All My Shadows

Wow, so I'm definitely gonna start reading this again! I fell behind on a lot of blog reading over the last couple of months and only recently started to read again (mainly at DR), so I'm trying to figure out what I want to read each day. I have loyalties to you, Dusty, so you can count on me to "tune in" everyday! I'm gonna have to go back a couple of episodes to get myself in the know with the stories, but I'm liking what I'm seeing. You're doing Barbara more justice than the real show ever could. I'm hoping for a Luke and Noah break-up LOL. Gwen and Will are interesting again! And as always, nice to see my Stewart girls in action. Awesome job and I'm looking forward to more of it!

Short installment today to make up for a long, long installment on Wednesday. The entire installment will be set around Luke and Kevin's date, so make sure to tune in! AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 22 Luke looked around the whole room to make sure everything was just right. It all had to be just right, and if Luke had anything to say about it, everything would be perfect. He looked at the table with food already on it, wondering again if that was a good idea. Having the little date catered seemed to be too formal to him, but Lucinda assured him that it would add a touch of class to the evening, and if anyone knew class, it was her. So there it was. A nice dinner on the table, some chilled soda water in a pail,, and a cheesecake in the refrigerator. There was a good movie in the VCR and all he had to do was press "play" when it was time to watch it. A Barry Manilow compilation CD played softly on the stereo. Luke sat down on the couch as he snook a quick peek at his watch. Kevin would be there in only about six or seven more minutes. He looked around the room again, this time, however, he was proud of what he saw. He had set it up quite nicely given that he only had one day to plan it all. The room had a nice aura and that was enough to set the mood. How could anything go wrong? And like some strange, twisted sign, the telephone rang. What kind of omen could that have been? For a second, Luke didn't even want to answer it. But then he thought. Kevin wouldn't know the number to the guesthouse. If he had to call Luke, he could have called him on his cell. Luke felt for his pocket, noticing that it wasn't there. Crap, he thought. He hopped up to answer the guesthouse phone. "Hello?" he asked. "Dahling," Lucinda said. "I'm calling to see if everything's a go for this evening." "Oh! It is, it is. I'm feeling a little nervous, though." "Oh, for whatever reason why? It's just a little date." "I know," Luke replied. "But I don't think Kevin and I have really had any alone time in a long while now, so this'll...it'll be a good night, right?" "Of course it will be. Just have a good time," Lucinda encouragingly. "I wanted to tell you, though, that you must have left your cell phone here in the living room earlier today." "Oh! That's what happened. I just noticed that it was gone." "Do you think you have enough time to come up here and get it?" "Well...I don't really need it...but you know what, I think I better run up and get it. You never know what I might need it for," Luke decided. "I'll see you in a few." ~~~~~~~~~ "Looks like somebody's gonna have to go upstairs and tell Luke that dinner is ready," Lily unenthusiastically noticed. She, Holden, and the girls were sitting down to dinner when she realized the familiar sound of Luke's footsteps coming down the stairs was not there. Holden looked up from his plate, not knowing what to say. "I...I think he went out." "Went out? Are you sure? Luke knows that I like to be notified when he's not going to have dinner with us," Lily said, seemingly hurt by Luke's careless decision to ditch dinner with the family. Holden, not wanting to make anything look uncomfortable in front of Faith and Natalie, let out a small laugh with a smile. "Come on, he's seventeen years old. I'm sure it's more attractive to go out with friends than it is to stay in with his parents and little sisters." Lily's scrunched up her eyebrows. "It's not that he's out with friends, it's that he didn't call. And, you know what, since he couldn't pick up his phone to give us a call, I think I'll embarass him by giving him a call." She stood up. "Excuse me, girls. Enjoy your dinner." She marched out of the dining room and into the living room, where she went into her purse to retrieve her phone. She was going to do it. She was going to disregard everything her mother had just told her not too long ago and tell Luke all about what she saw at the mall. She felt that Lucinda could have been right, that she just taking something completely context, but her gut, her instincts...they told her otherwise. She had a duty to fulfill, a duty as a mother, and she knew deep down in her heart that Kevin Davis was not going to get another chance to break her son's heart. Holden followed her into the living room. "What are you doing?" he asked, in a tone that tried to tell her to stop. "I'm making sure our son isn't getting attacked by some thugs again. Or worse. Mother told me to start handling things and I am, Holden, I am. The both of you just need to trust me on this one," Lily paranoically replied, dialing in Luke's number. "The sooner this gets out, the better." "Wait a minute. What do you mean, the sooner 'this' gets out? What is 'this?'" Holden asked. Lily covered the speaker of the phone. "I saw Kevin and some little...some little thing at the mall today." Holden understood. "Okay...but is it bad for Kevin to have friends?" "Friends? No, no problem at all. If they only seemed that way. Friends do not make out in public, Holden." Holden's mouth dropped. He didn't know what to think. At Lucinda's home, the matriarch stood with Luke's cell phone in her hand, waiting for him to arrive to pick it up. She looked at the screen at saw that "Not So Lil Lily" was calling. Lucinda knew her daughter well and she knew exactly what Lily's call meant. "I knew she wouldn't keep her mouth closed for long." Lucinda answered the phone. "Dear, you can stop wasting your time." "Mother? Where's Luke? And why do you have his phone?" Lily asked. "Your son is paying me a visit, paying a visit to his grandmother. And from the sound of your voice, I can understand why he'd rather be here than there." Lily ignored her. "Mother, I know you told me not to tell him, but I have to. I just have to. If he doesn't find out now, he'll find out later and it's going to hurt so much more." "I agree," Lucinda said nicely. "I would agree whole-heartedly if there were any reason to believe that any of this is true." "I told you. I have a hunch." "You may have a hunch, but I have a living, breathing person who is telling me that he has never cheated on Luke with anyone." "You talked to Kevin?" "I did. And I am telling you, please, darling, don't make the mistake of putting a strain on Luke's relationship with you. That's what it would be, a big mistake." "What did Kevin say?" Lucinda sighed. "I called him, dear. I called him and I simply asked him if he was being unfaithful to Luke. Do you want to know what he said? He said that Luke is the one and only person in his love life." Lily smirked. "Of course he said that. He wouldn't admit to seeing other people, especially not to you. I thought you were smarter than that." Lucinda was offended. Lily did not just insult her skills. "Oh, ho ho ho! No, you don't! I have proven over the years to have a much better sense of judgement than you, my darling daughter. I can tell when a person is lying and when they are not. If Kevin Davis is cheating on my grandson, I'd know it. I'd feel it!" "But that's the thing, Mother! I feel it!" "What you feel is your dislike for a fine young man. What is your hunch grounded in? Why exactly do you feel the way you do about this whole situation?" Lily thought for a second. When she realized that she didn't have a true answer, she faltered. "You didn't see it! You didn't see the way they were...touching and kissing. You didn't see it, so you can't possibly understand it." "Okay then," Lucinda began. "Fair enough. Until you give me proof that Kevin is cheating on young Luke, I forbid you to tell Luke about what you saw." "Forbid?! You can't forbid me to do anything!" "Oh, but I can," Lucinda corrected her slyly. She loved knowing that she still had some control over Lily's actions, even though her daughter was nearly 40 years old now. Lily turned to look at Holden, but continued to talk to her mother. "Why do you care so much about Kevin? What do you owe him?" Lucinda became slightly defensive. "I don't owe him a thing. I just...well I think it is unfair for him to have to not only lose his father, but also lose probably the most important person in his life now, in such a short span of time. No one deserves that. And then, I think about Luke. How would he feel if you told him this and it all turned out to be entirely untrue?" "That's a risk I have to take," Lily said. "But I know what I saw, and I know what I'm doing. I'm trying my hardest to be a good mother to him and I think I'm doing a good job." "Fine," Lucinda said. "Fine, but please remember, I thought I was doing a mighty fine job with you, too. And we've already had this conversation, so you know what I'm going to say." "Yes. I do." There was a brief moment of silence before Lucinda remembered that Luke would be coming any second to get his phone back. "Now, you won't talk to him at all about any of this?" "No," Lily reluctantly agreed. "I won't. But when it all comes out, and it will, I'm going to tell him that you kept me from telling him sooner." "Fine, if that's the way it turns out, great. I'll speak to you tomorrow. Good night." Lily paused. "Goodnight. I love you." "I love you too." Lucinda turned the phone off just as Luke came into the living room. Luckily for her, he didn't see her closing the phone. "I believe this is for you," Lucinda remarked. "Yes, ma'am, it is," Luke replied. He took the phone from her, but noticed that her spirits were low. "What's wrong?" Lucinda didn't want him to ask any questions or worry, so she put on a smile and made herself lively. "Not a thing! Does something look wrong? Everything is fine." Luke didn't understand what was going on, but he smiled anyway. "Okay. I think I'll get back down to the guesthouse before Kevin shows up looking for me. Thanks again, Grandma, really." "Oh, it's nothing. Really, it's nothing." Luke became serious. "It's a lot. I felt so bad about our fight last night, so it's really important for Kevin and I to...you know...make up." "Well, I was partly the blame for the argument, so I'm evening myself out here." Luke hugged her. "Thanks." "You're welcome," Lucinda said. "Very, very welcome." TO BE CONTINUED...

LOL. I meant 3/28/07. Must have gotten the month and year confused for a second. And believe me, it'll be worth the wait!

I hate to announce it, but there will not be any new installments on today or Friday, due to some unforeseen circumstances. New installments resume on Monday, April 2.

AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 21 Kevin Davis entered the guest room of his cousin's apartment clad in only a towel. He had just gotten out of the shower and felt clearer than he had in a long while. His mind, his soul, his heart felt clean. No matter how clean he felt, however, he knew that he still had some things to get through. This night, for example, was not going to be as fun and as easy as he wished it could have been. He was sure that Luke planned some type of romantic evening for the two of them, but he wasn't going to enjoy it. Not like we wanted to, at least. Kevin was the type of person who let things get in the way of his happiness. Some people had the strange ability to, while in the midst of drama, enjoy the things that would normally make them happy, but Kevin was definitely not one of those people. Any time something in his life was not going the way he wanted it to, he'd think about it all the time, never letting it go. He failed countless tests because of the feuds between his parents. He could count on fingers and toes the number of times he could remember leaving Stacey in the middle of a date simply because he couldn't deal. Would that happen tonight? he wondered to himself before he pulled up his underwear, followed by a pair of thin summer blue jeans. No! No way. He wasn't going to let it happen. To hell with his mother and her needs and wants. To hell with everything! He was going to let his inhibitions go and enjoy himself. More importantly, he was going to remind Luke Snyder just how much he loved him. It felt like forever since the last time they saw each other, and it ended so bad, so this night...this night had to be something magical between the two of them. Kevin put on his belt, and, from that moment on, he was only going to think good, happy thoughts. As he put on his favorite shirt - navy and sky blue stripes, horizontal - he lingered to the window of the room. Gently pushing the curtain aside, he could see a group of some of the other tenants enjoying the pool in the glow of the evening's sunset. What carefree lives they must lead, he thought. He had met most of them since moving in with Nora. There was a single mother, Lorraine, and her three-year-old daughter Sindy. They frolicked together on the shallow side of the pool. The twins, college fratboys Jess and Kenny, were in the middle of one of their "small gatherings." Nora had once said something about how the twins asked her at the beginning of the summer if it would be a problem if they had a "small gathering" every so often. Nora said that she didn't mind, but since then, it had been an endless summer of fratboy antics. Kevin would have liked the idea of having wild fraternity men next door if they weren't so damn childish. A couple sat at one end of the pool, his arms around her, both with their feet dangling in the water. The lucky bastard! Kevin wanted nothing more than what that man had at the very moment: someone to put his arm around and to sit in the pool with. This was a perfectly acceptable thing, between a man and a woman. What difference did it make if this simple act of love and understanding occurred between two men or two women? Why did it matter? Why did it piss so many people off? Why was Kevin even thinking about this? It was just a testament of how easily he could stray from a good mood to a depressing one. He petulantly closed the curtain and sprayed on some of his best cologne. Just to be safe, and because he thought it felt cool, he picked up his wallet to make sure there were condoms in it. He put a chain around his neck and smoothed himself out before standing in front of a full-length mirror. Hotness. He finally worked up the courage to leave his room and go back into the living room, where he was sure his mother was still perched, probably waiting to give him the third degree. Of course she was, he thought. Kevin theorized in his mind that somehow Sheryl felt threatened by Luke for some reason. There was no real reason for him to go to Chicago with her. All that "wait and see" business was pure crap and Kevin couldn't believe he felt for it that morning. He felt comfortable back in the position of not caring what she did or said. She spent the last five years not giving a damn about him, so he figured his five years of reciprocation had only just begun. He quietly exited his room, letting the door fall close behind him. When he walked into the living room, he was surprised. His mother was not there. Instead, Nora was sprawled out on the sofa, wine in hand, watching some random game show. "Where is she?" Kevin asked, even though he didn't want to. It was the question that existed in his mind so greatly that it forced itself out of his mouth. Nora looked up at him with a depressing disposition. "She's sleeping in my room." "Of course," Kevin immediately shot out. "I'm sure all those lies and guilt are eating her alive. The only thing she can do not to think about it is sleep it off." He waited for Nora to agree, but she didn't. She simply stared. "Kevin, I've been thinking," she began to say. She sat up on the sofa and put her glass on the coffee table. "I think you need a vacation." "A...vacation?" Kevin asked, his spirits rapidly decreasing. He could instantly tell where this was going and the very thought of it disgusted him. "Yeah. I mean, don't you just want to get away, go off to some foreign place that's brand new to you? If I had the chance, I now I would," she continued, trying to sound chipper and alive. "But I have the chance?" he asked, his voice shaking. What the hell!? Kevin thought. Nora couldn't possibly be suggesting that he...no, she just couldn't do that! She wouldn't do that to him! Nora wasted no more time trying to sound normal. She knew that he could sense what she was trying to say. "Only for a few months. I mean, think about - " "You're on her side now! You want me to leave!" "No! Now th-that is not tr-true," Nora studdered. "I don't want you to leave. I mean, look around at what you've done to this place over the last couple of weeks. I'd be crazy to let you go, kid. But...come on...she's your mom." "She was not my mom when she left me with that bastard for five years! I needed her then, so don't you even try to tell me that she needs me now." "Your mother wasn't stable back then. She was not in the position to raise a kid. You know that!" Nora stood. "She wanted to take you, but she couldn't." "Well, she's showed already that she hasn't made much progress in the stability department, or the raising a kid department either, for that matter. The first step, I'm sure, is not trying to screw up your seventeen-year-old son's life by relocating him. She is five years too late to try to get me to go with her, and you know what else? I am sick and tired of saying this words and hearing them too! I'm going to say it for the very last time. I will not go with her to Chicago! I will not move away with her! I don't care what reasons she makes up! I'm not going!" He was so out of breath now that it wasn't even funny. So much for an enjoyable evening with Luke. So fricken much for that, he thought. "All I wanted for a good night with Luke! Just that! But no, I couldn't get that. You had to come at me with something like this," he suddenly found himself saying to Nora. "Well, you know what? Forget you. Forget you and her. The both of the you can go to hell." He didn't even wait for a response. Nothing she had to say meant anything to him now. He yanked his keys off the ring above the kitchen counter and started for the door, but not before Nora could get in one more thing. She put her hands on her hips and a deepness in her voice as she spoke to his back. "Kevin, before you walk out that door, I am going to assure you that I am going to forget that you said what you just said, for the sake of somebody in this house not being pissed off at somebody else. I'm not trying to hurt you, and your mother is not trying to hurt you. Just please...just think about the right thing to do. Put...put your pride aside for just once second and remember that she is your mother. And that sometimes the answers to the biggest problems are simply the secrets we share." The words pierced Kevin's soul and spoke directly to his heart. Secrets, he echoed to himself. Secrets. ~~~~~~~~~ "Hey, where are you going in such a hurry?" Holden asked Luke, who skipped the bottom stair and went for the front door of the Snyder home. "Nowhere special," Luke said. He twisted the knob, but stopped and turned to face his father. "Do you really want to know?" "Um...sure," Holden answered. Luke walked past Holden and lead him into the living room before coming to a hault behind the sofa. "I'm planning something nice at Grandma Lucinda's for me and Kevin." "Something nice? Like..." "Well, I was thinking about getting some of those really good love songs CDs, you know with the standards and stuff. And like, a really good movie, and I just called Grandma and she was able to pull some strings to have a dinner for two catered to the guest house." Holden grinned. He recognized those types of plans. They only meant one thing. Somebody did somebody wrong and there was only way to make it right. "Sounds like you have a secret agenda." Luke's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Don't worry about," Holden replied, not wanting to make uke uncomfortable. "What time will you be back home?" He asked this question, but if his thoughts were right, Luke would tell him that he wasn't going to come home tonight. Would Luke be bold enough to say it? "I...I don't know," Luke said. Close enough, Holden thought. "Well, does your mother know about these plans?" "Ha...well, I plan on telling her that I'll be spending the night at Grandma Lucinda's. I don't think she'd be ready to know who I'll be spending the whole night with." Jackpot! "The whole night? You just said that you didn't know when you'd be getting home," Holden cut in. Luke felt like he was backed into corner. "Um...well..." "Listen, I trust you and your judgement," Holden said. "I know that you won't do anything stupid. I think you've learned your lesson as far as alcohol is concerned." "Yeah, I think the whole kidney transplant thing kinda taught me very well." "Good, then," Holden said. "Have a good time, son." Holden playfully jabbed him in his shoulder and went into the kitchen. A weight was lifted off of Luke. It felt good to know that his father approved of him. Now, the only thing left was making sure Lily didn't find out. ~~~~~~~~~ Lucinda and Lily entered the living room at La Walsh's home, where coffee was on the table. They sat down. "Now, tell me, what exactly is this thing you keep going on about?" "Mother, can you please not say it like that?" "Like what, dear? You do indeed keep going on about it, so what else should I say?" "You know what I mean. I saw Kevin cheating on my son and you're acting as if I'm the one in the wrong." "You were spying, weren't you?" "I was not spying!" "And when we spy, we often miss a lotta details, don't we?" Lucinda continued, ignoring everything Lily said. "I was not spying! I happened to be in Major's and I looked to my left and there they were, Kevin and his little...his little chica with their little ice cream and their little cell phone numbers. They hugged, Mother, and then they kissed. What else was I supposed to think? And besides, when did you all of sudden become the voice of reason? As much as you've meddled around in my life..." "Oh, dear, you're right. I meddled in your life and we sure as hell don't want Luke to turn out like you did, now do we?" "Of course not," Lily subconsciously agreed. "Wait a minute! What is that supposed to mean?" "Darling, I was joking, but the more I think about it, the more it is true. I'll be the first to admit that our relationship has been a little more than strained, and I'll even be the first to admit that most of it was my fault. Do you really want your son to feel towards you the way you once felt towards me?" Lily thought for a moment. "But it's not the same," she said in an assertive, yet still passive, voice. "I'm just trying to help him. I don't want him to devote so much time and energy to his kid who is just destined to break his heart." "I thought I was helping you by keeping your true parentage a secret. But you know how that turned out." Lily frowned as she got up and wandered around the room. "You know, when I saw what I saw at the mall, I was so happy. I thought 'This is it, finally I can get Kevin out of Luke's life.' But then I thought to myself on the way here...is it really good for a mother to want to see their child unhappy?" Lucinda rose and stood behind Lily. "You don't want to see him unhappy. You just have your instincts...and they're telling you something that can or cannot be true." "What should I do?" Lily asked, turning to her mother. Lucinda smirked. "You're asking the wrong person, sweetheart!" She became serious. "All I know is that the truth always finds a way to come out on its own. You can try as hard you want to keep it a secret, but the truth never loses." "Wow...I never thought of it that way. I...I guess - " "You guess I'm right. I get told that quite often nowadays, it seems." "Well, if it's true, it's true," Lily said, hugging her mom. "Thanks, really. Now I guess I just wait...just wait for Kevin to trip himself up. But, you know, I don't understand something. You just told me not too long ago to start handling problems like this in a more direct way. Why are you telling me to keep this quiet?" Lucinda stepped back. "There's a difference between Luke experiencing the joys and sorrows of love and Luke experiencing a hate crime, which is exactly what that was, by the way! Honey, there are times when you have to step in and handle it for him, but this is not one of those times. I guarantee, if you try to fix this for him, he'll only shoot the messenger. Let him find out for himself if Kevin is dilly-dallying with someone else." Lily hugged her again. "I honestly do not know what I would do without you." "Of course you don't. Now get out of here, I have some work to finish before I turn in for the night." "Oh, I see, your work is more important than helping your daughter with her latest crisis." "Precisely, dear, precisely," Lucinda playfully agreed as she showed Lily the door. "Tata." "Good-bye," Lily said. With Lily gone now, Lucinda could finally get to the bottom of this problem herself, but she did not how. What in the hell was Kevin's cell phone number? She started to try to remind herself, but then she realized that she never actually knew it in the first place. How could she figure it out? And, like a light at the end of the tunnel, Luke's cell phone appeared to her as it sat on the coffee table. He must have been here in the living room earlier, before he came to her office. Somehow he had to have dropped it. Lucinda immediately picked up the phone, but then she thought. Would this be considered...snooping? She was only going to get Kevin's number out of it, mind you. It was not as if she planned to read his text messages or listen to his voicemails. All she was going to do was get that phone number, and there was nothing wrong with that. "Okay, what lovey-dovey preteen-inspired nickname would he have it under?" she asked herself as she clicked through the address book in the phone. "Let's see here. 'The Farm'....must be Emma Snyder. 'Not-so-Lil Lily'...I wish I could have thought of that one. 'Juicy'....would that be Kevin?" Lucinda quickly pushed the buttons to see what the number for "Juicy" was. To her horror, she recognized it as her own cell phone number. "Oh, hardy har har, grandson." She continued to search until she came to an entry labeled "Sex (Kevin)." "Could he be any more frank?" she asked herself as she memorized the corresponding number. Lucinda went to the brass-and-ivory phone sitting on the coffee table and started to dial the number. "Hello, yes, can I speak to Kevin Davis?" she asked confidently when there was an answer on the other end. "This...is he," Kevin answered. He was in his car at a red light. "Who is this...and how can I help you?" "Yes, yes, Kevin, this is Lucinda Walsh. We spoke earlier this morning." "Oh! Luke's grandmother. I should have recognized your voice." "Oh, well, you don't have to flatter me that way. But I would like you to answer a question for me. You don't have to go into any details regarding your answer, just a yes or no will do." Kevin was puzzled, but he decided to go ahead with this anyway. "Okay..." "My grandson is the one and only person in your love life right now, correct?" "Um...yes..." "What do you mean, 'um...?' I told you, just yes or no," Lucinda urged. "Well, I did say yes. Why...did you ask me that anyway?" "Don't worry, dear. If you answered truthfully, you have nothing to worry about. And you did answer truthfully, did you not?" "Um...I mean, yes, yes I did." "Good. Have yourself a splendid little evening, Mr. Davis," Lucinda said. Before Kevin could return the sentiment, she hung her phone and beamed into blank space, proud of herself. "You still got it, old girl. You still got it." TO BE CONTINUED...

Our next installment sets up some plans for our title couple, but at the core of today's drama is a startling confession from an aunt to her niece. The story continues! AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 20 "Well, you look awfully busy this afternoon," Luke said to Lucinda as he walked through the door of her home office. In actuality, Lucinda sat, reclining in her chair, enjoying some sort of alcoholic beverage. "I do recall a certain special lady once telling me that the answers to life's problems aren't in the bottom of a bottle..." "Life's problems? Darling, I have no problems right now. This is just a drink for joy," Lucinda replied, taking a sip. "What brings you here?" "Actually, I have a bone to pick with you," Luke said, sitting down. "A bone to pick? With moi? Whatever do you mean?" Lucinda asked, a bit surprised. "Well," Luke began, with a smile, "Kevin and I got into a little fight all because of little old you." "Me?! Sweetheart, if I inadvertedly did anything to jeopardize your relationship with Kevin, you do know that I apologize, right? I apologize whole-heartedly! But I do have to ask...what exactly happened?" "Grandma, please, don't apologize, I'm kidding," Luke assured her, putting his hand on top of hers as it lay on the desktop. "Kevin and I just got into a little tiff, that's all. I overreacted about something and had a big old [!@#$%^&*] fit. Excuse my language." "Honey, I've said worse," Lucinda said. "Well, yeah. You see, Kevin and I were sitting around at his cousin's apartment and the subject of you came up and somehow I conjured up in my mind that Kevin blamed you for his father's death, and it's all such a convuluted story, and I just don't...I don't want to get back into it." Lucinda nodded. "Understandable. On both parts, I mean. I can see why Kevin would think that I should be responsible for his father's accident." "But you're not!" Luke exclaimed. "And I wasn't going to let him think that you are." "Okay," Lucinda said, trying to change the subject. "So, tell me then. If you're not here to read me the riot act, why are you here?" Luke settled back in his seat. "Well, you've entertained gentleman callers more than a few times in your day, correct?" "Right," Lucinda replied, a smile forming on her face. "You should know, then, that after a fight comes a night of...shall we say, reconciliation." "Haha! That is my boy!" Lucinda bellowed. "What do you plan? Oh, in my younger days, we'd go dancing, or to the beach, or to the drive-in. What is it that you kids do nowadays?" "Well, we actually were gonna go see a movie, but Kevin's not really feeling that anymore, so I was thinking that maybe we could spend some time...in your guest house?" "Oh," Lucinda said. "Well, of course, you're always welcomed to the guest house. You didn't even have to ask me about that." "Oh, I know, but I when I say 'spend some time'...I kinda mean the whole night." "The whole night?" Lucinda asked, not completely understanding Luke's motives for a second. Luke, on the other hand, had his eyebrows arched up in a position that suggested something risque. He hoped Lucinda would get the hint without him having to actually tell her. She was a cool grandmother, but she was still a grandmother. "Oh! Oh! The whole night," Lucinda suddenly exclaimed. "I do believe I understand where you are going with this." "Mhm," Luke nodded. "I just wanted to make sure it'd be...you know, all right with you." "Sweetheart, of course it is. I mean, you're both level-headed young men...you both have good sense, I think, despite the whole alcohol thing." "There won't be any alcohol, I promise, I swear on my life. The most intoxicating thing we'll have is Crystal Light." Lucinda laughed. "Good. And, well, neither one of you can get pregnant, so I don't see the harm." "Right! Right! That's a very important point. I should tell that one to Mom." "Your mother, your mother...have you told her about your plans for this evening?" Luke shook his head. "We both know how she'd react." "I'm afraid you're right. But to come to her own defense, I have to say that she did seem to be preparing to fully accept your relationship earlier today when we saw Kevin at the Lakeview." "The two of you saw Kevin at the Lakeview? When was this?" "Earlier today. I assume he was there with his mother." It all became clear to Luke now. The reason why Kevin decided to knix the movie was not because he was sick but because he had to endure a meal with his mother. Luke could only imagine how that had turned out. "Okay," he said to Lucinda. "So it's all set?" Lucinda thought for a second. "Sure. Why the hell not?" "Great! Thank you, Grandma. You are helping out in more ways than you can imagine," Luke said as he got up and started for the door. Lucinda started to walk behind him. "I hope it makes up for whatever confusion I caused the two of you last night." "It does. Believe me, it does!" Luke said in parting. He gave her hug and then went on his way. Lucinda felt good about herself then. She felt as if she was important in his life, as if she actually meant something to him. It felt good to be a significant figure in her grandson's life. It made her feel young and lively again, not to say that she had ever felt old and homely. This just released her and kept her on her toes. Settling back down behind her desk, hot off the heels of the warm family visit, Lucinda could feel her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. "Ugh!" she groaned out loud. "Can a lady savor just one special moment in a day, without business affairs bombarding her?" She took the phone out of her pocket and read the tiny screen. "Oh-ho!" she sighed out. "Business, the daughter, business, the daughter, business, the daughter! They're both work!" "Why did it take you so long to answer?" Lily asked when Lucinda finally put the phone to ear. "I was very busy working, dear, working to keep this company afloat. You're lucky I even answered at all! Now what is troubling you so much that you had to call me only an hour after we last talked?" "Mother, I hope you are happy because I just got the proof I needed, the proof that screams why Kevin is all wrong for my son!" Lily's voice sounded highly upset. "Dear, what are you blabbering about?" Lucinda asked loudly, roughly sliding her free hand through her hair. Her fingernail caught one of the hairs, and she gently pulled it out, examining it because that was truly a more exciting experience than whatever it was Lily was going on about. Lucinda smiled at the thought, however, even though she knew it was wrong to think such a way of her daughter. "I just saw your best bud, Kevin, over here at the Oakdale Leaf Mall. And would you like to take a stab at what I saw him doing?" "Trying on the newest Barbara Ryan original? Because, darling, that would truly make me turn against him..." "Will you get serious, Mother?! I saw him with...with some girl! Some girl that I didn't even recognize. I have no idea where she came from, who she was, or anything like that! And get this, this is the best part. Not only was he with this girl, but they hugged, they kissed, and I think I even saw some phone number exchanging going on." Lucinda at long last placed her full attention on Lily. "Oh, really? And what makes you so sure that it had to be what you are thinking? Surely you could have been mistaken." "Mother, I know what it looks like when two people are...involved with each other. Now, we have to tell Luke before that Kevin has anymore of a chance to...to brainwash him! That's exactly what he is doing! He is brainwashing my son and I swear I will not let him get away with it!" Lucinda heaved a big sigh, carelessly shifting her eyes around the room. All of those good feelings she had? Gone. That special moment she felt she had had with Luke? No longer existing. Of course Lily was overreacting...or was she? And that's what worried her. "Look, just make sure you know what you're doing before you tell Luke anything." "I saw it as plain as day, Mother. As plain as day! Luke is going to thank me when I tell him. You told me to start handling these kinds of situations better, didn't you? You told me to take action! Well that's what I'm doing now. I'm taking action and you should be proud of me!" Lucinda could feel that Lily felt very passionate about this. Damn, that girl loved her kids more than anything else in the world. Even when she was bound to make a gigantic mistake, she was so determined to do it because she felt it would be right. It was true, Lucinda decided. Learning did not stop at a particular age, especially learning from your mistakes. Lucinda didn't know for sure, but as sure as she knew her own daughter, she knew that Lily was on her way to making a mistake that could truly put a major dent in her relationship with her son. ~~~~~~~~~ Sheryl Davis slowly opened the door of the bathroom in her niece Nora's apartment. With her head firmly back, her eyes closed, and her arms stiffly pointed diagonally from her body, she walked through the door. As she pulled it close behind her, she paused for a moment, to lean on the door for support. She let out a sigh of internal pain. What had she let her life become? What was she doing? Why? Was this new way of living any better than her old way of living, as the victim of her husband's mental conflict? The front door opened and Sheryl immediately fell out of her trance, yet she was still a bit jittery. She looked around for an instant before deciding to just face Nora and Kevin, which, indeed, was the last thing she really wanted to do. She walked down the short hallway that ran from the living room, straight through the kitchen, and ended with the door to Nora's room, with the guest bedroom door on one side and the bathroom door on the other. "I still don't see what makes you sure that Major's is going to be having a sale anytime soon," Kevin said, a continuation of whatever he and Nora had been talking about before they entered the apartment. Neither one had any bags, but they both sank down into the sofa as if they'd be working out all day. "Trust me, Kevin, trust me. If there's anything I know, it's my sales. I never miss a good sale," Nora said. She smiled at Kevin before turning her head and noticing Sheryl coming through the kitchen. Nora looked back at Kevin, to see his reaction. "The two of you went shopping," Sheryl observed in a shaky voice. "Did you buy anything for me?" she asked, putting on a grin. She looked such a mess now, very different from the way she was at breakfast. Her skin was pale, her hair was uneven, and her lips were chapped. "How was your nap?" Nora asked, as if Sheryl taking a nap was a big secret that she had just found out. "Nap? I didn't take a nap. I came home, watched a little television, and that's it," Sheryl replied. "I'm too up to take a nap right now. I have energy in me and it wouldn't dare let me go to sleep." Kevin and Nora both felt something weird in the way Sheryl talked. Was she not remembering what had happened just a few hours earlier? She had no simple words of apology for either one of them? Kevin felt that she owed him one, but his experience with her, as far as her leaving him with his father, told him not to expect anything. "I'm going out with Luke tonight. I'm gonna go take a shower," he dryly said to Nora, facing only her. "Kay," she said in reply. Kevin rose up from his seat and walked past mother to the bathroom. "You just let him go out for the night like that?" Sheryl asked Nora. Nora ignored her question, rose from her own seat, and walked to the counter that Sheryl stood behind. "What...in the hell...is wrong with you?" Sheryl laughed. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with anybody these days?" "Okay, you're way too young to be hitting menopause, so..." "What? Menopause? Nora, stop it!" Sheryl exclaimed, still laughing. "Just a few hours ago you were begging, pleading for Kevin to leave town with you, but now you seem like you couldn't care less. What gives? What changed?" Sheryl carefully backed up into the kitchen, sitting down on the tabletop. "You know, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. I could have used your help back there." "My help? Wait, you thought I was gonna help you tag-team up on your son, guilt-trip him? Have you lost your mind?" Nora swiftly marched around the counter and into the kitchen, hands firmly on hips. She was ready to kindly hand her dear aunt her ass. "Why are you so hell-bent on trying to ruin this for me?! What did I ever do to you?!" Sheryl asked. Nora couldn't believe this! What was this woman talking about? Why was she acting so strange? This was not her Aunt Sheryl. Absolutely not. Nora could only look at her, up and down, wondering who she was. Who was she?! This woman with the ragged hair and dirty face. Who could she be? "Why, Aunt Sheryl," Nora calmly began, closing her eyes, "is it so important that Kevin go to Chicago with you?!" She opened her eyes and raised her voice as the question went on. "Just answer it. That's all you have to do." "Because!" Sheryl responded to Nora's toughness. "Because he just needs to! I need to have somebody with me!" Sheryl was now crying, her face becoming a mecca for tears. Nora immediately lost her edge and knealt down beside her. She automatically connected Sheryl's weeping to Sean's passing. "I'm sorry," Nora said as she put her arms around a bawling Sheryl. "I'm so sorry, I forgot. I forgot. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's okay now." As Nora tried to calm her down, Sheryl could feel herself slipping back into form, back into who she was. She became herself again. She pulled away from Nora and looked around the room. "Do you want something to drink?" Nora asked her. Sheryl looked down at her. "Nora," she said, not answering the question. "Nora, we have to talk." "Okay. We can talk. We can talk about whatever you want to talk about." Sheryl could feel another tear coming down her face as she stared directly into Nora's eyes. "Nora...you have to promise...you can't tell Kevin. You can't..." "I won't! I promise. Now what is it?" "I....I.....I can't bring myself to say it....Nora....." "Come on, you can say it. Just take your time." "I need help, Nora," Sheryl said, her voice barely there as she whispered. "I need help." "Help from what?!" Nora exclaimed, trying her hardest to stay patient. "Nora...I...I...there is no Dr. Alex Steele...he does not exist. I don't have a job...and I live in an abandoned warehouse...and I...I am a prostitute." Her voice cracked on the word. She was now crying again and her thoughts had to come through that. "I'm a prostitute," she repeated. Nora's eyes grew wider than she could have ever imagined. She did not hear what she just heard. No, she did not. It was not true! Not true at all! No way in the world would her aunt ever think of doing anything like that! "I'm so sorry, Nora," Sheryl continued. "But now...but now you understand, don't you? You can now understand why I need Kevin to come back with me. I need my son more than anything right now." Nora remained speachless. The path between their eyes was filled with confusion, confession, hurt, betrayal, regret...and every other emotion in the book. Nora gathered her thoughts, as broken as they were, to form one final reply. "Okay." TO BE CONTINUED...

Wow, that's really BIG stuff. The Carly/Jack story with Sage would have been so great! I could only imagine how amazing it would be if it played out on TV. Same thing with the Nancy stuff, the conclusion of the Emma/Lisa stuff (though, with Lisa, I doubt that would have been the real conclusion lol), and the Susan/Neil stuff. You SO should not have quit writing!

Wow, that was great! I'm really looking forward to this, Matt. I think you'll be giving us some good stuff.

The story continues... AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 19 The sounds of teenagers laughing, along with the sent of various summertime food items, filled the patio of the Oakdale Country Club. There were nerds, jocks, band geeks, and cheerleaders, even some of the emo crowd. Most of them were members of Oakdale Latin High School's class of 2007, and all of them were slowly counting down the days until they could strut around school as seniors. One of them, Luke Snyder, aired out his frustrations about senior year by immersing his body into the cold water of the country club's pool. The frigidness gently tickled him as he backstroked a few laps, but he liked it that way. That slight mixture of the warm sun beating down on him and the cool water freezing him was the perfect combination of all of what summer had to offer. To Luke, summer was hope, it was carefree, and most of all, it was free. Just like how he felt when he'd swim in the country club pool. Free. He rose from the water, revealing a pair of red and yellow swimming shorts, and toweled off. From across the way, he could hear some of the girls talking about him. "I think I'd like to have a piece of that," a girl who was new to the area said to another. "Who is he?" The new girl motioned for her friend to look at Luke. Her friend couldn't help but snicker. "That, my cousin, is Luke Snyder. He's not interested in you." "And what makes you say that?" asked the new Oakdale resident. "I'm not ugly." "You are also not a guy, which means that you are not his type." "No way." "Yes. Way." Luke rolled his eyes as he heard them speak, but he decided to be mean just for a little bit. He went to where his things were and picked up his cell phone. I have a boyfriend, he thought, but they don't. What would be wrong with flaunting that, if only to prove to this new girl that I am, indeed, gay? Nothing at all. He clicked on Kevin's name in his phone and, as he waited for the line to connect, he turned to face the girls who spoke of him behind his back. They were obviously staring at him. It was evident in the way they quickly looked down when he turned around. Nevertheless, Luke continued to try to make them feel played. "Kevin," he greeted in a smooth, bright voice. "How's my favorite guy?" The new girl's eyes widened as her cousin nodded her head. They walked away. Luke laughed, confusing Kevin. "What's so funny?" he asked. "Oh, don't worry about it. Just taking care of some business. Nothing important. How have you been?" Kevin was in Nora's car as they drove to the mall. Nora had made a wise decision in driving herself to the Lakeview. She knew for certain that after the breakfast would end, there would be a separation necessary between mother and son. They left Sheryl at the hotel and went ahead to the mall. "...Fine," Kevin unsurely answered. "It's...it's just one of those days. One of those days." "Oh, really?" Luke responded. He sat in the shade of a table covered by an umbrella and leaned back, making himself more comfortable. "And just exactly what kind of day is today?" Kevin could sense that Luke was in a good place, and he sure didn't want to be the downer in his day. "It's...it's nothing, don't worry about it," he said. "So what are you up to?" "Nothing much at all, just soaking up some sun and fun down at the country club. What about you?" "Oh, well me and Nora are headed to the mall to do some random shopping, I guess." "We're still on for the movie tonight, right?" Kevin felt indifferent towards that. He figured he'd just go on home after the mall and mope around the apartment until he fell asleep, totally forgetting about his and Luke's previously scheduled plans. He wanted to say yes, the plans were still on and he was still ready, but he just couldn't. "Um...sure, I guess...but I think I'm feeling a little under the weather..." "Under the weather? Like sick? Kevin, if you're sick that's definitely much higher on my little personal hierarchy than going to see 'The Rosehill Slasher.' We'll do it another time." Kevin suddenly felt guilty about lying to Luke. "No, we'll go, we'll go. I'll be okay." "You know what? I have an idea. How about we just get together at Grandma Lucinda's. We can have dinner, watch some TV, listen to some music, that kind of stuff. What do you think?" That would be a better idea, Kevin thought to himself. He could already imagine how comfortable it could be. Some nice, romantic music playing in the background while he and the boy he loved were sprawled out on the floor, just talking together. "Yeah, that sounds good," he said. "I'll see you then." "See you," Luke replied. He smiled as he closed his phone. He sure felt lucky. That new girl and her cousin were obviously lonely individuals with no love to share. Not Luke, though. He had himself a guy to dote on and it felt good. He started to gather his things together just as Jimmy Warner came out of the country club building. Upon seeing him, Luke sped up his pace just a little bit. One run-in with that guy was enough for him in just one day. For a second, Luke felt that it was kind of stalkerish. Major coincidence? Totally. But just what were the odds of Jimmy showing up at Java while Luke was there and now him showing up at the country club...while Luke was there. It made Luke just a bit scared. Did this kid follow him around town all day long or something? Luke sure didn't want to find out why Jimmy was there, so the quicker he could get his things together and get himself out of there, the better. But it did not turn out that way. "Luke," Jimmy began when he saw him standing there. Luke, head down and all possessions on him, tried to move out of Jimmy's way, but the bully stopped him by grabbing his arm. Luke's natural reflexes made him look up, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He once learned in driver's ed that if you're sharing the road with an aggressive driver, it's best to avoid eye contact. For now, the paved pathway to the patio door served as a road, and Jimmy was the aggressive driver. "Look, I'm moving out of your way, okay? Can you please let me go? Besides, we've already had our round for today," Luke snapped at Jimmy. Jimmy briefly closed his eyes and he shooked his head in disapproval of himself. "All I just wanted to say was...well, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry for...you know, messing with you and Will at Java this morning. I didn't realize that it was way too early for that childish stuff." A bewildered Luke was able to stand on his own once Jimmy released his grip on him. He didn't walk away, though. What Jimmy was saying was too strange to walk away on. "Whatever, Jimmy. Can you just save the stupidity for another day? Please?" "I'm being serious, Luke, I'm serious!" Jimmy smiled at him to show that he wasn't a threat to him. "I mean...I don't know...me and my girlfriend, we got into a fight after all of that because she happened to be sitting in the corner at Java and saw it all. What can I say? She knocked me down a couple of pegs." "And now she's forcing you to apologize. Well, you can tell her that my forgiveness is just as real as your apology." Jimmy laughed. "There's no getting through to you is there?" "What do you expect? For every moment of the last year or so until now, any encounter between the two of us usually ended with me storming away as fast I can. Except for that other time, you know, when my pregnant mother had to get in the middle of it. Tell your little G.F. that I apologized if it means you leaving me the hell alone. I don't care." And with that, Luke left the country club. Jimmy turned to go after him but decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do now was make him mad. He felt that it was now time to finally make the changes that he'd been thinking about for a long time. ~~~~~~~~~ Nora and Kevin walked through the entrance under a large sign that read "Oakdale Leaf Mall." What a weird title, people had always thought. Oakdale Leaf...it made some kind of sense, if you thought about oak trees and the leaves that grew on them. But it seemed foreign for the name of a shopping center. A golf course, maybe. A retirement home, definitely. But a mall? No. The cousins, without words, both headed down to one of the most popular clothing department stores, Major's. It's stock was a blend of trendy and sophisticated, with something for everyone. The elderly lady could find the perfect outfit for the Sunday service. A athlete could find the perfect sneakers for his work-out. Teenagers shopped there, but so did their parents. Kevin wasn't as keen on clothes and fashion as his cousin was. It was one of the many gay stereotypes that he did not fit. He liked clothes, and he had some preferences, but as long as it was something comfortable and in a color he liked, he had nothing against it. "You would really waste your money on this ugly thing?" Nora asked in disgust as she yanked a green and blue shirt out of Kevin's hands. They'd been in Major's for a good ten minutes and had spent most of that time apart. "All I said is that it looks nice," Kevin responded defensively. "And besides...I already bought one just like it a couple of weeks back." "Well, if you're going to be stay with me long-term, you're going to have to acquire a better fashion sense," Nora smirked. Kevin smiled in shock. "This is coming from the woman who sleeps in flannel PJs with little barnyard animals on 'em!" "Oh, really?! I'd appreciate it if you did not make fun of my sleepwear." "Oh, sleepwear? That's what we're calling it now? Whatever you say, sweetheart, whatever you say," Kevin joked. "Maybe you can graduate up to hearts or something one of these days." "Haha, cousin, haha." As Kevin put his green and blue shirt back on its rack, he took note of Nora's empty arms. "We've been here for, what, ten minutes and you haven't found anything that you like? Are your standards that immensely high?" "Actually, I found several things. All I can do is hope that they're all still here when I come back on Saturday," Nora said as they started to exit the store. "Why Saturday?" "Cousin, you know nothing about shopping do you? That's the day of the weekly one-day only sale!" Nora exclaimed matter-of-factly. "Weekly...one-day only...I'm sure that if you add it all together, it cancels out fine. Whatever." They were now out of Major's and in the barren space in front of it, the space that was decorated with several potted plants, a car, and a few benches. "Yea, I think I drank just a little bit too much at the Lakeview. I have to go to the ladies' room," Nora said. "Okay, I'll just be around. I have my cell, so just call me when you're ready to leave or whatever." "Got ya," Nora said in parting as she went one way and Kevin went the other. He aimlessly strolled down the main corridor of the mall, looking through the windows of the stores he passed. He had passed by a shoe store, a women's boutique, and a small electronics store before seeing a face that he thought he'd never see again. The face was smooth, free of acne and the other plagues that teenagers endured. The hair was long, silky, and the darkest brown he ever did see. The body was still the same: perfect in all of the right places, shaped in a way that would make all of Kevin's contemporaries sigh. But it still did not have that affect on him, nearly a year and a half later. She was his ex-girlfriend, Stacey Matheson, and for about eleven months, she was his world, or so she thought. They were a couple when they were freshmen and sophomores at Oakdale Latin, but Kevin felt so trapped in the relationship. Stacey was one of the school's most atheltic girls, participating in volleyball and track, while also maintaining a high GPA in gifted and talented classes. She wasn't stuck up like many of her acquaintances were, but she was independent and she knew that she deserved only the best. Being as attractive as she was, she didn't have to do much to get a boyfriend. Honestly, Kevin never did see why so many guys thought she was so attractive. She was gorgeous, he couldn't deny that. Her body was indeed nice to look at, but he never did feel that way about her. He loved her, but as a friend, and she kept expecting more out of him, more of something he couldn't give her. After those eleven months, they broke up. Stacey and her family moved to Bay City about a month after that and thus the end of their relationship and friendship was cemented. But there she was, back in Oakdale, standing in line at an ice cream parlor in the mall. Kevin's feelings about seeing her were mixed. It would be interesting to see where her life's been going the last year and to find out why she moved back, but what if she resented him for breaking up with her? Surely, however, when she moved to Bay City, the boys there were just as spellbound by her beauty as they were in Oakdale. She must have rebounded quickly. And so, Kevin's curiousity about Stacey and a sudden craving for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream won him over and he soon found himself two spots behind Stacey in the line. He secretly begged inside for her to notice him, but it looked like it wasn't meant to be as she took her cone of rocky road and started to walk away. In a freakish turn of events, though, she didn't see a sign that read "WET FLOOR" and slightly slipped. She didn't fall, she was barely embarrassed, but she loosened her grip just enough for her cone to fall right onto the floor. Kevin jumped on the chance to help her out. He hopped out of line and started to help her pick the cone up. "Thank you very much, but I think I can handle it," Stacey said before she could look up and see who her knight in shining armor was. "No, I want to help," Kevin persisted. Stacey smiled, looked up, and then the shock came across her face. "Kevin!? Oh my God, Kevin?!" she exclaimed. "Stacey?" Kevin asked in pretense. "Yeah! It's me!" she answered, clearly excited to see him and not resentful at all. "How have you been?" "I've been fine, just fine," he said as they both stood back up. "What are you doing back in town? I thought you all moved to Bay City." "We did, but Daddy wanted to come back home, so we found a nice house for a good price and jumped on it," Stacey graciously explained. "So you'll be going to Oakdale Latin when school starts back up?" "Yeah," she nodded. The stood in a smile-filled silence for a while before Kevin thought of the admirable thing to do. "Hey, let me replace that cone for you." "Oh, no, you don't have to do that. I shouldn't be eating ice cream anyway, if I want to keep up my figure." "Aw, come on, one little ice cream cone isn't going to hurt." "All right." They stood back in line and, this time, got their ice cream without any trouble. They sat on one of the benches in front of Major's and continued to catch each other up on the other's life. "I was going to try out for the football team, but I decided not to. It just wasn't my thing," Kevin told her. "Your heart belongs to baseball," she reminded him. "I bet you thought I forgot that." Indeed, he was somewhat surprised that she remembered that detail about him. "Yeah, I kinda am. I bet you thought I forgot about your little poetry books." "My poetry books are not little, Kevin Davis!" Stacey said, smiling. "I'll be a very well-known poet one day, just you wait and see." Kevin leaned back on the bench and, to his own surprise, put his arm on the bench behind Stacey. It was completely force of habit. He couldn't think of what it would be like not to at least touch her as they sat next to each other. "So, what's been going on in your world for the last year and a half?" "Hmm," Stacey began. "My GPA's finally getting up there again. Last time I was at Oakdale, I had a 3.677, but now I have a 3.792, so I definitely won't be valedictorian, but I can be good old salutatorian." "With my 2.9, I'll be lucky if they even give me a diploma." "Aw, you're not stupid, Kevin." "Wow, thank you, Stacey, considering I never even said the word 'stupid.'" "Well, you know what I meant!" The laughter died down a little as Stacey kept sneaking peeks at him eating his ice cream. From the second she recognized him when they were on the floor, she could see that it was still there. The reason why she devoted her life to him for those eleven months and the reason why she cried her eyes out almost every night for the week before she moved away...it was still there! Could she...would she...should she try to get back with him? She didn't even know if he was taken or not. Nevertheless, it was time to turn on the subtle flirting. "So, I hope you haven't been lonely lately," she asked, emphasizing the word lonely, hoping that Kevin would pick up the hint. He picked up a hint, all right, but not the one she intended. Lonely, Kevin thought to himself. Lonely? Is she trying to say that she's been lonely? She seemed so pleasant that he put away all thoughts of her being resentful, but now he thought that maybe he judged too soon. He knew he was on thin ice with a person that he felt he could confide in about some of his problems, so he tried to make up for it. "Lonely? Me? No, no...not really. I know you haven't been." Stacey was a bit taken aback. "What is that supposed to mean?" "Well...um," Kevin stumbled, "I just assume that a girl has hot as you has some lucky guy wrapped around your little finger." Stacey laughed. "Well, that used to be you, remember?" "Yeah, it sure was," Kevin said, happy that she laughed. If she laughed, that meant she didn't hate him. "You say you haven't been lonely. Who's been making sure you stay that way?" Stacey carefully mused. She didn't want to make it too obvious. "Well," Kevin began, instantly turning his head and focusing on something else, like the pre-teen girls who were walking into Major's. He remember he once told Luke that he didn't care who knew about his sexuality anymore. He did not care, and if people were going to start finding out, by the time school opened again, everyone would know. He felt that it would be best if he was the one who told Stacey, so he sucked up all of his fear and just let it go. He took a deep breath, turned to face Stacey again, and blurted it out. "Me and Luke have been together for a little while now." Stacey laughed out loud. "Oh, really now?" Kevin tried to laugh too, to make the pressure lighten, but he wanted to go through with it. "I'm serious, me and Luke...we've been together for a while..." Stacey's laughter went away. "No...way. You...you have to be kidding. If you and Luke...that would make you...Kevin, you're gay?" "Yeah, I guess that would make me gay..." Kevin could see the surprise in Stacey's body. "Wow...that's...that's something I never would have expected. But...wow, wait a minute, were you gay when you were with me?" "Welll...I guess you can say that," Kevin slowly stated, but he didn't want to make her feel bad. "But, please, know that it wasn't you. You didn't have anything to do with it, Stacey. It's all me." "Is that why you broke up with me?" Stacey asked quickly. She could sense that Kevin was growing a bit uncomfortable, so she felt it was her duty to ease the situation for him. "You can be honest with me, Kevin, I'm not going to say anything." "I...I broke up with you because we didn't...no, not you, me, I didn't...I didn't want to mess anything up. I didn't want to lead you on for so long because I didn't know when I'd ever get...get the, you know, the courage to do what I had to do. The courage to come out." "Okay," Stacey said seriously, pausing for a moment. She slowly turned her head away before repeating herself. "Okay, okay. It's all good. I wouldn't want you to be unhappy just to make me happy, Kevin." "Thank you," Kevin said. "That means a lot to me." Stacey took his hand and smiled. "We need to get together again real soon, me, you, and Luke. It's been forever since I've seen him too, so I guess the three of us need some catching up to do." "You won't...you won't feel weird about it?" "Oh please, of course not. I think you forget that my brother came out three years ago. I stuck by him and now I'll stick by you," Stacey reminded me. "Oh, that's right! I forgot that Ryan was gay!" "Exactly! And his world is still turning and yours will too," Stacey said. "Now, I better get back to work before you get me fired. See you later." She hopped up and started to walk towards Major's, but Kevin called after her. "Hey, what's your number?" he asked. "I'd like to call you some time." He took out his phone so that he could put Stacey's number in, but she took it from him and put it in herself. "I hope that's a promise," she said, before taking him into a hug. "See you later, hot stuff." Kevin watched as she walked away and knew that he was lucky. Not because he had once had Stacey Matheson as a girlfriend, but because he had once had Stacey Matheson as a friend. Hopefully, they could get closer again, this time without a pesky romantic relationship in the way. He walked away from the area they were in, just in time for someone to appear from behind a rack that flanked the opening to Major's. It was Lily, and she had just witnessed Kevin and Stacey's number-swapping, not to mention the kiss. TO BE CONTINUED...

And here it is, the start of a regular schedule for this little blog! Like already said in the announcement below, one new part, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No more long, unnecessary breaks! If you got lost along the way somewhere, I urge you to get back into the story NOW! AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 18 Luke sat at his usual table at Java, thinking not about how tortured his life seemed to be, but about how lucky he was, despite the various obstacles he was forced to encounter day in and day out. Reconciling with Kevin after their small argument was a good idea, he decided. It cleared his mind and he was now able to do some much-needed writing. His favorite hobby lately was sitting down at his computer and compiling all of the stories, all of the history of the two branches of his family. He knew that between the whole lot of them, the Snyders and the Walshes had the makings of a real best-seller. He felt it was up to him to get it out there. And now, he thought to himself, he and Kevin were adding their own chapter to the already overflowing story. He had just finished typing up all of his notes on how both his grandmothers, Lucinda and Emma, were once involved with debonair doctor John Dixon when he decided to get a refill of espresso. Luke was pleasantly surprised when he got up and saw Will Munson walk through the door. "Hey, man, what's up?" Will greeted. "Nothing much, just hanging here keeping my days busy," Luke replied. "Wishing I could go a year into the future and be through with high school." "Ah yea," Will said. "I remember the feeling. Luckily for me, I was able to get my diploma this summer and I'm pretty much college-bound now." "That's great!" Luke congratulated. "Sit down, join me. What'll you have?" "Uh, just some coffee would be fine." Will sat down at Luke's table and started to read what was written on the computer screen. Luke returned with their beverages and smiled when he noticed Will's immense attraction to what he read. "You liking what you see?" "Yeah, this is...some really screwed up stuff here. Did you make it up yourself?" Will asked, as he backed up in his chair. "I didn't mean to just start reading your personal stuff like that, but it was just sitting here, and..." "Oh, don't worry about that. It's nothing personal at all. As a matter of fact, I didn't have to make it up. You know the old saying? Truth is stranger than fiction? Well that's especially true here in Oakdale." "No way." "Yes, way. Clarice...that's my grandma Lucinda. Jessie, that's my grandma Emma. They both had the same man, Dr. John Dixon, for a little while just a couple of years before I was born. See all the fun we missed?" Will reclined in his seat while Luke closed down the laptop. "Well I think our generation is helping to contribute to the 'fun.' Don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but..." "I don't know. It's good because it makes me feel strong enough to go through just half of the stuff my parents and their parents went through. But it's bad because sometimes you wish things didn't have to be a certain way." "Somehow I get the feeling you're talking about how things have been going with you. So...how have things been going with you? You still with Kevin?" "Uh...yea," Luke said, nodding. "We're still together, but it hasn't been nowhere near as long as you and Gwen or anything like that. Just a couple of weeks." "Well, don't act as if it's nothing. If he's the person who makes you happy, what the two of you have should be considered special." Luke grinned. "I know, but - " "But what? You said that you wish some things didn't have to be a certain way...what did you mean by that?" "Very pushy today, aren't we, Will Munson?" Luke asked. "Oh...I'm sorry about that." "Don't be. I think I need some advice from a contemporary who isn't Kevin." "Well, I'm all yours." Luke looked at him and gave him a facial expression that told him that the story would be long and complicated. "So, I don't know if you've heard about it or anything, but Kevin's father passed away last week. You see, and I swear I'm not making it up, Mr. Davis lost his job and couldn't pay any of the bills. He was already an alcoholic, so all of this just made him drink more and more. Well, one day he got the bright idea to set his own house on fire, you know, to collect the insurance. Well, unfortunately for him, he couldn't get out of the fire in enough time. He died." "Wow...I'm sorry to hear that," Will said sincerely. "That's awful." "I know, it is, and I just wanted to be there for Kevin throughout all of this. Even in the back of my mind, I was seeing this as something that would bring us closer together and really give us something to...I don't know...conquer together. Kinda like how you and Gwen, with the baby, and..." "Yeah," Will said. "So I was just going to be there for him. Whatever he needed, I was going to help him out with. The last thing I wanted was for him to start drinking again just to get over it, but it turned out that that was te least of what could go wrong. His mother came back to town a few days and, well, since I don't want to waste any more of your time, I'll just cut to the chase. She wants Kevin to go back to Chicago with her, but he doesn't want to." Will sat silent for a moment. "I don't get it...what's so bad about him going to Chicago for the rest of the summer?" "No, no, not just the rest of the summer. For as long as he's 17, she wants custody of him, and she's obviously doing this because she doesn't like the fact that her son is gay." "Well, do you know that for sure?" "Do I know it for sure? Isn't it obvious, though? Why else would she be so hell-bent on making Kevin leave the only place he's called home?" Luke tried to make Will see things the way he saw them, but Will was different. He wasn't going to just accuse Mrs. Davis of being against Luke and Kevin's relationship. Just from listening to the story, an instinct inside him developed and told him that maybe there were other reasons. "Well...maybe...maybe that's just the thing. I don't know anything about her, but I'm sure that whenever she moved to Chicago, she had to leave everything she ever knew back here. Now she has the chance to take a piece of that back with her." "But Kevin shouldn't be treated like her security blanket! I mean, this isn't the best time for her to be playing mind games with him." "Look, Luke, if there's anything I've learned in my lifetime, is that mothers aren't as strong as they always want you to believe. Sometimes they need comfort more than you do and just like they make sacrifices for you, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for them." Luke finally heard Will. He could finally get what he was trying to say. Suddenly he was thankful to have a friend like him. He was definitely someone who could offer a fresh opinion we needed. "Maybe you're right," Luke let out, feeling a sense of defeat. "But something tells me that everything isn't so easy to believe." "Nobody ever said that they were," Will replied. "It was great talking to you, Luke, but Casey's expecting me at Crash. He wants me to help him with inventory." "Oh lord, have fun..." "Oh, I'll try. It can't be too hard to teach Casey how to count. See you later." Will rose from his chair. "Bye, Will," Luke said. "And thanks, thanks a lot for your advice." "No problem," he said. And just as he turned around and started for the door, there stood Luke's worst nightmares. "No problem, Luke, my boyfriend, no problem at all," Jimmy said, imitating Will. "Looks like we found the next big couple," he said to his friends. "I always knew there was something up with you, Will. Not only do you kill people, not only do you cheat on final exams, but now you're playing for the pink team. I'm sure your father the cop is just loving this." "Well, well, well," Will said calmly. "If it isn't the kid who started the gonorrhea outbreak at school two years ago. How has that been going?" Jimmy was shocked that Will would bring up such a thing. He desperately searched for a comeback. "Obviously not as good as things are going here for you and your little boyfriend," he said, turning to his friends and giving them a signal to laugh. Will prepared to attack Jimmy again, but Luke stood. "Don't worry about them, Will. I don't think he knows about how you and Gwen are happily married. He also doesn't know about how happy I am with Kevin." He looked at Jimmy. "Kevin, that's my boyfriend," he said. "And if you have a problem with me, that means you have a problem with him, and I'm sure you've seen him fight. You don't want to have a problem with Kevin." Jimmy, for a moment, caught Luke's eye and could see a quality in him that he had never seen before. For the first time ever, he could see that Luke wasn't hurt by his words or actions. Jimmy felt defeated, like he just lost a battle. Without a saying a word, he and his pals went to the counter to order their coffee. "Wow, that went well," Luke sighed to Will. "Thanks for that, really." "Oh please, all you have to do is mention the gonorrhea and the kid's on the verge of tears. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking he was more hurt by your confident little proclamation there." "You really think so?" "Yep. Maybe the idea of you being happy with a person while he's still pleasuring himself threatens him. Who knows? I'll see you later." Luke laughed as he and Will shook hands. Not a minute after Will left, Luke as well. He did not see, however, the way Jimmy looked out trough the Java windows at him. ~~~~~~~~~ "What a pleasant idea," Nora said to Sheryl as they, plus Kevin, sat down to breakfast at the Lakeview. "A really...really pleasant idea, Aunt Sheryl." "You don't have to pretend like you were looking forward to this," Sheryl said. "I know that the timing is just a little bit off, but I figured that it would be nice for us to have a nice family breakfast together." Nora looked over at Kevin, who sat across from her. Sheryl sat at the head of the small table. "Well, I guess you're right. The fact that you're paying made it even easier to say yes." A waiter came and handed out three menus for them all to look at. "Everything sounds so good," Sheryl said. "Western omelet, French toast, bacon, they've really stepped their game up since the last time I was here. What'll you have, Kevin?" Kevin looked at the menu. Since their soul-bearing conversation that morning, Kevin decided to cool down his tattered feelings about his mother. He was able to believe that she was in a bad place right now and that him beating down on her was not going to help anything. No, all she needed now was to know that no matter what, no matter what bad words were said, he still loved her. "The French toast does make my mouth water..." "All right. French toast for you, and Nora?" "Oh, dearie, it's your treat, so I might be a while." "Don't push it, Nora," Sheryl smiled. Nora grinned. "Western omelet would be just fine." The waiter returned to take their orders, leaving them time to talk. Nora could tell that the atmosphere between Sheryl and Kevin was calmer than it had been before, but she still felt a need to break the ice. "So I'm thinking that Jack and I will be heating up pretty soon." "Jack?" Sheryl asked. "Oh, that's right! I never told you about my boyfriend Jack. Jack Snyder, he's a cop. We've been together for a couple of months now and I really think that he is the one." "Jack...Snyder?" Sheryl had to make sure she heard that name right. Her glance caught Kevin's for a second, but they didn't exchange words. "Mhm. Met him one night and he was just getting through with a messy divorce, so we kept talking, and talking, and things started happening. His ex-wife is making things a little difficult, but I don't think she will be much of a problem once I have a little talk with her." Sheryl laughed. "Don't get yourself into any trouble over some man, Nora. You're better than that." "Oh really? Speaking of men...how has your love life been since you moved to Chicago?" Kevin did sort of a double take when Nora asked the question. Surely she realized how it was. Even Sheryl had to stop her train of thought for a moment. Quickly scanning the table, Nora caught on. "Oh, good lord, I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid...I shouldn't have asked that." Sheryl looked up at her, inhaled, and smiled. "No. Don't be sorry. As a matter of fact, I have been seeing someone for a couple of months now. He's a...a really great guy, a doctor. Dr. Alex Steele." "A doctor?! You, my friend, have hit the jackpot!" Nora exclaimed. Sheryl smiled again. She seemed to be on to something here. "Yes, yes I have. And like I said, he's also a wonderful, wonderful guy. He's everything that I could ask for. He...um...works out of his house. I mean, he runs a private practice and the office is on his estate, his family's estate. It's beautiful there." Kevin couldn't stand it anymore. He and his mother had a major breakthrough the night before and he thought that he'd attempt to understand her reasons for wanting him to live with her, but now he was truly confused. She seemed to pretty content describing the magnificant palace where she lived with her precious Dr. Steele. What the hell kind of name was that, anyway? Sounds like a porn star, Kevin thought. Maybe he's hot, he asked himself. "He would have come with me back to Oakdale, but he didn't want to have to cancel any appointments with his patients. That's how caring he is," Sheryl continued, describing her new man. "Um," Kevin began. "If I don't go pee right now, I think my bladder's gonna flood this whole room. I'll be right back," he said. "Okay, sweetheart," his mother replied. Nora simply smirked at him. In the back of her mind, she believed that it was what he deserved. He drank himself half-blind the night before and it served him right to have to run to the bathroom every five minutes all day long. Kevin left his mother and cousin at the table to continue discuss their love lives. On his way to the bathroom, he silently prayed that by the time he returned, the food would be there and the three of them would be too busy eating to talk. Despite what he had hoped after the events of the morning, he just knew that he still was not ready to just talk to his mother. He reviewed the facts in his head. First, she leaves him there to suffer miserably with his father when he was only 13 years old. Now, she wants to yank him out of his life in Oakdale and force him into her new life in Chicago. Was not going to happen, he repeated to himself for the hundredth time that day. He just wanted to get away for a moment now, away from everything. He rounded a corner and immediately ran into a scene he didn't want to be in. Lily and Lucinda sat at their own table, enjoying their own breakfast. Before he could turn and walk away, he realized that it was too late. They had seen him, and unlike himself, they probably weren't going to pretend like it never happened. "Oh, well, look who it is," Lucinda announced. "Kevin," Lily said, with a sense of surprise. "Good morning." "Good morning, Mrs. Snyder, Mrs. Walsh," he said. "It's...it's nice seeing the two of you." "It's nice to see you, too, Mr. Davis. You seem to be in better spirits than you were the last time we spoke," Lucinda said. "I am," he automatically responded, though he wasn't exactly sure how true that was. "I really have to be going to the bathroom, so - " "Oh, by all means go! Go! Don't screw your natural systems up on account of us!" Lucinda replied, with a hearty laugh. "We'll see you later." "Yes, ma'am," Kevin said before walking away. Lily waited for him to be gone beyond hearing before she spoke. "Mother, why did you stop him?" "Why shouldn't I have stopped? He is your son's boyfriend, after all." "Oh, funny funny." "Darling, what is so funny about that? It is the truth, isn't it? Or are you having another one of your little fits?" "I am not having a little fit, Mother. I just don't trust the kid." "Oh, God, here we go with this again. Lily, you seesaw between your feelings about him more than...well, more than you and Holden seesaw in and out of marriage." "Please tell me that you did not just go there." "I did." "Well, I have reasons for not wanting Luke with him! Do I have to remind you that he's the one who got Luke turned on to - " "To drinking, Lily, I know. You need not remind me. Perhaps I should remind you of something, though. As far as I know, Luke hasn't even touched a glass of anything alcoholic for a quite a while. He probably feels guilty drinking ginger ale!" "Well, it's more than the drinking. It's much, much more than the drinking," Lily said, rolling her eyes at the thought. "What do you mean? Is there something else?" Lily hesitated. "Well, I told Holden. I might as well tell you too." "Honey, what is it?" Lucinda asked urgently. "Yesterday, Luke was involved in a little altercation at the library. Some kids were picking on him, it got a little physical, but I was able to handle it." "What?! No. No way! Who are these kids? Do you know their parents?" "Mother, I handled it. It's over and done with already. Why can't you and Holden grasp the fact that I've taken care of the situation for once?" "Because, and I'm not being judgemental here, but you probably did not handle it the way it needed to be handled! Did you call the police?" Lily felt the trap enclose around her. "...no, but I threatened to." "Exactly. And that is why I am concerned. But I do have to ask, what does that have to do with Kevin?" Lily scratched her forehead. "Don't worry about it." "No, tell me. It's something far-fetched, isn't it? It's some little theory that you've concocted in your mind." "If Luke stays with Kevin, that would mean coming out to more people, and coming out to more people would mean...well it would mean more intolerance from more people." Lucinda softened as she extended a hand across the table to meet Lily's. "Sweetheart, you can't protect him from everything. He's bound to come across people who will not exactly approve of who he is inside, but he'll learn soon enough to just live his life without worrying what others think." She took back her hand as her voice firmed up again. "But when things get physical, you have to take action! You have to draw a line somewhere and that's where it should be. If those hoods mess with him again, you'll call me at once and I'll handle it my way." "Fine. Fine, dammit!" Lily found herself exclaiming. Never before had she found the courage deep inside her to stand up to her mother, if only for that brief second. Lily could barely wait for Lucinda's response. "Fiesty, aren't we?" Lucinda remarked rather nonchalantly. "Well, hopefully you'll use that fiestiness the next time those...those neanderthals attack my grandson. I'll be seeing you later, honey, I have business to tend to." Lucinda rose and smothered one of Lily's hands in both of her own. "See you later," she said. "I love you," Lily responded, spontaneously. "I love you, too, darling," Lucinda said before leaving. Lily then felt a rush of excitement flow through her veins. She felt as if she had a good life. Kids she adored, a mother she admired greatly, and a husband who loved her more than she could ever imagine. Lily smiled at the quaint thought, but soon, the smile vanished as Kevin passed by again. Instead of ignoring him, she replayed her mother's words in her mind. She knew deep down that what happened to Luke wasn't Kevin's fault. She wanted to trust Luke with the drinking, but that was a little too hard to do. Was that Kevin's fault or her own? "Kevin," she blurted out. The teenager turned around to face her. "Mrs. Snyder," he replied. "I was... I was just wondering about something. You and Luke are pretty close, right?" she asked. She knew she sounded stupid, but this seemed to be the most comfortable way to get the information she wanted, no matter how uncomfortable it felt. "Uh...yeah," Kevin said with a little laugh. Lily quickly returned the laugh, following his lead. "Well...um...you'd let me know if he was doing something that was damaging to himself, right?" "Absolutely," Kevin eagerly assured her, almost sitting down in Lucinda's old chair. "The last thing I want - the very last thing on earth that I want - is for Luke to hurt himself or anything like that. You have to believe me." Kevin immediately thought that Luke had told her about the wine fiasco at Nora's the night before. "I believe you," Lily said. "Thank you." "You're welcome," Kevin uncomfortably replied. What in the hell just happened here? he asked himself as he walked away from Lily's table. What was that? Lily didn't know the answer herself. She felt as if she had wanted him to say something, but she did not know how to get what it was she was after. For that matter, she wasn't entirely sure of what she wanted to hear him say either. Dazed and confused, she rose from her chair, leaving a tip. ~~~~~~~~~ Kevin sat back down with his cousin and mother, annoyed that his mother was still telling her tales about her new man. Now, however, the food was on the table, so maybe, Kevin thought, there wouldn't be so much talking as there was eating. He thought wrong. Just as Kevin took a sip from his orange juice, Nora opened her big mouth and asked Sheryl about Dr. Alex Steele. "Where does his family come from?" she asked. Sheryl seemed to be lost for a second before she let a smile go across her face. "Well, his parents and his younger brothers and sisters all live in Arkansas. He's been in Chicago for the last fifteen years." Nora was a little confused. "But you said that he lives on his family's estate." "I did? Well, um I meant to say distant family. A great-uncle left it to him as an inheritance, but...his parents, they didn't want to make the move and all of that, so when he decided to go to medical school up here, he just figured it'd be a load off his mind and wallet to live at the estate." "Oh, well that makes sense," Nora said. "Must be pretty lonely, living on a big estate all by yourself. But I guess he doesn't have that to worry about anymore, now that he's got you." "Yep. It's just the two of us," Sheryl replied. She felt a little risky and smiled at Kevin. "But, of course, that'll be changing soon." Kevin looked up when she said that, somewhat unsure of what he heard. She smiled again, because she felt that after the morning, they were on common ground. Nora caught on. "Oh?" she asked, turning to Kevin. "You...you changed your mind?" Sheryl looked Kevin in the eye and half expected him to say "yes." Kevin could feel the pressure burning him. He looked at his mother. She was in much better shape since the morning, so he figured it wouldn't hurt her too much to remind her that he had no plans on following her back to Chicago. No matter how much he had felt for her earlier, he kept it in mind that he couldn't possibly let his mind change. But instead of being frank about it, he decided to take into consideration his mother's feelings, something he hadn't done in a long, long time. "I don't know," Kevin said. "I really don't - " "But he's thinking about it now," Sheryl said to Nora, as if Kevin couldn't speak for himself. "It's only a matter of time before he decides to come back with me." Nora felt the tension at the table more than ever now. As far as she knew, Kevin was deadset against anything having to do with Chicago. Why would Sheryl act as if there was a real chance of him changing his mind? Kevin, on the other hand, was getting aggravated by the minute. One thing he could not, would not stand was somebody else making decisions and speaking for him. At seventeen years old, he felt that he was old enough to talk for himself and old enough to express his own opinions! He was not going to let his mother tell people what he was thinking, especially if it wasn't what he was really thinking. Again, however, he decided to be nice. "Don't be too sure about that," he said, with a smile that he hoped would lighten the situation. But as soon as he said it, he began to scream "Oh crap!" in his mind. He had her believing that he was really thinking about making the move, and he figured that that would be the easiest way to go about things until it was time for her to leave...without him. But now...now new thoughts entered his mind. Now Sheryl's sense of hope for having her son with her started to fade away. Her smile quickly turned into a look of worry. "What do you mean by that?" she asked softly, putting her fork down and looking at Kevin with honest, innocent eyes. "You...you said that you would give it some serious thought, that you'd really think about it. What...what happened?" Kevin tried to look her in the eye, but he just couldn't. His eyes darted between his mother's and the table as he tried to work up something to say. Desperate reaching for something to say, he just started to talk, putting it together as he went along. "I...I did think about it. And I...well, I...I decided that I should just stay here and just...you know, finish out school and thn I can spend some time with you after I graduate." "But why can't you spend some time with me now? There's still a good while left in the summer now. You can always come back for school in August," Sheryl insisted. "And I'm sure Nora would love to have her apartment to herself again..." "Actually," Nora cut in, "I don't mind Kevin staying at my place." At that moment, Kevin was so thankful to have a cousin like Nora. She knew just when to jump to his defense, and he felt he really needed her help now. He found it strange that before, his mother wanted him to live with her in Chicago for good, but now, she only mentioned the summer. She even said that he'd come back in August. Was she going soft just like he had done? Or were there ulterior motives? What if, when August came, Sheryl refused to let him go back to Oakdale. That thought sent him a tad bit over the edge that he had been treading throughout the whole breakfast. Sheryl put on a fake, but warm, smile for her niece. "You're not helping, Nora," she said. She removed the smile and returned her focus to Kevin. With him, she smiled again, but it was a smile of a different breed. The desperation that Kevin had seen in her face earlier that morning returned. Her eyes were wide. "You can come to Chicago for the summer and after a while you can decide how you like it. You just have to give it a chance, Kevin, you just have to. I didn't like it at first either, but I found a way to get used to it. Once you come and you see how everything is, you're going to want to stay." Nora looked at Sheryl. She felt bad for her. But then she looked at Kevin and felt horrible for him. She'd seem him mope around the apartment for the last couple of days and now to see Sheryl trying to unload her own needs onto her son, she was ready to stand up for her favorite cousin. "Well, it looks to me that Kevin's all but made up his mind," she said. "Nora, please, can you just - " Sheryl began, trying to control her voice. "Can you just let Kevin and I talk? Without your little comments, please." "Well, I'm sorry, Aunt Sheryl, but...well, Kevin's told you time and time again that he doesn't want to go, but you keep on prodding and it's making you look really bad. I...well, I kinda hate to say it, but it's making you look desperate." Anger descended upon Sheryl in a way that neither Nora nor Kevin had seen it before. It was a subtle anger, almost unintentional. "Nora, this is between my son and I," she said, forcing another smile to make them believe that she was okay. "I don't meant to be rude to you, really, but you have to give us this moment." The whole time, Kevin just wanted to disappear, yet again. He'd been getting that way a lot, usually around his mother. Whatever the matter, as the two of them went back and forth, Kevin just sank his seat. They were talking about him as they were not in his presence. He quickly, roughly rubbed his hands down his face. "I don't mean to be rude to you, really I don't, but you have to give us this moment," Sheryl said to Nora. "No," Kevin finally let out. "Nora, you stay. I'll leave." Nora watched approvingly as Kevin stood up, but his mother looked at him as if he'd just drove a knife through her heart. "You're just going to leave me in the middle of this conversation?" she asked urgently. "You are not having a conversation with me. You are having a conversation about me with Nora," Kevin said. He took in a deep breath, so deep he had to close his eyes. "Your cousin keeps inviting herself into this discussion. She clearly does not understand that this is a decision between me and you," Sheryl said, shooting a look at Nora. Nora, puzzled, looked at Sheryl with examining eyes. She did not know the woman sitting at the table with her. It sure wasn't her Aunt Sheryl. "What are you talking about?" Kevin asked. And suddenly, he was back to the way he was the day before. "A decision between me and you? If it were a decision between me and you, you'd understand why I need to stay in Oakdale. Why can't you just let me be here? Why is it so important for you to have me there?! And I don't want to hear that crap about me finding out when I get there either! As of now, I have absolutely no reason to go to Chicago! None! If you want me to go, tell me why!" "Tell you...," Sheryl slowly faded, nearly tearing up. "Yes! Tell me! That's all you have to do!" he pleaded with her. "Tell me!" "I...I...I have to go to the bathroom," Sheryl said. "I have to go to bathroom." She repeated it to herself as she got up, taking exceptional care to get her purse off of the ground. As she went away, Nora and Kevin let their eyes meet. Nora grasped for anything to make the mood better. She took a look at her watch and decided on the perfect way to spend the early afternoon. She looked at up and down at Kevin. "You. Me. Oakdale Leaf Mall. Shopping. Now. Sounds good?" Kevin's mouth slowly formed into a smile. "Sounds good." TO BE CONTINUED...

After a month-and-a-half long hiatus, "The Stories" will return with all new installments on Monday, March 19, 2007. New installments will be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Stay tuned as the plot thickens in two directions. Sheryl reveals a startling truth about her life in Chicago while Luke finds himself reluctantly drawn to someone else! The story continues exactly one week from today!

You're lucky I'm off today! I actually got to read the episode before the weekend lol! I think the windows in my room just got a little steamy after the Roxie/Chris lovefest. My glasses are a little foggy too... LOL poor Luke playing Wii...and Henry...I feel so much for him. Can't wait until the next episode!

As usual, GREAT episode! LOL at the little plugs in there. I think its hilarious that Ben was watching "The Stories" at night. Must be on a SONBC-SOAPnet type channel LOL! I'm gonna catch up on this week's episodes tomorrow morning. Was busy with MARDI GRAS all this weekend, so I didn't have too much time to devote to blog-reading.

After yet another long break, here is the next part. If I'm losing some of you with these extremely long breaks, don't worry. I've taken some advice and this will be the last part to be randomly posted. Starting with part 18, they'll all be posted on a daily basis, Monday-Friday. I could start it now, but I want to fine-tune some things first. Look forward to Part 20 because a major secret will be revealed! Lots of dialogue in this part! I think I've gotten to a point where the set-up is there and I'm feeling that the words are coming straight from these characters' feelings! I feel like I'm no longer writing this story, but I'm just telling you all about this story. Whatever it is, I'm feeling good about it! AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 17 At the Snyder Home, Lily poured a cup of coffee. Next to her on the sofa sat Sheryl Davis. The two women had been casual acquaintances for some times, given the fact that their sons were good friends. Lily never really knew why Sheryl and Sean had divorced several years ago, but she knew it had to be something bad. Thinking about the things that made Holden and herself break up sent chills through her at times. Unlike Holden and Lily, however, the Davises would never have a chance to mend their fences. As a matter of fact, Sheryl was just in the middle of describing her new boyfriend to Lily. "He's a doctor, a pediatrician. He's very good with children," Sheryl said, sipping from her mug. "We would be living together now, but he comes from a strong-valued Christian background so he isn't exactly into us staying together now. But soon." Lily had to laugh in the inside. This new boyfriend of Sheryl's was from a strong-valued Christian background? She wondered what he'd think of Sheryl's gay son. "Sounds good. Sounds like you're getting yourself right back on track." "Yep," Sheryl said. "I just...I just feel bad that Sean didn't have the same chance to do that. You know what? He had a chance to do it, he just chose not to." "Well...it's a part of your life that is no longer there. No sense trying to analyze it when you have so much going for you now. So tell me, what's this doctor's name?" Sheryl smiled. "His name is...Doctor...Doctor Alex Steele." Lily laughed. "Well he sounds like a really great guy." "Oh he is." Just then, the front door opened and closed. Luke came into the living room. He looked at Lily, looked at Sheryl, grunted, and started for the stairs. "Um...," Lily said in pllace of an awkward silence. "You'll excuse me while I go see what is wrong with my son." "Sure," Sheryl said. As Lily got up and went to the stairs, Sheryl inhaled and exhaled deeply. She had a feeling that she'd have to run into Luke again. She was indeed at his house. Lily caught her son at the top of the stairs. "Hey you, slow down," she said. "What's your problem? Did you run into those thugs again?" "No," Luke said. "I'm just tired." "Well that doesn't give you the right to be rude to a guest in our home." "A guest in our home, of course." "Luke, I'm not going to tell her about you and Kevin, if that's what you're thinking," Lily said. "You don't have to tell her, Mom, she already knows," Luke said, matter-of-factly. "She already knows." "She definitely doesn't. She hasn't said anything about it." "Because she probably doesn't want to believe it, or at least acknowledge that it exists. She definitely saw us back at Nora's apartment. She didn't say anything about it then." Lily was shocked. "Well, then..." "Look, I'm sorry for being mean and all, but I really just don't feel like talking right now, Mom. It's not you, so don't think that it is. I'm just not in the mood." "Okay...if you get hungry, there's some food in the kitchen. Your Grandma Emma sent over a meatloaf and she made a sweet potato pie." Luke sighed. He couldn't resist that. "That just might cheer me up." Lily smiled. "It's in the kitchen on the table. You better get to it before your dad does." Luke finally smiled. Lily patted him on the back as he went upstairs and then went back downstairs to finish things up with Sheryl. Fortunately, Sheryl had her sweater on and purse on her shoulder by the time Lily returned, so getting rid of her wasn't going to be so hard. "I'm sorry about that," Lily said in regards to Luke. "He's just...it's teenager stuff." "I'm sure it is," Sheryl said. "I have to get going anyway." "Okay, good. I'm thinking this little one's bedtime is coming up soon," Lily laughed, rubbing her stomach. Sheryl let out a small laugh. Lily's little talk about her unborn child kind of made her resentful for reasons she didn't want to explain. "I'm sure I'll see you again before we go back to Chicago." "We?" Lily asked. "You brought...um...Alex with you?" "Oh? Oh! No, no. I'm talking about me and Kevin." "He's going back to Chicago with you?" "Yeah. He's thought about it and we've decided that it's best for the both of us. We need each other right now and who knows, he might like it in Chicago. He might never come back to Oakdale." Little did Sheryl know, Luke stood at the top of the stairs, listening to this conversation. He knew that he couldn't believe a word out of Sheryl's mouth. Kevin wasn't going to go back to Chicago. Sheryl was just wishfully thinking. Or was she? ~~~~~~~~~ Holden Snyder sat on the back porch of his home with a slice of his mother's sweet potato pie. It was the true defintion of comfort food. Problems? He had them. Stress? Lord knows he'd seen his fair share of it. But the comfort, the relaxation that would calm it all...well, that existed all in one piece of Emma's sweet potato pie. It took him back...back to his childhood on the farm, back to when the whole clan would snuggle up on a winter's night and keep each other warm. He could taste the hot cocoa at that moment. "Dad?" Luke asked as he stepped outside from the kitchen. Holden's dream of long ago, of a time where there were no problems, suddenly vanished and he was immediately forced back into the present, where his problems and those of his children were much too big. "Oh, hey, Luke," Holden answered. "When did you get in?" "Uh...a few minutes ago....Dad, can I talk to you about something?" Luke asked reluctantly. "Sure. Sit yourself down and my ears are all yours. Hell, I might even be able to help you out." Luke followed the directions, but he wondered something. "What makes you think I need help with something?" "When a kid wants to talk to his old man, it's usually because he needs help." "Well, I can't say that you aren't right." "What is it then?" Luke breathed in and out. "Well...Kevin and me got into a little...a little tiff tonight, I guess you can say." Holden's forehead wrinkled. "Over what? What happened?" "It was nothing...just something stupid, something silly. We were talking about his father and how grandma fired him from Worldwide and all of that. I just reacted wrongly. And I guess you can factor in all of the stuff with his mom too." "Sheryl? Wasn't she just here not too long ago?" "Yeah, she just left. I wish she'd just leave town altogether." "Why do you say that?" "Well...it's hard to explain. She's come back and all...and she's trying to brainwash Kevin into wanting to go back to Chicago with her. She knows that we're together...she saw us kissing. And right before she found out that we were together, she was telling me about how Kevin's gonna go back to Chicago with her and forget all about Oakdale and all of that. She just told Mom the same thing." "Is Kevin going to go with her?" "I don't know. He doesn't want to, but he really doesn't have a say anymore. His father's dead and he's only 17. He has to go with her unless he can get emancipated and that'd be a waste of time." Holden shifted positions in his chair so that he could lean towards Luke. "When does he make his birthday?" "Four months," Luke said. "But that's...that's just too long for now." "I understand what you mean. But if it's out of your hands and it's out of his hands, I don't know what can be done. Four months seems long, but it could be worse. The both of you could be younger." "I guess you're right. We'll just see what happens in the next couple of days." Holden nodded. Luke nodded. They both nodded. Holden left Luke outside for a few minutes, minutes that Luke spent gazing at the stars. Out here, away from the city lights of Chicago, you could see the stars. Not just one or two, but all of them. Every star in the sky was visible in the rural part of Oakdale. Why would anyone want to leave that behind? ~~~~~~~~~ The next morning, Luke awoke to sunlight streaming in through his bedroom window. Just like the stars from the night before, this sunlight was something that couldn't be found anywhere else. Why on Earth did Sheryl think she could make Kevin leave that behind him? And more importantly, Luke thought, why would Kevin leave him behind? It was a little arrogant, sure, but Luke thought himself an attractive guy. He stood up and looked at himself in his full-length mirror. No, he wasn't bad at all. Maybe not the hottest guy around, but a real looker. He reached for his cell and started to dial Kevin's familiar number. To his surprise, there was an answer. "Kevin, you answered," Luke said with surprise in his voice. He decided to give his boy a call, just to apologize for the way he was last night. He felt horrible for beaing that way, knowing that Kevin was still going through a really tough time. "I'm glad you did" Kevin was at Nora's. Nora was out already, but his mother was in the kitchen making a small breakfast. Kevin was sitting on Nora's bed, which he had just made. He talked low so that Sheryl wouldn't hear him. "I'm surprised you're calling me," he said. "You were pretty ticked off last night." "Yeah," Luke said. "Well, I'm sorry for acting like that towards you. I just wasn't feeling good and I just needed to go to sleep or do something. I'm really sorry." "Well it's my fault, so I'll just apologize and let that be the end of it." Kevin smiled. It seemed that things were looking up for the both of them. "So what are you up to this morning?" "Eh, I don't know," Luke said. "It's only 10, so it's too early to go out anywhere. I'll probably stop by Java to do some work for school." "School...which we don't have again for a good little while. Why are you wasting your time?" "I'm not wasting my time! I'm just...I'm enhancing it. I want to be ready for when it is time for school to start back up. Besides, I don't plan to spend my whole day there. I think I'll head over to the country club for a swim later on. What are you gonna spend your day doing?" "You don't even want to know," Kevin began. "Nora...she thinks it'll be great for the three of us to have lunch together at the Lakeview." "Three of you? As in you, Nora, and your mother?" "Yep. Peachy, right? Same thing I thought." "I was hoping we coud have done something together today. Lord knows if we'll ever have a chance at it again with your mother trying to kidnap you," Luke said. Kevin laughed. It was good to make light of this, he thought. "I think I might be able to, you know, sneak out through the window and catch a movie with you. I'm hearing that new slasher flick is pretty cool." "Oh, I've already seen it already. You mean the one about the teens who get offed by some mysterious slasher? And everyone thinks it's this one girl, because the first victim stole her boyfriend? And then it turns out that the slasher is really the girl's sister because the girl - " "Yes, that one. Please continue the ruin the ending for me, I won't hold it against you." "Sorry," Luke said. "We can see it tonight. If the warden lets you out, that is." "I'm sure I'll be able to make it. What time are we looking at?" "How about 9 or 10? I'm thinking the movie'll probably be playing at 9:30 or so, unless you want to catch the late showing." "No way. Horror movies give me the creeps," Kevin said. "Well then that's good for me. I'll have an excuse to...I don't know...hold you close to me." Kevin let out a little, evil chuckle. "You hardly need an excuse to do that." They both laughed and just enjoyed the moment. In only a few short hours, last night was behind them and no longer mattered. Now it was time to be happy. "It's a date, then," Luke proclaimed. "A date." "A date," Kevin agreed. ~~~~~~~~~ Kevin hang up the phone. He felt good about things now. Something just came over him that morning, a feeling of happiness. It was a great feeling and he wished it would last all day long, which was why he dreaded lunch with his mother. It was going to be so awkward and he knew it. It was something that had to get done, though, and he felt that he was up to the job. Maybe something good would come out of it. After giving Nora's room a quick spray of air freshener, he looked it over and smiled. It was a good arrangement he and his cousin had. He had a nice place to stay, his very own room. And she had her own housekeeper for free. It was a good thing! Why did Sheryl feel the need to come in the middle of it and just ruin it all? There was no way that he could go. Absolutely not. And that's what he intended to tell her if she asked him about it over lunch. When he went into the kitchen, his mother was munching on some scrambled eggs and toast. "I just washed those," he told her when he saw her eating off 'the good dishes.' "I'll take care of them," Sheryl said. She didn't seem to understand. He spent a good thirty minutes washing the dishes that morning. And it wasn't all done just so that she could come and dirty them up again. It was such a little thing, but it hurt. Just like she was trying to ruin his life, she succeeded in ruining his housework of the morning. "I'll be back," he said, but he couldn't go. "Wait. Wait a minute, why don't you sit down and join me. I can make some more eggs." "Great, let's dirty more dishes," he said. Sheryl laughed. "I can't believe you're making such a big deal out of dirty dishes." "It's not the dishes. Just don't worry about it." "No, Kevin, if something is bothering you, maybe we need to talk." Kevin moaned so loudly inside. Ruin my morning, ruin my dishes, ruin my life, he thought. He didn't want to talk to her. She told Luke that his boyfriend would be moving away to Chicago. If Kevin had anything to say to her, it would be said loudly and the neighbors would hear it too. His mother could sense his stress. "You know, there's this great gym back in Chicago - " "Will you please just shut up about Chicago!? I am sick and tired...of hearing about Chicago! It makes me ill to think about it! Why in the hell do you want me to go to Chicago so damn much?! Why is it so important to you!?" These words actually hurt Sheryl. They were laced with venom and it stung much worse than any insect could sting. This was her own son telling her this. He was basically telling her that he did not want anything to do with her. If she dared to think about it, she would recognize these words as something Sean used to say. "It's important to me, Kevin, because I want you with me. I need to have you with me! Can't you see?" "I see it alright. I see you trying to break me up with the person that I care about the most right now, that's what I see." "It has nothing to do with that! You and Luke, or Luke and you, whatever you want to say. I don't care! I just need you back, Kevin! You are my son and I'll love you no matter what, whether you're gay, or if you're straight, or if you...I don't know...if you have some other deep dark secret that you aren't telling me." "Mother, there is nothing dark about me and Luke. It's not a secret anymore." Sheryl felt bad. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry for saying that. But you have to understand me, Kevin. There is a reason why I need you back in Chicago with me and I can't tell you about it now, but when I do, you'll understand. I know you will." Kevin started to soften. "If it's so important to you, why can't you just come back here? Wouldn't that just be easier for the both of us?" "There's too many memories here. Way too much for me to deal with." Kevin felt his heart go out to her. He was starting to feel for her. He felt himself actually trying to understand her. "It'll still be there, no matter where you are." "I know...but if I don't have to see it everyday, if I don't have to pass by the house where we used to live or the place where I used to work...it'd be so much more easier. Just being here brings me back to places that I don't want to be." And suddenly it became clear to him. She did need him with her. She yearned for him and she ached. He could now see things he hadn't seen yet. He could see that under the pounds of make-up on her face, there were wrinkles. Her fingernails were chipped. Split ends plagued her blond hair. He looked her square in the eye and could see the tears forming. Reaching for her hand felt like something he never would have done just a day earlier, but he soon found himself doing it. "I understand, but I have to do things on my own right now, for myself. You can do things your way." His touch felt so good to her. It was like he was finally opening up to her. She quickly grasped his arm. "Please, Kevin, just think about it. Just...just give it some serious thought. Please." "Okay," he said, knowing deep inside that his mind was made up. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would make him want to go to Chicago. No matter how much she cried, or how much he felt for her, nothing would work. And that was that. TO BE CONTINUED...

ROTFLMAO at Grant moving in next to Emma! I love it.

And the story continues. Thank you Steve and Dusty for commeting even though I don't comment as much as I should on you guys' blogs! I'm enjoying them both, BTW. Part 16 means a little snag in the star relationship of this story! Hopefully, they can get past it. I want to take some time to give you all just a little preview of the next story, "Enter Christina," which centers on the arrival of Don Hughes's daughter. Christina Hughes comes to Oakdale to go to the local university. Instead of having her stay in the dorms, Tom and Margo decide that with Casey out of the house (and the dorms completely filled, anyway), it would be best if the 18-year-old "good girl" stay with them. They figure that the best way she can learn more about her family is by actually staying with them. Christina comes to town and sooner rather than later, proves to be quite more than what was expected. The center of the story expands to include Lisa, who uses her experiences in life and love to help Christina make decisions about her own ways of living. The story comes immediately after L&K finishes and promises to be a multi-generational tale of how a reformed bad girl tries to keep a young woman from following in her path. But until then, here is part 16 of L&K! AS THE WORLD TURNS "Luke & Kevin" - Part 16 Sheryl couldn't believe her eyes. She and Kevin used to be so close...or maybe that was the way they used to be. When the boy was a pre-teen, he always looked up to his mother, it seemed. If faced with the decision of spending the day fishing with his father or spending the day running errands with his mother, it was clear to all three of them what he would choose. Kevin and Sheryl had such a connection because it was always them. Always. Sean would work all day and, unlike a normal person, he wouldn't come straight home. No, he went out with the guys to bars and strip clubs. Thus, Sheryl and Kevin were left home alone. Maybe, she once thought, she should have taken Kevin with her when the divorce went through. At that moment, it would have made them both happier than ever. But she knew that someone in that marriage had to seek the help that they needed more than anything, and if Sean wasn't going to do it, she was. And getting the help meant time alone, time to organize everything in her life. Now, she was finished. She felt that she was whole once again, something she hadn't been in about twenty years. Now, she wanted her son back. She wanted to renew their relationship and take it to new lengths. She predicted how nice it would be to have serious adult conversation with him, to hear the opinions that her own child had made about life. "Um..," Sheryl began. There she stood in her niece Nora's apartment, looking at her teenaged son and his "best friend" kissing. This was not just some sort of childish, playing around kiss. No, this one was on the lips, squarely on the lips, and she was shocked. She heard Kevin tell her that morning that he was gay, but she never would have imagined this. "Um...I'm going to go see some friends," she made herself say. Instantly, Luke and Kevin broke apart and spun around to look at her as she stood in the hallway. "Mrs. Davis," Luke said, preparing some sort of explanation for what she had just saw, but there was no use. The startled look on her face said it all. Her eyes slowly moved from matching Kevin's to matching Luke's, adding an element of question to her expression. What did she want? "I'll be back later," Sheryl said. "Yeah, I'll...uh...I'll be back a little later on." Kevin just stood with his eyes trained on her, silently asking, "What do you think about that?" He wanted to be bold enough to say it aloud, but somehow, he had Luke's best interest at heart. He didn't want to have to go toe to toe with his mother, either, so perhaps it was in his best interest as well. Whatever the case, he simply nodded as Sheryl scooped her purse and keys and headed out the door. After she had gone, Kevin went to the window to watch her drive away. Once she was finally, truly gone, he turned around, faced Luke, and devilishly declared, "That's the end of that. Now where were we?" Luke obviously felt different about the situation. "Kevin, your mother just found out that you're gay by catching you - " "No, no," Kevin interrupted. "She knew. Hell, I told her this morning when she came here in the first place. If she chose not to hear me, that's all on her. If she wants to make a scene like that and go drive herself off some cliff, let her." "Make a scene? Kevin, she didn't know what was going on, she was shocked!" Kevin threw his arms up in the air and began to pace. "I should have known that she would have tried something like this. I knew it! Of course she comes in here and tries to ruin my relationship." "Kevin, it's not that big of a deal." "No, Luke, no. She's mad because I don't want her anymore, so I guess that she figures that if she can break us up, I'll have nothing to stay here for." Luke didn't want to hear that kind of talk. "What do you mean you don't want her? What kind of thing is that to say? She's your mother!" "Well, she sure didn't want me five years ago, so what makes her think that she can just waltz on in here and - " "She didn't just show up out of the blue. Your father died." "Ugh," Kevin thought to himself. "My father," he said out loud. "You know, it's no wonder I'm so screwed up. With parents like those, who wouldn't be a mess?" A streak of pity ran through Luke. "Kevin, you're not a mess." They looked at each other as Luke slowly walked toward him, taking Kevin's hand. "But you have to work things out with her. If I'm able to get along with my mother, and talk to her, and laugh with her...well, then, you should be able to get along with yours." "It's different, Snyder. It's just different. I felt betrayed when she left me with him, and you know, it was a long time ago, but it still hurts. Do you realize what hell it was living alone with that man? I just learned not to show it." They hugged. Just then, Luke's cell phone rang. He stepped back to answer it and was pleasantly surprised to hear Lucinda's voice. "Hey, Grandma!" "Yes, hello, darling grandson of mine," she said. "What can I help you with?" As Luke and Lucinda talked in the living room, Kevin went into the kitchen. He hoped that Lucinda didn't tell Luke about his visit that morning. He didn't particularly feel bad about the visit, but he knew that Lucinda was a smart woman. She definitely knew that he was not happy when he went to see her. Hopefully, Luke wouldn't get defensive. No, that wasn't like Luke. He poured two glasses of wine and went back into the living room. He only caught the very end of the conversation. Relief went through him as he felt sure that they hadn't talked long enough for him to even pop into the discussion. He soon discovered that he was wrong. "So, Grandma says that you went to see her this morning," Luke said as he sat down next to Kevin on the sofa. Kevin gave him his glass of wine, but Luke quietly set it on the table next to the sofa. "Yeah," Kevin answered. "We talked for a while." "She says that she thinks you might have some kind of animosity towards her for some reason." "Well...yeah, at first I did, but not anymore," Kevin quickly said, almost glossing over it all. Luke let out a little laugh, as if what Kevin said was a joke. "I thought we talked about this a few weeks ago. Remember, when you said that you didn't want to live in her guesthouse because she was the reason why your father was a drunk?" "I didn't mean that," Kevin said, remembering the conversation... "Well, when she fired my dad, that was when he started to drink more, and..." Luke was insulted. "Kevin, your father was a stinking drunk way before a few weeks ago! You can't blame my grandma for that." "I know!" Kevin exclaimed. "He just...I don't think it would do him any good to know that I'm staying with the woman he can't stand." "Well...the old man did what he did for a reason, he had his reasons. One of them was the fact that he no longer had a job, and well she was the one who fired him..." "Ha," Luke said. "You make it sound like she purposely went there and said 'You, you're fired, you're out.'" Kevin didn't want to do this. He didn't even care anymore. "Well, it really doesn't matter anyway, does it? He's gone, he's not here anymore." "Yeah, and you seem like you're blaming my grandmother for that. Kevin, you know the kind of man your father was." "Can we please just not talk about it anymore?" "Okay...how about we talk about how you just poured me a glass of wine, when you know that I shouldn't be drinking." A shock went through Kevin's spine. "Oh my God, I don't know what I was thinking!" He quickly picked Luke's glass up from the table and put it on the counter. Luke sat on the sofa, his eyes rolling. He didn't know why he felt so annoyed by Kevin today. Maybe it was harmones. He then stood, obviously ready to leave. "Where you going?" Kevin asked. "Home, Kevin. I'm not feeling too well, and I just think that I need to get on home," Luke replied, yawning here and there. "Well, are you sure you don't want me to drive you or something? I don't want anything to happen to you." "I'll be fine, Kevin," Luke declared. "I don't need you to drive me." "Okay..." Luke took his keys out of his pocket and started for the door. Kevin followed him. They kissed one final time before Luke left, and within in minutes, Kevin was alone in the apartment. He felt like the night had been a complete disaster. Something deep inside him told him that somehow, he disappointed Luke. What the hell was it? Oh, it had to be the whole thing with Lucinda. Kevin honestly didn't mean anything when he said that her firing his father from Worldwide had to do with the suicide. Hell, since he now knew that Lucinda offered Sean another job in Chicago, Kevin actually felt gratitude towards her. He could only wish that his father was smart enough to take the offer. Whatever the case, Kevin now felt that he had to make things right with Luke. He felt so stupid about the whole wine thing; that's something that he should have remembered. And of course, if Lily ever found out, she'd probably want to kill him again. Kevin sighed and looked down at the two glasses of wine. They were exactly what he needed now. Exactly what would make his self-doubt go away. So there he sat on the sofa, one glass per hand. Somewhere along the line, he went and got the rest of the bottle, and by the time Nora arrived a half-hour later, he was nearly wasted. She could see him sitting on the couch from the window, and Nora was not the type to fish around for her keys in the dark, so she just knocked. And knocked. And knocked five more times on the door until she decided to use her key. "And just what makes you too good to get up and answer the door?" she asked when she got in. Kevin stretched back on the couch and closed his eyes. "Good Lord, kid...you're drunk. You're plastered." All Kevin could do was burp. "Well," she said as she sat down. She put her purse down beside her. "You want to tell me what's driven you to this?" Kevin slowly looked at her, his eyes slowly opening. "Nothing," he managed to cough up. "Oh, it's something, cuz. It has to be something. What is it? Is it...your father?" "No, it is not that. That is over and done with, and I don't even feel like bringing that up again," he responded harshly, heavily accenting each "that." "Oh, hold on, hold on. I am not the one," Nora said defensively. She roughly grabbed at the sleeves of his shirt and sat him up. "Now you listen to me. The answer to life's problems do not lie in the bottom of a bottle of wine." "What about a can of beer?" Kevin asked, laughing at his own lame joke. Nora slapped him. "I'm not joking! Now you promise me something! You're not going to do this again. You're not going to drink yourself half-blind." Kevin jerked out of her grip and stood up. "It's just a little too late for that, Nora. A little too late. Luke's gone." "What?" Nora asked, standing up. "What happened?" "Well, we had a little spat a while ago and now he's pissed off at me and now he's gone. Thanks to me, and thanks to the liquor. And to make matters worse, my dear old mother, and apparently you too, have decided for me what my life is now going to be." Nora looked at him. "What in the world are you talking about? Do you even know?" "I'm talking about Chicago, Nora! Chicago! I'm talking about how you think I'm too much here for you and how my mother wants me to move in with her." "Kevin, sit down. Nobody ever said anything about you being too much for me. Sheesh, kid, you managed to get my place cleaned up and prettied up. Why would I want to throw that away?" They sat down. "Now, you're mother is your mother, and I'm only your cousin. I can't tell her what to do with you. I can't tell her that you need to stay here in Oakdale. That's her decision to make." "Well, it should be mine! I'm old enough!" "Not yet. Not for a few more months. Until then, you have to do what she says. I didn't want it anymore than you did, but she is your mother." Kevin sighed. "She can't do this to me. She just can't. I didn't go to Chicago trying to rip her life from under her. I bet she has a boyfriend, a new man. I just know she does. She didn't like it when Dad had Shari there living with us, so why would it be okay for me to live with her and her boyfriend? It makes no sense." Nora took his head and put it close to her heart. "Nothing makes sense nowadays. I just got home from a date with Jack and he tells me that he's having feelings for his ex-wife again. Some lame Carly chick. I could probably kick her ass." Kevin sat back up and smiled. "For some reason, I feel I should say thank you for that." "You're very welcome. Now you have to make me that promise." "What promise?" "No more drinking." "Nora, it's not that easy. When you grow up with two alkies for parents -- " "If you promise me that you're going to at least work on it, I'll talk to your mother. I'll try to convince her to let you stay here." Kevin looked at her. "Okay. I promise." They hugged and Nora slowly patted his back. TO BE CONTINUED...