Date Posted:16:28:51 10/28/09 Wed Author:Page Subject: Hey Esther! >>>>> In reply to:
Esther
's message, "Hey Page >>>" on 13:48:00 10/27/09 Tue
>
>Katie hurried along the sidewalk, anxious to reach the
>sanctuary of Adam’s flat where she could strip off the
>clothes she was wearing and throw them out the window.
>The tan twin-set and matching knee-length skirt, so
>different from her usual hip style, made her feel as
>if she were dressed in a Halloween costume, and she
>had no desire to spend another minute looking like a
>suicidal cheerleader. The tall white building loomed
>in front of her, and she sighed with relief, shifting
>the shopping bags that filled her arms. Before she
>could mount the front steps, she felt the bag
>containing her precious new coffee pot begin to slide
>out from under her elbow.
>Ah yes. I do recall a bit about that shopping
>trip…
...which has now been cut. *ducking and running*
>
>“Shit!” she yelled, trying to juggle her other bags
>and catch the escapee before it could hit the sidewalk
>and shatter.
>K, sorry. Just gotta say it. You have her yelling
>“Shit!” which doesn’t need the tag she yelled to
>explain that she yelled. If your word count is taking
>over, a simple way to reduce/cut some is to simply
>delete the clutter.
Gotcha. Yelled is outta here.
>
>“Got it,” said a female voice just behind her, and
>Katie felt the bag lifted from under her arm.
>
>“Thanks!” She turned to see a pair of blue eyes
>twinkling at her in amusement, and Katie was sharply
>aware that she looked dull as wren next to such a
>ravishing creature.
>Nice first impression of Maureen btw.
TY!
>“Very,” Katie said, unlocking the door. “I’ve only
>lived here with Adam for a couple of weeks..”
>Hmmmm thought that shopping trip to get the ol’
>folgers happened sooner than a couple weeks…
Originally it was, but my Brit-picker took me to task, saying: You make it seem as if we didn't have coffee in the 60s. We did. Utterly vile, of course, but we had it.
So I gave Katie a little more time before she decided she was going to die of Sanka, and had to have the real stuff.
>
>“Adam?” The girl put the bag on the table, and
>grinned. “Adam Greene, he of the lovely hair and
>beautiful arse?”
>Notice how I’m not saying anything???? ;-)
Bwahaha!!
>“Love to, thanks.” Maureen removed her own coat, and
>Katie saw that the pink of her sari did, indeed, match
>the pink in her cheeks.
>And this has nothing whatsoever to do with
>anything…but where was Maureen off to before she
>rescued the coffee pot?
She was headed home from Portobello Market, the day's receipts in her coat pocket.
>
>Katie lost no time in pulling out her favorite top and
>most comfortable pair of jeans. “I had to go to
>Harrods for coffee, and Adam told me about their dress
>code. So I had to go out and buy some straight clothes
>just to go shopping. I’ve been feeling my I.Q. getting
>lower since I put them on.”
>K, my mind kinda recalls the layout of the flat,
>and the bed that consists of only a mattress on the
>floor…but I’m not remembering a dresser or anything.
>Where does she pull them out of? A closet? Dresser?
>She still living out of her bags? Details. I need
>details. *G*
I gave the poor man a chest of drawers. *G* From Chapter Two: Although the furnishings consisted of nothing more than an elderly table and chairs, and a rather elegant chest of drawers with intricate carvings, the room was cozy with paisley wall hangings, books, record albums and photographs. He was living from hand to mouth, but he wasn't a complete slob. LOL!
>
>Katie pulled the tan sweater set over her head and
>sailed it toward the bed. “Sloane? What’s that?” She
>wriggled into her tunic and popped her head through
>the opening.
>Sailed it toward the bed? So she’s not standing
>beside it? Where she changing then? In the middle of
>the room?
Yep! Of course, the bed was only about four steps from the table, and the chest was directly behind the chairs. Not a large establishment our Adam had....
>
>“Yes, but it’s all instant.” At Maureen’s blank stare,
>Katie reached into one of her bags and drew out a red
>can of Folger’s. “I like this kind much better, and no
>one knew where I could get it, other than Harrods. My
>aunt is supposed to be sending me some from the
>States, but I couldn’t wait any more.”
>Wasn’t it Libby who sent her to Harrods?
Before I cut it she was. But now it's kind of implied that Katie's asked around.
>
>“Huge,” Katie said fervently. “Like the difference
>between The Supremes and Janis Joplin.” Maureen looked
>unenlightened. “Jefferson Airplane?” At the negative
>shake of Maureen’s head, Katie tried again. “The
>Yardbirds?”
>And why doesn’t Maureen know these names?
Good question! At that point in time, Janis and the Airplane weren't known outside the U.S. or Canada, as they were just gaining momentum. Adam knew about them, because he was a music freak, and secretly wanted to become a full-fledged hippie and move to San Francisco and wear flowers in his hair, so he gobbled up every tidbit he could get about the American music scene. But the average Brit wouldn't have known who they were.
>
>"You call it a line? Go ahead, butcher the language.
>Nobody cares anymore anyway." Maureen grinned. “Odd
>how we all speak English, and still can’t understand
>each other.” She chuckled. “Of course, it’s not just
>Yanks and Brits; there’s more to the generation gap
>than just clothes and music. I told my granny I wanted
>to sit and rap with her last time I visited, and she
>thought I was daft for wanting to knock on things. You
>know, rap?” She rapped her knuckles on the table in
>illustration.
>Ah ha! Found the homework! Fits beautifully here
>btw
TY!
>
>Maureen lounged back, as if the chair she sat in was a
>velvet-covered chaise and not a spindly wooden one
>covered in chipped white paint. “So, you’ve moved to
>London, then?”
>First a ravishing creature, and now I have the
>impression of elegance to go with it. Awesome the way
>you incorporated it in.
TY! Maureen is truly Queen of All She Surveys. I can't wait for you to read about the first time she laid eyes on Nicky! *G*
>
>Katie nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I just came over to check
>out the scene, you know? But I’ve fallen in love with
>it. And then, there’s Adam, and….”
>and…and what?
...and...and...she thinks she might be in love with him. He wants her to think so, anyway.*G*
>
>“Ah, Adam.” Maureen’s grin was evil. “Now there’s a
>bloke about whom ‘hubba hubba’ really means something.
>I was keen to hear his band play the other night, but
>they canceled with no warning. I wonder what happened?”
>
>Katie glanced toward the door as she heard footsteps
>approaching on the worn floorboards of the hall.
>“Sounds like he’s home. I’ll let you get the scoop
>from him.”
>Well, since you won’t say, I’ll have to infer
>myself that his band went splitsville just cause that
>would leave him free to join up with Jay. Wait a
>sec…thought of something but I’m not sure so won’t
>mention it. But I will say I’m finding it very
>frustrating not having this whole thing in front of
>me, and having to rely on my failing memory and the
>knowledge that whatever I managed to remember is not
>right anymore anyway. Arrrgg!
Yeah, it's irritating the way I keep doing that, innit? *G* But I've stopped changing things, I promise. As for the band....
Same excerpt, same copyright and dire warnings notice...
Adam stepped in, his cheeks flushed from the heat, and smiled. “My lucky day to find two beautiful ladies in my flat.”
“Too right,” Maureen informed him. “And we were just talking about you, too. Why didn’t you play at Finches on Saturday?”
“We broke up Saturday morning.” Adam sat down on the edge of the bed, the only other seating option available. “Didn’t seem like a good idea to go and play on Saturday night, you know?”
“Bloody hell, Adam! Don’t you know the only reason I work at Finches is so I can hear you sing?”
Adam snorted in amusement. “And here I thought it was because it’s too fucking hot to sit in a stall in Portobello market selling candles.”
“Well, there’s that, too.” Maureen caught sight of Katie’s confused look, and explained. “I make candles. Mix my own colors and scents, and sell them at the market. Business gets slow when we get one of these heat waves, though.” She broke off, her eyes wide, and glanced around the flat, looking for the source of the sound she’d heard. “Wot the hell was that?”
The soft popping noise came again, and Katie grinned. “It’s the coffee perking.”
“It’s supposed to do that?” Maureen asked, eyeing the coffeepot with suspicion.
“It is.” Katie laughed, and turned to Adam. “Hey, they did have coffee at Harrods, but I’ve gotta tell you, that was one weird place. I wore the ugliest clothes ever made – your feet are on my skirt, by the way – but I saw the grooviest threads for sale in the clothing departments. I can’t believe they sell the clothes, but won’t let you wear them in the store!”
Adam picked up his feet and peered at the rumpled skirt. “You’re right, this is one of the ugliest skirts I’ve ever seen.” He shook his hair back and grinned at her. “It’s not fair that I didn’t get to see you in it.”
“I saw her,” Maureen interjected, “and it wasn’t pretty.” She sat up straighter and cleared her throat. “Getting back to the original subject here; why’d your band break up? What are you going to do now?”
Adam fell back onto the bed and crossed his arms under his head. “They weren’t serious about it, that’s all. I want more than to just play clubs the rest of my life, so I decided to stop wasting my time with them. When Jay gets back…” He broke off, a blush rising from the open collar of his shirt.
“Don’t sweat it, Adam.” Maureen grinned. “It’s all over the street that Wonderkind is breaking up, too.”
“I didn’t know that.” Katie leaned forward with interest. If she had to pick a favorite band, Wonderkind would be the one she chose. It wasn’t the band as much as it was their brilliant guitar player, Jay Carey, that made her a fan. As a guitar player herself, she was in awe of Jay’s talent, and always blown away when she listened to Wonderkind’s albums. In addition, she considered him to be the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She gave Adam an encouraging look, but wondered why he'd never mentioned Jay Carey before.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Adam mumbled. “Jay’s gonna kill me.”
“We won’t say anything, will we Katie?” Maureen added her encouragement to Katie’s. “C’mon on, luv, spill.”
Katie got up to fetch coffee, and, keeping an ear on the conversation behind her, she busied herself taking cups from the cabinet and filling them with the fragrant brew.
“Alright, but don’t say anything,” Adam sighed. “He wouldn’t like me talking about this a bit. But, yes, as soon as they get home from the States, Wonderkind is history. Jay’s wanting to put together a new band, and he’s asked me to be the singer.”
“Bloody brilliant!” Maureen clapped her hands in excitement. “I’m so tired of hearing Marty Harrison moan and groan on all their songs, just ruining the music.”
Adam laughed and sat up to take the cup Katie handed him. “I wouldn’t call it moaning and groaning, Maureen. They have had three number one singles, you know.”
“I agree with Maureen,” Katie put in, placing two brimming cups on the table. “His voice just gives the songs a weird vibe. Sets my teeth on edge.” She took a sip of the coffee and sighed in bliss. “This, however, is far out, and I don’t mean maybe.”
Maureen inhaled the rich scent of the coffee before taking a cautious sip. She swallowed, still looking skeptical, and took another drink. She set her cup down on the table and gave Katie a level stare. “Katie, luv, I really hate to say this, but – you’re spot on about the coffee.” She grinned and picked up her cup again. “It’s bloody marvelous!”
“Told you.” Katie smiled in relief, and looked at Adam. “What do you think?”
“Can I have more?” Adam held out his cup and Katie saw that it was half-empty.
“Far out. Two new converts to real coffee.” She looked smug. “Watch out, or I’ll have you both talking like an American, too, before I’m finished.”
Eyes twinkling with amusement, Maureen gave her a smile. “Don’t push your luck.”
And before you ask, Maureen was wearing a coat during a heat wave because she liked the way the blue fur looked with her pink sari. *G*
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