*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.
**Disclaimers: This story has been edited by myself, utilizing Microsoft Spell-Check. You have been forewarned; expect to find mistakes.
**.**.**.**
Barbara Rosenni smiled as she entered the 'Beer & Spirits' aisle of the Burns & Burns Grocers grocery store. Slowly, she pushed her already quite full buggy along the left side of the aisle, the 'Spirits' side, avoiding the beers and wines along the right side.
"Schnapps, Schnapps, hmm," Barbra mused aloud until she found what she was looking for."...and here we are."
Barbara picked up a fifth of Peach Schnapps and wedged it into the buggy. She continued pushing the heavy cart toward the end of the aisle, satisfied that her purpose was completed. A bright yellow sticker caught her eye and she turned to look at a bottle of Nulough's banana vodka.
"I didn't even know they made flavored..." Barbara mused out loud, looking to see if she could find a peach flavored vodka.
"Aw yeah," the young man that had been tailing her since she entered the store said. "And if you look over at the end? You'll see all kind of flavored whiskey too."
"Mm hmm," Barbara said flatly and turned away from the handsome man.
Barbara hoped the young man would take the hint; she was not interested in him. She knew her denim cutoffs were giving him an eyeful of her luscious buttocks and her tanned legs. Her waist length brown hair was in a ponytail, giving glimpses of her smooth, tanned back revealed in her half-shirt.
"What I like to do?" the young man continued, unperturbed at Barbara's flat delivery. "Take some of this strawberry vodka? And some strawberry Schnapps? Big old scoop of strawberry ice cream? You got a 'Strawberry Avalanche.'"
"That's nice," Barbara said, putting the Peach Nulough's into her buggy. "Have a nice day."
"Or? Take some of this..." the young man continued, picking up a bottle of the Spearmint Vulough's.
Barbara continued her travel, tuning out the young man's recipe sharing. But his idea for a 'Strawberry Avalanche' did sound interesting. Reversing course and approaching the freezer section, Barbara picked up a gallon of vanilla ice cream. The Burns & Burns brand ice cream came in a sturdy plastic tub, complete with handle. She knew Frankie, the adorable four year old girl that lived next door could use the bucket for Halloween Trick or Treating. The next time Helen Mouton asked Barbara to babysit, Barbara would sit Frankie at the table and she and the girl would make the perfect trick or treat bucket.
"They got Peach over here," Barbara's unwelcome shadow offered.
"Listen," Barbara said, voice hard. "Unless you're packing nine inches? I'm not interested, got it?"
"Yeah, like I'm cutting mine in half for anyone, no matter how beautiful you are," the man said, pushing his buggy away.
Barbara finished her shopping and approached the queue of cashiers. With a grimace, she realized, unless she wanted to take an extremely long line for one of the two registers open, she'd have to get right behind her admirer.
"Ma'am? I'm opening this register," Kelli Delacroix offered and Barbara gratefully hustled to the attractive red head's lane.
"Ma'am? May I see your ID please?" Kelli asked when Barbara put the bottles of alcohol onto the conveyer belt.
"If she's not old enough..." the stalker offered.
Barbara shared a grimace with Kelli as she produced her ID. Kelli nodded her head and rang up the two bottles of alcohol. She chatted pleasantly with Barbara as she rang up the groceries.
"World Economics," Kelli suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Barbara asked, beginning to put her groceries into the buggy.
"I had you in my World Economics class," Kelli said. "Thought you looked kind of familiar."
"Oh yeah!" Barbara smiled.
"Class of eighteen," the man interjected.
"Don't know how, but I managed an 'A' in that class; what about you?" Barbara asked, sliding her debit card through the scanner.
"An 'A' but mostly because of my boyfriend," Kelli said, proudly saying the word 'boyfriend.' "He said to do my report on Europe's failing EU. Have a nice day, ma'am."
Barbara hoped to be able to load her car and leave before her shadow managed to get out of the Burns & Burns Grocers grocery store. She knew the path to the Kimble Police station and if she did happen to pick up a tail, she would lead him directly to the Kimble police station.
Thankfully, though, she did not have anyone following her as she exited the parking lot. She did take a few false turns just to make sure; there was a white pickup truck that suddenly popped up, but when she made the first turn, the pickup truck continued along Highway 19.
Now, on a blistering hot Sunday afternoon, Barbara was fidgeting, waiting. The pasta was al dente but was cooling fast. The marinara sauce was as near to perfect as she could hope to get it, and the salad was ready to be served.
"Almost there!" Barbara read on her phone.
The simple declaration was followed by a series of kissy face smiling faces. Barbara responded with a series of red hearts and turned on her oven for the garlic bread. She put the bottle of red wine on the table and brushed the loaf of French bread with the melted butter and garlic.
Ten minutes later, 'Uncle' John's ancient Mercedes-Benz slowed, then made the turn into the driveway. Barbara felt her heart leap as she could see the man's smile through her kitchen window, could see 'Aunt' Sarah in the front passenger seat, beautiful blonde head swiveling about as she admired Barbara's roses.
Before the car was fully stopped, the rear passenger door popped open and Amelia Johnson was barreling out of the car, headed for the front door.
"Who is it?" Barbara called out when Amelia rang the bell and hammered on the door.
"Who you think?" Amelia screamed.
The two friends screamed and hugged each other. Amelia was reluctant to let go, but a nudge from Sarah let her daughter know others were waiting their turn.
"Hi Aunt Sarah," Barbara smiled, wiping at her tears.
"Oh my God! Look at you!" Sarah Johnson squealed, hugging the beautiful brunette. "Oh my God! You, you look, oh, you're gorgeous!"
"Uh huh, and some of us are dying out here, move woman and let me get in," John Johnson demanded playfully.
"Uncle John," Barbara smiled and hugged the barrel shaped man.
"Now I know you had to pick out this couch," Sarah said, looking at the deep blue velour couch with attached chaise lounge. "Oh my God, if that doesn't just scream 'Barbara Rachael Rosenni.'
"Actually, no," Barbara laughed as Sarah reclined on the chaise lounge. "When I bought this house? A friend of mine suggested I call these frugal decorators; that's what they're called, 'Frugal Decorators?' Anyway, they came out and went through here with a fine toothed comb."
"Man, what's that I'm smelling?" Uncle John demanded to know.
"Garlic bread!" Barbara suddenly remembered and dashed to the kitchen to rescue her garlic bread.
"All right," Uncle John said after they devoured the spaghetti and meatball lunch. "Lowenburg's four and a half hours that way. It's not going get any closer longer we wait."
"Now you," Aunt Sarah admonished her daughter. "I know, I know you're an adult now; I, we expect you to behave like an adult."
While Sarah told her only daughter what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, Barbara and John hefted Amelia's footlocker and two suitcases from the trunk of the car. John complained good-naturedly about the excessive weight of his daughter's clothing as he and Barbara carried the trunk and suitcases into the house. John approved of the guest room and put the heavy luggage at the foot of the bed.
"Remember call us," he told his daughter. "I know you're a big girl now, but remember, you will always always always be my little girl, hear?"
"So, you excited about college?" Barbara asked as they watched Sarah and John Johnson driving away.
"Yeah, I, I mean, Fawn's going be there, oh, oh, and you, and..." Amelia enthused.
"Uh huh, but I'm graduating end of this semester," Barbara reminded the girl. "Now, you bring your bathing suit like I told you?"