Categotry Archives: Suzie’s House
Suzie’s House 233: Birth of the Dynamic Duo
Tracy had that look in her eye again. Gene wasn’t sure if he should be thrilled or scared. Well, as long as it wasn’t directed at him, it was all good. The smile kept coming and going, too, which on Tracy could only mean trouble. But what was really scary, is Mrs. H.’s friend Miranda got that same look in her eye. And they were both eying Fran, who was tied up in a chair like a bug in a […]
Suzie’s House 232: The Ember of a Cartoon Heroine’s Embarrassment
Tentative, Suzie wasn’t sure if she should run outside to find out what the loud scrape and boom was or upstairs to see why Tracy had raced past. Gene took off after Tracy, so Suzie opted for the back yard. When she stepped out, she found Miranda standing over the old painting ladder. From the way the held her hands out while turning away from it, Suzie guessed that Miranda had just dropped it. “What are you doing? I thought […]
Suzie’s House 231: A Piece of Work to Admire
“Tracy, go home.” Mrs. H. spoke quietly but Tracy could tell she was serious. “But…” “This is not a mystery book, and you are not Nancy Drew. It’ll be curfew by the time you get home. Go now.” “Nancy who?” “Criminy.” Mrs. H. slumped into the kitchen counter with her hand on her forehead.
Suzie’s House 230: The Immutable Goal
So unlucky! How did they figure out that she wasn’t the brat’s mother? Fran thought back on everything she’d said and done, and couldn’t think of anything that gave her away. Even now, she hoped she’d be able to bluff her way through. If they stuck their head out the oh-so-adorable Victorian two-story, she’d claim she really was his mother, and couldn’t help mooning over him. It could work because she’d never admitted anything, even when they accused her. They […]
Suzie’s House 229: Low Speed Chase
Suzie blinked a couple of times, then drew in a deep breath and tried to get a hold of her emotions. She would cherish this moment for years to come, guaranteed. Standing here in front of a con artist in the middle of MacDonalds was not the time to turn all sappy on Gene just because he finally called her Mom. He had his arm across her shoulders, which made her so happy she could hardly stand still. She tried […]
Suzie’s House 228 : Just What He Thought of Her
Up until a minute ago, this whole MacDonald’s thing with Fran had been a total yawn. Gene thought maybe Mrs. H. would say something mean, cause they all knew Fran was only pretending to be his real mom in order to get at the guitar. Instead, they all – him and Fran and Mrs. H, and Tracy – got their food, said “Hi” then sat around eating. Talk about dullsville. Then Mrs. H. went off to the bathroom, and Tracy […]
Suzie’s House 227 : Is She or Isn’t She?
Gene and Tracy sat at the kitchen table while Mrs. H. watched Miranda cook, which was kind of weird since Miranda was just as old as Mrs. H. and knew how to cook, sort of. Last time it was her turn to cook she left out the salt. Mrs. H. called it a sin of omission. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” He asked it like it was no big deal, didn’t even look up from his homework all that […]
Suzie’s House 226 : On the Observation Deck
Mrs. H., that’s what Gene called her and Tracy liked it so she called Ben’s mom that too, wanted to go back to the observation deck of the capital building because it was open even though it was supposed to be closed because it wasn’t even summer anymore. So they all went there. How Tracy ended up between Gene and the woman who said she was his mom was a mystery, but after catching the way the woman looked at […]
Suzie’s House 225 : To the Capital Rotunda
“Gene? Gene!” Fran held her arms out wide for a hug. She imagined him falling into her embrace, crying with the joy of having found his long lost mother. No such luck. He took a step back, then stuck out his hand. She wasn’t sure from the angle of his hand if he intended to shake her hand or just hold her off. She grabbed him as if to shake but intended to drag him into a hug. Would have […]
Suzie’s House 224: Lady Luck
Francesca let her car glide into the parking space at the library. Lucky. She didn’t even have to parallel park because there were two stalls in a row. She carefully locked her car, plugged the meter to the max, and headed for the computers. She wanted to get her “facts” lined up before they met. Not that she intended to lie any more than she had to. It was more a matter of adapting to the situation. Or maybe making […]
Suzie’s House 223 : A Good Influence.
“So… what are you going to do?” Suzie sprinkled herbs on the roast, then glanced over her shoulder to where Gene sat at the kitchen table. “About the test Friday?” Gene wouldn’t look her in the eye. He hunched over a plate of cut vegetables and dip. The fact he actually put a carrot stick in his mouth spoke volumes about how strong his feelings were. If he hadn’t wanted to talk about the real issue, he would have politely […]
Suzie’s House 222 : Online Dating
“What is this?” Gene didn’t mean to sneer, but he could kind of feel his lip do that thing Tracy hated. But so what? She was doing stuff she shouldn’t, too. “I’m just trying to help.” “That’s what you always say.” Gene groaned and kind of leaned into his hands with his elbows right in the middle of Mrs. H’s desk, right there in front of the computer screen.
Suzie’s House 221: “But I’m Better, Right?”
“Shall we call it good for today?” I tried not to appear impatient, but my time is always very, very short. It’s hard enough making myself write. I don’t need to waste time talking to a kid who isn’t interested, though I have accepted Ben’s determination. If he were going to change his mind about being a writer, he’d have done it by now. Poor kid.
Suzie’s House 220 : Initial Hunt
Ben sat at his mother’s desk, hands on the keyboard, butt in the chair. Ms. Audrey called it Bic-hok, which kind of sounded like a swearword to him, but she said it really worked. But she also said you had to watch out for distractions.
Suzie’s House 219 : Initial Observation
Gene couldn’t stop grinning. It was his! Finally! And not a stupid old Epiphone either. It was a… well…. a no-name guitar. The sales guy tried to claim it was a custom-built job and should be worth more, but it was just kind of a dull brown all over and mostly a regular shape except for this weird notch out of the body near the strumming elbow. And Mrs. H. said she knew it had been sitting there in the […]
