out for Wendy who hadn't moved from the sofa. I'll fix her, she's going to make lunch.

While we were cooking, I asked Ariana if she had some more songs by her name-sake to sing.

“I've been working on five new songs Ginny, 'Problem', 'Sweetener', 'No Tears Left to Cry', 'Thank you Next', and 'Bang,Bang'. She said, “Bang Bang is my favorite though.”

“Is that the song Sonny and Cher sang?” I asked.

That got a big laugh from the girls “Who are Sonny and Cher?” Wendy asked, “This is a trio with Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Manaj.”

Ariana smiled and said “I'm trying to re-write it as a solo, but I need some accompaniment help.”

“Oh wow!” Wendy said, “I play the piano, we can work on it together.”

I can see a pair of head-phones in my future.

“Wendy, remember Ariana works from 3 PM to 2 AM. You're going to college in two weeks, when will you study?”

“In that case, we need to start right away! Ari, finish breakfast, and we'll start today.”

I just groaned, so much for watching the Rose Parade in the living room.

Wendy sat down in front of the Spinnet piano, and started to play Jerry Lee Lewis's “Great balls of Fire” to warm up. In spite of myself, I stayed and listened to her, she was really good. I'll bet before she ran away from home those years ago, she took piano lessons.

Ariana went to her car and got the musical score for 'Bang Bang'. Can you call the music for that a score? Soon the music was wafting through the condo. It sounded like a rubbish truck was dragging a trash bin down the sidewalk!

I guess that style of music just didn't agree with me. And to think, I was looking forward to Ariana singing:

“Bang Bang, you shot me down,
Bang Bang right to the ground,
Bang Bang, My baby shot me down.”

I'd better not ask her if she knows the song “Down Town”.

While the girls practiced, I sat on the wing chair in my bedroom and watched the parade on my 32” TV.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, Wendy was asking me if I would like tomato soup with my grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.

I nodded 'yes', stretched and followed her into the kitchen, where Ariana had steaming mugs of tea on the table.

I watched as Wendy added milk to a large can of Campbell's soup and poured it into a sauce pan, she looked at me and added a scoop of sour cream.

I laughed and said my cooking lessons took hold of at least her. Poor Pete was doomed to take-out food with Ellen in the kitchen. Maybe he could cook?

I miss all the great college football games on New Years day, but tuned in to TCU verses Alabama. This kept me occupied until dark, when I suggested we go to Spuds restaurant in Saugus. The girls wanted to go to the Wharf in Revere for lobster. So we went to the Wharf.

They both got boiled lobster with corn on the cob, while I ordered baked stuffed lobster with french fries. I also ordered steamers as an appetizer.

I showed them how to eat them, Pulling down the neck, swishing them in water to remove any sand, then dipping the clam in butter.

Wendy ate one only and the expression on her face was priceless. Ariana liked them, so I encouraged her to help me finish the bowl off before our lobsters came.

When our meals came, there was no more talk, just the sounds of three lobsters being torn apart and the purrs of pleasure.

Over coffee and desert, I asked what they were planning for the holiday Monday. They spoke in unison “Shopping”!

We dropped Ariana's car off at her apartment. She returned to the condo with us and stayed overnight. The following morning the two girls went shopping in Wendy's car.

Great, this would give me the fireplace and the sofa for the day. And no rap music!

I Googled the old furniture store Hiram had picked, wow it looked like an old mansion. The only problem would be opening up the floors to make it more like a gymnasium then an old house.

What a spot! On the corner of Lowell Street and Lynnfield Street, this building was in the center of Peabody, with the Courthouse diagonally across the square.

How would the city fathers and business men react to a club for TGs and crossdressers? After all, there would be people coming and going all day long dressed up in their finery.

I thought Hiram and I needed to check-out other locations on Tuesday, just in case. It would be nice if there was a parking lot attached to the building. This would give our members more security walking to and from their cars. There should be quite a few industrial buildings vacant in the area that would suit our purposes.

I heard squealing and giggling outside. I guessed the girls were back from shopping. I got up and put the kettle on the burner for hot water. I figured hot chocolate would hit the spot for everyone.

I looked at the outside thermometer, brrr 7 degrees F. All I could think about was Ellen and Pete on the beach and Jack heading to Spring training in Florida in a couple of weeks.

I tossed a couple of logs on the fire and resumed my spot on the sofa as the girls came in loaded down with shopping bags.

“Wait 'till you see what we bought Aunt Ginny. All the stores had huge sales.” said Wendy breathlessly. “I think we bought the stores out!”

For the next hour I was subjected to a fashion show, except my models were giggling as they showed off their new purchases.

“You have to come with us next time,” Ariana said. “We had such fun in the dressing rooms, we had everyone laughing, including the sales clerks.”

I put on the late news to see what the weather would be tomorrow for my tour with Hiram. The weather-girl's guess was light snow all day, accumulating to four inches.

I headed for bed, but by the sounds, Ariana was staying over again.

'Enjoy the time now,' I thought. 'Soon it's back to work in Quincy for you, my girl.'

To be continued, but only two more chapters remaining.