SPC Chapter 2: Deborah

Okay, so here is the next chapter of the SPC book: On a character named Deborah, of course.

Characters: Deborah Tan
Setting: Deborah's living room, in front of the TV, in Maryland

Deborah Tan sits in front of the television, on the couch with her mother and father. It is six-thirty P.M., and they are all watching the news. Her father, Xion, is eagerly anticipating for the lotto segment to come on. He has been playing the lottery for 13 years now, and the most amount of money he has ever won is thirty-four dollars and ninety-two cents. Tonight's prize is one-hundred forty-seven million.
Deborah reaches for the remote, bored with the depressing news on the screen. She wants to watch American Idol. She hasn't seen that show since season three. She's not sure why she stopped watching, but she'd like to start again.
"Tahborah, no," scolds her father, his thick Korean accent filling the room. "Wait."
Her sister, Haley, on the floor, sighs. Haley wants to watch American Idol, too.
Deborah's mother brushes the black bangs covering Deborah's brown eyes. "Do not cover your face, Tahbor," her mother says. "It is rude."
Now Deborah sighs. She twiddles her thumbs staring at her fifteen year-old sister. Deborah remembers when she was fifteen. She had a boyfriend. His name was Edgar. She doesn't remember why she liked Edgar. Edgar was nasty. Nasty, and rude. She hopes that Haley never makes the same mistakes Deborah did when she was fifteen. She knows that when Haley is eighteen, how old Deborah is now, Haley will realize the mistakes she made as an early teenager. Like when she wore Deborah's sweater to a Christmas party, and spilled punch on it. Ironically, Haley got punched later that night. That was Deborah's favorite sweater. It was from JC Penny's, and it cost forty bucks. Forty bucks, to be swept up in punch.
Deborah looks over at her father, who has now perked up because the lotto segment is on. He has memorized the numbers, just as he has for the last 13 years. Her mother holds the lotto ticket firmly between her hands, and in the back of her mind, she is hoping that they don't win. She had promised her husband that if they ever one the lotto, they would buy a fancy ranch in Ohio or Kentucky or wherever they have ranches. But Mrs. Tan is not ready to move yet. Her sister, Deborah's Aunt Kim, is pregnant with her first child. And Mrs. Tan will finally be an Aunt herself. And if they won the lotto, that may all change. Aunt Kim will nevertheless still be pregnant, but Mrs. Tan may not be able to see all that. Watch the baby grow up. It is a long drive, from Ohio to Maryland.
Deborah glances over at the ticket. Obviously, she thinks. The numbers are 23, 19, 17, 6, 94. The bonus number is 9. The first four numbers represent the day of the month they were each born, and the fifth number represents the year he started playing. The last number is his favorite number. The last number has always been 9, his favorite number.
Deborah glances up at the screen. The announcer, a gray-haired man in his early sixties, is on the third number. She looks at her father. He is trembling. He peeks over at his wife for a minute. "We got three, babe, we got three," he whispers through his trembles.
"I know, honey, I know."
The announcer utters the next number. "6".
Her mother gasps.
"94."
Her father shouts, arousing the Maltese, Eva, and she starts barking.
The announcer adjusts his suit, getting ready to pull out the bonus number...
"And tonight's bonus number is...."
Her father is at the edge of the couch now....
"6."
They stare blankly at the screen. Her mother whispers, "So, so close."
Deborah reaches for the remote, American Idol time, she thinks.
"Hang on, a minute, folks," early sixties man holds up his hand.
Deborah drops the remote. She knows if she changes the channel she will be grounded for life.
Early sixties man walks off set, but his microphone is still on. All of Maryland can hear: "Chuck, is this a nine or a six? My eyesight isn't what it used to be...."
Chuck mutters something, and early sixties man walks back on set. He smiles. "Minor readjustment, folks..."
Minor? Deborah thinks. More like major. This is the border line between 147 million and zilch...
"Our apologies, the number is actually...
nine."
Screams are erupting in the Tan house tonight.

Pretzel in Action... (Montana Trip, Summer 2006)

I believe I've mentioned my "daughter", Pretzel, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. She's totally adorable, thought I might share some pictures with you...

This is her pretty much relaxing after a long day's fun. (Above.) This was last August when we took a vacation to Montana to visit some relatives. We stayed in the tiny town of Red Lodge, at a KOA "Kamping Kabin". Pretzel really enjoyed herself, it was our first out-of-state road trip together.

This is us at a lake right outside of Red Lodge, right before my first attempt at fishing. Pretzel was all suited up in her life jacket, because I, being a worrisome "mother", felt that if she were to run out into the lake, her little stumpy legs would not be able to propel her upward.

And this, above is my absolute favorite picture of Pretzel in the entire world. (Please excuse my grubby sweats, frizzy hair, and glasses-- effects of what extreme humidity and four hours in the car can do...) It appears to me as if she's smiling.... I could look at her little furry face all day!!! I'm actually considering having her portion of the picture blown up and posted in my room... just look at that paw....
This was actually taken right before the Beartooth Pass, rated the number one scenic motorcycle drive in the United States. We weren't in a motorcycle, but my dad and I figured it would be just as beautiful if we were in a car, possibly windows rolled down for the whole effect. Anyway, we were driving up the hill (the pass goes up 11,000 feet!) to prepare to get on the main road for the pass, when a construction worker informed us that only one side of the road was open, and only a few cars were allowed to go at a time, so we would have to wait an hour and a half to get on the road. Yikes!!! A whole hour and a half!! So, to kill some time, Pretzel, my dad, and I went exploring... we found a lovely waterfall where we took some snapshots...




And that's me and Pretzel next to the waterfall. Here, below, you can see the lineup of cars and motorcycles, waiting for their turn to go...

It seems like a nightmare, that long of a wait, but it was really quite enjoyable. Everyone was walking around, being friendly and socializing... it's amazing the stories people have. I met a man from Pennsylvania (the second car in the lineup was his) whose car hood flew off in a lighting storm. I also talked with the motorcyclists, and they told me how they adored my puppy, and wanted to take pictures....
And, alas! Cars were coming down the mountain, signaling the end of their journey and the beginning of ours... we got in the car and began to drive....

It was a beautiful drive, worth the wait. Let me just add as a side note: Before we began the drive, it was 84 degrees. By the time we reached the top peak, it had dropped to 46!!

Awesome, huh? And here is one of my favorite pictures, below: The next group of cars, eagerly anticipating their drive. They all were smiling and waving at us...




I loved Red Lodge. We're planning to go back this summer.... with Pretzel, of course!

Background on Gabby....

Okay, so if you read Chapter 1 of SPC you can probably tell it's got the basic story line, but is lacking some insight on her life. So, I give you.... Gabby!

Full Name: Gabrielle Marie Cod
Born To: Lillian and Robert Cod
Born: New York City, New York, on January 19, 1990.
Current Height: 5 foot, 4 inches
Current Weight: 94 pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Emerald green
How she met Shannon: She met Shannon in a bookstore while in Buffalo. She had lost her cell phone, and Shannon helped her find it.
How she met Toby: Toby is an aide in the office. He brought her a wheel chair when she colided with another student during P.E.
What she drives: 1987 Red Chevy Pickup, at least until she can afford something else.
Why she ran away: She caught Toby cheating on her.
Where she is going: Ohio, but she doesn't know why, for apparently Ohio is for lovers.
PREVIEW: She won't take Toby back. She won't accept Shannon's apology.
Everything gets happier, trust me!!!

Strange Dream Last Night...

I had this dream last night, and I'm not exactly sure what it was about, but I vaguely remember colored pumpkins. We were to do this project and we had one minute to go into this dark room and choose three partners and then choose one colored pumpkin. We could choose from red, blue, green, orange (of course), pink, and like purple or something. Well, I chose blue, and my partners were my friends Tori, Katy, and Vanessa. Tori chose the blue pumpkin, but it wasn't big enough, so when we had like ten seconds left, I took our pumpkin, went into the mysterious dark room, and picked another one. I didn't make it out in time, so when I got back I had totally new partners.

And guess who they were.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

And then we ate red licorice that tasted like black licorice so we stopped. And then I found out that we were supposed to do something magical with the pumpkins, but (nonetheless) Malfoy had our spell book and whenever we would come over to get it, he would hex or jinx us or whatever. And so then I managed to pull one of his friends aside and used my "womanly charm" to get him to give us the book. You, know, bat my eye lashes, swing my hips, cheesy smile. And then, I managed to pull them all away, which then like Hermione or someone could sneak in and get the book, but they returned before she could find it, and just as soon as I could see that they had found her, they.....


And then I woke up.

"Thanks for calling, mom.

Uh, huh.

Buh-bye."


And thenceforth my eyes were closed again, but no dream returned. Shnaaa.

Yes, I know I'm strange. It must have been the two pounds of licorice, cup of ice cream, and singing of the Harry Potter Puppet Pals's "Mysterious Ticking Noise" off of YouTube. Wow. I must be a real nerd.
***

My Favorite Things...

...So I thought that I should share with you some of my favorite things...

...Of course, there's my book, New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer. It's my second favorite book in the whole wide world, the first being New Moon's original, Twilight.

...This of course is my very favorite scene of New Moon. You must read it, it's wonderful, but make sure you read Twilight first.

...And then there's Pretzel, of course Pretzel being my baby and the love of my life. She's my furry best friend. She loves going to baseball games with me when it is "Bark in the Park" night. I don't think I've mentioned that my favorite thing in the whole wide world besides writing is to go to minor league baseball games.

... This is my total inspiration. My "Read" sign. Mom bought it for me a while back, and it's right next to my desk so that when I'm feeling bored I can always remember to "Read". By the way, anybody have some good reads they've discovered?

...And how could I mention Pretzel without mentioning Spike? He's actually my sister's dog, but I love him all the same. Don't be fooled by the perspective of the picture-- he's actually about 7 pounds and like 8 inches tall.

... This was kind of stealing my mom's idea, but I took the picture myself so it still counts as being original. Don't you think our roses are so pretty?

... And of course, the other love of my life, Violet. What would I do without her? She's my neice, and just turned one on the 29th of May. Isn't she darling??

SPC: The Spud Sisterhood (Chapter 1)

Okay, so here is the first chapter of a book that I've been meaning to write forever. It's a novel for my best friends, loosely based on our actual lives. The first six chapters of the book are just going to be about one character, and then the seventh chapter is going to about how we all meet. Here you go!



Characters: Gabby

Setting: Middle of Nowhere

Gabrielle Cod is seventeen. She has long, brown hair, emerald green eyes, and a smile that lights up a room. She is small; about five foot four in height, and weighs only ninety four pounds. She is driving a 1987 red Chevy pick-up, is on a half tank of gas, and doesn't know where she's headed. It is two in the morning, and her cell phone has rung twice.
She peeks over at her phone, which is severely scratched from the multiple drops and tosses. It reads, "Two Missed Calls" both from her best friend (or ex-best friend, now) Shannon, but Gabrielle refuses to return her calls.
Her phone rings a third time, and this time it is a different number. She recognizes the ring tone, which is "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service, and she realizes it is her boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend, now), for the song is "their" song, ever since he dedicated it to her last Valentine's Day. She would have to change that. Or just delete his number completely.
She answers, trying to sound pissed off but still lonely and sorrowful at the same time.
"What do you want, Toby?" she asks, tears welling in her eyes.
"Babe, come home," he pleads, "Shannon is worried about you."
"Shannon?" she asks, genuinely disgusted. "You're with her?"
"Yes, Shannon," Toby says, "Please, Gabby, I know you're mad at us, but just come home. I miss you. Please, for me."
"No, Toby, nothing for you. How could you do that to me?" Gabby responds. "In six days I'll officially be eighteen and I can get my own apartment wherever I'm going. Then I'll never have to see your stupid face again."
"Well at least stop for the night, babe. I don't want you driving like this," he whispers.
"Don't call me babe," Gabby says. "And don't expect to see me anytime soon. I'm not coming back with her or you around."
Gabby slams her flip-phone shut. Tears are streaming down her face now, and she is getting tired, for she has been driving for several hours now. She pulls over and opens her glove compartment, digging for a map. If she left New York around four, and now it's about two-thirty, then she must be at about... Ohio? Or maybe Virginia? Gabby doesn't know, she was never good at geography. And she hasn't been paying much attention to what direction she has been going.
She sighs, thinking about the day's events. Coming home from school, finishing her paper, heading over to Toby's house to surprise him for his birthday, where Shannon was going to meet her. Walking through the back door and into Toby's room, just to find him and Shannon, on the bed, kissing. Her best friend and her boyfriend, kissing. The two people she trusted the most, betraying her. She then packed her bags and she ran (or rather drove) away.
Gabby sighs again, trying to think about what she had just done. She turns the key to start up the car again, and begins to drive, searching for a Motel 6 or 8 or some kind of place to bunk for the night. Bunk, alone. Alone.
All alone.
A feeling, she felt, that she would feel for a very long while.


*****

I'll probably add more background in the actual book.