untitled four
Annabelle finished her pancakes as Justin wrapped up his latest story. This one had been about the time he and his father had went fishing at Lake Camus. Apparently, Justin had managed to catch a fish that was at least twice the size of his father's fish. This had been the fourth in Justin's series of tales about the trips he took with his father. The first had been camping, then bowling, next was the time that the went hiking and got lost and now the fishing trip. Lila had been completely enthralled in all of his tales, she had barely touched eaten a thing. For the last two minutes she had been holding her fork and it's piece of pancake inches from her mouth.
"Now, Justin, I hope you aren't bothering these nice ladies." Tina said as she filled Annabelle's coffee cup for the fifth time.
"Actually, he has been keeping my daughter and I completely entertained while we ate our breakfast, which was great by the way. Is he your son?"
"Oh, no Ma'am," Tina said as she cleared Annabelle's empty plate from the table. "His Momma has to be at work real early so she drops him off here for breakfast and then he catches the bus right out front. And speaking of the bus Justin, it's 'bout time you get your backpack and head out there. Old Joe will be pulling up any minute now."
"Yes Ma'am," looking a little disappointed that it was time to go, Justin scooted out of the booth and went over to his stool where he picked up his Spiderman backpack and coat. Heading towards the door, he stopped in front of Lila. "Will you be here tomorrow morning too?"
Lila glanced at her mother before answering, "only if we are meant to be."
Justin studied Lila for a moment before responding. "That's just silly, Lila. Of course you are meant to be here." He turned and walked to the door then turned and waved, "see you in the morning." He had no sooner set foot on the sidewalk when the yellow school bus pulled up to the curb and opened it's doors.
Lila toyed with her food for a very long time. She took small bites and chewed them far longer than it took to chew up pancakes. She drank all of her juice and then asked for more, which she sipped very slowly. When she had finished the very last drop of juice and completely cleared her plate, she took the napkin from her lap and set it on the table. Annabelle glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the cash register and saw that it was almost eight o'clock and definitely time to go.
"Sweety, why don't you go to the bathroom and wash up and go potty so we can hit the road?"
"Awwwww, Momma, do we have to?"
Annabelle was used to these protests after her daughter had spent the night in the backseat of the (car). She reached over and smoothed her daughter's hair. "Well, Lila, that is the only way we are going to get where we are going. Now go get yourself cleaned up ok?"
"But, Momma... Don't you always say that we're supposed to be looking for a reason to stay some where?"
"That's right sweety, but I haven't seen any reasons here."
"What if I saw one?"
Annabelle raised an eyebrow. "Did you see one?"
"I think so."
"Well, what was it?"
"Justin, Momma, I think he's a reason."
"Are you saying that because of what he said before he left to go to school?"
"Nope."
"well, then, Lila, why do you think Justin is a reason?"
Lila looked at her mother for a minute and then slid out of her seat and to the floor. "He's a reason, Momma, because he's never went fishing with his Daddy before." With that, she turned and walked into the bathroom.
Annabelle was a little surprised by her daughter's accusation that Justin had been lying about his father. She was pretty sure her daughter had never called anybody a liar before. Tina walked up with her pot of steaming coffee and Annabelle's check.
"Are ya'll going to be needing anything else?" She asked. When Annabelle declined, Tina places the check on the table and picked up Lila's plate and juice cup. She was turning to leave when Annabelle stopped her.
"Uh, Tina?"
"Yes?"
"Could I ask you something?"
"Sure, sugar."
"Earlier, you mentioned that Justin's mother drops him off... Where's his father?"
Tina looked uncomfortable and glanced around the diner, which was quickly filling up with the locals wanting their breakfast. Tina set the plate back down on the table and took the seat across from Annabelle.
"Roger, that's Justin's daddy, he was in an awful accident after Justin was born. Poor Carol, she had only had Justin a couple months before. Here they were, this very happy, newly married couple with their brand new baby boy and Roger gets into a car accident. The other driver was drunk and they were both killed immediately. Carol has been working in a factory in Greensville every since and she hasn't so much as looked at another man. She says that Roger was her one true love and she is just going to wait until they are together again. She is a sweet girl."
"That's very sad," was all Annabelle could think to say.
"Yes it is, very sad. Well, sugar, I had better get back to work. Obviously, Jenny is late again and these people aren't going to feed themselves." Tina slid out of the booth and picked up the dishes again.
"Oh, sure. Could I ask you one more thing?"
"Of course."
"Could you recommend a nice hotel around here?"
(3,120 words)
(46,880 to go)
Characters: 4
Music: Matchbox Twenty
Sanity levels: wavering
Words per day to finish on time: 2,040
Amount of coffee needed to pull this off: How much is in Columbia exactly?
"Now, Justin, I hope you aren't bothering these nice ladies." Tina said as she filled Annabelle's coffee cup for the fifth time.
"Actually, he has been keeping my daughter and I completely entertained while we ate our breakfast, which was great by the way. Is he your son?"
"Oh, no Ma'am," Tina said as she cleared Annabelle's empty plate from the table. "His Momma has to be at work real early so she drops him off here for breakfast and then he catches the bus right out front. And speaking of the bus Justin, it's 'bout time you get your backpack and head out there. Old Joe will be pulling up any minute now."
"Yes Ma'am," looking a little disappointed that it was time to go, Justin scooted out of the booth and went over to his stool where he picked up his Spiderman backpack and coat. Heading towards the door, he stopped in front of Lila. "Will you be here tomorrow morning too?"
Lila glanced at her mother before answering, "only if we are meant to be."
Justin studied Lila for a moment before responding. "That's just silly, Lila. Of course you are meant to be here." He turned and walked to the door then turned and waved, "see you in the morning." He had no sooner set foot on the sidewalk when the yellow school bus pulled up to the curb and opened it's doors.
Lila toyed with her food for a very long time. She took small bites and chewed them far longer than it took to chew up pancakes. She drank all of her juice and then asked for more, which she sipped very slowly. When she had finished the very last drop of juice and completely cleared her plate, she took the napkin from her lap and set it on the table. Annabelle glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the cash register and saw that it was almost eight o'clock and definitely time to go.
"Sweety, why don't you go to the bathroom and wash up and go potty so we can hit the road?"
"Awwwww, Momma, do we have to?"
Annabelle was used to these protests after her daughter had spent the night in the backseat of the (car). She reached over and smoothed her daughter's hair. "Well, Lila, that is the only way we are going to get where we are going. Now go get yourself cleaned up ok?"
"But, Momma... Don't you always say that we're supposed to be looking for a reason to stay some where?"
"That's right sweety, but I haven't seen any reasons here."
"What if I saw one?"
Annabelle raised an eyebrow. "Did you see one?"
"I think so."
"Well, what was it?"
"Justin, Momma, I think he's a reason."
"Are you saying that because of what he said before he left to go to school?"
"Nope."
"well, then, Lila, why do you think Justin is a reason?"
Lila looked at her mother for a minute and then slid out of her seat and to the floor. "He's a reason, Momma, because he's never went fishing with his Daddy before." With that, she turned and walked into the bathroom.
Annabelle was a little surprised by her daughter's accusation that Justin had been lying about his father. She was pretty sure her daughter had never called anybody a liar before. Tina walked up with her pot of steaming coffee and Annabelle's check.
"Are ya'll going to be needing anything else?" She asked. When Annabelle declined, Tina places the check on the table and picked up Lila's plate and juice cup. She was turning to leave when Annabelle stopped her.
"Uh, Tina?"
"Yes?"
"Could I ask you something?"
"Sure, sugar."
"Earlier, you mentioned that Justin's mother drops him off... Where's his father?"
Tina looked uncomfortable and glanced around the diner, which was quickly filling up with the locals wanting their breakfast. Tina set the plate back down on the table and took the seat across from Annabelle.
"Roger, that's Justin's daddy, he was in an awful accident after Justin was born. Poor Carol, she had only had Justin a couple months before. Here they were, this very happy, newly married couple with their brand new baby boy and Roger gets into a car accident. The other driver was drunk and they were both killed immediately. Carol has been working in a factory in Greensville every since and she hasn't so much as looked at another man. She says that Roger was her one true love and she is just going to wait until they are together again. She is a sweet girl."
"That's very sad," was all Annabelle could think to say.
"Yes it is, very sad. Well, sugar, I had better get back to work. Obviously, Jenny is late again and these people aren't going to feed themselves." Tina slid out of the booth and picked up the dishes again.
"Oh, sure. Could I ask you one more thing?"
"Of course."
"Could you recommend a nice hotel around here?"
(3,120 words)
(46,880 to go)
Characters: 4
Music: Matchbox Twenty
Sanity levels: wavering
Words per day to finish on time: 2,040
Amount of coffee needed to pull this off: How much is in Columbia exactly?
typed as quickly as possible by katehopeeden at this ungodly hour: 9:05 AM
4 attempted to destroy my confidence
Ok, so what should the hotel name be?
~K
Eden Brook? Eden Rock?
the cynic in me says that you should sell the rights to the name of the hotel to Super 8 (they could pay you to *put* the Super 8 name all over your book).
but the romantic in me votes for the waitress to say that there's no hotel in town but old Mrs Whoever runs a pretty tight bed and breakfast on the river for the local fisherman... who know Mrs Whoever could need help running things around the B&B/Inn/farmstay?
"Are ya'll going to be needing anything else"
Yup. Definitely southern.
I like Lola's idea about the B&B.
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