Day Thirty-One < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Two

Talking

After feeding the twins (and everyone else) in the morning, Marnie sent everyone off to school, made sure Bennie could watch the twins for a while, and headed outside to pull out all the dying or dead ferns and rose bushes.

Ferns were water plants, for goodness sake.. who had thought Oasis Springs would be a good place for them? In their stead, she had ordered some box hedges for the front, a couple palm trees for shade, and some low-lying plants to replace the dead ferns.

She was sure it would take ages to get out all those nasty brambles and rose bushes, but, surprisingly, it was just fine, and she still had time to do another major project she had her eye on.

To eliminate the possibility of fire, Marnie upgraded the dryer. (Also, side note for anyone who’s curious: when living on a retail lot, laundry doesn’t work. It might as well not exist. I had these on that lot, but they never generated laundry.)

By the time everyone got home from school, the twins were hungry again, so Marnie made some more food, then went to take a nap.

At some point in the evening, Bennie found himself sitting silently, awkwardly, next to his oldest son. After a moment of thought, he decided he’d try talking to him.

“So, Son, what are your plans now that you’ve graduated. I know your grades weren’t the best, but you could probably find a job around town..?” Bennie started.

“A JOB?? You’ve GOT to be kidding me. I’m moving out, old man. Soon as I legally can, I’m out of here. Friday’s my birthday, and my girl Shaylee and I already have plans to move to an apartment in the city with a couple of room-mates.” (Benji wisely left out where he was going to get the money, and the fact that it was more than a couple room-mates, and quickly stood up and went to find something else to do.

Poor Bennie was left sitting there, wondering how he was going to tell Marnie that Benji was leaving town on Friday. Also, he wondered idly, what exactly were Benji’s plans if a “JOB” wasn’t on the list??

At bedtime, Marnie stopped by Jaz’s room to tell her that, once again, she was going to be missing part of school tomorrow. This had been the earliest appointment available at the Mental Health Center in Newcrest, the only one that would take Jaz for free. Well, for a few appointments, at least.

Jaz seemed shocked about having to miss school to go, but Marnie assured her the next appointment would be after school.

“Next appointment??” Jaz squeaked, even more surprised.

“Well, yeah. Of course there’s a next one. This is just for you and I to get to know your therapist. After that, you’ll be going in alone. The school is requiring this, so you can avoid suspension. Hopefully they can get the answers they seem to want and we can put this whole thing behind us soon.” Marnie said, scoffing at Jaz’s ignorance.

“Oh.. Okay. So I’ll finally get to see Newcrest, huh? How far away is it? Will we take a bus?” Jaz had so many questions, but Marnie merely shook her head, chuckled, and left the room.

Sighing and slightly confused as to why she had to see the therapist anyway, Jaz climbed into her new bed and attempted to get to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Myles and Phoenix were awakened by noises under Myles’ bed. Squealing, Myles got up and ran to get Benji, who was the closest.

Annoyed, Benji sprayed the monster away, and made a note for Marnie to go shopping for an anti-monster light or two first thing tomorrow.

Myles, who was still un-nerved, decided to work on his Mental skill some more, and barely ticked over to level 7, allowing him to make his three emotion potions and go back to bed.

Day Thirty-One < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Two

Day Thirty < | Challenge Home Page | > Oasis Springs: Day One

Oasis Springs House Tour

The next morning was hectic. In and amongst the moving truck arriving, and everyone finishing last minute packing, Marnie was trying to make sure that at least everything would be “fixed” for whoever the new tenants were.

.. And I got this popup. Of course, I clicked yes. Because I really can’t see her liking what she had to do. Way to gut it out, Marnie.

Bennie, on the other hand, was wheeling and dealing on the phone, getting the final money details settled. While all this was going on, the power went out. Which was hilarious (Bennie hadn’t paid the bills) .. and sad at the same time. Finally, all the furnishings that belonged to them were packed up, everyone had their suitcases, and they were all standing around looking anxious in the snow.

All done. Goodbye store. The keys were turned over, the moving truck started up, and the family was piling onto the bus to meet the truck at their new home.

After dropping off all the new furniture, Benji was in charge of watching all the kids while Marnie and Bennie went on a major shopping spree to get the stuff they felt they couldn’t live without. Marnie insisted on completing the kitchenette for downstairs, and both main bathrooms (upstairs Master and the Downstairs one) had to have some plumbing ordered. They needed living room furniture, kitchen appliances, and Bennie stuck a Barbeque on the list, while Marnie splurged on some playground equipment. Since there had been nothing in the closets but cobwebs and trash, closet shelving had to be purchased, as well. Luckily, they managed to find most things cheap at local thrift stores. With far lighter wallets, and deliveries scheduled for the rest of the day, Bennie and Marnie once again headed home. To the NEW home.

The day was full of rearranging what little furnishings they had and the new things arriving, and before long, the place was truly looking like a real home. Everyone had claimed their living space.

Bennie and Marnie were upstairs in the green Master Bedroom.

Benji had their old Murphy bed in the main area of the basement.

Phoenix and Myles were sharing the brown room.

The twins were in the blue room.

… and Jazmyn was given the pink room.

By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted.. but not a single mouse had been seen all day, and Marnie had been able to do a grocery run to fill up the “new” fridge. The first dinner had been cooked, everything had been delivered, and everyone was too tired to talk at the dinner table. Finishing their meals, everyone trudged happily off to their rooms.

Marnie was still rearranging things in the kitchen, but Bennie was out on the deck, admiring his shiny new barbeque with barely a glance at the new playground equipment for the kids. This was going to take some getting used to, but as far as Bennie was concerned, life was pretty much perfect. He didn’t figure it was going to take more than a week to get that old yellow truck running, and before you know it, he was sure he would be a successful comedian.

Right before bed, Bennie paid the new bills, and went to herd the last of the kids inside. It had been a long day.

Day Thirty < | Challenge Home Page | > Oasis Springs: Day One

Day Twenty-Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty-One

Waiting…

Monday, other than being the next day of school.. was mostly a day of waiting. Waiting for school to start.. waiting for the kids to be home.. waiting for Bennie to go to work. And most of all, waiting for the house to be ready. The money from the store sale wouldn’t go into the bank until the next morning, so shopping couldn’t happen, and with the fumigating and the junk people hauling everything away, the house was off-limits… so nothing could be done.

Except … wait. Marnie did call the school to make sure everyone would have their Tuesday off of school – because, quite frankly, all hands would be needed when the moving truck came in the morning to move everything to the new house. She was so excited for this move, even the twins making messes in the snow barely phased her. She even whistled while putting mouse traps in the walls for the last time before going to bed.

Day Twenty-Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty-One

Day Twenty-Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty

The Clean-up

The next morning dawned miserably cold in Magnolia Promenade, but most of the Malone family simply didn’t care. It was a Sunday, and nobody was doing anything but helping clean up their new “Junk House”. The first moment walking in was a shock to all the kids, but with the dumpy apartment they lived in… let’s just say the shock disappeared quickly.

Bennie’s first priority was putting traps in all the mouse holes and marking them for the pest company who was fumigating tomorrow. He had also contracted a junk company who was going to get rid of the junk in the yard to make it safe(r) for the kids.

As the day went on, the mice realized that this house was under siege and stopped coming out of their holes, which made everyone happy. Each pile of trash or dirt that was picked up, and each bit of graffiti scrubbed off the walls seemed to make a huge difference.

Little by little, a ray of hope started shining through. Maybe there WAS a house under all this mess. At least, until you walked into the next room.

There was no chatting, and barely any noise at all except the rattle of things being picked up and trash bags being opened. Then Marnie pulled out the vacuum. And for once, it worked.

Myles, of course, was wearing his scout uniform, because he had scouts later, and was going to take the bus there and back.

Nobody was looking forward to having one less pair of hands for a while, though.

Even Bennie was pitching in. He was doing a lot of the heavy work (like getting rid of the clearly defunct appliances in the kitchen and basement), but he even figured out how to run a vacuum for the “attack” on the master bedroom.

After Myles left, the kids took a picnic break in the newly cleaned dining room, while Marnie went to work on the kitchen counters. She found, much to her surprise, that they weren’t in as bad a shape as they thought they were.

---

In Magnolia Promenade, far from all the work (and away from harm) was Benji and the twins. After spending the morning cooped up in the house, he finally had had enough. He bundled them up as tight as he could.. and headed out to the park across the street.

Playing in the snow.. has no age limits, apparently. The twins were tossing snow everywhere, and Benji was trying his.. hand? .. at making a couple snow angels.

Benji quickly talked little Brett into making a Snowpal, and he immediately showed how much toddlers like snow with this beatific smile.

Pulling a triceratops out of his pocket, Braydon occupied himself without any concern for the strange mound of snow not ten feet from him.

Slowly, the snowpal started to actually take shape, although I don’t think Brett had any hand in that part.

It was the perfect day. For a toddler, at least.

Even Benji seemed to be having a good time. They did start to get pretty cold, though, so before too much longer, he trundled the twins back inside.

---

Back in Oasis Springs, the upstairs had been cleaned, and the assault on the basement was in full swing.

Myles (who, being a scout!), was thinking ahead, and had brought a couple new boxes of trash bags with him when he came back from scouts, which were definitely coming in handy already.

Jaz was still disgusted with each new room, and wasn’t afraid to show it.

However, she wasn’t afraid to pitch in, knowing that somewhere in this mess was a room just for her. The boys would be sharing a room, as would the twins, but she was going to get a room to herself. She wasn’t sure why she was the only one who didn’t have to share a room, but she wasn’t about to turn it down.

---

Back at the apartment, Benji had come up with a great idea.

…Because he had to show Shaylee something…. he invited her over.

He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.. and then turned around and pointed.

“Look.. it’s gone. Nobody’s noticed! And my new bank account is sixty five hundred richer!” he crowed.

Laughing evilly, she practically jumped into his arms in excitement. “So it’s happening, huh? We’re really moving to San Myshuno??”

“You bet!” he exclaimed, and kissed her quickly, before mentioning he was in charge of two toddlers he had left alone in the apartment.

Shocked he’d left them, Shaylee hurried upstairs to meet Braydon and Brett.

Braydon was more than happy to say hello to someone new….

… While Brett was a bit shyer.

Hearing water running where it shouldn’t be, Benji went into the store bathroom, only to find the toilet shooting water everywhere. In disgust…. he found a wrench and a plunger and went to work. He knew how to fix it thanks to his mother, but he absolutely hated fixing anything, so he wasn’t enjoying himself.

Shaylee, however, was having a blast. She’d always loved kids.. and two little gems like Brett and Braydon (who were on their best behavior) seemed like the best sort of afternoon to her.

Brett and Braydon showed her how to turn on the music, and she filtered through some channels before settling on one she liked.

By the time Benji got back upstairs, the three were definitely good friends.

Brett, however, needed to go potty, and Braydon just HAD to show Shaylee his block skill.

---

Back at “Junk House”..

.. Myles decided that the utility room needed cleaning next, and after getting rid of the cobwebs, he started cleaning the floor.

The second bedroom was nearly clean, too, including the closet.

Marnie was working on the floor in the main room, and Bennie had gotten rid of that old stove. Things were nearly done.

---

Shaylee had left, but Brett wasn’t done with the music yet.

Benji showed his little brother some moves, but then I got this pop-up…

… And quickly changed the music for poor Benji. I mean, he was really being fairly good.. for Benji.

He had even managed to put together a salad for himself and the twins for dinner.

Then, he scrounged up a toddler book and read both a story as they fell asleep.

Benji, then, wisely, got rid of the nasty salad and headed to the living room to play some MySims Racing online with friends. On a whim, he entered a tournament.. and came out 100 simoleons richer!

---

Things were winding down for the night in Oasis Springs.

Bennie was fixing the sink in the basement bathroom…

And everyone had decided for Jaz that the pink room was to be hers. She wasn’t sure why nobody else wanted it.. but she wasn’t going to complain. Having her own room was still a luxury she wasn’t 100% sure how she had gotten.

The last thing of the night was mopping the mess that Bennie had left behind.. and the house was ready for the pest and junk companies the next day. They wouldn’t be allowed back for 24 hours after the pest company.. which was cutting their move in time really close.. but at least the house would be as clean and pest free as possible when they showed up in two days with their furniture.

The bus ride back to Magnolia Promenade was virtually silent, because it was nearly 1 AM and everyone was thoroughly wiped out.

Arriving home, they all tried to stifle the yawns and stumbled up the stairs to go to bed. The missing suit of armor was completely missed.

Day Twenty-Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty

Day Twenty-Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Nine

The Disaster

The morning was chaotic as usual, but as soon as everyone was taken care of and ready for their days, Bennie and Marnie headed out to go inspect the new house. Oasis Springs wasn’t far away, but they wanted to be able to take their time and look around.

After they left, Jaz checked in with Benji, who was in charge of babysitting while Bennie and Marnie were gone, to find out if it was still ok for her to go to her Saturday club meeting. Benji replied that he didn’t really care (which he didn’t), and told her to not get into trouble. Agreeing to the terms, Jaz headed out, as well.

In the other room, Phoenix had decided he definitely needed to stay inside, because one look in the mirror had proved he was stripey. He tried some orange juice, like his mother had suggested, but it hadn’t helped. So he was just playing with the science table to distract himself.

Jaz arrived at the Oasis Springs park, and joyfully jumped right into playing with her friends.

Unfortunately, it turned out that they weren’t the only club meeting at the park today. Billie Jang and her band of bullies had also showed up. Sighing, Jaz tried to continue playing and ignore her rival.

Jaz gave up on the space pirate play, and she and Colin did some cloudgazing, hoping that some distance would keep Billie away.

Billie, however, wasn’t interested in staying away. She stomped over to Jaz, and point blank told her that Jaz and her friends were not welcome at this park. (To which Jaz almost laughed. She was sure Billie’s new “club” had only picked this park because it was where the Adventurers had been hanging out for the last few weeks.) Jaz brushed her bluster off, and walked away, following Colin towards the park building.

Luckily, Billie didn’t follow along, so Colin and Jaz had plenty of time and space to chat. He had more news about his parent’s divorce, apparently “papers had been served” – whatever that means.

One of the first things Jaz told her friend was about the new house in Oasis Springs. She sorta regretted that it wasn’t in Willow Creek, closer to Colin’s own home, but at least they wouldn’t be way out in Magnolia Promenade anymore. Colin expressed his misgivings about any house won at an auction, but Jaz felt that there couldn’t possibly be anything terribly wrong with the house, or Bennie wouldn’t have bought it.

By the end of the afternoon, Jaz and Colin had pledged to be best friends forever, and he waved goodbye, wishing her good luck in the new home. He had made her PROMISE to call him immediately with any more news of the house.

On the other side of Oasis Springs.. Marnie and Bennie got off the bus and walked through their new neighborhood, looking at the well cared for houses that lined the street with happy smiles. Unfortunately, they then rounded the corner.. and caught a glimpse of their new home.

“Well, the house looks nice.. if a little overgrown…” Marnie commented, and Bennie just grunted. He had seen pictures of the house in it’s prime, but only knew that it had been abandoned for months. He was too sheepish to mention he had had no idea what sort of condition the house was in.

They stopped in the front yard, and Bennie pointed out that the yellow truck had come with the house. It wasn’t running.. yet… but he planned on fixing it up so he’d have a reliable way to work each day. Forestalling any questions from Marnie, he turned and confidently walked in the front door after using his keys on the deadbolts and brushing aside the warning tape on the door.

The disaster inside could not be described in mere words. The floor was covered in filth, there were mice running around in broad daylight, and spiderwebs in every corner. It was clear the house had been host to a parade of squatters – both human and animal. Mutely, Marnie looked around and walked past him towards the master suite.

Sighing, she noted that the bed was actually in decent shape.. and there was a nice sized closet, too. Turning, she went to see what the bathroom looked like.

One look proved that the rest of the house wasn’t going to get any better. Perhaps it was a good thing that the water wasn’t going to be turned on until tomorrow, because she was sure that toilet was broken and would be spewing water everywhere.

Bennie wandered through the living areas while Marnie peeked into the laundry room and hall half bath. He noted the nice fireplace and the beautiful windows.

All that natural light from them and the roof windows through the rafters was actually very nice, he thought.

He then turned to check out the kitchen, which was clearly in worse shape than the rest of the house. Good thing he hadn’t turned to notice the abandoned train cars and other detritus in the back yard. That was definitely going to have to taken care of before it would be safe for the kids to play outside.

There were even a bunch of locked containers out there, but he overlooked those easily, imagining a barbeque on the expansive back deck.

The junkyard was definitely more than he’d been expecting, though. He looked about guiltily, wondering why he hadn’t asked more questions at the low low price, but there was no way he would ever admit that to Marnie. Marnie! .. Wonder where she’d gotten off to..?

Back inside, Marnie had taken in the full measure of the dining room and kitchen, and was steeling herself to look downstairs.

At least the stairs were in good condition? She thought, relieved.

She rounded the corner into a large family room with a partial kitchenette that had clearly been broken for quite a while.

She then started checking through doors. There was a full bath, a utility room, and three bedrooms. All in varying stages of a full-blown disaster.

Finished with her “tour”, she headed back upstairs. She was trying not to be furious at Bennie for saddling them with this mess of a house, but somewhere in her head… she had the thought that the house was actually a nice house if you looked past the mess. Maybe they could turn things around.

Of course, she noted.. it would depend entirely on how long they had before move-in date, and how big a budget they had for people to help clean it up. She headed outside to find Bennie, and ask some rather pointed questions….

---

After their conversation, which had been.. interesting, since they were to move in officially on the first of the month (less than a week away) because the store would need to be vacated by then. Also, Bennie assured her that he would contact a pest control company for the vermin, and get a junk company to remove the stuff in the yard. Beyond that, however, cleaning up inside the house was going to be pretty much all their job, because any money he had spare after calling the junk people and the pest company would need to go towards the local flea market for furnishings. At the very least, they were going to need to buy appliances, since the ones they had belonged to the store apartment.

Marnie interrupted Bennie by reminding him that Benji’s graduation was tonight, and they didn’t want to be late. So they hurried to the bus, both lost in their own thoughts.

The entire family was attending the graduation, and it was a freezing night, so they all bundled up in their winter clothes. Fall was nearly over, after all, and Winter would set in very soon.

Everyone was here that he cared about. (That didn’t include his family, of course.) While he was talking to his friends, he overheard Malcolm Landgraab talking about his dad’s heart attack. Apparently Nancy was left taking care of an infant all by herself with just Malcolm still in the house. That certainly was a sad thing.. but perhaps Benji could figure out a way to profit from the information.

Turned out, it wasn’t just people he cared about that were there, though.. as he spotted a very angry Cade walking away after the ceremony.

Sighing happily, Benji looked over his successful club, and caught his girlfriend’s eye through the crowd. She ran over, and wrapped him in an embrace.

It had been so long since he’d been able to actually spend time with her with helping with his siblings and his push to get his grades back up, so seeing her again was a huge reward. She congratulated him with a heated kiss, and Benji tried not to lose his head. He had important things to tell her.

He told her about the new house (of course he had no idea of the disaster that it was in), and he mentioned that he would be coming into quite a bit of money in the next week. He grinned slyly, and, showing her a simple ring, asked her if she’d be interested in moving to the city with him. He was sure he was going to be able to afford an apartment for them.

Squealing, she agreed and wrapped him in her arms again. This, of course, got everyone else’s attention, and before long, they were surrounded by the club, who were all very very interested in the possibility of being able to get away from home. Before he knew it, Benji was assuring them that they could all pitch in on a bigger apartment in the city and all be room-mates. The logistics of such a move were certainly not on his mind.. but they definitely would be later.

Noticing that his family were watching impatiently from the sidelines, he sheepishly kissed Shaylee goodbye, promising to call her tomorrow, and headed over to follow them home, cringing at the crying toddlers. It would be a long evening while they tried to get all the kids in bed… and he was sure his help was going to be required.

He hid a smile at the knowledge that he’d had an appraiser check on that suit of armor while Bennie and Marnie had been gone, and had arranged for it to be gone and the money to be in his new bank account in the next couple days. Plenty of time before his family would be moving, hopefully. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to deal with their move at all… and could just “ride off into the sunset” with his girl and their friends (and a good chunk of change!)

Day Twenty-Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Nine

Day Twenty-Six < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Eight

Bennie’s Big Meeting

It seemed like just another Friday. Marnie was up early, fixing the bathroom plumbing so the kids would be able to get ready for school. From the other room, all she could hear was Bennie sitting on his rear watching the sports channel. The longer it took her to fix the plumbing, the more annoyed she got.

Consequently, once the plumbing was fixed, Marnie turned to taking care of Bennie. Incensed, she yelled at him about rarely opening the store anymore, and about skipping work days. Bennie looked at her with a stunned expression, and didn’t say anything for a while.

He was still stewing about it when Marnie got back up and went to take care of the kids and make sure all got to school okay.

But, by the time he got to eating breakfast, his anger was pretty much boiling over. How DARE she get on him for not working hard enough after what he’d done for the family yesterday. No WAY was he going to open the store this morning, either. Just to prove to her that he didn’t have to listen to her. He had been planning on telling her his surprise as soon as the kids left for school, but he decided, to punish her, that he’d make her wait until after school when he announced it to everyone. (Marnie, however, was busy with the twins.. and was clueless to being “punished” for something she had no idea about…. )

To pass the time, he tried dumpster diving, but eventually, he decided it wasn’t really worth it. All he was finding were some small amounts of change, and nothing good to sell.

Back inside, he was watching one of the twins playing peacefully by himself when his phone rang. His boss was yelling at him for missing work – again. Bennie assured him he would be there in a short while, that he had to have a quick meeting with his family when the kids got home from school first. His boss grumbled a bit, but in the end, relented.

Once the kids were all home, Bennie had everyone (except for the twins, who he deemed too young to care) sitting at the table.. mostly just staring at him in wonder, because something like this had never happened before.

“I have GREAT news, everyone! Just wait until you hear this!” Bennie started, grinning internally at the wonder on everyone’s faces (except for Marnie, who still looked thunderous).

“I got a truly amazing deal on a real house for us. I found it at auction for real cheap, and we’ll be able to move in as soon as we clean it up and move our stuff. No longer will we have to stay in this apartment, or worry about the store, since I got a promotion at work, and found someone who was more than willing to buy the store as-is.”

Phoenix was the first to react, squealing in joy.

Glancing around at his family, Bennie tried to gauge their reactions. Marnie was still staring at him in confusion, and not a little bit of distrust, but smiles seemed to be the biggest reaction around the table. Feeling like he’d done his good deed for the day, Bennie excused himself and headed to work. (Two hours late!)

While trying to help out his mother, Benji discovered that he really didn’t like handiness. He vowed to find an easier way to deal with things.

When Bennie got home from work, he found Marnie getting ready for bed. Suspicious, Bennie wondered why she had waited up for him. She quietly apologized for yelling at him that morning.

“I had no idea you were working to get us a house, Bennie.” she said, and Bennie suppressed a satisfied smile.

“Of course you didn’t, I hadn’t told anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise!” Bennie crowed. “You and I can go look at it tomorrow to see what will need to be done this weekend to get it ready to live in.”

Marnie smiled to herself, sighing happily. Perhaps this was the change she had always been hoping for. She’d always dreamed of having her own home!

Behind her, Bennie closed his eyes and hoped this whole thing would go by easily, and that the new job position would lead to the success he truly wanted.

After everyone was in bed, Benji was still awake. Finally, sick of trying to sleep, he got up, got something to eat, then bundled up and wandered around outside. He wondered to himself how to get out of the situation he found himself in. He didn’t want to be stuck living in this family.. and now that he’d just graduated (barely, at that…), he was realizing that he needed to move on. Soon. He was pretty sure a cheap house from an auction was NOT the good thing Bennie was saying it was, and Benji wanted no part of it. While wandering idly, he suddenly noticed something he hadn’t really noticed before.

Was this an actual suit of armor just standing here? With nobody paying it any attention? Benji wondered how much it might be worth. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to steal, and he doubted anyone would even notice it gone this weekend with all the chaos of moving….

His mind now whirling, Benji chuckled to himself, and started trying to figure out who he could sell this thing to under the table. First, he had to find someone to appraise it on the sly… but that wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like the store was going to be filled with customers this weekend, or anything!

Finally smiling again, Benji wandered back upstairs and climbed back into bed.

Squeaks and skittering noises woke Marnie and Bennie up early. Marnie sighed, and looked down at the mouse hole in consternation. Good thing she wouldn’t have to deal with them soon.

Bennie, on the other hand, was furious. If there were mice in the new house.. he swore to himself he’d call a pest control company and get rid of them for good. No more living with mice. He munched on a mid-night snack, then made the “rounds” – depositing traps in all the holes before heading back to bed to get a little bit more sleep.

(Um.. Bennie.. I think you missed one… Also. I got the life scared out of me while playing this day.. while everyone was in bed, the save feature went grey, and it said I couldn’t save while someone was dying…. !!!! I have no idea who it was, but thankfully, it wasn’t the Murphy bed. LOL. Eventually, it went back to white so I could save, and I breathed a VERY relieved sigh.)

Day Twenty-Six < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Eight

Day Twenty-Five < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Seven

The Secret Computer

Marnie confronted Bennie first thing in the morning. Bennie, however, didn’t seem to be giving an inch. He never explained where he’d gone, and why he’d been gone so long, despite Marnie asking specific questions.

His only comment was he’d gotten exactly the groceries she’d asked for – and that he was his own man, he didn’t have a curfew or anything. The kids tried to avoid the argument, but in an apartment the size of a postage stamp, it’s kinda hard to do.

Benji was the first to find a Gnome…. because today was Harvestfest. He gave the reaper gnome a salad, figuring he’d troll the gnome and make it mad.. but the gnome actually turned out to like salads. Who knew?

Afterwards, Benji joined Jaz for some satisfying Party games, and showed off his skills, winning every game.

Perhaps in an apology for his misstep the day before, As soon as Marnie stomped away to cook breakfast, he took one of the twins outside to work on flash cards. One way or the other, though, he seemed to know he had some make up work to do.

Downstairs, Jaz finally found one of the other gnomes, and found out that it really didn’t like fruitcake. She should have known. Nobody likes fruitcake.

Myles begged for forgiveness in his sister’s stead, but the gnome wasn’t in the mood. Poor Myles. He wasn’t about to try again, so he went upstairs for breakfast, instead.

Bennie, curious about the lightning strikes downstairs, came down and decided to try his hand at a real apology. (The one he wasn’t about to give his wife…) The naked gnome was more than willing to forgive the children their sins, it seems.. and the halo appeared. Jaz cleaned up the mess from the previous failed apologies without being asked, but, as usual, nobody even noticed.

Marnie (specifically waiting until Bennie had cleared the store) came down, found the last gnome, and expertly handed it a future cube, to the gnome’s delight.

Then, she called for Myles. It was time to go to Willow Creek Library. And see if the Goths actually showed up. Because it was a holiday, Marnie left the twins at home with Bennie and Benji to watch them, and went with just her and Myles.

Amazingly, not only did the Goths show up… but Mrs. Goth had brought several of Alexander’s geeky friends, too.. and talked all of them into starting a club… with Myles as the leader! Marnie felt completely overwhelmed with Bella’s generosity, and tried to control a nervous stutter.

Myles, however, did not have the same problem, and he ran towards the library, excited to make friends and explore the amazing books in the shelves.

He carefully introduced himself to every member of “his” new club, and they went over the rules. Only geeky things were allowed. None of those frou-frou creativity things.

Club members were as follows: Olive Tinker…

Taku Akiyama (Miki’s brother) and, of course, Alexander Goth….

Gideon Harris, and a new kid in town, Jamel Kidd.

Myles tried to spend as much time as possible getting to know the great Alexander Goth, and the two seemed to be getting along pretty well.

Nobody seemed to have noticed that Marnie was nowhere to be seen….

Instead, she was outside with a portable computer. Was it hers? She wasn’t telling. But she certainly had a secret smile on her face as she watched the fish jumping in the water in front of her.

Then, with a contented sigh, she sat down to practice something she hadn’t done since high school… writing. Her dream. She kept a close eye on the library, however, as though afraid of getting “caught”.

Back in the library, Bella played at a chess board, keeping an eye on the youngsters, but unconcerned that Marnie had disappeared. She seemed to be enjoying her holiday away from her crying newborn back at home.

Outside, Marnie had a visitor. The lady tried to start up a conversation, but a quick rude comment or two had her making a hasty exit. Marnie never even bothered to get her name.

Myles and Alexander were now close friends, and the Librarian seemed to enjoy seeing Alexander actually interacting instead of having his nose in a book.

As darkness fell, Marnie reluctantly put the computer away (IN HER POCKET!) and headed for the library. She nearly tripped over another famous resident.. Nancy Landgraab. Waving jauntily at Nancy, she just acted like she belonged there.. and it worked. Nancy said hello, and even smiled at her.

After collecting Myles, they rode the bus home, both trying to hide smiles… and both failing miserably.

Myles headed for some dinner and playtime before bed, while Marnie was thrown immediately into the fray, with multiple things to fix in the house just because she’d been gone most the afternoon and evening. Her face showed it all. This was NOT her idea of a good life anymore.

Day Twenty-Five < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Seven

Day Twenty-Four < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Six

The Long Day

The day started out like any other. The twins were outside, making messes, Marnie was trying to clean away stains, and Bennie only wanted to sleep in. Marnie got him up, and asked him to go to the grocery store, that she had a list. She expected him back in an hour or two at the most.

However, the kids had gotten home from school, and he still wasn’t home. With a sigh, she made the last of the mac n cheese they had in the house, and hope that would cover the kids for the evening. Myles got the last of his focused homework times done, and Jaz tried to show off by finishing hers faster. Nobody even noticed.

Noticing the worry lines on his mother’s face, Benji, instead of going out like he’d intended, helped with some of the clean-up, while Marnie yelled at the twins for making a disaster on the front “porch”.

Much later, after helping get the twins to bed, Benji called his girlfriend to tell her goodnight, then did what his dad usually did – mouse patrol. (Placing traps in all the holes for the night.) Then, sadly, he helped get everyone else into bed, hoping to wake up to his Dad being back home.

Everyone was in bed. The little bit of mac n cheese that was leftover was in the fridge in case the twins woke up hungry.. and Marnie was still pacing around the house.

Finally, feeling the exhaustion taking over, Marnie put her head in her hands and almost cried. What would she do if he didn’t come home? How would she take care of her kids? Sighing, she took one last forlorn look out the door and the windows, put the Murphy bed down and climbed into bed.

Day Twenty-Four < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Six

Day Twenty-Three < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Five

The Appointment, Part 2

In the laboratory, the doctor ran some tests on the samples he’d taken, a puzzled look on his face. He then wrote a bunch of things on the clipboard, sighed, and headed back into the room where Jaz was.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to do one last test. The previous ones were all inconclusive, so we need to pull out the ‘big ones'” he said with a smile, and motioned for Jaz to follow him.

(“Big ones??!!” – what does THAT mean??) Jazmyn wondered in fear, and followed him as quickly as possible.

He instructed her to go stand in a big scary looking machine, and went to dim the lights.

“Now, stand still, Miss Jazmyn.” he instructed, and the machine’s rings started whirring and moving around her. The doctor muttered to himself, and poked at the computer in front of him.

Eventually, he finished whatever he was doing, the rings stopped moving, and he began looking at some images on a screen on the wall. He nodded and mutters to himself some more, then motioned for Jazmyn to follow him once again.

He left her back in the first room, and disappeared into his office again, again without bothering to explain what was going on.

In the office, I find him browsing the web for a while, then began updating Jaz’s records, shaking his head at the lack of past information. Finally, coming to a conclusion, he went to get a little red cup and put some pills in it, and took it and the clipboard back to where Jaz waited.

“Well, Miss Jaz… I can’t find anything wrong with you. Other than the rash you had when you got here, that is. You seem to have calmed down, but I think it was mostly because you were so worried and upset. Are you sure you have problems going to the bathroom?”

Jaz looked at him, slightly bemused at the way he ignored whatever she said. “I can GO just fine.” She said again, more firmly this time. “I just can’t do it with someone else there.”

“Oh. Certainly, that is a problem.” the Dr. replied, then leaned over and patted her on the shoulder. “Well, here, Jaz, take these pills – the nurse will get you some water – this will help you calm down.”

The nurse came in, got the water, and then the doctor had to explain HOW to take the pills. Eventually, Jaz managed to choke the small pills down, grimacing at the bad taste.

“Okay, now, is your mother in the waiting room?” he asked (seemingly without needing an answer, because he pointed at the door.)

Muttering to herself with annoyance, Jaz walked out ahead of the Dr., unable to stop herself from giving him a nasty look that he couldn’t see as she walked out of the room.

The doctor headed to the waiting room, while the nurse took her to a small bathroom, and gave her back her clothes, instructing her to get dressed again.

After she changed, the woman came back and led her out to the waiting room where Dr. Winn was deep in conversation with Marnie.

---

(Please forgive these photos, I realize it’s dark outside when it shouldn’t be, but the photo shoot took far longer than it should have, and I wasn’t paying attention to the actual light outside by the time I finally got the pics I needed. Pretend it’s still daytime…)

Out in the waiting room, the doctor identified which parent was the right one, and walked over to Marnie.

“Good news, Mrs. Malone. There’s nothing wrong with Jazmyn that a few tranquillizers won’t fix.” he announced, after sitting next to her.

“Wait. What?” she replied, confused.

“I’m afraid her problem with going to the bathroom is all in her head. There’s nothing physically wrong with her other than the panic attack and rash she had at the beginning of the appointment.” the doctor explained.

“WHAT?!!? What on earth does that mean? And what am I supposed to tell the school now. They’re going to suspend her!” Marnie blew up at the doctor.

“Let me rephrase. We’re referring Jazmyn to a local therapist. They should be able to get to the bottom of this. I checked your insurance, and it should pay for the first few visits just fine. After that, it will be up to you and your husband, though.” the doctor said, watching as Jazmyn walked back into the room and found a chair in the kid’s play area.

Jaz sat down, feeling a little woozy and dizzy. She wondered what those pills had been, and why they’d made her feel worse when they were supposed to make her feel better. She watched Dr. Winn and her mother chatting, wondering why Marnie looked so angry, but then shrugged to herself and tried to wait patiently.

“I’ll explain the situation to Jazmyn myself, Mrs. Malone. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this problem, and I’ll make sure she’s not suspended so long as she gets the treatment she needs.” he stood up, walked towards Jazmyn, and motioned her towards a pair of empty chairs.

Marnie was left fuming. How dare that doctor tell her there was something wrong in Jazmyn’s head. How could nothing be wrong physically?? And if it WAS in her head, how were they supposed to fix it without paying out the rear with money they don’t have. She, not thinking about people possibly watching, went and took out her aggression on a stuffed animal, trusting that the Dr. would tell Jazmyn what was going on without her help.

Jaz sat down across from the doctor, and waited impatiently for him to speak.

“You, young lady, need to stop being so stubborn. Going to the bathroom is perfectly natural, and everyone does it. Who else is there doesn’t matter. I’ll send you with a note for the school for missing today, but from now on, go to the bathroom in between classes or at lunch like everyone else!!”

Jaz looked at him incredulously for a moment, then finally lost her temper a little. “But I CAN’T!” she yelled, “Didn’t you LISTEN?”

The doctor looked offended. “Of course I listened, Jazmyn. I don’t think YOU listened. The problem is in your head. We’re sending you to a therapist to help you figure this out. I was just telling you that, until it’s figured out, you’ll just have to go when you can, like everyone else does.

“A… thera…what?” Jaz asked, suddenly terrified through the haze that had settled over her head.

“A doctor that treats mental illnesses. A THER-A-PIST” the doctor explained. “They’ll help you figure this out. However, I have other appointments. We’re done here. Congratulations on your clean bill of health.” He stood up, convinced he’d done the right thing, and walked out of the room with a self-satisfied air. One more patient seen to.

Seething.. and very, very dizzy, Jaz followed Marnie back to the bus, and remained stubbornly quiet the entire trip back to Magnolia Promenade. To be fair, Marnie wasn’t talking either…. at least, not to her. She kept muttering angrily to herself, but she wasn’t talking loud enough to be understood by anyone else.

They got back to the store, and Jaz hurried upstairs to get away from Marnie, immediately hiding away in her room, playing absently with the science table.

Myles ran out, and gave his mother a big hug. “I missed you!” he cried.

“I have great news, sweetie!” Marnie said, her whole face lighting up. “Thursday, you get to meet some new friends. Mrs. Goth and Alexander will meet us at Willow Creek Library for a play date. How fun is that??”

Myles looked at her, startled. Of course he knew who Alexander Goth was. Everyone did. He was probably the smartest kid in his grade at school…. and how on EARTH had Marnie gotten the Goths to spend time with the MALONES?!

Marnie, still in her own world, didn’t notice Myles’ expression, and sighed, heading upstairs to tell Bennie the news. (More money needed. Great.)

Bennie went from being in a good mood because his eldest son had come home with all of his grades improved to at least passing and playing his new guitar… to seeing red again. Not only had the appointment not figured what was wrong with that child, they now had to take Jazmyn to a “shrink”. “First few appointments paid for” – his left foot. He couldn’t pay bills as it was…. how was he going to pay to get Jaz’s head examined?? Bennie walked away from Marnie, tuning out whatever she was saying about meeting Bella Goth (right. like a Goth would talk to a Malone.) .. and going to take a shower before heading to bed. He had some thinking to do.

Myles bragged to his brother about getting to actually meet Alexander Goth, but Phoenix apparently didn’t care, so Myles just got quiet instead. They both played a bit on the monkey bars before bed, mostly ignoring each other.

Jaz was outside. playing chess quietly in the light of the streetlights when Colin came around the corner. “I missed you at school today. Can I join you?” he asked.

“Of course, you can.” Jaz mumbled.

“So…? How’d it go at the doc’s?” Colin asked.

“I really don’t know.” Jaz said. “Dr. Winn said I was fine, but told me I have to see someone called a Therapist.”

“Oh. Really? At least nothing’s wrong. Therapists are cool. I see one, to help me handle my parent’s divorce. Maybe you’ll get the one I have. She’s really nice.” Colin sighed, glad his friend was going to be okay, and completely unconcerned about the news of the therapist.

(“Wait. Colin seems to think it’s no big deal?? .. Maybe it isn’t a bad thing, then?”) Jaz thought to herself, and finally, a smile broke across her face. “We still have club meeting on Saturday, right?” she asked.

“Of course!” Colin replied, cheerfully. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait. Especially after last week’s got interrupted by that awful storm!”

“You bet. Now, let’s play!” Jaz didn’t bother to mention the pills or the dizziness she was feeling, and they both set up a new game carefully. She lost the game, of course, because she couldn’t think right for some reason… but it was fun to play with Colin, anyway. Checking the clock on the store wall through the window, Jaz sighed, waved goodbye to her friend and headed in to go to bed. Maybe she could avoid everyone else in the house on her way in?? .. It had been a long day.. and didn’t want to deal with her family right now.

Day Twenty-Three < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Five

Day Twenty-Two < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Four

The Appointment, Part 1

(This post is .. by nature, rather long. Because a LOT happens in this day. I ended up splitting it in the middle.)

Jaz woke up groggy.. and then she remembered. The day she’d been dreading. Today was her doctor appointment. She didn’t really understand why she even needed one, but it was that or getting suspended… so I guess the Doctor was better? Maybe? Frowning, she hopped out of bed, and went to get ready for the day.

The day was promising to be just one of those days, and while trying to eat breakfast she had no less than two mice run across the floor under her bunny slippers. (Note: the mouse under the left hand chair…)

Furious now, Jaz went to the bathroom so she could clean up for the day ahead of her… and get away from the mice.

Being that she was the first one awake, the water was still hot, and she ended up spending longer than she had intended to under the weak stream of water, trying to calm down a bit.

She came out of the bathroom to a convention of people in the kitchen eating leftover mac n cheese. She helped take care of the twins cheerfully while Marnie grumpily shuffled all the rest of the kids off to school…. but then Marnie turned to Jaz.. and she could tell from the look on her face that Marnie wasn’t enjoying today any more than she was. Marnie led her out the front door to catch the bus to the Willow Creek Hospital for her appointment.

They were barely out the door before Marnie stopped, turned to Jaz, and hissed, “You had BETTER behave today. I don’t want any nonsense from you. Let’s just get this over with so we can find out what’s wrong with you!”

Jaz flinched, and nodded mutely.

Seeming satisfied, Marnie led the way down the stairs, and Jaz followed obediently. The bus was just pulling into the stop when they got there, and, being that the bus was mostly empty at this time of day, Marnie pushed her into a seat near the front and sat next to her.

Inside the house, Bennie was fuming. Being left alone to take care of the twins was NOT his idea of a good day, and the twins were already doing whatever they wanted – which included tearing up books, and banging pots and pans in the kitchen.

---

The bus ride was mercifully short, and they got off in an affluent area of Willow Creek. Marnie looked around nervously, smoothed her skirt down, and pasted on a pleasant smile in case there was anyone around.

Goggling internally, she noticed that none other than Bella Goth was walking towards her on the street. Taking a deep breath, she went up to her like she belonged there, and gave a friendly wave.

“Hello! How are you today? My daughter has a doctor’s appointment at the hospital, so we happen to be on this side of town.” Marnie said in her best Mom-voice.

Bella, surprised, responded politely, and said something about her son being due for his yearly physical, as well.

“Oh, this isn’t for a physical.” Marnie said conspiratorially. “She has been having bathroom troubles at school, and we’re going to find out what’s wrong with her. I believe Alexander is in the same class as my son, Myles. Does he like studying and science as much as my son?”

“Oh, he loves science.” Bella said, breaking into a smile.

“Perhaps we should set up a play-date at the library or something. I’ve heard the Willow Creek Library is wonderful for kids. I bet they’d like each other… ? and have a good time?” Marnie trailed off, wondering if she’d gone too far, or offended the gorgeous woman.

“That would be fabulous!” Bella replied animatedly, “I could invite some of the other little scholars Alexander knows and we could make a day of it. I could bring the baby, as well.”

“Oh? You have a new baby?? I hadn’t heard. Congratulations! I could bring my toddler twins, too. When would be a good day?” Marnie asked, trying hard to seem natural, like arranging play dates was something she did every day.

“How about Thursday after school? We could meet there?” Bella responded.

“I would love that!” Marnie gushed, and then pretended to look at her (non functioning) watch, “Well, we’d better go before we’re late!”

Bella waved goodbye with a smile, and headed up into the house, where a screaming baby could vaguely be heard.

Marnie and Jaz walked into the hospital, with Marnie leading the way by several feet. Marnie checked her in at the front desk, then returned to where Jaz stood near the front door.

“I’ll wait out here.” Marnie told Jaz, still lost in thought about her precious son perhaps getting to be friends with a GOTH! “Come back here when you’re done!”

Trudging towards the big double doors when the receptionist pointed them out as the way to go, Jaz tried to breathe normally, but her heart was pounding, and she felt hot and cold all over. Rubbing damp palms on her worn jeans, she blinked, and pushed the right hand side door open.

“Jazmyn Malone?” a man in a pristine white coat asked her, and – unable to catch her breath enough to even talk, she just nodded her head at him. “I’m Doctor Winn. We’ll be in this room here, and the nurse will get you something to change into so I can examine you.” He motioned towards some more huge doors (or maybe everything seemed huge because Jaz felt so very small and alone right now..) .. and Jaz moved into the room indicated.

Dr. Winn smoothed down the paper on the ..bed.. couch.. thing..? .. and PAPER? (Why was there paper on there??) Jaz wondered, trying to stop panicking, and missing completely what he’d said.

“Jazmyn?” The doctor asked again, “You okay?”

Nodding mutely, she took a deep breath, and tried to listen as the doctor explained she would just change and then to sit on the table (oh! it’s a TABLE?) when she was ready, and he’d be right back. A pleasant-faced lady came in as the doctor left the room with a soft pair of pajamas for her to put on. Left alone with the PJs (if that’s what they were… they seemed awfully soft for temporary clothes..), Jaz quickly looked around to make very sure she was alone, and changed as fast as she could. She climbed awkwardly up on the table, feeling even worse when she wrinkled the paper, wondering if she’d get in trouble for it.

“All ready, young lady?” The doctor asked after peeking in to make sure she was dressed.

Jaz took a deep breath (or tried to) and nodded.

“Okay then.” Dr. Winn looked at a clipboard, read for a brief moment, and then said, “So you’re having trouble going to the bathroom at school, huh? Apparently the school is very concerned about it, and referred you to me.”

Jaz tried to reply, realized she had no voice, and swallowed nervously, trying again. Still nothing came out, so she waved at him and gave him a weak smile. The lady had come back in, and seeing her discomfort, walked over to a nearby sink, and got her a little paper cup of water.

“Here, sweetie, drink this. I swear, you’d think she’d never been to see a doctor before! You’re fully shaking!” the lady commented at the doctor, and then walked out of the room again.

The water helped, and Jaz tried again, with the doctor, amazingly – waiting patiently. “Not problems, exactly. I just can’t go if someone else is in the bathroom… I can go when I’m alone just fine! Is it wrong that I don’t like other people there?” she finally got out in a thin, worried voice.

“Oh, don’t worry, Jazmyn, we’ll figure out what’s wrong. I just have to do a bunch of tests so I can diagnose you.” Jazmyn wondered what a “diagnose” was, but the doctor didn’t really seem to be paying any attention to what she’d said, so she didn’t bother asking. Taking a breath, she nodded, and prepared for the worst.

First, he used a light in her ear, and made some inane talk about how she was doing in school, without really listening to her replies again.

He then stuck a device in her mouth, and said “Well, that’s too bad you’re not doing well…” (proof he wasn’t listening – she’d just said she had straight A’s!)

The tests didn’t stop there, apparently, because he then pointed a beeping machine at her chest and poked it around her body.

“One last thing for this part, sweetie, and then I have to go check on this sample. We should be able to tell what’s wrong after that, ok?”

Jazmyn nodded, and opened her mouth when he indicated to do that, and he rubbed a fuzzy stick on the inside of her cheek, then put it into a clear tube, and carried it out of the room.

The lady poked her head back in the door after a moment, and asked Jaz if she could get her anything while she waited for the doctor.

Jaz politely asked for more water, and thanked the woman when she brought her another cupful. The woman was then gone again, leaving Jaz alone with her nerves and confusion for a while. She did manage to get her breathing back under control, and drained the cup of water again.

…. to be continued ….

Day Twenty-Two < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Four