Sharene looked out at the horizon and saw trouble in the distance. She wondered if she had time to duck, or should she just suck it up and get it over with.

Trouble, as usual, was none other than Mary Ann Olin, self-appointed founder and President of the Homeowners' Association of West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block, self-appointed founder and Captain of the West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block Neighbourhood Watch, and self-appointed founder and Chief Greeter of the West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block Welcoming/Social Committee (of which there remained only one member after all these years). Sharene paused for a moment, wondering if Mary Ann was here on account of the unregistered lawn gnome in the perennials, or if this visit was a recruitment drive for the 3:30 AM - 5:00 AM Tuesday/Thursday watch. As it turned out, Mary Ann's visit was for neither of these reasons, and had Sharene known this, she would have run inside her house and locked herself in the bathroom rather than hear what Mary Ann had to ask of her.

Oswego "I'm verbose!" Atheist

Sharene looked out at the horizon and saw trouble in the distance. She wondered if she had time to duck, or should she just suck it up and get it over with.

Trouble, as usual, was none other than Mary Ann Olin, self-appointed founder and President of the Homeowners' Association of West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block, self-appointed founder and Captain of the West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block Neighbourhood Watch, and self-appointed founder and Chief Greeter of the West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block Welcoming/Social Committee (of which there remained only one member after all these years). Sharene paused for a moment, wondering if Mary Ann was here on account of the unregistered lawn gnome in the perennials, or if this visit was a recruitment drive for the 3:30 AM - 5:00 AM Tuesday/Thursday watch. As it turned out, Mary Ann's visit was for neither of these reasons, and had Sharene known this, she would have run inside her house and locked herself in the bathroom rather than hear what Mary Ann had to ask of her.

It was obvious Mary Ann was in a hurry. She was dressed in her tennis outfit, the one she wore on the days she lunched with the Garden Club. "Sharene," she said, "now that the season is well done for gladiolas, we look forward to seeing something fresh in your garden. And, oh, by the way, as you might know, we have an esteemed member of our community in much need of a new kidney. We've made it a cause at our church and we're asking everyone to come in for tests to see if they're suitable candidates for a donation. You can drop in at Dr. Max's Office any time this week. I'm sure we can count on you.

(BTW, anyone can add to this story. Just jump in.)

Sharene looked out at the horizon and saw trouble in the distance. She wondered if she had time to duck, or should she just suck it up and get it over with.

A turbid wind disheveled her long, auburn hair as she watched the deeply crimson horizon through her binoculars. Not only was the trouble ahead worse then she had expected, but another "climate freak" storm was riding the sky like a petulant demon, ready to strike.

Last edited Mon Jul 9, 2012, 11:44 AM - Edit history (1)

Sharene looked out at the horizon and saw trouble in the distance. She wondered if she had time to duck, or should she just suck it up and get it over with.

A turbid wind disheveled her long, auburn hair as she watched the deeply crimson horizon through her binoculars. Not only was the trouble ahead worse then she had expected, but another "climate freak" storm was riding the sky like a petulant demon, ready to strike.

She knew this moment would eventually come, when she had to make a quick decision which she would spend the rest of her life second guessing, assuming she survived. How she wished she had fought through the ridicule to buy that bobcat to finish the storm cellar.

and saw trouble in the distance. She wondered if she had time to duck, or should she just suck it up and get it over with.

Trouble, as usual, was none other than Mary Ann Olin, self-appointed founder and President of the Homeowners' Association of West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block, self-appointed founder and Captain of the West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block Neighbourhood Watch, and self-appointed founder and Chief Greeter of the West Trumbull Lane 1200 Block Welcoming/Social Committee (of which there remained only one member after all these years). Sharene paused for a moment, wondering if Mary Ann was here on account of the unregistered lawn gnome in the perennials, or if this visit was a recruitment drive for the 3:30 AM - 5:00 AM Tuesday/Thursday watch. As it turned out, Mary Ann's visit was for neither of these reasons, and had Sharene known this, she would have run inside her house and locked herself in the bathroom rather than hear what Mary Ann had to ask of her.

It was obvious Mary Ann was in a hurry. She was dressed in her tennis outfit, the one she wore on the days she lunched with the Garden Club. "Sharene," she said, "now that the season is well done for gladiolas, we look forward to seeing something fresh in your garden. And, oh, by the way, as you might know, we have an esteemed member of our community in much need of a new kidney. We've made it a cause at our church and we're asking everyone to come in for tests to see if they're suitable candidates for a donation. You can drop in at Dr. Max's Office any time this week. I'm sure we can count on you.

Too late to duck, Shareen thought. Any attempt on her part to try to sidestep the request would be awkward, that was for sure. She chewed on her lip and stared at the ground. Regardless of how she decided to handle the situation, Mary Ann would see her as a monster. After all, Mary Ann was only human. Yes, it was only human. Shareen decided to suck it up and get it over with. She swallowed hard to keep her slavering proboscis in check for a few minutes longer. “Let’s talk about it out back in the garden, shall we, Mary Ann?”