I handed the four moving guys each a crisp $20 bill.

“Thanks for all the help,” I said to them, “and I’ll make sure to refer you to anyone I know who plans on moving.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. O’Brien,” Jake, the foreman of the bunch, replied. And with that, they got in the truck and drove away.

I headed to the front of the house. Aunt Carman was in her chair, cup of coffee in her hand. She was wearing a gray and white sleep set.

Turning to me, she had a mad look on her face. Just like Mom's you are in deep trouble look. Dad calls it the Mom look. What had I done? I didn't know.

“Well, Missy. What did I tell you to do after you closed the bathroom door?”

Part 6 of 6

 
Chapter 14
"Dammit Penny!" cried Myrna, slamming down the phone. "I feel like I should go out and stand on the street corner with a sign saying 'Anything helps - God Bless.' I'm sick of begging for money. How did we ever let the system get this corrupt?"

Part 4 of 6

 
Chapter 8
With the first public appearances behind them, it was time to hit the road. No one runs for office without a large number of volunteers willing to go out and do the legwork, answer the phones, make the endless calls, pay the bills, program the computers and generally support the candidate.

Part 3 of 6

 
Chapter 6
Two days later Helen and the slightly mystified Penny were sitting in a plastic surgeon's office in Reno Nevada. For Penny, traveling with someone who was almost the woman for whom she worked for many years was a surreal experience.

I have often wondered what would happen if Ciel Phantomhive and his demon butler Sebastian Michaelis had female counterparts

Part 2 of 6

 
Chapter 4
Mothers.

There is one, and only one, thing that can be said about mothers without deviating one iota from the absolute truth: We all have one.

Nancy experiences life on a packet.

Part 10 of 11

Chapter 15
When we got home late, the other girls took one look at us and asked why we both looked like we'd gotten laid but hadn't been in the bedroom yet. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get used to girls asking questions like that, I was brought up to think girls didn't do stuff like that.

Part 9 of 11

Chapter 14
It took us two days to read all the things I had been given. It looked like being a Court Reporter involved more that pushing buttons on a machine, you had to take stenography and legal vocabulary and quite a few other courses to qualify. For a seventeen year old high school dropout, it looked like a lot to do. I just had to tell myself I was a twenty-one year old A student - just like my transcript said.

I was dressed in costume as the daughter of Lord Fairfax and with my hair hanging loose, one of my father’s little jokes. He has always picked on me for my slight build and decided a few years ago that I would never be big enough to play one of the troops, and the only role he would let me have would be as his daughter.

Part 7 of 11

Chapter 10
Patty was right. It took three more days for Mike the Cop to ask me for a date. It was the first time I talked to a cop and he was the one being nervous. Go figure! We got off the bus and Mike the Cop just happened to be walking by the bus stop when we arrived.

Part 6 of 11

Chapter 9
The alarm goes off and Patty shags me outa bed again. I shouldn't complain, it's almost an hour later than I hadda get up for school. That makes me think. Looks like Vito ain't gonna graduate this year as he's hiding out from the cops. I bet the pigs have been swarmin' around the school hopin' I was stupid enough to come back.

I ain't that stupid.

Nancy discusses the Captain's plan with Abigail.

Part 3 of 11

Chapter 5
The girls went off to their bedrooms and I was left on the couch. I tried to figure out just what I was goin' to do, that talk of body bags had me scared. It all sounded cool and great fun when Uncle Jimmy got me inta the heist, but someone gettin' killed was a shit show I wasn't ready for. I fell asleep before I could do much more thinkin'. It had been a long, strange day.
 

Hunter goes out with Alex and the family and makes a little personal headway for her and Alex.

Part 2 of 11

Chapter 3
I was havin' this really strange dream. Like, I sometimes have sexy dreams, ones that make me change the sheets before my mother can do the job, but they're usually not all that vivid and I don't remember much when I wake up.

 

Part 1 of 11

Chapter 1
I blame it all on my Uncle Jimmy. It's his fault I ended up this way. It certainly wasn't my fault, I mean c'mon, I was just a kid, what did I know?

Part 7 of 7

Chapter 14
How did four years go by so fast? Seems like just Yesterday Rose was starting high school and in a few minutes she would be walking across the stage to receive her diploma. Travis and Ruth smiled to think the entire family was there to watch, and not incidentally keep track of the active four-year-old and frenetic two-year-old grandchildren who were bored with the whole affair.

Nancy is told her task is unfinished.

(I apologize for posting chapter 14 before this one.)

Part 5 of 7

Chapter 11
"All right, you rapscallions, quiet down! We are here to make a joyful noise and not a cantankerous cacophony."