tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67104031982166276002024-02-18T20:35:43.323-08:00One Step At a Timerednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-29128260701098807582014-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:002014-02-16T06:00:02.414-08:00Link to New Story(Here is a link to my next story, Alvi, Always There:)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://alvialwaysthere.blogspot.com/">http://alvialwaysthere.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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(With this story, I'll be going back to first-person POV. -Nene)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-10471009743474257482014-02-14T12:30:00.000-08:002014-02-15T13:04:43.601-08:00Epilogue (FINAL)Life after the wedding was as sweet as could be for the happily married couple.<br />
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<br />
True to her word, whenever Lief did something idiotic, Josefin was always there to remind him. In turn, Lief made sure Josefin always felt appreciated.<br />
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Many people in Aurora Skies were cautious of the whole thing, seeing as Lief had been down the same road three times before.<br />
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But those fears were unfounded. No arguments, no misunderstandings arose for Mr. and Mrs. Helgason.<br />
<br />
Lief's three children and Josefin's two boys were very glad to have so many siblings. Karen, of course, was still sad she had to end her relationship with Arvid.<br />
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However, she was glad that her father was finally happy with a woman he truly loved.<br />
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Indeed, Lief was glad to be the proud parent of five wonderful children, as was Josefin.<br />
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Lief's fourth marriage was indeed shaping up to be the last one. He was absolutely overjoyed to know he had finally found his soulmate.<br />
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With Josefin, the feeling was mutual. She not only found the man of her dreams, but she found an amazing father for her two boys.<br />
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Now, the two were off, ready to pick up their children from school and day care.<br />
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"Hey, Josefin?" Lief said with a sudden look of worry on his face.<br />
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"Yes, Lief?"<br />
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"Did I turn the stove off before we left?"<br />
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"Yes, you did." Lief's expression then calmed considerably.<br />
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"Okay, good!" With that, the husband and wife continued on.<br />
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And so, the Helgasons continued to live a happy life together. Indeed, both adults found their special someone, and all of them continued on as what could be seen as one big, unified family.<br />
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And they all lived happily ever after.<br />
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The End.<br />
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(As I have just stated, One Step at a Time has now ended. And again, Happy Valentine's Day.)<br />
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(Make sure to check back here on the sixteenth! -Nene)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-10640525408186796382014-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-14T15:06:44.851-08:00Chapter 22: They DoThe big day had finally arrived. The time had gone by so fast, everyone felt as if it was only the blink of an eye.<br />
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"Is Lief at the place already?" Josefin was admittedly nervous that today was her wedding day.<br />
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"Yup. Arvid, Edvin, and Karl are there with him. They made sure that he didn't see you when they were leaving the house."<br />
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"That's good. I really hope he isn't getting cold feet."<br />
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"I don't see why he would." Karen was just as nervous as Josefin was. "You're not getting it, are you?"<br />
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"Of course not! It's just hard to believe this day is already here." Karen didn't ignore the slight jittering that Josefin was giving off.<br />
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"Well, we don't have to wait much longer. I'd say it's time we get going."<br />
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The three then got into the car, and drove to where the boys were waiting. Karen was reluctant to let Josefin drive, wearing a wedding dress and all.<br />
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Josefin, however, reassured her that it would be fine.<br />
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When the three arrived, Karen went on ahead with Kristin, and took her seat inside. In her place came Arvid and Edvin.<br />
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"Hey, Mom!" The boys were amazed at how beautiful their mother looked. "Lief's waiting by the arch. He's...well, he's nervous, let's leave it at that."<br />
<br />
"I sort of figured. Him and me both. Guess I shouldn't keep him waiting much longer."<br />
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The two then led Josefin inside and down the aisle, where Lief was indeed waiting for her.<br />
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"Holy Moly..."Lief's eyes widened under his hat when he finally saw a glimpse of Josefin in her wedding dress. "Well, damned if that isn't the most beautiful sight I've seen in my life."<br />
<br />
"I was going to say you may need your eyes checked, but...I guess you would argue that."<br />
<br />
"Indeed I would, gorgeous."<br />
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"Well, what are we waiting for, Chinese New Year? Let's stop messing around and make it official."<br />
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"You read my mind, Josefin!" With that, the two took their places under the arch, and brought out the wedding rings.<br />
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Lief was rendered speechless at Josefin's amazing beauty, as the rings were exchanged. This was likely a good thing, as the only thing going through his mind was, 'ahh, pretty lady! Very pretty lady! Pretty lady in a wedding dress!"<br />
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And quite frankly, that would be a sign his brain had temporarily turned to mush, and if he said that out loud, he'd probably sound like a slobbering dumbass.<br />
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But either way, Lief regained his composure, and said the words he needed to say as he slipped the ring onto Josefin's finger.<br />
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It was apparent he wasn't the only one overcome by emotion.<br />
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"Oh, jeez...Tell me I'm not the only one who'd cry at weddings," Karen said as she tried holding back tears.<br />
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Karl simply smiled as his father tied the knot.<br />
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"You're not the only one, Karen," she heard Arvid say from the other side of the room.<br />
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Arvid himself was struggling to keep himself from turning into a blubbering mess.<br />
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Oddly, Edvin was more composed. But even he seemed happy, if not more subtly so.<br />
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Then came the moment that made everything official. The moment that would seal the deal of all deals, and officially bring two families into one:<br />
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(End of Chapter 22. And Happy Valentine's Day.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-72738224985967865832014-02-13T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-13T12:00:03.678-08:00Chapter 21: Ties That BindJosefin had searched as many places as she could in Aurora Skies. Predictably, no sign of Karen.<br />
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At some point, Josefin realized that the chances of Karen being in a place she liked were slim. Instead, she looked in places the girl wouldn't normally be.<br />
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Soon, there was only one place left to look.<br />
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<br />
The outside itself was enough to fascinate Josefin. Though small, the building was very well decorated. She hadn't noticed the place before, almost as if the building had sprung up overnight.<br />
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And oddly enough, despite it being late at night, the lights were on.<br />
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The inside was even more beautiful to her, when she stepped inside.<br />
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<br />
"Now why didn't I notice this place before?" Josefin said, seemingly to no one. "I'd say this would be the perfect place to have a wedding."<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
"Wouldn't you say so, Karen?"<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdlgqozgxN73S6gmFCLEHAdkv8eWDKLAF36fjLXI23_v9K_3-tHU2CZMe2_8AWmQN4Irdg_q4iSv9M2Ha1Cru8wPn_czL81qjzwgl5bMUo3sEYjhK5gZb5wnD4iAZsXwZ4eKHUcLd_jtZ/s1600/Screenshot-51+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdlgqozgxN73S6gmFCLEHAdkv8eWDKLAF36fjLXI23_v9K_3-tHU2CZMe2_8AWmQN4Irdg_q4iSv9M2Ha1Cru8wPn_czL81qjzwgl5bMUo3sEYjhK5gZb5wnD4iAZsXwZ4eKHUcLd_jtZ/s1600/Screenshot-51+%25283%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Karen seemed confused that Josefin was so calm and casual, seeing as she had run away from home. One would think she would be angry. Instead, she was casually making small talk.<br />
<br />
"Um...I guess so."<br />
<br />
"Well, you certainly seemed to like it enough to hide here. I felt it was necessary to ask." Josefin then took a seat next to Karen.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uV1x6dzWJJjlH0hPWqEsSYV-EG_HfDMAfuYYEoVQIAJehbcXNEZL7ZNNoqcgeLdwevDKMUeEhlJrhZfAx-uFO1ZVNWnqMcVOZwDriMt1TCIXS8vkmFO94h_u0oBWnkb2FU1PxwPHWuCX/s1600/Screenshot-53+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uV1x6dzWJJjlH0hPWqEsSYV-EG_HfDMAfuYYEoVQIAJehbcXNEZL7ZNNoqcgeLdwevDKMUeEhlJrhZfAx-uFO1ZVNWnqMcVOZwDriMt1TCIXS8vkmFO94h_u0oBWnkb2FU1PxwPHWuCX/s1600/Screenshot-53+%25283%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Don't get me wrong, Karen. I am pretty upset you ran off like that. I mean, it's turned your father into a nervous wreck."<br />
<br />
"It has?" Karen really wished now that she thought about the consequences of her actions more.<br />
<br />
"That's right. He spent practically the entire day looking for you. I'm aware of what the reason for leaving might be, but still."<br />
<br />
"I mean," here Josefin adjusted herself, and straightened up in the chair better, "if either of my boys ran off without telling anyone, I'd go crazy looking for them."<br />
<br />
"Like it or not, Karen, Lief is your father. He simply wants what is best for you. He's honestly a great guy, and I consider myself lucky to have even met him, let alone be engaged to him."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZ28MpFRI-035y9fvHfaRkcJD0vQ-FcJ_a9bQSmQudPWAOWbVZKqkEo58JqKBG1YBJqhKj6l-le9SoOoL4SMDJ5rtB51D8Boo53M5IBIlS6S8h4BeXiiq7sBUc03RI2uRNpN2j9odsqrx/s1600/Screenshot-58+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZ28MpFRI-035y9fvHfaRkcJD0vQ-FcJ_a9bQSmQudPWAOWbVZKqkEo58JqKBG1YBJqhKj6l-le9SoOoL4SMDJ5rtB51D8Boo53M5IBIlS6S8h4BeXiiq7sBUc03RI2uRNpN2j9odsqrx/s1600/Screenshot-58+%25283%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
"To be honest, after Kalle died, I wasn't sure what I was going to do." Karen could tell Josefin didn't want to bring up her late first husband, from the look in her eyes.<br />
<br />
"I mean, who'd want an old widow with two kids? Most guys don't go for that. But I suppose your father didn't care. I guess he saw who I was, and liked me anyway."<br />
<br />
"And I can't thank your father enough for that. But I guess...I guess your reasons don't pertain to me."<br />
<br />
Karen now looked away, recalling everything that bothered her about the upcoming marriage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRLYdoQ1Gglkkypvc02SUjeafL8e0vA2I7s8XCWEXVTvXizJAxnjYY953hf6Hyq9yF_M0WoidsBsgKxzQ55SPnoTzwva89fjNTUfrjl5VlrjYnvuSj42ixdxxA0l7n1IC7tjYJolN5pd1/s1600/Screenshot-63+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRLYdoQ1Gglkkypvc02SUjeafL8e0vA2I7s8XCWEXVTvXizJAxnjYY953hf6Hyq9yF_M0WoidsBsgKxzQ55SPnoTzwva89fjNTUfrjl5VlrjYnvuSj42ixdxxA0l7n1IC7tjYJolN5pd1/s1600/Screenshot-63+%25283%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Well, it's just...I've had to see all three of my dad's past marriages fail horribly! I guess I just didn't want you to become another ex-wife to him."<br />
<br />
"Well, I can understand that. You're tired of the past repeating itself."<br />
<br />
"Yeah, that's part of it, and there's also the whole thing with me and Arvid. I mean, if you and my dad get married..."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AgnPq-1KQQWjgkAm3Kv-8xK7hdtcHbMq11zBHy00uvErcqXj1lAoV7jIFLXOUnl7gl0gJBB5rpf97TT1aNEHtmIbPBIS76fAp9f6M-U4NQDHKGj1_gdFlHlzyMeUbzu6MR8i59DGbIL_/s1600/Screenshot-65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AgnPq-1KQQWjgkAm3Kv-8xK7hdtcHbMq11zBHy00uvErcqXj1lAoV7jIFLXOUnl7gl0gJBB5rpf97TT1aNEHtmIbPBIS76fAp9f6M-U4NQDHKGj1_gdFlHlzyMeUbzu6MR8i59DGbIL_/s1600/Screenshot-65.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
At this, Karen's voice raised enough to be heard by anyone passing by the building.<br />
<br />
<i>"My boyfriend is going to be my stepbrother!</i> That's just...Can you imagine how creepy that would be?"<br />
<i><br /></i>
Josefin's face betrayed little, if any emotion, before she simply nodded.<br />
<br />
"I can see why that would be a problem. But Karen, I don't think your father wanted to hurt you. And if Lief and I do get married, and that's still an issue..."<br />
<br />
"...I'm going to have to break up with Arvid, aren't I?"<br />
<br />
"I'm afraid so. But I'm sure Arvid will understand. He knows the circumstances. He's not the type to get angry over something if there's a reason."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyJcQAC5pcQTZmFqCOduf_umlGdxN8ptnmbzCEmf9ynKWZ0BdhLb9U5TQAXZW91FD00hOAYuTWioNb6GZV6-SSaE1PTlUOVWrwfeXCH85R0UNwo97R8w-jJ9dcvBqpy4hqJElbFtYgxNX/s1600/Screenshot-70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyJcQAC5pcQTZmFqCOduf_umlGdxN8ptnmbzCEmf9ynKWZ0BdhLb9U5TQAXZW91FD00hOAYuTWioNb6GZV6-SSaE1PTlUOVWrwfeXCH85R0UNwo97R8w-jJ9dcvBqpy4hqJElbFtYgxNX/s1600/Screenshot-70.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Josefin now smiled at Karen, as if she knew a great secret. "And to be honest, I always have wanted a daughter."<br />
<br />
"You have?"<br />
<br />
"Yep. I had twin boys, but I often hoped I'd have a girl, before I lost Kalle. Well...now I get two daughters."<br />
<br />
Now, Josefin stood up, and waited for Karen to do the same.<br />
<br />
"Well, what's say we get home? I'm sure everyone is worried sick about you."<br />
<br />
"Okay, then. Let's get moving then...Mom."<br />
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<br />
Both women then exited the building, sharing their frustration over the ongoing rain that seemed to have melted the snow against all odds.<br />
<br />
Despite the late hour when the two returned, everyone was still awake.<br />
<br />
Arvid had come out to see who had come to the house. He was delighted to see Josefin had returned.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVClNPSVdz0PDSSyO07l0XCSyPdFZXq3I5UO-S-iR-gyYKjUj2RQuCGeOP6ennVn_MQZXJimUjFxbu7QGFKKkgyR7g9ATea55bxWlUVpjRPEONuVqTElaErVEiEkuXbgCQGTYv_mYBEDjr/s1600/Screenshot-74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVClNPSVdz0PDSSyO07l0XCSyPdFZXq3I5UO-S-iR-gyYKjUj2RQuCGeOP6ennVn_MQZXJimUjFxbu7QGFKKkgyR7g9ATea55bxWlUVpjRPEONuVqTElaErVEiEkuXbgCQGTYv_mYBEDjr/s1600/Screenshot-74.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"You're back! Did you find Karen?"<br />
<br />
Josefin nodded. "How's Lief doing? I'm guessing the same as when I left?"<br />
<br />
Arvid then went to go fetch Lief, hopefully to answer Josefin's question for sure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzNLTZg6FKSYzhNSR_-Mq4PXslYoflLj0qK5xmtG8rPl6D8mbj7ZzvemiUIgJDYK8IA7lNycz-8f0gCry6nwU0PpemQTnSC4dAPZKme1ek76m2bl4TCFCgrPvTSO8bto5zfpa-qpYJbJU/s1600/Screenshot-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzNLTZg6FKSYzhNSR_-Mq4PXslYoflLj0qK5xmtG8rPl6D8mbj7ZzvemiUIgJDYK8IA7lNycz-8f0gCry6nwU0PpemQTnSC4dAPZKme1ek76m2bl4TCFCgrPvTSO8bto5zfpa-qpYJbJU/s1600/Screenshot-75.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Guess what, big guy! Mom found Karen!" Josefin would vaguely see Lief's face. Whether it was sadness, sleepiness, or a mix of both, she was not too entirely sure.<br />
<br />
Upon hearing the name Karen, Lief's eyes lit up. When Josefin brought forth Karen in tow, his eyes then widened.<br />
<br />
He reached out towards her. Lief was slightly hesitant, as though he believed she was naught but an illusion.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtllwKmp4A8OjDlVoLGbpFjdF7nJ4Nj8EDOi5hruKr6yBL0rK2aEAQVwuJkPwD2D2BSJ9yMCjeephais07SA5s1QJt4j9bd7QDOGchHV8FydEJJV5ap-_Gp2huxvYO7vNVaHy-xKAZZuBF/s1600/Screenshot-76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtllwKmp4A8OjDlVoLGbpFjdF7nJ4Nj8EDOi5hruKr6yBL0rK2aEAQVwuJkPwD2D2BSJ9yMCjeephais07SA5s1QJt4j9bd7QDOGchHV8FydEJJV5ap-_Gp2huxvYO7vNVaHy-xKAZZuBF/s1600/Screenshot-76.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Karen...Karen...!" The relief was evident in the father's voice.<br />
<br />
"Dad, I...I'm sorry I ran away from home!" Lief didn't seem angered.<br />
<br />
He was merely glad to have his daughter finally home.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 21.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-54526127714870406562014-02-12T12:30:00.000-08:002014-02-12T12:30:01.760-08:00Chapter 20: Missing PieceLief decided that this morning, he would wake his children himself.<br />
<br />
He remembered doing it all the time when Karen and Karl were younger, and he figured he'd try to revive an old tradition.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Lief made very sure he didn't wake Josefin.<br />
<br />
As he made his way upstairs, Leif sighed in nostalgia. He remembered doing it when it was just him and Karen. Now it appeared he had five children to try it with.<br />
<br />
He didn't mind, however. The more, the merrier. It wasn't as if he were going to dive into their chests to wake them up.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"Karen~! Time to wake up!" Lief was used to a dark room. When he received no answer, that was what he was not used to.<br />
<br />
"Karen? Are you still mad about last night?" Still no answer.<br />
<br />
Lief wasn't getting angry at his daughter's silence, merely worried. He then turned on the light, and realized why she was so quiet.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcQpT8vmngrQvAtHDSd5NMD64xc93obqh1XGdXzCWa8xCJCmWja8JnSECpNH_k_GuujZDX-tezPF4VntkC4aHMWj3hIV26fPd5i6ZIdhpp-cXIVtVu3qMXruKYpGTC4eRRi_isU-0E-Xx/s1600/Screenshot-16+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcQpT8vmngrQvAtHDSd5NMD64xc93obqh1XGdXzCWa8xCJCmWja8JnSECpNH_k_GuujZDX-tezPF4VntkC4aHMWj3hIV26fPd5i6ZIdhpp-cXIVtVu3qMXruKYpGTC4eRRi_isU-0E-Xx/s1600/Screenshot-16+%252812%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The sight of a made, yet empty bed caused Lief to assume the worst.<br />
<br />
"She didn't...!" Lief then ran back downstairs, and in what only seemed like a few moments, was in his outerwear and running outside.<br />
<br />
Thus began the father's search.<br />
<br />
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Lief honestly had no idea where Karen could be. He knew for sure that she would not be at her mother's.<br />
<br />
Immediately ruling out that option, he then went to any other places she would hide.<br />
<br />
"Karen? Karen!" He could almost hear his voice ring out in the early morning. Surely, someone would come out and ask him what was wrong.<br />
<br />
Or they'd tell him to quiet down. But neither happened.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"Karen...Where could you have gone?" Lief was starting to wish he'd brought Josefin to help him look. He didn't want to worry her so early in the morning, though.<br />
<br />
Not seeing her at the pool, or the movie theater, he moved on.<br />
<br />
At one point, he ran into his boss from work, out on a morning walk.<br />
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<br />
"Uh...Hi, Mister Adamsson. Uh...Can you help me?" Lief was oblivious to the fact that the snow was melting around him.<br />
<br />
"Sure thing, Lief. How can I help a fellow business worker?"<br />
<br />
"Well, the thing is..." Lief cleared his throat before continuing. "I can't seem to find my daughter. Do you have any idea where she might be?"<br />
<br />
"Remind me again. Which daughter is she?" Admittedly, Lief was a bit offended by his boss' attempt to turn a serious thing into a joke.<br />
<br />
"The older one. My younger one is barely old enough to walk. But have you seen her around?"<br />
<br />
Lief's hopes were dashed when his boss shook his head. "No, I haven't. Sorry. But I'll keep an eye out for her. Any idea why she's missing?"<br />
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<br />
"Oh...I'm guessing she's upset that I'm getting married again. Just...if you see her, please let me know?"<br />
<br />
"Sure thing, Lief." With that, Lief was off searching again.<br />
<br />
But as the morning dragged on, Lief's hopes of finding Karen were diminishing.<br />
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<br />
He continued to search for her, even as the morning transitioned into afternoon. But the longer he searched, the less hope he had of ever locating his daughter.<br />
<br />
By the time Lief returned home, exhausted, it had already become nightfall.<br />
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<br />
"Lief! Where've you been? What's going on?" Josefin was understandably worried at Lief being gone for nearly the entire day.<br />
<br />
"Josefin...Went looking...Karen...Don't know what to do..." Lief was becoming so distraught, he was unable to form complete sentences.<br />
<br />
"Calm down, Lief. Just calm down, and tell me what's going on."<br />
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<br />
"What is going on, Lief?" Arvid was unaware that his innocent question hurt more than he thought.<br />
<br />
"Arvid..." Lief swallowed, before trying to find the best way to break the news.<br />
<br />
"Karen's gone missing, and I don't know where to find her."<br />
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<br />
"What?! Missing?! For how long?" Lief was shocked at how loud and high-pitched Arvid's voice could get.<br />
<br />
"I don't know how long. She was missing when I went to check on her this morning. I've been looking all day for her."<br />
<br />
"You sure you looked everywhere? Did you look at all the places she likes going to?"<br />
<br />
"I did, Arvid. I looked in all the places I could think of. There was no sign of her."<br />
<br />
Arvid was becoming as frantic and panicky as Lief had been. "Well, you gotta go back out and keep looking! She could be hurt or something, and--"<br />
<br />
"Arvid!" Josefin's voice was stern enough to stop her son's worry-born ranting. "That's enough. There's no need to worry Lief even more."<br />
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<br />
Josefin then approached her other son, who had kept his cool throughout the whole thing.<br />
<br />
"Edvin, do you think you and your brother can stay with Lief while I go out? I'm going to go look for Karen myself. Something tells me Lief can't handle going out again."<br />
<br />
"Sure thing. Any idea where she is?"<br />
<br />
"Not a clue. But I'm willing to look everywhere, and see if Lief missed a few places. I'll be back as soon as I can."<br />
<br />
Josefin now herself walked out the front door, ready to take her turn in searching for the missing girl.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 20.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-63140659297747570422014-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-12T12:00:05.380-08:00Chapter 19: Don't Run from your Problems...To say Karen was displeased with her father's decision to marry Josefin would be a severe understatement.<br />
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<br />
Indeed, her worst fears were becoming reality.<br />
<br />
Karen was unsure how to show her father how upset she was with this turn of events. She had an idea, though.<br />
<br />
All she hoped was that she would not be caught.<br />
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<br />
Quietly, Karen got dressed and left her room. She made sure to be as silent as she could, since she didn't want to wake Arvid or Edvin.<br />
<br />
Karen wasn't worried about her father or Josefin waking up. It was good for their room to be downstairs.<br />
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<br />
What puzzled Karen was that when she went to check on Kristin, the baby was awake.<br />
<br />
It could have been Kristin had a feeling that something was going on. Or perhaps she didn't want to take her nap.<br />
<br />
"Kristin, you're supposed to be asleep," Karen whispered. Kristin simply continued babbling happily.<br />
<br />
It actually didn't matter to Karen whether or not her little sister was awake. If anything, this made things easier.<br />
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<br />
"Can you keep a secret, Kristin?" Karen didn't need an answer from her. She already knew what it was.<br />
<br />
"Big sister is going to go away for a while. Be good, all right?"<br />
<br />
Kristin didn't say a coherent answer, but the noise she made almost seemed to be one of protest.<br />
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<br />
It honestly hurt Karen to hear it. If she could, she'd take her baby sister with her. But she didn't want the repercussions of her actions to spread to anyone else besides her.<br />
<br />
No, this time, Karen was acting by herself.<br />
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<br />
The teen was very well aware that what she was doing was foolish. But at this point, she would act now, think later. Her anger and disappointment towards Lief outweighed any rational thinking.<br />
<br />
Karen made sure no one else besides her and Kristin were awake. She then took one last look at her house.<br />
<br />
And then, she turned and ran off into the snowy night.<br />
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(End of Chapter 19.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-11736096504213767832014-02-11T12:30:00.000-08:002014-02-11T12:30:01.429-08:00Chapter 18: Not So Hallur-ingIt had already started to become dark by the time Lief got to the next house.<br />
<br />
It wasn't too entirely implausible, as the third wife lived out of town. Lief didn't blame her.<br />
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Lief bit his lip as he walked up the steps. She was, after all, an ex-wife. </div>
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He was prepared for the worst, started from the moment she opened the door. </div>
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"No!" Lara had not even given Lief a chance to speak when she saw him. </div>
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"What?" </div>
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"You heard me! No! I'm not going down that road again!" </div>
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"Lara, please! Hear me out. I'm not here for that."</div>
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Lara was surprised. But it appeared she decided to give Lief a chance to explain himself. </div>
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"I'm here for...Well, I guess I want to make peace with you. I..."</div>
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"What kind of peace? That's kind of a stupid reason for you to show up after all this time!" </div>
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"Come on, Lara. I don't know how else I can show what I'm doing besides getting on my knees. I just...I really don't want us to be bitter towards each other anymore."</div>
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"I'm not asking for you to be married to me again. I just...Well, it's hard to put it into words." Lara glared at Lief for a few moments. Her gaze then softened. </div>
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"Lief...I had to...I had to move back in with my mother. And...and I had to leave Kristin with you. Do you know how much Kristin means to me?!"</div>
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"Yes, Lara. Yes, I do." Lief's youngest often had an expression that indicated she had no idea where her mother was. He was never sure what to tell her. </div>
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"I know she's the most important part of your life. I know your worst fear is her growing up to hate you. I know you still want to be a part of her life as much as you can." Lief paused to give Lara a chance to speak. </div>
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"Lief...Are you getting married again?" One thing Lief liked about Lara was her way of picking up on signs. </div>
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"I am. I guess that's part of the reason I came out here. I didn't think my fourth marriage would seem right without confronting the exes of the first three."</div>
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"I guess that seems like a good enough reason. Just promise me something?" </div>
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"You name it, Lara." </div>
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"Make sure you bring Kristin with you next time you visit here, okay? I want to see how big she's getting." </div>
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"Done." Lief was about to turn to go when Lara stopped him. </div>
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"One more thing, Lief? Don't mess up this marriage. If she's the one for you, make sure she knows it."</div>
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"I will, Lara. I promise."</div>
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The two smiled, and bid farewell. As Lief set foot off the property, he felt as if the weight upon his shoulders was finally, completely gone. </div>
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But at the same time, he felt immense worry, and responsibility.</div>
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Lief knew he had to take the advice he was given, and make sure Josefin was truly the one for him. </div>
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He knew that she was. He simply hoped she felt the same. Lief didn't want to feel as if he were trapping Josefin. At the same time, he resolved to not mistreat her in any way. </div>
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Lief could only hope he learned from his mistakes from the first three times. He was older, and hopefully wiser. </div>
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This time, he was done playing the marriage game, and ready to settle down for good. </div>
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It was already well into nightfall by the time Lief returned home. As if waiting for him all this time, Josefin was standing in the main room. </div>
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"Welcome home, Lief," Josefin said with a smile as she greeted her future husband. "Did you manage to get all you needed to do finished?"</div>
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"You bet I did. Are the kids in bed?" </div>
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"Yes, they are. Kristin was a bit fussy, but Edvin got her to calm down and get to sleep." </div>
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"That's good." The engaged couple decided it was high time to get ready for bed themselves. As soon as both of them were ready to do so, a thought occurred to Lief.</div>
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"Hey, Josefin?" He asked before getting into bed with her. "If I screw up at any point, -and it's extremely likely I will-, will you let me know?" </div>
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"Of course, Lief." </div>
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"I just, you know. I don't want to make you so mad you'll leave me-"</div>
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"You know I won't, Lief." </div>
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"Yeah, but I have to make sure. I tend to be kind of a blockhead at times." Josefin seemed a bit amused at his self-depreciation. </div>
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"Well, nobody's perfect, Lief. We all make mistakes. I highly doubt you'd intentionally anger me. But yes, I will let you know when you're doing something wrong." </div>
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"Thanks, beautiful." The two settled under the blankets before turning the lights off. "I really shouldn't worry about this sort of thing before the wedding. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"</div>
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(End of Chapter 18.)</div>
rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-83119339447641838652014-02-11T12:15:00.000-08:002014-02-11T12:15:00.140-08:00Chapter 17: The Apple of His EyeLief hadn't initially noticed it, but talking to Veronika made him feel...lighter.<br />
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He almost felt as if a weight had begun to be lifted off his shoulders. But said weight was still there, lingering.<br />
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Nonetheless, Lief still felt as if what he was doing was right. That he had to put aside any bad feelings towards his former wives.<br />
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As like before, Lief now found himself at the house of his second wife. <br />
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"Lief? What are you doing here?" Lief was honestly surprised by how calm she was, compared to Veronika.<br />
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"Hi, Yuri. I guess you're surprised to see me. In case you were wondering, no, I didn't bring Karl with me."<br />
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"Oh...Well, that's a shame."<br />
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"Anyway, I was wanting to talk to you about the whole 'we're divorced' thing." Lief did not wish to dally, and wanted to get down to business, it appeared.<br />
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"Yeah?"<br />
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"I know you didn't appreciate being tied down to me, and that was part of the reason we divorced, but..."<br />
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"I know. Karl doesn't appreciate me flying around the way I do. And let me guess, that's the reason you came?"<br />
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"Eh, sort of. See, Yuri...I'm getting remarried."<br />
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"Oh, really?" Yuri appeared surprised at what he just said. "And who's the lucky lady?"<br />
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"Well..." Lief was beaming now. "You know the Oss boys? I'm marrying their mother."<br />
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"The Oss boys? Yeah, they're two great kids. Just...Lief?"<br />
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"Yeah?"<br />
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"I'm sorry it didn't work between us. I'm sure Karl hates me so much right now..."<br />
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"Well, it doesn't have to be that way, Yuri!" Lief felt guilty that it seemed as if he was using his son as some kind of leverage with her. "You can...You can visit him whenever you like, and still be friends with him. I just..."<br />
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"You just...what?"<br />
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"I don't want things to be bad between us anymore. I at least want us to put aside our differences. I'm not saying we have to start dating again. I am <i>definitely </i>not saying that. I just don't want the both of us at each other throats."<br />
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"That's what you want, huh?" Lief nodded.<br />
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"Well...all right. If it means that much to you."<br />
<br />
"It would mean so much to me, Yuri."<br />
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"And good luck with your new future wife."<br />
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Lief was thankful that Yuri wasn't as vitriolic as Veronika was. He was happy that she was at least understanding from the start.<br />
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Now...there was one woman left.<br />
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(End of Chapter 17.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-51783777119313644092014-02-11T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-11T12:00:04.492-08:00Chapter 16: Braving The Harsh Vinter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdDmMZBhFOHN4M1KGyd70NIJt5ITwpTornqrujZHLJE3J3N8hiYd_c1CMs2AZiNfJ8BiwZqtxjSRZdrG8zFJXZkGbUzljB1Gg87eZIteRlKbSHthC0a6LEcIQlCVKX4lENdWNo_chb7QU/s1600/Screenshot-6+%252815%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdDmMZBhFOHN4M1KGyd70NIJt5ITwpTornqrujZHLJE3J3N8hiYd_c1CMs2AZiNfJ8BiwZqtxjSRZdrG8zFJXZkGbUzljB1Gg87eZIteRlKbSHthC0a6LEcIQlCVKX4lENdWNo_chb7QU/s1600/Screenshot-6+%252815%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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"It's been a long time since I've been here..."<br />
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Lief felt as if his future marriage to Josefin would not seem right, if he didn't bury the hatchet with the three other women. <br />
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He was well aware they would not be happy to see him, but he was willing to do his best to reason with them.<br />
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It was all a matter of gathering enough courage to go through with it.<br />
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Lief found himself at the door of ex-wife number one. He willed himself to go up the stairs and ring the doorbell.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleba0I9kGcU097bwc_-0_7m7l_HCYmFZRYHxGNwQNUipjOthyXZDxVSgrnqsCbbz_KEov1RhP4SEK_6POKBsxI6iJ6qOE7HXaCYpgzY4LaA1NFFGO2kmxHgEycIjGzRU_IMaKQ9OsC6f4/s1600/Screenshot-8+%252815%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleba0I9kGcU097bwc_-0_7m7l_HCYmFZRYHxGNwQNUipjOthyXZDxVSgrnqsCbbz_KEov1RhP4SEK_6POKBsxI6iJ6qOE7HXaCYpgzY4LaA1NFFGO2kmxHgEycIjGzRU_IMaKQ9OsC6f4/s1600/Screenshot-8+%252815%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a> "Well, look who decided to come crawling back!" The words were spoken in such a biting tone that Lief felt as if she were stabbing him directly. </div>
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"Veronika, I--"</div>
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"Save it! You and our little brat can get lost! I am so tired of you trying to paint a happy face on things!"</div>
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"Veronika, stop. That's not what I came here for." </div>
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"Then why bother showing up at all?!" </div>
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"Well, whether or not you want to believe it, I just want to put our differences aside. I'm not trying to woo you back or anything. I just...I don't want us to hate each other anymore." </div>
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"Wh...What are you talking about? You finally get bashed over the head at work with a printer like I hoped?!"</div>
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"Look, Veronika. I get it, you're still mad at me, and the whole divorce thing. But I don't want you to think I hate you. And, well, it really hurts to know you and Karen don't get along." </div>
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"Lief...What brought this on?" Understandably, Veronika was confused at the motives her ex-husband presented before her. </div>
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"Well, I still want you to be a part of Karen's life. And I just don't think it'd do any good to harbor resentment. I'd at least want us to be on civil terms again."</div>
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"Civil terms, huh? I'm guessing you have something going on, that prompted this. What are you, dying of cancer?"</div>
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"No, Veronika..." Lief smiled a little. "I'm getting married again." </div>
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"Again? This is the fourth time." </div>
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"And hopefully, it'll be the last time. I really do have a good feeling about this one." </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1SZS_uJrORvk23OMJlAKtvw6lIgRTw3jIQ53mT_6JRJgBh4WunhTF17fXW3CSPstWw5NifRYheFCFAmSdLs2_HTervTQDD2AS_KHKW42htiQriz4u0Ugr4Bd7dFFPfzW8I9zXl2pzKLt/s1600/Screenshot-17+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1SZS_uJrORvk23OMJlAKtvw6lIgRTw3jIQ53mT_6JRJgBh4WunhTF17fXW3CSPstWw5NifRYheFCFAmSdLs2_HTervTQDD2AS_KHKW42htiQriz4u0Ugr4Bd7dFFPfzW8I9zXl2pzKLt/s1600/Screenshot-17+%252811%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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For the first time in what felt like years, Lief saw Veronika smile.</div>
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"In that case...treat her decent, all right?" </div>
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"You know I will. And you...I hope you can find someone who can make you happy. That's what I want for you: to be happy."</div>
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"I'll try, Lief. I'll do my best." </div>
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At that point, the two said their good-byes, and Lief parted for the next house. </div>
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(End of Chapter 16.)</div>
rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-76528977956229948762014-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-10T12:00:04.298-08:00Chapter 15: Gather for the Great Announcement(Note: Since this week has a holiday, I'm hoping to try something a little different with the chapters, so the chapter I want will be on the occurring day.)<br />
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<br />
"So what do you guys think our parents want to talk to us about?"<br />
<br />
Later that night, the children were gathered in the living room, making small talk until Edvin got home from work.<br />
<br />
"I have an idea as to what it is, but...You never know." Karen was hoping that her suspicions were untrue. The last two times, however, she had no such luck.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It wasn't until Edvin came breezing in and took his seat. It almost seemed as if he knew what was going on.<br />
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"All right, is everyone here?" Everyone was seated, and Lief had to have Arvid take a different seat so he sat next to Josefin.<br />
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There was some rather awkward tension in the air between the adults and children. Edvin simply sat in his chair, and kept quiet. Occasionally, he looked over at Kristin, knowing she likely knew the same thing he did. <br />
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"Uh, okay, where to start..." Lief felt as if he were about to soil himself, he was so nervous. He thought that being through the process several times before, he'd be used to it by now.<br />
<br />
"I'll handle it, Lief," Josefin reassured him. "Well, kids, obviously Lief and I have been living together for a while now. And well, last night, Lief did something wonderful."<br />
<br />
"Which was...?"<br />
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"Well, it's official! Lief and I are getting married!"<br />
<br />
"That's right, beautiful!" The two adults looked at their kids, hoping to get the reactions they quietly wished for. <br />
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The boys and even Kristin began smiling. Karen, predictably, remained stony-faced, however.<br />
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<br />
"Now I know what you kids are thinking. I've had to break the news of my upcoming nuptials three times in the past. But believe me when I say Josefin is the one."<br />
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"And I don't want you boys to think I'm moving on like your father meant nothing to me. But believe <i>me </i>when I say Lief's what I'm looking for."<br />
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"You kids don't have to call her Mom, if you don't want to. Just at least show Josefin some respect."<br />
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"And you boys don't have to call him Dad, either. Just at the least be civil to him like you were before he and I started dating."<br />
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All the kids nodded and agreed with their parents. Finally, after being silent since the discussion started, Karen stood up.<br />
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"Well, I think it's great you guys are finally typing the knot," Karen said, while not looking at any of them. "Really, <i>really </i>great."<br />
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"Karen?" None of them knew whether it was Arvid or Lief that said her name.<br />
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"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go upstairs and...cry about something totally unrelated to all this!"<br />
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The girl was out the room and up the stairs before anyone could stop her.<br />
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"Karen! Uh...You guys want me to go after her?" Arvid offered, standing up himself.<br />
<br />
"No..." Lief's voice had gotten unusually low. "To be honest, I was expecting her to do that. She's...she's had a problem with us dating since day one. Just...let her be."<br />
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The adults took this as their cue to go into the living room. Arvid himself took Kristin up to her room to put her down for a nap.<br />
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"So how do you feel about all this?" Edvin felt he needed to ask Karl the burning question.<br />
<br />
"Me? Personally, I'm glad I finally get brothers!" The answer was enough for Edvin to let loose a few chuckles, before the two joined the others in the living room.<br />
<br />
No sooner than Edvin and Karl started watching TV, however, Lief suddenly got a worried look on his face.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"You know, something's been bothering me..."<br />
<br />
"Is it about Karen?"<br />
<br />
"No, believe it or not, it isn't about Karen." Lief looked down at his hands, and stood up.<br />
<br />
"I, uh...I'm gonna be out for a while, you guys. I...I have things I need to do." <br />
<br />
Josefin and the boys watched as Lief walked out the front door, having changed out of his work clothes before doing so.<br />
<br />
None of them knew what was going through his mind at that given moment, but surely it had to be important.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZWgtmBVEgzpXM1wk7IDeiiSId6KOSX_9D0tryEAO3pNIuGGD8X1ndWkS4OexHX9eZpyq-7MbDzpIIAlMvPyK_ji87u82BzkV3l5WL-c-OiDH4ex62bzBHNEVknggn4KLZglu6rhq8a1H/s1600/Screenshot-3+%252816%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZWgtmBVEgzpXM1wk7IDeiiSId6KOSX_9D0tryEAO3pNIuGGD8X1ndWkS4OexHX9eZpyq-7MbDzpIIAlMvPyK_ji87u82BzkV3l5WL-c-OiDH4ex62bzBHNEVknggn4KLZglu6rhq8a1H/s1600/Screenshot-3+%252816%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
(End of Chapter 15.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-82606216961810656312014-02-06T18:30:00.000-08:002014-02-06T18:30:00.649-08:00Chapter 14: Break the Ice, and the News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikeN903mzDvzh-Yb0PXIzZhskDnwgoNVjBXLYzIKBf5xZA8avO85FO0aSH4xcT0x016pPAvydn3C0L-VntG5OIrtqHuybPXOwSdwCdKfwZ4XS1WN8oUtp3FhuX-dhRiroohz5R_s82FbdP/s1600/Screenshot-9+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikeN903mzDvzh-Yb0PXIzZhskDnwgoNVjBXLYzIKBf5xZA8avO85FO0aSH4xcT0x016pPAvydn3C0L-VntG5OIrtqHuybPXOwSdwCdKfwZ4XS1WN8oUtp3FhuX-dhRiroohz5R_s82FbdP/s1600/Screenshot-9+%252813%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
"So how are we going to tell them?" <br />
<br />
Early the next morning, the newly engaged couple were discussing how to properly present the news to their children.<br />
<br />
Josefin was understandably concerned and at a loss. Her fiance, on the other hand, seemed none too worried.<br />
<br />
"Don't worry. I got it under control. I'll make sure both of us have the kids know by tonight."<br />
<br />
"Are you sure it'll go out all right, Lief?"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGP4WTFIkclHASz0-mXoC6y9-wMRT8utdq5KIHpsrsHB6bae64m48DqHSmdmA1kjwPgxKHkQkLtjlUoXcnMQr0SRd-cYqPC3DKRoc5_1G_QSTrcvzxhRRYEe2di5WbSQRNZcVS9AHWq20W/s1600/Screenshot-11+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGP4WTFIkclHASz0-mXoC6y9-wMRT8utdq5KIHpsrsHB6bae64m48DqHSmdmA1kjwPgxKHkQkLtjlUoXcnMQr0SRd-cYqPC3DKRoc5_1G_QSTrcvzxhRRYEe2di5WbSQRNZcVS9AHWq20W/s1600/Screenshot-11+%252812%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
At that point, Lief made a face as if to say, "You think it won't?" He once again assured her that her fears were unfounded.<br />
<br />
Then, both of them heard Kristin crying from upstairs, a sign she had woken up. Lief took the opportunity to take care of her before she woke everyone else up.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HkkA6azX51oJkPwxft38XlyjhwPwyD-aiSgf9rpuU9Aor41uDT8piiEDERid5NbZgA1LCcK-Majpeo2elDA7nU2hLxVOqseo9oNahS59WeFuCRPxpa1gxI-F_BwOKZtX2DXvOHcUngN1/s1600/Screenshot-15+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HkkA6azX51oJkPwxft38XlyjhwPwyD-aiSgf9rpuU9Aor41uDT8piiEDERid5NbZgA1LCcK-Majpeo2elDA7nU2hLxVOqseo9oNahS59WeFuCRPxpa1gxI-F_BwOKZtX2DXvOHcUngN1/s1600/Screenshot-15+%25289%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Of course, Lief had other reasons for going up to check on his baby.<br />
<br />
"Guess what, Kristin!" Lief whispered joyfully to her. "You're going to have a new mommy soon!"<br />
<br />
Kristin seemed to understand what her father whispered to her, for she began to giggle and coo. She was too young to really know what it meant, but it was good news nonetheless.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BeGsZQ9epDpKlPXIlDkXZzFLkXeq9CDdKg4IAM3WvXgnuAdLVBoIjt526-knbEubRT0b9ukn8fTg2MEV3CYyWV7VPJBNpCp4s4aQGntNhSgH__Ep4b5sP0PivR_jzg1wNbPATNPWzpFf/s1600/Screenshot-16+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BeGsZQ9epDpKlPXIlDkXZzFLkXeq9CDdKg4IAM3WvXgnuAdLVBoIjt526-knbEubRT0b9ukn8fTg2MEV3CYyWV7VPJBNpCp4s4aQGntNhSgH__Ep4b5sP0PivR_jzg1wNbPATNPWzpFf/s1600/Screenshot-16+(9).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It seemed as though her crying did wake someone up, however. As soon as Lief left her room, he saw Edvin standing there, presumably on his way to check on Kristin.<br />
<br />
Lief saw him, and decided it wouldn't hurt to tell him the news as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
"Morning! I took care of Kristin for you." Edvin smiled, thankful he didn't have to worry about her.<br />
<br />
"When'd you and Mom get back?"<br />
<br />
"Oh, earlier. Oh! Hey Edvin, I wanna tell you something." <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHk57md9PmTJ0O-OGA8eSWSIkBhUd7bQoDrQ-IjdfUfdKknFeO9HGQcZjLQe9rwyekr3SDtYDtuvxMEZNYQjq1YEw-4yrojNaJmYoeHgNcRuzf2RQmViV1Hb_FQAQJ2zrmnGszAOZ8lpx/s1600/Screenshot-20+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHk57md9PmTJ0O-OGA8eSWSIkBhUd7bQoDrQ-IjdfUfdKknFeO9HGQcZjLQe9rwyekr3SDtYDtuvxMEZNYQjq1YEw-4yrojNaJmYoeHgNcRuzf2RQmViV1Hb_FQAQJ2zrmnGszAOZ8lpx/s1600/Screenshot-20+(8).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Lief suddenly found himself at a loss as to how to break the news to Josefin's boy. He kept his voice down in case his own children were still sleeping.<br />
<br />
"Okay, so...What if I told you that you and Arvid are...likely going to have a new dad soon?"<br />
<br />
Lief waited for Edvin's reaction. He was fearful that the boy would freak out and state that Josefin wasn't ready for re-marriage.<br />
<br />
But it appeared Lief's fears were unfounded.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q5qJb75xxc2p7oYermFKvWM6Aga3BlsJOe-bDfNBBqgL0jHuW5NZSyaxjSNqZ6Yx38H0RuVk2UUSaV0sBJIxKVHofVgFwS4iE12OlVh5Tj19OqJF3SqHMsjlLEetYKnC6jfbnLn0UQ9B/s1600/Screenshot-27+(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q5qJb75xxc2p7oYermFKvWM6Aga3BlsJOe-bDfNBBqgL0jHuW5NZSyaxjSNqZ6Yx38H0RuVk2UUSaV0sBJIxKVHofVgFwS4iE12OlVh5Tj19OqJF3SqHMsjlLEetYKnC6jfbnLn0UQ9B/s1600/Screenshot-27+(7).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Seriously?! That's awesome, Lief!" <br />
<br />
"That's right. But try not to tell Arvid and the others. Your mother and I are hoping to keep it a secret until later. Can you keep quiet until then?"<br />
<br />
"I sure can." Both of them knew Edvin wasn't going to spill the beans, but precautions were to be made. <br />
<br />
Edvin still couldn't contain his excitement for a while.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN4fRGWBMGT69DqwFoax6gMRizrI219gdXCuoomn4YMOYQiKjB2nYirapZE3160VAAZcEvDkL16onDpDf9_TyTI53fh7D-zsDnJMqXlVJY4g8246Om9KaiESUUQwFwicuiADKGXCF-t8U/s1600/Screenshot-40+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN4fRGWBMGT69DqwFoax6gMRizrI219gdXCuoomn4YMOYQiKjB2nYirapZE3160VAAZcEvDkL16onDpDf9_TyTI53fh7D-zsDnJMqXlVJY4g8246Om9KaiESUUQwFwicuiADKGXCF-t8U/s1600/Screenshot-40+(3).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"What are you so happy about?" Karl asked when the kids were all watching TV after they all woke up later that morning.<br />
<br />
Edvin was trying to suppress a smile as he held Kristin.<br />
<br />
"Oh, nothing." None of them seemed to believe him, but they didn't push the subject either. For now, the secret was safe until Lief and Josefin were ready.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 14.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-85837076391642393442014-01-30T18:00:00.000-08:002014-01-30T18:00:00.741-08:00Chapter 13: Pop! Goes the question!(I ended up speeding up ahead in the storyline setting, in part due to the fact I'm not really the best when it comes to taking pictures.)<br />
<br />
A few months had passed. The two families seemed to now have almost a sense of one.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Though Karen and Arvid remained together, Karen had better accepted her father dating her boyfriend's mother.<br />
<br />
It was as Karl said. There was no point in making a fuss if Lief and Josefin were happy.<br />
<br />
She was still reluctant about it. And coming events would make it even harder for her.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSOS43Kr6LKu1lrRehctIszdMs-Sz-oKO8CLzipCIqkFOVMcri9uFQOxTjkBhkqYBFn-aX2QJgK1EzXJofowBxko2u_4PaTf1wag-1J6GpQ4TNI9dzokBf5lpqK8sePEsDg-8Z4v1A0qf/s1600/Screenshot-24+%25287%2529-SNOW.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSOS43Kr6LKu1lrRehctIszdMs-Sz-oKO8CLzipCIqkFOVMcri9uFQOxTjkBhkqYBFn-aX2QJgK1EzXJofowBxko2u_4PaTf1wag-1J6GpQ4TNI9dzokBf5lpqK8sePEsDg-8Z4v1A0qf/s1600/Screenshot-24+%25287%2529-SNOW.gif" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(*_*)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"Josefin! What are you doing?" Lief was amused at seeing Josefin making snow angels half-naked like a giddy child.<br />
<br />
"You only live once, Lief!" Josefin shouted out while laughing.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, Lief was afraid she'd catch herself a cold. Then again, she was a grown woman, and could do whatever she desired.<br />
<br />
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<br />
If Lief weren't such a chicken about getting cold, he'd have joined in with her. <br />
<br />
But whether or not Josefin was intent on freezing herself into a half-naked popsicle, Lief had other plans for the both of them anyway.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo-TfTMjePZKslH-wIVBaGzFdACvwGlclwYflOxroJcKcq3kGqDnIlAgCA93NS01LLqX2VhDdGxvTILyU7-N9NuUyvu53LHOsux98ncf-LlA8GDC2d68VMyA1gUAUCmKTVcyXSafvaGU4/s1600/Screenshot-26+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo-TfTMjePZKslH-wIVBaGzFdACvwGlclwYflOxroJcKcq3kGqDnIlAgCA93NS01LLqX2VhDdGxvTILyU7-N9NuUyvu53LHOsux98ncf-LlA8GDC2d68VMyA1gUAUCmKTVcyXSafvaGU4/s1600/Screenshot-26+%25286%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Lief waited until she was dressed again before speaking with her, though.<br />
<br />
"So, uh...the kids are all home, right? So, since we got the day off, maybe we could go do something on our own?"<br />
<br />
"Oh, of course!" Josefin was happy to oblige.<br />
<br />
Lief had figured that since the kids were all at home, as well, neither of them needed to worry about finding a babysitter for Kristin.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Granted, the teens and Karl were all watching TV, but it was not as if they were completely oblivious to the toddler's needs.<br />
<br />
But either way, the adults were intent on having a nice little date.<br />
<br />
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<br />
And a nice little date it was! Granted, it was much like any other dates Lief and Josefin had, but Lief had very special plans for this one in particular.<br />
<br />
This date, in fact, was to last all day.<br />
<br />
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<br />
And, of course, this had not gone unnoticed by Karen. <br />
<br />
"Dad's taking longer than usual on his date, Kristin," she said to her little sister, who had needed a diaper change.<br />
<br />
"You might not know this, since you're still really young, but...when he takes longer than usual on a date, that usually only means one thing..."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrZ-IQtbvkASWx_BlUPkUbaHnmDggWVOwImiEZtCxoNCxZYUeknb587VGVYDjfig_qnMSfTdwMC8IW66s940J5_Iu7OBoesvxS7uvwgPQJgf90AelpNdQCkjwoEVM-CBVEYIx7WqDUNly/s1600/Screenshot-36+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrZ-IQtbvkASWx_BlUPkUbaHnmDggWVOwImiEZtCxoNCxZYUeknb587VGVYDjfig_qnMSfTdwMC8IW66s940J5_Iu7OBoesvxS7uvwgPQJgf90AelpNdQCkjwoEVM-CBVEYIx7WqDUNly/s1600/Screenshot-36+%25283%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
That night, Lief took Josefin to one of the highest points in Aurora Skies. From the way she was staring, Josefin seemed enchanted by the sight.<br />
<br />
"Wow! Lief, how did you know the view was so gorgeous here?" <br />
<br />
"You know, I'm not entirely sure. It might have been the part where I wanted to see the townspeople look like ants."<br />
<br />
Josefin laughed at Lief's attempt at humor. Then, she turned to him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTb-fbSnhiFCm4m0ocpnIHnlnZsEw8hDtqAJacEKsGnZkEKqOWvUMFX7qAbKwdnIa6liKACS6y3ahXgmFYHcprl8zXut-I9Y150HGoXpb6OqWClhqstOpIWYKAfTAfcO-q7W2l_mmvGpho/s1600/Screenshot-41+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTb-fbSnhiFCm4m0ocpnIHnlnZsEw8hDtqAJacEKsGnZkEKqOWvUMFX7qAbKwdnIa6liKACS6y3ahXgmFYHcprl8zXut-I9Y150HGoXpb6OqWClhqstOpIWYKAfTAfcO-q7W2l_mmvGpho/s1600/Screenshot-41+%25282%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Oh, Lief...To be honest, I never thought I'd find another man that cared about me after Kalle died. It's just...you know, most people don't look too fondly upon the whole single mother thing."<br />
<br />
"I know. But I honestly don't mind in the least. You're a terrific lady, and you got two great boys. What man wouldn't want you?"<br />
<br />
"Well...I still consider myself lucky that I met you. You know, you're a great guy, yourself. Your kids are a delight to be around, and so are you."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDIAXx_EQnnPtwAgiDmH4cmQIPE_X7wZHPlpealznEV2tjHOqAassAoUOrXjFUT17JghCuI5dmLGBPkJOMW9XaqrN43FwIs9AL4TUgQ2wCy4LG8YpIlMv3ATCIL2AcIk7Fy3XHH189IL8/s1600/Screenshot-50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDIAXx_EQnnPtwAgiDmH4cmQIPE_X7wZHPlpealznEV2tjHOqAassAoUOrXjFUT17JghCuI5dmLGBPkJOMW9XaqrN43FwIs9AL4TUgQ2wCy4LG8YpIlMv3ATCIL2AcIk7Fy3XHH189IL8/s1600/Screenshot-50.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Lief was...rather flattered by her words. Normally by now, he would have had a backhanded compliment said to him. Not with her, though.<br />
<br />
He now knew for sure, the actions he were about to take were the right ones. <br />
<br />
"Oh, Josefin. You're just the best lady in the world, you know that?"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HxIcGp76oBEPpGJEIs3zd-D8izK4cTABN6G2ivhUkGmdRJUgxh3MZ1W3aE8aJGCQYiPp0Lo8mJ_-TMJCsRfO5dwnYEQdByfqrH_ozH7hsQbW-yf410v3836fOdzaEp_2IVIKBWwPE7yH/s1600/Screenshot-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9HxIcGp76oBEPpGJEIs3zd-D8izK4cTABN6G2ivhUkGmdRJUgxh3MZ1W3aE8aJGCQYiPp0Lo8mJ_-TMJCsRfO5dwnYEQdByfqrH_ozH7hsQbW-yf410v3836fOdzaEp_2IVIKBWwPE7yH/s1600/Screenshot-51.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"That's why...I'd like to ask the best lady in the world a question."<br />
<br />
Josefin's eyes began to widen as Lief got down on one knee in the snow. <br />
<br />
No wonder Lief took the both of them out here. He wanted the perfect place to do this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis82sHKPU42SCpTXzLwgudBSYcHNkfXQYX-pRtefIYYgtjJG7LDn8VaOhARzRJKapfutK_xHmhh3_8FxT4o24kHuXfY-F-0mY7NiWpXFmEuNBcJrZUO_o_OIcrxlPhkl_sIRnDo9DsyKII/s1600/Screenshot-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis82sHKPU42SCpTXzLwgudBSYcHNkfXQYX-pRtefIYYgtjJG7LDn8VaOhARzRJKapfutK_xHmhh3_8FxT4o24kHuXfY-F-0mY7NiWpXFmEuNBcJrZUO_o_OIcrxlPhkl_sIRnDo9DsyKII/s1600/Screenshot-54.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
"Josefin Oss...Will you marry me?"<br />
<br />
Her eyes widened. Lief waited excitedly for her answer.<br />
<br />
"I...Lief, I...! Oh Lief, of course I will!"<br />
<br />
Josefin was on the brink of tears as Lief slid the ring on her finger. Both of them were ecstatic and smiling, overcome with joy.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKcNQS3Z3BPKOR0jvBdFXhaAd0uDW8oKmiscRFu2J7YVbCO5u69KIkVrPdE_K2AHv9cTaiODbBxsI4PERicyYBbpFYF8YF-r0s74TGDdTUaqUQu184kPBAOio_s6hQ8UcG9ObpufH_qbC/s1600/Screenshot-60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKcNQS3Z3BPKOR0jvBdFXhaAd0uDW8oKmiscRFu2J7YVbCO5u69KIkVrPdE_K2AHv9cTaiODbBxsI4PERicyYBbpFYF8YF-r0s74TGDdTUaqUQu184kPBAOio_s6hQ8UcG9ObpufH_qbC/s1600/Screenshot-60.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Josefin was still over the moon when Lief got back up.<br />
<br />
"I just wanted the best place in town to ask you that," Lief said as he got to his feet. "Anything for you."<br />
<br />
"Oh, Lief!"<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrn6X_IJ8PxV1yOVaApDeZjVahcPwbGRJeIbwhIEjfkPkAUafsmcx0eXgR3I1UEkZNl4AZnRfr4mZGwqoeX5cS_-i_MEkQ58OTDN8jzkXV4ZvA7ZpGMzAYP8QhChkW8ZHJ8LZpxQT0isf/s1600/Screenshot-63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrn6X_IJ8PxV1yOVaApDeZjVahcPwbGRJeIbwhIEjfkPkAUafsmcx0eXgR3I1UEkZNl4AZnRfr4mZGwqoeX5cS_-i_MEkQ58OTDN8jzkXV4ZvA7ZpGMzAYP8QhChkW8ZHJ8LZpxQT0isf/s1600/Screenshot-63.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
There was no one happier in town than the newly engaged couple.<br />
<br />
Granted, Lief was used to marriage proposals, but something told him this was the last time he would have to do it.<br />
<br />
Something told them both they belonged together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZ62QC2CbkcIJbe4Ysd7xSpNPHeeSdfJsiCo7WMvXsn4Sa3laXV3EX8a9Q-lMwVdCkmYNZ__35aUhn7b82BN7xbBIks-NP3u68isxgqtwLL8Q3B78Ihc42Cpbz9RD4XMVuqNGtfDrEXVQ/s1600/Screenshot-64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZ62QC2CbkcIJbe4Ysd7xSpNPHeeSdfJsiCo7WMvXsn4Sa3laXV3EX8a9Q-lMwVdCkmYNZ__35aUhn7b82BN7xbBIks-NP3u68isxgqtwLL8Q3B78Ihc42Cpbz9RD4XMVuqNGtfDrEXVQ/s1600/Screenshot-64.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Now, all that was left to do was go home, wait until morning, and tell the kids. <br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 13.)<br />
<br />
(Note: I have no idea how I got that one picture turned into a GIF. Something called "Auto Awesome" or something.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-32120512100184836462014-01-23T18:00:00.000-08:002014-01-23T18:00:03.457-08:00Chapter 12: Are You Frozen By Fear?Although Lief was one to spend a good amount of time with Karen lately, still he managed to set apart some time for his other children. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiEnjb04VnH_3Re7tNjpbcKvCel56h_HJmeG8inE4WNgPyTKUO6tbYZ_S3BVvU-m56qnSeYdZNOB2CZx0c1v5uKnm7w5xXiA1272MXIdKUOvocfL68PniPkQh7osew_82eyi470JtMP7J/s1600/Screenshot-11+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiEnjb04VnH_3Re7tNjpbcKvCel56h_HJmeG8inE4WNgPyTKUO6tbYZ_S3BVvU-m56qnSeYdZNOB2CZx0c1v5uKnm7w5xXiA1272MXIdKUOvocfL68PniPkQh7osew_82eyi470JtMP7J/s1600/Screenshot-11+%252810%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Sadly, Karl was getting to that point in his life where he was starting to want to distance himself from his father. Most of their conversations seemed to dwindle off and go nowhere.<br />
<br />
Lief didn't blame him, though. He remembered when he himself was on the cusp of adolescence. All he hoped for was that Karl didn't turn into a troublemaker when he reached his teen years. <br />
<br />
After Karl went to a friend's house, Lief found himself with no one to talk to. Karen and Arvid were out at the movies, Kristin was sleeping, and Josefin was working overtime. <br />
<br />
Then, he realized there was <i>someone</i> he could talk to.<br />
<br />
Even if that someone wasn't one for socializing.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88tAqNa_ostcMTdbbhbLwDNU09uINBH-ync36FksdsSgWIfSW3XhaL_mV5Vv9mbVad52eKzJ4E1yr_38KQU9aeRX-GEvsTKJ1tfendtCRuHQs4DZg33kUw11vaBsykB8lxHsBWXr0ydr6/s1600/Screenshot-10+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88tAqNa_ostcMTdbbhbLwDNU09uINBH-ync36FksdsSgWIfSW3XhaL_mV5Vv9mbVad52eKzJ4E1yr_38KQU9aeRX-GEvsTKJ1tfendtCRuHQs4DZg33kUw11vaBsykB8lxHsBWXr0ydr6/s1600/Screenshot-10+%252811%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
When Lief went outside in the cold winter snow, he found Edvin patting away at a large pile of snow.<br />
<br />
"Oh! Uh, hey," the older man said. "You didn't have to work tonight?"<br />
<br />
"Nope," came the response. Edvin didn't break stride in whatever it was he was doing.<br />
<br />
"Need any help?"<br />
<br />
"Sure."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCx9zC3c_4K4jcozKyEtk2ACGGcPDJVwHECvS65B6xAaz7DWD-RGabARwu7JjoSFs5aLKcy3BRiBYhexbz3DCCpZ0xOJ0dZDsXAsAJjXO4xshVZ4Nc4nKlZW0fm5gdIQierDT6Qk97Yqh/s1600/Screenshot-11+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCx9zC3c_4K4jcozKyEtk2ACGGcPDJVwHECvS65B6xAaz7DWD-RGabARwu7JjoSFs5aLKcy3BRiBYhexbz3DCCpZ0xOJ0dZDsXAsAJjXO4xshVZ4Nc4nKlZW0fm5gdIQierDT6Qk97Yqh/s1600/Screenshot-11+%252811%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Hey, Edvin," Lief began, "Quick question. Were you close with your father when he was alive? Like, did you and Arvid spend a lot of time with him?" <br />
<br />
"Nah." Something about the teen speaking so briefly, for a subject so important, worried Lief.<br />
<br />
"Was it still upsetting when he died?"<br />
<br />
"Yup." Though most people didn't think of putting two and two together, Lief had an idea as to why Edvin was so sparing with his words.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBm-CBzpOX4JaX38tdK82uG7XcwO4i6KuI76uktYHqq1LjhmevPBYpRgp-eXZrmq2i0Vquc9r-ViN_yvimpIarzmV-UJELgtnaCfx8z6ztDGN39HBvOPJMh0ZzBM5Q_YOmM0M2LWtaq1S/s1600/Screenshot-14+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBm-CBzpOX4JaX38tdK82uG7XcwO4i6KuI76uktYHqq1LjhmevPBYpRgp-eXZrmq2i0Vquc9r-ViN_yvimpIarzmV-UJELgtnaCfx8z6ztDGN39HBvOPJMh0ZzBM5Q_YOmM0M2LWtaq1S/s1600/Screenshot-14+%25289%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Edvin...You don't seem to say a whole lot. Is that because of your father's death?" <br />
<br />
Lief's question was initially met with silence, as Edvin began constructing a face for what had become the makings of a snowman.<br />
<br />
"Yeah."The contradictory manner of the answers confused Lief. <br />
<br />
"I'm guessing you talked a lot more when he was alive. What was it about his death that made you so quiet?"<br />
<br />
Again, silence. Then, for the first time since meeting him, Lief heard Edvin say a full sentence:<br />
<br />
"He didn't believe me when I said the stove was faulty." Hearing those words caused everything to fall into place.<br />
<br />
"I see...Edvin, remember a while back, when there was a fire truck in front of the house?"<br />
<br />
"Yeah."<br />
<br />
"Did your mother tell you why it was there?"<br />
<br />
"Nuh-uh."<br />
<br />
"Well..." Lief took a deep breath, and explained. "Apparently, your brother was trying to make dinner, and I guess the stove went off. Your mother freaked out, and now that you told me what happened to your dad..."<br />
<br />
"Well...I can see why else she was worried." <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjJa4706PjEFdDtxxF1MfAIlBoGBzOdjnHoyNGFmyPiyKIgwpRYU4O5CiypQXuoJEjOytD1BO1muwyLZcHNaACdU6TI2FzeqQ0w82u2FX1lCqOmwLSfZ_x9z4cJTuX5VehobuUDXaLlgq/s1600/Screenshot-15+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjJa4706PjEFdDtxxF1MfAIlBoGBzOdjnHoyNGFmyPiyKIgwpRYU4O5CiypQXuoJEjOytD1BO1muwyLZcHNaACdU6TI2FzeqQ0w82u2FX1lCqOmwLSfZ_x9z4cJTuX5VehobuUDXaLlgq/s1600/Screenshot-15+%25288%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Um...)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Lief was trying to ignore the obvious macabre sight that had somehow become the snowman. <br />
<br />
"But I think I know what you're thinking. And I'll say this: Your father's death wasn't your fault. You warned him, and he didn't listen. But...you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."<br />
<br />
"I shouldn't?"<br />
<br />
"The only way you'd be at fault is if you pushed your father into the fire itself. And I'm pretty sure you'd never do that." <br />
<br />
"Yeah, I wouldn't."<br />
<br />
"So stop blaming yourself. You did your best to warn him, and, well, it didn't end well, but you still shouldn't hold yourself accountable. So don't blame yourself anymore. That clear?"<br />
<br />
"Clear as crystal." The two exchanged smiles, and went back inside to watch TV.<br />
<br />
Lief made a mental note to fix the snowman later.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 12.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-65289926229790324952014-01-16T18:00:00.000-08:002014-01-16T18:00:00.569-08:00Chapter 11: Doesn't That Just Burn You Up?It wasn't long before the Oss family had already spent an entire day living under the same roof as the Helgasons. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0lbUofk0GVZVJJ2ANiLDPMNFGOWabmsLxrX-eEFgh43DvcPop-V4W8pQYN-GyQdTL1piL_SSvQ5j6DAC1Z8iPNpvyGk93_gr6byIdxCpsTJkSn67xyX47ojX6KzOU30-wRtSeqWl_ZJD/s1600/Screenshot-17+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0lbUofk0GVZVJJ2ANiLDPMNFGOWabmsLxrX-eEFgh43DvcPop-V4W8pQYN-GyQdTL1piL_SSvQ5j6DAC1Z8iPNpvyGk93_gr6byIdxCpsTJkSn67xyX47ojX6KzOU30-wRtSeqWl_ZJD/s1600/Screenshot-17+%25286%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Much to Lief and Josefin's delight, the boys were already bonding quite well with Karen's siblings. Admittedly, Edvin and Arvid were at a loss as to how to change a diaper.<br />
<br />
Other than that, though, things went quite well.<br />
<br />
Edvin enjoyed playing Peek-a-boo and This Little Piggy with Kristin. So much so, that he actually dreaded having to leave for work.<br />
<br />
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<br />
As for Arvid and Karl, theirs was a more subtle but no less important relationship.<br />
<br />
It rather baffled Arvid, having to know that Karl's studies were far too advanced for a boy his age. Nevertheless, he was willing to help him out however he could.<br />
<br />
But not everything was completely without a hitch.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>For whatever reason that night, Arvid had decided to make dinner for the rest of the house. He'd assumed that whoever normally cooked for Lief and his children could use the break.<br />
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<br />
Though Arvid had little, if any experience in cooking, he was willing to try. Although, maybe he should have asked permission first, or at least asked for help.<br />
<br />
He also felt as if something weren't quite right with the stove. He'd assumed that was simply his gut confusing fear with hunger.<br />
<br />
It wasn't long before it happened. <br />
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"Gah! <i>What </i>is that noise?" Josefin couldn't stand whatever the loud shrill beeping sound was.<br />
<br />
She couldn't help but wonder that it sounded familiar, though. When she did recognize what exactly that sound was, she sprinted right back into the house.<br />
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<br />
"Please tell me I wasn't just hearing things," Karen said as she joined in running into the kitchen.<br />
<br />
"Don't worry, Karen...you're not the only one." As expected, the sight was a frightening one. Soon, the girls were joined by Lief and Karl.<br />
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<br />
Understandably, Arvid was panicking as he attempted to put out the fire that somehow started up. It didn't help he had to listen to screaming and Lief shouting, "What the hell?!"<br />
<br />
Despite all the panic and a slightly faulty extinguisher, Arvid did manage to put out the surprisingly small fire.<br />
<br />
But even though the worst part was over, Josefin was still in hysterics over what she just saw.<br />
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"Arvid! Arvid, w-what was all that?! What were you doing in here?" Arvid didn't like when his mother got like this. <br />
<br />
"Mom, calm down! I was just..." Calming down was obviously the last thing his mother was capable of doing right now.<br />
<br />
"Don't do that again! Next time you want something, ask me or Lief! I don't want this to happen again! Hear me?" Despite his best efforts, Arvid simply couldn't get Josefin to stop freaking out. <br />
<br />
She was doing so when she left the room with the others. That left Lief alone with Josefin's boy.<br />
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<br />
"So...What was that about?" Lief sort of already knew what it was about, but it didn't hurt to ask.<br />
<br />
"Oh...Mom's overreacting again. She's been like that since Dad died." Hearing that made the gears in Lief's mind start to turn.<br />
<br />
"All right...Arvid, how exactly did your father die, again?"<br />
<br />
"Huh? Oh...He burned to death."<br />
<br />
"Ah, so that explains it..."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq96Mz5Tv3wUGpPtl3as6SftVlFULJqSZWy1radKqNfuLaAXt2osiyW0ENYmXninvlZdHjqJmG7tYxgjKssGujobfrqF2w9AM59Uzjk-EeXhFWTCIvvLUbe5kfk0O03dDPRQDmslxhCimA/s1600/Screenshot-21+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq96Mz5Tv3wUGpPtl3as6SftVlFULJqSZWy1radKqNfuLaAXt2osiyW0ENYmXninvlZdHjqJmG7tYxgjKssGujobfrqF2w9AM59Uzjk-EeXhFWTCIvvLUbe5kfk0O03dDPRQDmslxhCimA/s1600/Screenshot-21+%25286%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
"I don't think your mother was overreacting, there," Lief said in a gentle tone, as he placed a hand on Arvid's shoulder.<br />
<br />
"You say she was, but from what I just saw, her reaction was understandable. She saw fire, and well..."<br />
<br />
"I guess she was afraid she was going to lose another person close to her." Lief saw that Arvid was still a bit upset over the whole thing.<br />
<br />
"So before you go and think your mother's blowing things out of proportion, remember she just doesn't want to repeat history. You should be happy your mother cares so much about her boys." <br />
<br />
"Yeah...I guess so."<br />
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"Come on, now. Smile! It's over now, and we can get on with our night." Lief was admittedly trying to paint a happy face onto something that was happy-paint resistant, but he was willing to do it.<br />
<br />
"But...What about dinner?"<br />
<br />
"We can order pizza. Don't worry about it. Now, big smile!" After a bit of hesitation, Arvid returned the big toothy grin Lief was projecting.<br />
<br />
"Atta boy! Now, let's get ordering."<br />
<br />
So, after that night, things settled into a nice calm routine. Both families, after some initial panicking, managed to have a nice quiet dinner.<br />
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"Huh?"<br />
<br />
Of course, they had to explain to Edvin why a firetruck was front of the house when he came home from work that night. <br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 11.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-64589775525324638532014-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:002014-01-09T12:30:00.527-08:00Chapter 10: Moving DayFor the next few weeks or so, things between Lief and Josefin were amazing.<br />
<br />
Lief was sure Karen was hoping something would go wrong. But unfortunately for her, things between the two adults couldn't be better. <br />
<br />
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So good, that Lief decided now was a good time to merge the families. <br />
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<br />
Not in the marital sense, of course. Lief felt he was going to hold back on that for now.<br />
<br />
The father of three decided to wait a little while longer.The last time he rushed into marriage, the result was obvious. <br />
<br />
This time around, Lief was going to try a different approach. The next chance he got off of work, he drove up to the Oss house.<br />
<br />
As if by some stroke of luck, Josefin was there.<br />
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<br />
"Hey, pretty lady," He greeted her with an admittedly cheesy sentiment. "So I was wondering..."<br />
<br />
"Yes?" The way Josefin looked at him was a mix of hopefulness and confusion.<br />
<br />
"I know we haven't been dating that long, but I was hoping that maybe, I don't know..." Lief never understood why it was so hard to talk to her about such big commitments. He soon decided to take the "mince-no-words" approach.<br />
<br />
"Josefin, would you and yours like to move in with me and mine?" Now that the request was out, Lief was afraid she would reject him and laugh at him.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>But thankfully, she took it well.<br />
<br />
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"I'd absolutely love to! The boys and I were thinking of moving someplace new, anyway." <br />
<br />
It wasn't long before Josefin and her sons were packing their things and heading out to the Helgason household.<br />
<br />
Somehow, in the time it took for them to move in, Lief had already set up a room for Arvid and Edvin. Which was convenient. <br />
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<br />
"This place is twice the size of our old house, Edvin," Arvid whispered to his brother. The twins were clearly taken aback by the almost palatial establishment the Helgasons resided at.<br />
<br />
"Huge," was all Edvin said. But then, he was never one to say much.<br />
<br />
Letting the boys get accustomed to their new room, Lief decided to give Josefin the grand tour. He was aware she knew part of the house, but he wanted to make absolutely sure.<br />
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<br />
"Did you paint these yourself?" Josefin inquired of the paintings hanging upon Lief's wall.<br />
<br />
Lief grinned, clearly proud of his work. "I sure did! Sometimes when I'm not working, I do some painting."<br />
<br />
"Gunnar Hannes could learn something from you." Mentioning the name of another artist in town seemed to please Lief, in a rather twisted way.<br />
<br />
He let Josefin get better situated before continuing. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gIYcCx_qPiArDcljOzx-yXmz8J6_tdgXKd305gM6F0uwSzC87xXpqL_efZmCCeM3KoFcbnelSRHGJTNeA-SVSIp9YZz0tlwrCae0PkbTHiujuYZCzxjlMobxZE431hvwPCbQcQ8V9Byy/s1600/Screenshot-31+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gIYcCx_qPiArDcljOzx-yXmz8J6_tdgXKd305gM6F0uwSzC87xXpqL_efZmCCeM3KoFcbnelSRHGJTNeA-SVSIp9YZz0tlwrCae0PkbTHiujuYZCzxjlMobxZE431hvwPCbQcQ8V9Byy/s1600/Screenshot-31+(3).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"This room's my office, and here's my youngest daughter Kristin-"<br />
<br />
"Oh, she's a darling! She looks just like you!" Lief let Josefin fawn over his toddler. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Karen had come downstairs after promising to get something for Karl. She was clearly confused by her boyfriend and his brother standing in the living room for no apparent reason.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5FlQgcje8wFeu92D8L2tD1pdkvHq0obEk-SS2E-s6nFXHfEsPSxfnXNAxqCoMUu8kIYUP2nA1ghLt09xOQZ92g2eFK1sGMjimE5j57mgPzy1Ylo1CQfjR-Ft4ESsbg7Wa97yDtE8wdHj/s1600/Screenshot-28+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5FlQgcje8wFeu92D8L2tD1pdkvHq0obEk-SS2E-s6nFXHfEsPSxfnXNAxqCoMUu8kIYUP2nA1ghLt09xOQZ92g2eFK1sGMjimE5j57mgPzy1Ylo1CQfjR-Ft4ESsbg7Wa97yDtE8wdHj/s1600/Screenshot-28+(3).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
"Um, guys? What are you doing here?" Karen almost didn't want to know the answer, though she assumed her father was involved.<br />
<br />
"Apparently, we live here now," Arvid said in a rather confused and amused tone.<br />
<br />
"Yup," Edvin said, apparently too engrossed in the new TV to pay much attention.<br />
<br />
Now, Karen was upset with her father. <i>Again.</i> She had once planned to move in with Arvid after they graduated high school, but not now, and not like this. <br />
<br />
Though, all she could do was go along for the ride, and see if things panned out. <br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 10.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-49703983253696707482014-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:002014-01-01T12:00:02.769-08:00Chapter 9: Always Ask For Permission FirstIn all honesty, Lief was not entirely sure why he did it. Talking to a dead man seemed strange. <br />
<br />
But then again, it felt like it was the right thing to do. After all, Josefin was another man's wife before Lief came along.<br />
<br />
When Lief knew for sure his children were all asleep, he left to go to the cemetery. <br />
<br />
It had taken some time, due to the massive amount of gravestones, but he found the man he was looking for. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7Z-ep5BB3K3T32jGLSwViLjqkb74EffTmoirrvpL-ynBT5kFotVjHuHsz83oXnCfqSTRyJq_JsgaDTj0DQ4Xxue0tRKVLNu9zY5hUmnakO_gdT79ceSQ5ymlZB7tU0l5iqJahRd8N1uo/s1600/Screenshot-5+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7Z-ep5BB3K3T32jGLSwViLjqkb74EffTmoirrvpL-ynBT5kFotVjHuHsz83oXnCfqSTRyJq_JsgaDTj0DQ4Xxue0tRKVLNu9zY5hUmnakO_gdT79ceSQ5ymlZB7tU0l5iqJahRd8N1uo/s640/Screenshot-5+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
But now that he found the guy, what was there to say?<br />
<a name='more'></a>Obviously, stating something along the lines of, "You're dead, so can I bang your wife?" was out of the question. No, that was far too blunt for Lief to even think about saying.<br />
<br />
"So, um...hi there," the man finally began. "Kalle Oss, right? Josefin's dead husband? Uh...name's Lief. I guess I...I started dating Josefin, and...thought maybe I ought to let you know."<br />
<br />
"Burned to death, huh? I think Josefin did mention that was how you died. She still misses you. And that's understandable."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHjp85TSSfpt1zcYeO6N3Ol_Kd-rD4ovyyWSJXT9S1lojEWBIreVQyzimBw_ya_SyvOqRJIVVvg-iwVhqnJTtfEuyRNpsl1gAgZbH88lt54BXVtFsh0CZ50bcCvRq2ca8QIRRw1rRaJvT/s1600/Screenshot+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHjp85TSSfpt1zcYeO6N3Ol_Kd-rD4ovyyWSJXT9S1lojEWBIreVQyzimBw_ya_SyvOqRJIVVvg-iwVhqnJTtfEuyRNpsl1gAgZbH88lt54BXVtFsh0CZ50bcCvRq2ca8QIRRw1rRaJvT/s640/Screenshot+%25289%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"I mean, if any of my loved ones died tragically, of course I'd be crushed and in mourning." It seemed the more he spoke to the dead Kalle, the easier it was for Lief to find his words.<br />
<br />
"But you know...that's an amazing lady you were married to. And your boys are pretty amazing, themselves."<br />
<br />
"And obviously, I probably won't begin to measure up to you. But you know, probably I'll be able to do what you can't, seeing as you're dead and all."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbF3Pbm4dJ3fehe68KXdaLVs2FQT1l_ZKZIPoJWNqyI6iITdMkFUlkjGcCPcNDoX-eDI0xSnv0FxUUoDgGc7KH7QSn41jnXOiRH2Xm1_5LnK5gHbgrhKp2B4wfLUNuXnf3sYUtsT6PMBdS/s1600/Screenshot-9+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbF3Pbm4dJ3fehe68KXdaLVs2FQT1l_ZKZIPoJWNqyI6iITdMkFUlkjGcCPcNDoX-eDI0xSnv0FxUUoDgGc7KH7QSn41jnXOiRH2Xm1_5LnK5gHbgrhKp2B4wfLUNuXnf3sYUtsT6PMBdS/s640/Screenshot-9+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Lief couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly. He felt as if his humor belonged in this place. <br />
<br />
"But seriously, you don't need to worry about them. I'll...I'll take care of them for you, all right? I guess I fancy your wife, and I really do care about her and your boys."<br />
<br />
"So you got nothing to worry about, all right?" Lief wished he brought something to pay his respects with.<br />
<br />
He decided that was for another time, however.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuRPx73cE1xGMd66Z3Hq7hjTpewz-M-6ahyphenhypheniup9Vg_pNYOXYbulRU6rzA187eHblwyLcHTtwDSB3ecaiJYpAqPz_nrkNR9QCkfmj2kd7R1Kbi_9D6n4B6afkAtQVjRhkPlpvGJlWCQ_pA/s1600/Screenshot-8+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuRPx73cE1xGMd66Z3Hq7hjTpewz-M-6ahyphenhypheniup9Vg_pNYOXYbulRU6rzA187eHblwyLcHTtwDSB3ecaiJYpAqPz_nrkNR9QCkfmj2kd7R1Kbi_9D6n4B6afkAtQVjRhkPlpvGJlWCQ_pA/s640/Screenshot-8+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Quietly, Lief gave one last farewell to the dead man. He then left the cemetery before any ghosts appeared.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, granted, the man had never actually seen any ghosts before. He merely disregarded them as stories kids told each other. </div>
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<br /></div>
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He still was not going to take the chance to find out the truth.When he returned home, it was just as quiet as it was when he left. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, almost.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_cjuFk14lmUpERX59Mn8pKPXpimjhG1RVUuKiIB2nL8HBASQn1edj6DHhL2JO1yEq6QrOWVecI84f1sxmxuZK0-eikVMriK596sl1OHxZbtRryAUEM2sngGoSQjt1wOx_d4jIH7gdMWn/s1600/Screenshot-13+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_cjuFk14lmUpERX59Mn8pKPXpimjhG1RVUuKiIB2nL8HBASQn1edj6DHhL2JO1yEq6QrOWVecI84f1sxmxuZK0-eikVMriK596sl1OHxZbtRryAUEM2sngGoSQjt1wOx_d4jIH7gdMWn/s640/Screenshot-13+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As far as he remembered, Lief didn't recall there being a chance of rain in the forecast. </div>
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<br /></div>
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This rain also felt different to him, somehow. Rain did happen in Aurora Skies, but it was usually a cold rain. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But, this rain was warm. One could say it was just one of those weather 'hiccups'. But deep down, Lief had a feeling why this was. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Without a word, the man looked toward the sky and nodded. He then went back inside, ready to prepare for another day. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(End of Chapter 9. And Happy New Year.)</div>
rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-13775489518661450172013-12-25T12:15:00.000-08:002013-12-25T12:15:00.617-08:00Chapter 8: Apology AcceptedAfter Karl had gone to bed that night, Karen was still awake waiting for her father to get home.<br />
<br />
She wasn't sure exactly when he was supposed to get home. It wasn't like any of her dates with Arvid, where she gave a set time and place to pick her up. <br />
<br />
Lief was a grown man, he could drive around and carouse with Josefin as much as he wanted. She couldn't tell him what he could or couldn't do.<br />
<br />
Well, she could, but chances were he'd not take her seriously. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5X75nv8KWIreQ7_-6ucF0luPMePW7vvxy8nKiZOc_epHD2MXPgPAltkAbhQkLdGuC1Dw-DDvPsvy6QHrW9kErarSuHvZNSvnpi_3k8bwIpYpFr29rTQIXNy3TkrmS551AVy7vO5qa3Ahf/s1600/Screenshot-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5X75nv8KWIreQ7_-6ucF0luPMePW7vvxy8nKiZOc_epHD2MXPgPAltkAbhQkLdGuC1Dw-DDvPsvy6QHrW9kErarSuHvZNSvnpi_3k8bwIpYpFr29rTQIXNy3TkrmS551AVy7vO5qa3Ahf/s640/Screenshot-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Karen had no choice but to patiently wait until he returned. She pinched herself from time to time in an effort to keep herself awake. <br />
<br />
It was, in fact, nearing midnight when Lief came home. Upon entering, he saw his daughter standing in the hallway, and his cheery mood dissipated.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o6o_I7VixdwH02nwGslqKGHgMDL9ZMMMu14mbUFRg_s_V7TLdCjMVtqyIalrE9ymSpidoZYTFxy444Y-VluRuqEOfxe0wLxS-MK74PE2t6yyEr-q8QSxLknH5uZoup2tQqAp6klVp1eu/s1600/Screenshot-45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o6o_I7VixdwH02nwGslqKGHgMDL9ZMMMu14mbUFRg_s_V7TLdCjMVtqyIalrE9ymSpidoZYTFxy444Y-VluRuqEOfxe0wLxS-MK74PE2t6yyEr-q8QSxLknH5uZoup2tQqAp6klVp1eu/s640/Screenshot-45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"Dad, I..." Now that Karen had the chance to speak with her father, suddenly the words wouldn't come. It was as if some mysterious force was causing her to twist her tongue.<br />
<br />
"I guess I..." She what? Overreacted? And if so, over what? The reasons she thought of giving were rather unreasonable. <br />
<br />
Thankfully, Lief patiently waited for his daughter to say what was on her mind. <br />
<br />
"Maybe I guess it's okay if you date Arvid's mom. I mean, it's still kinda gross, but..." <br />
<br />
At this point, words failed her. She couldn't think of anything to follow up with, but then, maybe there wasn't anything more.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzJ4fuTUlnZmunvvnprlz7ajcnjMINnPVMr6ELSJwEBOvHVuC8LeMLGBQlQNmU0G96ZRT4bsJ-YUIAHCnlvTC7jw80y4kViDEOPVufKrNb8uwsUrfRdciuqVXcYX31lx7Q5PCwgnc1R77/s1600/Screenshot-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzJ4fuTUlnZmunvvnprlz7ajcnjMINnPVMr6ELSJwEBOvHVuC8LeMLGBQlQNmU0G96ZRT4bsJ-YUIAHCnlvTC7jw80y4kViDEOPVufKrNb8uwsUrfRdciuqVXcYX31lx7Q5PCwgnc1R77/s640/Screenshot-46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Both Lief and Karen were happy to be on better terms again. It made Lief's good night to her all the more satisfying.<br />
<br />
Yet, Lief was wondering what <i>everyone</i> would feel about the new arrangement. Karen gave her grudging respect, Josefin's boys seemed accepting of it.<br />
<br />
But, could everyone be all right with it? Both living and dead?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bloAUNBCuElgMQZCELm9QD4U8IxDpYjhEeaHjfz_xyNwrj6bUkooHQWSX2dKF9__itgm9dsCcztNB_orN8rFvrxzyHp9ikGrIiiZd2WNplgwBIK_OEr1amZbsnmmSXGdk6NbihSNyS4U/s1600/Screenshot+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bloAUNBCuElgMQZCELm9QD4U8IxDpYjhEeaHjfz_xyNwrj6bUkooHQWSX2dKF9__itgm9dsCcztNB_orN8rFvrxzyHp9ikGrIiiZd2WNplgwBIK_OEr1amZbsnmmSXGdk6NbihSNyS4U/s640/Screenshot+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Lief was initially hoping to get some sleep tonight, but now it didn't seem like he'd get any. <br />
<br />
Right now, he had to go someplace else.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 8. And Happy Holidays.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-16455034087361527362013-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-25T12:00:03.461-08:00Chapter 7: Heart-to-Heart(As a bit of a special gift, there will be <i>two </i>updates for today.)<br />
<br />
Karen was still pretty steamed over her father dating again. She was more so when he was now dating Mrs. Oss.<br />
<br />
Normally, when her dad found a new girlfriend, she just dealt with it and waited for the inevitable divorce proceedings. But not this time. Not with Josefin.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, today was the weekend, so she and Karl had the whole day to spend at home.<br />
<br />
And by spend the day at home, that meant they sat and watched TV in their pajamas.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWXs1G-scFXSehY7Md30FnJEAAH0Ri4iOH2DPbBoDzNadfsqGzknEDxnHgzqbA5S6Rmf9MK0GhyZwro8-WfliZ4ADvXvtozqTLUonTFO6-hLU9x8YBrLQsGSXQVRC3cFpkettWRHEGScZ/s1600/Screenshot-19+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWXs1G-scFXSehY7Md30FnJEAAH0Ri4iOH2DPbBoDzNadfsqGzknEDxnHgzqbA5S6Rmf9MK0GhyZwro8-WfliZ4ADvXvtozqTLUonTFO6-hLU9x8YBrLQsGSXQVRC3cFpkettWRHEGScZ/s640/Screenshot-19+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Karen didn't mind Karl. In fact, they got along quite well. Both of them always swapped jokes, and made good company.<br />
<br />
Today, though, Karl could sense something was off about Karen's mood. Something not of a laughing matter. <br />
<a name='more'></a>"Who is she?" His question startled Karen. It wasn't that she was surprised he actually spoke, it was the tone in his voice. She was also surprised that he seemed to know almost as much as she did. <br />
<br />
"Uh..." Karen swallowed, then tried to find the right words to explain everything to him. "Arvid and Edvin's mom. It's..."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6V7xzqNEnrV4Y1FwgpCzvH77mtdv6wH9kZHxm_joPyo8GzlvJIL9Y8U-XLrX1xl4SzEQ-bgGxdAtGnNUeWGr_jPaoZIAEs6pm85_0wYfa7wBQx2QlMn4T2-xGfGpfiuD9jky8HQUDjcn_/s1600/Screenshot-21+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6V7xzqNEnrV4Y1FwgpCzvH77mtdv6wH9kZHxm_joPyo8GzlvJIL9Y8U-XLrX1xl4SzEQ-bgGxdAtGnNUeWGr_jPaoZIAEs6pm85_0wYfa7wBQx2QlMn4T2-xGfGpfiuD9jky8HQUDjcn_/s640/Screenshot-21+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"Waiiit... How'd you even know Dad's seeing a new woman, anyway?" However Karl found out, it had to have been recently.<br />
<br />
"I heard you outside earlier, yelling at him." Karen didn't think she had been that loud. <br />
<br />
"Well, of course I was yelling! It's a little awkward to find out your dad started dating your boyfriend's mom!"<br />
<br />
"Awkward, yes. But maybe Dad really likes her?"<br />
<br />
"That's what you said about Kristin's mom. And look what happened." Karl was not as familiar with Lief's track record of failed marriages.<br />
<br />
"I mean it this time! Mrs. Oss doesn't seem as flighty as Lara was." Oddly, he neglected to mention his own mother. Karen simply chalked that up to the complicated relationship mother and son had.<br />
<br />
"But it's still creepy! What if they get married?"<br />
<br />
"So what? They just started dating, right? Even if they do get married, it hopefully won't be for months. So why make a fuss of it now?" <br />
<br />
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"What makes you think it'd be months?"<br />
<br />
"Because even Dad wouldn't up and marry a person he just recently met!" He had been right there. As quick as Lief was to remarry twice before, he would never just up and marry a woman he'd only been dating for a few days. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xCx094qOF_XRKQTnDZT626pBQmGQUFvF5kZs_hYW00hSjyQ5wJPKr7Es20qebpv61nvWTZa9fyyKVFJztqJhZaOC1CNardDmmqwDMTMT7lBSF_Yi8HUQp_3W06tlMyXD-1BkXiQ427Qy/s1600/Screenshot-24+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xCx094qOF_XRKQTnDZT626pBQmGQUFvF5kZs_hYW00hSjyQ5wJPKr7Es20qebpv61nvWTZa9fyyKVFJztqJhZaOC1CNardDmmqwDMTMT7lBSF_Yi8HUQp_3W06tlMyXD-1BkXiQ427Qy/s640/Screenshot-24+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"So even though the two of them getting married is probably inevitable, why worry about it now? Let Dad be happy, yeah?" ...Sometimes Karl was far smarter than most people gave him credit for. <br />
<br />
Either way, Karen made a mental note to talk to her dad when he got back tonight. <br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 7.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-2350122150219894782013-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-19T12:00:01.363-08:00Chapter 6: Lay Bare The Inner FeelingsThe early morning confrontation with his teenage daughter still made Lief feel uneasy.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMy8Vv-kDXze175l9ZyO7ynSYF2GYQ4HEIw7Ku__WoKIOFPIvY6vgHLl2_Z0gX9d-o_LEKqUYiS7DrEcAGvsTzgVHKFPlBu0stwrrMZk2jzxpRstnEtfTr6xTzGwowRT-IIDvEHwsTJx2i/s1600/Screenshot+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMy8Vv-kDXze175l9ZyO7ynSYF2GYQ4HEIw7Ku__WoKIOFPIvY6vgHLl2_Z0gX9d-o_LEKqUYiS7DrEcAGvsTzgVHKFPlBu0stwrrMZk2jzxpRstnEtfTr6xTzGwowRT-IIDvEHwsTJx2i/s640/Screenshot+%252812%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He knew she disapproved of this relationship, but he was still at odds as to what he should do.<br />
<br />
Lief knew he could ask Josefin, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to put a damper on their date.<br />
<br />
But then, he was also curious about how Arvid felt about it. That is, if Josefin had told her boys at all yet. <br />
<br />
In the end, Lief decided to just cross that bridge if he came to it tonight.<br />
<br />
But until that point, he was just going to have a nice little time with Josefin.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>And being the hopeless romantic he was, Lief came prepared.<br />
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<br />
"You like, you like~?" A verbal answer would have been a tad gratuitous. The look on her face told Lief everything. <br />
<br />
"I love, I love!" Clearly, Josefin was already impressed with Lief's efforts to please his partner.<br />
<br />
Perhaps flowers were a tad cliche, but it wasn't like he had to visit the city of R'lyeh and punch out Cthulhu. <br />
<br />
Their date wasn't anything fancy, just chatting about their day by the lake. The rain basically made it impossible to do anything else.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjc1jpUiH3PBFdGwu3spXGeqWKSOrVmuEC6u_8DYNrUXWYy3vEAJAEMzGaGSMoBjt-pZ4kp-5lAy2L2sCmflRireh-b24tPjzKL2VxZM0UEUelmGEZosb_7vst4Qu-0z1K_oMapW4zr-4g/s1600/Screenshot-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjc1jpUiH3PBFdGwu3spXGeqWKSOrVmuEC6u_8DYNrUXWYy3vEAJAEMzGaGSMoBjt-pZ4kp-5lAy2L2sCmflRireh-b24tPjzKL2VxZM0UEUelmGEZosb_7vst4Qu-0z1K_oMapW4zr-4g/s640/Screenshot-36.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"Mom, the toilet's clogged up." Then, as if on some unspoken cue, Arvid appeared from the bathroom. <br />
<br />
"Oh, right! I forgot to tell you I brought Arvid along." Josefin seemed embarrassed to admit this to her date.<br />
<br />
"Nah, I don't mind him at all. Though, seeing him reminded me of something that happened this morning."<br />
<br />
"Really?" Josefin seemed to become worried at Lief mentioning this.<br />
<br />
"Um...Can I go home, now? I think Edvin's off work in a couple of minutes." Arvid seemed to note the tension, and he was worried something might be off about Karen.<br />
<br />
Even if he was involved in some way, he wanted to be somewhere far away in case it was bad.<br />
<br />
"Go ahead, sweetie. It's almost curfew anyway."<br />
<br />
"Thanks, Mom. See you later, Lief." After he left, Lief breathed an internal sigh of relief. It would seem Arvid held no hostility toward the older man.<br />
<br />
"So what happened this morning?" Josefin asked the question, not entirely sure if she really wanted to know the answer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpFlMhjOqErbR0L3Qr0jy4vQnsY_3oj7lYiSQEd9GTYkc0FwvYJLqg7ZCqkFidBjN9r7p2Dz5UTVaTrTqqohFaQ5juthrnXpvJnq4eg5JaQYFp4INLUHXcS1c5_5SPhvg8R34zvJrsfRB/s1600/Screenshot-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpFlMhjOqErbR0L3Qr0jy4vQnsY_3oj7lYiSQEd9GTYkc0FwvYJLqg7ZCqkFidBjN9r7p2Dz5UTVaTrTqqohFaQ5juthrnXpvJnq4eg5JaQYFp4INLUHXcS1c5_5SPhvg8R34zvJrsfRB/s640/Screenshot-35.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"Oh...Apparently, Karen's not too happy about us dating." Lief remembered how <i>infuriated</i> his daughter was that morning. "She says it's creepy and weird."<br />
<br />
"Well, I don't blame her." Josefin was taking this oddly well. "It's a bit of a hard concept to grasp. I mean...have any of your ex-wives had children from other marriages? Besides with you, I mean."<br />
<br />
"No, they haven't." Lief looked off to the side, then had to ask. "Speaking of children, did you tell the boys we're dating now?"<br />
<br />
"I have. Arvid was initially upset about it, and said it was weird to think about. But...I guess he's warmed up to the idea. And Edvin, well...I'm guessing from his one word answer that he didn't mind."<br />
<br />
"So your boys are okay with us dating?"<br />
<br />
"I'd say so. Chances are though, with us dating as well as our children, that it'll make things complicated later on."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNDpssvTzdjm30eGpnvjwO7DrGWR91URi_wNZsTEh35n84uCLnTlQDcI7P2f8p2QhIgmfcWnlR92NDNfZUMS5N6XgkY8OoZBDXJ0i78zUyaTvGe9AoZD4hNWXkSw9KZZ7g7GbO3PLdzeW/s1600/Screenshot-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNDpssvTzdjm30eGpnvjwO7DrGWR91URi_wNZsTEh35n84uCLnTlQDcI7P2f8p2QhIgmfcWnlR92NDNfZUMS5N6XgkY8OoZBDXJ0i78zUyaTvGe9AoZD4hNWXkSw9KZZ7g7GbO3PLdzeW/s640/Screenshot-43.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"But for now? I'd say don't worry too much about it. Though I do feel bad for you." <br />
<br />
"You mean with Karen, right?" Lief felt happy that Josefin was willing to keep dating him, despite Karen's objections. At his question, his lady friend simply nodded.<br />
<br />
He still felt bad, though. Something told him that the longer he stayed with Josefin, the angrier his daughter would become.<br />
<br />
But he really did feel a connection with Josefin. If Lief did say so himself, he never completely felt it with his three exes. <br />
<br />
Lief was still between a rock and a hard place, but he was willing to take a chance.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 6.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-77269816998834458462013-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-12T12:00:01.644-08:00Chapter 5: Blow Out, Fall OutLief had managed to keep his new relationship with Josefin a secret from his children.<br />
<br />
He was not entirely sure how they would take it, but it would not be long before the truth came out.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJA_87syVlP-SOKQPRhyEafwNUuUzP34ZP2GtQ_uqHR5q2jUnH5u0QA5ENyy-FB8sfp6dnjJI1vW-7kDaEd8Q3pQp8Z6eBiOlKDNRywtgBBEiQCVMmjimv-W6t3XBA6YXN5R0Q5qaQUUpy/s1600/Screenshot-6+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJA_87syVlP-SOKQPRhyEafwNUuUzP34ZP2GtQ_uqHR5q2jUnH5u0QA5ENyy-FB8sfp6dnjJI1vW-7kDaEd8Q3pQp8Z6eBiOlKDNRywtgBBEiQCVMmjimv-W6t3XBA6YXN5R0Q5qaQUUpy/s640/Screenshot-6+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Though perhaps he could have chosen a better time to break the news.<br />
<br />
For whatever reason, Karen had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Perhaps it was simply one of the many quirks of adolescence.<br />
<br />
Or, it might have had to do with the fact she fell off the bed in her sleep, at some point during the night. <br />
<br />
Either way, Karen clearly was not in the mood for anything displeasing.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span id="goog_1568790442"></span><span id="goog_1568790443"></span><br />
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That morning, Karen found her father outside, painting and merrily humming. The girl had a vague idea what had Lief in such a heavenly mood.<br />
<br />
She had that before, when she first began dating Arvid. Her father had been bitten by the love bug...again!<br />
<br />
"Um...Dad?" Karen hated to bother her father while he was painting, foul mood or not.<br />
<br />
"Yes, sweetie?" The tone of Lief's voice sounded almost...lyrical. Before Karen could ask what was going on, however, Lief's cell phone rang.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_w4JCKzdEThH27DgrvcotemY1d-JfEe_bgMNhUN_6rzVKfiIbyDtgaarEpO7mCxDwuCHqzhakHxzEWEE3C9Zr6r_PHWZVz3GKCzJngmC4KjYsdVKXO9ITuCwDB2ukcgGz7OowCQBPE_c/s1600/Screenshot-8+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_w4JCKzdEThH27DgrvcotemY1d-JfEe_bgMNhUN_6rzVKfiIbyDtgaarEpO7mCxDwuCHqzhakHxzEWEE3C9Zr6r_PHWZVz3GKCzJngmC4KjYsdVKXO9ITuCwDB2ukcgGz7OowCQBPE_c/s640/Screenshot-8+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"Y'ello~? Oh, hi, Josefin!" To Lief's delight, it was his new lady friend. Rather than ask for a favor, Josefin asked if he was good for a date tonight. <br />
<br />
Knowing full well saying no was rude, and he wouldn't refuse anyway, Lief was all too happy to oblige.<br />
<br />
But after he hung up, Lief found himself with a very upset teenage daughter. <br />
<br />
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"'Josefin'? You're dating Arvid's mom now?!" Karen did not like the sudden turn of events that appeared to have happened last night.<br />
<br />
"Now, Karen..."<br />
<br />
"Dad! Arvid's my boyfriend! You can't just up and start dating his mom!" For whatever reason, Lief wasn't sure if he liked where this was going.<br />
<br />
"Well, why not, sweetie?" His question just made Karen even angrier. <br />
<br />
"Because that's just creepy! It'd be like I was dating Karl!" Karen knew full well her arguments were being rather petulant in nature, but she was cranky and tired enough to not care.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Before long, Karen was off on a tirade of angry words towards her father.<br />
<br />
"I can't believe you're dating again! Why are you dating Arvid and Edvin's mother?! Didn't you learn the first three times?! This is practically betrayal! Are you just going to keep adding on to your ex-wives like you're proud of it?!"<br />
<br />
The entire time, Lief was too shocked to say a word to stop her. By the time she was finally done, Karen turned on her heel and stormed back inside.<br />
<br />
It was a short while later before Lief himself headed back in. He figured to try to do some computer work before he went to see Josefin tonight.<br />
<br />
He just really didn't feel like painting anymore.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Never in all the time had Karen acted in such an extreme manner. Lief felt it was understandable, seeing as she had been through this same process twice before. <br />
<br />
But she had never been that angry about it. She had been merely disappointed.<br />
<br />
Then again, she may have been mad at the fact that his new woman was her boyfriend's mom.<br />
<br />
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<br />
It was rather creepy to think about. But what could Lief do? He simply couldn't try to break his daughter and her boyfriend up.<br />
<br />
No, that would be far too cruel. But he felt a connection to Josefin, as well.<br />
<br />
Either throw away a potential relationship, or ruin his daughter's life...<br />
<br />
What was a father to do?<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 5.)<br />
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rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-3077581511145592442013-12-05T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-05T12:00:01.369-08:00Chapter 4: In the Name of the MoonSome time after what he still wasn't sure was an actual date, Lief still couldn't get Josefin off his mind.<br />
<br />
Of course, that had happened to him at least three times before, and none of those times ended well. And yet, something told him she was worth it.<br />
<br />
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Nevertheless, he was wary. Arvid and Edvin's mother was a widow, after all. He had no experience with widows.<br />
<br />
But then, there was nothing wrong with courting a woman with experience. On the other hand, Josefin might still be grieving her late husband. <br />
<br />
Lief wasn't going to push her into a potential relationship if she didn't want one. It was still worth a try, though.<br />
<br />
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<br />
So, the next chance he got, he waited until Karen got home from school. When she did, he made sure she was all right on her own.<br />
<br />
Of course, perhaps Lief should have taken better note of the night. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<br />
Lief had forgotten that this particular night was the full moon. <br />
<br />
Indeed, the full moon, under certain circumstances, could instill a sense of romance in certain people.<br />
<br />
It also bathed the town in a freaky eerie glow and made some townspeople go borderline crazy. <br />
<br />
Said borderline crazies gave Lief a partial reason on checking up on the Oss family. He didn't want anyone bothering Josefin or the boys.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, Josefin was home.<br />
<br />
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"You guys okay? You know how some people get during the full moon..." At this point, Lief was cursing his general cowardice. He was trying his best to resist asking, <i>"And can I go out with you sometime?"</i><br />
<br />
"We're okay. If anything, I'm surprised someone came to check up on us." She said, before looking down and blushing.<br />
<br />
"Oh, well, you know, just worried about you, is all." <br />
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"You were worried about little ol' me? Well, that's just so sweet of you." Normally, such words would be said with a tone of sarcasm, but then again, Josefin wasn't one of Lief's ex-wives.<br />
<br />
So in this case, her words were genuine.<br />
<br />
As she was talking, Lief finally decided to gather up his courage and tell her the truth.<br />
<br />
"Well, actually, Josefin...There might have been another reason for me coming here." Lief swallowed, thankful he wasn't wetting his pants at this point.<br />
<br />
"Oh? And what reason would that be?"<br />
<br />
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<br />
"Uh, well, it might just be the moonlight talking, but..." How could Lief properly evoke his thoughts as spoken words? Should he bring her beauty to attention? The fact she was a hardworking mother of two boys? Or even that she was a subject of many of his thoughts?<br />
<br />
"Well, you know that obviously you're a...Well, you're a lovely lady and, eh...Just thought maybe that since you're single and all, I was wondering..."<br />
<br />
"Oh? Go on." The fact that Josefin had not slugged Lief over his stumbling was amazing.<br />
<br />
"I, uh, thought maybe you would want to, you know...go on a date something, or something? Figured, I myself am looking for a new lady, but..."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMjG8EqlO26OBvM9t-addjiwQpIELJ65sEoP_jY52-UsVcmZDCgil_c5mOpMoWDFwwIwh3NiGQHubPNRGtzeeqVirp18LWwyGZwKAJvx3LsncJZRKLcrFAhgfQRVUMBcJVdJdVnWLhIBU/s1600/Screenshot-10+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMjG8EqlO26OBvM9t-addjiwQpIELJ65sEoP_jY52-UsVcmZDCgil_c5mOpMoWDFwwIwh3NiGQHubPNRGtzeeqVirp18LWwyGZwKAJvx3LsncJZRKLcrFAhgfQRVUMBcJVdJdVnWLhIBU/s640/Screenshot-10+%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
At this point, Lief took a deep breath to compose himself better. "I don't know, I've never asked out a widow before. I would assume you'd still be grieving over your husband and all."<br />
<br />
"Well, actually, come to think of it..." The instant Lief heard those words, he could not believe his luck. "The boys have been wanting me to start dating again. I suppose it's a way for me to help move on from Kalle's death."<br />
<br />
"R-Really?! I mean...You'll really think about us dating?" Lief was wanting to punch himself, for surely he must have been dreaming.<br />
<br />
"Well, of course! You're a nice enough man, and I'd would love very much to pursue a relationship with you."<br />
<br />
"And if it doesn't work out, we'd part amicably, right?" Lief didn't want to add that last part, but he had to cover all the bases just in case.<br />
<br />
"You know we would!" Already the two seemed to be making headway in a budding relationship.<br />
<br />
"Awesome! Can we kiss on it?" When Josefin nodded in approval, it was done.<br />
<br />
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<br />
That night, Arvid and Edvin seemed to notice Mr. Helgason going home with a noticeable spring in his step. <br />
<br />
And there was good reason for that. In fact, come tomorrow morning, Lief was going to tell his kids the good news.<br />
<br />
Well, it was good to him, anyway.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 4.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-83316897810899032832013-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:002013-11-28T12:00:01.586-08:00Chapter 3: It's a Date! Or is it?Lief had not actually expected it to be only Josefin to visit his home. <br />
<br />
He also had not expected her to show up so early.<br />
<br />
But of course, that was not going to stop him from being a decent host to his guest.<br />
<br />
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<br />
According to Josefin, Arvid was called into his part-time job, and Edvin hadn't been feeling too well. Lief was...saddened to hear that.<br />
<br />
But nonetheless, he would make sure that Josefin was appreciated. And he even promised he'd go visit Edvin if possible.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"So, is your husband keeping an eye on Edvin while you're gone?" Lief had to ask. <br />
<br />
As she answered, Lief couldn't help but notice Josefin's smile was a little tight around the edges. "I'm...afraid not," she said in a rather sad tone of voice.<br />
<br />
"Huh? Why not?"<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>At that point, Josefin dropped the smile completely. <br />
<br />
"My husband...died about a year or so ago." Even as she said it, Josefin looked as if the memory physically pained her.<br />
<br />
Lief himself felt bad for even asking her.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"He...He did?" He felt even worse for further inquiring of how Mr. Oss died. "How?"<br />
<br />
"It was a fire. I was at work, the boys were at school. Apparently, he tried to contain it himself, but...well, by the time I was informed of what was going on, they said he was dead. <br />
<br />
"That's horrible, Josefin. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you." Of course, he'd never been widowed. All his marriages ended in a courtroom.<br />
<br />
"Hey, I'm used to it. I try to make sure my boys don't hurt anymore. I don't want them to suffer, and well, I've been through enough to be used to it already."<br />
<br />
At that point, Lief saw her smile a little again as she continued. "I try to teach Arvid and Edvin right and wrong, you know?"<br />
<br />
"And a good job you've done of that!" Josefin giggled at the compliment. <br />
<br />
"No, I mean it. Your sons are really well-behaved. Heck, I trust them with my kids when I'm at work." <br />
<br />
Josefin smiled again, then looked off to the side. "Thing is, though, I've been so busy at work, I've not been able to go to the store to get groceries. I've been so worried about them, I guess I got my priorities mixed up or something."<br />
<br />
"No time, you say? Well then..."Lief just felt like he needed to help out in some way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD3WBGT55grJa_ymCe-XacVxHDCzYmo07wg1w_pYc6y-m0mtBL77XSSiIf1am2bZgX3vc5LP9UIoPTyorpLhCjMRkNUkQVvWrZ0zspGmRC_eY-91vvmNtK-tuucFWMrocaiTZYvLygsB9/s1600/Screenshot-17+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD3WBGT55grJa_ymCe-XacVxHDCzYmo07wg1w_pYc6y-m0mtBL77XSSiIf1am2bZgX3vc5LP9UIoPTyorpLhCjMRkNUkQVvWrZ0zspGmRC_eY-91vvmNtK-tuucFWMrocaiTZYvLygsB9/s640/Screenshot-17+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a>"How about we do that right now?"<br />
<br />
"You sure, Mister Helgason?"<br />
<br />
"Call me Lief," he corrected. "And sure I'm sure! This way you can save time, and get home to Edvin faster." <br />
<br />
"And don't worry about my own kids," Lief added. "Karen is more than capable of watching her siblings."<br />
<br />
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<br />
At that moment, Karen was watching TV in the other room with Karl. She couldn't quite make out what her father and boyfriend's mother were talking about.<br />
<br />
She did hear her name once or twice, though.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Meanwhile, Kristin was in her baby swing, in her father's den. Her older sister checked on her from time to time.<br />
<br />
Mostly, though, she was sitting in her chair, giggling and likely planning her next means of mischief.<br />
<br />
Regardless, Lief assured Josefin that they were all fine.<br />
<br />
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Of course, when they got there, Lief realized maybe he should've brought his wallet. <br />
<br />
Josefin, however, told him it was fine. In fact, she brought up a compromise.<br />
<br />
She could give him the money she had, and he could get her groceries for her. Lief of course protested, but she insisted.<br />
<br />
He really didn't want to argue with a woman. He had had plenty of that with his exes.<br />
<br />
But when all was said and done, it had already began to get late. After putting away everything for her, Lief said his goodbye to Josefin. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaWRvtRyRSZRSjg0XxnBQKJORnlQI6x9fb_Xig7GiITwuhnHO51KofQPg68cXdL1bGV-wNAIAlWka-Ro0_upiO3UML_c7gpLxrl-tdfK4mMGlYpb0YlQprdVCrtBY2lm4e4d5qaws-3Ze/s1600/Screenshot-23+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaWRvtRyRSZRSjg0XxnBQKJORnlQI6x9fb_Xig7GiITwuhnHO51KofQPg68cXdL1bGV-wNAIAlWka-Ro0_upiO3UML_c7gpLxrl-tdfK4mMGlYpb0YlQprdVCrtBY2lm4e4d5qaws-3Ze/s640/Screenshot-23+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
"So uh, tell Edvin I hope he gets better soon, and you know... If you guys need anything, just give me a call, all right?" Lief normally didn't make such promises to someone he barely knew. <br />
<br />
But something told him that Arvid and Edvin's mother was an exception.<br />
<br />
And as he was heading home, Lief couldn't help but realize something: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbattYy3_EORNpIiny1U0YIVdvUmsp_Dpo8mrGfLck6iNov_x08HUgaLoTaNdBvpKutLzrnXditSq9Bd8iTKysI8EmkMwnDSj7RZ3CVCE3R1wAz6hBBRd2Qs1SlEJIza-crdxM75ntKkg7/s1600/Screenshot-24+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbattYy3_EORNpIiny1U0YIVdvUmsp_Dpo8mrGfLck6iNov_x08HUgaLoTaNdBvpKutLzrnXditSq9Bd8iTKysI8EmkMwnDSj7RZ3CVCE3R1wAz6hBBRd2Qs1SlEJIza-crdxM75ntKkg7/s640/Screenshot-24+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><i>"Did I just go on my first date since my most recent divorce</i></b>?" <br />
<br />
Of course, Lief being Lief, he couldn't be exactly sure if it was an actual date, or just him helping out a new friend. <br />
<br />
Whether it was or not, he would sleep on it. Hopefully come morning, he would know for sure. <br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 3. And to anyone in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-8857599661872973502013-11-21T12:00:00.000-08:002013-11-21T12:00:05.182-08:00Chapter 2: SerendipityThe next day, true to his word, Lief had finished at the office, and come to take Karen home.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki7U7DJv0iW6XuEoiPdoCOlh314P2c6Rt8G3VL7wkF68Wf4bf-aMBNbD1JSpFVsjPyrJKxr4dm-1fFsJ-1soTmCzoeBVIGBBoO6Jw5epL1DN7imCHIK80wiD6EFjtMewCPA0YOyBKSiX4/s1600/Screenshot-6+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki7U7DJv0iW6XuEoiPdoCOlh314P2c6Rt8G3VL7wkF68Wf4bf-aMBNbD1JSpFVsjPyrJKxr4dm-1fFsJ-1soTmCzoeBVIGBBoO6Jw5epL1DN7imCHIK80wiD6EFjtMewCPA0YOyBKSiX4/s640/Screenshot-6+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He knew he could take his time, but Lief really didn't want to dawdle. Not to mention he had asked the neighbors to watch Kristin before he went to work. Surely, they weren't being too inconvenienced?<br />
<br />
It was better than constantly hiring a babysitter, and not as expensive. But, hopefully, Lief would relieve them of that duty shortly, and they could head home.<br />
<br />
But first things first. Pick up Karen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc6VMYv6nOCm58crSBUB_ZqTXUpl0j7aSCEbGoEEuXshWkWTUFXJyOf161FmvTZ5goGqOvvH2a58dyugLImKxtgkXvxunD5iNbnGUMPwcPZ3y5TNNm79565apauSX3BsPcaHbvAFXMjXQ/s1600/Screenshot-7+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc6VMYv6nOCm58crSBUB_ZqTXUpl0j7aSCEbGoEEuXshWkWTUFXJyOf161FmvTZ5goGqOvvH2a58dyugLImKxtgkXvxunD5iNbnGUMPwcPZ3y5TNNm79565apauSX3BsPcaHbvAFXMjXQ/s640/Screenshot-7+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Lief was given the familiar greeting from Edvin Oss. It was friendly, if not a tad blunt. <br />
<br />
But then, Edvin wasn't one to be overly wordy. He was more suited to give a handshake and a short "Hey."<br />
<br />
After being let in, Lief had to ask if the boys' parents were home. As if expecting the answer, Edvin responded with "Mom is."<br />
<br />
For whatever reason, Lief never actually met Mr. and Mrs. Oss. But he attributed that to not knowing the boys all that long. But this time, he felt it was about time to meet the parents.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>When trying to envisioning a 'mother of twins', for some twisted reason, Lief imagined a woman hardened by time.<br />
<br />
After all, raising twin boys, no matter how well-behaved, had to have been a challenge. Surely a woman's looks had to have weathered. <br />
<br />
But when it came time to meet Mrs. Oss, Lief certainly wasn't expecting whohe saw.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhz6xBDzqXZge_2nOJKA5DiO1bYpDbT3xtSmnANwtJrakDPdKIbwyIj7m0d2cSxZC5eWSX_iKC5zNs0Z8rxkg_fBU9R4QP-tUMCWEgT_O2Ed81nd8uJstu_Cj-UhvIzJSaKoQnvCTVlwj/s1600/Screenshot-12+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhz6xBDzqXZge_2nOJKA5DiO1bYpDbT3xtSmnANwtJrakDPdKIbwyIj7m0d2cSxZC5eWSX_iKC5zNs0Z8rxkg_fBU9R4QP-tUMCWEgT_O2Ed81nd8uJstu_Cj-UhvIzJSaKoQnvCTVlwj/s640/Screenshot-12+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
That is to say, he wasn't expecting to meet a woman who could be called, as some might say in English, a knockout.<br />
<br />
After Lief got over his initial "oh gosh, hot mom" thoughts, he actually managed to break the ice with Arvid and Edvin's mother.<br />
<br />
Mostly, he learned her first name was Josefin, and she worked in Law Enforcement. But, unfortunately, that was all he managed to remember of what she told him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jzNMuAdUbfNAhGwmrWHCCOeyy1oRqAoSFWAntZGpVLqFQQwlYnpGE31POVeVOEbSHNUFHErL2qpoi8_tGEf6-V8D-L7uzmb9HKESzhWtLjYQzhk0t9NfHr9bGSuaqNfRdBN_91RzD9dW/s1600/Screenshot-9+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jzNMuAdUbfNAhGwmrWHCCOeyy1oRqAoSFWAntZGpVLqFQQwlYnpGE31POVeVOEbSHNUFHErL2qpoi8_tGEf6-V8D-L7uzmb9HKESzhWtLjYQzhk0t9NfHr9bGSuaqNfRdBN_91RzD9dW/s640/Screenshot-9+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Lief then said his amicable farewell to Josefin, to take Karen home. He wanted to know more about her life, but he also didn't want to keep Kristin waiting.<br />
<br />
Still, Lief couldn't help but wonder, where had Mr. Oss gotten off to?<br />
<br />
Come to think of it, Josefin hadn't mentioned her husband at all. And Arvid and Edvin never talked about him.<br />
<br />
For whatever reason, it just bothered him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi1YPZcrQCSEMbKDaBQdO3Gme6UjE5ETsN22VUxE14hkQFgynPxXt4bA5-bLvodQdhK-iq_a8UwUmDm8goE_tE__7SYy8r-cHDK1Ybm_lwdMl-QY2_emmra3FocuUcmKobLHrsUGVLBzU/s1600/Screenshot-6+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi1YPZcrQCSEMbKDaBQdO3Gme6UjE5ETsN22VUxE14hkQFgynPxXt4bA5-bLvodQdhK-iq_a8UwUmDm8goE_tE__7SYy8r-cHDK1Ybm_lwdMl-QY2_emmra3FocuUcmKobLHrsUGVLBzU/s640/Screenshot-6+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Maybe he could invite them over the next day. After all, Karen and Arvid were dating. Chances were, Karen and possibly even the Oss boys wouldn't like that, but hopefully they'd understand what he was doing.<br />
<br />
At least, it wasn't as if Lief was directly trying to pry into his daughter's love life. It was merely making a new friend or two. Nothing too fancy, either, just inviting them over to his house.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwqI6oO7YOuDU458Eso_Xz_MvZ1EBD2Eatt6EWw02I3PyNwbVWxcKRsDVcTgHTJWHiR30SYO8jTTwz7iR8GpnrCV_dT4flLgrRPSfoBWLpx29Sd-1ZWp8XbtdbqECH7-A15zQYct2sS2c/s1600/Screenshot-7+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwqI6oO7YOuDU458Eso_Xz_MvZ1EBD2Eatt6EWw02I3PyNwbVWxcKRsDVcTgHTJWHiR30SYO8jTTwz7iR8GpnrCV_dT4flLgrRPSfoBWLpx29Sd-1ZWp8XbtdbqECH7-A15zQYct2sS2c/s640/Screenshot-7+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And come Leisure Day, the next time Lief got of work, that's exactly what he did.<br />
<br />
(End of Chapter 2.) rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-21684609991509764282013-11-14T12:00:00.000-08:002013-11-14T12:00:01.618-08:00Chapter 1: And They Call It Puppy LoveIn most families, a father is very protective of his daughter, and who she is involved with. This is especially true if said daughter is already dating.<br />
<br />
But that was not the case with Lief. He knew the boy his beloved daughter Karen was dating was trustworthy.<br />
<br />
He also knew that his daughter would never go off somewhere alone without his permission. If he deemed a location unsuitable for Karen by herself, he would deny her going.<br />
<br />
But Karen's boyfriend Arvid was a good boy. Lief knew that. Arvid's brother Edvin was also able to be trusted.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3m4UF4tZTY__2Z3aCmZwEBhyphenhyphenF3El_SF_yjzaDo_zbDxtey_MCZb5N6Kw4FiSLoOyBAPrvrY-RAQ-RYhOy4ytCKpBASm7nq5ZGzDpCpBatIkD8XgpPIzdfGayn9fercsLeYsYNT84Vs0j/s1600/Screenshot-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3m4UF4tZTY__2Z3aCmZwEBhyphenhyphenF3El_SF_yjzaDo_zbDxtey_MCZb5N6Kw4FiSLoOyBAPrvrY-RAQ-RYhOy4ytCKpBASm7nq5ZGzDpCpBatIkD8XgpPIzdfGayn9fercsLeYsYNT84Vs0j/s640/Screenshot-26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
When Lief was at work, he could count on both boys to watch his children. <br />
<br />
So when Karen requested that she spend the night at Arvid's house, Lief was all to happy to let her:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>---<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qr3YjO597vQNS8Ghs6xyaxQnfHnHc4Yp5Kg7RVQmIZ7cDmE_NkiW2EzJamDHfM3La0_AxII3obUQAO-sMqJOsFvdAww_CKDU9CGrFyqWT9nGovuL7IKR9YJmv79r6DTXj7UYF6RCuA0z/s1600/Karen+Talking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qr3YjO597vQNS8Ghs6xyaxQnfHnHc4Yp5Kg7RVQmIZ7cDmE_NkiW2EzJamDHfM3La0_AxII3obUQAO-sMqJOsFvdAww_CKDU9CGrFyqWT9nGovuL7IKR9YJmv79r6DTXj7UYF6RCuA0z/s640/Karen+Talking.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>"I'll have to ask my dad," Leif's eldest Karen said into her phone. </i><br />
<br />
<i>"Ask me what, honey?" Lief asked, coming into the door. Having been recently promoted, he was feeling quite good about himself. </i><br />
<br />
<i>And like most teenage girls, Karen was always wishing to spend time with her beloved boyfriend. </i><br />
<br />
<i>"Hi, dad," she said as she hung up after saying goodbye. She knew the rules as well as her father. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdnvrtrnKWlos-zo0Q0TQISogkh_vr4ojpn2YrfE6xW9jlOQ-9dc5XYSG8pYX6urRimk2TtIn9pqIbX_KnfEL3gtThTIJp1DI5HY_WC3FGVhCEBfhLKNWcYFGlGgBcjxz0UThLdMzIKTg/s1600/Request.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdnvrtrnKWlos-zo0Q0TQISogkh_vr4ojpn2YrfE6xW9jlOQ-9dc5XYSG8pYX6urRimk2TtIn9pqIbX_KnfEL3gtThTIJp1DI5HY_WC3FGVhCEBfhLKNWcYFGlGgBcjxz0UThLdMzIKTg/s640/Request.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i>"Can I spend the night at Arvid's house?" A simple enough request, though Lief had to unfortunately ask her the embarrassing questions anyway.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"Are you going to get to school on time tomorrow morning?" Karen said she would. "Are you going to call in case something goes wrong?" Again, his daughter responded in the affirmative. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"I don't see why not, then." His answer made Karen happy as a lark. After hugging her father, off she went to her boyfriend's house. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And how delighted Arvid was when she arrived. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0YCx2UOToeksjR2R9hf39KuBEE7L3Yj1IGjvjgKwA2c5RiWCQ9nxanhpd2lnGaDu3H4ydmjkQ-IZvp0occDNSCCcc0YNTQXFgyM2OKSNWUGZHK5jPmzokydzut5tkk9wP149k4k6GZmt/s1600/Hug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0YCx2UOToeksjR2R9hf39KuBEE7L3Yj1IGjvjgKwA2c5RiWCQ9nxanhpd2lnGaDu3H4ydmjkQ-IZvp0occDNSCCcc0YNTQXFgyM2OKSNWUGZHK5jPmzokydzut5tkk9wP149k4k6GZmt/s640/Hug.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i>Arvid and his twin brother were always glad to see Karen, whether her visits were planned or not. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Of course, on this occasion, not much fun was had, seeing as their main source of entertainment was, well, not quite working. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbNPnPd4P3pkWYQ3oWySLWPsW8NYIvvcLzweAyjI3iXYoSsRZcagUGpH8JU6YbjPvx6T62Pp09JPC3Z6EsmAilZbuotLDy-7JIThgcOL-rpWs_8Odm1TH-y89wqcCSGKo_yFUGhRgxkuT/s1600/TV+Broke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbNPnPd4P3pkWYQ3oWySLWPsW8NYIvvcLzweAyjI3iXYoSsRZcagUGpH8JU6YbjPvx6T62Pp09JPC3Z6EsmAilZbuotLDy-7JIThgcOL-rpWs_8Odm1TH-y89wqcCSGKo_yFUGhRgxkuT/s640/TV+Broke.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Arvid's twin Edvin even stated outright, "TV's broke." So, the three teenagers had to find other ways to amuse themselves. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Or at least, help out with each other's homework. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnkYiY8ot8WfjotsKAqidy2872EQh3OW7SzD2pF5mfzkkyawKSdPW9Q0efXCSz5SeZ9i_dNbwAdshDWHq3aT63BR43xHNdDgK-hZAuRNrelp3fYRAfXabgi1onaNlw_JkHnQqtOm2g3WG/s1600/Homework.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnkYiY8ot8WfjotsKAqidy2872EQh3OW7SzD2pF5mfzkkyawKSdPW9Q0efXCSz5SeZ9i_dNbwAdshDWHq3aT63BR43xHNdDgK-hZAuRNrelp3fYRAfXabgi1onaNlw_JkHnQqtOm2g3WG/s640/Homework.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div>
<i>---</i><br />
<i><br /></i>After the night became more prominent, Arvid and Edvin had gone to bed early.<br />
<br />
Karen herself had taken the couch, but since it was still early according to her, she called up her father's house to see if anything was out of sorts.<br />
<br />
But no. Lief was happy to report that all was well back at her house.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJbRH5ljtAjuXH2lL6cTYW7UFwhaxZUemCjs7mlSjQOKMtjZVn8a5B6CZ23a7c3zwigI5aF5ft_71FMaS2KOUbwFnijHvbHvKYp6v8NjBMgpF86myCJyDosaUrRPdOWjKaLTmBuZEw5UK/s1600/Screenshot+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJbRH5ljtAjuXH2lL6cTYW7UFwhaxZUemCjs7mlSjQOKMtjZVn8a5B6CZ23a7c3zwigI5aF5ft_71FMaS2KOUbwFnijHvbHvKYp6v8NjBMgpF86myCJyDosaUrRPdOWjKaLTmBuZEw5UK/s640/Screenshot+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Her half-brother Karl had finished his homework and was imagining himself as Godzilla.<br />
<br />
Karen had giggled at this statement. She was always amused at Karl's declarations of "eating" everyone when he wore that outfit. <br />
<br />
As for her half-sister Kristin, Lief made sure to keep an eye on her.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ1EgrXeloFRUQe2oWtelQH1VOwor-8q5PPlhnVX9DDqA3CKgbKRBkoRgCUmlgUIGQKsRDwgPyFi4NJpPsuzjtlaeNa5u9-R-qM04LaGcfg-Zb-xS_iYeP9YWHO0-YkjHIP-j7qe8EOSW/s1600/Screenshot-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ1EgrXeloFRUQe2oWtelQH1VOwor-8q5PPlhnVX9DDqA3CKgbKRBkoRgCUmlgUIGQKsRDwgPyFi4NJpPsuzjtlaeNa5u9-R-qM04LaGcfg-Zb-xS_iYeP9YWHO0-YkjHIP-j7qe8EOSW/s640/Screenshot-23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Though young, Kristin did have a penchant for getting into trouble. Thankfully, her father kept an eye on her.<br />
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Then came the rest of the arrangements. Lief promised that he would let Karen stay at Arvid and Edvin's until he finished work.<br />
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By then, he would swing by and take Karen home. <br />
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Of course, there was no guarantee that he wasn't going to shoot the breeze with the boys. There was always a chance of that happening.<br />
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But what neither of them expected, was Lief's good fortune on this particular trip.<br />
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(End of Chapter 1.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6710403198216627600.post-3879999199498797292013-11-11T23:21:00.001-08:002013-11-12T10:41:24.354-08:00Prologue(Note: Unlike Soif de Sang and Rötterdämmerung, this story will not be told in first person. Rather, it will be told in third person, it a sort of borderline fairy tale format. I say fairy tale, because, well, I may have been inspired by the beginning narration of the Disney version of Cinderella.)<br />
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(Anywho...)<br />
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Once upon a time, in a snowy little town called Aurora Skies, there lived a little family. <br />
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This little group, by the name of Helgason, lived comfortably in their stately home. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr4XczrOiRD_LCck6vJ5kP7E5s0nWejiCy2xNzsGOqs7lPe7F_FCV0j8pDjR5Lh7v8oVn-FZflB52fONubyj9enhON4l_AqrtBzm4TKGCNQAtJ0BSboEJ1dTgMxVFLhF_-ozCTZQouVsu/s1600/Screenshot-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr4XczrOiRD_LCck6vJ5kP7E5s0nWejiCy2xNzsGOqs7lPe7F_FCV0j8pDjR5Lh7v8oVn-FZflB52fONubyj9enhON4l_AqrtBzm4TKGCNQAtJ0BSboEJ1dTgMxVFLhF_-ozCTZQouVsu/s640/Screenshot-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The head of the household, Lief, was a good man, who loved his three children more than anything in the world.<br />
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Though very invested in his job in business, Lief still managed to find time for his son and daughters. <br />
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His children were, by name: Karen, the eldest, Karl, the middle child and only son, and Kristen, the baby. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDx-J9oL_k7pe0-ElIPPUqIAqz0cy9HQx8v8mkr9SCqSMomv1mhNIr9UcFu21qbhgvu7WBNdrq-Mn2Y7bequowrPBHVsg8S9_Kxewv1b7O8zVJu6cqe71k17TzdsrlUzUI_bbPXEJwNU4O/s1600/Screenshot-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDx-J9oL_k7pe0-ElIPPUqIAqz0cy9HQx8v8mkr9SCqSMomv1mhNIr9UcFu21qbhgvu7WBNdrq-Mn2Y7bequowrPBHVsg8S9_Kxewv1b7O8zVJu6cqe71k17TzdsrlUzUI_bbPXEJwNU4O/s640/Screenshot-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although he was devoted to his three young ones, still Lief felt they needed a mother in their lives. Someone who would be there for them should any misfortune befall him. <br />
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But here is where this father is flawed. His experience with married life is...a negative one. For Lief has been married three times, each time thinking he had finally found his perfect match. <br />
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He had been wrong. Every...single...time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRPYTe3aQI53ajAu7MzAbJPhHDXJrdmK3pfB9UWSG4I5ObuAE7F0sj6T-BZC_UQsZdO39b9vI-EXhVpUk1H8qpDbPDmknFTXGQeJ1XuzdacFJSmjsyI4ytzqQtpjfFrqpixy0kZKJPDDv/s1600/Screenshot-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRPYTe3aQI53ajAu7MzAbJPhHDXJrdmK3pfB9UWSG4I5ObuAE7F0sj6T-BZC_UQsZdO39b9vI-EXhVpUk1H8qpDbPDmknFTXGQeJ1XuzdacFJSmjsyI4ytzqQtpjfFrqpixy0kZKJPDDv/s640/Screenshot-19.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Lief is a good businessman, a good parent...he is apparently simply not a good spouse.<br />
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But that didn't stop him from searching for his true love. <br />
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Not only did he want to find a wife, he wished to find a mother for his three children. One that would care for them as her very own.<br />
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So far, Lief's luck has been lacking to find such a woman. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlFfxaArrcHkcaOQxPnNdrEU4vTRAw-sYNTMVVtVN3-t8aJWbwdSKajKgkE_VkLh7HG7SaHF6tipkM1opBP2wTjbyvZYWFsFTL-Ny4L_VP9mUgHImRA5UZ24rnzduomaheLhqq8FxspLT/s1600/Screenshot-9+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlFfxaArrcHkcaOQxPnNdrEU4vTRAw-sYNTMVVtVN3-t8aJWbwdSKajKgkE_VkLh7HG7SaHF6tipkM1opBP2wTjbyvZYWFsFTL-Ny4L_VP9mUgHImRA5UZ24rnzduomaheLhqq8FxspLT/s640/Screenshot-9+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But yet, through it all, Lief remains determined to find his soulmate. For with each passing day, this father only grows more determined, to make his little family finally, truly complete. <br />
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(End of prologue.)rednenemonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731633947552505074noreply@blogger.com1