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Hi, and welcome to the seventh part of Time and Trust! What do you think of the new cover? I'd like some feedback on it if you don't mind. I'm so sorry this took SOO long to get out, but there have been family problems I've had to deal with and truthfully I haven't been in the mood to write. This one took quite a bit of preparation too, so that added to the time. It will be longer, so hopefully that will make up for it a bit. I'm trying to make the rest of the parts longer.
Thanks to the CC creators! I love you guys! I couldn't live without it. Thanks especially to WolfSim68 for the use of her lot "Rendevous in Stoneyville" that I used in theis part.
Thanks to the CC creators! I love you guys! I couldn't live without it. Thanks especially to WolfSim68 for the use of her lot "Rendevous in Stoneyville" that I used in theis part. Aimee squinted at the screen, trying to read through her blurry, tired eyes. She'd been at this for days, and it seemed like she was barely getting anywhere. Cara had told her that it would take work, and she had blown her off. Now, Aimee could see what the woman had meant. This was torture.
Aimee ran a hand across her eyes, trying to clear the sleep. For two weeks, she had slept very little, spending every little free moment searching on the internet. Google, Canada411, etc. No one seemed to know her mother. The problem was, she barely remembered her mother's name. She had thought it was Anna, but she wasn't turning up any results. She could only guess that her mother had changed her name after she left Aimee's father. And to be honest, Aimee didn't blame her. Even so, no matter how much it made sense to have her name changed to get away from her past, it wasn't making Aimee's search any easier. Cara had called the social worker, and they told her that they didn't know who or where Aimee's mother was. She hadn't been a part of the adoption process, and her name wasn't on any of the papers. Cara had yelled at them for a long time, demanding to speak to the managers and higher executives, but it seemed that something had gone wonky in the paperwork. She pestered them until they recognized her number and refused to pick up the phone. By then, even Cara was ready to give up.
"Can this get any harder?" Aimee muttered to herself. It seemed unfair that everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Night had fallen on Aimee's search, and she knew that she should turn in. She wanted to search more, knowing that a breakthrough could come any time, but if she didn't get some sleep soon, she would end up quite sick. She shut the computer down and pushed back her chair. As she headed for her room, Aimee met Cara in the hall. "So, how goes the search?" asked Cara innocently. She took one look at Aimee's face and knew the answer, but she asked anyway. "Terrible. Just like you knew it would." Aimee said testily. Though she knew she shouldn't, she was taking all her frustration of failure out on Cara.
"Aw, I didn't say that! I only said it would be hard and you wouldn't get results overnight!" Cara defended herself. "Aimee, I know this is hard. You've been working for a long time, and you're probably discouraged. But keep going. You will find something, sometime." "But it's been two weeks! I'm out of options!" Aimee blew a breath through her lips.
"No, I highly doubt that. Something will break, just you see. By the way," Cara paused, wondering if she should finish her sentence. "Nevermind."
"No, what is it? It sounds important, spill."
"Okay, look, Jake has been calling. A lot. Aimee, please just give the guy a call. If nothing, it will spare his phone bill. I know enough to know repentance when I see it. Give him a chance! I think it will do you some good to think about something other than your search for a change." Aimee just shook her head. "I'm going to bed," she said, passing Cara. "I'm hoping to sleep in, so I might not be up early in the morning. I'll get my own breakfast" Aimee stalked down the hall and into her room, barely restraining herself from slamming the door.
"Good night," Cara whispered the empty room. The next morning, contrary to what she told Cara, Aimee was up at eight and in the shower shortly after. For some reason, her active mind just wouldn't let her sleep. She had to keep working, there was no other way. She stood under the stream of water and let it wash away her tension. Lately she's been skipping her morning bubble bath for a quicker shower. She couldn't waste one moment. She threw her hair back in a messy ponytail that she had been sporting for the past week. She didn't have time for her hair, or her makeup. Time to get down to business. As soon as she booted up the computer, she noticed the little message in the bottom corner. "You have 4 new email," it read. Who would be emailing me? she thought, but clicked on the message anyway. All four were from Jake. She sighed, wondering how he had gotten her address. Each one followed the same lines: Aimee, call me! I'm sorry, don't be mad.
"The little bugger." A thought occured to her. Cara must have given it to him to make him stop calling. "I'm gonna get her." Aimee said under her breath, giggling ever so slightly.
There was only one thing to do. She had to call him, just to get him off her back. For a moment, she hesitated, staring at the phone. Could she do this? Talk to the guy who gave her chills to think about? A small voice inside her shouted, Just do it! Aimee reluctantly picked up the phone and dialed the number that Jake had written at the bottom of his email. She held her breath as it rang, rang, rang, and then finally, it clicked and his voice carried over the line, "Hello?"
She paused, for but a moment. "Hi, Jake, it's me."
"Aimee! Finally! I've been waiting for you to call. Look, I'm sorry I made you upset, I didn't mean to, I didn't know, I mean, well, I don't know, just please, don't be mad! Please let me talk." He gasped, as if a new thought entered his mind. "AND DON'T HANG UP!" Aimee couldn't help it. She laughed.
"Does this mean you're not mad?" Jake's voice sounded small, like a child awaiting his punishment.
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. But I don't think I can stay mad at you when you beg like that. You haven't forgotten how to make me drop a grudge, have you?"
"Of course not! Come on, Aimee, do you think I could forget a thing like that?"
"Guess not."
"But Aimee, really, I am sorry. Really sorry. I shouldn't have shot my mouth off like that, I knew that you were-" He stopped. "Were what?" asked Aimee quietly.
"Nevermind. Please, accept my apology. I really didn't mean to hurt you." He was truly sorry.
"No worries, I forgive you."
"Thanks. Now, what have you been up to these past weeks, that you couldn't even call me back to listen to my groveling?"
"Well, the truth is, I've-" She broke off, wondering if telling him was a good idea.
"Look, Aimee, you can tell me. If you really don't want to, I understand, but I won't laugh. Promise. Who knows, maybe I can help."
She sighed. "Okay. I've been looking for my mom." "What do you mean?" He sounded puzzled.
"My mom left me when I was young, thinking that my grandma would take me away from my dad. She didn't." Aimee's bluntness surprised even herself.
"Oh."
"Yeah. I want to find her. My dad always told me she was dead, but Cara told me the truth. And now, I could even talk to her soon!" Excitement rose in her voice. "But at this rate, I'm starting to doubt it. My online search isn't getting anywhere."
"Maybe I CAN help..." Jake's voice trailed off as he thought. "How?" Hope jumped inside her, but she smothered it.
"See, I have this friend. We met in college, and she graduated with a degree in journalism last year. She works for a local paper, but her work gets published all over. She's a big hit."
"Wait, you don't mean..."
"Yes, I do mean. What if you talk to her? Maybe she could get your story out there, get it read. She's that good, Aimee. People read her stuff just because it's by her."
Aimee thought for a moment. "This just might work." She said slowly.
"Look, I can probably get an appointment today. You around?"
"Um, yeah, but if she's that famous, how can you get an appointment same-day?"
"We're old friends. She'll get me in, trust me."
A thought crossed Aimee's mind.
"Um, Jake, if you don't mind me prying, did you two ever-" "No, we never went out. Why?"
"Oh, no reason. Just curious. I'm a little snoopy sometimes." He laughed.
"No prob. Me too. I'll call you back in a few minutes after I talk to her, okay?"
"Okay. Talk to you soon."
"Bye."
Aimee put the phone down, feeling strangly happy. She just might be getting somewhere. Jake called her back within half an hour, and she had just enough time to brush on some makeup before she was out the door.
"Why is the appointment so soon?" Aimee had asked when she climbed in the car.
"She said the only time she could get us a time in the next two weeks was today, an hour after I called. It's our only option, unless you want to wait." Aimee had of course refused, but now as they were pulling up in front of the office, she doubted it was a good idea.
"Are you sure I look okay?" she inquired for the fourth time. Jake sighed tolerantly.
"You look fine! Okay? Lisa isn't going to care what you look like. I mean, I'm in jeans and a t-shirt, it doesn't matter." They walked up the front steps and paused by the front door. When Aimee got a good look at the building and the stature, her heart skittered.
"Jake, wait." she said, taking deep breaths.
"Aimee, you can do this thing! I promise you, Lisa's nice, she isn't going to judge you by what you do or do not say. And why would it matter?"
"But what if I don't like what she writes?"
"Trust me, you will. But we can ask to proof-read the content. Now, are you ready." Aimee shook her head, but Jake took her by the arm and all but dragged her inside. "We have an appointment with Lisa Allen." Jake said confidently to the receptionist. She looked him up and down, and finally checked her screen.
"Yes, I suppose you do. First door on the right, second floor." Her tone brushed them off coldly.
Aimee felt way out of place. This was the spot for the socially elite. Not her. She may be a model, but in truth, she was nothing more than a regular citizen. No matter what Cara tried to convince her of. Outside the door, Aimee stopped once again. "Jake, I can't do this."
He turned to her and gently took her hand. "Yes, you can."
She couldn't meet his eyes. "But, I don't belong, I shouldn't be doing this. Why did I think I could..." Her voice trailed.
"Aimee, please trust me. This is a good idea. Lisa can help. You don't have to say more than you want to. If she upsets you, I'll get us out of there, promise. I believe in you." He released her hand. Aimee still had her doubts, but she could see the logic in going through with the meeting. Jake gripped the doorknob, taking one last look over his shoulder at Aimee. She gulped and nodded slightly. "Come in, come in!" As the two entered, Aimee sized Lisa up. She was gorgeous, her chocolate coloured hair shining. She rose quickly and walked toward them.
"Jake, so nice to see you again." She reached for his hand. "How... are you?" She paused midway in the sentence and her eyes clouded. He tilted his head toward Aimee and communicated something with his eyes that was totally lost on the girl.
"I'm fine, Lisa. But we're here to talk about Aimee."
"Yes, for sure. Take a seat." They sat down in the comfy leather seats. Just as the silence became awkward, to Aimee at least, Jake said, "I'm going to try not to do too much talking, but the short story is Aimee is on a search for her mother. We were hoping that you might be able to assist us in the search." "I could be able to help. I know how difficult people-searches can be, so I can understand why you may have come to me. Aimee, do you want to give me some more information?" Lisa seemed kindly, in a professional kind of way. Aimee was somewhat surprised at being addressed directly. "Um, well, sure. Fifteen years ago, my mom left me with my dad. My dad told me that my mother was dead, and I guess I believed him, being only five at the time. Soon after, my father died of, well, health complications." Aimee breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew it was that easy to fleece the truth. "I was adopted, but due to some issues in the paperwork, my mother wasn't involved in the signing and such. The agency has no idea of her wherabouts." "I've been searching online for two weeks now, but I haven't had any worthwhile results. It's terribly discouraging. I'm guessing that my mother is alive, but I can't be sure." Aimee began to relax. This wasn't so hard. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been. I was incredibly lucky to grow up with two loving parents. Did your father tell you anything about her, well, supposed death?" "No, nothing. I was so young, I didn't ask for the details. In my heart, though I haven't admitted this to anyone else, I had this little inkling that my mom was still alive, but as I got older I passed it off as childhood imagination. Now, all I can think about is where she is and if she thinks about me. I was hoping that if we published this article..." Aimee paused, realizing how much she had revealed. Lisa picked up the conversation. "I don't mean to be abrupt, but how can you be sure that your mother may or may not read the article that is printed?" Lisa asked slowly, trying to come across as nice as possible. "Honestly, I can't. But I was just hoping that if the word got out, and more people heard the story, someone might know her, or have known her in previous years and might be able to contact me." Aimee spoke slowly, keeping her words in check. "Of course. Well, I think we may be on the right track by getting the word out there. I'd like to ask some more questions for the article, but I want to ask one of my own, first." She looked almost sheepish.
"Shoot," Aimee said, puzzled.
"Well, I was wondering, are you by any chance Aimee Wood, the model?" "Uh, yeah, I am." Aimee said, startled.
Lisa looked flustered. "Well, I've just seen some of the ads, and being in the media business I have connections, and many of them have mentioned this up and coming model, and I was just curious to meet her, I guess."
Aimee grinned. "Thank you. I'm not really used to being recognized, yet. But if you don't mind, don't include that in the article. I'm a little worried about fake responses claiming to have information just to get a glimpse of the 'glamorous world of modelling'." Lisa smiled. "No problem. Now, I'm just going ask a few more questions to get a feel for the story, you know, background info." Jake had stayed true to his word and remained silent during the interview. But now, he interjected, "Before we get started, I wanted to thank you for getting us in. I know it was short notice, but I think this might really work." He smiled at Lisa, then threw and encouraging glance to Aimee.
"You're welcome. Okay, Aimee...." Back in the car, after finishing with Lisa, Aimee was close to floating on cloud nine. If this worked, she could meet her mother, see her for the first time in fifteen years! She couldn't stop smiling.
"Soo, that went well, huh?" Jake asked cautiously. Aimee just nodded.
"Is your good mood good enough to allow me to treat you to lunch?" Jake said. As if in response, Aimee's stomach growled ferociously. She giggled.
"Sure. I forgot how late it was, I was so focussed on getting through the interview!" Jake studied her for a moment. "What?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. Just, smiling looks good on you. You should do it more often." Aimee raised her eyebrows, but he was already turning the key in the ignition. "Let's go! Downtown it is."
"But you didn't ask-"
"I know. Just go with the flow." Aimee leaned back in her seat, satisified enough with the interview not to get upset. She could get used to this. Within half an hour, they were seated in a cozy outdor courtyard of a local outlet. Having ordered, Jake struck up conversation with a question from earlier. "So, do you think the interview went well?" "Yeah, I did actually. Lisa made me really comfortable after a while. I think she got the information she needed to make the article clear." Aimee smiled, remembering Lisa's "personal" question. "And it was interesting that she recognized me." "I don't think it will be long before you are recognized a lot. Face it, Aimee, you're getting famous." Aimee blushed.
"When did you and Lisa meet?" asked Aimee, attempting to steer them away from her career.
Jake grinned. "I'll pretend I didn't notice you changing the subject and answer the question. Lisa and I met in college, as I said. She graduated the year I started, so she's 25. She's a... friend of a friend, that kind of thing."
"Huh. That's funny, that you would meet even when studying such different topics." Aimee said innocently. "Well, actually," Jake said sheepishly. "The friend I mentioned was actually my girlfriend. Claire and I went out through high school, and went to the same college. She was studying journalism, so she and Lisa met there. Lisa and I got to know each other through Claire."
Aimee's heart skipped a beat. Girlfriend? He never mentioned a girlfriend. "You look surprised," said Jake.
"Um, well, I," Aimee stuttered. "I guess for some reason, I expected you hadn't really changed. I mean, I know it's obvious that you would have changed, but I never thought about what your life has been like recently." "Hey, no worries! I understand." Jake said easily.
Aimee furrowed her brow. There was something tugging at the edge of her brain, and she just had to ask. "Jake, don't answer if you don't want to, but, where's Claire now?" "She's, um, dead." Jake answered bluntly. Aimee's jaw dropped. "She was in a car accident in our first year of college." "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Aimee licked her lips. She'd really put her foot in her mouth this time. "That must have been terrible. Really." "It was. For a while, I even considered dropping out. But after a while, I realized that Claire would have wanted me to keep going, to "move on" so to speak. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's the truth. She wouldn't have wanted to me to linger on her death." Jake took a ragged breath. "Now, I guess I have moved on. I miss her of course, but I have my whole life ahead of me still, and I plan to live out each to the best. She would have wanted me to." "I wish I had your courage and strength." Aimee said wistfully. "Sometimes, my life just seems so yucky that I can't imagine life a few years from now, and how it could possibly be better." "Well, the truth is, to be truly thankful for all that you have, you have to look around you. This may sound harsh, but no matter how crummy your life may seem, there are others out there who have got it worse than you. You have to concede to the fact that your life isn't the complete pits, and there are things to be thankful for."
Aimee was shocked. "When did you get so smart? Holy cow, Jake!" He laughed.
"Time and trust. Trust to know that life will get better, to see the goodness in every little thing, and time to allow wounds to mend." Their food arrived as the conversation wound down. After eating a few bites, Jake suddenly raised his fork and stabbed it down on Aimee's plate. "Jake, what are you doing!?" she laughed. He took the fork back and ate the food off it.
"I was right! It is different."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"See, we ordered the same thing, but each one tastes different. So, even if they use the same recipe, the variables still kick in and voila! you have two unique dishes."
"Oh, come on."
"No, seriously!" "Here try a bite of mine." He took some of his dish, put it on the fork, and raised it to Aimee's mouth. "Open wide!" "Mmm. Good. But you're right! It does taste different!" She opened her eyes and met his.
It was unavoidable. They broke down in to little giggles that soon escalated in to full blown guffaws. Soon they started getting evil eyes from other patrons, so in their best interest, Jake slammed some cash down on the table and they took off toward the car, laughing the whole way. Jake drove Aimee home, and like a gentleman, walked her up to the front steps.
"Thanks, Jake, for the awesome time today. I haven't felt this good in ages."
"That's nice to hear," answered Jake. He took a step back and looked up at the house. "You know what's interesting?" he asked. Without waiting for her answer, he continued. "Judging by your home, any passerby would look at it and think that, you know, your whole life is on display." Aimee looked at him quizzically. "When in fact, it's not. There's a lot that you keep hidden." Aimee was miffed for a moment, but she regained her composure. "Thanks for your little analysis, Dr. Wilson, but I should get inside. Cara mentioned she needed my "services" this afternoon. Thanks again." Aimee was about to turn when Jake stepped closer. "Anytime," he said in a low voice. For a moment, Aimee forgot all about heading inside, she was so focussed on the moment. And as quickly as it started, it broke. Jake stepped back and gave a little wave.
"See you later, alligator!" Aimee giggled, turning around.
"In a while, crocodile!" She entered the house, shutting the door firmly behind her. In a few seconds, she heard Jake's car start, and drive away. Only then did she let herself catch her breath. Thanks for reading! See, this is Jake when he's NOT being photographed! Piggy, piggy. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this part! Until next time,
Janelle
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18 Comment(s) posted so far
On Sep 1, 2008 Warrayfinson wrote:
This story keeps getting better and better with every part! I love the new cover, really shows what the story is about I reckon. Can't wait to see more! My rating: 5.0
Keep Creating!!
On Sep 1, 2008 candy820 wrote:
Another fantastic chapter.
On Sep 1, 2008 maxi king wrote:
On Sep 1, 2008 qasert wrote:
On Sep 1, 2008 charliefell wrote:
On Sep 1, 2008 SuperStar94 wrote:
On Sep 1, 2008 Emilyjane1 wrote:
On Sep 2, 2008 madeleine1994 wrote:
On Sep 2, 2008 madeleine1994 wrote:
On Sep 2, 2008 madeleine1994 wrote:
On Sep 2, 2008 madeleine1994 wrote:
On Sep 2, 2008 jessicaciocler wrote:
On Sep 2, 2008 jayb04 wrote:
So cute!
On Sep 2, 2008 charray wrote:
Nice story, Thanks
On Sep 2, 2008 wrote:
Nice chapter
On Sep 6, 2008 islandchild97 wrote:
JUST KISS HER DUDE!! LOL
On Sep 9, 2008 Lear01639 wrote:
I cannot wait that story was awesome as usaull Please make a next one and tell me i think your stories rock so please Lear01639
On Apr 24, 2009 Jillebeth wrote:
I have been enjoying your stories. I hope you will finish this one.