Tag Archives: #Love

Part 38 If Oak Trees Could Talk

28 Apr

Part 38 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

Hello Everyone, I am so glad that you chose to join me again on my Video Blogs of my Romance/Suspense Novel If Oak Trees Could Talk!  I love all the new people that have found me and made comments.  Thank you so much for “liking” the Video Blogs.  If you‘ve just recently found me, I wanted to say these blogs were really just me trying something different with my Romance/Suspense novel.  I personally just wanted it to be read, so I thought I would read it myself and video blog it.  I wanted to send out a big Thank you, again to all of you that have hung in here with me since the Part 1 of If Oak Trees Could Talk!  You are amazing and I am so grateful!

 

Today, we begin in…..Chapter 18 The Detectives!

The doors to Glenview opened to allow Amelia to walk outside.  The humidity in the air was thick and heavy and felt moist against her skin.  The heat seemed to hit her in the face when she stepped out of the air conditioning.   A warm brisk wind was blowing and Amelia could see that there were several storm clouds gathering in the westward sky. She ran quickly to her parent’s vehicle as rain began to fall.  When she climbed in the front seat she started the car and put it in gear.  Suddenly there was a tap on the passenger side window.  It was Mr. Henderson from the Mason Creek Times.  Amelia immediately bent over the front seat and opened the door.

“Hurry, get it!” She ordered.

“Hello, Ms. Amelia, how are you doing?”  Mr. Henderson asked as he obeyed Amelia. “I’m sorry that I am soaked.  I should have listened to my old knee this morning! Every time it is going to rain, my knee will act up.  

 Mr. Gerald Henderson and his wife Sophia were also lifelong friends to her parents.  Henry and Mr. Henderson had known each other since they were young boys.  They had gone through twelve years of school together.  Mr. Henderson’s wife was the Mason Creek Elementary School librarian.  Surprised that Mr. Henderson was at Glenview, Amelia was a little curious as to why he seemed to be waiting to speak to her.

“Hello Mr. Henderson, I am sorry but I was a little startled when you knocked on my window.  This has been a crazy day. May I help you with something?”  Amelia asked, but just as she asked the question she looked up to see Mr. Hodges staring at them through his office window.  She became very upset.  “Mr. Henderson, we can’t talk here.  I am sorry.  I do need to speak to you on an urgent matter, but not here and not now!”  Amelia said as she looked down as to pretend that she had not noticed Mr. Hodges.

“Amelia, I know about your concerns. It is quite alright.   May I possibly meet you at your home?  I do not want to meet at my office, for I have the same concerns that you do.”  Mr. Henderson stated.  “Your husband told me that you needed to possibly speak to me.”

“Yes, but I am supposed to meet someone that works at Glenview.  I just met her today, but she wanted to meet with me.  I can possibly meet with you tomorrow!”  Amelia suggested.

“Tomorrow it is.  I will call you tomorrow morning and we will go from there!” Mr. Henderson agreed. 

By the time that Mr. Henderson had gotten into the car with Amelia, the sky opened up.  It was a typical summer storm in Georgia which consisted of strong gusty winds,  roaring thunder that shook the whole ground, vivid flashes of lightning and  torrential rains that pounded the ground so hard that water ran orange from the muddy Georgia clay.  The run off of water quickly flooded the parking lot of Glenview and continued to run out into the streets.  Amelia was going to wait it out, but when she looked up Mr. Hodges was still watching her and Mr. Henderson from his office window.  It wasn’t long until Amelia saw Sheriff Eugene drive by the main entrance of the parking lot.  She wondered if Eugene’s driving by was meant to intimidate her.  When the rain slacked down a little bit, Amelia backed out of the parking space. 

“Where’s your car parked Mr. Henderson?”  Amelia asked.

“Well, Ms. Amelia, frankly I never drove, I walked!  Guess I should have paid attention to the weather huh?”  Mr. Henderson said with a little giggle.

“No problem,” Amelia said.  Where do you want to go? Do you want me to drop you at the Times building or home?”  Amelia asked as she drove quickly out of the parking lot. Either place that Mr. Henderson chose was on her way home.   Just as she was pulling out, Eugene drove by rather slowly.  It wasn’t good because he could probably see who was in the car with her much better than Mr. Hodges could through his office window and the rain

“Well Mr. Henderson since we are together anyway and I’ve got to take my time, why did you come to see me?” Amelia asked as she drove very slowly on the rain slick roads.  She noticed that Mr. Henderson kept looking down at his side mirror.  She felt he too was concerned about Sheriff Eugene seeing them.

“Ms. Amelia, I have heard stories for years coming out of Glenview. I understand that you and your parents had a run in with Mr. Hodges?  Well, young lady, I do not wish to worry you, believe me.  Let me just say that he is not at all a nice man. If you’ve crossed him then I am sure that you’ve already found that out.  He’s always kept all of his dealings covered up pretty good but lately he has been pretty sloppy.  For one thing he has that idiot Sheriff Eugene in cahoots with him who has let this Sheriff’s job go straight to his head.  Both of these men are power hungry! Mr. Hodges is just like Glenview’s building. From the outside everything appears to be all pristine and beautiful but on the inside it is full of rot and disgust.  I intend on exposing him for what and who he really is! Ms. Amelia, I need to hear about everything that you know!”  Mr. Henderson stated.

Amelia still looking ahead said, “Frankly, Mr. Henderson, how do I know that I can trust you?  I don’t know who all is in with him on this thing?  I, of course, am concerned about all of the residents in Glenview, but my parents are who I am most concerned about.  I tried my best to get them to come home with me today and never return.  When I looked upon Mr. Hodges face, I saw pure evil. I fear for my parent’s safety!”  Amelia stated with tears in her eyes.

“Ms. Amelia, I understand your concerns, and yes you should be very concerned.  I have known your parents longer than you have.  Henry is a dear friend of mine. I want to put Mr. Hodges behind bars where he belongs.  I, however, need evidence and proof that he is doing what we both know he is!” Mr. Henderson convinced.

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me!  It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you!  As always I would love to hear from you.  I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs.  Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here!  Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order!  I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

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Part 37 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

22 Apr

Part 37 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

It is amazing to me how fast the year is flying by, but each week we are getting closer to the end of my Romance/Suspense Novel If Oak Trees Could Talk!  Thank you so much for hanging in here with me! Whether you are reading along with me or “tuning in” each week to my Video blogs or regular blogs, I sincerely appreciate you for visiting!

 

Today we pick back up in Chapter 17 The Tyrant!

When they had gotten the words out of their mouth, another nurse came to get them settled into their new suite.  The Tyler’s had seen her around Glenview with other patients but they had not met her or been helped by her.

“Are you Mr. and Mrs. Tyler? I am Nurse Melba Applegate.  I will be your nurse for the remainder of your stay.  Mrs. Tyler it appears that you will only be with us a few more weeks.”  Nurse Applegate concluded.

“No Mam, I will not be the only one going.” Helen answered.  “When I leave, Mr. Tyler will be going home as well!” 

“Oh well, for right now let’s just get you settled back into your new room!  It will be a great day whenever you both are home.”  Nurse Applegate said with a gentle smile. She seemed nice enough, however she wasn’t Nurse Wanda.  It was obvious that she never knew Henry and Helen.  Thank God that Amelia stuck to her guns when it came to insisting that her parents stay together.  She felt like because they would be together that they would definitely be stronger and more aware of what was going on. 

 Amelia had become suspicious of even the nurses.  She wondered which nurses on staff at Glenview were in cahoots with Mr. Hodges?   Amelia surmised that if a patient was drugged and made to be quite that it probably made the nurse’s jobs much easier.    It registered to Amelia that it is the nurses, after all, that must administer the medications to the patients, whether knowingly or unknowingly.    Amelia intended to be aware of every move that Nurse Applegate made to see if she was indeed an unknowing victim or a willing party to helping Mr. Hodges, such as Sheriff Eugene was.

Nurse Applegate led Amelia and her parents down a hallway that wasn’t far from the main entrance of Glenview.  This was important to Amelia, as she did not want her parents placed at the end of another dark and dreary corridor like the one that Mr. Hodges had led them down earlier.  When they stopped three doors down into the hallway, Nurse Applegate turned to them and with a smile on her face stated, “Here we are! Home sweet home until you can return to your own home!”

When Henry and Helen walked in, they were pleasantly surprised!  It was bright, beautiful, and Sunny!  All of the décor was fresh and new and their double bed looked like a regular bed. They had a small comfortable sitting area to the right of the bed.  Also a little bistro table with chairs to enjoy their meals.  It was the perfect little place for the both of them for the next few weeks of their stay in Glenview. They felt like it was indeed a nice luxurious suite. Amelia too was very pleased, but then she thought again of the room where Mr. Hodges was going to place them and she truly realized how vengeful he really was. 

“Oh it is beautiful, isn’t it Amelia!”  Helen announced with a sweet smile.  She looked at Henry who had already made his way to the bed. He gazed into Helen’s eyes and patted the bed.  He smiled his little impish smile that Amelia was so used to.  Nurse Applegate couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Nurse Applegate, my parents really are in love with each other, so I must warn you to be prepared for anything!”  Amelia warned as she admired her parents.

“Where is my gun cabinet?  I don’t see my gun cabinet anywhere! Also I want my picture of my old friend hanging right there!”  Henry said as he walked in front of the bed and pointed to the wall.  He needed to see the old Oak tree in front of him.  He never wanted to lose anything that he gained, but he also wanted to see what else his old friend could help him with!  Wouldn’t you say that would be a good place dear?”  He asked Helen.

“Yes, the perfect place Henry!”  Helen confirmed.

“I’ll make for sure that you get all of your things from your other room Daddy! Your old friend will be here!  Amelia stated.  “Gun cabinet?”  She questioned.  “That is a scary thought!”  She thought with another smile.

“I will leave you to get used to your new suite. If you need anything please let me know.”   Nurse Applegate said again with a smile that seemed to be genuine.  Amelia, however, was not ready yet to let her defenses down and trust her yet?

“Do you want to go out to the gardens, Honey?” Henry asked.  He had walked over to the window and was staring out.  Worried that her Daddy was becoming a little disoriented, Amelia walked over and looked outside of the window as well.  Surprisingly, there were beautiful gardens right outside their window!  She couldn’t help but chuckle a little as she really thought that her Daddy was talking about their gardens at his own home. 

“No Henry, I am a little weary in my bones!  I think I need to just get something to eat and rest awhile.  This has been a trying day and emotional to say the least.”  Helen answered as she sat down on her little sofa.   Henry agreed with Helen as he walked in front of her and sat down beside her.  In true Henry fashion, he picked up her hand and kissed it tenderly.  They both breathed a sigh of relief as their eyes spanned the room to take it all in. 

“Amelia, darling, we are fine now.   You need to go home and be with your family!”  Helen stated.  “Go on we are tired and will probably take a nap.  Go get out of here!”  She continued to order.

Amelia was torn.  Yes she needed to go and be with her family, but her parents were her family as well.  She never wanted them to become so comfortable in their new surroundings that they let their guard down! 

“Momma, if I go home for a little while, please just keep your guard up.  Don’t be fooled, even by Nurse Applegate.  Do you understand me?”  Amelia whispered because she never wanted anyone to hear their conversation.  “I mean, do not trust anyone Momma.  Right now we do not know who is going along with Mr. Hodges!  Be careful.”  Amelia continued to warn as she paced the floor.   She then turned to her parents. 

“If you need me for any reason, if Mr. Hodges dare says anything to you, call me immediately Momma!  Do you understand me?  Call me!  Do you have my number handy to where if you need me in an emergency situation that you can call me quickly? I hate that they do not put telephones in these room.  They have one at the nurse’s station.  If you have to, Momma, just use your on call button in case of an emergency.”

“Yes, my dear!  I know right where your number is, so go on.  Get on out of here! We will be fine.” Helen reassured.

Amelia obeyed her mother and hugged them tightly.  She felt as though she was leaving her child on his first day of kindergarten.  She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.  Her heart was breaking to leave them.  She didn’t care how beautiful or nice their room was.  Amelia was more concerned about Mr. Hodges and what he was planning to do next.  While walking to the front entrance, she saw Nurse Applegate. 

“Oh, Nurse Applegate, my parents are exhausted and decided that they needed a rest.  So I left them to rest.  I wanted to say thank you.  I really appreciated you being so nice to them today.”  Amelia said even though she did not know if she could trust her yet.   “I will be back before they retire for the night.  I just wanted to make for sure that you have all my information so that you could reach me if you needed to.” Amelia continued.

Nurse Applegate reached out her hand and squeezed Amelia’s. She then looked over her shoulder and whispered. “My father is in Glenview as well Mrs. Steele.  That is why I am working here.  Mr. Hodges, of course does not know this. My father’s last name is Wilson, of course, different than mine because I was married. I used to work over in Scioto County, but my father lived in Mason. I applied here about six months ago so that I could keep an eye out on him.  You may not know this, but Mr. Hodges also has his hooks in the Scioto County Nursing home.  I would love to speak to you outside this place if possible.” Nurse Applegate whispered. 

Totally shocked at what Nurse Applegate had told her, suddenly Amelia felt like she had another ally like Nurse Wanda on the inside to help watch after her parents.  A huge burden seemed to roll off of Amelia’s shoulders, but still she did not take her guard completely down.  She did, however, want to meet with Nurse Applegate to find out as much as she could about Mr. Hodges. 

“When does your shift end?” Amelia asked.  “Oh, if you leave, then who takes care of my parents?”  Amelia asked in a panic as she hadn’t thought about Nurse Applegate leaving them.

“I get off at Nine o’clock tonight, but please do not worry.  Nurse Warren at the front desk will check on them after I leave.   She is a really sweet and compassionate nurse.  She will enjoy taking care of your parents as I am sure I will.”

“Meet me for coffee at Maggie’s Pie and Coffee?”  Amelia whispered.

“That sounds, wonderful, around Nine-Thirty? Nurse Applegate asked.

“Sure, I’ll meet you there! Thanks again.”  Amelia said with a sigh of relief that her parents was in good hands.

 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me!  It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you!  As always I would love to hear from you.  I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs.  Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here!  Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order!  I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

 

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Part 34 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

24 Mar

Part 34 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a video blog, but here I am again and so glad that you chose to join me today! I appreciate you so much and am thrilled to be able to share my Romance/Suspense story If Oak Trees Could Talk with you. Today we begin in Chapter 17 entitled The Tyrant!

Chapter 17

The Tyrant!

Amelia’s gut told her that nothing about Mr. Hodges was pleasant or genuine. She didn’t trust him and had intended on making even more visits to Glenview in the next few weeks. As she and her parents left his office they went straight to the nurse’s station as they waited for a new room to be prepared. They felt like they won a little victory today by Mr. Hodges allowing Henry and Helen to at least stay in the same room. When Nurse Wanda saw them she immediately ran and hugged them. She was sorry that Mr. and Mrs. Tyler had to return, but she was delighted to see them.

“Mr. Tyler, you sure did give us all a scare!” She scolded, now why did you go and do that to this old nurse, don’t you know I’m not getting any younger. How are you Mrs. Tyler, you are simply in bloom with the color in your cheeks. You both sure are looking good. Yes, real good!” Nurse Wanda stated as she let out a giggle!

“Nurse Wanda, we apologize for putting you in this awkward situation, but Henry has been like a caged bird. Going home to be in familiar surroundings was the best possible medicine for him. He is doing so much better. He’s coming back to us.   Thank you so much for all that you’ve done for us. We truly love you sweet lady!” Helen replied as she grabbed Nurse Wanda’s hand and patted it gently.

“Now that is the best news we’ve heard around these parts in, Lord, I don’t even know how long! Both you and Mr. Tyler are getting better, that’s the important thing!” Nurse Wanda continued. She started to warn the Tyler’s once again, but just as she began to whisper the words, “You all keep an eye out for Mr.”

“Nurse Smith, may I speak to you immediately, please?” Mr. Hodges interrupted.

“Yes, Sir, I’ll be right there, Sir!” Nurse Wanda yelled as she squeezed Ms. Amelia’s hand. She then whispered. “Watch, Ms. Amelia!”

Amelia, of course, was confused but at the same time she somehow knew that Nurse Wanda was warning her to keep an eye out on Mr. Hodges. Again, Amelia did not trust him and felt like he would try to retaliate against her parents for putting Glenview’s reputation at risk, but Amelia really had no idea how evil Mr. Hodges really was.

            Mr. Hodges told Nurse Wanda to go to a patient’s room several rooms down while he spoke once again to Mr. and Mrs. Tyler.

            “Come with me, please!” He commanded.

            The Tyler’s followed obediently along with Amelia by their side. Mr. Hodges led them down several long corridors to the very end room. As he walked rather quickly in front of them, Helen was having a little difficulty keeping up, but still she pressed on without uttering the first complaint. When all of them were finally at the end of the hall, Mr. Hodges said with a defiant smirk, “Viola! Here is your suite Mr. and Mrs. Tyler! Oh, and sadly, I must inform you that because of the new suite arrangements, it will no longer be possible for Nurse Smith to be your attending nurse. Nurse Melba Applegate will be your attending nurse on this floor of Glenview from now on. I am sure she will serve you very well.”

            Amelia’s face burned with anger as she seen the obvious revengeful attitude that Mr. Hodges had toward her parents. She became very alarmed that he would even try to harm them in some way. She however, held her tongue while in her parent’s presence. As Henry and Helen entered their new suite, they were not surprised in its appearance. They too felt that Mr. Hodges would go to any lengths to try to punish them for their behavior, but they truly did not expect what they saw.

            There was nothing new whatsoever other than the location of the room that Mr. Hodges called a suite. At first glance the pale soiled gray walls boasted some similitude of a stenciled Fleur De Lis design pattern throughout. The design had probably been placed onto the walls when the facility had been built. There were not any windows to let any natural light shine through from the outside. The only light source with the exception of a lame floor lamp that had a dingy beige shade in the corner was one florescent light fixture mounted to the ceiling that held two long while parallel light bulbs. The furniture décor consisted of one high back worn upholstered chair that was pushed into a corner to the left of the room. Opposite the high back upholstered chair was two straight back side chairs that slide under a small wooden table. The table set to the right of the bed. The bed which might have been full size, from all appearances seemed to be older than the wall paper. The heavy metal frame sprawled out like a spider in the middle of the room. The bed had two legs on each side that was placed on the floor, however the bed also had two more legs on each side that were equipped with casters and wheels that locked. Finally built into the wall there was a wooden wardrobe and a chest of drawers. Once inside the tiny room, only then could a small door be seen behind the entrance door that led to a rest room.

As Henry and Helen looked over the dismal room, Amelia became more and more enraged. She looked at her precious parents who had done nothing but help neighbors and friends their whole entire lives and became sickened that Mr. Hodges chose such a room for them to recover in while they were at Glenview. How dare he try to belittle and punish her parents with such open detest and think he would get by with it.

“Mr. Hodges, may I see you in the hallway? Now please!” Amelia demanded as her heart began beating faster and she could feel her face burning. She trembled inside with anger at the thoughts that Mr. Hodges would stoop so low.   She tried to calm herself down as to speak to him without screaming. When Mr. Hodges looked at Amelia, he obeyed immediately and met her demands.

“Mr. Hodges, I do not know what you are trying to prove at Glenview, but this so called suite is totally unacceptable. I will not stand by and let you make a mockery out of my parents! I will have Mr. Henderson in this place so quickly that you will not know what hit you! Do I make myself clear?” Amelia spewed.

“Now, Mrs. Steele, you must realize that we do not honor the request of spouses’ cohabitating in the same room here at Glenview. We are trying to accommodate your request. Unfortunately, this suite is the only one that is available.” Mr. Hodges lied.

            “Well, you better make something else become available. Mr. Hodges, you will not humiliate my parents in any way, do I make myself clear. I just wonder if you would do this to my parents, whose others parents are you mistreating at Glenview. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find how who else is privileged to get these kinds of luxury suites?” Amelia threatened.

Mr. Hodges angry himself, cleared his throat and glared at her with pure evil in his eyes. He then whispered in a tone that almost sounded like a growl to Amelia, “Don’t you ever threaten me again lady. You, Mrs. Steele, do not know who you are dealing with, and neither does your kooky senile old parents! Go tell your Mr. Henderson anything that you want to tell him, but let me forewarn you, that it will be your parents that pay the ultimate price! Do I make myself clear, Mrs. Steele?”

“Perfectly clear indeed Mr. Hodges and obviously you do not know who you are dealing with either. I demand that you place my parents in a decent room with a window right now and that Nurse Wanda be reinstated as their nurse. She knows my parents and my parents trust her. I see what you’re trying to do by isolating my parents. I will not stand for it! I demand you do it now!” Amelia screamed.

“If I won’t give in to your demands, Mrs. Steele, how then shall you threaten me?” Mr. Hodges once again whispered.

“Watch me, Mr. Hodges. Watch me turn my threats into action!” Amelia boldly stated. “Obviously you do not know about all of the ties to Mason Creek and Mason Creeks residents that my parents hold. My father has owned and run the local Hardware store longer than I have been alive.   They know practically everyone in this little town, with the only exception being those who have possibly moved into town while they’ve been in Glenview. All I would have to do is to let my parent’s friends and neighbors know how they are being mistreated here! How many of their parents or relatives do you have in your facility Mr. Hodges? What affect do you think that might have on your little untainted reputation?” Amelia fired back.

 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me! It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you! As always I would love to hear from you. I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs. Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here! Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order! I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

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Part 33 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

9 Mar

Part 33 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

 

Welcome to my video blogs of my Romance/Suspense novel If Oak Trees Could Talk! This story was given to me as I sat on my front porch early one morning just being grateful for such a beautiful day. The air was warm and the birds were chirping rather loudly. I had a bird feeder that hung from a huge limb of an Oak Tree in my side yard, as I watched the birds come for seeds, I simply heard in my spirit, “Imagine the stories that old Oak Tree could tell you.” Suddenly I had the story from the beginning to the end, but never knew about all the twist and turns in the middle! This seems to be how I get all of my stories, poems, songs, blogs etc. We are moving right along in the book. It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy it.

Chapter 16 Glenview’s Return!

Mr. Hodges was left speechless and stunned that Henry was so boisterous and that he appeared to be perfectly sane in his thinking and speech. He heard Henry’s threats loud and clear and immediately cleared his throat. Finally he spoke again.

“Well, I am sure this has been a stressful situation for all of us,” Mr. Hodges said in a much calmer tone. “So from this day forward, let’s just put all of this behind us so that we can continue to get everyone well. How does that sound to all of you? And Mrs. Steele, I do apologize for my abruptness and the manner in which I have spoken to you. I know that I have no right to ask this of you, but I wanted to ask you for a favor please. As you know Glenview’s Residential Home for the Elderly has enjoyed a prestigious reputation for its exceptional care of the Elderly. We have had wonderful reviews for not only serving the residents in our own little quaint community of Mason Creek and Mason County, but also in serving many other surrounding counties as well. Pardon me for repeating rumors especially if they are not true, but, Mrs. Steele, It has been rumored that you intend on possibly going to Mr. Henderson down at the Mason Creek Times with a story about our latest events at Glenview. I plead with you to please reconsider. After hearing your reasons behind your parent’s brief departure from Glenview, I intend on dropping all charges against you, of course. In return I would ask you to reconsider taking this story to Mr. Henderson’s paper.   I am sure you have many friends and neighbors who have residents in our little facility that rely on us. It would be devastating to those elderly patients to be sent elsewhere to where their families could no longer visit them as often.”

As Amelia listened, she could really see Mr. Hodges for what he was. He wasn’t the least bit concerned about the Elderly and their families. No, he was more concerned about his reputation and his employment. She knew that Sheriff Eugene ran as fast as he could to tell Mr. Hodges what she had threatened to do. It was, however, only a threat and a ploy that Amelia used simply to buy more free time with her parents.   Amelia knew that Mr. Hodges did speak an element of truth. She would have been devastated if her parents would have had to be sent further away to another facility to where she could not have visited them or interacted with them on a daily basis. Amelia thought a moment. She knew she hit a nerve with the story and had gained leverage, so she decided not to totally surrender to Mr. Hodges demands. She did not trust him. She didn’t know if he planned retaliation against her parents, so she wanted to keep something.

“Mr. Hodges, I think that you would have to prove the charges that you have against me in order for them to stick, but I will assure you for right now the only thing I want is for my parents to be home and well. In order for that to happen, I am demanding that you please place them in the same room. They do not have to be in the same bed, but in the same room. You of all people must admit that my father’s memory in just the past forty-eight hours is remarkable. That is because he has to have my mother by his side. She is better than any rehab or medicines that you could possibly give him.   I will definitely hold off on any news stories to assure that my parents get the best care as usual from Glenview and her staff.”

“Oh well, now Mrs. Steele, your parents demand different types of care. It is totally against the policy of this facility for couples to be placed in the same rooms. We here at Glenview have found it more harmful than helpful.   Mrs. Steele, I assure you that your parents will receive the best care possible!” Mr. Hodges said with a crooked smile.

“No Sir, Amelia stood her ground. I should have insisted that they be put together in the same room at the onset of them coming to Glenview. I will not take no for an answer, Mr. Hodges.” Amelia said without blinking. Her face became cold as ice and Mr. Hodges knew that his reputation as a Director would be in question if he denied her.

“Very well, Mrs. Steele, I must let you know that this is highly irregular. This agreement must not become open knowledge or we will simply have to separate them again. Do you understand?” Mr. Hodges stated as to leave himself a loophole. However Amelia turned the loophole into a noose.

“Yes, Mr. Hodges, so we will have to make for sure to put a stop to all of those who carry rumors in and out of Glenview, don’t you agree?” She said slyly.

 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me! It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk!, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you! As always I would love to hear from you. I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs. Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here! Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order! I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

 

 

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Part 32 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

25 Feb

Part 32 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

Welcome! I am so glad you’ve joined me to either read or “tune in” in my Video Blog of my Romance/Suspense novel If Oak Trees Could Talk! Today we start in Chapter 16 Glenview’s Return!

Chapter 16

Glenview’s Return

            When the doors swung open Henry patted Helen on her shoulder. They had such a wonderful time being on the onside of Glenview and at their home. The dread suddenly hit them of how dull and depressing it was at Glenview. They both took a deep breath and walked inside. Amelia walked slowly behind them as she too was sickened with dread of leaving her parents in this place one more time.

            “Well, Look what the cat drag in! Hey you all, Come and look who’s here!” Nurse Wanda shouted as she came running to welcome the Tyler’s back. “Man, Mr. Tyler, you sure are in a powerful heap of trouble with Mr. Hodges. He is not at all happy with you or you either Ms. Helen.” Nurse Wanda warned.

            “I am sure everything will be fine, Nurse Wanda.” Amelia said as she patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you so much for all you’ve done for my parents. I know that they truly love you,” Amelia continued.

            “Ms. Amelia, don’t be so sure that things will be fine, Mr. Hodges is not a nice man, he is really upset. Keep an eye on your little Daddy, for he crossed over a line with Mr. Hodges….and…” Nurse Wanda said. She was going to continue when all of sudden Mr. Hodges walked around the corner.

            “Nurse Wanda, I think you should have plenty to keep yourself busy, am I wrong?” Mr. Hodges barked.

            “Now, Mrs. Steele and the Tyler’s I will see you in my office!” Mr. Hodges commanded rather rudely.

            “Excuse me, Mr. Hodges, but I am the one you should speak with.” Amelia stated.

            “Oh, I beg your pardon, Mrs. Steele, but do you pay your parent’s bill here? I think not. You can actually stay out in the hallway.   I do not really need to talk with you until I am ready to!” Mr. Hodges stated.

            “Oh, but excuse me, Mr. Hodges, you will talk to me along with my parents!” Amelia stated rather sternly back.

            “Very well, please follow me.” Mr. Hodges ordered

The three followed Mr. Hodges as he led them around the corner to an elevator. On the second floor he then led them down a long hallway. His office was at the end. He practically ran to his office but it took Helen and Henry a little longer to get there. When inside, Mr. Hodges shut the door behind them and also shut the blinds so none of the other residents or staff could see or hear what he would say. He became very angry in his appearance and bent over his desk. He proceeded to put his finger right in Amelia’s face and with his teeth clinched began to bark words at her.

“Mrs. Steele, as you know I have sworn out a warrant for your arrest for kidnapping. You must understand the reasons that I have done so. I find your behavior to be reckless when it comes to the health and wellbeing of your parents. We here at Glenview have taken excellent care of Mr. and Mrs. Tyler since both of them have made their residents with us.   I will, however, consider dropping all the charges against you based on the following terms: You will no longer have the right to visit your parents without special permission and supervision. Also you will no longer be able to take your parents outside or away from this facility for any reason. Am I understood?”

Henry and Helen sat quietly and listened to Mr. Hodges as he spoke to their daughter in a hateful rude manner and accused her falsely of kidnapping. Amelia had not taken Henry away from Glenview, he walked away of his own free will, all by himself, without one person trying to stop him. She did help Helen by helping her to get into their car, but like Henry, Helen was leaving one way or the other with or without Amelia’s help. Amelia had not driven one vehicle to or from Glenview. Just as Amelia had cleared her throat and was going to speak, Henry motioned for her to stay silent.

“Mr. Hodges, We have sat here patiently and listened to you speak to our daughter in the rudest manner possible and accuse her falsely of things that obviously you know nothing about. Now you just let me tell you something. We agree that we have had excellent care in your facility, but, we signed ourselves in to Glenview freely and we both left this joint freely. I left on my own accord and Mrs. Tyler was going to leave on her own accord if my Daughter had not come to assist her. You want to have attitude toward her, then Sir, you are backing way up. I will sue this place and you for not having enough common sense to know that you have patients walking out of here anytime they have half a mind to. Speaking of half a mind that is about all I had, but thanks to my trip I am much better now. I am not fully recovered but I’m better.   I’m putting you on notice. If you ever point your finger in my Daughter’s or to Mrs. Tyler’s face again like you’ve just done, Sir, you will be picking your nose with your elbows because I am going to break your hands off and cram them up your …..Well, let’s just leave it up to your imagination. I will be going home when my wife is released in a few weeks regardless of what you think, Get the papers for release ready.” Henry demanded directly and very loudly. Patients could hear Henry’s voice echoing down the long hallway regardless of the fact that Mr. Hodges intentionally shut his doors.

Mr. Hodges was left speechless and stunned that Henry was so boisterous and that he appeared to be perfectly sane in his thinking and speech. He heard Henry’s threats loud and clear and immediately cleared his throat. Finally he spoke again.

 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me! It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk!, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you! As always I would love to hear from you. I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs. Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here! Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order! I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

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Part 31 If Oak Trees Could Talk

19 Feb

Source: Part 31 If Oak Trees Could Talk

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Part 28 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

28 Jan

Part 28 If Oak Trees Could Talk

Hello Again! Well we are moving right along as we read If Oak Trees Could Talk! I hope that if you have been following along that you are enjoying the journey! If you’ve just found us, then it is my hope that you will take the time to either listen or read the archived blogs to where you do not feel like you’ve missed out on any of the mushy stuff! Today we are nearing the end of Chapter 14 The Family Gathering! However, we still have a little ways to go.   You might as well pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and get all comfy as we continue reading.

Chaper 14

The Family Gathering!

“It’s wonderful, Daddy. I always love it when you tease me. I love your stories. The boys love them as well. Daddy, they have missed you so much. They were excited and thrilled to be at Gramps and Gramma’s last night because we were together again! They told me that you always did special things with them, such as your yard trips.   They miss all of those times with you. They had not been in this house for months, but last night when they were here, they really enjoyed it. It was only because you and Momma were home and down at the Oak tree. Both of you are the life of this house and this place. It’s you and Momma that makes this place a home.” Amelia said as she began to tear up.

Robert and the boys pulled up in the driveway just as Amelia was speaking of them. The boys flung open the car doors and ran into the house. They ran to Gramps and hugged him and then on to Gramma. Amelia stepped out to see if Robert needed a hand with the food. He was so prepared he had paper plates and plastic forks, the works just so that they could spend time together instead of cleaning up the kitchen after the meal. He also had a thermos of piping hot coffee just in case there was none.

“Baby, you thought of everything! I love you so much, let me take that thermos.” Amelia said as she leaned in and gave Robert a quick kiss. “Momma and Daddy are going to love this!”

When Robert stepped inside the house, Helen grabbed him and squeezed him tightly. He still had his hands full of food when Henry moved forward and extended his hand for a warm hand shake, but then he just grabbed Robert and gave him a big bear hug.   Robert unloaded all of the bags onto the counter and then shook Henry’s hand.   Everyone was so thrilled to be back together.

“Oh man, I smell Elma’s don’t I?” Henry asked.

“Yep,” Dylan said as he began pulling food from the bags. “Sausage gravy, biscuits, eggs, grits, and bacon, yummy, breakfast is served! Just like you always served it for us Gramps!”

“Man I think I will run away more often,” Henry said with a smile.

“I wish you could Gramps!” Robbie said. “We have missed you and Gramma so much.”

“Don’t encourage him, Robbie,” Helen stated. “He would be over here every day when the nurses at Glenview turn their backs!”

All of the family chuckled, but deep down Helen knew Henry would escape again if he felt he had reason to. It was good for all of them to be together. They each took their regular places at the dining room table as they’ve done numerous times before. Even though this was Elma’s food, you would have thought it to be a home cooked Thanksgiving meal, which indeed it was! The table seated Gramps and Gramma side by side of course at one end, Amelia and Robert side by side at the opposite end and Dylan and Robbie in the middle of each side. As they ate, they laughed, and appreciated every second of the last minutes together before Henry and Helen went back to Glenview. Each of them pretended that the dread of the Patriarch and Matriarch of the family leaving wasn’t weighing heavy upon them. The time came, however, sooner than any of them wanted it to, for Gramps and Gramma to return to Glenview.

“Amelia do you want me to drive you and your parents back to Glenview?” Robert whispered while Amelia was cleaning up the dining room table.

“I really thought about it Honey. I think I will drive Daddy’s car. It probably needs to have someone drive it anyway. What do you think?” Amelia asked.

“Sounds good, but are you going to be okay?” Robert comforted.

“I will just have to be okay, now won’t I?” Amelia stated with a sigh.

“Well, if you get there and need me, I am going to stick around the house today with the boys. I think it will be good for the boys just to have a day with their old Dad.”

“That sounds great. You can make the day a fun day for them. I wish I could spend the day with you guys,” Amelia replied. “But soon, we will all be together again.”

Helen walked into the kitchen. She did not appear to be half as upset about going back to Glenview as Amelia was. She and Henry had resolved to go back and do what they needed to do.

“Well, Daughter, let’s get this show on the road! Your Daddy and I have decided to take Glenview by storm Sweetie! They won’t know what hit them! We will be home in a few weeks and all will be well! Are you ready?” Helen asked impatiently.

“Yes, Momma, I guess I am ready if you and Daddy are. Where’s Daddy?” Amelia asked.

“Oh, he and the boys have gone out in the yard for a bit,” Helen said with a tender smile at having mentioned the boys.   “He probably just wants to reassure them that we will be a family again. We do love those two more than life!” Helen said softly. “He also wanted to go see his friend one more time before we left today. He thought maybe that the Oak tree could help him remember a little more before he left!”

“Well, okay, I will go get the car out of the garage. I thought we would drive Daddy’s car if that is okay. It really needs to be driven and this beautiful Sunny morning would be a perfect opportunity. What do you think?”

“Lovely, it will be just lovely.” Helen agreed.

 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me! It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk!, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you! As always I would love to hear from you. I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs. Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here! Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order! I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

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Part 27 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

20 Jan

Part 27 If Oak Trees Could Talk

Hello everybody! Welcome back to my video blogs of If Oak Trees Could Talk! I hope that you’ve had a great holiday season and that your New Year is off to a great start. If you’ve been following along, I appreciate your patience as I’ve taken a few weeks off. But as we jump right back into my video blogs, we will pick back up in Chapter 14 The Gathering!


  The Gathering!
She asked Sheriff Eugene, “So, what are you going to do Eugene? I would do what I done last night again and again. I would go with my mother from Glenview to search for my father a million times if I had to. I am not apologizing for my behavior to Mr. Hodges or to anyone else. He can kiss my….well never mind! My parents are my main concern and their wellbeing. My mother was going to leave Glenview with or without me, so I went with her!”
“What do you mean Ms. Amelia? Was Ms. Tyler driving and you rode along as a passenger in her car?” Eugene questioned. “It was my understanding that you were driving and carried your Momma away from Glenview.” He continued to interrogate.
Amelia thought about the question and immediately without pondering answered, “No, I did not drive. So what you’re telling me is that Mr. Hodges had no clue how my parent’s left Glenview! I think it would be very interesting to see what Mr. Henderson down at the Mason Creek Times Newspaper would do with a story like this one, wouldn’t you?” Amelia asked as the idea just came to her that Mr. Hodges would not want the reputation of Glenview’s Residential Home for the Elderly to be tarnished. She also was telling the truth, she wasn’t the one who drove the getaway car, her husband Robert drove.
“As a matter of fact, Eugene, if you would let Mr. Hodges know…..No, that’s okay, I will tell him myself that I intend on reporting to Mr. Henderson that my parents simply walked out of his precious Glenview without the slightest resistance from Glenview’s staff! I think he would be more than glad to drop all of the charges. Wouldn’t you agree with me, Eugene?” Amelia said slyly as she knew that Eugene would drive like a maniac to Glenview’s Residential Home for the Elderly to tell Mr. Hodges what she was threatening.
“Now, Ms. Amelia, think about what you’re saying. You don’t really want to hurt anyone now do you?” Eugene stated rather pathetically, for it had been rumored that he had been used to do Mr. Hodges’ dirty work for several years.
“Well, I will have to think about it long and hard before I contact Mr. Henderson, but I am considering paying him a little visit.” Amelia continued to threaten as if she pretended not to know that the Sheriff was somehow in cahoots with Mr. Hodges and every other type of dirty dealings that went down in Mason Creek. She knew that the only reason that he was being nice to her was that his parents had been friends with Amelia’s parents for years. Also he always had a flame burning for Amelia when they were growing up, but never asked her out. Eugene’s mother would not stand for him being anything but nice to the Tyler family.
“Okay then, Ms. Amelia, we will expect you to carry your parents back to Glenview in a little while.” Eugene stated. “I will assure Mr. Hodges that your parents will be back as soon as they eat a decent breakfast.”
When Amelia had gotten off the telephone with Eugene, she immediately called Robert. She told Robert about speaking to Eugene and about threatening to go to Mr. Henderson with a story if Mr. Hodges insisted on pressing charges against her.
“I just feel like there is something that is very wrong going on at Glenview. Mr. Hodges is so worried about his reputation. Oh well, forget about all that stuff, now on to more important things! Will you please bring my parents a good breakfast from Elma’s Biscuit Barn?” Amelia asked with a chuckle.
Elma’s Biscuit Barn was just a little Country restaurant but Elma Simpson was a third generation owner and one of the best Southern cooks in Mason Creek. No one made homemade biscuits and sausage gravy like Elma or real Southern grits oozing with butter and bacon. Going to Elma’s Biscuit Barn was Henry’s thing to do when he was well. He would go and buy breakfast almost every Saturday morning for the whole family. It was a normal Saturday routine, so Robert knew exactly what to order and pick up for each of them.
“Crazy question, but do you want the usual?” Robert asked also with a little chuckle.
“Yes, Sir, I can’t wait until Daddy and Momma gets a good whiff of what you’ve brought them this time to eat! I am sure that the smile on Daddy’s face will be even bigger than it was last night when he was eating his favorite hamburger and onion rings.” Amelia whispered with a chuckle so as not to spoil the surprise for her parents. “Also we can all gather around the dining room table and eat the way that we used to. It will be wonderful! Thank you Babe!” She continued.
“Good morning my sweet Daughter,” Helen said as she was practically beaming. She walked from the gardens, straight through the house, to the kitchen and was barely using her walker at all. Dear I believe we have some ground coffee in the big freezer, if you would like to go get. I will get the coffee pot ready for us.
“Good morning Momma! How did you and Daddy sleep?” Amelia asked as she noticed again that her mother was so chipper.
“Oh, like little babies! It was simply heaven on earth! I am sorry to be so joyous when obviously you’ve not had too much sleep. Stop worrying Amelia, everything is going to be alright!” Helen ordered.
“Will it be alright Momma?” Amelia asked to be reassured.
“Things are good Amelia. Your sweet Daddy and I will return home in a few weeks. We will have our lives back and our family will be complete again. What is there to worry about?” Helen explained just as Henry came walking through the kitchen.
“Well, look at these beautiful girls in the lunchroom. Boy I am sure glad that I came today!” Henry said with an ornery little grin,
“Stop it Henry, Amelia is really worried about us!” Helen ordered.
“Yes Dear, I was just teasing sweet Amelia!” Henry said with a wink.
“Daddy, so you meant to call us girls. Did you mean to call the kitchen the lunchroom too?” Amelia asked in total surprise that he was sound enough in his mind to tease her like this. For this is the way he had talked for months now.
“Yes my sweet Daughter. It’s the Tyler sense of humor. I am sorry, I will be more serious.” Henry said apologetically.
Henry reached out to Amelia with open arms and she ran to get into them. She loved the comfort of her Daddy’s arms. They always made her feel loved and safe. As she embraced him tightly she finally believed that he was indeed almost back to his old “normal self.”

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me! It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk!, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you! As always I would love to hear from you. I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs. Please continue to “tune it” as we are about half way through the book.
If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here! Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order! I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times. All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

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Part 24 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

3 Dec

Part 24 If Oak Trees Could Talk

Welcome back! I hope that you’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Mine was special as my two oldest sisters from Ohio and Kentucky came to visit with some of their families! As we gathered around our Thanksgiving feast of abundance, I was grateful and blessed to have this time with them.

If you’ve been following along with my Video blogs, then you already know how important family is to me by listening to If Oak Trees Could Talk! Today we are continuing in Chapter 13 The Picnic!

Chapter 13

The Picnic!

She spread out the blanket on the ground and placed the hamburgers and onion rings inside the picnic basket along with a couple of wine glasses. She also placed the bottle of wine in an ice bucket. She propped the radio beside the basket along with the bathrobe that she found for her Daddy. As she had gotten her Mom’s attention, she pointed to the house and whispered to her that that was where she was going to be if her mother needed anything.   Just as she was ready to walk away, a Sheriff’s car came barreling into the driveway with flashing lights and a siren screaming.

Robert walked quickly toward the driveway to meet the Sheriff’s car and Amelia and the boys followed as well to prevent them from interrupting her parents. When they had arrived at the driveway, Eugene Perkins stepped out of the police car.

“Robert, Ms. Amelia, I am sure you know why I’m here, right?” Eugene asked.

“Hello Eugene, how are you? How are your parents?” Amelia asked hoping to change the subject. Helen taught Amelia to be polite and sociable. There wasn’t any reason to be rude; after all, Amelia had gone almost thirteen years of school with Eugene if you count kindergarten. She knew every member of his family and his parents were close friends to hers.  

“My folks are fine, Ms. Amelia. Speaking of folks, Ms. Amelia, How are yours doing?” Eugene probed as he looked toward the old Oak tree.

“Well, Eugene, I am sure that they’ve been better, but they’re not doing badly!” Amelia stated.

“Now Ms. Amelia, we’re going to have to quit beating around the bush here, now you know why I am here, right?” Eugene once again asked as he looked Amelia right in the eyes.

“Well, I honestly don’t know why you’re here Eugene.” Amelia answered. “I don’t understand exactly. Are we in some kind of trouble?”

“Well, I guess you can say that Ms. Amelia, I’ve got to take your parents back to Glenview. I had gotten a call from Mr. Hodges, accusing you of taking your parents out of the home illegally. Is this true?” Eugene once again probed as he kept looking down toward the Oak tree. By this time a sound of music was coming from the tree and Eugene became more and more curious as to what was going on down there.

“I didn’t know that I had done anything illegal, Eugene. It wasn’t like they are imprisoned at Glenview. I am the one, with their permission of course, that had signed them into Glenview. I didn’t think it would be illegal to take them out.”

“Well, Ms. Amelia, Mr. Hodges disagrees. He says that your parents are liable for a lot of expenses and that you were not advised by the staff as to whether or not they were able to leave Glenview. I think it would be best if I just took your parents back, and then maybe you do things differently if you choose to take them out again. Mr. Hodges is pressing charges of kidnapping against you.”

“Now, Eugene, you know that is not the truth. You have parents that are getting older, if your father decided to leave a facility on his own accord, mine you, like Glenview, wouldn’t you want to help your mother find him? By the way, do you still live at home with your parents? Amelia stalled.

“Yes, Ms. Amelia I still live with my parents. Do you know how often I am asked that question?” Eugene asked as he obviously was embarrassed.

“I’m asking you as a friend, Eugene, please just give us some more time. Momma thinks that she might be able to reach Daddy so that he will come back to us.   Eugene I’m telling you and Mr. Hodges right now, if they refuse to go back into Glenview, then there is nothing that I can do about it but stand by what they want!”

“Okay, Ms. Amelia, I’m going to turn my back on what I’ve seen here today. I will give your mother until morning to see what happens with Mr. Henry. I believe that I can hold Mr. Hodges off until then, but after that, I cannot promise you that I can help you.” Eugene said while cocking his head at a certain angle to look in Amelia’s eyes because the sun was starting to set and was shining right in Eugene’s face.

“Fair enough Eugene! Thank you. We will see what we can do! Tell your parents hello for us.” Amelia said with a sigh of relief.

 

Eugene got in his police car, and Amelia could hear him talking on his radio. “That’s a negative on Mr. Henry Tyler’s twenty. We’ll just have to check back later!”

He then started his car and sped off.

The sun had gone down rather quickly and it seemed as though the moon was in a hurry to shine forth.   When Amelia looked toward the Oak tree she could see the silhouette of two people. She watched in awe as her parents swayed softly in an embrace to faint sounds of music. Amelia sighed once again because she knew that only her Momma could have gotten her Daddy down from the tree without breaking any bones.   The radio continued to play softly and she could hear soft laughter coming from her parent’s direction. From a distance everything appeared as it should be. Both of her parents seemed as though nothing had robbed them of their past year’s happiness, but Amelia wondered how it would be if she drew closer?  

Amelia loved what she was witnessing. However, she knew that it was going to come to an abrupt end. Although Eugene Perkins gave them a break this time, Amelia knew his reputation of being ruthless at times. He was a Sheriff who thought more of himself than anyone else did and quite frankly he let the job go to his head. He liked to throw his weight around and lord over people when he had an opportunity. Amelia considered the situation with her parents to be an awesome opportunity for him.

 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me! It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk!, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you! As always I would love to hear from you. I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs. Please continue to “tune it” as we are about half way through the book.

If you are interested in obtaining your own copy of If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books, please visit my Amazon Author Page here! Also If you are new to my Video Blogs and would like to catch up on the story from the beginning please check out the archives in this blog or simply subscribe to my Youtube Videos as they are numbered and in order! I am also a weekly contributor to The Lakeview Times.   All of my videos are published each week at http://www.lakeviewtimes.com

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Part 23 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

20 Nov

Part 23 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

As I begin this Monday morning I want to say that my prayers and thoughts go out to the people of Paris, France this morning as they are mourning the loss of at least 129 people following the brutal and cowardly terrorist attacks last Friday! It is heart wrenching to see the pain on the faces of those who are in shock that such a thing could happen! As an American, we remember all too well of having the same feelings of disbelief as our eyes were glued on our televisions during the 911 attacks of our own country. We pray for courage, unity and resolve to the citizens of all of France this morning!

 

Wow! It’s hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving! This year seems to have flown by, but I wanted to let you my readers and followers know that I count you as one of my many blessings to be thankful for! Thank you for taking the time to read or “tune in” each week to If Oak Trees Could Talk! I appreciate that you sacrifice your time to read, listen, or comment, for this I am truly grateful!

Today we pick back up in Chapter 12 No Place Like Home and will continue reading a bit into Chapter 12 The Picnic!

Chapter 12

No Place Like Home

“Mom let’s go out the garden way! Can we please?” Dylan pleaded.

“Sure, why not!” Mom agreed.

They walked through a hallway into a vestibule or a very narrow room that housed a grand staircase. This area of the house did not hold lots of furniture with the exception of a few fancy side tables and a huge curio cabinet with beautifully curved wooden carved legs. This room displayed precious relics of past generations of Grandparents and Great Grandparents and even Great Great Grandparents. The boys loved to go into this area of the house because it was like a museum of many treasures that painted a history of the families past.  

The boys walked slowly through this narrow area only to keep going forward into their Gramma’s favorite room, which was originally designed and presented to her by Henry himself on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary!  This room was the only new edition to the original Victorian.   One usually gasped in awe when entering this bright and cheerful hide-away. This room served as a prelude to what was to come if one chose to continue to walk out the French doors onto the beautiful patio and formal gardens. However, it was difficult to leave this eye pleasing room.   The edition was Helen’s own indoor gardens. This exquisite tropical room was Helen’s very own oasis, which displayed beautiful mosaic tiled flooring in bright vivid artistic patterns. Huge marble columns stood royally and held up huge pediments of artistry scroll works. The room was laden down with green lush tropical plants delicately planted in beautiful mosaic pots where they flourished in this room. Loads of sunshine beamed through the French Doors and the specially designed window panels that seem to magnify the warmth of the rays. Of course, in the corner of this exquisite room was what Helen considered one of her most exquisite and valued material treasures that Henry had ever purchased for her. It was a stunning three tiered mosaic water fountain imported from Italy that Henry found on one of his Home Show buying expeditions for the Hardware store. He had surprised her with this stunning piece of glory that weighed so much that Henry had to use special lifters and levels to get the fountain in place. As with anything Henry had done, he presented it to her with a grand gesture.   He hired a band that knew how to play authentic Italian ballads and marched his Helen blindfolded into the room that stole her heart. The acoustics of the room rang out with the wonderful sounds of cascading waterfalls and sweet ballads of romance and love.

“This room doesn’t feel the same either does it Momma? Rob asked.

“No, Honey, I’m afraid not. I try to take care of Momma’s plants and of course the fountain is off now. No, sweetie, I am sure nothing is going to be the same until Gramma and Gramps come home.” Amelia replied rather quietly almost at a whisper as if she never wanted the living plants to hear such sad news.

“Come on, we’ve got to get these things to Gramma!” Dylan said as he opened the French doors and proceeded out the door with the picnic basket in his hand. The others followed. Their timing was to be perfect as Robert pulled up into the drive with the food that Helen had ordered for her and Henry’s picnic at the same time. The boys ran around the wrapped porch to meet their Daddy around front and Amelia followed.

“Well, let’s hope your mother knows what she is doing,” Robert said.

“If anyone knows what to do to help Daddy, it’s Momma. Let’s just get this stuff to her and find out what else she wants us to do.” Amelia said as she headed toward the Oak tree.

 

Chapter 13

The Picnic

When the family had walked slowly toward the tree, they could hear her Helen singing softly while she was pushing Henry in the swing. As they drew closer, Helen nodded up and down so that they knew it was okay for them to come down to the tree!   They obeyed. Amelia showed Helen all that they had gotten for her from the house and she motioned again, so as to go unnoticed by Henry, with one hand for them to set everything up. She continued pushing Henry with her other hand. Occasionally they heard Henry let out a whoop and then he would yell, “Higher, higher!”

Amelia noticed her little Momma who normally needed a walker at Glenview to stabilize herself, standing as straight as she could muster to push Henry as high as he desired to go. Again as she watched her parents, she witnessed more of the great love that her mother had toward her father.

“Always put your spouse first.” Amelia heard in her thinking as she relived the conversation that she had with her Momma in the hospital about how to love with passion. She was witnessing what her mother meant. She watched her mother putting her father’s needs above her own. Tears stung Amelia’s eyes as she hurried to try to fulfill her mother’s wishes.

 

As always thank you so much for either reading along or “tuning in”! I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! May you have lots of Living, Laughing, and Loving!

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