#fear of cars and stories bout missing people just being grabbed and taken away

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

«i had a dream about my funeral tonight» carlo after moretti's murder, who sometimes wonders if the same fate will befall him

«I sullied my youth with the most vulgar of dreams: In black cars that look like big turtles Shouting out over other people's thoughts in their skulls I'll have a dream about my funeral The bitter rubber of drunken saliva stretches and stretches, a stubborn thread And it ends, thinning When it ends, I'll be gone too Find me, find me, find me under the fence Eyes, eyes, eyelids, lips Black flame» ^ won't link the song but here's the other one that may fit the mood i guess. anyway it's a good song

«Dad, the kids are out in the yard They're burying a bird Not a pigeon or a tit Dad, give me two rubles I'll throw it in the pit Dad, we're family Don't be dramatic

Dad, my collarbone's been hurting all morning Somewhere in the middle of the yard There's a bird buried Dad, give me some milk I'll pour it in the pit»

[ecotone99]

[MF] Symptoms of Anger

Logline: A disease pandemic strikes in which anger is a prominent symptom, how does life change when anger must be resisted at all costs?

_____________

"Breaking news, scientists have discovered a new virus called Choler. It causes extreme bouts of anger; a person can be calm for one second and totally out of control the next. Choler is very infectious, even being in the presence of someone angry may lead you to be angry as well. Please shelter in place until this pandemic has passed, if friends or loved ones begin to experience bouts of anger, please consult a physician, and they'll be locked in quarantine, be safe everyone. I'm Loretta Sanchez, BNN News."

Maureen and Larry Stapleton just finished having a heated argument about Maureen going 3,000 miles over on her car's oil change, when the news bulletin broke. Larry has been known to fly off the handle sometimes in his past. Maureen takes excellent care of him; she doesn't want him to be in quarantine. It's rumored that quarantine is a death sentence, even if you don't have a disease, proximity infects you anyway.

"Maureen, could you pass the newspaper," Larry asks.

"Yes, would you like a particular section?" Maureen says as she holds up the paper.

"No, I would like the whole newspaper," Larry says, becoming agitated with every move Maureen makes. She hands him the newspaper, takes a deep breath, gathers her keys and coat. Without arguments, they have very little to talk about,

"I'm heading to the supermarket. Would you like anything while I'm there?" Maureen asks.

"Sure, I could go for a nice ham sandwich or something," Larry says.

As Maureen enters the store, she notices that everyone is friendly to one another, adorned with face masks and gloves, everyone is overly nice. At the deli, Maureen and another woman, go to grab the same ticket, the woman steps back, offering Maureen the ticket first. As they're waiting for their number to be called, Maureen wonders over to produce. She grabs the last peach off of the display. A man approaches who missed the last peach by a second,

"I was going for that last peach; you saw me coming, you know you did," the man says, challenging Maureen.

"I swear, I didn't see you, I apologize, here, take the peach," Maureen offers.

"Yeah, like I want a peach that had your infected hands on it. I can't believe they're out of peaches; this is the worst supermarket I've ever been to, I'm never going to come back in here again, where's the manager?" the man screams. Customers start to run for the door out of fear of the virus. The man is eventually wrestled to the ground by two men in hazmat suits. It was a scary moment.

When Maureen arrived home, she placed Larry's sandwich on the table in front of him,

"You got roast beef," Larry mentioned.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Maureen asked.

"Oh, I thought I said ham, it's alright," Larry says as he gently starts to eat the roast beef sandwich.

Month one of the shelter in place, Maureen did everything in her power to appease Larry, the last thing she wanted was to have Larry get in "a mood" and wind up in quarantine or worse. Larry made sure to take full advantage, from Larry's perspective, Maureen was a people pleaser, she liked cleaning and babying him.

Maureen was helping out at a charity benefit for those who suffer from Choler. Her friend, Patty, roped her into helping, however, Maureen ended up doing most of the work. The day of the event came, and their registration tent and advertisements were vandalized the night before.

"Do you believe what they did to our sign," Patty said.

"It'll be alright, most of the advertisements barely have any writing on them," Patty says, trying to look on the bright side, avoiding negativity at all costs.

"Hooligans, don't they know it's for a good cause, I lost a brother and a cousin to this disease, I can't believe this," the woman says as she tries to engage Maureen, but it's just not working. Maureen pulls away from Patty, cautiously giving her a wide berth.

"What are you doing? I don't have the disease," Patty says as Maureen starts to run away. "Go ahead, keep running, everyone is so obsessed about not getting angry, that no one gets mad about things they should get mad about!" the woman says as Maureen is out of sight.

A month and a half in and bills are due; Larry pays the bills for the household. He notices that this month, their credit card statement is five hundred dollars more than usual. He calls Maureen,

"Hey hun, what's going on with the credit card, how come it's two and half times what it normally is?" Larry asks. Maureen comes in from the kitchen,

"That's from Janice's baby shower, Jamie and I were supposed to share the expense, but then she lost her job," Maureen said.

"There you go again, getting taken advantage of by your sister, how many times have I said it over the years, she's a deadbeat," Larry says.

"Calm down, are you feeling okay?" Maureen asks.

"I feel fine; I just don't like to see you taken advantage of, that's all," Larry reassures.

"You know my sister, we're never going to see that money," Maureen says without a doubt.

"You need to take a stand with her, tell her how you feel, once and for all," Larry says.

"I think everyone should bottle things up these days; showing emotions can only lead to one thing, a one-way ticket to quarantine," Maureen insists.

"I'm going for a walk," Larry says as he takes a deep breath.

Larry's on the verge of a breakdown, keeping his anger under control is a full-time job for Maureen, he's like a volcano ready to erupt. Maureen starts to suspect he might even have the virus. These thoughts keep her up at night.

Going into the second month of the pandemic, at work, things aren't much better for Maureen, after social distancing began, Larry's been home, away from work. Maureen works double hours, working extra hard to make sure all work is finished on time; she doesn't want to give her boss any reason.

Unfortunately, they are also looking to cut the workforce. Behind her back, a co-worker named Jennifer took credit for a stellar presentation that Maureen put together, Maureen's name never came up in conversation. When push came to shove, Maureen was let go, and they promoted Jennifer instead. It didn't take that much detective work to find out what happened. The virus was at peek numbers at that time; she knew that if she got angry, everyone would think she had the disease. She stayed calm at work, but when she told Larry she lost her job, he did not have such a tempered reaction.

"After all the work you put in, they did what?!" Larry shouted.

"Calm down, I didn't tell you all this so that you could make a big deal out of it, let me handle this in my way," Maureen said trying to occupy her thoughts and actions with cooking, cleaning and sudoku puzzles.

"Nothing is stopping me from going down there and giving them a piece of my mind; maybe I happen to fall and scratch your bosses' car on the way out," Larry says as you take deep breaths to calm down.

Next week, the pandemic is approaching its third month. The mayor wanted to hold a meeting with the town residents to nip any bad habits once and for all. At the meeting, they revealed that much of the anger was happening at night. In order to curb unnecessary rage after dusk, the city is enforcing a curfew on everyone. The curfew made a lot of people in the town hall a little nervous, no one more than Larry. He didn't waste any time getting to his feet,

"It is unacceptable for you to have this much control over our lives," Larry said in an elevated tone.

"Mr. Stapleton, there will be time for public comment at the end of this meeting, until then I ask that you be quiet," the mayor said.

"No, I will not be quiet, I think this is an outrage," Larry said. Before Larry could get going, the mayor waves to police officers in hazmat suits,

"Take him into quarantine," the mayor said. Maureen stepped up,

"No, you can't; he's not sick if you put him with the other's, he's going to die for sure!" Maureen pleads.

"Put her in there, too," said the mayor.

"Me? I've had enough of all this! How dare you, we're under enough stress having to worry about our day-to-day frustrations, the virus, if we'll be able to pay our bills next month and now, we can't even go outside at night, Maureen says. Residents in the town hall are nodding in agreement with Maureen. It has been so long since they've seen anger, they forgot how cathartic it is.

"Mrs. Stapleton, you are out of order," the mayor says as he bangs his gavel on the table. Maureen makes her way to the front, takes the gavel from his hand, and throws it across the auditorium. She then proceeds to choke the mayor.

"You son of a bitch!" shouts Maureen, releasing three months of pent-up rage. The police are entirely ignoring Larry, and they are all starting to rip Maureen off the mayor; it takes four people to stop Maureen. When she is under control, an official from the medical board enters the auditorium.

"They've discovered a cure for Choler! Quarantine is over." says the medical officer. They released Maureen with that, and the mayor doesn't press charges.

Anger is one of those emotions that is a double-edged sword; it pushes people to right wrongs, prevents injustice, and share opinions, but it can also cause a fury that can land you in jail. Pain and fear are underlying where there is anger. To internalize that long-term pain and anxiety can only show itself in another way or at another time. Perhaps it's the virus? Maybe they're just people hitting their breakpoint? It's hard to say, sometimes you look at one person, and they seem like a raving madman, but you don't know their back story, maybe they just got to a point where they couldn't take it anymore.

submitted by /u/patrickryan182 [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2xVOPmC

[missbemaeve]

THERE’S A JOKE HERE SOMEWHERE AND IT’S ON ME - YSTLC

x. eerie atmosphere surrounding hawkins

i call, you’re not at home, you’re home but you’re not alone  ( i know there’s something going on ; frida )

saturday, november twelfth, nineteen eighty three

glancing out through the window where the sun had just disappeared behind the horizon, maeve let out a quiet groan. she wished she had never agreed to take an extra shift. pulling herself from the warm haven of the couch, she quickly made her way in to her room where she changed in to her waitress uniform before knotting the strings of the fraying white apron behind her waist. 

maeve tied her dingy, white keds tightly before double checking that she had her wallet and keys before saying her goodbyes as she left the standish home. hawkins, indiana seemed as though someone had pressed pause on the night– a bizarre silence and feeling of electricity hung in the evening air. as maeve locked the car door once she arrived at benny’s burgers, her eyes scanned the parking lot inhabited by only one other car. 

benny’s brother, robert, looked up from the muscle car magazine he’d been reading behind the counter as the bell on the top corner of the door jingled lightly; the usual line that his mouth was pressed in to turned up at the corners in to a small smile when he saw maeve. the older man had taken a liking to the feisty maeve and found her endearing– a word not typically used in descriptions of the teen. “hi, mr. hammond.” maeve placed her things beneath the register’s counter and counted her drawer quickly after the man muttered his greeting.

maeve slid her drawer back in to the register and looked for her small memo pad for orders before finding it wedged behind a toaster against the wall. she brushed crumbs from the thick, navy cardboard cover before pocketing it and plucking a pencil from a cracked mug on the counter. there was something so pleasant about the mundane routine of working in a diner. the mindless work was a welcome exchange for the time she spent with her brain in overdrive. “has it been this dead all night?”

“yep. it doesn’t look like it’s going to pick up anytime soon either, kid.” his low voice filled the space more than the staticky radio from the backroom. 

“i can’t imagine people have actually found something else to do on a saturday night here.” maeve rolled her eyes, despite liking hawkins, she knew the residents had nothing better to do on a saturday evening. the theater was only showing two films, both of which had been out for nearly a month. there were few restaurants and even fewer bars. the suspicion of the strange night was slowly confirmed as she mulled it over in her mind. ‘there’s nothing strange going on; hawkins is always a bore.’ maeve thought to herself before she grabbed a creased copy of the newspaper and flipped the flimsy pages to the crossword puzzle.

for nearly an hour, the two sat in silence, looking at their respective literature mindlessly, until robert spoke once more. “would you mind closing up tonight? we’ve been dead for ‘bout two hours and i don’t think anybody else is gonna come. i told morgan that i would try and read her a bedtime story tonight.” 

maeve had a soft-spot for robert’s daughters. after benny had died, robert took over benny’s burgers without question but he lived nearly an hour away with his family until they could move to hawkins when his daughters finished their school year. “no, of course. tell laura and the girls that i said hello.” 

he smiled gratefully before going back to the backroom to retrieve his things. “you know where the keys are to lock up, feel free to make yourself some dinner, and don’t give any of the nonexistent customers food poisoning.”

“you know, i resent that and you may be missing a couple of pints of ice cream when you come in tomorrow– just in repayment for that comment!” she called after him as he exited while chuckling quietly. 

maeve chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. she felt her pulse quicken– being alone in the dark and in a town where she knew bad things happened didn’t make her feel at all at ease. with every creak as the building settled and every time static came through the speakers, maeve responded with a flinch. 

in an attempt to find something more comforting, she flipped the old television in the backroom to a channel that was showing a film she’d seen before. the familiar dialogue and music lessened her anxiety– her relief was interrupted as her stomach made a loud growling noise. in the commotion of the day, maeve had forgotten to eat. 

she dropped a handful of french fries in to the fryer. the oil came to life, spattering and bubbling lowly as the potatoes slowly cooked. humming along to the music from the film, maeve made herself a grilled cheese sandwich. less than ten minutes later, she grabbed one of the plastic red bottles and squirted ketchup haphazardly over her fries before picking up her half-completed crossword puzzle and walking to the backroom and sitting behind the desk. if the bell rang, she’d know a customer had entered and would only be behind the corner, she reasoned as she balanced a glass of soda in her less full hand. 

eating her food slowly, maeve took stock of the events that had transpired. in the past forty-eight hours of her life, more interpersonal interaction had taken place than in the three years previous. she’d found herself with a family that truly cared, multiple friends, and… ‘a boyfriend?‘ it felt strange to think those words to herself. james knew only the surface of the abyss that was her past. would he want anything to do with her if he knew about her real parents? about where she’d come from? would she keep it from him?

her train of thought was interrupted as she heard the glass door swing open violently and the bell clang, alerting her that someone had entered the diner quite frantically. maeve felt her heart begin to pound against her sternum– it could have been anyone. someone from the lab could have known she was here alone, her biological parents, an axe murderer– every possibility ran through her mind. abandoning her food, maeve found a heavy-bottomed iron skillet and kept low to the ground. she crept slowly and silently until she was behind the countertop, she could her someone pacing only feet away as the wet rubber soles of their shoes squeaked against the dry, aging linoleum. 

maeve steadied herself, taking a deep breath before preparing herself to jump and take on whoever was inside the building with her. ‘one….two…three!’ with a short battle cry, maeve popped up from behind the counter, prepared to defend herself. she held the heavy skillet, ready to swing and run before she stopped as the stranger let out a short yelp and held up both hands in surrender. “andie!?” maeve sat down the skillet quickly before coming around to andie’s side.

“maeve!” andie peterson stood in front of maeve, her denim jacket damp and her mascara smudged across her face. her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to catch her breath. maeve couldn’t fathom what had gotten her to this point. “i saw your car, i’m sorry! i didn’t mean to scare you and i didn’t know where else to go–” maeve cut the babbling, distraught girl off with a tight hug. 

“no, it’s okay.” she held the blonde at arm’s length and examined her. “i don’t know what’s going on but you need ice cream.” maeve walked to the door and flipped the sign to closed before grabbing andie by the hand and pulling her back in to the kitchen. “you scared the hell out of me.” she sat andie down in the second chair in the backroom and wandered toward the walk-in freezer. maeve plucked two pints of ice cream, pistachio and strawberry, from the shelf and two spoons from the clean dishes stack before coming back to sit with her distraught friend.

“what the hell happened, andie?” tossing the lid of the dessert on to the table in front of her, maeve dug in to the swirly, pink confection that was flecked with the red pieces of the fruit. 

“i went to see kyle.” andie spoke, exasperated with herself as she shoved a spoonful of the pistachio ice cream in to her mouth. “i know– you told me it was a bad idea but i had to know!” she complained with her mouth full. “and you were right. he is an awful,” she paused, searching for the right word before settling, “jerk.” andie looked down at the spoon, scraping the green dessert in to frozen curls. it was as if maeve could see andie let down one of her walls so she could finally be vulnerable. “i thought that maybe i meant something to him but he was so condescending and i think it was just…all in my head.” she finished lamely.

“what an ashole.” maeve reached across and squeezed andie’s hand in solidarity. “do you want me to go get him back? you know i’m not above that.” 

“oh, that’s another thing…” she trailed off before putting another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, “i slapped him. and now i am probably going to jail for assault and i’ll never graduate and get in to princeton and i’ll end up working at the tastee-freez for the rest of my life.” she lamented, continuing to eat the ice cream. 

“andie peterson, you little rebel!” maeve’s eyes lit up. “first of all, i’m proud of you for standing up for yourself because, frankly, he deserved to finally get smacked by someone and he is lucky it wasn’t me. second, his pride won’t let him tell anyone that he got hit by anyone, let alone a girl– the sexist creep– so i promise you will not go to jail. but why did you leave your car with him? you’re going to have to go back to his house at some point now.”

andie’s eyes widened, her stress eating not subsiding. “well, actually,” she looked everywhere aside from at maeve’s face, “that is at brett’s house.”

“oh my god, you told him that you turned him in?” maeve whispered urgently as if she feared someone in the completely empty restaurant would hear them.

“not exactly. i was kind of on a roll after the whole kyle debacle so i was going to! and then i was at his door and we were talking and we…just ended up kissing.”

“andrea peterson!” maeve’s jaw dropped, her spoon hitting the floor with a loud clang. “you made out with brett? brett li?! holy shit!” 

“i didn’t mean to! it just happened!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she shrugged her denim clad shoulders.

“well?” maeve pushed, her eyes wide.

“and i liked it but i didn’t know what to do so i ran here.” andie finally made eye contact with maeve whose face broke in to an exasperated grin.

“you ran a mile and a half in the rain because a boy kissed you and you were afraid? dammit, andie.” maeve rolled her eyes, laughing lightly before falling silent for a moment. “so, i take it that you didn’t tell him about turning him in?”

“i will, i just need to figure out how.” andie exhaled, her head falling back, her ponytail brushing against the wall. “because it was a really good kiss and i’d like to do it again…”

“you had your first kiss less than a week ago and now you’re a wanton woman, andie peterson!” maeve poked fun at her best friend before grabbing a new spoon from the kitchen. 

the two girls spent the next hour eating and talking about andie’s new endeavors in to the world of potential relationships before she stopped in the middle of her sentence, “wait– i forgot to even ask. what the heck happened earlier at the police station? are you okay? mae, i’m sorry. i was just caught up in all of my stuff and forgot to ask!”

it was now maeve’s turn to avoid eye contact. “yeah, so, everything is…good now, to say the least.” a small smile appeared on her face as she looked down at her hands.

“what is that supposed to mean? i’m you’re best friend! you’re like somewhat legally obligated to tell me everything!” andie pushed, poking maeve in the arm.

“so, i was at the movies with alice and brendan, then that whole thing with steve and nancy and jonathan happened– i’m sure you heard about that– and james showed up with the other cops and decided he wanted to ask me some questions and then he got aggravated that i wasn’t answering and he said he needed to bring me in to the police station so he did and we ended up talking through everything. he was…strangely accepting of it all.” maeve shook her head, “it was really surprising, you know? i guess it’s just nice to know that the two people who mean the most to me are okay with what i can do.” 

now it was andie’s turn to reach out and squeeze maeve’s hand, a half-smile across her face as she paused. “so, what are you two now?”

“he’s kind of my boyfriend, i think.” maeve felt her face turn a shade of pink, still smiling. she wasn’t used to saying that– she was unsure if she ever would be.

“you deserve this, maeve. you deserve to be happy! i can’t wait to finally actually meet him.” andie paused, looking at the girl who was only a stranger a week ago, still a small smile on her face, “what are you thinking?”

“that i’m just really lucky.” andie reached across, hugging maeve tightly. laughing, maeve squeezed the blonde gently. 

their quiet reunion was broken by the familiar bell from the door jingling once more. andie and maeve’s eyes went wide as they separated. maeve mimed zipping her lips and pointed to the ground. andie had no clue that there was anything to fear in hawkins but her trust in maeve overruled that knowledge. a look of worry had taken residence on andie’s face, her blonde brows drawn together in concern. ‘it’s okay.’ maeve mouthed, reassuringly, before she silently crept to the back counter and grabbed the large knife she had used earlier to cut food while staying low to the ground. andie followed closely behind, maeve handed her the large skillet she had used earlier when andie had arrived. maeve nodded to the front of the restaurant, andie followed. after a moment, they were just behind the front counter. andie clutched the pan close to her chest, nervously following maeve’s lead. maeve grasped the knife, prepared to ward off whatever threat had taken residence in the restaurant.

staying silent, maeve listened intently and heard heavy-bottomed boots crossing from the floor toward one of the booths. the sound as the person walked sounded familiar but she was unable to place it to any situation that came to mind. andie raised an eyebrow, making eye contact with maeve who shrugged, distressed. she held up three manicured fingers, andie nodded before maeve mouthed a countdown. on the third beat, the two girls popped up from behind the counter, a shriek breaking through andie’s lips.

maeve felt the tension leave her body as she dropped the knife, it fell to the floor with a muffled clatter. “james houseman! you scared us!” maeve chastised, putting a hand over her pounding heart, the other on her hip. 

james’ hand had moved to his gun as the girls surprised him, “shit, sorry, mae.” he held his hands up. “i got a call that the lights were on here and there were cars but no one inside. someone must have driven by. i just wanted to make sure you were okay.” he half-smiled, shrugging as he put his hands in his jacket pockets. 

andie set the heavy pan down, relieved of the weight. andie’s eyes moved back and forth between the couple, she pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. maeve looked over and rolled her eyes, smiling all the while. “andie, this is james. james, andie peterson. she’s my best friend.” james walked over to the counter to shake her hand, chuckling at the circumstance. 

“it’s nice to meet you finally!” andie held eye contact and gripped his hand– trying to show dominance in a strong handshake. 

he took pause after hearing her speak, “you were the one on the phone last night.” it wasn’t a question, he laughed. “nice to meet you too.” he sat at one of the stools in front of the counter. 

“guilty as charged!” andie grinned. moving to sit on the counter. “it’s nice to see that your black eye is going away.”

maeve internally chastised herself for being flustered like a young schoolgirl. bringing herself back to reality, she picked up the knife and pan to carry back to the kitchen. “so, the people of hawkins have nothing better to do than call the cops about a diner with the lights on?”

“nothing ever happens in this town. they’ve got to get their kicks somewhere.” james shrugged, pulling out his radio to mumble the all clear. 

maeve was glad her face was hidden from the two, a look of guilt overtaking her expression. she’d move heaven and hell to make sure no harm from anything that plagued hawkins ever came to them. she rested her hands on the counter and took a breath to regain her composure before returning to the two who had begun a conversation over something that hadn’t even registered in her mind. maeve sat on the counter in front of james, her legs crossed, silently and listening to the two bond. she just enjoyed being in their company; she felt safe with them. 

andie’s green eyes finally caught on the clock after talking for a short while. “i need to get home. i’m totally exhausted.”

“do you want me to drive you home?” james offered. maeve looked at him, completely enamored with him and his kindness.

“no, thank you though. it’s alright, i’ll call my mom and have her come pick me up.” andie hopped off the counter and went to the back room that they had abandoned once james had arrived. her exit left the couple alone for the first time since he took her home earlier in the day.

“hey.” maeve bit her lower lip, trying not to smile too widely at him.

“hi.” he murmured back. james pushed her hair behind her ear before kissing her chastely.

“hey.” she spoke, dumbstruck.

“you said that already.” he chuckled, taking her hand in his own. 

“sorry, i’m not great at this whole relationship thing so just bear with me.” she laughed, placing his hand palm-up on her leg so she could trace the lines of his palm.

“we’ll learn together.” maeve’s silence coaxed him on. “you alright? i’m sorry that i scared you earlier.”

“no, it’s not that…” she trailed off, “i just–” maeve was cut off by andie re-entering the dining space. 

“my mom is gonna be here in like five minutes. you know when you’re so tired, you feel like your bed is calling you? it’s how i feel right now!” andie stifled a yawn. her day of boy drama and friend issues had emptied her tank and she couldn’t wait to fall in to the plush white paradise of her bed. 

“definitely.” maeve grinned, still holding james’ hand. the three made small talk until their conversation was interrupted by a short blast of a car horn. maeve hopped off the counter, landing lightly and silently on the balls of her feet. she walked outside with andie before hugging her tightly. “i’ll call you tomorrow, okay? and, if my mom calls and asks, i’m staying with you tonight.”

“it’s nice to see you like this, maeve. happy, i mean.” andie spoke as they hugged. “he seems really in to you. you’re smitten!” teasingly, she smiled and pulled away, “have fun! but not too much. don’t do anything that i wouldn’t do!” andie instructed while walking backwards toward her mother’s car.

maeve rolled her eyes in good nature, “okay, mom.” she leaned down and waved at andie’s mother who, smiling kindly, waved back. “drive safe!”

maeve walked back in to restaurant where james had taken to cleaning up the kitchen. “deputy, i don’t think this is in your job description.” she smiled, before making certain that the worn sign on the door was flipped to closed and locking it so no patrons could come in. she wandered to the back room to turn on the radio back on while they finished.

“maybe not, but i’m off in an hour and i want to spend time with my girlfriend.” he tossed a dishtowel over his shoulder as he finished washing the dishes that the two girls had dirtied between the food and ice cream. maeve swept the coffee-stained floors and wiped down the counters and tables with a frayed cloth. they’d mostly finished all of the things she needed to do before locking up for the night; it was an understatement to say that she was excited for their actual second date, even if it was just going to be talking and watching a movie. she occasionally snuck glances at him as they worked in a comfortable silence. maeve turned off most of the lights aside from the neon signs on the windows that colorfully illuminated the restaurant. 

humming, maeve cleaned up anything she came across as she worked her way back toward the kitchen. as she moved to cross the room, she felt james’ hands on her hips. he’d come out from the kitchen after finishing the dishes and putting things away quickly. he spun her to face him, taking one of her hands in his and placing the other on his opposite shoulder. as they came face to face, he grinned down at her. 

she let out a laugh, following his lead and dancing slowly to the staticky sounds of a piano and synth-laden song by journey. she rested her head on james’ chest as he held her close. the two swayed back and forth. ‘this feels right.’ maeve felt butterflies in her stomach and chest. coming to hawkins had been simultaneously the worst and best thing to happen to her in her life. 

a sharp noise came from the radio on james’ belt. his forehead came to rest against her own as they laughed quietly. “every time.” he shook his head before taking a step back and answering it. maeve could barely comprehend the voice on the other end but james did so with ease. “disturbance call at the byers’.” he explained.

“do you think it’s joyce? i know things have been hard on her.” maeve frowned, concerned.

“no telling. you can come with me and then we’ll go back to my place?” he suggested. maeve nodded before unplugging the neon lights and then the radio, stopping the song in its tracks. grabbing her bag and ensuring everything was turned off, maeve took james’ hand and the keys and locked the restaurant behind them as they walked in to the inky-black night.

[adrianafashionstyle]

My Wedding Ring Has More Lives Than a Cat!

     I finally found a pretty setting with two oval diamonds on each side. They were twice as big as my first ring! When the jeweler started setting in diamonds my friend kept saying, "A little bigger one please." I finally said, "Okay, that's big enough for me and I'm sure it's going to cost a fortune." Frank just grunted. Two weeks later I had my new wedding ring.

     I proudly wore my new diamond for about 8 months when one night as I was getting ready for bed I took it off and had it in my hand. Just as I went to flush the toilet I dropped my ring. I started screaming as it was being flushed away. By the time Frank got into the bathroom I was screaming and sobbing. At first he was relieved to find out that I wasn't mortally wounded. He then said there wasn't much he could do about it so we should just go to bed.

     I got up early and asked the kids not to use any water in the house just in case we could find my ring somewhere. Of course Frank said if I was just going to flush my ring down the toilet that we might just as well use the water as it was gone anyway. After an hour of crying he finally gave in and took the toilet off to look in the drain. No ring anywhere. More sobbing. "It's in the septic tank now," was all he would say. I headed downstairs as I knew the drain pipe was in the cellar and maybe we could take it apart. He followed mumbling a few choice words.

     When we finally got the main drain taken apart I shined a flashlight into the drain and sure enough, I could see a shiny diamond a few feet down. Using a wire coat hanger we fished it out. Oh, the luck.

     Years went by and I gained a few pounds. Well, more than a few and my ring didn't fit comfortably on my ring finger anymore. So, I started wearing it on my little finger but it was a little loose. One day at work a co-worker came up the stairs and was holding my ring. She had found it at the bottom of the stairs! It had slipped off of my finger and I didn't even know it! Again, luck.

     The next year I was the director of the local rodeo queen pageant and had to be out at the rodeo grounds every night for the War Bonnet Round Up. Thousands of people attend this rodeo each year. One night my ring was feeling loose on my little finger so I slipped it off and into my pocket. When I got home at midnight my ring was missing. I was sick but didn't dare tell Frank.

     The next day, my daughter and I went back to the rodeo grounds before the rodeo and walked around trying to find the ring. I was pretty sure it probably fell out of my jeans pocket when I got my car keys out but couldn't find it in that area. We then walked through all of the places I had been the following night. No one had turned a ring into lost and found either. I searched throughout the evening and again, went home sick.

     The next night was the last night of the rodeo. I again parked in the same area and went searching and looking. I'm sure people thought I was looking for my marbles the way I was acting! That night as hundreds of vehicles were leaving I had a rodeo wrap-up meeting and was late in getting away. 

     The search and rescue teams were hanging around waiting for everyone to leave. I asked if any of them had had a ring turned in A few of them asked where I thought I had lost it and said they would be glad to help me look. The grabbed their flashlights and fanned out in the grassy area where I had parked. Again, a shiny diamond was spotted! I was giving hugs to everyone while shedding a few tears.

     About a year later I couldn't find my ring once more. I searched everywhere I might I have left it. Weeks went by and one day as I was looking through my large briefcase bag I found it in the bottom. It must have slipped off while I rummaging around. I was so happy to find it once more. I called my daughter, as she was the only one I had confessed my fears too, and she told me to get it re-sized. I didn't.

         A few months later I couldn't find my ring. Not again! I looked through the ring section of my jewelry stand, where I always put it at night, and it wasn't there. A new search. This time I first checked all of my bags and purses thinking it might have slipped off once again. Nothing. Again, I had a really sick feeling thinking this had to be the last time I could lose it. Several months went by and still no ring. I even contemplated calling my insurance. And then one day I was looking for a pair of earrings I hadn't worn in a while in my huge jewelry stand and there was my ring! It was with several pairs of gold earrings and I just hadn't seen it. This time I put it in a proper place vowing to get it re-sized so I could wear it again.

     Then a miracle happened. I lost about 35 pounds and my ring was able to slip onto my ring finger once more. I could wear it safely. Knock on wood.

History of the Diamond Engagement Ring

Why Diamonds Became the Standard

     I often wonder how traditions start, their origin, meaning and why they last for as long as some do. The diamond has been one of the most valuable stones throughout history and has had symbolic meaning for quite awhile. The first thing that may come to your mind is engagement, in recent history the diamond has been used as a symbol of love, devotion, passion, commitment and wealth. 

     The use of diamonds in engagement rings is a rather new concept. Historically the first recorded diamond engagement ring was given in 1477 worn by Archduke Maximillian of Hamburg and Mary of Burgandy growing the popularity of the stone in engagement rings. Many doubt that they started the trend, but it could be noted that they started the trend among the royal and wealthy at that time. This trend would actually not catch on for hundreds of years.

     I did a little investigation to find out more about this coveted stone. The beauty, strength, and durability of the diamond have given it a lasting effect in many cultures. Before the diamond was placed on engagement rings it was simply a band braided out of copper to be placed on the fourth finger of the left hand. This tradition was started in the Greek culture, they believed that a vein (vena amorous) runs directly to that finger from the heart. Later on during the middle ages men traditionally wore a betrothal ring suspended from the band in their hats ready to give to their chosen bride. These betrothal rings were usually inscribed with poems or messages until the Victorian era.

     During the Renaissance the popular ring was called a "gimmel" (twin rings) which consisted of two or three interlocking rings. Each ring went to the bride, the groom and occasionally the third for the witness. Later on, a diamond cluster ring was popular during the time of Luis XVI (1754-1793) and remained popular for 150 years after.

     The heart stone was popular during the 17th and 18th centuries and often accompanied rubies or other gem stones. The rubies signified love and the diamond signified eternity.

     In 1888 The De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. was founded and during this time the demand for the diamond would rise and fall several times until 1939. At this time the first advertisement for the diamond engagement ring was published which shaped the public opinion on diamond engagement rings. Around the 19th century the Tiffany or solitaire ring was introduced and a while later the princess ring was introduced. 

     The princess ring consisted of three to five diamonds across the top and was popular in the during the 20th century. In 1953 Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell stared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes performing the famous "Diamonds are a girl's best friend", which sparked the popularity of diamonds for years afterwards. Even today there is a high demand for platinum diamond engagement rings as the ultimate sign of love and engagement; with 78% of all engagement rings sold every year are diamonds engagement rings.

Ideeas by LorrieBee.

Wedding Rings and Engagement Rings Stories

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