Sea Legs (Updated 09*21*19)
After a little encouragement from other players I've finally decided to "move" my story from another thread to this one. Moves in quotes simply because I'm not moving anything, just copying the posts...
Forum Discussion
Karlie's day started bright and early. She tip toed into the hallway and quietly closed the door so she wouldn't wake Raj. She called her mom, who was always up at the crack of dawn no matter how late she was up. "Good morning, babybird! You're up early." Shari cheerfully chirped. "Morning Mamabird" Karlie replied "Yes I am. I think this little one has Mamabird's sleeping hours. Happy Leisure day!" "Leisurely for some, some of us poor schlubs have to work, especially when you're low man on the totem pole." Shari joked wryly. "That's why I'm calling mom. What time do you think you'll be off? I can wait to start dinner until then, I'm sure Mr. Anippe will understand. You're still coming over, right?" "You know," Shari said "this is starting to feel like a set up... This is the second time you've called to ask... 'Oh Mr. Anippe we don't have anymore chairs, you'll have to sit next to my beautiful, intelligent, kind, generous, and all around perfect mother. It's so fortunate that you're single."' Shari mocked in a falsetto voice. "I am not trying to set you up, mother. He's just my best friend's dad, here from a foreign country and he's a pretty nice person. And neither of you know anyone else here. And it's not like you have ever gone on a single solitary date in my entire life anyway so it wouldn't kill you anyway. Oh good lord it does sound like a set up doesn't it? But it's not, I promise. He's not even single, and from everything Niella's said he's madly devoted to his wife. And you're far from perfect." Karlie teased. "Raised the perfect daughter, so I must be doing something right. But you know, it would be nice to have a friend that remembers a time before instant entertainment, back before people sat staring at their phones half the day. Good lord now I sound old." Shari chuckled. "Yes yes I'm still coming, as long as you're still not setting me up." she giggled.
https://i.imgur.com/oWT5E7b.jpg
Shari had the first shift of the day at the Paradise Pub. It was literally the worst shift. No one starts at the bar on leisure day, if they get there at all. While she worked she kept her mind busy by thinking of all the things she would do differently if she owned her own place. She loved running the Bistro in Sunlit Tides but that was a bit too upscale. Paradise was down to earth enough, but it was very spread out and almost disjointed. Patrons rarely interacted with each other because they were often in completely separate spaces. "And they never have any specials or events at all." Shari thought to herself. At the houseboat Raj tended the garden and grabbed some veggies for Karlie to grill. Living with a genie meant that anyone cooking was rare but Karlie insisted that it wasn't Leisure day without actual grilled food. Karlie was planning on grilling several kinds of sausages and veggies and something about the entire event had everyone in a great mood, even getting Shari through her slowest shift in history.
https://i.imgur.com/N4K5I8X.jpg
When Shari's shift ended she gave Karlie a quick call to let her know she was going to take a quick shower and say a quick hello to Piggygirl. "How was work?" Karlie asked. "Ugh, long and boring. I made a whopping $3 in tips. At this rate it'll take me forever to open my own place." Shari gruffed, more to herself than to her daughter. "What place?" Karlie quizzed, having never heard her mother talk about having her own place. "Oh nothing, I just spent the day playing "If I owned this place" to keep myself occupied. I'll be over soon Babygirl." She pushed the button on her console and started her truck. After a quick shower and change of clothes, Shari spent a good 10 minutes loving up Piggy, who happily bounded inside when she saw Shari come home. She kissed Piggy on the nose and then drove to the other side of the small island. The sun was already on it's way down, the telltale sign of fall approaching. She could hear music from the back of the houseboat as she approached the end of the doc but thought she'd go through the house just in case Karlie needed help in the kitchen. As she stepped onto the deck of the houseboat she called out "Hello Hello! I'm coming through the front!" and stepped into the doorway as soon as she heard Karlie shout back.
https://i.imgur.com/7w4QMQ6.jpg
After getting off the phone with her mom, Karlie took the sausages to the already warmed up grill. Connor and Raj brought out the collapsible picnic table so that everyone could eat on the deck and then Ammon, who had brought the guitar that Raj had given him as a gift with him for his visit, started to show Rajan how much he had practiced since their visit to Egypt. Karlie cooked the spinach and fete vegen sausages first, and set to work on the Kielbasa from the specialty butcher shop while Niella and Connor enjoyed listening to Rajan and Niella's dad, kindly ignoring (or in Niella's case, giggling) when Ammon occasionally hit the wrong note. Karlie had just finished the kielbasa when they heard Shari call from the front of the houseboat. Karlie shouted "I'll meet you inside" back to her mom and then "I need to get the plates anyway" to everyone else. "Let me get the door for you" Niella turned to help, while Ammon said "I can help with that" setting down his guitar and following the girls in. Connor and Rajan decided to follow suit and filed behind Ammon.
https://i.imgur.com/MJW66HV.jpg
The second after the girls stepped inside, Shari's giant smile at seeing both of them waddling in together disappeared completely and she stood almost frozen in the entry way. Karlie had just realized that her mom looked almost terrified when she heard Ammon gasp and practically push past both her and Niella. He was walking very directly towards Shari, she assumed to introduce himself, though why was he in such a pushy rush, Karlie wondered slightly irritated. And then remembering her mother's frightened look Karlie herself felt her sense of alarm increase. As Ammon closed the last couple of feet he began to raise his hand, as though to shake. Instead of his hand stopping at waist level, it kept raising toward her head. Ammon cupped the side of Shari's face. You could cut the silence with a knife as everyone held their breath in shock. Shari's eyes began to well as she placed her hand on top of Ammon's
https://i.imgur.com/Tq5YUIi.jpg
Suddenly Ammon hand slid from her face down Shari's shoulder and behind her back and he pulled her quickly, almost aggressively close to him and passionately kissed her. Caught off guard completely Shari's eyes grew wide and her arms instinctively stiffened against the kiss but soon she completely melted, sliding her arms under Ammon's and wrapping around him, completely lost in that one single kiss.
https://i.imgur.com/DNcgdXl.jpg
Watching this unfold before her eyes, Karlie almost felt like she had been spinning in place for the last 10 minutes. "Huh? "Whu?" she mumbled. Niella and Connor were frozen in ridiculous expressions of shock and confusion. Shari pulled back from Ammon's kiss, still wrapped in his embrace. She held his face and pulled it close." "Hapi, is it really you?? Am I dreaming? Is this real??" she practically whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ma chéri" was all Ammon could bring himself to say. "Huh?? Whu??" Karlie mumbled loudly before dropping the sausages and stumbling dizzily as the world spun in front of her eyes.
https://i.imgur.com/5cUGcSa.jpg
Rajan quickly grabbed his wife's arm to steady her and lead her to the chair in front of them as Shari and Ammon, alerted by the clang of the plate of hotdogs crashing, ran to Karlie's side. After she had been brought a glass of water and her world stopped spinning the others began to take a seat, Raj pulling a dining chair next to his wife's. As soon as everyone was just about seated, Niella looked at her dad and Shari, and said "One of you two had better start explaining that right now." Both Shari and Ammon began flooding the girls with explanations at the same time, completely overlapping and drowning each other out. "STOP IT!" Karlie shouted with her head in her hands. Karlie looked up, her nose crinched and her jaw set. She grimaced at Ammon and Shari scoldingly, raised her hand and said "She said One. Of. You!" She snapped, jabbing her hand in their direction at each of the last three words for emphasis.
https://i.imgur.com/yivW8Bw.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NkDVN3l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oWT5E7b.jpg
Shari had the first shift of the day at the Paradise Pub. It was literally the worst shift. No one starts at the bar on leisure day, if they get there at all. While she worked she kept her mind busy by thinking of all the things she would do differently if she owned her own place. She loved running the Bistro in Sunlit Tides but that was a bit too upscale. Paradise was down to earth enough, but it was very spread out and almost disjointed. Patrons rarely interacted with each other because they were often in completely separate spaces. "And they never have any specials or events at all." Shari thought to herself. At the houseboat Raj tended the garden and grabbed some veggies for Karlie to grill. Living with a genie meant that anyone cooking was rare but Karlie insisted that it wasn't Leisure day without actual grilled food. Karlie was planning on grilling several kinds of sausages and veggies and something about the entire event had everyone in a great mood, even getting Shari through her slowest shift in history.
https://i.imgur.com/N4K5I8X.jpg
When Shari's shift ended she gave Karlie a quick call to let her know she was going to take a quick shower and say a quick hello to Piggygirl. "How was work?" Karlie asked. "Ugh, long and boring. I made a whopping $3 in tips. At this rate it'll take me forever to open my own place." Shari gruffed, more to herself than to her daughter. "What place?" Karlie quizzed, having never heard her mother talk about having her own place. "Oh nothing, I just spent the day playing "If I owned this place" to keep myself occupied. I'll be over soon Babygirl." She pushed the button on her console and started her truck. After a quick shower and change of clothes, Shari spent a good 10 minutes loving up Piggy, who happily bounded inside when she saw Shari come home. She kissed Piggy on the nose and then drove to the other side of the small island. The sun was already on it's way down, the telltale sign of fall approaching. She could hear music from the back of the houseboat as she approached the end of the doc but thought she'd go through the house just in case Karlie needed help in the kitchen. As she stepped onto the deck of the houseboat she called out "Hello Hello! I'm coming through the front!" and stepped into the doorway as soon as she heard Karlie shout back.
https://i.imgur.com/7w4QMQ6.jpg
After getting off the phone with her mom, Karlie took the sausages to the already warmed up grill. Connor and Raj brought out the collapsible picnic table so that everyone could eat on the deck and then Ammon, who had brought the guitar that Raj had given him as a gift with him for his visit, started to show Rajan how much he had practiced since their visit to Egypt. Karlie cooked the spinach and fete vegen sausages first, and set to work on the Kielbasa from the specialty butcher shop while Niella and Connor enjoyed listening to Rajan and Niella's dad, kindly ignoring (or in Niella's case, giggling) when Ammon occasionally hit the wrong note. Karlie had just finished the kielbasa when they heard Shari call from the front of the houseboat. Karlie shouted "I'll meet you inside" back to her mom and then "I need to get the plates anyway" to everyone else. "Let me get the door for you" Niella turned to help, while Ammon said "I can help with that" setting down his guitar and following the girls in. Connor and Rajan decided to follow suit and filed behind Ammon.
https://i.imgur.com/MJW66HV.jpg
The second after the girls stepped inside, Shari's giant smile at seeing both of them waddling in together disappeared completely and she stood almost frozen in the entry way. Karlie had just realized that her mom looked almost terrified when she heard Ammon gasp and practically push past both her and Niella. He was walking very directly towards Shari, she assumed to introduce himself, though why was he in such a pushy rush, Karlie wondered slightly irritated. And then remembering her mother's frightened look Karlie herself felt her sense of alarm increase. As Ammon closed the last couple of feet he began to raise his hand, as though to shake. Instead of his hand stopping at waist level, it kept raising toward her head. Ammon cupped the side of Shari's face. You could cut the silence with a knife as everyone held their breath in shock. Shari's eyes began to well as she placed her hand on top of Ammon's
https://i.imgur.com/Tq5YUIi.jpg
Suddenly Ammon hand slid from her face down Shari's shoulder and behind her back and he pulled her quickly, almost aggressively close to him and passionately kissed her. Caught off guard completely Shari's eyes grew wide and her arms instinctively stiffened against the kiss but soon she completely melted, sliding her arms under Ammon's and wrapping around him, completely lost in that one single kiss.
https://i.imgur.com/DNcgdXl.jpg
Watching this unfold before her eyes, Karlie almost felt like she had been spinning in place for the last 10 minutes. "Huh? "Whu?" she mumbled. Niella and Connor were frozen in ridiculous expressions of shock and confusion. Shari pulled back from Ammon's kiss, still wrapped in his embrace. She held his face and pulled it close." "Hapi, is it really you?? Am I dreaming? Is this real??" she practically whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ma chéri" was all Ammon could bring himself to say. "Huh?? Whu??" Karlie mumbled loudly before dropping the sausages and stumbling dizzily as the world spun in front of her eyes.
https://i.imgur.com/5cUGcSa.jpg
Rajan quickly grabbed his wife's arm to steady her and lead her to the chair in front of them as Shari and Ammon, alerted by the clang of the plate of hotdogs crashing, ran to Karlie's side. After she had been brought a glass of water and her world stopped spinning the others began to take a seat, Raj pulling a dining chair next to his wife's. As soon as everyone was just about seated, Niella looked at her dad and Shari, and said "One of you two had better start explaining that right now." Both Shari and Ammon began flooding the girls with explanations at the same time, completely overlapping and drowning each other out. "STOP IT!" Karlie shouted with her head in her hands. Karlie looked up, her nose crinched and her jaw set. She grimaced at Ammon and Shari scoldingly, raised her hand and said "She said One. Of. You!" She snapped, jabbing her hand in their direction at each of the last three words for emphasis.
https://i.imgur.com/yivW8Bw.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NkDVN3l.jpg
