Wednesday, November 6, 2024

I can hear the sounds of the night but they don't scare me


 Janey hasn't been able to figure out what to do with herself lately. It hadn't been a terribly exciting September. Warmer than usual, and she'd taken long walks then after work. October was a good time for reflection, wondering what her next career move might be down at the station. Would she just take another online class or go to those workshops she was told about that lasted all weekend long. After all, she generally did enough weekend reporting. Of course, it was that fluffy feel-good stuff.

That's what Steffan told her. Oh, he was so obnoxious she thought. Was he really trying to help her? There was a time she'd fallen in love with that nose of his. How could that be? Who falls in love with someone's nose?

She did. Yes, like a happy dance jumping from the core of her, she thought it would be sweet to touch a nose like that, especially, if it were their child.

Again, she hated herself for having such nonsense dreams about this guy already on the a.m. news. And to think she almost told her mother all about him. She could hear her mother squealing with delight over the phone. Thank heavens, she'd gotten over Steffan.

She decided to hate him, but she still caught herself looking at him at every turn. How in the world was she to get on with her own goals with a nuisance like him around? 

Janey didn't want to be called Janey anymore. Of course, Steffan had called her this on the first day of her internship and it stuck. Even when she was out in the elements reporting the violent winds on a treacherous morning it would end with, "Janey Morrison reporting."

"Everybody loves Janey."

 He'd smiled about it like it was the best compliment in the world at that daily briefing. She was the only one who didn't get a chuckle out of it. Finally, he came around and gave her a playful punch in the arm that day. "I'm just trying to be that big brother you never had."

Naturally, she gritted a smile and did her best to play her part. Who knew News would be such an acting gig?


So here she was on her daily walk to the park. And it was getting dark so early. The park wasn't as well-lit as she'd thought. But then the carousel cranked up as if she'd never noticed the vibrant pink before. She didn't think it worked. She never saw it in use. 

Surprised, she thought it might be a special occasion. Her luck she'd intruded a marriage proposal of some kind. But instead, she saw something dangerous in progress. Men in leather jackets with guns coming out from behind the carousel. Janey wanted to run and hide, but she stood still. She couldn't move. She could hardly breathe. It was at that moment she was certain it was the end. She'd be kidnapped or just killed. Either way, didn't look like the end she was hoping for.

All she could feel was the numbness spreading over her like a freezer and her heart pounded in her ears as if it would be the only thing that might keep her warm for a moment or two. She felt like a statue.

"Hey! Hey Janey!" A voice yelled. Someone shook her as if she needed to get with the program. "YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!" 

Her eyes finally blinked. What had happened to Steffan? His nose wasn't quite as perfect as she remembered. She squinted. He might as well try to be a Charlie Sheen Wanna Be. Ugh, were those real tattoos?

"Who told you! You could be here?" He said out of concern. 

Janey didn't have an answer.

"You know, you are nowhere ready for investigating reporting," Steffan pulled her to his side and headed her toward his motorcycle. 

"Where are you taking me?" She asked as she reached for a helmet for her.

"I know an all-night diner, you need food," Steffan told her.

"I do?"

"You, freak'n scared me." He looked her in the eye.

"Oh."

Steffan got on the big black bike and waited for her. 

"Now hold on," he said. "This was not the way I was planning our first date."

"What were you planning?"

"I don't know, I might have never thought of anything because, you know, I work a lot. I don't think you'd want to go grocery shopping with me," Steffan said as he started up the bike.

Janey couldn't help but smile. She was glad he had the old diner in mind, but grocery shopping sounded good.



Monday, November 4, 2024

Ren & Wade RP Part 23



 Ren knew they needed to be serious with the books in the basement because Roni was an expert. She felt a little bad that she and Wade hadn't been more industrious in investigating old books.

Of course, Roni started pulling books from the big pile and putting them in some stacks of order. Of course, Ren didn't know if she was helping or not. And then Wade yelped waving a book in the air.

"Look what I found the original Bambi! And it's in German! I think," he said that had to be worth something. 

"Don't we hope," Roni said taking a photo of it for the site he knew of. "These are some very old books. Pricing them is one thing, finding a buyer is another."

Ren hated the musky dusty smell. Roni looked at Wade's eyes. 

"Why aren't you wearing a mask, like I asked?" Roni tilted his head a bit perturbed. 

"Oh," Wade stretched it across his face.

"It might be too late, now." Roni sighed. "You're going to get a bad case of dermatitis." He told him he should have worn goggles.

"Goggles?" Wade scowled a bit bewildered.

Roni sighed. "This is such a mess," he shook his head but went back to piling books as if they needed to start somewhere. 

Ren could feel her body already wanting to wane away from the work that Roni started, but she didn't want him to think she didn't want to help. And Wade kept going as if he'd keep at this all night, perhaps.

Of course, forty-five minutes later they knew they couldn't take much more of the dank basement. They were all sitting in the dust.

"Why would Miss Lily do this," Wade shook his head as if this was such a ridiculous job.

"I'm sure it was all too much for her. She probably thought she could handle it," Roni nodded.

Ren pulled her knees up so she could rest her head as she sat there in thought looking up at the mountain of books. "It's just...she wants to do so much for the community." Ren reminded them she'd gotten an old copier that didn't really work. "The bookstore is not a library, but I have a feeling she wants it to be."

"Yeah, she's got a lot of ideas," Roni mentioned how she was having Open Mic Night in November.

"Open Mic Night?" Wade winced as he was starting to scratch at his neck.

"Oh, god, your eyes are swelling shut," Ren took a serious look at his face which was breaking out into a rash.

"Don't tell me we have to go to the doctor, again," he fretted as he batted at his eyes. 

Ren sighed. "Quit being so stubborn." She got him up. "I think we should quit for the day."

"You two go on," Roni said.

"But..but the last time we were here, we got locked in and had to go to the roof to get down," Ren didn't want that happening to Roni.

"It'll be fine," Roni said he could do it on his own. 

"Just be careful, don't lose your phone," she told him as she helped Wade up the stairs to the door.

"OK."

"Promise you'll call," she said. "Even if you don't need anything, just call, OK?" Ren felt bad about leaving Roni in the basement of the bookstore. She'd hate for something to happen to him.

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Love Me, Love My Voice

 


It's an odd little drama. Two people get to know each other online through Perfect Voice (his voice) and he just talks online, actually. He is also a doctor (something she doesn't really know, but grows to respect someone she has seen in passing..who just so happens to be HIM, but she doesn't know it) They like to talk about food online. She is also a singer. I gotta confess, she does have a sweet voice and I loved many of the songs she sings. HE is Tan Ji Cia who is a master performer in dance and acting in Chinese entertainent. SHE is Zhou Yi, a new comer but one to watch for in Chinese dramas. She has shown she can be fierce, but in this drama we get to see a sweet side of her and she doesn't go to far, just a genuine performance who falls in love with someone's voice just as he does with hers. Oh, and there are a few other couples in this drama to that are fun to watch, as well.