April 1, 2018
Hello, April. Nothing says spring like a very chilly Easter. According to the weather, snow might be in Ohio's forecast. Yay.
No worries, though. Cold weather makes for great television viewing. And this week didn't disappoint.
A great episode of Legends. Getting some information about Ava was kind of great. And Gary is awesome. I love that guy. I'm even kind of down with Damien being pretty funny for such a warped and twisted villain.
After griping about The Flash in my last post, I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying this week's episode. Nice to see Jessie back and also have a hint about a possible new Flash from another earth. Also great to have the team close to figuring out how the pocket 'verses work.
I'm still behind on Riverdale, but I did catch up with an episode. I like the interesting twist of having Clifford's brother added to the mix. But, yeah, Cheryl's not going to be in a good place. Someone needs to buy that girl a friend.
Arrow had a kick-ass episode. Giving Thea a dynamic out with Roy and Nyssa made me very happy. I'm not sure I'll like the John / Oliver direction, but I trust the writers to make it work. Having Curtis lament not having a good bantering partner also made the show.
Got a few episodes of Gotham in. For now, I'm trusting the new version of Ivy is a good thing. Having three different actresses play the role kind of makes me wary. We'll see if it's a plus as I get more episodes in. I loved the twists with Riddler / Ed and the direction Alfred and Butch's storylines are going in.
Finished up season five of Chicago Fire and got a start on six. Still loving it! Also started Blindspot on DVD. I'd already watched the first few episodes, but I'm glad to revisit them to get a refresher. Finished up season eleven of Murdoch Mysteries and, wow, even without a cliffhanger to end on, there's a buttload of tension to start season twelve. Gotta say I'm on the fence about the manipulations of Miss Hart. We'll see if that ends up being a good thing or not.
And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Forever Young, a novella that follows a couple on the day of the silver wedding anniversary.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Gabe McTavish meets the woman of his dreams. Too bad she's his brother's date.
And a snippety peek…
Zak slapped Gabe on the back. "Bro, I think you're gonna owe me one for life." He dragged his phone from his pocket. "And I think we need to memorialize the moment." A quick glance toward Tara received an affirmative nod.
Zak snagged a server and asked her to take a picture. He got behind Gabe and Tara and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. Tara laughed at his antics and the server clicked the button at that moment. Gabe glanced at the image and couldn't believe the sloppy grin he wore. Zak waggled his eyebrows in the picture and, of course, Tara's laughter lit up her whole face. A perfect capture of a perfect moment in time.
I might have to do something really great for my brother.
Zak smirked. "Don't think I won't remember how you stole yet another girlfriend, dude."
Tara's eyebrows shot upward. "There's a story here, isn't there?"
Gabe rolled his eyes. "No, there isn't. Zak was in fourth grade. I was in sixth. The fifth grader he'd gone crazy for liked"—he made air quotes—"older men, meaning she preferred me over Zak."
Tara chuckled. "And how long did this great romance last?"
Zak cut in. "That whole afternoon. By the next morning, Gabe decided he'd rather play the field until he reached the exalted level of junior high."
Gabe shrugged. "She had a new sixth grader on the hook by lunch."
Tara shook her head. "You guys are amazing. Insulting each other left and right, yet the brotherly affection is definitely there."
Gabe cocked his head to one side. "No siblings?" Zak drove Gabe insane sometimes, but he'd never want to be an only child.
Tara shook her head. "Nope. Just me." She lifted a shoulder. "Honestly, it's probably better that way. My mom didn't have much of a maternal instinct." Her lips twisted in a slight grimace.
She didn't want to dive too deeply into her childhood.
Gabe did the chivalrous thing and changed the subject. "What's the weirdest call you've ever gone out on?" Crazy stories usually lightened the mood.
Zak jumped in again. "Ohh. I had one the other day. The engine got called out for a fire alarm trip in a gym." He leaned back against his seat. "Any guesses what set it off?"
Tara pursed her lips and thought a moment. "Cheese-stuffed burritos in the microwave?"
Ugh. Any kind of bean dish exploding in a microwave ended badly.
Zak made a buzzer sound. "Acccck. Wrong." He looked to Gabe. "Two guesses left, bro."
Gabe went with his usual false alarm trigger. "Someone was smoking on the premesis?"
Zak snapped his fingers. "Close… but no dice." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Two people were in the sauna getting up close and personal and one of them kicked the temperature gauge. It set off the alarm."
Tara laughed. "Oh, man. That's embarrassing." She downed the remainder of her whiskey. "Reminds of my weirdest call on the medic. We were dispatched to a man in distress and when we arrived on scene, we were escorted through a sex club to find a guy with a chastity cup on his genitals. They couldn't find the key and he ended up with a full-blown anxiety attack, thinking he'd have to go home to his wife still wearing the thing."
Zak guffawed. "No way."
Tara lifted her chin. "Definite way."
Gabe chuckled. "Damn. That's gotta rank high on the weirdest ever list."
Zak asked the big question. "So, what happened?"
Tara placed her forearms on the table and lowered her voice. "Well, my partner distracted the patient by asking questions and monitoring his vitals. I used a pair of tweezers to pick the lock. Thank whatever rules the universe it was up by his hip." She laughed. "Seriously, I would not have wanted to be him when he called his wife from the hospital."
Gabe's eyes widened. "You transported him?"
Tara snorted. "The owner of the club insisted and the guy just wanted to get the hell out of there. He claimed to still be having trouble breathing." She leaned back again. "I had no idea I'd be on calls like that when I went through school."
Gabe wanted to know more about her. "What made you decide to go into emergency services?"
Tara tilted her head to one side. "Before I answer. How did both of you end up as firefighters?"
Zak smirked. "Boring answer. It's a family tradition."
Gabe grinned. "He's not wrong. Half our family is involved in the service. Mainly on our dad's side, but Mom's got two brothers on different departments."
Zak filled in the rest. "Besides Gabe and me, we've got Grandpa, Dad, his two brothers, the other uncles, and three cousins in the fire service. Two other cousins are nurses. So, yeah, definitely a family affair."
Tara blinked. "Wow. Well, my mom had a car accident when I was five. She had a drunk blackout and fell asleep at the wheel. She hydroplaned on the wet road surface and the car ended up flipping over, trapping us inside." She paused a moment and Gabe's heart went out to her. "My mom got out, but I was pinned. I was freaking out, calling for her, but she'd passed out again. When the ambulance and fire trucks arrived, I was sobbing and scared and cold. A truly wonderful paramedic crawled through the window and stayed with me, talking to me and helping me not be afraid while the firefighters cut through the back window to extricate me." She glanced up and held Gabe's gaze. "I decided that day what I wanted to be when I grew up."
Gabe flashed a smile. "Looks like it stuck." He lifted his glass. "To a great decision."
They clinked edges, with Zak joining in.
Zak folded his arms over his chest. "What happened to your mom?" He flinched when Gabe kicked him under the table. "If you don't mind me asking. Damn, bro." He rubbed his shin.
Tara lifted a shoulder. "No, it's okay. My mom did time. She'd already had two OVI convictions and I went back into foster care. Stayed there until I graduated."
Zak sighed. "Damn. I'm sorry, Tara." He shot Gabe a sideways glance. "You might wanna kick me again. I know how to kill a mood."
Tara laughed. "No worries, Zak. I don't live in the past but I'm not afraid to share it either." She slid her gaze to Gabe. "Haven't scared you off, have I?"
Gabe snagged her hand in his. "Nope. Not a chance."
Zak rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Sweet overload." He picked up his phone. "Okay, it's almost last call. I'm gonna call a cab so Gabe doesn't have to haul my ass home."
This one is fun to write. I know flashbacks aren't everyone's cuppa, but I love how the story is unfolding with Gabe and Tara.
That's it for this week. Happy reading!
Skylin
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