Even with Lori not being able to bring up Luke’s petticoat punishment or call him Luka anymore, the next four years was more of the same for Luke. His mom would fall into the same trap of doing what was easy instead of the right course of action from time to time to bring peace. Appeasing Lori came from the frustrated Mother being on autopilot, and not having empathy for all involved. She only thought of herself and Lori. Little sisters were supposed to get on the nerves of their bigger brothers. Luke’s stoic front did not help Alice to have true empathy for the situation.

I am Not the Best at Words
(The Content of a letter which was slipped underneath the door of a teenage girl’s bedroom)

Summer was the best time of the year for kids, and even with the added stress, for parents having the extra time to be with the kids was a mixed blessing. The kids having time to just be kids added to the parents’ responsibilities. Not one loving parent would complain about the increased difficulty in juggling work-life balance. At the same time, they did know the extra part in their life would add strain to their daily routine.

Lori requested that both her mom and her had their lunch on the deck while Luke and her dad were at the bike park. The Brat Princess wanted the time with her mom to be somewhere just as special. The seldom used deck was the perfect venue. It was elevated and had an awning for protection from the weather. Being attached to the sunroom made the deck seem bigger than its actual size was to Lori. The deck’s elevation along with their home being on a hilltop gave a great view of the Mon Valley. This vantage point made Lori feel so important on sitting on the deck.

Renee Wahla was fearless. When some of her classmates started to cry after finding out they hurt Luke she joined them. They started to cry because they were still learning to control their emotions. Renee, on the other hand, started to cry because she was not going to deny her sadness. She was in control of her emotions, but was never scared of showing them. Renee wearing her heart on her sleeve was the reason why she was Mr. Noth’s favorite student.

Alice Zahn was a stay at home Mom, but that did not mean she did not have a job. She worked from home part time as a reservation specialist for a chain of resorts. The job met her needs. It allowed her to bring in some money while being a stay at home parent. Feeling like she contributed economically to the household and having a parent whose primary focus was the kids were important to Alice.

Peter Collins laid in his bed crying to himself. The tears came from the question “Why doesn’t anyone come to see me?” Most of the time he accepted his fate, he knew his decision made the bed he was lying in now. It was his choices which led to Peter being alone. Today was different. That inquiry kept on repeating in his head and not moving on from the question was what made those tear fall.

Tim Rodgers was so ecstatic when he hung up the phone and went to his computer. He just got done with a productive conversation with the Dean of Business at Northeastern Wesleyan University. He was offered a full-time professorship chair there. The man was going to end the business world section of his life. No more late night at the office, daily meetings to just make some paper-pushers look busy or meaningless paperwork to give to some hoarder to file only to never see the light of day again.

Heather hear me out before you say no again. I know you think Juan being a crossdresser makes giving him a chance a no go. The cringe on your face when you told me. That look of disgust was sign enough that your decision was set. It should not be. You have put too much emphasis on something which is insignificant. How does Juan liking to wear women's clothing change who he is? That does not change one thing about him and you know it doesn’t.