Post by callie on Jun 27, 2007 2:12:28 GMT -5
Okay, here is chapter two. I've had it ready for awhile, but just hadn't gotten around to checking it for errors. And sorry, once again, it still doesn't have alot of Apolo in it, although he is there! I have more than this written, but I am not happy with it yet. So, I hope you enjoy it! Please tell me what you think!
Emma stared at the phone with her mouth hanging open. Shani Davis, as in THE Shani Davis? The speedskater? Nah, it couldn’t be. It was a very unusual name, but it had to be just a coincidence. Emma had found out about Shani by researching short-track speedskating and it’s superstar, Apolo Anton Ohno. She had had fallen in lust with him while watching him on Dancing With the Stars. A thrill shot through her as she pondered the possibility that it actually could be one and the same Shani Davis. That would be only one step away from Apolo! She smiled big and gave a near silent squeal while rolling her eyes, simultaneously thrilled and embarassed at her behavior.
Emma told Jessica and Shawn where they were going as they gathered up their things. She helped Jessica on with her backpack and gathered up her own bag, Shawn’s backpack, stuffed monkey, both of their blankets and her umbrella. As the trio headed to the outside exit, Emma retrieved her keys from inside her cavernous bag. Carrying Shawn, she and Jessica made a run for it across the parking lot as the heavy downpour continued.
She went around to the back passenger door to strap Shawn in first. She sent up a silent prayer of thankfulness that she had car seats with her. She had bought them for her niece and nephew, who were in her car so often that she had gotten tired of taking their carseats in and out every time. They were almost exactly Shawn and Jessica’s age, so she had the right size car seat for both. After she had gotten Jessica strapped into her booster seat, she slid into the front seat and quickly started the engine. She turned the heater, defroster and windshield wipers on high. The recent heavy rains had put a definite nip in the normally warm South Texas spring.
As she carefully pulled out onto the street and headed toward Highway 35, she glanced at the dashboard clock and was surprised to realize it was close to 7 p.m. She knew the kids were probably getting hungry, so she pulled into the closest McDonald’s. Her own stomach was feeling empty, too, but she knew she wouldn’t feel like eating until after she had safely turned the children over. She’d probably pick up something on the way home.
Ten minutes later, she was heading north while Jessica and Shawn munched on their nuggets. The rain she had hoped would die down had actually gotten harder and heavier. She absolutely hated driving in the rain and could feel her fingers tighten to a death grip on the steering wheel. Her shoulders had tensed up as well. She heard her cell phone ring several times as she made her way carefully down the highway. It was most likely her mother, worried about her and wanting to make sure she was okay. But she did not dare to take her attention off of the road long enough to find the phone and answer it.
After what seemed like eternity, she finally saw the exit for Silver Oaks Drive. She took the exit and turned right onto Silver Oaks.
‘This might actually be a lot easier than I had feared!’ she thought to herself. It was a running joke in her family how easily she got lost and turned around while driving. But this seemed like it would be a piece of cake. There was a guard house a little bit further down the street and Emma was sure that was the right one.
She turned into the subdivision and slumped down as she read the name Aspen Heights on the huge stone decorating the entrance. She pulled up to the booth and rolled down her window, in the process letting water into her car and onto her clothes. But directions were more important right now than dry clothes.
“Excuse me, sir, can you tell me how to get to Silver Oaks Vistas?” she asked the young man behind the window. He pushed a button and his voice came through a little speaker.
“Yeah, you turned the wrong way off the exit. You shoulda turned left. Go back the way you came, under the highway and its about a mile down, on your right. Can’t miss it.”
Those last three words actually made her grimace. No matter how many times she was told she couldn’t miss something, more often than not, she proved them wrong. She missed it almost every time. She thanked the man and headed off, the right way this time. As she passed under the highway, she checked her odometer to make sure she knew when ‘about a mile’ would be. After she had gone two miles and proved the naysayers wrong yet again, she gave up, turned around and went back to the highway to try again. She drove even slower this time and finally saw the entrance. The stone marking the entrance was much smaller than she had expected and, though she could see small spotlights sticking up from the ground, there was no light illuminating it. No wonder she had missed it. And the guard house was not right off the street. Emma had to travel a little ways down a drive to get to it. The road took a sharp dip down in the middle and Emma braked, staring apprehensively at the water rushing by on the road. It had a flood gauge meter post, but Emma could not see how high it was. The water was already running over the top of a low pedestrian bridge that reached across the dip.
“Is this it? Are we at Uncle Shani’s?” Jessica asked from the backseat.
“No, honey, Miss Emma’s just trying to decide what to do.”
CRACK! She about jumped out of her skin when something hit her window. She let out a screech before realizing it was the guard. He had knocked on her window with his flashlight. She rolled her window down and squinted up at him.
A middle-aged, vaguely military looking man stood frowning down at her, water dripping off the brim of his hat.
“Pull up to the booth." He pointed to the small structure with his flashlight. Seeing her eyeing the low water crossing, he added "We keep an eye on the level of water and put up barricades when it’s unsafe. Show me your id up there.” He motioned again toward the guard house.
“Thank you!” Emma yelled at him, but he was already sloshing back across the bridge. She drove slowly and paused at the guard house, waiting for him to get there. When he was back inside, she gave him her license and told him the situation. He picked up the phone, had a short conversation and then poked his head further out the window towards her.
"Mr. Davis okayed you. Go through the gates and take the first left. At the second stop sign, take a right. That road kinda curves around, but stay on it. When you come to Hidden Trail, turn left. The third street is Winding Path Way. Turn right. It is the 8th house down. Can't miss it."
Emma was not a rude person, but she actually narrowed her eyes at the guard. 'Why did you have to use that phrase? Do you know you just jinxed me?' she silently berated him. She was able to get a "Thank you" through her clenched teeth, but it wasn't easy.
20 minutes of searching and squinting at street signs and addresses later, she finally saw Winding Path Way. She was just finishing up her 10th rendition of 5 Little Monkies Jumping on the Bed when she found the house. She left their things in the car and headed up to the door with Jessica and Shawn. With each step, her nervousness increased. She didn't really know much about Shani, but his connection with Apolo made her in awe of him.
'Okay, okay, this will be fine. Its not like you're going to be meeting Apolo. You can handle this. Nothing to be nervous about.' Her silent pep talk didn't seem to help and she took a deep breath before ringing the door bell. While waiting for the door to open, she wondered if she should ask Shani for his autograph.
"Absolutely not!" She snappped in her sternest voice, hoping to jerk herself out of the nerves threatening to overtake her. "Keep it professional." Her conviction in her desire and ability to do just that suddenly faded as the heavy oak door swung open to reveal Apolo Anton Ohno on the other side. He stood staring quizzically at her, no doubt wondering why this strange woman was on his doorstep giving a lecture about professional behavior to a wooden door.
For the rest of her life, Emma would not be able to say how she did not just fall over right then and there. She honestly had no idea how she managed to remain upright. For a second, and Emma told herself until her dying day that it really was just a second, she did nothing but stare. Even after gazing at pictures and videos of him for longer than she cared to admit, she was not prepared for The Ohno in person. He was astonishlingly beautiful. His hair, lips, eyes, skin even, were more vibrant in person than in a magazine or computer screen. Just as she was fearing she would be stuck in this jaw-dropped mode forever, Apolo smiled and said "Hi. I'm Apolo Anton Ohno, Shani's friend. Please come in."
Emma stared at the phone with her mouth hanging open. Shani Davis, as in THE Shani Davis? The speedskater? Nah, it couldn’t be. It was a very unusual name, but it had to be just a coincidence. Emma had found out about Shani by researching short-track speedskating and it’s superstar, Apolo Anton Ohno. She had had fallen in lust with him while watching him on Dancing With the Stars. A thrill shot through her as she pondered the possibility that it actually could be one and the same Shani Davis. That would be only one step away from Apolo! She smiled big and gave a near silent squeal while rolling her eyes, simultaneously thrilled and embarassed at her behavior.
Emma told Jessica and Shawn where they were going as they gathered up their things. She helped Jessica on with her backpack and gathered up her own bag, Shawn’s backpack, stuffed monkey, both of their blankets and her umbrella. As the trio headed to the outside exit, Emma retrieved her keys from inside her cavernous bag. Carrying Shawn, she and Jessica made a run for it across the parking lot as the heavy downpour continued.
She went around to the back passenger door to strap Shawn in first. She sent up a silent prayer of thankfulness that she had car seats with her. She had bought them for her niece and nephew, who were in her car so often that she had gotten tired of taking their carseats in and out every time. They were almost exactly Shawn and Jessica’s age, so she had the right size car seat for both. After she had gotten Jessica strapped into her booster seat, she slid into the front seat and quickly started the engine. She turned the heater, defroster and windshield wipers on high. The recent heavy rains had put a definite nip in the normally warm South Texas spring.
As she carefully pulled out onto the street and headed toward Highway 35, she glanced at the dashboard clock and was surprised to realize it was close to 7 p.m. She knew the kids were probably getting hungry, so she pulled into the closest McDonald’s. Her own stomach was feeling empty, too, but she knew she wouldn’t feel like eating until after she had safely turned the children over. She’d probably pick up something on the way home.
Ten minutes later, she was heading north while Jessica and Shawn munched on their nuggets. The rain she had hoped would die down had actually gotten harder and heavier. She absolutely hated driving in the rain and could feel her fingers tighten to a death grip on the steering wheel. Her shoulders had tensed up as well. She heard her cell phone ring several times as she made her way carefully down the highway. It was most likely her mother, worried about her and wanting to make sure she was okay. But she did not dare to take her attention off of the road long enough to find the phone and answer it.
After what seemed like eternity, she finally saw the exit for Silver Oaks Drive. She took the exit and turned right onto Silver Oaks.
‘This might actually be a lot easier than I had feared!’ she thought to herself. It was a running joke in her family how easily she got lost and turned around while driving. But this seemed like it would be a piece of cake. There was a guard house a little bit further down the street and Emma was sure that was the right one.
She turned into the subdivision and slumped down as she read the name Aspen Heights on the huge stone decorating the entrance. She pulled up to the booth and rolled down her window, in the process letting water into her car and onto her clothes. But directions were more important right now than dry clothes.
“Excuse me, sir, can you tell me how to get to Silver Oaks Vistas?” she asked the young man behind the window. He pushed a button and his voice came through a little speaker.
“Yeah, you turned the wrong way off the exit. You shoulda turned left. Go back the way you came, under the highway and its about a mile down, on your right. Can’t miss it.”
Those last three words actually made her grimace. No matter how many times she was told she couldn’t miss something, more often than not, she proved them wrong. She missed it almost every time. She thanked the man and headed off, the right way this time. As she passed under the highway, she checked her odometer to make sure she knew when ‘about a mile’ would be. After she had gone two miles and proved the naysayers wrong yet again, she gave up, turned around and went back to the highway to try again. She drove even slower this time and finally saw the entrance. The stone marking the entrance was much smaller than she had expected and, though she could see small spotlights sticking up from the ground, there was no light illuminating it. No wonder she had missed it. And the guard house was not right off the street. Emma had to travel a little ways down a drive to get to it. The road took a sharp dip down in the middle and Emma braked, staring apprehensively at the water rushing by on the road. It had a flood gauge meter post, but Emma could not see how high it was. The water was already running over the top of a low pedestrian bridge that reached across the dip.
“Is this it? Are we at Uncle Shani’s?” Jessica asked from the backseat.
“No, honey, Miss Emma’s just trying to decide what to do.”
CRACK! She about jumped out of her skin when something hit her window. She let out a screech before realizing it was the guard. He had knocked on her window with his flashlight. She rolled her window down and squinted up at him.
A middle-aged, vaguely military looking man stood frowning down at her, water dripping off the brim of his hat.
“Pull up to the booth." He pointed to the small structure with his flashlight. Seeing her eyeing the low water crossing, he added "We keep an eye on the level of water and put up barricades when it’s unsafe. Show me your id up there.” He motioned again toward the guard house.
“Thank you!” Emma yelled at him, but he was already sloshing back across the bridge. She drove slowly and paused at the guard house, waiting for him to get there. When he was back inside, she gave him her license and told him the situation. He picked up the phone, had a short conversation and then poked his head further out the window towards her.
"Mr. Davis okayed you. Go through the gates and take the first left. At the second stop sign, take a right. That road kinda curves around, but stay on it. When you come to Hidden Trail, turn left. The third street is Winding Path Way. Turn right. It is the 8th house down. Can't miss it."
Emma was not a rude person, but she actually narrowed her eyes at the guard. 'Why did you have to use that phrase? Do you know you just jinxed me?' she silently berated him. She was able to get a "Thank you" through her clenched teeth, but it wasn't easy.
20 minutes of searching and squinting at street signs and addresses later, she finally saw Winding Path Way. She was just finishing up her 10th rendition of 5 Little Monkies Jumping on the Bed when she found the house. She left their things in the car and headed up to the door with Jessica and Shawn. With each step, her nervousness increased. She didn't really know much about Shani, but his connection with Apolo made her in awe of him.
'Okay, okay, this will be fine. Its not like you're going to be meeting Apolo. You can handle this. Nothing to be nervous about.' Her silent pep talk didn't seem to help and she took a deep breath before ringing the door bell. While waiting for the door to open, she wondered if she should ask Shani for his autograph.
"Absolutely not!" She snappped in her sternest voice, hoping to jerk herself out of the nerves threatening to overtake her. "Keep it professional." Her conviction in her desire and ability to do just that suddenly faded as the heavy oak door swung open to reveal Apolo Anton Ohno on the other side. He stood staring quizzically at her, no doubt wondering why this strange woman was on his doorstep giving a lecture about professional behavior to a wooden door.
For the rest of her life, Emma would not be able to say how she did not just fall over right then and there. She honestly had no idea how she managed to remain upright. For a second, and Emma told herself until her dying day that it really was just a second, she did nothing but stare. Even after gazing at pictures and videos of him for longer than she cared to admit, she was not prepared for The Ohno in person. He was astonishlingly beautiful. His hair, lips, eyes, skin even, were more vibrant in person than in a magazine or computer screen. Just as she was fearing she would be stuck in this jaw-dropped mode forever, Apolo smiled and said "Hi. I'm Apolo Anton Ohno, Shani's friend. Please come in."
and when she didnt expect to meet apolo but she did.. that was soo cute 
good job ;D
They really make me feel good and make me want to keep writing more. Y'all have just put a BIG smile on my face!!