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.