#sciatica will go away trust

[eugenes-axe]

Sometimes it feels like I’m battling the green goblin in my head telling me to dump an entire bottle of lidocaine on my back injury..,,,,

[dragonmasterkaylz]

🐻Alfie’s Sweetheart Part 2🧸

For @hoodeddreams13 who asked me to do a Part 2 to Alfie’s Sweetheart~!!! But this is a little sad….

“You know… if you ever want a day away from that… brute, pretty boy, I’d be more than happy to be your source of entertainment—!”

“Not interested! Goodbye Luca!”

Teddy slammed the doors on the Italians and turned to Alfie before walking up to him with a concerned look on his face. “Double-crossing Tommy? Again…? Really?! I’m starting to question your sanity!” Alfie let out a sigh and said, “This is for business—!” “No! Do not gimme that fucking bullshit, Alfie! Thomas… he’ll kill you!!!”, Teddy shouted at him.

Alfie then grabbed him and pinned him to the wall as he whispered, “I know, love. I know”. “Then… what…? Do you want to die?! Is that it?! Are you… sick of me?! Talk to me…”, Teddy begged as tears rolled down his cheeks. Then Alfie leaned his head against his. “As if I could ever get sick of you, Teddy. Fuck! I love you! I don’t want ya to ever think I’d get sick of ya, yeah…?” “Then…?” Alfie stayed silent before kissing him.

Teddy hummed and wrapped his arms around him as Alfie passionately kissed his lover. When they parted, the blonde was flustered, but also crying. “I won’t let Tommy kill me. Do you remember what I said to ya…? After our first night together…?”

Teddy was breathing heavily, when he felt his lover kiss his spine before turning him around. They both passionately kissed, trying to be as quiet as possible while the other soldiers slept. Alfie held his hand as they laid there, just feeling their bodies pressed up against each other. Teddy then laughed softly before asking, “Was this a one time thing?” “I fucking hope not. I plan to spend the rest of my life with ya, if we live through this anyway. I love ya, Teddy…”.

“Yeah, I do”. “Well, I fucking meant it. I want you… to take Cyril up to Margate and just wait for me. I don’t want you mixed up in all of this. I love you too much”, Alfie told Teddy, who kissed him again, tears running down his cheeks. “Alfie… please…”. “Teddy, I need ya to trust me, yeah? Can ya do that?” He nodded and wiped his tears away. “I-I can do that… just don’t die. I can’t… I can’t live without you, Alfie. You’re my—?!”

Alfie pulled him closer and kissed him again sweetly, before saying, “Promise me, you’ll tell me when I get there, yeah?” Teddy nodded as more tears fell. “Yeah! I promise, Alfie. And… I love you”. “I love you too”.

A Few Days Later…

Teddy’s eyes filled with tears when he saw Alfie in a hospital bed, a bandage over his face. He leaned over and cried into the sheets, when a doctor walked in to see him. He quickly wiped his tears away and stood up. “Well…?” “Well, his injury is going to take a while to heal. As soon as it’s alright for him to go home, it’ll be up to you to take care of him. As you know, he has sciatica, psoriasis and also lung cancer—!” Teddy just gasped and shouted, “He has what?!!” “He never told you?” He shook his head and the Doctor said, “Well, it’s a miracle he’s survived this long. Anyway, despite all of this, he’s gone blind in his right eye. You’ll take responsibility for him?” “Yes, I will. Give him a good… scolding too…! The big… idiot…!”, Teddy whimpered.

“I’m so sorry, Mr Shepherd”.

1929

Teddy heard a knock on the door and he walked up to it before looking out of the window. He growled as he grabbed a gun before opening the door to reveal the man he hated most, Thomas Shelby. “Hello Teddy! If you’re here then I assume—!” Teddy pointed the gun at him and he said, “Give me one reason why I should not shoot you right now, Tommy! You almost killed him! Or, was this your intent? To purposely make him lose his businesses, just so you could take over! He’s different, yet still the same, all because of you!!! Now, tell me!!! Why shouldn’t I shoot you right here?!!”

“Love… no…”.

Alfie came up behind him and put the gun away just before pulling him into his chest. “I’m sorry Tommy. Teddy’s been distraught, ever since ya shot me. But, come in. And have a look at the beach! I have some binoculars in the main room. Our maid will show you around, yeah?” Thomas just nodded and followed her as he heard Teddy cry. Alfie kissed the blondes head and whispered, “It’s alright. I’ll talk to him, yeah? You just play with Cyril and—!” “No! I’m going in with you! I don’t trust him, Alfie!” Then Alfie cupped his cheeks and kissed him before saying, “He won’t kill me…”.

“How do you know that, Bear?”

“I just do. I want you away from all this though. Just… do what I say, yeah…?”

“Fine. If that’s what you want”.

Alfie then kissed his eyelids, kissing his tears away, as he whispered, “And… please, no more tears. Every time you cry, my heart breaks even more. It’ll be the last time, I promise. No more tears. Please…”.

“Alright… no more tears, Alfie”.

‘I just realised… that I never told him what I was gonna say that day. It’s too late now’.

END

[anartistwhowrites]

I’m someone who had to leave a bad job right away. But before I explain why, let me give you some context leading up to this.

I was born with Tourette Syndrome, a nervous system disorder that causes unwanted movements and sounds. Tourettes is often accompanied by a variety of mental health disorders such as ADHD, OCD, Anxiety, Depression, Learning Disabilities, and so much more. I’ve had Tourette’s since I was three and they were a lot worse in school, especially Middle/High School. My mental health was absolutely awful and it was at its lowest after I graduated.

It got to the point where, in 2018, I almost took my own life.

With the help from God and my family, I spent the next three years going to therapy and counseling and getting out of that horrible depression. All while my siblings already had jobs and drivers license’s and cars, and my older sister even had her own apartment. This made me feel behind in “becoming an adult” and I almost relapsed back into my depressive thoughts. But In 2021 I got my first job at a daycare one of my estranged family members used to work at. The job was’t great and after two years of being there, I had to quit. But it wasn’t because “it was too hard, whaaaaaaah” or anything like that.

I was a Daycare Aide, so I had to help assist teachers whose classrooms weren’t in ratio. I was the only aide they had and was constantly being bounced back and forth from every classroom. Now the problem wasn’t the work itself. I don’t mind a bit of hard work. And I loved the kids tremendously. The problem was the work load.

My bosses were overworking me, giving me six hours worth of work to complete in half an hour. And they were getting upset when I wasn’t getting it done. When I wasn’t assisting teachers in the classroom I was basically the janitor: mopping floors, sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning toys, cleaning the bathrooms, and so much more.

I threw out my back and my sciatica constantly. I felt stupid for not being able to complete my tasks on time. And because of my disabilities, some of the co workers I worked with constantly talked down to me like I was also one of the children in the daycare.

Now, while I was considering quitting, I didn’t just “hit the bricks”. I talked to my family first about quitting and they were one hundred percent behind my decision. They knew that I wasn’t being lazy or not trying to power though (they knew I was powering through as best as I could) but every time I got home, they could see how tired and in pain I was. They understood why I had to quit and weren’t going to make me feel bad for quitting the job. But with the money I did earn from there, I was able to finally purchase my first car, so it wasn’t all bad.

So in 2023 I quit. And I have not been able to find another job since. It’s been one year and every job I’ve applied for, from fast food, to dog shelters, to grocery stores, have all ignored me, ghosted me, or rejected me. I live in a rural area and places where I could find better work are an hour or more away. On top of that, the job economy sucks right now and has not been helping anyone.

Let me make it clear, I’m not just sitting on my butt all day, watching TV, and mooching off of my parents. I’ve opened a print store online, I’ve been working on my webcomics, and I’m currently working on a children’s book as a means of forming an income, all while actively job hunting. And I’ve been helping out around the house and taking care of stuff like the laundry and dishes and other stuff like that while my family is busy with their work.

So that’s my life so far. If you are somebody who’s reading this and believes that you’re in a job like mine, please don’t just quit. Really think about if the reasons you have for quitting are legitimate or are just you complaining. It’s tough but a little self reflection doesn’t hurt. And who knows, maybe you were the reason your job isn’t great the whole time. Also, talk to a trusted family member or an elder about quitting. I’m not gonna say to talk to a friend your age because their judgement isn’t going to be trustworthy because they lack the experience and wisdom of someone who’s had more jobs and life experience.

Also please don’t quit without having a few jobs you already applied for. I made that mistake and I’m struggling because of it.

I don’t really know how to end this, so I hope this was able to help someone. Thanks for reading.

if it sucks generally hit da bricks yes. but there are also going to be times in life where you have to stay in uncomfortable or sucky situations because the only way out is through. and that is how life works. sometimes you have to keep that terrible job or that shitty apartment. this site's policy of "don't sink years of your life into something that's not going to be worthwhile" can kind of turn into "immediately stop doing anything you don't like" sometimes and that bothers me

[moonmothmama]

shitty back pain is much improved. i was almost able to move normally today. although i am still very prone to hypochondriac anxiety spiraling i'm trying to control it. like. i've had this pain for days. it's improving. i haven't got symptoms of sciatica or a ruptured disc or any of the other conditions that have come up in internet searches about lower back pain. but just now i am feeling a slight pins and needles sensation in my feet, for the first time during this shitty back pain began, and i'm Worrying about it. although to be fair i have really only been in like... three different alternating positions since this started because it's so difficult to get comfortable. and you know that thing where, when you're anxious about something, you're hyperaware of it to the point that you're not even totally sure if it's all in your head? love that shit

like. the pain isn't 'radiating outward.' it's just the immediate area of my lower back/pelvis. i don't have muscle weakness. there's no burning or shooting pain or anything. i need to chill out but my brain literally cannot shut up. this whole month has been one anxiety spiral after another

anyway each day it's been a different motion or position that's worse than others. like one day it was sitting up straight. one day it was bending at a certain angle. one day it's walking. but it has noticeably improved.

actually i think the pins and needles are gone. or going away. or it's actually in one foot? or something. idfk my brain is awful i can't trust that thing

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

6.16.23 Friday

2:01 am

I'm awaken by the windblow? GOD? GOD OF WHAT??? Or windblow trap??? Argh!

Argh! My pelvic is aching ( my sciatica/priformis )... I need Elsie to do a massage therapy on me... ( No fundings yet, obviously coz no electric here ) wanna cry....

I wanna have a new colored group ( my own group )... Still, having windblow trap...

Did I mention here angels? That I read the bible and no one was perfect in the bible but Jesus... But there was " JUDAS"...

In the Nutshell:

It is just weird when a head leader of a particular religion is JUDAS as well...

The leader is the JUDAS? But why???

☆♤♡◇¤ Sun-God¤○●♡

I read the bible and I was able to reached the last pages... No one has the right to say, you must not read the bible.... ( Read the bible...).

Aside from the "runway" that it was stolen by some fake group here on me....There was this "voice" and still that "voice" is your conscience or perhaps the voice of "thunder" & lightning or bolt???

In this world when you are left out by your trusted friends or some wanting to come near you even a distant relatives just to scratch you, it was funny that I was wounded a long time ago... But that was my own personal story that I didn't step-on any name or any soul but mine... ( meaning don't put a dirt on my name coz it was my soul and I didn't harm you )....

2:36 am

I never just love a pretty face.... But here in Cavite I never had love but I hope the love that I got on some places were real coz I never had love here but I met a lot of JUDAS in Cavite...

But on a serious angle....Is this video of Lady Gaga is real? I mean I think this is just a retake...I mean remake but on the same artist... A bandana? So, funny...

2:50 am

Can't sleep... I wanna coffee,colored...

9:21 am

Uncle Jun went to zombie's forest which I wanted them to massacre coz they gave life on Georgia'Z gang...

But if Uncle DD is here it is a plastics flow... What did he say about me on my nana? "LET HER BE ALONE"... It looks like Uncle DD wants to be important but fake...

Thank God on Ely for allowing me to put our food there in their ref, for the meantime... I got the food to cook for today...

Thanks Ely....

I feel bitter coz I can't get a bf since I'm here in Cavite,angels if I will kill someone a man here in Cavite who is observing me coz he wanted to trap me, I hope some friends on other parts of the world will remember "Portia"...

I can't exist now... This situation is a chance of FilipiNOSE Monkeya'Z only lower and unfair Monkeya'Z.... Plus, the small penises... Someone is pressing me down unfairly... Someone wants to remove my college diploma...

9:39 am

Thanks Carmie for these... Missing you...

Carmie is the 2nd daughter of Ate Helen our neighbor in-front, at the side of Pastor.... We became friends 18 years ago... But I knew her since I was on my 3rd year or 4th year high school those years only they transferred there...

After awhile, after 2006 going to 2007 and so on... She went to Japan and married a japanese she told me or they told me... Ate Helen gave this to me, she said Carmie went to Japan already...

I'm so thankful in a way to them coz they are supportive on me most specially when I needed help lately...

Coz I was in a way officer here in Cavite during pandemic but hating some cavite people... I fight for my own leadership and belief with Uncle Jun in a way ( though we always fight on some things here ).... But I always had have a position... ( hoping that I still have the position )...

11:53 am

The food will spoil right away... I'm not a child in mind, Aunt Teresa is somehow child in mind... She doesn't want me to put our frozen food in the neighbour's ref... Good thing I was able to put it the next day after the electric was killed... If I didn't put it on the neighbour's ref, we have no food by now...

12:04 Noon

Whatever group they have....They all can't go up without my knowledge even Dra.Mitch if they got Mitch! I will truly get angry and hurt.... I still had have windblow trap...

12:15 noon

Aunt Teresa will be on Uncle DD side???

1:50 pm

Wow! RV gave us coke & root beer coz it is super hot here... For Nana and me.... Thanks in a way...

Me? I need money and I'm a college graduate and I hate some FilipiNOSE, my self-esteem is super low...

I need a job and probably will kill a FilipiNOSE that is bugging me that I don't know them... I need money angels and my "deep smile lines"...

I'm a college graduate angels!

2:41 pm

I still have windblow trap...

I'm looking for a "colored alien bf" I want a giver or generous ( willing to be my support system involving stability ), sensitive heart, religious in a way and mature and gentleman.

5:24 pm

Done, watching " The Forever Purge"...

Whew! I still have windblow trap... How can I meet my "colored alien bf" the one with a pure heart..

I still wanna buy starbucks everyday, angels...

7:53 pm

My pelvic/ Sciatica & Priformis still aching I can still exercise and my exercise on my abs coz that is my personal insecurity... I feel so left out and I feel jealous as well on old friends ( gf's ) who were able to be on a particular circle and meet men that I like... Ouchie!

Are they in the bathroom since 2007?

My focus here is really on my sciatica or priformis/ pelvic pain... Hmmm... There is a hidden meaning here,angels ( but I don't focus on that but simply exercising ). Cross your right leg on your left leg and bend it to the left but stand on your right leg but something happened a boom! Hahaha that's not my focus here...

I feel bitterish I wasn't able to show and use my legs on men that I like since 2007...It's been 16 years and I feel fat and ugly...

I feel bitter and I hate it that they just damage my 16 years angels... They took away my time...

I want a supportive colored alien bf, angels...

8:51 pm

Still have windblow and not my ideal life here...I need to leave the hometown and since Uncle Jun is here I wasn't able to have progress... I wonder why? Is it him or the black car organization of Uncle DD ( not my ideal thing to be with them here forever... ) or the windblow trap linking with some relatives?? Or just other people...

I don't like being flatten this way ,that I feel that I'm not good enough ( coz of some FilipiNOSE, Monkeya'Z! ).

I have a heavy intuition on Uncle DD (I need to stay away from him )...

But these days Uncle Jun is a big help on some house task here, in a way we have harmony even on taking care of Nana... ( but not my ideal thing to be with them here forever... ). I feel self-pity here in my family coz I think there is people in the family who always follow me everywhere from the past 16 years and until now...

I feel self-pity that I can't get a job and success since this windblow trap came into my life 2007.....Plus when my 2 Uncle's are planning to live here with us... I want a job coz I feel self-pity...

Just wanna share this...Example of "colored alien bf ".

10:23 am

I still have windblow trap... I feel jealous that I just want to have my own circle of friends and be with colored alien and find a colored bf who can piggy-back me... I feel irritated 16 years aging for nothing... They just gave me "deep smile lines"...

I choose friends and I choose women ( but most of the time I hate women coz a lot are judging me on my maturity ) but they don't know me that much...

[belliesandburps]

So, part of why I was so fast to get all my new commissions colored on the same night was that I was trying to stay awake because I’d drop my mom off at the emergency wing after I visited, saw she looked like shit, and was advised by the consultation nurses to take her to the emergency room.  She could barely talk, she couldn’t walk without losing her balance, and she was incredibly dizzy for reasons unknown.  That was at 8pm, and having dropped her off at the hospital multiple times, I expected to get a call to pick her up around 12am to maybe 2am.  And I was coloring my posers to keep busy until then.  Welp, I never got a call, so I figured she was staying overnight and went to be a little uneasy, but figured if it was an emergency, they’d call me right away which, fortunately, didn’t happen.

I eventually get a call before work around 11am from my mom to come get her.  I ask what the doctors said, lo and behold, doctors found a mild brain aneurysm.  So, in a year, she’ll have a CT scan to check and see how it’s doing.  The kicker to all of this?  The fucking aneurysm WASN’T the reason for her getting dizzy and feeling like shit.  THAT was caused by freakin’ vertigo, likely a byproduct of her long diagnosed sciatica.

Let me remind y’all that earlier this year, my mom broke her arm when she tripped going for a walk at night, and it was when they did her x-rays that they determined she ALSO had a clogged artery that could’ve caused heart problems.

This year has been the ultimate “trial by fire” year for my mom, where horrible shit happens to her and somehow reveals even more horrible shit than she even realized, but was lucky to catch before it fucking KILLED her.  I’m equal parts grateful we caught these things and infuriated at the same damn time.  Sooooo, now, I took her back to her place, laid her down on her reclining couch but kept it elevated, and got her prescriptions from Kaiser to hopefully clear up the dizziness and get her feeling normal again within a few days. 

To prevent the aneurysm from bursting, she needs to calm the fuck down, because trust me, folks, this old gal gets worked up over the littlest things, and I’ve been telling her for almost fifteen years, “Dude, Madre, CHILL the fucking eff out, because this much stress is NOT good for you.”  And go figure, the only time I get to say “Told you so” is the worst time imaginable. 

Soooooo, guess we’ll see.  I Dash near her house anyway, so I’ll be checking up on her daily to see how she’s doing and if she’s improving.  Hopefully, the medication works and she’s back to normal again, but once she is, she needs to be taking way more of her weed chocolate and learning to calm down. 

For the record, I’m fine.  It’s stressful, but I’m confident that she’ll be okay.  My mom just has a very shitty body where there’s always something wrong with it every other month.  I’m not posting this for pity or those “I’m sorry to hear that” posts, I never do.  I’m posting this for one simple reason, for as shit as this year is, never forget to take care of yourselves.  My mom didn’t even want to go to the hospital last night when she could barely see straight.  I had to be the one to drag her ass there.  Don’t stick your heads in the sand.  Ignoring your health or mental problems won’t make them go away, trust me on that.

...But man, this goddamn year, you guys.  It truly has been the hammer of perpetual fuckery...

I swear, as Pesci is my witness, if I had a gun with three bullets, and I was trapped in a room with Putin, Trump and the personification of 2020?  I would shoot 2020 in the balls three times, then I would beat it to death with the gun.  Trump, I’d just leave in the room to rot because after January 20th, that orange pile of liquid shit will be an afterthought.  And Putin?  I mean, you can’t really kill a soulless vampire, can you. 

Not unless you’re Van Helsing, Alucard or Chuck from The Veil of Darkness, and folks, I am no Chuck.

[clairecrive]

“Worth it”- Alfie Solomons x reader

A/n: I don’t know what this is, I just needed to rewrite this scene to add a little love for my precious man. As always, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. Also, requests are always open and very welcome. 

Tag list: @mollybegger-blog​ (let me know if you wanna be added)

Accompanying Alfie on his business meetings wasn't something you always did. Not that it was something you wanted to do. You knew that the people he meets more often than not are not nice people. It goes without saying that even if you wanted to, Alfie was very adamant on putting you in a position where it could be even the slightest possibility of you being in danger. However, this time you had insisted that he let you come. Well more than he accepted the fact that you were going to go with him, you didn't exactly ask him for his permission. Knowing him he would have said no, even if you and Tommy had been good friends since a young age, long before you had met Alfie.

A part of you knew that he didn't put up much of a fight and let you come only because he enjoyed your company. It had been a couple of weeks that you noticed that his health was getting worse. His constant use of his cane didn't worry you as much at first knowing that he often used it as a way to look more powerful and scary. Your suspicion grew when you noticed the red patches on his skin being more irritated than usual. You hoped that it was just stress-related and that it didn't imply something more serious. Not wanting to consider this possibility, you became even keener on taking care of him.

If he noticed the growth of your attention he didn't mention it and of course, he didn't complain actually enjoying being smothered by your affection. So you guessed that he hoped that by allowing you to come with him you would be calmer and not worried about his well-being. Besides, he knew that Tommy wouldn't hurt you otherwise you could have fussed all you wanted but he wouldn't have bulged.

The trip to Birmingham was peaceful, filled with Alfie's lame jokes and nonsensical ramblings. Not that it was the first time you had been sitting together in his car, he had a driver and very rarely drove himself, however, you relished in the feeling of the touch of his hand on your thigh like it was the first time.  Laughing loudly at another of his jokes you couldn't help but look at him adoringly loving the way, even after months of courting, you still felt butterflies invade your insides every time he was near.

"Oh Alfie, I don't know how you come up with them but I've never heard such lame jokes," you observed resting your head on his shoulder

"They made you laugh tho, right?" he smirked looking at you compelling you to meet his gaze

"No one can make me laugh like you do Alfie." you sweetly complimented him caressing his face with your gloved hand giving a quick peck on his cheek.

"We're here Mr Solomons, sir." the voice of the driver startles you, having forgotten about him for a moment, too wrapped in your bubble with Alfie.

"Right. You stay here love okay? You can come and say hi to Tommy when we're finished but first let us talk business alright?" he softly orders you holding your hands in his before retrieving his cane from the floor of the vehicle.

"Yes sir." you mock him giggling when you hear him mumbling something under his breath

When both he and the driver had gotten out of the car you looked around the place they had parked. Tommy hadn't arrived yet or at least you couldn't see him. After a couple of minutes, you heard the sound of an engine and soon after Tommy walked in front of Alfie.

You couldn't hear what they were saying but studying their body language you took comfort seeing as their body were both relaxed until the unthinkable happened. Tommy pointed a gun at Alfie. The breath gut stuck in your throat and you were unable to move or breathe at the thought of Alfie being shot. Then as soon as it came the shock left your body or it shifted it into action and you quickly left the car and run in front of him, in a foolish attempt of shielding his body with yours. Of course, it wouldn't work, you were half of his size, but you hoped that your presence would stop Tommy from actually shooting at least.

"Tommy! Put the gun down, what is going on?" you frantically asked trying to calm him

"What the fuck are you doing y/n, I told you to stay in the fucking car." Alfie's voice roared from behind you and his hands tried to shove you away but his push wasn't that strong and you used all your strength not to bulge.

"Does she know Alfie? Did you tell her?" Tommy ignored you and kept shouting at Alfie.

"What are you talking about Tommy?" being directly mentioned, you asked curiously.

"I don't know what the fuck are you talking about mate" Alfie calmly answered him but somehow it only managed to anger Tommy more.

"Oh, you don't know eh? You're telling me that you don't know how you went behind my back and did a deal with the OddFellows telling them everything about our deal with the soviets eh?" Tommy explained anger clinging from every word.

"Listen sweetie, there were things in that treasury that God himself told me to get. He spoke to me."

"You crossed the line, Alfie!" Tommy barked.

"You fucking what?" Alfie replied almost offended at the accusation.

"They're using my boy!" Tommy was fuming with rage and rightly so. The insinuation that Alfie could have had a role in the kidnapping of Charlie made you let out a squick of surprise and horror.

"Did you know?" he continued

"Listen Tommy, I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding. He wouldn't do something like this, right Alfie?" you mediate trying to get him to calm down.

"Did you fucking know?" Tommy ignored you, his eyes focused only on Alfie.

"Yeah, I knew but damned as I am, made no fucking difference to me mate," Alfie confessed leaving you speechless and heartbroken. How could the man that shows you kindness and love be the same that had helped to kidnap a child?

The words hadn't even left his mouth that Thomas bulged at him like a mad bull pinning Alfie to the ground after pushing you aside.

Stunned by the sudden movement and the impact with the concrete, you shuffle to get up to try and pull them apart. Fortunately, Alfie's driver was quicker than you and yanked Tommy off his boss. You managed to get on your feet at the same time that a young man appeared out of nowhere and killed Alfie's driver.

"Alfie!" you couldn't help but call for him, scared for his life knowing that he's outnumbered and weakened by his sciatica. You try to help him off the ground but he refuses your help and stumbles away from you, focused on the new threat embodied by Tommy's man.

"What's the matter with you, Tommy, eh? You got fucking angry ain't you?" Alfie charged at him, holding his face dangerously close to Tommy's not giving a flying fuck about the precarious situation he was in.

Fortunately, Tom's man got in the way and pulled him apart when things started to go south again. You were uselessly hanging behind, observing the scene unfold in front of you feeling powerless for there was nothing you could do to stop them. You would only make it worse if you put yourself between them because Alfie then would have to worry about you too and you couldn't risk him being distracted because of you.

Feeling dizzy, you lean against the wall behind you sliding down on the ground. Maybe it was all the shouting or maybe it was for the way you hit your head on the ground. Thing is that you couldn't bear to keep your eyes open nor focus on what was happening between the three men. You heard Alfie angrily make his point about the unfairness of Tommy's reaction or something of the sort, you weren't really paying attention. Then as you felt your head spin less and less you heard a voice advising against the killing of Alfie Solomons. Then footsteps. Then voices speaking in a hushed tone and finally the sound of a car driving away.

You finally managed to open up your eyes and you were met with a man's corpse on the ground and Alfie's stiff figure standing near it. Steading your breath, you go for standing up. The movement seems to bring Alfie back to earth and he quickly strides over to you.

"Fuck pet, are you hurt?" he scans over your face and body looking for any bruises.

"What happened Alfie?" you ignored his worry, requesting an explanation for what you had just witnessed.

"Let's get in the car love, okay?" he softly pushes you towards the vehicle but you didn't obey. You couldn't, you needed to know.

"I love you, Alfie, alright? And I take pride in knowing that I'm one of the few people who know you, that really know you. My Alfie would never do such a thing. I would bet on my soul that he wouldn't, so please please tell me that I'm not being delusional, that you didn't know about Charlie." you plead looking into his eyes watching as his gaze softens when you tell him that you love him and refer to him as yours.

Moved by your blind faith in him, he simply cradles your face in his hands letting your foreheads touch.

"You're the only one who really knows me, love, the only one," he whispers on your lips and a soft whimper leaves your mouth in anticipation.

"I didn't know about Tommy's boy and I'm so so sorry that you got caught up in this mess, love. Your trust in me amazes me and it just shows that I don't fucking deserve you."

"Oh shut it and come here, I was so scared Tommy was going to shoot you." you hurriedly say pulling him to you. Your lips touched and his arms found their way around your waist while yours stroked his beautiful face. Maybe you should have realized that this was inappropriate given the dead man lying only a couple feet away from you. Neither of you cared though, too engrossed in each other. This man could make you worry like a mother for his child giving you almost a heart attack but gosh if he wasn't worth it.

His love made it worth it.

[collecting-stories]

Lover - Daryl Dixon

A/N: A Companion piece to Small Talk. For @ohmagawd-life

My heart’s been borrowed and your’s has been blue,                                 all’s well that ends well to end up with you. - Lover, Taylor Swift

\\\

The Atlanta Camp

“It’s just the underneath bit.” You explained, holding out the razor for Daryl to take.  

He looked skeptically between you and the blade, “Carol’s got short hair, ask her to cut it.”  

You bit the inside of you lip nervously, trying to figure out how best to word what you wanted to say. In hindsight you’d only know Daryl a handful of weeks, if you really counted up the time since he and his brother arrived at camp. And in that amount of time you’d spoken to him maybe twice. Both times just asking a question about something menial and having him answer instead of Shane. “I like Carol a lot,” you began, inwardly cringing, “I just trust you more.”  

“Ya trust me?” Daryl seemed surprised. “Ya don’t me from Adam.”  

True. You knew only a handful of things about him and not enough to fully trust him not to slice your neck open but the undercut you’d gotten just before finding out the world was ending was growing out and bothering you every time you swiped your hand over it.  

Besides, in all honest, ever since he and his brother had joined up with the camp you’d been trying to think of a good reason to talk to him. Sitting on the RV and watching him all day was starting to make you feel like a creep but every time you even thought about going over and chatting him up you felt your whole body go into shock. But Lori had given you her razor upon request and you decided it was now or never. Out of everyone here you would bet he had the steadiest hand and he didn’t seem homicidal.  

“Will you shave it for me or not?” You stretched your hand further, waving the razor for him to take.  

Daryl reached up, snatching it out of your hand and motioning for you to sit in front of him on the log he was occupying. He and his brother had set up camp with the rest of you but had kept themselves at a short distance, a way of saying they didn’t want to be part of whatever Kumbaya circle Shane was trying to coerce. You settled on to the log in front of him, your thighs brushing against his knees. He held his hand out and when you didn’t move his tapped your side.  

“What?”  

“Got a hair tie?”

“Right.” You nodded, getting flustered all of the sudden, “sure.” Well, not all of the sudden, you felt flustered around Daryl on a daily basis.  

Daryl held the handle of the razor in his mouth while his hands gathered up your hair, combing through it and scratching just slightly at your scalp. When you were younger your mom used to do your hair all the time and it was something you missed dearly, the feeling of someone playing with your hair. He pushed on the back of your neck gently to get you to lean forward and then took the water bottle from his side, wetting his hand before running it over the short hairs that had grown in on your undercut.  

“Oh, hold on!” You grabbed at the the hem of your shirt, pulling it off and laying it on the log in front of you. “There.”

It was only your back but Daryl’s whole face turned red, eyes wandering down the expanse of skin now on display to him. In his head he could hear Merle sharing some choice words about seeing you without a top on, even if the sports bra you were wearing covered everything.  

“I don’t wanna get hair on my shirt...I hate when it pricks you.”  

“Why’d ya cut yer hair like this?” He asked, the first gradual swipe of the razor tickling the nape of your neck. You bit your lip to keep from jerking at the action.  

“Dunno.” You shrugged, “saw it on Pinterest and thought it was cute.”  

“What’s that?”  

“Pinterest?”  

He hummed a yes.  

“It’s like an app for people to post a bunch of crafty stuff...although if you go far enough down the Pinterest rabbit hole you can find porn too.” You laughed.  

“Ya use it for that?” Daryl asked, face a bit flush though you couldn’t see it. Merle had told him once that any girl who admitted to liking porn was automatically a slut but he’d really never thought of you that way, you always seemed a little naive. Maybe even innocent was the word he wanted. Though the argument could be had that he didn’t know you all that well. Watching you half patrol/half sunbathe on Dale’s RV every day wasn’t exactly getting to know you.  

“Sometimes,” you shrugged. “Mostly just classroom ideas, homemade soaps and shit, and the odd cookie recipe. Too bad we’re out here, I could’ve baked you something.”  

“For what?” He asked. “I ain’t done anything.”

“Well that’s not true. Nobody else might admit it, too busy kissing Shane’s ass, but we’d surely have starved without you.”  

Daryl hummed but didn’t reply. You couldn’t see it but his cheeks were red with embarrassment at being complimented.  

“Guess I shouldn’t leave Merle out huh?” You asked. When you turned you head to look at Daryl he caught it, guiding you back to face forward and tapping the razor against the base of your neck.  

“Won’t tell ‘em.” He promised, “now stay there or I’ll be slicing ya.”  

“Sorry.”  

Another swipe of the blade and you felt his free hand against your shoulder, thumb rubbing over a particularly sore muscle. “Ya got a knot here.” He mentioned, changing the subject for the sake of not saying something to embarrass himself.  

“I think I pulled it when I was on that run with Glenn.” You explained. He knew which run you were talking about, it was a wonder you hadn’t dislocated your shoulder or worse. Both of you had been caught off guard by a closet you didn’t think to check and you’d almost had a bite taken out of you. “Hey, thanks again for doing this.”  

“Didn’t give me much of a choice.” Daryl commented though he wouldn’t have refused.  

“Well, I trust you the most to have a steady hand.” You explained. “Plus we haven’t really hung out with each other yet.”  

“Not really the ‘hanging out’ type.” Daryl replied. “Ain’t gonna braid yer hair and gossip about shit.”  

You smiled as you felt him brush the stray hairs off your neck and shoulders, blowing on your skin and raising goosebumps. “I don’t know,” you mused, “I’m having a pretty good time right now.”  

“Ya want this back?” Daryl asked, holding out the razor for you and ignoring your comment.  

“Yeah, Lori wanted to use it when I was done.” You took the razor back and slipped into your pocket, “something about shaving her legs.”  

You hadn’t pulled your shirt back on yet and, in the interest of keeping you here just a tiny bit longer, Daryl ran his hand over the sore part of your shoulder again. “I can get rid a the knot if ya want?” The phrasing sounded awkward, he wasn’t quite sure how to ask if you would stay and if he could touch you and if you would spend more time with him.  

“Okay,” you nodded, adjusting the way you were sitting so you were just a little closer to him. You closed your eyes, trying to take calming breathes that didn’t make you sound like you were having a panic attack as you felt his hands on you. His were definitely the hands of someone who did manual labour for a living. Hunting, working on cars, everything he seemed to be good at revolved around using his hands and you were definitely adding  massages to the list. He knew how to work out a knot.  

Daryl’s hands traveled away from the spot eventually, easing across your upper back and down to the base of your spine where a particularly painful muscle had you unable to sleep. He’d noticed you a couple times, sitting outside on the picnic bench while everyone was asleep. He’d been on watch the first night when you crept out of your tent.  

“Is there a knot there?” You asked, looking over your shoulder at him.  

He pressed his fingers against the soft bit of extra fat that cling to your hips. Apocalypse be damned, you still couldn’t shake all the weight. “Right here.” He nodded.  

“I was worried it was my sciatica or something serious.” You replied, ever the hypochondriac.  

“It’s just a knot.”  

“I can feel it all the way down my leg sometimes.”  

Without thinking, cause if he had he would be horrified, Daryl slid his hand down from your back, brushing along the back of your thigh. “Down here?”  

“Yeah, that’d be it.” You nodded, heat rising to your face.  

“Might be a muscle ya pulled, same as yer shoulder.” He shrugged, hand returning to your back as he started kneading the flesh there. He could feel his left hand cramping but he ignored it, hesitant to give up the opportunity just to be this close to you. He could feel the warmth and softness of your skin beneath his hands and if he stopped now he was afraid he’d never get this chance again.  

-

Hershel’s Farm

“All the houses had paths to the street, but the last house in the row had a path obviously more trampled than the others-“

“Ya know I can read right?” Daryl asked, sitting up a little more in the bed Hershel had given him for the night.  

When Shane and Rick has half carried him into the farmhouse it had taken everything in you not to shove that stupid rifle down Andrea’s throat. To keep yourself from having a possible breakdown you’d offered to help Hershel in whatever way you could. And now that he was awake and eating you had continued to play nurse to Daryl, reading to him from one of Dale’s books while you both had dinner.  

“I don’t know that.” You replied, smiling when he swatted at you. “Stop!”  

“Don’t be smart with me, I almost died.”  

“Thought you said it was nothing.” You mocked the southern twang of his voice as you spoke.  

“It was,” he grinned, “till I shot myself with an arrow and Andrea tried ta kill me.”  

“It’s her community service for the month.” You teased, laughing when he swatted you again. “Stop hitting me Dixon.” You crawled down the bed till you were as far away as possible.  

“Come here.”  

“Why?”  

“Cause, come ‘ere.” He waved you towards him and you shook your head.  

“What do you want?”  

“I want ya ta come ‘ere.”  

You stood up on the mattress, careful of stepping the wrong way and falling on him. You had once, at the CDC, you nabbed one of the bottles of jack and taken it to Daryl’s room in an attempt to spend some time with him. He was a hard person to read and you could practically feel him shutting down after Merle went missing, presumably dead.  

Jacqui and Andrea has both told you that you were being desperate but you’d been trying to get Daryl to talk to you for weeks and you’d be damned if all that progress was going to be lost over Merle.  

Once you were close enough to him that he could reach you Daryl grabbed your ankle, pulling you down, almost onto his lap.  

“How many pain killers did Hershel give you?” You asked, smiling. You ran your fingers just below the gauze on his head, brushing some short pieces of hair behind his ear.  

“Why?”

“Cause you’re being awfully sweet to me. Usually I gotta work hard for this much affection.” You commented.  

“Sorry about that.” Daryl replied, unsure what else to say at the confession. He wasn’t an easy person to put up with and he knew it.  

“That’s okay, it’s worth it.” You replied, kissing him on the bridge of his nose.  

“What were ya reading anyway?”  

“The Bourne Identity. My dad used to watch the movies all the time, he was quite the Matt Damon fan.”  

Daryl tried to lean forward, groaning at the shock of pain that went through his side from stretching. You followed the stretch of his arm and crawled down the bed enough to reach the book you had been reading earlier.  

“You’re gonna let me read to you?” You asked, smiling at him.  

“Beats laying here alone.” Daryl shrugged, easing back to lay down.  

“Ya know,” you started, leaning close to him again, “It’s good what you’re doing, for Carol. Trying to find Sophia.” 

“Shane and Rick are doing the same.” He shrugged. 

“No.” You shook your head and leaned even closer, pressing a kiss to his lips, “it’s more than that Daryl, you’re a good man.”

“Yer just saying that cause I’m letting ya read.”

You smiled, “is it working?” 

“Read yer book.” He replied, face flushed red. 

“It belonged to an Englishman who had come to Port Noir eight years before under circumstances no one understood or cared to; he was a doctor and the waterfront had need of a doctor-“  

-

The Prison

“I feel like everyone is coupling up,” Karen mentioned, wiping sweat off her forehead as she stood at the fence with you and Sasha. “I mean, I’ve seen the way that new guy looks at you.”

“Who?” Sasha asked, “Bob?”  

“Yeah. And your brother has been laying it on pretty thick lately.” Karen looked over at you as you stepped back from the fence, “you’re the only one besides Carol that doesn’t have someone trying to chase your skirt.”  

“Her?” Sasha laughed, “she’s with Daryl.”  

“I’m not with Daryl.” You laughed, “we’re just-“

“Your just always together. And you take the same night watches and you share a cell and so help anyone who tries to hold your attention when he’s even in eyesight because your mind is wandering.” Sasha laughed, “you’re doing it right now.”

“I am not!”  

“Oh really, what are you thinking about?”  

You felt your face heat up at her question and shook your head, “nothing.”

“Wait, wait, you and Dixon? Really?” Karen asked, eyes wide at the information. “How did I not know about this?”  

“They try to keep it hush hush.” Sasha replied, “I had my suspicions and then I caught them in one of the empty corridors together.” She grinned and bumped your hip.  

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You said, biting your lip to hide a smile.  

Before Karen could reply your name was called. All three of you turned your heads to see Daryl standing there on the jail side of the fence. Sasha nudged you, knowing grin in place as you walked over to where he was standing, out of earshot from the two.  

“Hey.”

“Yer on watch with me tonight.” Daryl said, glancing over your shoulder to where Sasha and Karen were watching you. “What’s with them?”

“Sasha told Karen we’re together.” You mentioned, looking back at them briefly.  

Daryl was quiet for a minute, looking back to you and chewing anxiously on his thumb. He wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about Sasha telling people you were together, if that’s even what you were. He really wasn’t good at things like relationships.  

“I’ll see you tonight?” Your fingers curled around the fence chain and Daryl brushed his knuckles against yours, his eyes soft as he looked at you.  

“Yeah, see ya tonight.”

-

Alexandria

The shower curtain was pushed aside and you looked over, smiling as you stepped out from beneath the spray of warm water so that Daryl could fit in. The small bathroom in the basement had all the necessities required though the shower stall was the size of one that you might find in a locker room, hardly big enough for two.  

Once he was in the shower the curtain was pulled shut again and before he could say anything you spit a mouthful of water at the wall just behind his head. “Would ya quit doing that.” He grumbled. He leaned back under the spray of water, ignoring your laughter.  

“Lighten up.” You teased. As you reached passed him to grab the shampoo off the hanging shelf you placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Before you could step away from him Daryl had his arm around you waist and he guiding you away from the water, toward the tiled wall behind you. “No! Daryl!” You squealed. Despite the warmth of the shower the tiles remained ice cold, especially when the temperature dropped like it had tonight. You tried to squirm out of his grasp but it was futile and in no time at all your bare back was pressed against the cold tile of the shower stall. “Oh my god it’s freezing! You jerk!”  

“That’s what ya get, spitting at me all the time.” He shrugged. Daryl let you go, stepping back again and grinning as you crowded into his space, trying to regain some warmth after the cold shock.  

“And here I was gonna be nice and wash your hair for you.” At the mention of the task Daryl grimaced and tried to get a look at the shampoo that had fallen to the ground in the scuffle.  

“I don’t want any a that floral shit Tara brought back.” He replied.  

Just last week he’d used the shampoo Tara found on a run. It’d been the only thing available but it smelled like vanilla and peonies and Daryl had bitched about the scent attracting bugs until you washed his hair out using the backyard hose and a bar of soap.

“Ya wouldn’t be laughing if ya was getting bit by green flies all day.” He’d grumbled when you had teased him over the ordeal.  

Today, when he brought it up, you only rolled your eyes. “It’s not floral. Promise.” With a hand on his hip keep you steady you squatted down on the shower floor and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. A briefly precarious position, you left a kiss on his hip, just by your hand, before standing up and waving the bottle at him.  

“Fine.”  

“I said I’m not doing it anymore cause you were mean to me, remember? You gotta wash your own hair.” You pointed out.  

If there was anything unexpected to be learned about Daryl it was that he liked when other people, or just you, the theory hadn’t been tested, washed his hair. He liked the feeling of your short nails scratching gently against his scalp as you massaged shampoo in to it and he even liked when you insisted on brushing his hair, though he enjoyed fighting you on it.  

“Fine,” Daryl replied but when he reached for the shampoo you held it away from him. He rolled his eyes, you were full of empty threats. It was once a day you would tell him something in mock seriousness only to take it back moments later.  

“Turn around.” You motioned spinning with your finger as if he needed the direction.  

There was a long pause after he turned around and stepped back from the spray, crowding your space in the shower stall. Daryl turned just enough to see you, giving your thigh a light slap to get your attention. “We don’t got all night.”  

“Sorry,” you met his eyes and smiled, “I was admiring the view.”  

Daryl turned back around without a word, glad the water was so warm cause it made the red of his cheeks indiscernible from warmth to embarrassment. It wasn’t the first time you’d casually offered a compliment to him but he still got just as flustered. He felt you kiss the base of his neck and then you were running your hands through his hair, lathering shampoo on.  

“Have you ever had lice?” You asked.  

“Why?”  

“I used to work in a school, kids used to get lice all the time. Just thought about it, don’t know why.” You shrugged. Sometimes little things like washing hair or reading a book reminded you of the life you led before this.  

“Nah, ya gotta have clean hair for that.”  

“Makes sense...pretty sure you’re allergic to soap.” You mused.  

“I’m in the shower ain’t I?”  

“Cause you wanna wash off or cause I’m in here and I’m naked?”  

He turned fully, grinning as he stepped into the water and tilted his head to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. He’d be perfectly fine out there in the woods, no fancy shit like showers and stoves and beds, but he also liked the attention you paid him far more than he’d care to admit. He didn’t care if it was here or sitting on the porch fully clothed, any attention he got from you was eagerly accepted.  

“I’m good enough ta put up with ya.” Daryl replied. “With yer constant talkin’ and pestering me.”  

You smiled at him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling yourself closer so that you could kiss him. His hands went to your waist, keeping you steady on the wet tiles while he kissed you back. He was never really one for things like that before. Probably could have gone his whole life not kissing anybody. There was something entirely infectious about you though and Daryl had trouble going a whole day without at least one kiss.  

He would settle for a kiss placed on his forehead or cheek when everyone else was around and you didn’t want to draw too much attention to the affection you had for him. But he was particularly fond of moments like this, when you were alone together.  

“I love you too.” You finally replied, one more kiss and then you pulled away, “guess we should get out of the shower?”  

Daryl hummed, turning to switch off the water as you stepped out of the small bathroom. The towels had been leftover from whoever originally intended on living in this house, mismatched beach towels in the basement while all the other bathrooms were coordinated. You didn’t mind, happy to be sequestered in the basement with Daryl instead of up on the second floor with Rick, Michonne, Carl, Judith, and Carol. Besides, you could deny that you enjoyed watching Daryl dry off with a fluffy striped towel meant to look like watermelon.  

All the amenities still felt odd. Just the feel of warm water was something you weren’t used to. You wrapped your towel around yourself and hopped up to sit on the counter, watching as Daryl dried off.  

“Hey,” you smiled when he looked over at you, pulling the towel off his head. “Come here.” You extended your leg, your foot brushing against his thigh.  

“What?” He asked, “I’m getting dressed.”  

“Come here.” You insisted.  

He moved away from you, grabbing the pair of sweatpants that were hanging on the back of the door and pulling them on. Both of you had a habit of cluttering the hooks on the bathroom door with your pyjamas. He took your shorts and camisole down and tossed them to you, though you made no move to put them on. Still waiting for him to pay attention to you.  

“Daryl,” you whined slightly, leaning forward so you could still see him from your place on the bathroom counter.  

“What?” He stopped what he was doing, turning away from the bed he was clearing off to look at you.  

“Come here.” You repeated.  

“Why?” He asked, “what da ya want?”  

“You. To come here.”  

Daryl crosses the room into the bathroom and when he’s close enough you stretch your leg out again, hooking it around the back on his thigh and pulling him in. Once he’s up against the counter, in between your legs, you reach up, hands grasping his face and bringing him into another kiss. Not as sweet as the last one though just as loving. His hands slipped beneath the towel that was still wrapped around you, calloused fingers running over smooth skin as he pulled you closer to him.  

When Rick was handing out room assignments in the two houses Daryl had requested the basement. At first you felt a bit conflicted about sleeping in a basement but as time in Alexandria passed you’d grown to appreciate the space. Once the basement door was close you felt almost like you were in your own little world, a feeling you’d been trying to grasp since you lost it after Hershel’s farm. It was a place just for the two of you without watchful eyes trying to gauge exactly what you were to each other.  

“Hey, if I tell you a secret will you promise not to laugh at me?” You asked, brushing wet hair out of his eyes. Your voice was quiet as if someone might hear you. The thought was one you’d had for so long you could barely remember when you’d first started to think it, something deeper than love, more profound, something you had trouble grasping as a concept with words though you could feel it every time he was near you. Though you knew she didn’t mean it in a romantic sense, wasn’t it Emily Bronte who said ‘whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.’

He nodded, no quip at your expense to safeguard himself. Daryl wasn’t always good at picking up on other people’s emotions but he knew you weren’t joking around with him.  

“I’ve been thinking about it, how to say it without feeling silly,” you held one of his hands in yours, running your thumb along the inside of his wrist in hopes of keeping your calm. As if his heartbeat was yours. “Sometimes I think, I’m glad that this happened, that you and Merle found our camp in Atlanta. Cause I think we’re-“ you trailed off, trying to find the words to it.  

You closed your eyes when you felt Daryl kiss your forehead. “I know.” He replied. And you smiled, of course he knew. Why wouldn’t he? Hadn’t you been fashioned from his rib and he from yours, made for each other by some divine force? “Come on, I’m heading out with Aaron in the morning.”  

“Okay.” You let him lead you to bed, forgoing the usual process of putting on pyjamas and simply climbing beneath the covers with him. You situated yourself just so, able to hear his heart beat beneath your ear, a dull thump in time with your own and you moved just enough to lay a kiss to his bare chest.  

-

Just an excuse to write some cute Daryl fluff.

Taglist: : @thinkingsofamadwoman @mixedwiththemoon @titty-teetee  @queenmissfit@marvelismylifffe @iluvmesomemarvelndc @absentmindeduniverse @his-paradox @medievalfangirl @gigilame @sabertooth-potato @enrapturedbythemoon @cbarter@onemorebeautifulnightmare @born-in-19-96  @mainokutan @uh-i-think-its-frank @nikki082489 @qrangr  @darkprincess1128-blog @hopesxxhigh @coffeebooksandfandom @jodiereedus22 @tehfabbooty @thecaptainsgingersnap @angelophany @of-storms-and-sadness @chocolatealmondmillk @twdeadfanfic @alwaysadreamingoptimist] @sabertooth-potato​ @bucky-barnes-babies @ly--canthrope @meziah-48 @dietspriteaddict @daryldixonandfrogs @jaycc7983 @easnuppa @imaginecrushes @tonystarkismyboy @watchmeaspire 

[bonneyq]

Hi! :) how you doing? I was wondering how things were over there in Ireland, specially in covid world. Hope you're safe! Also, I'm little curious about what you work with (sorry if I'm being nosy), but someday I want to live in another country, and just keep thinking how it feels like, how you manage stuff etc. I know it's a little different in every place, but you know.. :)

Hi Anon! I’m fine, thanks for asking! I hope you are doing well too!

Well, Sadly here in Ireland we are probably going back to Phase 5, we were on Phase 2 a couple of weeks ago, with restaurants and hotels opening, but now we are seeing 1000 cases almost every day so the government is trying to find a better solution. It’s a wait game now.

And if you could live in another country, even for a little while, the experience is amazing. I have lived in 3 different ones so far and the difference of cultures makes us richer.

Currently, because of Covid, I am not working, but I worked as a cleaner at an all boys’ school for many months last year and as a live-in au pair for half of this year. Hopefully I can find something that hurts my back less soon (I didn’t mind the cleaning duties, but I think I have some sciatica nerve pain. I’ll look into it better when I go to Brazil).

When I lived in Bolivia, I was a child. I went there at 17, just shy of 18. That was a whole experience in itself, but I arrived in Ireland when I was 27, a grown woman and I was still figuring myself out. Still am, really.

I think it’s mostly how much you want something and how much you crave independence. I was taught from an early age to be very independent even if I did have an overprotective mom. I also have had some... troubles (understatement) that gave me some serious trust issues with people, but never in myself.

I manage because there’s no other way. It’s either going forward or getting stuck and I learned the hard way that going forward is so rewarding. I’ve had some great experiences since I started to travel on my own, honestly, since I had to grow up. It hurt, but made me stronger.

To be fair, it helps that I do love English and I get to practice all the time here, I managed to convince my BFF to come live here for a while as well (we are living at the same house!) and of course, I found my boyfriend here, that ridiculous amazing nerd that somehow loves me and that I love back. That helps a lot.

I chose Ireland because it was “easier” for me to come and live here and also because of its location: I planned to travel during my two-year stay here, Covid kinda put a hold on that lol I did manage to go to a Comic Con in Birmigham (where I met David Tennant, Matt Smith, Catherine Tate, Gareth David-Lloyd! I was so nervous!) and to Edinburgh with my boo! Things I would never had had the opportunity to do if I had stayed where I was.

It’s not easy, it takes a type of courage that some people have, others don’t and that’s okay. Everyone is different, some people are perfectly happy where they are and others have to wander a bit before settling down. Maybe even never settle down! Other people don’t have the means to, and I had to work my ass off to pay my way here, I am one of the fortunate ones that could fullfill this dream and I’m thankful.

I love Ireland, everyone I have met here so far has been lovely, but sadly, I know there’s going to come a day where I’ll meet the “wrong” people. Xenophobes that will probably tell me to go back to my country. I know some people look at my relationship and think nasty thoughts because my boyfriend is Irish. I don’t know what my reaction will be when that happens and I hope I never have to find out.

But that doesn’t stop me, shouldn’t stop anyone.

Do what makes you happy, go where your heart leads you, work the jobs that are available, live your life to the fullest!

Oh, wow, this is huge now LOL I’m sorry. But yeah, I would 100% recommend living in another country if you can. Research, first. Ponder the pros and cons, be smart about it, strategize on how you’ll spend your time and money.

Ask yourself: can you be away from your family for a long period of time? How long and expensive is the flight/ride back home? Does the city you intend to live have an embassy or a consulate from your country? Do you know the language, if not, how will you learn or communicate? Does the country have any restrictions on clothes or coverings of any kind?

If you research and you still want to do it, save up and go after your dream! It’s very rewarding, no matter the length of time you stay! <3

[broomfieldspine]

My name is Nick Manteris, if you’re watching this, then you probably already know that. Most people who’re watching this video is going to be the patient that’s currently active in our clinic. I’m the treating doc here are at Broomfield spine and injury. The reason why I’m making this video is supposed to be a very short introduction to who I am. It’s important for me to know what the experience was in the past, personally of my health care providers. The injuries that they’ve had, the illnesses, and conditions that they’ve dealt with them and their families. That all affects the way they treat and if I’m a patient, then I want to know where that’s coming from. Most of you know what the rhythm/flow is like in this clinic. We don’t have a lot of time to get into my past history and we shouldn’t. This is about your care, we’re here for you. So, this is available for you to watch if you like. As a kid, I was not athletic, I was just one of the lucky ones that are riddled with injuries all the time. Not little injuries, like really big ones that put you in casts for a long time. By the time I was in high school, I didn’t really recognize it at the time, but I had injuries, I was suffering from clinical depression, my health was on a downward spiral. By the time I was out of high school, depression didn’t just go away, and there are quite a bit ways you can deal with that, harmful ways. Lots of substance abuse, a lot of bad relationships, and I think any of you watching this that have been through that know that it just gets worse and worse. So, for most chiropractors here’s where they step in and say, “I had this chiropractic miracle.” That’s not what happened to me. Chiropractors have always been there for me my entire life and I love chiropractic but truthfully what got me out was three things my mom, exercise, and nutrition. And to be super candid, I almost died right, it was pretty serious, and those three things really did save my life. So, I spent 10 – 12 years doing fitness in the fitness industry with a basis in nutrition. And ever since then, I keep trying to pursue health. Not just for me but for anybody around me. Everybody comes into the gym with preexisting conditions, they got injuries, and trainers we try to work around them we try to fix them. It wasn’t enough for me so I got into physical therapy. And when I got into physical therapy I did a whole lot of orthopedic rehab. Hip replacements, knee replacements, spinal fusions, and I think I was pretty good at it. I did high volume, I did a lot of patients, and I had some incredible mentors. These doctors in physical therapy were brilliant and I’m just grateful, but it was depressing. The age kept getting lower and lower for these hip and knee replacements. These spinal fusions were just going through the roof as far as volume goes. And I wanted to try to get to people before they got into this situation. And so in my late 30s, is when I actually considered being a chiropractor and never ever considered it earlier, it was nothing something visible on my radar. But, this was the answer and so here I am. When somebody dislocates their shoulder, I know what that’s like. When somebody has to go in for reconstructive on it, I know what that’s like. Neck pain, back pain, auto accidents, I have more than my share of all of this stuff. Really serious stuff that’s needed treatment, and I’ve needed care from all kinds of different providers. I love chiropractic and these guys have been amazing to me, for me, but they weren’t the end-all. I think it’s really important that we’re able to determine what the extent of our intervention is going to do for our patients.  The rule stands if you ever want to have a chat, you all have my personal cellphone, call or text me, and we’ll sort it out. I’m honored and really appreciate you for taking the time. Broomfield Spine and Injury offers the best chiropractic & spinal injury treatment in Broomfield, Colorado. Dr. Nick Manteris is here to help you live your life free from pain. At Broomfield Spine and Injury, trust matters! We want to get to know you and offer you the best possible treatment for your pain. Whether you’re looking for a free consultation or want to switch to a different provider, we’ll be happy to help you. No matter what issue you have, we’ll evaluate your condition and determine the best back pain, migraine, hip pain, shoulder pain, sciatica treatment for you in Broomfield. 

Contact us here at 720-508-3982 or visit our website ​ to book an appointment with us.

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Burned Part 13

Summary:  Alfie Solomons is in need of a secretary. Tommy Shelby mentions a young woman in need of employment. From there the two step into a dangerous dance together.

Part 13: Tommy confronts Alfie about the things Louise doesn’t know about. 

           “Fucking all the way out here to give him some bits of paper,” Alfie grumbled under his breath. He’d been complaining about the ‘nerve of Tommy fucking Shelby’ the entire drive to Birmingham.                  

           “I’m sure he has some reason for it.” But Louise wasn’t too sure when they pulled into a mostly abandoned warehouse.

           Tommy stood alone, a sharp look of distrust on his face.

           Louise stepped out with Alfie, trailing behind him. The sound of her heels and Alfie’s cane echoed through the warehouse. It gave her a sinking feeling of dread and uncertainty. She had three pieces of paper tucked away in her coat. She didn’t know what was on them, Alfie had written something out, folded the paper and handed it to her without telling her.

           “I asked you to come alone and unarmed,” Tommy spoke curtly once they stopped in front of him. “You didn’t need to involve her in this.”

           “Well, she’s me secretary, innit she? She keeps the books, Tommy.” Alfie replied casually. “As for the cane, that’s just me sciatica.”

           “He’s unarmed,” Louise confirmed. “I made sure of that.” Indeed she had, tucking her hands into Alfie’s pockets and removing the revolver he had stashed away. He protested but she made him leave it with the driver.

           Tommy dropped the cigarette in his hand, stubbing it out with his expensive shoe. There was once a time when he trusted the woman who had no stake in the game. He’d paid her for protection and he was sure she was grateful. But she had spent too much time with the Jewish gangster. Enough time to lose credibility. “What have you got for me, Alfie?”

           Louise reached into her coat pocket and passed the papers along to Alfie. Tommy spotted the sapphire ring now adorning her left hand. An icy feeling traveled down his spine but he remained quiet.

           “Right, so here are the names of all the men in England whom I would approach, right, if I had a Faberge egg for sale.”

           Louise raised an eyebrow at the name of such an expensive luxury. She could remember her mother talking about the eggs ages ago. Her father playfully remarked that he would indulge her one day with such a gem of a piece. But her mother simply laughed and told him she would much rather a racehorse that would be far less expensive. So he bought her a gorgeous, dapple grey Arabian that very week.

           Now her fiancee was acting like he’d seen one first hand. Knowing Alfie, he probably had.

           “And then,” Alfie continued on, handing Tommy the second paper. “here is all the men on that list, you know, who would buy the egg even if they knew that the item was stolen.”

           Louise closed her eyes for a moment. Things were starting to line up. Alfie had helped Tommy with the Russians’ jewelry but it was far more involved than he had told her. Lying by omission.

           “Here’s a list of the men who would buy a Faberge because of their wives’ obsession.” Alfie finished. “’Bout done here then?” As if to answer his question, Tommy handed him a thick envelope of the promised cash. “Thank you, Mr. Shelby, lovely doing business with you.” He turned to Louise and handed her the money to keep safe. “All set then, love.”

           Louise stared at him, a mixture of disappointment and anger bubbling up to her throat. “You have a lot of explaining to do. I thought-”

           Tommy stopped her from going off. He turned around, pulling out a gun and pointing it at the man. “You left a name off the list, Alfie.”

           “Did I?”

           “I’ve already spoke to my people in the jewelry quarter, experienced dealers.”

           Louise startled and gripped Alfie’s arm. This wasn’t as straightforward of a meeting as she expected.

           “You missed the richest one off the list.” Tommy’s hand was steady.

           Alfie played it cool, as he usually did. But if anyone could tell he was caught in the act, it was his new fiancee. He obviously wasn’t planning for this to happen or he wouldn’t have brought Louise. “Yeah, well, if you knew already how come you dragged me all the fucking way out here, mate?” He protested in a bored voice. He wasn’t afraid for Louise’s safety, Tommy would leave her be. And he was eighty percent sure the Brummie wouldn’t gun him down there. Maybe another time and place, but not there. “Could’ve spared us both the trouble, now couldn’t ya?”

           Tommy’s jaw clenched and his anger was unmistakable. “By withholding a name that you have proven to me that you have done a deal. It was you who told them about the tunnel. You who told them about the fucking deal with the Soviets.”

           Louise’s lips parted. The information just kept building up and she wasn’t sure how she had been so in the dark about it all. “Alfie…” She whispered. “What is he talking about?”

           Alfie was caught between Tommy Shelby and his fiancee. Still, he remained level headed. He could explain everything to Louise when he didn’t have a gun pointed at his face. “Listen, sweetie-”

           No one in the warehouse was in the mood for his typical behavior, least of all Tommy. “You gave information in exchange for a share.”

           “Just leave it, Alfie please.” She whispered and squeezed his arm to try and draw his attention to her. “Tommy, I don’t know what’s going on but whatever it is…”

           He cut her off with a sharp accusation. “You crossed the line, Alfie.”

           “You fucking what?” He spat. He shook Louise’s hand off of him. At that moment he didn’t care what she saw. If she was going to marry him, she was going to marry the man that stood beside her at that moment. There was no picking and choosing.

           “They’re using my boy!” Tommy shouted. Tears formed in his piercing eyes, anger and grief eating him up from the inside out.

           A brief lapse of confusion and concern washed over Alfie’s face. Louise was horrified and couldn’t find the nerve to move. She wasn’t even sure she could talk Tommy down at that point. Charlie was Tommy’s weakness just like she was Alfie’s. She had seen when Sabini threatened her. Alfie had gone ballistic, now Tommy had every right to.

           “Did you fucking know?” Tommy hissed in disbelief.

           “Yeah I knew, you know?” He shrugged and shook his head. “But damned as I am, it made no fucking difference to me, mate!”

           Louise barely had time to move before Tommy wrestled Alfie to the ground. “Tommy, stop!” She cried and looked to the driver who had accompanied him. The Jewish man tried to pull Tommy off when a loud gunshot rang through the warehouse. She screamed and ducked, putting her hands over her head in defense. When the echo died down, she looked up and saw the driver dead on the ground. Her heart leapt to her throat when she saw Michael standing there with a smoking gun in hand.

           Tommy staggered to his feet, blood splattered over his face. He abandoned his gun on the ground and tried to right himself after the scuffle.

           “Oh, for crying out loud!” Alfie barked and stiffly stood up. “What the fuck is going on?”

           Louise was too stunned to even offer to help him up. She slowly lowered and picked up his cane, unsure what else to do.

           But Alfie didn’t seem too bothered by the sudden turn of events. He stormed up to Tommy, getting into his face “What is the matter with you, Tommy, eh? Eh?! You gone fucking angry, ain’t ya?”

           “I got fucking angry!” Tommy wasn’t finished either, it seemed and gladly took on the challenge. In his eyes, the man had sold out his son for a cut of Russian jewels.

           “Alfie, stop.” Louise found her voice again and rushed over to try and pull him away.

           Michael appeared to be on her side as far as trying to break the two angry men apart. “Tommy, I know this bastard deserves it, I fucking know.”

           Tommy didn’t budge, his icy glare driving through Alfie’s skull. His breathing was ragged as he stood his ground. “Michael…”

           Louise did her absolute best to apply her full weight against Alfie, pressing against his chest to drive them apart. But it was no good. When he was angry, he was as strong as a brick wall. So she tried to appeal to Tommy. “Whatever he did, he’ll stop. We can help find Charlie, we can help bring him back to you! I’m sure he didn’t know about Charlie, he never would do that if he knew.” Frantic tears sprung from her eyes. She was undeniably upset at Alfie but the potential of him being killed was too much for her to bear. “You promised you’d offer protection to me, I gave you all I had. You can’t take him away from me.”

           Michael managed to get Tommy a few steps away. “If you kill him now, the truce with the London outfits will be blown to fucking pieces.”

           The Jewish gangster paced a bit, his limp more prominent without his cane and after being tackled. Louise tried to keep between him and the Blinder but his movements were too erratic. He was too deeply immersed to realize the distress he was causing her. “Yeah, well it don’t fucking matter anymore, do it? That truce, it fell apart, yeah? It’s fucking done. You’ve got nothing to worry about when it comes to the old, scary London boys.”

           “Which fucking side are you on, Alfie!?” Michael yelled.

           “I don’t give a fuck right now, kid!” His voice was trembling with rage. “I do not want him to spare me because of some fucking peace pact or money Louise paid! I want him to acknowledge that his anger is un-fucking-justified!”

           “For the love of God, Alfie, please.” She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

           But he wouldn’t quit and stormed over to invade Tommy’s space again. His face going red with anger. “I want him to acknowledge that he who fights by the sword fucking dies by it, Tommy!” His voice rose louder and louder until the warehouse was teeming with chaos. “You fucking stand there, judging me? Stand there and talk to me about crossing some fucking line? If you pull that trigger, right you pull that trigger for a fucking honorable reason. Like an honorable man, not like some fucking civilian that does not understand the wicked ways of our world, mate.”

           Tommy was silent for a moment, his eyes not moving from Alfie’s face. Finally, he spoke. “Michael, go and call Inspector Moss, tell him its Palmer.”

           Louise breathed out in relief when Tommy stepped away and touched Alfie’s shoulder without malice.

           “Well said, Alfie. Well said.”

           The Jewish gangster furrowed his eyebrows. He opened his mouth to speak but just grumbled incoherently. “I did not know about your boy, though.” His voice softened and he sighed.

           “I know, I saw.” Tommy finally looked at Louise. “Congratulations on the engagement.” He said with no clear enthusiasm or malice. “Brave girl.”

           Louise swallowed and shook her head. “This won’t happen again.” She spoke to the Blinder. Her voice quivered.

           Tommy didn’t remark. He had more important things to do than to inform her that it most definitely would happen again as long as Alfie was still breathing. The gangster was highly skilled at betrayal and indulged in it.

           When he left, Alfie grimaced at his dead driver, bleeding out on the warehouse floor. “Fucking hell.” He grumbled.

           Louise wasn’t sure which emotion was most prevalent in her. She jabbed a finger into his chest, her hazel eyes fiery with betrayal. “You’ve lied to me for the last time.” She spat out and stormed towards the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           Alfie was surprised to wake up in an empty bed. He always woke up before Louise did. But things hadn’t been well since the confrontation with Tommy. She didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day or night. She retired to bed early and he came upstairs to find her back turned to him. Now even Cyril was missing.

           He wasn’t sure what to tell her. Yes, he had double-crossed the Peaky Blinders. No, he didn’t think Tommy’s son would be kidnapped. He might’ve thought about the implications but not for very long.

           “Lyn, where did Louise go?” Alfie asked as he walked into the kitchen.

           “She left for the bakery ‘bout an hour ago.” His maid informed him. “Took Cyril with her.”

           “Fan-fucking-tastic.” He knew he was in for it. His punishment was waiting for him at the bakery, now he had to gather what courage he had left and face it. It was much worse than dealing with any of the Shelbys or the Italians.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

           Alfie begrudgingly walked to the bakery. It was nearly empty because of the early hour. Only a few men loitered around. Ollie was sitting at Louise’s desk. The office door closed. He gave his boss a concerned and sympathetic look.

           “She in there?”

           The young man nodded. “Been in there for an hour.”

           “Right…” Alfie steeled himself and reached for the door handle.

           “She’s got a gun, just…by the way,” Ollie informed him.

           “Mate, that’s the least of my worries. I almost wish she would fucking shoot me instead of what I’m ‘bout to get.” He grumbled and walked into the office.

           Louise sat at his desk. Cyril was comfortably resting in his bed. The bullmastiff’s tail thumped against the floor when he saw Alfie enter but didn’t get up to greet him.

           She was rifling through stacks of paper. Her revolver was resting on the desk, pointing towards the door. Her hazel eyes didn’t look up even when she heard his heavy boots on the floor.

           “Lou.”

           No response.

           “Louise, what are you doing?”

           She slammed a pile of papers down on the desk and finally looked up. “I’m going through your notes to make sure you’re not keeping anything else from me.” She informed him with poison in her voice. “If you’re planning some foolish scheme that could end with you being shot. Or maybe having me kidnapped or killed.”

           Anyone else going through his paperwork would receive a harsh punishment. But Alfie felt like he might owe her some sort of transparency. So he cleared his throat and sat down. “M’not keeping anything else from you.”

           “Oh really?” Louise went back to shuffling through his scrawling handwriting. “What makes you think I’ll believe that?”

           “Lou, you didn’t ask ‘bout it so I-”

           “That’s enough!” She snapped and startled him right out of his early morning stupor. Her eyes burned as she glared at him. “I know you think that the world bows and bends to the will of Alfie Solomons. You think that no matter what you do, it’s justified. You always have an excuse, don’t you? You could talk your way out of hell if the devil gave you the time.” Her jaw tightened and she took a few huffing breaths. Her anger had bubbled and boiled over since the afternoon the day before. Now he was finally pushing her over the edge. “I am not a fool and I will not turn a blind eye to the stupidity you continue to pull.”

           He pinched his eyes closed. “I never thought you were a fool. I didn’t mean…”

           “Don’t you realize that the choices you make have consequences, Alfie?” She demanded. “What if they had killed Charlie? Would you feel good about yourself? Would it be worth it?”

           “Fucking hell, that’s what this is about? You’re worried ‘bout his fucking kid?” He protested. “Love, that kid’s been in danger since the day he was born. I didn’t make Tommy have a fucking kid, Louise.”

           “That’s not the point!” She shouted. “You can continue to put this off on everyone else but at the end of the day, you’re going to have to answer for what you’ve done, Alfie!”

           He was silent. His calloused fingers pressed deep into the bridge of his nose.

           “Look at me.” The volume of her voice lowered but she was still agitated.

           He obliged, to please her if nothing else. “You want transparency? Fine. Good, we’ll be transparent. You want me to tell you how I fucking slaughtered that man who tried raping you? Want to hear what he screamed as I was burning off his fingertips? Want to hear how many men I’ve killed, love, because I’ve fucking lost count by now, haven’t I?”

           Louise bit her tongue but never looked away from his gaze.

           “This ain’t a world full of friendships and sunshine. I take care of my own.” Alfie pressed a hand to his chest. “I’m not ‘bout to pretend I care about the Shelbys. Ain’t my job to make sure they’re all alive at the end of the day. Those fucking gypsies are cursed, that’s not my problem. But Tommy, he’s just like me, right? He’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top. Fucking killed just as many men as I have, love.”

           Louise exhaled slowly through her nose. “Get to the point, Alfie.” She whispered.

           “Me fucking point is I’m only concerned with one thing. Protecting you, yeah? Because you’re the woman I love. Tommy will get his son back. He always wins, don’t he? As for me? I’m gonna protect me own interests.”

           “So you don’t care how I feel about all this?” She replied coldly. “You don’t care how I felt when I heard an innocent child had been taken?”

           He sighed and ran a hand over his face. It was hard putting himself in her shoes sometimes. “I get that, love. I do. But you know that wasn’t my intention.”

           “Intention is irrelevant.” She leaned back in his leather desk chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

           Alfie saw the sapphire still sparkling on her finger. At least she hadn’t chucked it in the Thames that morning. “Lou, you know who I am. You’re smart and you wouldn’t’ve have agreed to marry me if you had any doubts.”

           Her lower lip trembled because she wanted so badly to be angry with him. But he was right. She knew the kind of man he was before they even ended up together. If she were really disturbed by his actions then she would’ve been gone ages ago. “You can’t do this to me again. You can’t keep things from me, especially not if you plan on marrying me.”

           His face softened with relief. “I won’t.” He promised. “I just want you to be happy, love, that’s all.”

           Her brow creased and she kept her arms pressed to her chest. “Alfie, I’m happy with you but things like this…it’s difficult for me. I know you want to keep me out of it but sometimes that just makes things worse. It’ll get out eventually and I’ll hear about it. So maybe it’s best I know upfront so I’m not surprised by something like yesterday.” She was uncertain, at best. But things in her life were often uncertain. What she did know is that she loved Alfie and he loved her back. But he was decisively dedicated to being the gangster London feared.

           “Right, we can work that out.” He agreed and stood up to walk around the desk. “You’ll still marry me, then?”

           Louise looked up at him and sighed heavily. “Tommy was right, I am brave for being engaged to you.”

           “Well…” He grumbled and shrugged.

           She rose from the chair. “No more lies.”

           “No more lies.”

           Alfie was overly relieved when she hugged him. He had planned to get down on his knees to beg for forgiveness. There wasn’t any worry towards striking a balance between her and the firm. His main focus now was marrying her and becoming a more complete man.

           “I love you, Alfie, but you’re a real pain in the arse sometimes.”

           He chuckled. “I’ve been called worse, love.” He pecked her cheek. “Let’s get the day started, eh? You should probably let Ollie know that you’re not planning on fucking shooting me.”

           “You have a meeting in an hour.” She told him and returned her gun to its holster before walking out of the office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Permanent Tag: @sansajonsastark​ @giftofdreams​

Tag list: @vehement-care​ @kimmietea​ @eleventhdoctorsangel​ @fire-treasure-iii​

Masterpost

PB Masterlist

[jasper601]

Prayer requests

Healing

Isaac .….Yahweh heal Isaac’s body from the stroke he suffered, from all heart disease, and take away the speech impairment that he is currently experiencing

Jessica..…heal Jessica from the under active thyroid and the dizziness she is experiencing. Heal her shoulders. Take away all the stress in her life, and strengthen all her weaknesses.

Rosie .…..Heal her body from lupus and rheumatoid arthritis that is afflicting her

James..…..Heal him from all the discomfort in his ear drum that he is experiencing due to tinnitus. Heal his foot from the injury he has sustained, and relieve him from all the pain and discomfort he is experiencing.

Florence……. Heal her mind, take away the emptiness she is experiencing. What ever is the void in her life replace it with your joy to strengthen her and heal her body from all the aches and pains she is experiencing

Tommy….Heal his body from diabetes and heal his foot from all blisters. Let his body stop retaining water, and let him not experience any further health complications.

Kadisha.…..grant her spiritual wholeness, mental clarity and emotional healing and balance. Heal her relationship with her father, but most important, heal her relationship with you, and synchronize her ways with Your will.

June and Andre..…..bridge every gap of separation between us, pull down every wall of division between us, and let there be healing in our relationship. Going forward, only let positive words proceed out of our mouths for each other. Words that will magnetize a healthy and loving relationship, instead of toxicity that the enemy is willfully trying to implant between us.

June.…..grant me healing from sciatica, stenosis and fasciitis. Take away the numbness, tingling and burning from my leg, feet, and calves, the pain from my right heel, and heal my right foot. Touch my circulatory system and let blow to every part of my body as you intend it to. Regulate my blood sugar and blood pressure. Balance me as I walk. Unclog every blood vessel and artery, so blood can flow freely and properly throughout my body. Let my body produce new stem cells where needed to make me whole in You. Give my vascular doctor the wisdom to use the right applications during to bring about healing to my body. Help me never to have to go back to the hospital for any procedure whatsoever.

Sharon..…grant her healing as is required in all areas of her life, especially her knees. Regulate and normalize the calcium in her body, and may she prosper in every way, and be in good health, even as her soul prospers.

Bess.….Heal him from alcoholism. Deliver him from bondage, grant him salvation, wholeness, and spiritual balance

Maureen.…..grant her the required healing in all areas of her body and life, whether the condition is known or unknown. Heal her and her children’s bloodline from all curses. Let her body be free from all diseases and sicknesses as she trusts in you for deliverance

Joan…..Heal her mind body and soul. Deliver her from bondage and all destruction the enemy meant for her. Save her O Abba, and take away all anger and sadness from within her, and replace it with your peace and joy.

Jade.…..Save him and he shall be saved, heal him and he shall be healed. Touch his hand like never before, and restore it to its original appearance.

Jaime..….Grant him spiritual healing and wholeness. Save him and deliver him from all pitfalls and impending destruction, the enemy intends for him.

Hazel …..grant her healing in all aspects of her life

Carl & Tracey Father let there be Healing in their marriage, bringing peace, love and harmony in their lives and in their home.

Maralude …….Father may your healing balm be upon her, granting her body wholeness. Take away the dizzy spells she is experiencing. Touch her respiratory system and heal her from the cough she has. Heal her from the flu she has recently contracted. Give her directions as to what she may use to bring wholeness to her body. Touch her hands and bring healing to them, that she will be able to use them effectively again. Whatever healing her body requires may you grant it in the name of Yahushua.

Mother Kowle….. Father heal her from whatever sickness that is afflicting her body. According to your will, let your healing balm be upon her, bringing good health and restoration to her body.

Raashida…… Father, by the stripes of Yahushua, let her body appropriate the healing he affords us during his agony on the tree when he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities at Calvary. Heal her from asthma. Let there be healing and restoration in her hip and legs from the pain she has been experiencing, so she can walk again without anymore pain and discomfort.

Owen……Heal him O Abba, and he shall be healed. Send your word and heal him, and deliver him from all destruction.

Carla, Andrew, Andre, Tony, Adrian and Marie ……Father, save them from the destructive pathways of the enemy. Heal them from all emotional pain and brokenness, for You are their praise. Correct their mistakes in life. Let not Satan have any authority over them. Break every curse they have inherited or what have been pronounced over their lives. Deliver them from darkness, set them free from bondage, and translate them into the light of your son Yahushua, that their old sinful nature would pass away, and they would become new creations unto you.

Milton….Abba Save Milton and he will be saved. Heal him from any condition that might be a hazard to his health. Heal his mind and give him the alertness to be conscious of what is going on around him, and let him get the necessary help to take care of his health and his home.

Ivor….Father, heal him emotionally psychologically and in any other aspect as is required. Give him your joy to strengthen him as you preserve his life.

Dennis Piper…… Father bring about healing to his mind, body, and soul. Bring him into a relationship with you. Let your mercy be extended towards him and relieve him from any sickness, disease, , pains and sufferings he may be experiencing.

Strength Patience and Tolerance

Jessica.…..Grant her the necessary coping skills as she nurses Isaac, and send her the appropriate help she needs at home

Gracelyn.…..Subdue her will to yours, increase her tolerance level, and give her patience, wisdom, and understanding. Teach her how to trust you in all things. Give her peace of mind, and let there be peace love and harmony between her and her spouse always,

Guidance & Provision

Beverly.…..Grant her success and prosperity with her current business. Let the establishment of all the planned medical services and Western Union service on the premises be charted by You, so they can come into full fruition at the appointed time, and grant her success regarding all her future business plans. Be her shepherd, give her discernment and divine intuition always

Rona.…..Provide for her and her household, the most appropriate housing accommodation, and bless her financially. Continue to provide for her, strengthen her both physically and spiritually, and give her good health so she can take good care of herself, Gracie, Joshua and Sapphire. Let your glorious presence be with them, granting them salvation, peace, love, and harmony always.

Maralude….. Provide for her the necessary financial needs to meet all her commitments, and bless her in all her undertakings.

Jaime ……Give him a sense of awareness and Provide for him the most appropriate employment, that he can take care of himself independently.

Alemo & Jadelin.…..Grant them and their offspring a healthy and blissful life. Bless their finances. Bless their children and keep them safe from all danger, seen and unseen. Be their strength and the Rock of their Salvation, and divinely guide them in all their affairs, granting them Your peace that surpasses all understanding, and give them victory against any demonic forces that rise up against them.

Maureen.….Be gracious unto her. Strengthen her, and Grant her a supernatural financial blessing, spiritual guidance, and divine intuition. Let your presence be glorified in her life and in her home at all times, delivering her and her offspring from any spirit of rejection, and endow them with peace love and harmony.

Tiffany …..Father keep her under your watchful eyes, never leave her to go astray. Strengthen her always and choose her peers for her. Let her be a leader and not a follower. Grant her your heavenly wisdom that she will possess the spirit of discernment and make wise decisions. Give her clear perception about your will for her life and let her ways be aligned with your will always.

Oricel…..Abba Yahweh, make it possible for Oricel Despaigne, her husband and son Liovel Jordan for them to be united as soon as possible. You are their rock and foundation and you promise when we call, you will answer. And as I join with her to call upon you to shorten their time spent apart, please hasten their unification. O Father hear our prayers and grant us this request in the authority of Yahushua. Please take care of all her loved ones and provide for them. Those who are sick, heal them. Those who are sad, give them a spirit of joy. Those who lack, provide for them. Those who need help, reach out and meet their every need. Those who are far from you, draw them close and save them. Thank you Abba for your faithfulness.

Leon Kaiya & A J…..Father be their protector continually to save them from the spoilers and predators out there. Watch over them as a mother hen watches over her chicks. Be their guardian and their guide, that they will make healthy and productive choices. Bless them with your wisdom knowledge and understanding that they will walk in the paths of righteousness continually, and not take any counsel from the wicked. Plant them by rivers of water that they will remain fresh and green, bringing forth good fruits on a timely basis.

Raashida.….. Grant her Your salvation, give her all the necessities to make her life joyous in You. Let her work and living environment be enjoyable. Give her divine guidance and bless her finances

Jessica & Isaac.…..Let there be love & peace in their home always, and never let the enemy bombard them with his invasive presence. Guide Isaac’s heart to make the right financial decision so Jessica can obtain the necessary finances from him to take proper care of him.

Fidel ..…Save him. Let him be a perfect mentor for his children. Grant him spiritual guidance, give him your wisdom that he will possess the spirit of discernment, uplift him to your standard, and grant him financial prosperity

Andre.…. Be his shepherd always. Save him and bless him with Godly leadership qualities. Increase his tolerance level, grant him patience, be his strong tower and lighthouse, and be glorified in his life and his home always. Let his treatment towards all his children be impartial and fatherly, giving all glory to You

Terrence….Wrap your loving arms around him and save him. Be a strong fortress unto him. Keep him safe and always defend him by your great power

Yahudah.….. Guide him in all his ways, lift up your countenance upon him, be gracious unto him, and give him good leadership qualities as he grows closer to you. Grant him the grace to be victorious in all adversities. Protect him from all pitfalls the enemy may set up in his pathway, and help him to overcome all demonic schemes and plots that may be sent his way. The current situation he is in, you who are omniscient know what took place. If he is innocent intervene on his behalf and declare him innocent. If he is guilty, pardon and justify him. Please let him not be dishonorably discharged, we are appealing to you and petitioning you to handle this case and let the result be just.

Ali..…Be his helper, be his salvation, and bring him into an intimate relationship with you. Give him the desire to be drawn closer to you. Lead, guide and protect him, and raise him up to be a mighty man of valor.

Maizian……Let your glorious and righteous presence always abide in her home, blessing her and her family in all things. Be her guide, helper and provider throughout every changing scenes she experiences.

Owen…. Be glorified in his life and his home. Guide him in all his affairs. Guard him in all his activities. Bless the fruit of his loins and the fruit of his hands. Let your joy be his strength as you watch over him daily

Dawn…. Shepherd her life as you will. Be a huge rock in her life upon which she may stand, that her foes cannot reach her, and protect her like a shield protects a soldier. Let her trust always be in you.

Jason & Brandy…..Yahweh, save them and their household, and they shall be saved. Then use them to Your honor and glory. Guide Brandy to implement the right method to keep her poultry alive and healthy Bless their home and finances, be their guide and guard them in all their activities. Give them the power to walk in victory.

Dean & Hazel…., Let them grow in you, guide them in all their affairs, grant them your wisdom and let them seek you in all things, that You will lead them in the path of righteousness as You Shepherd them..

Carl & Tracey……..Father save them and they shall be saved. Deliver them from all bondage. Direct their paths and lead them unto righteousness. Let your will be done in their lives, and let them always have the yearning to be drawn closer to you, and to desire the things concerning you.

Adrian and Carla….. Father, shepherd them according to your will. Grant them your wisdom that they will perceive things rightly as you give them Revelation of your will. May your love abide in their lives and in their home continually.

Kadisha…… Father strengthen her and give her a lively hope that she can joyfully look forward to. Let her rise above all circumstances that tend to drag her down into pitfalls. Shepherd her as she walks along the way that she will not step into any traps of the enemy. Provide all the necessary resources she needs to live an abundant and victorious life in Yahushua.

Carla…. Let her spend quality time with her son to help him with his school work. Let her frequently interact with him socially and teach him good spiritual values. Empower her to ignore all negative values and let her refuse to allow those things to impact her life. May she concentrate on Your love and wholeheartedly embrace it, so she may pursue Your joy that will strengthen her and give her peace of mind as she takes care of her son's personal needs. Enable and guide her to focus more on her personal life so she can achieve her goals according to your will.

Geny....Father give her the strength and guidance as she faithfully takes care of John. Draw them both close to you, that they may experience life changing encounters. Grant them your salvation, and lead them in your path of righteousness, that your goodness and mercy may pursue them for the rest of their days.

Ashonte …….Father please protect and deliver this young man from the wrong people he is associating himself with. Provide for him a permanent and appropriate job.

Good Health, Protection & Provision

Aaronic blessings

Yahweh, bless us and guard us. Yahweh, let Your face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. Yahweh, lift up Your countenance upon us, and grant us, our households, and our loved ones peace.

Blissful Marriages

Yahweh, bless these men with blissful marriages and shalom in their homes and lives

Bess

James

Andre

Terrence

Owen

Adriane

Ali

Isaac

Jason

Dean

Beaumont

Alemo

Carl Anthony

Education & Learning

Yahweh, bless these children in all capacities. Give them your wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and help them to excel in their learning. Let them be Your master pieces. May they be respectful, mannerly, bold, tenacious and strong in you. And let them have good moral standards and be influential citizens of Your Kingdom and of this earthly hemisphere, as they grow to be the men and women of tomorrow

Mikaela

Kaiya

AJ

Sapphire

Rain

Nehemiah

Lilli

Immanuel

Bruce

Lachlan

Ossieola

Okayla

Nasir

Amias

Xahier/Aden

Timaya

Justin

Brianna

Malik

Thank You Yahweh for hearing and answering our prayers

[institutebeca]

Address : 8929 Wilshire Blvd Ste 210

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Phone     :   (323) 857-5300

Website :   https://www.lamisinstitute.com/

"When it comes to back surgery, patients in the Los Angeles area have many choices. Today, lumbar discectomy and spinal fusion procedures can be performed through tiny incisions as out-patient procedures. With so many choices, how does a patient choose a procedure or surgeon?

It’s important to know the qualifications, training and experience of the Doctor doing the procedure that’s being proposed. How often does the surgeon do the procedure? Are results recorded and tracked? Importantly, the doctor should earn your trust. You should feel 100% comfortable in your choice.

You should also make sure you will happy with your surgery. Large surgeries can now be performed as small procedures. Ask your surgeon if he can do these minimally invasive procedures. Not all minimally invasive procedures are the same though and you should be able to compare them. Ask your doctor to describe your surgery in detail. You’ll want to know if normal structures will be injured at surgery. Will there be muscle damage from surgery?  Does normal bone have to be removed?  Do normal ligaments have to be damaged at surgery?  Lastly, ask your doctor if your pain can be fixed without spinal fusion, allowing your spine to move normally after surgery.

Dr. Rappard’s Los Angeles Minimally Invasive Spine Institute performs state of the art spine surgery designed to make your back pain, neck pain or sciatica go away faster. We only perform back surgery and neck surgery that is ultra-minimally invasive. We use sophisticated high resolution cameras placed through natural openings in the spine, miniaturized surgical instruments and a spine laser, all inserted through a tiny skin incision. Our minimally invasive spine surgery is done without cutting or disrupting normal muscles, ligaments or bone. As a result, your recovery is much quicker. After your surgery your body can concentrate on healing from your condition, not healing from the traumatic effects of surgery. Whether it’s for state of the art sciatica treatment, back pain or neck pain, the institute has specialized techniques that can get you better faster."

Keywords :   back pain Beverly Hills, CA ., Health Beverly Hills, CA .

[gcmblingdice]

About the hiatus:

BPD was acting up and I needed away cause it was getting bad for me.

Adjusted finally to new job, not sure how to handle the free time.

Mom has been in so much pain. Like her sciatica is so bad. Its when a bone spur or herniated disk puts pressure on the nerve.

She never sought long term physical therapy when the pain started years ago after a fall at Disney and a crash a year after.

Anyway it got pretty bad snd she tried therapy. Gave it up cause it hurt too much.

Now its to a point she cant get into car. Walk up stairs or move. And she is constantly making sure I and everyone else knows she is in pain.

She constantly has me working on her hips and back.

I swear part of her is using this as ways to keep me from leaving. Like deadass she stops any real attempts for me to be independent. My license? Had to fight her. She said it's fine if she takes me all over.

Woman told me she didnt think I would be able to do it. Also doesnt trust or let me use the car, but as soon as its for her or for me to do something for her she dont mind?

She never keeps her promises.

Anyway she also has been much more annoying and smothering.

Dad is a man child who worships trump to the point its fanatical. We can't say shit really or he yells and throws stuff. So we ignore him.

His mind be detoriating. You can see it and its bad, but what do I know? Its not like I've taken care of my grandma who had alzheimer and dimentia. It isnt like I don't know how to deal with manchildren. But okay.

Honestly both my parents combined remind me of when I would take care of my grandmom, especially when she was just not there. Like her mind was gone. I was changing her feeding tube, her, diapers etc. I was doing it all.

Now both parents comebine make me feel like I am dealing wirh her again.

I loved my grandmom btw.

I am just tired.

Glad I aint at Target tho like LOL SUCKS TO SUXK THAT STORE REALLY BE FALLING APART WITHOUT ME.

Also glad I left when I did cause I noticed things were getting worse at home and i aint letting mom deal with dad alone.

Also been struggling with my eating disorder.

And there we go. A brief overview of my constant small breaks. I love you all 🥰🥰🥰 thank you for staying by my side.

[ticket4futball]

Premier League: Manchester United star touch and go to be fit for England Euro 2020

Marcus Rashford is touch and goes for Euro 2020 as he battles to recover from a stress fracture of the back, according to one leading medical professional.

Manchester United and England striker has predicted he will be back in action for Manchester United before the end of the campaign but his recovery time remains unclear. Euro Cup fans can purchase England Euro Cup Tickets online to enjoy its stunning performances.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer initially said the 22-year-old, who suffered the injury in last week’s FA Cup clash with Wolves would be out for a minimum of six weeks before reviewing that to a limited months on Tuesday.

Johnny Wilson, medical director at 108 Harley Street trusts the onward is facing a competition beside time to be appropriate for England’s Euro 2020 opener beside Croatia at Wembley on June 14.

Johnny Wilson Interview about England Euro 2020

Wilson said the PA bulletin agency: “In the Premier League there have been seven performers over the last 10 years that have stated the same damage as Rashford. Their normal return-to-playing timeframe was 133 days. Today the Euros are 142 days away, so it is bit and go. He has an opportunity but all have to go exact.”

Rashford’s damage to the backs in the spine is known as a pars hassle crack. It is understood to be affected by repetitive stress on the lumbar area and can grow over time. There have been booms that Rashford has suffered a dual stress breakage.

Wilson believed, an independent breakage would be breakage on either side of the backs and a joint one would be the left side and the right side has broken.

It is a little bit more thought if it is a joint one because the backs might be a little bit unstable and more prone to slipping forward, which can cause nerve impingement, sciatica or disc herniation.

Ninety percent of those folks will come back to play pain-free in four months but for 10 percent their retrieval might not go so fine. They may not respond to physiotherapy and conservative management and may still be left with pain.

They will have to go on for surgical procedures, and then you are doubling the time. Recovery time varies from player to player, depending on how they respond to treatment.

Johnny Wilson saying

Wilson said: “In the first four weeks we might put these folks into an orthotic, like a back support. This stops arching the back and producing more stress on the equivalences. We need to decrease demanding filling on the jaw, inspire healing, and expectantly get them pain-free in four to six weeks. Then we restart a classified exercise programmed.

It is a task-based slightly time-based. We do not magically get to 12 weeks and say you are good to play. It’s a case of what are they like on their tasks.

If you can turn back pain-free we can transfer on to calm jogging. If that is pain-free we can move on to running. If that is pain-free we can move onto sprinting, changing direction, twisting.

Wilson, who has earlier worked at Notts County, Scunthorpe, and Chesterfield as well as in tennis and rugger, has no hesitation Rashford will now accept the best management.

He said: Rashford had started every game this term so he was due to damage. It is unfortunate but he is in the hands of a very good sports medicine team at Man Utd.

Euro 2020 fans can get England vs Czech Republic Tickets through our trusted online ticketing marketplace. Ticket4football.com is the most reliable source to book Euro Cup Tickets.

[sagara-megumi]

SasuSaku Month - Day 1: First Love || [Fanfic] Prospective Partners I (Sasuke)

Title: Prospective Partners I (Sasuke)

Rating: K/G

Notes: First revision done. I’ll probably re-read it again a few times just to make sure there are no more mistakes ^^ Also, I forgot to clarify a couple of Japanese terms that I used. They’re at the end of the story. I hope you like it :)

Words: 1794

PROSPECTIVE PARTNERS I (SASUKE)

Tired after a long day of meetings, Uchiha Sasuke, President of the Uchiha Corporation threw his briefcase onto the enormous desk of his office and sighed, pulling at his tie while plopping down unceremoniously on his chair. His head was throbbing uncomfortably, the prelude of a massive headache.

“Gosh, why had all those old men had to waste two hours on arguing about that small detail on the contract? We could be home already...” Naruto, the managing director of his company, grumbled as he closed the door. “And today I had planned to take Hinata-chan out for our anniversary...”

Sasuke opened an eye and looked at his friend, his black pupils lighting with concern.

“Why didn't you tell me? I could have given you a day off...”

“And let you on your own with those oldsters? You'd still be there, listening to their endless ratings. Anyway, I changed the reservation to tomorrow evening and I called her at lunchtime...”

“My family would be delighted if they heard you call them 'oldsters'” a small sarcastic smile appeared on Sasuke's lips. “Especially my father.”

“Well,” Naruto dropped himself onto the leather sofa across the room and crossed his ankles on top of the armrest. “I call them old geezers when I'm at home” he stretched with a grunt. “They're all over sixty, except for your dad and your brother, and they argue over the pettiest things-”

A knock on the door interrupted his rambling and he turned his head curiously to the door as Sasuke gave permission to whoever was behind it. A very elegant lovely woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes entered the office and, after an amused glance on his way, walked straight to the desk from across which his boss was frowning at her.

“This is the mail that arrived during the afternoon,, ” she said leaving a large amount of opened envelopes on the table in three neat stacks. “And this is the data for tomorrow morning's meeting that you asked for.”

Sasuke sighed again before pushing himself into a straight posture.

“Thank you, Ino” he glanced behind her, to the door, puzzled for not seeing his personal assistant with his secretary. “Where's Shikamaru?”

“He is on the phone. They called from Iwagakure Bank asking if the lunch meeting on Wednesday could be delayed. The President has some problems with his back and the doctor advised him to rest for at least five days because of his age.”

He nodded, opening the binder Ino had given him and taking a look inside.

“That old man should retire” commented Naruto. “He had one of his attacks of sciatica during a meeting in the bank and he couldn't move for an hour.”

Sasuke made a neutral sound, not bothering to look at them. Though Naruto was right, he liked the proud headstrong elder and enjoyed their meetings. The day Onoki retired, the business world would be a little bit duller.

“Oh,” she exclaimed taking a thin envelope from under her arm and tending it to him with a knowing smile. “This is from your mother. Her secretary delivered it before they both left for Congressman Sarutobi charity party.”

She tried to hide her amusement when Sasuke's face turned a few shades paler and one of his thin brows twitched, but Naruto’s outburst of laughter made it impossible.

He lifted the binder a bit more towards his face and feigned a sudden interest in the information that had suddenly turned blurred.

“How many photos has your mum already sent you?” Naruto said gasping for air between guffaws. “She must be really desperate to marry you away.”

“She's not 'marrying me away', idiot” he grumbled from behind the documents.

But he had to admit that it was becoming a bit of an obsession for his parents to match him with an appropriate woman. He had never shown a special interest in the opposite sex but not for whatever weird reason they seemed to have in mind, but because he had always been too busy with private classes and trying not to fall behind his brother's achievements. He was not as brilliant as Itachi and had to make an extra effort to follow his lead without failing. Being part of an elite family was not as easy as people thought. Many sights were fixed on him, judging every decision, waiting for a wrong move, hoping for him and the Uchiha Corporation to fall from their power position to replace them. And he could not afford that.

He lifted his gaze to see that Ino's expression had turned into one of understanding.

“I'll leave it here” she said putting the brown envelope next to the laptop on his desk. “If you don't need anything else, President...” Sasuke shook his head and she bowed towards them, turning and going out of the office, closing the door again.

The room became silent for a few minutes, the only sound was the turning of the pages as Sasuke read and analysed the documents. Finally, Naruto stood up and walked to him.

“Look, sorry I laughed...” his friend did not react at the beginning, and he changed the weight of his body from one foot to the other. “It's  just that... it looks ridiculous that your parents have to do this when you're one of the most sought bachelors in our social circle and, well, you can choose anyone whenever you want.”

“The problem for the family, more than for them, is that I'm not interested in choosing at the moment. I'm just twenty-four and I have too many things in my mind now to add one more to the pile. I don't need an annoying woman nagging at me for not having time to take her to expensive restaurants or luxury cruises.”

“Not all of them are like that...” Naruto furrowed his brow, crossing his arms across his chest, not really understanding his friend's reasoning.

“Not all of us are lucky enough to find someone like Hinata-san” Sasuke retorted finally leaving the binder on the table and looking at him in the eye.

“I'm not saying that...” he pouted in response. “Then, why don't you tell them to stop? Tell them what you've just said to me and probably they will leave you alone for a few months... or weeks...”

“I've already tried, to no avail. And they pressure my mother too, so, I just please them making them believe that I read the personal information and considered the woman carefully and invent something she lacks”

“You're not going to solve the problem like that.”

“I know, but it works for now, so...”

“But... well, aren't you curious?” Naruto said glancing at the envelope with a slow smirk drawing across his lips. “What if one of them is the woman of your dreams?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and, taking a pen from one of his drawers to make a note on something that had caught his attention, buried his nose once again in the papers.

“No, I'm not. Open it if you want.”

Naruto took the envelope eagerly and cut the string that closed it but just as he was lifting the cover of the small folder that contained the photos, he stopped himself.

He could not do it. It was something meant for Sasuke and he had to be the one to open it. He put it on the papers, and Sasuke glared at him.

“Do it quickly and you won't have to lie to them this time. Imagine it like a good deed to redeem your soul.”

He sighed exasperated and silently observed his friend, who had taken a stance that told him he was decided to get his way.

He eyed the thin pink folder and after a few seconds, he lifted the lid with the pen cautiously, as if he expected a dangerous animal to throw itself at his throat.

A lovely young woman smiled at him from the photograph. She had long pink hair tied in what seemed a sophisticated hairstyle and big bright green eyes that brought him the feeling that he had seen them before.

She was clad in a black furisode embroidered with different types of flowers and leaves, and a golden obi was tied around her waist.

“Haruno Sakura” Naruto had picked up her personal history and started reading out loud. “Wow, she's the only granddaughter of the current chairwoman of Haruno Private Hospital. Her father founded one of the most prestigious medical research laboratories of the country” he whistled as he scanned her personal details. “A proper upper-class girl.”

But Sasuke was not really interested in her date of birth or her blood type and blocked his friend's voice. His mind was too busy trying to solve the question nagging at the back of his mind. Where had he seen her before?

“Her hobbies are reading, doing exercise and karuta games, especially Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.”

And suddenly, it dawned on him.

She reminded him of the little girl he had met in kindergarten after his father had been appointed as the new heir of the Corporation after the death of his older brother and the family had had to move to the main house. She had been like a ray of sunshine among the fast changes in his life. The sudden pressure of being watched and judged by the smallest thing had been too much for his five-year-old self, and his solely moments of happiness had been when sharing his games and lessons with her. It had lasted only a few months, since they took different ways after entering primary school, but for him, it had always been a fond memory. Itachi had laughed merrily when he had known, saying that she had been his first love.

“She's studying medicine at Todai...” he lifted his head. “I think she might be too good for you...”

“Maybe...”

That forgotten memory had awoken his curiosity. He did not know if she was the same girl, he had forgotten her name long ago, and he was not one to trust in coincidences. But it would not harm him to meet her at least once. On the contrary, it could bring some good things: peace of mind to his parents, a stop to the harassment about his marriage from the rest of the family, an end to Naruto's jokes and Ino's amused looks and some time off in his hectic routine of meetings, contracts, data and 'oldsters'. He smiled lightly, looking at the portray again. He only hoped Haruno Sakura was worth the effort.

THE END

-karuta: Japanese card games. There are different types but probably some of you have heard of the most popular one of them: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred People, One Poem), a game in which 100 poems are written on two sets of cards. Someone reads the beginning and the players have to find the second part before anybody else does to complete a poem and recite it (Chihayafuru anyone?)