TJ's Odd Behaviour

TJ sat quietly in the trailer, watching cartoons on the tv. It was still raining outside and he didn't want to get wet.



His dad's old fixer-upper was waiting patiently, gently rusting away to nothing.
But something was on his mind.


Well, rather, someone.
Sammi, the girl who beat him up.
The scratches weren't supposed to be a trophy, but somehow, he found himself wearing them with a weird sense of pride. After all, she was the first one who bested him, beat him at his own game.

Admittedly, he wanted to mash her brains out, who wouldn't? She'd dented his male pride. But still, he couldn't help admiring her grit and determination.

Oh, he'd get even.

Eventually.

But for now, he just wanted to be alone and lick his sore wounds.

"Ma?" asked Seth, looking up at his mother, "what's wrong with TJ?"

"I don't know son," she replied, her eyes down cast.

She too, had been pondering the same question, ever since he came back to home base covered in cuts and bruises. Since then, he'd hidden himself away indoors, keeping quietly to himself. It wasn't like him at all.




Hail or snow, he'd be found, tinkering with that 'rust bucket' outside. But it stood there, unloved and untouched. It was the last thing belonging to his dad before he 'passed away'.



And TJ, in keeping his father's memory alive, spent most of his time tinkering with this clapped out heap of junk.

It was a short sharp shower, but still, TJ remained indoors.
Enid looked at her daughter, and then at the spiky haired young girl, making a fuss of a stray dog that often wandered past, begging scraps.



Hmm, perhaps this was the reason for his sudden disappearance?
They passed each other knowing glances.

"Sue," said her mother, "I think it's time to give TJ a little 'talk'."

Susan sighed heavily. Oh they grow up so quickly, and she'd dreaded this day for a long while. Always putting it off. Sadly, he was at that perfect age now.

Seth pricked up his ears.

"Ooohh," piped up Seth, his face all sticky with jelly, "is TJ in trouble?"

Enid smiled down at her youngest grandson and shook her head.

"No he's not," she replied, ruffling his hair, "now eat all up and help granny with the washing up."

Seth didn't need to be told twice. Gulping down the last of his 'treat', he immediately sprang from his chair and gathered all the plates together.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Aahh, this is the life, thought Lisa, flipping the pages of her Fire Safety book (you can't be too careful you know).



She looked forward to her weekends, relaxing, reading, birdwatching, socializing with her new neighbours. Lisa took her hobbies very seriously.



Sundays were her favourite days. Lazy mornings followed by a hearty breakfast and time to do the crossword.


She'd only just moved into the new place, and was thoroughly settling in well.

She remembered the day she viewed this property. She'd had to return home to her parents after her marriage failed. She'd caught her husband sleeping with the secretary at her medical practice.

He didn't even try to deny it and walked out of her life forever. Obviously, because the house was in his name, she was the one that had to leave.

Lisa wasn't exactly in the market for property, but the ramblings of her father and his constant bowel movements, reminded her too much of work. So she decided to search for a suitable property.




And she found one, on the outskirts of town, close to a tiny little village called Cloverdale.
It looked quite imposing, with a fortress style feel about it, but once inside, the interior was luxurious.


Nervously, she asked to look at one of the apartments and was impressed.
It was darkly decorated with mahogany wood panels, but she could change all of that much later on if she wanted to.

Excitedly, she signed the tenants agreement and went home to start packing.



Once she'd settled in, she decided to meet and socialize with a few of the other tenants, finding that one of them knew the landlady very well and negotiated a discount on her rent.

He was a little 'wild', but that didn't matter. At least she'd found someone to chat to on an evening.



There was a small parlour where tenants hung out, listening to the radio, or even wiggling their 'booty', much to the entertainment of the others.

But it wasn't all 'play' for Lisa.

She was a doctor at the local medical practice and had quite a handful of patients to look after. Some were more compliant than others.

One in particular intrigued her. Frank Isaac.
He was a stubborn old man, refusing to be examined by a woman and getting himself in a knot because she was the only doctor on call that day.

Theirs was a 'love/hate' relationship.

She only hoped that her 'way' of doing things would be accepted in this sleepy little town.

Chapter Twenty One - Frank loses his temper and becomes a hero

Frank felt a little guilty for sabotaging the shower. But he was fed up of seeing Brooke sitting there, waiting for the phone to ring. Her face showing obvious signs of disappointment every time it was a wrong number.

Frank was right, Deano, her current boyfriend, was definitely bad news, but he'd tried several (unsuccessful) times to let her know.

Trouble was, their personalities clashed, as they were too alike.
They disagreed on everything.

So, he devised a plan to get Brooke and Alec together. They'd met only briefly, and he was impressed at how polite and modest Alec was, despite his obvious wealth. But Brooke wasn't having it. She declared that Alec was 'dull' and boring. They had nothing in common.

And besides, he was her boss, and there were certain 'rules' in the workplace about dating fellow workers.

But Frank was totally unfazed by all this. By hook or by crook, he was going to separate Brooke from that greasebag Deano and hopefully set Brooke and Alec on the route towards wedded bliss.

But things didn't exactly go as planned. Brooke stormed out of the house in a real nasty mood. Frank realised that this didn't bode well for his matchmaking plans, but kept unusually quiet about it all, preferring to read the newspaper instead.

After a particularly enthralling piece of news concerning the local Garden Club, Frank realised that Brooke hadn't returned home yet. He glanced at the clock and frowned.

He understood that she was capable of looking after herself, but he was getting a little concerned at how long she'd been out of the house. Surely it wasn't to avoid him? He wasn't that insufferable....

Was he????

Sighing heavily, he neatly folded the paper and placed it symmetrically on the coffee table and eased himself out of his favourite recliner. His hip protested, giving him some jarring pains, but he grimaced, grit his teeth and managed to stand upright.

Wobbling unsteadily, he shuffled his way to the window and looked out. The weather looked promising, with just a few looming black clouds ahead.

Perhaps he could manage to take himself off for a walk? It's not as if his doctor had banned him completely from exercise.

"Once you feel up to it," she said, peering over her glasses at him, "you can do some gentle exercise. Slow, gentle walks, as long as they're not too far uphill. Or too great a distance. You're hip needs time to heal properly, and falling again just won't help in that procedure."

He recalled the day he met Dr Lisa Wells. He was prepared to hate her on sight as she'd taken over from Dr Ronnie Sugar, his old family doctor, who'd reached retirement age.

But she had such a no nonsense approach, and quite a winning smile, that he'd soon forgotten his prejudices about female general practitioners.

Besides, she was literally 'onto the case' when he broke his hip, getting him into the operating theatre almost immediately.

Stretching awkwardly, and feeling his other joints popping, he stuck his hands in his pockets and slowly made his way outside.

At first glance, the terrain seemed a little hilly and daunting, but those inclines were gentle ones, and not too strenuous on his muscles. He glanced critically at the garden, but smiled to himself. She'd made such a beautiful job of tending to everything.

Looming in the distance, was an apartment block. It was a blot on the landscape, that's for sure, and stuck out like a sore thumb.

---------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the eager rush to get to his destination, Father Thomas had forgotten a few pieces of vital paperwork. These were the case studies of a couple of new boys, due to be integrated into the boarding school.

It wasn't until lunch time, that the Bishop found them. Sighing heavily, he decided to make a stop over at the forwarding address Father Thomas had left him.

Pulling up in the car, he groaned at this bright, modern, monster apartment block.
Hopefully, he'd catch Father Thomas in time.
He'd already called the boarding school, but the caretaker told him that Father Thomas hadn't arrived yet.



Climbing the steps, he was greeted by a soft purring, and looked down, to see a sleek Siamese cat, weaving it's body around his black trousers.

Growling with irritation, he took a hefty kick at the cat, who, after emptying his bladder, instantly turned on him, scratching him deeply on the arm, before fleeing yowling into the apartment.


Frank just happened to arrive at that precise moment, to witness the event.



Sickened to his stomach, he hobbled up the stairs, his face pale with anger, strode up to the Bishop.....



.... and promptly slapped him in the face.




"I don't care if you're a man of the cloth and you hide behind God's work!" he cried, shaking with rage, "that was a cruel act you just did there and you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You wicked man."




Unfazed, the Bishop leaned forward in a threatening manner. By now, he was tired from travelling, hungry because he'd missed lunch. And irritated because a feeble old man was threatening him for taking his foot to a rather annoying cat. And to top it all, Father Thomas wasn't at the apartment after all. So basically, it had been a wasted journey.

"Oh yeah?" he growled, "what are you going to do about it?"




"Are you threatening me?" Frank retorted, but his bravado was failing fast. His health was poor and he knew he couldn't stand a chance against this, possibly, much healthier, stronger man.




In the meantime, inside the apartment, Pistachio, his pride and his ribs, bruised, sped around the floor, swatting anything with his paws and tearing around like a looney.
How dare that man kick him so brutally. After that lovely greeting he gave to him. The self same one he gave to everyone new.



And the indignity of having his bladder emptied so unceremoniously....
.... in public too, not a single litter box in sight.

He had a reputation to maintain. And having publicly wet himself, he was sure that that reputation was totally shot. What would everybody else think? He shook himself, his soft fur rippling, shuddering at the thought of losing face.

Ohhh, he'd soon show them who was boss. Especially that man in the funny black outfit. He'd claw his hands to shreds if he came any closer.......

Besides, that man in the funny coloured pants, who smelled like soil and soap....
... now he was Pistachio's hero.



He waited patiently as this gentle old man, made his way slowly up the steps towards him, before winding himself around those tartan pants, purring contentedly.

Frank reached down and petted Pistachio, scratching behind his ear.

"There you go, you silly old cat," he murmured, "that'll teach you to be over friendly to strangers."

Pistachio just looked up at him gratefully.
His hero.

Chapter Twenty - Sammi meets an enemy, Ewan makes a friend

Whilst Sammi was stretched out on the floor, wallowing in her own self inflicted misery, watching as thunderclouds gathered overhead, a shadow fell across her face and she squinted, looking up.

Standing before her, with arms folded and a wry smile on his face, was a teenage boy, not much older than herself. Instantly she felt her skin bristle and she scrambled to her feet.



"What are you staring at?" she demanded, planting her feet firmly apart, gearing herself up for a fight.

"What do you care," came the retort, "Porcupine."

Sammi felt the blood rush to her face as she felt her temper boiling.

"Don't call me that!" she hissed, pulling her face into a very unflattering pucker.



"I'll call you what I want, it's MY territory here, PORCUPINE!!!"

Instantly, Sammi lunged forward, her fists flying, but TJ was too quick and feinted to the right, as a perfectly formed fist whistled through the air close to his ear.

"Whoa! Steady on there Porcupine, you nearly got me!"



His mocking laughter didn't help Sammi's mood any as she lashed out again. This time he was ready for her and grabbed for her thin waist.



But she was too quick and held him in a headlock.He was amazed at her strength as he struggled with her. By now it had began to rain, hard, and the water trickled down the nape of his neck as they both wrestled.

Snarling and spitting, she was no worse than a wildcat. All her pent-up fury had amassed together in this one singular moment, and she simply let fly....

-------------------------------------------




Ewan skidded to a halt, when he realised he'd gone too far and Sammi was nowhere in sight. Huge tears started rolling down his face and he pooched out his bottom lip.

It was then that a kindly female voice startled him, making him jump.

"Hey there, you look lost."

His head whipped around and his blurry vision fixed on a tall, dark haired woman leaning against a trailer door. Wiping his eyes, he sniffed loudly and nodded.

A tousled haired little boy, Ewan supposed was the same age as himself, peered around from behind her legs, he was carrying a plate with what looked like homemade berry pie.

The smell made Ewan's mouth water and his stomach growl. Oh how he wished he could have some fruit pie. It smelled so delicious.

"Would you like some?" the kind lady offered, "there's plenty here, Ma's just made a big batch of it."

"Who are you talking to Sue?" a gravelly, yet not unkind voice drifted out from within the trailer.

"Oh, a young gentleman," came the reply, followed by a warm smile.

"It had better not be that young 'un that our Timmy hangs around with. Tell him to buzz off!!"

Susan chuckled, wiping her hands on a cloth.

"No, this one's younger....." she said, tipping Ewan a wink, ..... and he's got red hair."

"OOOhhhh, hang on there, I'll be right out. Never had a red haired young man around here before. This I gotta see."

There was a lot of commotion as pots and pans were reorganised, before a tall, thin, grey haired woman peered out of the door.

"Oh my." gasped the old woman, "isn't he a cutie?"

Ewan could feel himself blushing and dropped his gaze shyly, trailing his sneaker in the dirt before him.

"And what's your name young man?"

"Ewan, ma'am."

Ewan, barely whispered his own name as he stood there in complete awe of this family. They were nothing the way he'd imagined trailer folks, with dirty clothing, beer bellies, smelling filthy and swearing a lot. In fact, to Ewan, at that precise moment, they were royalty.




"Ohh, handsome name for a handsome man."

Ewan's blush deepened as he wished the ground to swallow him. He'd never had so many compliments in his young life, and didn't know how to take them.

"Seth!" barked the old woman, making Ewan nearly jump out of his skin, "get your fingers out of my pies! They're supposed to be for the county fair tomorrow."

"Sorry Nan," Seth replied, licking his jam covered fingers, "but I's still hungry."

"There's some pie already cut on the table, go get yourself some."

She turned to Ewan, grinning.

"Oh, and get some for our young guest too."

Ewan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He was getting some pie!!!! And he didn't even have to ask!!!!



Susan pulled out a chair and Ewan sat down gingerly, unable to believe that he was made welcome by these kind strangers. Swinging his legs, he waited in anticipation, with fork in hand as Seth trotted out of the trailer, balancing two plates at once.

The smell of cherries was unmistakeable but Ewan delicately dug in his fork and savoured the flavour. He was brought up with table manners after all.

The sugary sweetness melted over his tongue and caressed his throat as he swallowed the first bite. Every now and then, he'd look up and see everyone else seated at the table, or standing around, eating the same pie. It felt so homely and welcoming.

But he soon forgot those table manners as hunger swept over him and he gobbled up every last morsel, careful not to get anything all over his face and clothes.



"Was that good?" Susan asked as she cleared the plates.

Ewan nodded happily, his eyes wide with wonder at this happy little family unit. He wondered if his family would ever be like that. For now, all they seemed to do was to move around, and his sister and mother would argue all the time.

"We have some jelly," Susan offered, watching Ewan staring intently at the jiggling concoction sitting on the table.

Ewan's eyes were like saucers. Never had he seen so much food in his life.

"Hey," said Seth, leaping down from his chair, "wanna go play tag or something?"


Ewan nodded, eager that he'd made a new friend, and slid off his chair.

He'd just started to play tag when suddenly he skidded to a grinding halt, a queasy feeling churned in the pit of his stomach.



The smile slid from his face though, as he went a funny shade of green and promptly vomited up that delicious pie. His poor shrunken stomach wasn't used to rich food or large portions.

Instantly, he started to cry, realising that his top was ruined and he'd embarrassed himself once again, in front of strangers.

"Hey," crooned the old woman, dabbing the excess vomit from his shirt, "it's okay."

Ewan shook his head miserably. After all that hospitality they'd given him, and he'd ruined it by being sick.

But attention was soon diverted when Susan yelled out loudly.

"Timothy!! What the hell happened to you?"




"Nothing Ma," came the grouchy, grumbled reply, as a tall teenager came into view.



From Ewan's point of view, he looked a lot worse off than himself. His tee shirt was caked in mud and he was sporting a black eye and deep scratches.



"Who did you get into a fight with this time Timothy?"

"Nobody Ma, and don't call me Timothy, it's TJ ok?"

His good eye scanned Ewan critically.

"Who's the stray?"

"Timothy, that's not a nice thing to say to our guests. This is Ewan, Ewan this is my oldest son Timothy."

"TJ." he corrected hastily, flinching as his mother reached forward to touch his cheek.

"Whoever it was," she said gravely, "they messed you up pretty badly."

TJ grimaced.

Luckily for him, there were no other witnesses there to see him getting his butt kicked by a girl.

"Come here and give your Ma a big hug why don'tcha?"

"Aww Ma," TJ protested, casting a nervous glance towards a very observant Ewan.

"I'll let you have extra portions of Nan's cherry pie," she winked.




With that, TJ folded himself gingerly into his mother's arms, that feeling of warmth emanating from her.

"Thanks Ma," he said, trying his hardest to smile, "your the best."

Chapter Nineteen - Second Chances

Sammi stood, a look of sheer disbelief pasted on her face. She was prepared to hate the new premises.

And quite rightly so.



Of all the places to stay, this one must be the worst. A shambling trailer park with dirty, rusty, broken vehicles parked up on the grassy verges, some even propped up by bricks, parts missing....


...... and the smell.

It was a mixture of diesel oil, man sweat and cat pee.

She couldn't believe her mother had stooped this low. To have taken over her 'ex' boyfriend's trailer.


Prior to their arrival, they had to stand outside the B&B with all their belongings, waiting for a taxi. Sammi showed her displeasure then, with a scowl she'd perfected just for her mother.

She also couldn't believe how easily little Ewan had been drawn into this new 'adventure' so quickly. Surely he could see the squalid conditions they were going to be living in? And the thin metal walls were definitely going to be a real pain too. Many times she'd overheard the grunts and strains of her mother and her latest 'boyfriend'. With even thinner walls between them, this was going to be torture.


Sighing heavily, and for dramatic measure, Sammi flopped to the floor, staring intently at the clouds. Tessa and Ewan completely ignored her, as they stood together, playing pretend, Ewan's tiny little feet planted firmly on his mommy's feet, swinging wildly and giggling with joy.

'Oh how fortunate we all are,' Tessa thought to herself, as she joined in the innocent laughter of her young son, 'to be a whole family unit.'

After their 'slanging' match outside the B&B, Sammi had been completely silent in the taxi ride over here, occasionally throwing icy glares at her mother, but mostly staring darkly out of the taxi window.

But Tessa knew that eventually, the food would start to run out, and there were the bills to pay. Rick had been meticulous about all of that. However, it all fell by the wayside when he landed in prison. Hence the reason behind Tessa taking over the trailer for a short while.

Sammi hated Rick on sight. There was just something seedy and dangerous about him.
She hoped that their stay in his trailer would be a temporary measure until they found somewhere else.

She dreaded the day he'd be released.

Tessa glanced at her watch, frowned, then ruffled Ewan's copper hair.

"I'm sorry sweetie," she said, kissing him, "mommy's going to have to go now."

"To go see him?" came the tart reply.

Tessa sighed, it was obvious she wasn't able to get through to her head-strong, rebellious teenage daughter.

"No," she said slowly, "to go find myself a part time job."

Sammi snorted.

Tessa bit her tongue, holding back her usual impulsive reply. She knew only too well that Sammi was baiting her into having yet another argument. But this time Tessa wasn't rising to it.



She leaned down and gave Ewan a big hug.

"I won't be long, honey," she crooned in his ear, "just keep an eye on your big sister for me, will ya? There's a good boy. I heard that there's a job going nearby, so I'm going to see if I can get in there."

With that, she vanished around the corner, leaving Ewan and Sammi alone.




Sammi groaned and rolled her eyes, lost in her own thoughts as she continued to watch the clouds scudding by, and listening to the screeching of a flock of birds as they flew overhead.

Ewan simply shrugged and started chasing fireflies.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The smell of percolating coffee was over powering, as it mingled with the smell of fried breakfasts.

'The Coffee Pot' had come a long way from the greasy spoon existence out of the back of a beaten up trailer. With the onset of construction sites and new houses popping up all over Cloverdale and surrounding areas, sustenance was greatly needed to keep the workers happy and well fed. And so 'The Coffee Pot' was born, the brainchild of the extremely enterprising young lady who took a risk and it paid off.



Now, standing majestically, in it's own landscaped grounds, it was a testament to the hard work put in by the owner and proprietor, Miranda Kensington. She graduated from college, Magna Cum Laude, two years ago and set up her small business from the money she'd been saving.
Even sacrificing her own dream of becoming a Hall of Famer, just to make sure that all the workers were happy and satisfied from her delicious meals.

She could quite easily have been a Fortune Sim, wanting the best of everything, never satisfied with whatever she had. But, she chose Popularity, as she loved the cheery atmosphere that surrounded the builders and constructions workers. Their bawdy sense of humour and tales of their families.

But cooked meals and coffee cups were the last thing on Miranda's mind as she stood, arms folded, scowling at her twin brother Daryl.

"Oh please sis," he pleaded, "let me help out. I'll make it worth your while."

She shook her head. She'd put far too much into this little business to see it crumble before her.
Daryl had always been a slacker. Relying heavily on Miranda to get him through school, and college.

He was devastated when she graduated a year early, leaving him struggling along with his term papers and assignments.



"No Dal," she said firmly, "you'd mess up all the orders."

Daryl was crestfallen and it showed plainly on his face.




"You're not going to give me a chance, are you," he whined, plumping out his bottom lip.

"Nope, and that's final," came the reply.

"But you're run off your feet all the time," he protested, "I've seen you falling asleep on the settee many evenings, totally exhausted."

He jutted out his chin, normally a cute gesture to win the hearts of many damsels, but Miranda was adamant. There was no way he was going to win her over at all.

"No, Dal, my word is final. Besides, I've already advertised for an assistant to help me out. Hopefully the right candidate will come along and take up some of the slack."

"But think of the savings you'll have if you employ me."

She groaned. He wasn't going to give up at all. She sighed, rubbing her temples, the beginnings of a headache gnawing at her.

"Look, why don't you go and find yourself a job? Please.... Anything to get you out from under my feet. Besides, it's almost lunch time and I've got to get the sandwiches ready. There are a lot of hungry guys out there you know."

Daryl pouted, before stomping up the stairs.

"And don't you be playing games on that computer either!" Miranda called after him.

He waggled his head and grumbled under his breath.

"Yes Mom," he muttered.

"I heard that!"



Miranda was in the middle of cling wrapping a plate of sandwiches, when the doorbell rang.
She answered it to find a scrawny, scantily clad, red-headed woman standing there.

"Can I help you?"

She honestly didn't want this woman anywhere inside the house at all. Her first impression of this heavily made up woman wasn't good at all. But she swallowed her pride anyway, just to give this stranger the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm here about the job," Tessa replied roughly, half expecting this pretty young lady to turn her away.

"Why don't you come in and we can discuss it upstairs?"

Miranda stepped back reluctantly, allowing this crude woman into her premises.

"I'll show you the way."

Unfortunately, at that moment, people started to filter into the coffee house, making themselves feel at home. So a private interview was out of the question.

Miranda motioned to the settee.

"Why don't you take a seat?"



Tessa marvelled at the 'old fashioned' styling throughout this building. And was pleasantly surprised to see it continued in the tiny apartment upstairs. It reminded her of her grandma's place. A real 'home away from home', with the smell of homemade jams and pickling.



"Listen," interrupted Tessa eagerly, "I know I'm not much to look at, but I'm a good, hard worker. I have two kids, a boy and a girl, and I need the money to get food and clothes for them."



"Besides," she continued, "I think I'll be able to bring a bit of 'sunshine' into this job. I'm no fair weather worker, that's for sure."



Miranda was shocked at her frankness and soon forgot her carefully planned speech.



Daryl, who had been sitting in the corner reading, let his jaw hang open at the sight of this woman. It soon gave way to a wicked grin, as he evaluated the situation.
If his sister was to employ this woman, life at 'The Coffee Pot' would never be the same.

The interview was very brief, due to the first batch of workers starting to filter through the doors. But Miranda decided to give Tessa a chance and hired her.




Tessa couldn't thank her enough.

"You have to understand," Miranda explained, "the cafe really gets busy all through the day, with more and more customers filtering in."

"I can do that," Tessa smiled, "I'm used to being busy."


"There's also a lot of food preparation, along with cleaning the tables and stuff."

Tessa nodded eagerly.

"And you'll have to wear an apron had have your hair tied back."

"Hey, no problem."


"So, when do I start?" Tessa asked eagerly.

"Um,"

Already the cafe was starting to fill up with hungry customers, and she'd already fallen behind with the orders.

"Er, how about now?"

She made her way hurriedly down the stairs to make a start on the sandwiches.
"That's great!" Tessa yelled down the stairs, You won't be sorry!" her voice cracking with excitement.



Miranda only hoped that that would be true.