Uncomplicated 3.2: Tiny house

     It's my graduation day. I decide I'm not going to wear the silly hat that everyone else will wear. After what most of my classmates have branded me, deciding to believe Joseph's lies, I'm going to wear my own silly hat. Screw them.

     I'm not voted 'most' anything, but I don't care. I'm finished with high school!

     As promised, I go and visit Luke again. I compliment him on his suit.

     I meet his brother Lincoln. I doubt he and I will get along because when I mention I'm a farmer, he gets a look of distaste and says he doesn't know how someone could like being outside that much.

     Then, I meet the baby of the family, Wilson. He has the prettiest eyes I think I've ever seen. Sure, they look just like Luke's, but his really stand out against his black hair.
     They decide to throw an impromptu party to celebrate my graduation. I think it's really sweet. I don't really know the people that come to the party, but I don't mind. I find myself following Wilson around like a lost puppy.

     I think he notices how I'm following him around. He disappears, but I find him in the study. I startle him when I walk in as he'd headed for the bookshelf.
     "Sorry," I say, not really knowing why. Hadn't I purposefully come in here to try and talk to him again?
     "It's okay," he replies and looks down. I wish he wouldn't. I can't see his eyes very well if he does that. "I was only going to read because the crowd was getting to me."
     My heart sinks. He's shy, and I'm making him uncomfortable. "Okay. No problem. I'll let you read." I turn to go.
     "No, wait!" he suddenly says. I turn around, curious, but he only looks like he wants to hide again from his outburst.

     He doesn't explain himself, so I say, "It's okay, Wilson. If the crowd was getting to you, well, I am part of the crowd. I guess you weren't ready to have this many people over at once like this. It's cool."
     "No, but..."

     He takes a breath and continues more bravely, "But if it's just you, it's not a crowd, is it?" His eyes smile; I could melt for those eyes.
     As it is, I find myself giggling and nodding. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

     We stand around in the study and talk, and the more we do, the more melancholy I become. Yes, he's beautiful, but with that shyness, I don't think we'd be very compatible. After all, I'm supposed to throw a huge party every week. He'd be miserable with me.
     I thank the brothers for being so sweet and throwing me the party. Luke gets my number, and I notice that as I give it to him, Wilson glares at him and storms into the house.

     A few days go by, and Mom and Dad sit me down to have a talk. They tell me that it's not that they don't love me to pieces, but they want to have another child. They can't have another child as long as I'm at home because of the rules. I smile. I'm actually thrilled about this!
     They give me as much money as they can, and I buy my own place. Bonnie and Serenity come with me.

     Sorry these pictures are in the dark, but that's when we moved.
     I rent us a tiny house. I love it. I hope to negotiate buying the place. I love the small carbon footprint we'll make living here. The shower is outside, and we only have one sink. I caved to Bonnie's demand for a TV. We don't have a crib because Serenity ages to child tomorrow. She'll sleep in the swing tonight before we pack that up.

     My garden is in the back, and I plan on getting chickens. I hope I can somehow fit a cow in this mix, but I don't think I'll have enough space. I may have to eventually move the garden to the front.

     Bonnie pouts when she sees we're all in the same room and in bunk beds. Well, Serenity will have a loft bed with a little desk underneath. Honestly, Bonnie has been spoiled to live in big houses all her life. Maybe she's not cut out for this and I'll have to get another plus one. Honestly, I'd be happy alone.
     I need to buy a washing machine and clothesline. Again, I'm happy I don't have to worry about changing weather.

     My first morning in my new house! I love it. However, I've decided I'm going to have to wall-in the space from the kitchen to the bedroom so that someone sleeping won't be bothered by the television being on. Again, this wouldn't be a problem if it were just me.
    I make organic pancakes as my first meal in my new home. I'm throwing Serenity a birthday party today.

     I change my attire to something more appropriate. I don't want to be seen as a harlot or a tart. Helen has done her damage to my reputation, and Joseph has backed her up. This little farm is far away from town, and that makes it all the more wonderful to me.
     Little things keep getting added as the Maker thinks of them. Right now, she adds a well. I love it.
     Tomorrow, I'll start my garden. Today, I have a party to throw! I invite my parents and a few other people that haven't listened to Helen's lies.

     I set up a tiny radio because people yawn when music isn't playing.
     Bonnie is thrilled to have people over. She doesn't like that this house is so far out of town. She was also eager to mention to me how she had no space for her band to practice. I remind her she hasn't had a gig yet, meaning it may never happen. It doesn't matter. I still have plenty of nest egg left even if I don't start my garden for years. We're not hurting for money.

     Still, today is about Serenity, so we don't argue.

     Happy birthday, Serenity!

     Right away, Luke asks me to dance. Every once in a while, Mom looks over at me with a big, goofy grin on her face like she thinks something is going to come of Luke and me. The way he looks at me, I doubt he'd mind. I think Dad notices too because he shoots Luke evil eyes when he thinks I'm not looking.
     Honestly, after what Helen and Joseph did to me, I'm leery of starting anything with anyone, even if the Braswell brothers are smoking hot.

    The party ends, and Serenity acts excited about the book Bonnie got her. We also both pitched in and got her a bicycle.
     The next morning, Bonnie heads off to the gym to do some busking on her guitar, Serenity goes to her first day of school, and I finally start my garden.
     At around midday, I'm working on fertilizing my infant plants when I hear a barely-familiar voice behind me.

     "Well, isn't this charming!" he says happily, and I stand up, unable to stop my glare.

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-If the Brasswell brothers look familiar, there's a good reason for that! I'd actually wanted to pull in Zeus and Sid from my wishacy (this was before I started the 100BC with Sid), but I hadn't packaged them up like I'd thought. I did, however, have both Erin and Jesse packaged (a few others too, obviously, but anyway), and since Zeus and Sid are their kids, I thought I'd just try to recreate the results.

So, Luke, Lincoln, and Wilson (randomly picked names) are the products of Erin and Jesse's genes. I'd stopped trying to recreate and just went with what happened.

The more I see him, the more Luke looks just like Jesse in all but eye color, and just wait, he looks even more like him in his future work attire! The chinstrap beard adds to it, of course. I think Lincoln looks a lot like Jesse too, even more than Luke since he also has green eyes, and Wilson is a male, black-haired version of Erin. I like 'em and plan to package them up to release on this blog sometime.

Click here to go to 3.3

Rose 2.57: Monster

     My anger at Abbie slowly grows inside me like a cancer. Months pass, and I see Karina less and less. She doesn't help me like she used to, and she too starts to notice. She says she thinks I'm 'switching,' and she admits to me that she wondered how long it would take. I try to insist that I want to keep seeing her, but I eventually must admit she's right. I'm not the same man.

     I let my hair keep growing. I focus more on my career, and with that and everything else I've done, my celebrity status gets pushed to four stars. I start getting what feels like five thousand calls a day, asking me to make an appearance here or give away an award there. I have to hire an agent or risk losing my mind trying to shuffle everything.

     "Not a chance!" I yell at him through my phone. "It'll be a cold day in hell first. You should know better than to even consider calling me about this. I couldn't give a plum about a women's shelter!"
     With the exception of my mother and daughter, I've decided women are evil creatures bent upon ruining the lives of the men around them. Why should I think any different? Every woman in my life, yes including Tiffany, has either betrayed me or left me. I can't trust the little harlots.
     Don't get me wrong! I still think women do have one very pleasant purpose: woohoo. Of course, the irony is that it's this that they use to control us. I no longer let it. My celebrity status has women crawling over each other to get at me. While I let them have me for a few hours or maybe even the whole night, I take out my anger on their bodies. This is what Karina meant. I'm not overly cruel or to the point of being abusive; sometimes, my chosen torture is pleasure to the point of making them go insane, but they get what they deserve. Then, I send them on their way.

     "Yes. Yes, of course I'll be there and donate to the orphanage. I'm not that much of a monster," I tell my agent. Yes, I am, I correct myself in my head.
     I admit it. Half of the problem of my life is no one's fault but my own, which makes me hate myself even more than I hate the women around me.
     My agent doesn't question my motives. He's smart and good at what he does. He could potentially destroy me with the press, but when I think about it, I've survived worse.

     I see my children less and less. I don't want them to accidentally absorb some of the darkness that surrounds me. Mama cares for them. I go to work, go to one of the bars in town, decide which woman I want, and then I usually take her to a hotel room. On the weekends, I attend varying social functions.

     I try to avoid doing this, but sometimes I take a step back and wonder who the hell I am. I used to be such a nice person, dreaming of having a wonderful life with the woman I love. Now, I know that will never happen.
     Still, I sometimes cry in my sleep. I hate my dreams. 'Everyone hates Donovan' I think of them. I don't blame them. I hate me too. I can't stand it when I cry because occasionally the woman-of-the-night will want to comfort me, which only makes me furious.

      My birthday comes. I don't feel much like celebrating, but I do spend it with my Mama and children. Lorenzo talks my ear off, wanting me to know all about his life. I quietly look at him and see Tiffany.
     I think Camilla is afraid of me. This breaks my heart. I withdraw even more, not wanting to crush my little flower. It's probably better this way; she doesn't need a man like her Papa.

     Tonight, I'm back at the bar where my parents met. Sitting at the bar is a delightfully-curvy blonde woman. I don't recognize her, and she's eating spaghetti.
     Tourist, I think with a grin.

     I laugh quietly in my throat as I think of the fun I'm about to have.

     "Monte Vista is indeed blessed to have among its people such a perfect beauty," I say smoothly to her, audaciously placing my hand on the back of her neck. Her hair feels soft.
     A shaky, happy sigh escapes her before she says, "Why, thank you, Donovan."
     I freeze. I know that voice. I once heard that voice comforting me when I'd had a sudden, intense cold.
     A harsher, unwanted voice says from behind me, "Don't believe a word he says. Get lost, Donovan. She's nice. Leave her alone."
     I ignore her. It can't be.

     The beautiful blonde finishes her spaghetti and sits up. I stubbornly keep my hand on the back of her neck. Otherwise, how will I know that she really is sitting there?
     A very familiar, devastatingly blue pair of eyes shine up at me. "Hi," she says shyly.
     I can barely breathe as I whisper, "Shauna."
     She smiles, and the heart I thought I no longer had breaks. No. Not Shauna, I think desperately, wanting her to disappear, wishing she were anywhere but right in front of me, not me, anyone but me. I can't let her be hurt.
     "You remember me," her melodious voice replies.
     I take a quick step back, and she gets off the bar stool, still smiling brightly up at me. We walk away from the bar to talk.

     "What are you doing here?" I ask. It's a simple question, and she probably expects it.
     "I... I..." She blushes, and I want to get on my knees and beg for mercy. "I... w-wanted to see you. It's been a while. I've read the gossip columns, but you can only half trust those things at best. So, I thought I'd come to Monte Vista." As she talks, her voice gets braver, that voice that would activate my much-younger imagination. She was so good on the phone, her voice coming tantalizingly through the line.
     She really IS here, standing right in front of me. I'm not dreaming. This isn't some fantasy when I try to pretend the world is a good place.
     "You thought you'd come to Monte Vista," I repeat the last thing she said.
     She smiles again. "Yeah."
     The words come out before I can check them: "You don't belong here." She belongs anywhere but here where I could hurt her.

     Her lovely smile evaporates. "Oh." She looks down at her clasped hands.
     I swear to myself under my breath. I can't have this conversation here!!!

    I can't get her out of here fast enough, so pick her up and carry her to the door.
    "Donovan!" she cries out in surprise.
    "I need to talk to you--outside," I reply gruffly.
    "I can walk!"
    "Not fast enough." People don't bat an eye at the scene we probably make.

      "What are you doing here?" I ask again, very lightly shaking her as I do. My arms never unwrapped themselves, and I hold her closely.
      "I told you!" she cries, looking somewhat afraid. Good. "I came to see you. I realize I'm not the first person on the list of people you'd like to see." Not for the reasons you think. "But I'm between jobs right now, and I had a little extra money, so I thought I'd come and at least see you. It's been ages."

     "Yes. It has," I agree -- but not in a friendly way. "And I'm not the man you remember."
     "Well, maybe I'm not the woman you remember either," she counters.
     "No," I argue. "You haven't changed. I can look into your eyes and see it."
     "Must be nice. I can't look into your eyes because of those silly sunglasses," she replies in a smart-alec tone.
     "Which is why I wear them. You don't need to. Trust me. You won't like what you find," I insist. Meanwhile, I'm reminded of how good it feels to hold her in my arms. She isn't annoyingly bony like many women are. Her soft flesh feels magnificent under my hands.

     "Donovan," she says, her voice a little shaky, "you've been through so much pain. I can only begin to try to understand."
     "No. You can't. You can't possibly understand," I snap.
     She keeps going. "I hate that you've had such a rotten life. It breaks my heart to think about it. I wanted... Well, I wanted..." She pauses, and a blush makes her cheeks shine even more in the lamplight.

      She doesn't get to finish...whatever it was she wanted to say. I need her lips for another purpose.
      My arms tightly hold her to me while I take what I need from my precious Shauna. Shauna! My Shauna is in my arms again! I tremble and kiss her with more passion. Yes, my life has been terrible, but for a moment, just this sweet, tender moment, let me live an illusion that everything is all right. My hand strokes her hair, occasionally running my fingers through it while she tenderly kisses me back, her sweetness blending with my ferocity, meeting in the middle like lava into a calm lake.
      I open her mouth wider, needing more. This is my moment. Mine. I will have to live the rest of my life after this, but for now, she's mine. She starts shaking. I might be frightening her. I don't like it, but it will help me for what I'll have to do next...but not yet!
      She goes limp in my arms. I pull back and look down at her while she takes a large breath in, and her eyes slowly open. Her eyes. Her sweet eyes, still so innocent after all these years. I let her catch her breath, and eventually, too soon, she's able to stand on her own.
      "Donovan, I..."

     I jump back, being sure to look furious. "I told you you don't belong here!"
     "W-what?" she asks, confused.
     "You come here and expect me to just fall into your lap?" I continue in a mocking voice, "Oh, yes, Shauna. Save me from my wicked life!"
      "That's..."
      "Listen to me. You don't belong here, and I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"
      Her sweet face crumples, and I clench my jaw to keep from recanting my words. She pushes me aside and runs from me, what she should do.

     'Liar,' my conscience tells me. I hadn't heard from him in a while, not really.

     Donovan, you fool! I mentally scream at myself, and a few huffing sobs escape me.
     No, I did the right thing. I can't drag Shauna into my life; she's too good. I have to know that there is some speck out there in the large world that is still good. I would do nothing but ruin her.
     I turn around and walk back to the bar's entrance, intent upon finding the woman that told Shauna to stay away from me. I need to reward her for her 'good deed' like the monster I am.

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They never leave him alone. He won this case.

Click here to go to 2.58

Chain Reaction 2.7: Big Kid

     Claire and I go out on another date, but this time Dad didn't give me much money. So, we decide to go hang out at the park. The town named it 'The Garden of Eden' since, well, the town is named Eden.
     There's no one here except us, so we do something we've always wanted to do: play in the fountain.
     Claire giggles. "This is crazy! My socks are soaked!"
     Well, maybe it's what I have always wanted to do.
     "Yeah, but haven't you always wanted to do this but your parents told you you couldn't?" I ask.
     "I should've taken off my shoes."

     I start singing in a goofy way to no particular tune as I run in place:

Oh! My socks are wet; my shoes are wet,
But I don't really care!
My jeans are soaked up to my knees...

     "Uh..." I can't think of how to finish it.
     "And I've got nothing else to wear!" Claire finishes.
     I crack up laughing. Claire is awesome.

     She makes me get out of the thing, and I tell her we need another picture. The one from the other night got messed up when I tried to print it, and it came out all fuzzy. Click. This one is better.

     Then, we go have a seat to talk since one of the things to do on a date is 'sit and talk with your date.' I look up at the treetops. "Look at how the sun is setting right behind them like that. It makes them look like they're on fire."
     Claire's voice sounds mischievous as she says, "Then we should go and put it out!" As she says 'out,' she reaches back behind her in order to splash a whole ton of water on my back.
     "Hey!" I cry out, kidding around. I move to splash her right back. She's wearing a white shirt after all...
     "No!" she squeals and runs off.
     "No fair!" I call out.
     She stops behind some kind of flowery bush and grins at me through the leaves and stuff. "Who says it has to be 'fair,' monkey boy?"
      I stand up and pretend to growl at her as I say, "I am going to pick you up and throw you into this fountain!" With no other warning than that, I spring towards her, wishing I could run through the bush.
     "No!" she squeals again, giggling, and she dashes away.
     I'm faster than her, but she still manages to outmaneuver me each time I think I've got her cornered. Well, until this last time, but when I do catch her, I forget all about the plan to throw her into the fountain. I decide it's a better idea to kiss her 'til neither of us can breathe.
     Then, I get hungry.

     Claire still fears I'm really going to toss her into the fountain, so she steers clear of me while I cook us up some burgers.

      She even sits caddy-corner from me when we sit down to eat, watching me warily.

     I can't help but grin and ask, "Did you really expect me to throw you into the fountain?"
     "I can never tell. It could be that you changed your mind at the last second but that maybe you're regretting not doing it after all." She takes a bite of her burger.
      I sit here and imagine Claire with her shirt wet and sticking to her, and I'm suddenly glad I'm sitting down.
     I shrug like it's no big deal. "Maybe I am." Then, I casually sit here and eat, trying to get that picture out of my head. Oh, I can bring it back up later, but for now, it needs to go.
    She finishes eating before I do, and she get up to 'wander around,' which really means make sure I'm not going to catch her. I don't mind and help myself to a second burger. I still need to sit here a minute.

     Then, I decide a little childish prank is in order.
     Claire shows up on the other side of the fountain. "Hey, Ethan, I found a-" She pauses. "What did you just do?"
      I look off into the distance and say in an innocent voice, "Nothing. What do you mean what did I just do?" I look at the fountain like I'm seeing what I've done for the first time. "Oh, look! Bubbles!" Maybe I should become an actor.
      She rolls her eyes and turns to walk away.

     Bubbles! Buuuubbbbllleeessss! Bubbles bubbles bubbles! Bubbles everywhere! I could never pop all these bubbles!
     I hear Claire's voice with my splashing happiness. "Ethan, sometimes, you are nothing but a big kid."
     "I know how to have fun! I'm having fun! This is fun!" I scoop up some bubbles in my hands and walk towards her. I want to put them on the top of her head like a crown.
     "What are you doing?" she asks in alarm. Then, I can tell from looking at her eyes that she's figured it out. "No! Ethan!" She starts fighting me off, making me accidentally drop most of my bubbles. "I don't want to be frizz-head! You have no idea!"
     "What are you talking about? Your hair is never frizzy." I grab her waist. That part of her shirt gets wet.
     "Yes, because I won't let it! Ethan, please don't dump water on my head."
     She sounds really irritated, and I don't like that. So, I tell her very nicely, "Okay." I have to kiss her again, so I do. I try for my latest new goal: getting my fingers up underneath her shorts. I manage to slip one finger under the hem, pushing outward to her hip, before she realizes what I'm doing.
     "Your hands are cold," she says as an excuse.
     I think of the perfect thing to say. "Well, maybe you should warm them up."
     "Ugh. Ethan!" she growls when I try again.
     I chuckle. Even though I don't totally like it when she is, she's still so cute when she gets mad. "Well, at least I'm not acting like a kid," I point out playfully. As a kid, I never would've wanted to do this, so it's true.
     She tells me she thinks I need to go jump into the fountain to cool off. I smile and let her go. Then, she takes me to show me what she found. The sides of her shirt stick to her.

     She found a wishing well. I make a wish. I just want to be happy.

     What? Of course I'm happy!

     I take Claire home and tell her I'll call her tomorrow. She smiles, all her previous bad mood gone. I think I seriously love her. She may call me a big kid, but I'm not when I think about that.


Click here to go to 2.8