the Phoenix

I had the scariest experience of my 32 years of life today.  Every year, Roger Beasley gives its employees a turkey.  Most of the time, it's precooked or smoked, and such was the case today.  I have thawed this past Christmas' turkey and got it out to cook today.  My first mistake was to try to prep the turkey during my break at work.  I have no roaster, but I have a rotisserie.  I LOVE my rotisserie.  I have used it for everything from kabobs to vegetables to chicken thigh pieces that are occasionally on sale at HEB for $1/lb.  I am well-versed in its form and function.  I stabbed the turkey, placed it in the rotisserie, turned it on and went back to work 5 minutes late.  I smelled a funny smell about 10 minutes later that I couldn't really identify.  I put myself on personal to stop my calls, finished my current call and went into the kitchen to check it out.  As I came down the hall, I saw a lot of smoke coming from the counter.  As I entered the kitchen, I saw the flames coming out the front of the machine!  The legs of the bird had worked themselves loose and fallen against the element.  The juices had caught fire!  I turned it off and threw flour into the machine and all over the bird.  My dinner had officially gone down in flames.  After the smoke cleared, I took the bird out of the rotisserie and tried to figure out something else for dinner.  First, I had to finish work.  For the next hour, I agonized over what to do.  I got the idea to figure out if I could save ANY of the turkey.  After work, I peeled off the blackened skin and found, to my surprise, the meat was still usable!  Hallelujah!  I dismembered the bird so that it would fit in 2 9x13 pans in my oven.  My turkey went down in flames and rose again as an edible dinner!  YEA!

Trash or treasure? You decide....

I haven't posted anything recently because I've been in one of my funks about life.  Remember the first entry where I stated, "some things are better off not said"?  That has applied over these last couple of weeks.  However, after the bills are paid, septic is fixed (mostly) and the house is less cluttered and the migraine is over (for now), my head is a little clearer and I'm ready to re-enter the world.  I'm still working on cleaning, and I have a few work things hanging over my head, but I've finished the month of February better off than last month, and I'm looking forward to March.  Soon our lives will be crazy again, but I'm ready to enjoy this brief period of low stress. 

I can't believe I'm about to do this, but....I'm dying to know if my project is any good, or if it's only good to me.  I'd like to know what you think.  It's ok if it hurts, but message me with the hard stuff, mmmk?

I've been working on something for a while, and I would like to post it for you.  I would like some feedback. However, please be nice as this is my pet project that I only have time for once in a great while, and I am really hanging out on a limb by publishing an unfinished, and as of now, untitled, work.  I am doubly nervous about publishing it since I have several of you on my facebook friends who have read and graded my submissions in school-some of you specifically my 4th grade language arts creative writing submissions. :)  We'll call this a teaser.  If you like it, I will consider an installment program and try to present chapters on a regular basis.  I'll tell you right now, it's a fiction work, so if you're not a fiction reader, you've been warned.  :) 

Should I write more, or throw it in the bin?  You tell me.
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CH 1

Sweat dripped down her back, and her legs were stuck to the vinyl seat of the car as she sat outside a run-down motel that rents by the hour, waiting for her mark to appear.  She’d gotten a tip that the man she’d been tracking would be ‘working late’ and this motel was one of his favorite sites for this type of work.  As she sat there, she thought about the coming evening and her blind date.  She’d allowed her best friend, Rachel, to set her up with a friend of a friend.  For the life of her, she couldn’t fathom why she’d said yes.  Her stomach twisted with nerves just thinking about it.  Dating wasn’t her thing.  In her line of work, love and lust only caused trouble.  She certainly didn’t need any drama in her life right now.  The last time she’d gotten involved with someone, it’d been a disaster.  He couldn’t handle her line of work.  He said private investigation was too dangerous and she should be at home barefoot and pregnant while he brought home the bacon.  She rolled her eyes, remembering the argument.  She struggled to put aside the past and vowed not to judge this blind date sight unseen.  She was kind of tired of being alone at night, and some company in the bed might not be bad either.  She smiled and let herself hope it would work out well, if not long-term, then maybe just for tonight. 

Right on time, a blue sedan pulled up and a man with Gucci shoes and impeccable suit got out and walked into the motel office.  Less than a minute later, he reappeared with a key dangling from his hand and he got back in the car.  He drove his car around the back of the motel and parked in front of his assigned room.  Ramey trained her camera on the car and made sure to include the doorway in her frame.  She frantically snapped pictures as the man and his companion, a bleached-blond woman in a trendy but casual tracksuit and too much makeup, got out of the car.  He pulled the woman close and kissed her open-mouthed while he inserted the key in the lock and opened the door to their room.  As they closed the door and the curtains, Ramey scrolled thru the pics in her camera and emailed them to a secure account she’d set up.  One could never be too careful, and nothing should be left to chance.    After deciding she had enough evidence, she packed up her gear and drove away from the seedy motel back toward the nicer side of town. 

*****

As she walked into her apartment, Ramey was welcomed by two large paws on her shoulders and a lick in the face.  This was her Rotti’s favorite greeting.  She laughed and shrugged his paws off and grabbed the leash.  The pair exited the building and went for their usual evening run.  When they returned, she made her way down the hall to her bedroom, shrugging off her sweaty clothes as she went.  She had just enough time to get ready before she had to meet her blind date.  In the shower, she thought again about her upcoming date.  She hoped the evening would be fun.  She decided to shave her legs, just in case.  She toweled off and put on her makeup, with just a little extra mascara; it was evening, after all.  She even styled her hair.  Usually, she wore only sunscreen and pulled her hair back into a ponytail or under a cap.  She worked outside and alone most of the time, so she didn’t bother with makeup and hairspray.  While she was in the closet, her phone rang.  She picked up and heard her best friend’s voice on the other end. 

“Hey Rame, I wanted to see how the date prep was going.”

“It’s going good.  I’m just trying to figure out what to wear.” Ramey replied.

“Ooh, wear that cute little blue and yellow sundress.  It looks so good on you!  Should I call you tomorrow to see how it went, or should I wait for you to call?  On second thought, maybe I should wait.  I’d hate to interrupt breakfast!” Rache laughed.

“Shut up!  What kind of girl do you think I am?” Ramey played coy.

“The kind of girl who needs a date!  Good luck tonight!  Call me tomorrow, k?”

“Thanks!” Ramey laughed, “Talk to you tomorrow.” And she hung up.

Maybe she should wear that sundress.  She got it out, pulled it over her head and examined herself in the mirror.  It was a little shorter than she was used to, but it did look good.  It accentuated her best features, her legs, and the turquoise color brought out her blue eyes.  She looked at the clock.  She was going to be late, but not too late, just fashionably so, if she left right now.  She yanked on her heeled sandals, grabbed her handbag and rushed out the door, calling goodbye to Rotti. 

*****

She was still nervous as she walked through the heavy wooden doors with leaded glass windows of the restaurant.  The setting sun glinted off of her red hair and pierced her sundress, silhouetting her nicely proportioned body through the thin material.  She pressed her hands against her handbag and studied the patrons, looking for her blind date.  She saw him approach out of the corner of her eye. 

“Ramey?”  His voice was a velvety smooth baritone.  She turned to look at him and fixed him with her intensely blue eyes.  He was slightly taller than she was in her heels.  He was dressed in a high-end suit that flattered his toned physique, and his tie was loosened a little bit.  He carried his jacket over his arm.  He had dark hair that was cut stylishly, and his eyes were the most beautiful shade of green she had ever seen.  His smile was electric.  It sent shivers up her spine and made her feel warm and tingly all over. 

“Hi.  I’m James.  Would you like for me to get us a table?” 

She smiled.  “Sure.  That’d be great.  Thanks.” 

She wondered if she sounded as nervous as she actually was.   She could see him appraising her too and wondered how she measured up to his expectation.  The waiter came to take their drink order, and she started to relax.  They made small talk while they waited for their food.  He said he was an account executive for a major marketing firm.  He hailed from a small town where his parents still lived and he went home to every holiday.  To Ramey, it all sounded a little too perfect, too contrived.  Oh, how she wished she could turn off her investigative instincts and just get lost in the moment.  Here she was at dinner in a beautiful restaurant with a gorgeous man who truly seemed to be interested in her, and she was treating him like a suspect.  She sighed inwardly at herself and tried to take what he said at face value.  After her third glass of wine, that got a lot easier. 

After dinner, he took her to a trendy club uptown where they danced and drank some more.  He held her close to him while they danced, and she could smell the clean smell of his soap and cologne.  She realized she had let her guard down and tried to care, but she was really tipsy by now and couldn’t have cared less if he was a scoundrel or not.  All too soon, the bartender announced last call, and it was time to pack it in. 

They shared a cab on the way home.  He said his apartment was just a little ways away from hers.  Some distant alarm bell rang in her head.  She dismissed it as end-of-the-night jitters, related to whether this was actually goodnight.  As the cab pulled up in front of her building, she invited him in for a nightcap. She thought to herself that she really must be drunk if she’s inviting a complete stranger home with her.  He politely refused and kissed her goodnight in front of her building’s entry.  It was a warm, steamy kiss with just a hint of what they might be missing.  She melted against him.  When she looked up at him, his eyes mirrored her desire.  She had to pry herself away from him or she would drag him up the stairs herself.  He gave her one more, short kiss and got back into the cab.  She thought about that kiss as the taxi drove away.  Then she climbed the stairs, let herself into her apartment and went to bed. 

 *****

Ramey was still thinking about that kiss when she woke up the next morning.  Wow, what a night!  James was so sexy and smooth.  Why was he interested in a plain girl like her?  Her head hurt too bad to think about it right now.  She got out of bed and trudged into the bathroom.  While she was washing her face, Rotti whined at the door.  Her headache had eased some, so she decided to go for a run.  She finished dressing, laced her shoes and they were out the door.  About halfway through her run, her head cleared and she thought about last night.  James was incredible.  He’d seemed so debonair, while she felt nervous and awkward.  Maybe he was just better at faking it than she was.  That kiss was so delicious!  Thinking about that kiss in front of her building rang that alarm bell again.  She didn’t remember telling him or the cabby where she lived.  Then again, she did have a lot to drink last night.  Did she tell him and not remember?  She didn’t think so, but she didn’t know anything for certain.  Damn, she wished she hadn’t had so much wine!  She knew better than to let her guard down with a stranger.  Who was James, really?  Time to call Rache and find out.