IsabellaRose

@bumpnrun - I think from here there's only 1 part left... how are you enjoying it so far?

Confucius say, couple on seven day honeymoon make whole week... in bed.

Pickup mic off of night stand. "Subject enjoyed the experience. Observation to continue for two hours to monitor for possible side effects." Set down mic. "Want something to drink?"

scissor sisters

an episode of The Mandalorian with spaceships and pewpews

scissor lift

weight gain

night train

VII NINE MONTHS LATER "But now we have to bump Carolyn, and we can't put her at the same table as my cousin Tony, they dated and it ended ugly." Robert shook his head as Roxanne and her best friend Susan moved little pieces of cardboard around a map of their reception. It was like some kind of miniature wargame where the goal was stalemate, a complete deadlock and inability to move anything else one step further. He wanted to help, but he didn't have a lot of say in the matter. His guests were his best man and two groomsmen, his mother and grandmother, and a couple of cousins that agreed to show up. "Carolyn can sit with my mother," Robert said. "They hit it off at Thanksgiving. It shouldn't be a problem." "Your mom's table is full, babe," Roxanne said. "Inaccurate." He placed his finger on the little square that said 'Robert's Father'. "You're wasting a seat holding one for this guy. He won't be there." Roxanne looked sideways at him and felt that familiar sadness overcome Robert whenever he thought about his absent father. "Babe, I..." "He's never been there, Roxanne." He picked up the little cardboard square and studied it, then flicked it away from the table toward the kitchen. "And I wouldn't want him there." "Did you talk to your mother?" She put her hand on his arm, reassuring, comforting. Susan was up and walked into the kitchen. They obviously needed a moment. "Honey, I know you want me to reach out, to find him, to try to make a connection." He looked her in the eyes then. "I don't want to. He's been nothing to me my entire life. He was just a sperm donor and a one time deposit to a bank account." "Maybe he's changed. Maybe he has regrets. Maybe..." "Maybe he's just a selfish piece of shit." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. It's just... I did talk to my mother." "Does she know who he is?" She was excited, but tried to keep her voice level. She really thought finding out who his father was, making a connection, meeting him, might help Robert in the long run. At the very least it might help when they finally had kids, medical history if nothing else. "I got the whole story," he said at last. He raised his voice and looked toward the kitchen. "Susan, you might as well come in and hear it straight from me." Susan poked her head in from the kitchen. "I don't want to intrude." "Roxanne trusts you, so I trust you." He motioned toward the chair where she'd been sitting. "Please, have a seat." She did, and looked at Roxanne, taking her other hand. "I asked my mom about my father, who he was, what she knew, how I... came to be." He shook his head like he didn't want to think about it, but continued on. "It was a one night stand. She was a sophomore in college, he was an older, distinguished guy. He paid for her and all her friends all night. It was the seventies. Free love and everything, I guess. She said she didn't really do that, free love or whatever, sleep around, but this one guy must have turned on the charm. She said he just... she went back to his hotel room and they made me. Not on purpose, obviously but that's what happened. Next morning she wanted to know when she'd see him again, he said never, he was married, get the fuck out." Roxanne tried to imagine how it would feel to be dismissed so casually. It made her want to cry. Guys could be such assholes. "She has a single picture of him, a polaroid from that night. They took a bunch of polaroids and he burned them in an ashtray. She said her friends made a joke about how he was a spy or something, but one of her friends kept one, and later gave it to my mom. She said she'll bring it when she flies in so I can see, but honestly, I don't know if I want to." Roxanne sat silent, waiting to see if there was more. "When she found out she was pregnant, she thought about getting an abortion. She had no idea who he was, only that he was married, she'd have to drop out of college... I fucked up her life." "Babe, you didn't..." "I know, I just... it's hard not to feel that way, you know? But she said the same thing. She said I just changed the path of her life from where she thought she wanted to go, to where she needed to be. She said that if she could do it differently the only thing she'd change would be to pick a better father for me, one who would have stayed around, so I didn't have these conflicted feelings. but she'd never change having me, being my mom, you know, things moms say." "Things moms mean," said Susan. She had two little boys of her own. If anyone would know, it would be her. Robert nodded. "I know she means it. I know." Roxanne shook her head. "But you said he gave her a pile of money. How did that happen?" "Random chance." He shook his head like he couldn't believe it himself. "She was in line at the bank. She was showing, big pregnant stomach, and guess who was in line in front of her? The guy, my dad." "That's..." "Unbelievable? Yeah, that's what I said. So she asks if he remembers her, and he says no, all dismissive, barely even looks at her. She shows him the polaroid, the one her friend saved and says, how about now? and all of a sudden he's pulled her out of line and outside, gripping her arm like he wants to pull it off and demanding to know what she wants. She told him he got her pregnant, and he said no. She said it again, and he said how much? He offered her ten thousand dollars to walk away. Sign a paper with his lawyer saying this is the only thing she'll ever ask for, take the money, and never see him again. So that's what she did. She said the document was taped over so she couldn't see his name, but she saw his first name, Richard, but that was all. She signed, took the money, and that was that. My father basically paid my mother to disappear, paid for me to disappear." "Robert, I'm... so sorry," Roxanne felt tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you ask." He shook his head, "You didn't make me. I decided you were right. But now I know that no matter what, he just doesn't matter. He didn't want me or anything to do with me, and I'll never have to see him again. He may have hurt me my whole life by not being there, and now by finding out he just didn't care, but he can't hurt me any more. I can just put the thought of him away and be done with him forever."

are stored in

bullet train

basket case

hammer head

seeing red

The latest challenge is up! This time it's to write about a world where your darkest desires have become reality. Enter now to win! First prize is 2,000 EcchiCredits! I can't wait to read everyone's entries!

I love this idea... I need to find the PERFECT song.

The Challenge "You woke up this morning and your deepest, darkest desire became reality. The weird, deviant thing you don't dare tell anyone else, the dark desire that fuels your midnight fantasies, the scenario that arouses you more than anything else is suddenly just a normal part of reality, no one judges you, and you are free to indulge yourself to your heart's content. Tell us about this new world." As a work of fiction, this can be about you personally, or about a fictional character. Deadline Midnight (EST) Saturday, 18 Mar, 2023 Limits 1 entry per person 2,000 words max per entry Prizes 1st Place: 2,000 EcchiCredits 2nd Place: 1,000 EcchiCredits 3rd Place: 500 EcchiCredits

bad actors

salty taste

mech battles

random chance

no income

disposable razor

to put their