This is a message to my friend Haley from NZ. If you ever see this I just wanted you to know I still think of you. You can contact me at xsaraxpoex@gmail.com. I would really love to hear from you. I miss you, Haze!
~Sara<3 br="">
Sara's Darkness...
8/22/19
2/20/18
HOLY SHIT!!!
I just recovered my old e-mail and password! I'll be working on things and hopefully be blogging in about a month.
~Sara<3 br="">
6/27/11
The Heart Of The Storm!
At 1:30am the storm hit. It had been a long day as Sundays around here are wont to be. A slow day and the hours usually drag on so the end of the work shift is a relief. Monday, today, and Tuesday are our new off days so we three, along with Bethany, settled in at home for a nice relaxing weekend.
We had dinner, Laura and Jesca came home while we were eating and joined us, watched a movie and drank some wine. After midnight I retired to my attic and began a long overdue letter to my friend Gisele. I heard the wind and rain start, which is usually exciting to me especially when I'm writing because it makes the mood better in my opinion. Then the lights flickered twice...and went out. The sound of the wind was terrible.
My attic door opened and Emily yelled up, "Hey, Lora wants us all downstairs." Using my cell phone to light my way I went to the first floor where everyone had gathered in the living room. Lora was on her phone, Laura and Jesca were snuggled up, half asleep, on the love-seat, Bethany was sitting on the floor drinking wine and Emily rushed to my side as soon as I came downstairs. She was the only one acting nervous because she's had this constant thought about tornadoes since what happen to Joplin, a city the size of Quincy and not too far from here, as the crow flies.
I took her hand and started to assure her that everything was going to be okay. That's when the tree came through our huge picture window, and literally, all hell broke loose!
The force of the wind and rain was blinding. It was as if all at once our beautiful serene living room had turned into a raging storm. By the time I recovered my senses Lora was already dragging me by the arm to the pantry in the middle of the house. When we built it we made sure it had reinforced walls because we have to go outside to get in the cellar. Lora wanted to make sure we had shelter inside in case we couldn't make it there and thankfully she did.
It was a very confusing few seconds but we all made it to the pantry and huddled together under the shelves. Everyone except Lora, that is. Through the horrible sound of the raging wind I managed to hit a button on my cell phone to light up the pantry and saw Lora. While the rest of us were clinging onto one another in fear, she was standing at the door holding it shut with all her might. She looked so heroic and in my heart I felt safe. I pulled away from Emily, who was gripping me so hard it hurt, and rushed to the door to help Lora.
I could feel that door shake still even though we were both putting all our weight on it. Lora screamed at me,"Get back under there!," but I didn't listen and stayed right by her side. We stood there, pushing against that door for what seemed like forever, but finally it got quiet. It was short lived silence. Before anyone could comment the wind started again. This time we could hear what sounded like thousands of pebbles crashing into our living room.
Emily screamed, "It's hailing!" And the word tornado raced through mine and I'm sure everyone Else's heads. For a very few seconds it got so loud and the force against the door so strong that I really thought that we wouldn't be able to hold it. Someone, I think Jesca, was crying and screaming "No! No!," and just as soon as it started, it stopped. We waited inside the pantry for about fifteen minutes in the dark, Lora and myself reassuring the others that it was over, before we finally opened the door.
It was dark still, but lightning flashes in the distance showed us that the tree was actually only a very large branch and by then it was in our dining room. The force of the wind had pushed it through the house and left just about everything in it's path destroyed. The entire first floor of Brier Rose Court was, and still mostly is, in shambles.
Within minutes of the storm's passing we had people coming from all around the community. Everyone went out to inspect the damage and when people saw what had happened to our house they started to gather here. By 8:am the lights were back on and the clean-up began.
While working I noticed Lora's face. She had three little nicks and a small line of dry blood on her cheek. It happened when the tree branch shattered our front window. The glass had hit her right in the face. "Heroes get hurt when being heroes," I thought, and immediately took her to clean it up. We were sitting in the bathroom alone, while I was cleaning her face Lora started crying, something as you all know, she rarely does.
"Our home...," she managed to murmur out through the tears. All I could do was hold her and try not to cry myself.
There are trees down all over the community. All over Quincy, too, I hear. Windows were blown out and mud sloshed up on the sidewalks, but no major damage except to Brier Rose Court. The guys, my stepdad and Jacob, have already put a plastic sheet over the window and tomorrow will install new glass, but all our furniture, wall pictures, knick-knacks and everything else in the living room, including some very expensive drapes, and dining room are pretty much worthless now. Our dining room table and three of the six chairs are still usable, and thankfully the kitchen was untouched. The second floor and my attic are also okay, so we can still live here, but it's going to take time to make it a home again.
http://www.whig.com/story/news/Storm-Web-062711
~Sara<3
We had dinner, Laura and Jesca came home while we were eating and joined us, watched a movie and drank some wine. After midnight I retired to my attic and began a long overdue letter to my friend Gisele. I heard the wind and rain start, which is usually exciting to me especially when I'm writing because it makes the mood better in my opinion. Then the lights flickered twice...and went out. The sound of the wind was terrible.
My attic door opened and Emily yelled up, "Hey, Lora wants us all downstairs." Using my cell phone to light my way I went to the first floor where everyone had gathered in the living room. Lora was on her phone, Laura and Jesca were snuggled up, half asleep, on the love-seat, Bethany was sitting on the floor drinking wine and Emily rushed to my side as soon as I came downstairs. She was the only one acting nervous because she's had this constant thought about tornadoes since what happen to Joplin, a city the size of Quincy and not too far from here, as the crow flies.
I took her hand and started to assure her that everything was going to be okay. That's when the tree came through our huge picture window, and literally, all hell broke loose!
The force of the wind and rain was blinding. It was as if all at once our beautiful serene living room had turned into a raging storm. By the time I recovered my senses Lora was already dragging me by the arm to the pantry in the middle of the house. When we built it we made sure it had reinforced walls because we have to go outside to get in the cellar. Lora wanted to make sure we had shelter inside in case we couldn't make it there and thankfully she did.
It was a very confusing few seconds but we all made it to the pantry and huddled together under the shelves. Everyone except Lora, that is. Through the horrible sound of the raging wind I managed to hit a button on my cell phone to light up the pantry and saw Lora. While the rest of us were clinging onto one another in fear, she was standing at the door holding it shut with all her might. She looked so heroic and in my heart I felt safe. I pulled away from Emily, who was gripping me so hard it hurt, and rushed to the door to help Lora.
I could feel that door shake still even though we were both putting all our weight on it. Lora screamed at me,"Get back under there!," but I didn't listen and stayed right by her side. We stood there, pushing against that door for what seemed like forever, but finally it got quiet. It was short lived silence. Before anyone could comment the wind started again. This time we could hear what sounded like thousands of pebbles crashing into our living room.
Emily screamed, "It's hailing!" And the word tornado raced through mine and I'm sure everyone Else's heads. For a very few seconds it got so loud and the force against the door so strong that I really thought that we wouldn't be able to hold it. Someone, I think Jesca, was crying and screaming "No! No!," and just as soon as it started, it stopped. We waited inside the pantry for about fifteen minutes in the dark, Lora and myself reassuring the others that it was over, before we finally opened the door.
It was dark still, but lightning flashes in the distance showed us that the tree was actually only a very large branch and by then it was in our dining room. The force of the wind had pushed it through the house and left just about everything in it's path destroyed. The entire first floor of Brier Rose Court was, and still mostly is, in shambles.
Within minutes of the storm's passing we had people coming from all around the community. Everyone went out to inspect the damage and when people saw what had happened to our house they started to gather here. By 8:am the lights were back on and the clean-up began.
While working I noticed Lora's face. She had three little nicks and a small line of dry blood on her cheek. It happened when the tree branch shattered our front window. The glass had hit her right in the face. "Heroes get hurt when being heroes," I thought, and immediately took her to clean it up. We were sitting in the bathroom alone, while I was cleaning her face Lora started crying, something as you all know, she rarely does.
"Our home...," she managed to murmur out through the tears. All I could do was hold her and try not to cry myself.
There are trees down all over the community. All over Quincy, too, I hear. Windows were blown out and mud sloshed up on the sidewalks, but no major damage except to Brier Rose Court. The guys, my stepdad and Jacob, have already put a plastic sheet over the window and tomorrow will install new glass, but all our furniture, wall pictures, knick-knacks and everything else in the living room, including some very expensive drapes, and dining room are pretty much worthless now. Our dining room table and three of the six chairs are still usable, and thankfully the kitchen was untouched. The second floor and my attic are also okay, so we can still live here, but it's going to take time to make it a home again.
http://www.whig.com/story/news/Storm-Web-062711
~Sara<3
6/24/11
The State of Crisis in the DC Universe!
Which comics do I currently buy, Jim? None. I haven't bought a comic in over a year and have a six month pile to catch up on before deciding if I'm going to buy any more. I was mostly buying Marvel but am not a big fan of Luke Cage, Spider-woman or Bucky and Spider-man became too confusing. After the Fantastic Four was canceled I stopped having the desire to catch up on that, too. I think I got up to issue nine of UC Spider-man then lost interest in that.
However, with what is going on in DC I might just go out and pick up a few of them. Here's why...
Crisis on Infinite Earths was an amazing story that was needed at the time and has spawned twenty-five years of great stories by the best creators in comics. It ushered in a new age for DC and the universe has not been the same since. Unfortunately what it has been is a mess.
Crisis planned poorly for the future and left too many things fucked up. (Hawkman, the Doom Patrol and Aquaman are just three things that have not been fixable.) So it's time to retcon the entire thing out of existence and put the Crisis Universe into a box and on a shelf. I hope that is what they're doing.
Take the ninety year old Flash and Green Lantern and put them in a box, too, along with all that Earth 2 stuff. Retro had it's day, and will again, but now is the time for redesigning everything. I'm a huge fan of the original Superman movie but if I hear that song one more time I'll scream!
Watchmen...
Yeah, I said it, Alan Moore did a work for hire and created characters that could not only be a goldmine, but a fantastic creative playground. I hope Geoff Johns and Jim Lee open their eyes and incorporate Rorschach into the fold also. Then Nite-owl, Dr Manhattan and the rest. Rorschach number one released in 1988 would have been a million seller and with the right creative team he could be at Wolverine level now. Alan Moore never wants to work for DC again so fuck him and his crabby old ass.
Of course, that's just my opinion.
~Sara<3 br="">
However, with what is going on in DC I might just go out and pick up a few of them. Here's why...
Crisis on Infinite Earths was an amazing story that was needed at the time and has spawned twenty-five years of great stories by the best creators in comics. It ushered in a new age for DC and the universe has not been the same since. Unfortunately what it has been is a mess.
Crisis planned poorly for the future and left too many things fucked up. (Hawkman, the Doom Patrol and Aquaman are just three things that have not been fixable.) So it's time to retcon the entire thing out of existence and put the Crisis Universe into a box and on a shelf. I hope that is what they're doing.
Take the ninety year old Flash and Green Lantern and put them in a box, too, along with all that Earth 2 stuff. Retro had it's day, and will again, but now is the time for redesigning everything. I'm a huge fan of the original Superman movie but if I hear that song one more time I'll scream!
Watchmen...
Yeah, I said it, Alan Moore did a work for hire and created characters that could not only be a goldmine, but a fantastic creative playground. I hope Geoff Johns and Jim Lee open their eyes and incorporate Rorschach into the fold also. Then Nite-owl, Dr Manhattan and the rest. Rorschach number one released in 1988 would have been a million seller and with the right creative team he could be at Wolverine level now. Alan Moore never wants to work for DC again so fuck him and his crabby old ass.
Of course, that's just my opinion.
~Sara<3 br="">
6/21/11
Tiny Little Lesbians All In A Row
First night of Summer. Though you wouldn't know it from where I sit. My attic at Brier Rose Court has only one window and I've covered it with a black trash bag so no light gets in. The central air is on full blast, so chilly that I've put on a sweater. It's late and we have just finished the second biggest weekend the community has all year. The community center opened it's outdoor cafe for the season and everyone came...and stayed. They're mostly still there actually. The bonfire is lit in Adam's Field and people are still camped out there. Lora, Emily, Bethany, Laura, Jesca and myself are tired and sore and grouchy all. Right now none of can really stand to be in the same room with the others. Right now we just want to be alone. First night of Summer. It's cold tonight.
There are six of us now living at Brier Rose Court. We three, are still together and still strong. Laura and Jesca are closer than ever before, have spoken of marriage when it becomes legal, and mostly stay in their own little world, keeping all others at arms length. My sister has grown in ways that I hadn't expected. She's a young woman now and has a good head on her shoulders.
Bethany has been living with us since January. She was with us for a few months last Summer but as soon as one of the community apartments opened up she moved out. She was lonely there by herself and we asked her to move back in right after Yule. Now, before you all get excited, there's nothing going on with her. At least not in a sexual way. Bethany has become part of our lives but she's not a lesbian. She tries to be. Never talks about guys, girls only, watches lesbian movies, goes to lesbian websites, reads lesbian literature. Yeah, she tries, but stick a pussy in her face and she wouldn't know how to act.
I don't mean to talk down about Bethany. She's important to us and has really devoted herself to the community this last year. She dated my cousin Danny for a minute but they didn't click. (Danny has a lot of growing up to do.) Now she's always with us, bedtime excluded, and we three really enjoy her presence. But she really wants to be a lesbian and part of our relationship and can't.
We still love to watch her try. :)
Life hasn't been very exciting this past year. Elder Malcolm's death left a void that had many of us scared for the future. But this community is strong and for over a century and a half we've fought to stay alive. This was no different and in the end we not only survived but now have a new structure and goals and the community will prosper for a long time. There hasn't been much time for play. I usually work six days a week and sometimes an extra half day if something needs to be done. Lora was on call all the time.
This past weekend there were at least three hundred people in and around the community center. It was a celebration of life and of self and of the future and about the close of a long journey and the beginning of a new one. Until October when we have to get ready for the All Hallow's Eve Festival, Lora, Emily, Bethany, Laura, Jesca and myself are taking two mandatory days off each week. We've chosen Mondays and Tuesdays. The weekends are too busy at the community center and the community store for Lora and I to not be at our respective positions, (Have you ever thought you'd hear that about me?) to be away. Mondays have always been called "Sleepy Mondays" around her anyway.
To; Diana, Haze, Jim, Kent, Jessica, Xander, Moony, and anyone I've left off... missed ya!
There are six of us now living at Brier Rose Court. We three, are still together and still strong. Laura and Jesca are closer than ever before, have spoken of marriage when it becomes legal, and mostly stay in their own little world, keeping all others at arms length. My sister has grown in ways that I hadn't expected. She's a young woman now and has a good head on her shoulders.
Bethany has been living with us since January. She was with us for a few months last Summer but as soon as one of the community apartments opened up she moved out. She was lonely there by herself and we asked her to move back in right after Yule. Now, before you all get excited, there's nothing going on with her. At least not in a sexual way. Bethany has become part of our lives but she's not a lesbian. She tries to be. Never talks about guys, girls only, watches lesbian movies, goes to lesbian websites, reads lesbian literature. Yeah, she tries, but stick a pussy in her face and she wouldn't know how to act.
I don't mean to talk down about Bethany. She's important to us and has really devoted herself to the community this last year. She dated my cousin Danny for a minute but they didn't click. (Danny has a lot of growing up to do.) Now she's always with us, bedtime excluded, and we three really enjoy her presence. But she really wants to be a lesbian and part of our relationship and can't.
We still love to watch her try. :)
Life hasn't been very exciting this past year. Elder Malcolm's death left a void that had many of us scared for the future. But this community is strong and for over a century and a half we've fought to stay alive. This was no different and in the end we not only survived but now have a new structure and goals and the community will prosper for a long time. There hasn't been much time for play. I usually work six days a week and sometimes an extra half day if something needs to be done. Lora was on call all the time.
This past weekend there were at least three hundred people in and around the community center. It was a celebration of life and of self and of the future and about the close of a long journey and the beginning of a new one. Until October when we have to get ready for the All Hallow's Eve Festival, Lora, Emily, Bethany, Laura, Jesca and myself are taking two mandatory days off each week. We've chosen Mondays and Tuesdays. The weekends are too busy at the community center and the community store for Lora and I to not be at our respective positions, (Have you ever thought you'd hear that about me?) to be away. Mondays have always been called "Sleepy Mondays" around her anyway.
To; Diana, Haze, Jim, Kent, Jessica, Xander, Moony, and anyone I've left off... missed ya!
3/8/11
Everything...
In case anyone is listening...
I'll be blogging again starting this Summer. Been locked out of my g-mail since January so if anyone wants to say hi just say it here.
~Sara<3
I'll be blogging again starting this Summer. Been locked out of my g-mail since January so if anyone wants to say hi just say it here.
~Sara<3
2/25/10
Pauses...
So, due to ongoing DRAMA in my life I'm going to put this blog on hiatus till AT LEAST the end of summer. Lora, Emily, Bethany, Laura and myself are all alive and mostly well and I'll have tales to tell when I return of these events but right now my time is allocated to IRL unfortunately.
CUsoon!
p.s. I miss you Diana<3<3<3
~Sara Poe
CUsoon!
p.s. I miss you Diana<3<3<3
~Sara Poe
9/3/09
7/6/09
Emily's World
"It was a hot night in the little community on the bluffs. The kind of heat that makes you sweat in puddles," the P.I. said.
"Are we just going to sit in your office all evening?," I asked.
Emily just sat at her desk and looked straight ahead as if I weren't there.
"There was a fly buzzing her head and P.I. Graves was going to kill it if it interrupted her train of thought again."
To explain; Emily has allowed me to observe her for the evening under the condition that I'm "not really there." She would go on about her life and I would merely observe and take notes. Plus, I knew she was going to put on a show for me so it was gonna be a lot of fun.
"It was possibly going to be the biggest case of her young and sexy life...," she continued, and pulled out her note pad. "The Case of the Tiny Little Cheating Witch," she wrote and said out loud at the same time.
"I know she's fucking that blonde," she wrote and said again, "All I have to do..."
To which I interrupted, "I'll leave! It's not funny."
She tore off the sheet of paper she was writing on, thought a minute, then said and wrote, "The Case of the Conniving Blonde."
I stood up and started walking towards her office door.
"Okay, okay! Dammit," she said and tore off the second sheet. "But I've been suffering from a lack of good cases since I got home."
"What about the Donkey Dick case," I asked.
"Solved," she said and smiled.
"Hey! What's with the smile?" I yelled.
"I didn't touch it or anything," she assured me, then, "Wanna see?," she said pulling out her phone. After pushing a few buttons the pic of Danny's penis came up and...
"Hey, don't P.I.'s go to the bar and then suddenly, over a glass of bourbon, a case drops into their laps?," I asked.
She smiled, "Bourbon it is then!" Then she went back into her dialogue, "P.I. Graves had worked hard over the last few weeks. One night, she thought, just one night I'm gonna take things a little easy. There's this cute brunette that runs the bar around the corner... Maybe I'll go see her, P.I. Graves thought."
Then she got up and after throwing her trench coat and fedora on, walked out the door, shutting it behind her. I got up and followed, finding her waiting for me in the hall.
"P.I. Graves stopped at the top of the stairs on her way out... For no particular reason." Then she started down the stairs.
"I'm not going to write down all your dialoguing," I said following her.
We walked through the store making our way out. Emily in her trench and me scribbling in my pad. Laura and Jesca were there and my sister commented, "They're playing P.I. and reporter again."
To which Emily responded with a pointed finger and, "One day, young lady, I'm going to take you back in that interrogation room and give you thorough work over," then walked out the door. As I followed I heard Jesca behind me yelling, "Why did you smile when she said that!"
I've actually spent very little time at the community center since the end of February, and rarely at all since Emily returned to us.
After we got there...
"P.I. Graves looked around the dark, smoke filled room for someone, anyone she knew," Emily dialogued... "Then decided to take a seat alone at the bar."
I sat next to her as Jacob, who was tending bar, asked us what we were having.
"Bourbon," replied the P.I.
Which caused Jacob to laugh and ask, "No, really. What do you want?"
"I'll get it," I told him then walked behind the bar. "Whadda you want, sweety?"
She gave me a look.
"I mean, what'll it be, P.I. Graves?" I added.
"Do I have to spell it for you, ya dumb dame? B-U-R... Okay, I can't spell it. Just give me a whiskey on the rocks," she said.
"You don't really want whiskey, do you?," I asked the NON-liqueur drinker. (Only beer and wine mostly.)
She reached behind the bar and grabbed a drink glass then put it on the counter top. Then she pointed her finger to the middle of the glass, "Ice.," she said, then pointed her finger nearer the bottom of the glass and said, "Whiskey. In that order."
"P.I. Graves pulled her fedora down to cover her eyes and turned to look out over the patrons of the bar that night," she said. "Something smells fishy."
So, knowing she wouldn't drink it, I poured her whiskey and me a mountain dew then sat next to her at the bar. She sat staring and talking about herself for the better part of twenty minutes. I just sat there listening, jotting things down and watching tv when a commercial came on that I liked.
Finally she picked up the drink, swigged it down, then got up and walked away.
"What the fuck???" I thought.
She got about three feet away then starts gagging and drops to the floor slapping her chest then she rolls onto her back and starts breathing really hard. So I rush over with my mountain dew and gave her a drink.
"Why'd you drink it, dummy?" I laughed.
She lay back down on the floor and started laughing her ass off. "I didn't know it would taste like THAT," she laughed. Then, "Am I gonna be drunk now?" still laughing, everyone staring at her.
She started to get up and yelled, "Pay no attention, people. I'm on a case." Which got a few waves and a lot of smiles and laughs from the crowd.
"People use to think I was crazy when I acted like this in public," I stated, "but look at them. They love you when you do it!"
"`Cause I'm so cute," she replied and rubbed her nose against mine, then, "Hey, there's Lora."
I turned around and the first words out of my mouth were, "That's not Lora." We both watched the girl Emily thought was Lora bus tables for a few minutes in kind of astonishment about how much she looked like Lora.
Then Lora came out from the kitchen and walked right over to the girl and started talking to her. We couldn't really believe what we were seeing. It was like, Lora...and mini-Lora.
To be continued...
~Sara Poe
Special Note; This month marks the fifth anniversary of Sara's Darkness. I have something special planned!
6/28/09
The Inner Light Of Sara Poe
It's been quite a euphoric couple weeks for we three. I have had little time for anything other than relearning the splendor of our relationship. Everything is still in the same place as it was before but everything is new. I can't get enough of the scent of Emily.
I thought it would be stressful for us at first but as soon as we got home from Normal, Illinois that Friday night Emily ran into Brier Rose Court and started hugging everything she saw telling it how much she missed being home.
That night we three slept snuggled together in the BIG BED. Not talking much, rather just enjoying the beauty of each other.
Saturday evening, after each of us nervously and awkwardly beat around the bush about it, we made love 'til late into the night. We talked a lot after that. Mostly about what we had been doing and feeling over the last few months away from the others. (If you've been reading my blog than you know that it wasn't only Emily who was away, but Lora and I weren't really together either.)
We talked about Bethany. Lora, who has mostly kept quiet about the subject before, now had a lot of questions about her. As did Emily. I tried to explain things as best I could but it's still confusing to me, too, so I don't think I left either of them with a 100% good impression.
On Sunday we let Emily free from captivity for half the day to wander around the community and announce her return. Everyone was happy. They all love her so much. Of all the fuck-up's I've made in my life, picking good people to spend it with wasn't one of them.
We've become home-bodies since Emily came back. After work we three all come back to Brier Rose Court and spend the evenings and the nights together. Keeping mostly to ourselves. (Plus, it's been really hot lately so going outside isn't high on the agenda.)
As for Bethany...
I've only seen her twice; once to tell her that I was going to be spending a lot of time with Emily and Lora so I wouldn't see her much, and the second time was when she came to the store last Thursday evening. I took her up to Emily's office, which she hadn't seen before, so she could welcome Emily back.
Emily didn't take that very well at first. She wasn't mean to Bethany or anything, but she was pretty quiet while she was there. Later Emily said that watching the two of us together made her jealous. I haven't spoken to Bethany since.
Tomorrow night, I will follow Private Investigator Emily Graves around and document her evening to be chronicled in our newsletter, The Community Chronicles," as a welcome home edition for Emily. I'll post a version of it here.
Next; Emily's World
~Sara Poe<3
6/16/09
Lora's Heart, Emily's Heart, Sara's Heart
We arrived in Normal late Friday. It was a long trip and we were tired. The best thing would have been to check into a hotel, call Emily to let her know we were there and arrange to meet on Saturday. That thought never crossed our minds.
We went straight to her parent's house.
There wasn't a place to park in front of the house but as we drove by both our hearts skipped a beat. Emily was in the front yard and saw us as we parked a few doors down. Her mother was there, too, and gave us a slight frown when we got out of the car.
Emily had on gardening gloves and held a small shovel in her hand. She waved at us right away, but we could see that the smile on her face was a false one. Still, she looked so beautiful standing there.
"You guys want some lemonade?" was the first thing she said to us and I then noticed a little homemade lemonade stand sitting in the front of her yard. It was SO Emily to do such a thing that I almost cried right there.
She showed us the flowers she had planted a few weeks back that were starting to bloom while we drank her lemonade. Lora actually dropped two quarters into the empty cup with the huge $.25 sign sitting on the stand. When her mother went into the house I asked Emily if she would go for a walk with us and she agreed.
We walked for a block without saying a word when Emily asked how things were in the community. Another block past and we stopped at the park Emily use to play in as a kid, and probably still did then, named after someone famous from Normal, Illinois who's name I can't remember. It was empty and the sun was going to be setting soon. Emily stopped and leaned against a tree, her favorite she later told us, then hooked both thumbs in her jeans pockets and gave us a, "Whats up?" look.
Lora did most of the talking. Her speech was sincere and eloquent and every word she said came from deep within both our hearts. She spoke of the pain and anger and sorrow we had caused Emily and how we realized that she was truly an equal part of this relationship and how we never really, truly understood that till we lost her. She told her how empty our world had become without her in it.
Lora's words were beautiful.
Emily's next action was one I didn't see coming. I didn't even see her hand move up. I'm sure Lora did. I'm sure she could have stopped her, and I'm sure that she didn't want to.
SLAP!!!
Lora's lip started trembling and eyes teared up immediately. Then Emily looked at me, anger on her face, and started her march forward.
I knew what was coming. I also knew that there was no way I was going to try to stop it from happening. I clinched my fists and drew in a deep breath, but kept my eyes open and locked on Emily's. I knew she wanted it that way. She wanted to look me right in the eyes when it happened.
SLAP!!!
The physical pain was intense as fuck! It only lasted for a few moments but it hurt so bad lights appeared in my eyes and my ears began to ring.
The emotional pain hurt far worse, but it also made me feel better than I have in a long time. It was like a wave of relief swept over me. I had deserved that. I had needed it! I had earned it. It also made my eyes tear up so bad that Emily started to blur, then disappeared entirely. When I wiped them I saw that she had dropped to her knees and started crying herself.
"Why did you guys do that to me!" she cried.
I dropped right down with her and Lora rushed over and joined us. We gripped Emily and each other as tight as we could with her head between our heads where it belonged. The sound of our crying was loud and uncontrollable. We three sat there with the setting sun beaming over us for what seemed like forever bawling our eyes out in a park who's name I couldn't even remember.
When Emily's arms reached up and started gripping us tight, too, we knew peace for the first time in forever.
"Please come back home with us," I begged.
"Okay," she answered without hesitation.
We three almost RAN back to Emily's house.
"Wait in the car and I'll be right back," She said.
She ran in the house and came back minutes later with only her photo albums in her hands and nothing else. When she left us she only took what she came with. When she came back she came back with only her memories of that life. Just before she reached the car she turned around and grabbed the two quarters from the cup on the lemonaid stand and yelled to her mom who was now standing on the porch that she loved her and would call when she got to Quincy.
Emily jumped in the front seat next to Lora, now with a real smile on her face, and her first words were...
"Okay, now I know we don't do vengeance, but what are we going to do to get even with that bitch, Elizabeth Raye?"
We'd spent less than an hour in Normal.
~Sara Poe
We went straight to her parent's house.
There wasn't a place to park in front of the house but as we drove by both our hearts skipped a beat. Emily was in the front yard and saw us as we parked a few doors down. Her mother was there, too, and gave us a slight frown when we got out of the car.
Emily had on gardening gloves and held a small shovel in her hand. She waved at us right away, but we could see that the smile on her face was a false one. Still, she looked so beautiful standing there.
"You guys want some lemonade?" was the first thing she said to us and I then noticed a little homemade lemonade stand sitting in the front of her yard. It was SO Emily to do such a thing that I almost cried right there.
She showed us the flowers she had planted a few weeks back that were starting to bloom while we drank her lemonade. Lora actually dropped two quarters into the empty cup with the huge $.25 sign sitting on the stand. When her mother went into the house I asked Emily if she would go for a walk with us and she agreed.
We walked for a block without saying a word when Emily asked how things were in the community. Another block past and we stopped at the park Emily use to play in as a kid, and probably still did then, named after someone famous from Normal, Illinois who's name I can't remember. It was empty and the sun was going to be setting soon. Emily stopped and leaned against a tree, her favorite she later told us, then hooked both thumbs in her jeans pockets and gave us a, "Whats up?" look.
Lora did most of the talking. Her speech was sincere and eloquent and every word she said came from deep within both our hearts. She spoke of the pain and anger and sorrow we had caused Emily and how we realized that she was truly an equal part of this relationship and how we never really, truly understood that till we lost her. She told her how empty our world had become without her in it.
Lora's words were beautiful.
Emily's next action was one I didn't see coming. I didn't even see her hand move up. I'm sure Lora did. I'm sure she could have stopped her, and I'm sure that she didn't want to.
SLAP!!!
Lora's lip started trembling and eyes teared up immediately. Then Emily looked at me, anger on her face, and started her march forward.
I knew what was coming. I also knew that there was no way I was going to try to stop it from happening. I clinched my fists and drew in a deep breath, but kept my eyes open and locked on Emily's. I knew she wanted it that way. She wanted to look me right in the eyes when it happened.
SLAP!!!
The physical pain was intense as fuck! It only lasted for a few moments but it hurt so bad lights appeared in my eyes and my ears began to ring.
The emotional pain hurt far worse, but it also made me feel better than I have in a long time. It was like a wave of relief swept over me. I had deserved that. I had needed it! I had earned it. It also made my eyes tear up so bad that Emily started to blur, then disappeared entirely. When I wiped them I saw that she had dropped to her knees and started crying herself.
"Why did you guys do that to me!" she cried.
I dropped right down with her and Lora rushed over and joined us. We gripped Emily and each other as tight as we could with her head between our heads where it belonged. The sound of our crying was loud and uncontrollable. We three sat there with the setting sun beaming over us for what seemed like forever bawling our eyes out in a park who's name I couldn't even remember.
When Emily's arms reached up and started gripping us tight, too, we knew peace for the first time in forever.
"Please come back home with us," I begged.
"Okay," she answered without hesitation.
We three almost RAN back to Emily's house.
"Wait in the car and I'll be right back," She said.
She ran in the house and came back minutes later with only her photo albums in her hands and nothing else. When she left us she only took what she came with. When she came back she came back with only her memories of that life. Just before she reached the car she turned around and grabbed the two quarters from the cup on the lemonaid stand and yelled to her mom who was now standing on the porch that she loved her and would call when she got to Quincy.
Emily jumped in the front seat next to Lora, now with a real smile on her face, and her first words were...
"Okay, now I know we don't do vengeance, but what are we going to do to get even with that bitch, Elizabeth Raye?"
We'd spent less than an hour in Normal.
~Sara Poe
6/10/09
The Things reflected In Lora's Eyes
...And all the Queen's horses and all the Queen's men, couldn't put Lorabelle together again.
I told Lora all about what happened with Bethany, and although she gave me a few "looks," she mostly understood and accepted that this person was going to be in my life from now on.
Lora and I have mostly stayed away from each other since Emily left us. being together somehow doesn't feel the way it use to. Eight years together and although we've had our short separations, we've never truly felt like we weren't together.
When Emily came into our lives things really didn't change emotionally between us much. As sad as it is for me to say now, at first, and perhaps for a long time after that, Emily wasn't truly considered a full and equal part of our relationship. Lora had often called her, "Sara's plaything," as if she were there mostly to keep me from getting bored or something.
Emily did spend most of her time with me, and I think looking back, she and I spent more time together that Lora and I did. Emily was there to "keep me out of trouble," and that's what she did.
Of course, she and Lora had their moments. Mora than once they made love when I wasn't there and often I've walked in on them having a close encounter of the emotional kind. (A kiss, talking quietly with smiles on their faces, etc.) We've all felt jealousy of the others, but by keeping it under control and telling ourselves that we had our moments with both the others, too, it made things work well between we three.
But in reality Lora and I both felt that the relationship was ours alone and Emily was added later as something we both became obsessed with having. I guess thinking that way about her made us believe it was okay to do what we did to Bethany. Everything changed for us when she left.
We weren't the same couple we had been for the last eight years. Emily HAD, without us realizing, became a full third of this relationship and slowly both Lora and I were seeing that this just wasn't working right without her in our lives. There were never thoughts of us splitting up because we long ago realized that the two of us were meant to be and nothing would change that. It's just that now we knew that it had advanced beyond that. We needed her, too.
I remember coming home early t'other night to the sound of Bob Seger's "Against The Wind" blaring down the stairs. It was one of Emily's favorite songs, (She is a Bob Seger fanATIC.) and I started running up the stairs, my heart pounding out of my chest, and knowing, just KNOWING, that I would see her when I reached the top.
Instead I found Lora. She was standing in front of the stereo system looking at the huge picture of me, her and Emily that sat above it. She turned around and right away said...
"Remember how many times we came home and heard this."
"Yeah," I said, "But she played it a lot louder."
"I would yell up the stairs, `TURN THAT DAMN THING DOWN!'," Lora said, "...and she would ignore me and come running down the stairs wanting to slow dance with us."
Then added out of nowhere...
"Do you wanna make love?"
"What?," I said, kinda in shock. After a few seconds of her not saying anything I stepped close to her, put my hand on her stomach and said, "Okay."
She looked back at the picture and replied, "Yeah, me neither."
I instinctively wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me. Just wanting to hold her. She wrapped her's around me and all of a sudden she started crying. I tried to pull back to ask her what was wrong but she just gripped me tighter when I did and wouldn't let me go. I realized then that I had not felt this in months. I had not felt Lora's arms around me since before Emily left and I started crying, too. (I love crying.)
When we calmed down we started talking, and we talked most of the night. Finally Lora summed up our conclusion...
"We'll leave Friday afternoon and take the weekend off of work. We'll stay in Normal until she agrees to come home with us and if she doesn't we'll just stay there. We'll make a life there near her and we won't come back here without her!"
For the first time since she left us we slept together in the center of the bed. In Emily's spot. I think we both pretended that the other was her, just so we could sleep, and dream, and prepare.
~Sara Poe
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