deanna cree
Stories (13/0)
Tired but positive.
With the upcoming 5th spine surgery for my husband, we were finally talking about him getting out of the military. 12 years has been long enough, and he is ready to start the next chapter in his life. I am about to graduate with my BA in American History and we were planning on going to Georgia. Our youngest child will start school this upcoming year and I would have all 3 kids out of the house, I won't lie I was pretty excited to get to be alone for a few hours a day. One day while we were grocery shopping my husband received a call about his ex-wife. Nothing good about the situation and her kids were placed in foster care. We soon found out that she did not put my husband's name on any of the parental paperwork for anything for the child and cps was following random leads to find the fathers to these children. The oldest child is my husband's (11) and we went right to work preparing to try to get him into our home. We already have a 10y/o and that was close in the age group which is nice to integrate another child into the home, our younger children are of similar ages to the ones he grew up with so it should have an easy turnover for him. We practically re did the entire house getting bunk beds, a new couch clothes blankets, and everything we could think of for him. My husband was scared that we wouldn't pass the review of the house so he went above and beyond to get his son into our home. We had started hearing horror stories about his son and we didn't know him anymore it had been 4 years since contact was last had and had no way to get in contact with him or his mother. We went to visit my husband's family and did everything we could to meet with his son. through the system to start communications before telling him we were doing what we could to get him to come live with us. He was a normal 11-year-old boy who towers over me by 4 inches and is tough but like any preteen trying to see where the limits were. He definitely has a ton of energy and coming from the situation he came from, and all the terror stories people were telling us were for no reason he has been in our home for a little over a week now and he wears me out but I can't picture our home without him. Yes he can be obnoxious but so can the other kids he's just a big mass now that eats like a horse, we weren't prepared for that food bill. There had been a few rocky moments with the children but that is children learning how to be family and all the fights and complaining have finally started to cool down. To say the least, we have given these kids a good life... a squishy life so when the oldest came home it was letting a bull into a bunny pen so to speak. So along for the month with my husband's spine surgery coming, my college ending, and my book prospector scamming me out of a lot of money we were going to use for this new adjustment in our lives we don't know how we can move our home now. It is so shitty; I got all these promises and everything was legit and I was going to finally have a traditional publisher and finally get the ball rolling so I could continue to write and make money and it got shot out of the sky. But I can't stop I want to keep writing and hopefully, my luck will change one day and I can write and make that my profession and actually get a steady income from it or at least get enough groceries to feed all these kids... Summer is going to be a whole different animal when it comes to that bill. It will be nice to see them all go to school by the end of summer but first, we gotta make it to summer.
By deanna cree17 days ago in Families
A Man Named Harrison Ruger Chapter 3
3. Ian sat on the porch whittling a small stick, Audrey made her way to him and sat down by him on the step wrapped up in the blanket still with bed head and sleepy eyes. Ian chuckled at her then quickly turned his gaze away when she was looking at him. Ian cleared his throat and threw the stick down beside him and finally said, “Well we only really have a few days to clear your father’s name, where do we go from here? Where was he tried?” Audrey woke right up and wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck, “Oh really Ian! You’re going to help me! What made you change your mind?”
By deanna creeabout a month ago in Fiction
A man named Harrison Ruger
chapter 2 “I need to clear my father’s name first. I know he was framed I know someone was out to get him because of what he had. My father is no killer Ian and I need to prove it before I can even think about getting married.” Audrey grabbed the front of Ian’s coat to keep his attention. “When is your 24th birthday?” “In four weeks.” Ian looked at the sky and watched the clouds turn from gray to black, the first few drops of rain hit his face. Letting out a slow deep breath Ian finally asked “So, whom was he accused of killing?” “A man named Harrison Ruger.” Ian’s jaw dropped and he gave her a good shove backwards the wind and rain started to come in heavy on the pair. The thunder rumbled all around them; Ian could do nothing but stare at her. The rain came down hard and soaked Audrey’s dress to her so tightly it looked like her own skin and not a lovely dress it once looked like sitting in a dress shop window. It was ripped and tattered now due to all the storms that had come through, the thunder cracked around them as the wind started to pick up it blew Ian’s Stetson off his head and tumbled quickly away from the pair. Ian watched her with all the hate in the world building up in himself. “What did you just say?” Audrey was confused at the way he was acting, she didn’t understand why he was so upset, his eyes cut through her very soul, and she began to become fearful of him was he going to hurt her? Who was Harrison to him? Ian with his head lowered to block the rain from his eyes pulled out his six shooter and aimed it at her chest. She tried to take a step back, but the gusts of wind stopped her she was pushed closer to his strained arm stopped moving when she was chest to barrel with him. He cocked the gun not looking at her, the thunder rumbled low through the little valley shaking the ground around them. He glared at her through his bangs and the rain, the lightning behind her lit up her face only seeing small features he hadn’t noticed before she was scared of him; her eyes were a radiant blue from the tears that made their color more intense. The rain didn’t ruin her beauty it enhanced it and he wanted so deeply to ignore the fact that her eyes were cutting through him like a knife. Her deep inhales moved his gun and his arm up and down in slow hypnotic movements that he couldn’t ignore, why was he hesitating? Why wasn’t he putting a bullet in her beautiful chest and watching her drop dead to the ground and leaving it all here to die in the valley and move on with his life. This woman was nothing to him, the man that killed his father was dead. Hung for his crimes she even admitted it. He started to pull back on the trigger, the hammer moved slightly from its position this was Audrey’s last chance to save her life. She put one hand on his wrist and smiled softly as she could at him hoping he would take pity on her, the wind picked up and blew their clothes all about and startled them and Ian pulled the trigger. Audrey fell to the ground with her dress all about her and kept her eyes closed, she was going to die in a ditch in the middle of nowhere and no one knew where she was. Ian fell backwards on his rump and looked at the smoke from the gun then back at the woman motionless on the ground… did he kill her? NO! he saw her legs move and jumped up and made his way to her side and moved her skirts away from her face. Giving her a good tap on the cheek she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. “YOU SHOT ME!” she screamed hitting him in the nose he fell back on his rump again holding his face, she shot up and jumped on him and hit him again, “What is wrong with you? Are you a lunatic? You could have killed me!” “That was the point.” He said muffled by his hand. Wiping the blood from his nose he shoved her off to the side of him and put his hands on his knees and looked around them. After a pause he got up and helped her to her feet. “We gotta find my horse.” “We?” Audrey said folding her arms in disgust. “Yes, we! You’re the one that started all this trouble and scared my horse off. We.” Ian grumbled as he looked around for his hat hoping it got stuck in some sticker bushes not seeing it anywhere near them, he made his way back to Audrey and grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him. What seemed like forever being dragged through the valley Audrey noticed something off in the distance, “There he is!” she pointed past Ian to the giant gray Morgan, Ian let out a long sigh that horse had been through hell with him during the war and now he loved that horse and was happy to see him again. Getting closer to him he saw him chewing on his Stetson, “Good job ‘ole pal.” Ian said patting the Morgan’s face and pulling his hat out of Caesar’s mouth, putting the crumpled hat back in its place on his head he climbed up into the saddle and looked down at Audrey. She looked pitiful standing there with her arms folded looking up at him, her dress ruined, and hair destroyed from the last few hours in the wilderness with him. He turned the Morgan to leave her and stopped when he heard the slightest gasp escape from her. He rubbed his face twice over and let out a loud sigh, held out his hand to her and she gratefully took it pulling herself up behind him on the horse. The Morgan gracefully made his way out of the valley up the sandy sloping hill and back onto the main road and headed away from the town they came from. As the hours went on and they got comfortable riding together Ian felt Audrey’s head against his back and remembered his gun, he pulled it out of its holster and pointed the gun in front of them and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The rain had infiltrated the mechanisms and clogged it up, he chuckled realizing that was the only thing that saved her. Rusted up as quickly as the rain came down. Putting the gun back in its home, Ian adjusted in his saddle and stretched forgetting about his rider nearly knocking her off the back of the horse. Throwing his arm back behind himself he caught her, ‘now I’m gonna have to be stuck like this until she wakes…’ he thought annoyed with the whole situation. What would his goody two shoes brother do in this situation? He’d probably try to marry her, bed her and leave her with a bunch of children to go galivanting back to D.C. where he lives for the action there. Settling down and living a quiet life was not in James’ vocabulary either. Maybe getting married wouldn’t be so bad… maybe the war wouldn’t have gone the way it had. Maybe if Johnston did die so early on in the war maybe they would have had a fighting chance, what if Lee took Gettysburg and Pennsylvania would that have made a difference? What if Harrison didn’t get shot? He had always talked about being a grandfather, joking around with him and James wondering which one of them would be wed first. There were a lot of what ifs and getting married was not on his list of things to do. Looking out at the road ahead of them the town was going to be another three days away, the winds shifted and turned warm but the dark clouds over the mountains still heavy with rain were moving in towards them. He needed to find shelter for the night and get them all out of the weather. Traveling slowly for a while longer Audrey woke to see a small house off aways barely seen from the road; “Maybe we can stay there for the night.” She choked out, her throat was dry, and it was hard to speak. Reaching pass her leg into his saddle bag he pulled out a canteen and handed it to her. She downed to cool liquid as quickly as possible, water and it was cold it was a great feeling as it went flooding into her mouth and down her the front of her. Ian pulled it away from her, “Easy some of us would like a drink too Ya know.” He took a large gulp as well getting the last bit of what was left in it. Stopping at the steps of the little house Ian saw the remains of what looked like a pretty devastating fire that tore through the house, the windows were blackened, and a large portion of the roof was missing, and the chimney gone. He took his Stetson off his head and scratched his unruly mop of hair and looked around for anyone that still lived here. Audrey kept looking at the burnt-out windows and slowly walked to the door and entered; taking a few steps in she noticed it was an open concept not like what she had seen in the east. The living room, dining room kitchen and preparation area were all in the same big room, the beds were off to the side one was burnt up and the other still had a blanket on it. Lighting the cigarette lighter, she took from Ian’s pack she walked over to the bed and saw that the blanket was blue, a corn flower blue with little white flowers. Looking around she found a lantern and lit it and looked around for more to light up. Ian was wandering the surrounding land and shot two rabbits and found a small garden off to the side, digging around in the dirt he found some potatoes and beets, he threw the beets to the side, he hated them. Wiping the sweat off his brow he saw the little house lit up and walked to one of the windows and looked in. Audrey was walking around with a lantern and cleaning up the little house with what she was finding, she cleaned off the little table and some seats and swept the floor and fluffed the pillows on the bed like it was part of her daily chores. Ian chuckled to himself seeing her move about the house like a housewife knowing that she had a husband and children to take care of, what was she going to do next pull out a sewing needle and mend his shirts? He frowned after the thought realizing that he liked the idea. After several more lanterns were lit Ian made his way through the door with two stripped rabbits and a handful of potatoes; “Can you cook?” Audrey looked around her broomstick at the hairless rabbits on the table and looked back up at Ian. That was all he needed for an answer, he tore off his coat and threw his hat on the chair nearest the table and started to roll up his sleeves. “Can you find some water and a cauldron? I think I saw a well on the side of the house near the wood pile, you get the water and I’ll get the wood and start a fire.” She nodded at him and went in search of what he was asking for. She returned shortly back into the light with a huge pot, “I guess once they saw the fire they just left and didn’t think to try to save the place. There isn’t much damage in many parts of the house.” She said setting the large pot on the table near Ian he looked up at the roof over the loft where he thinks the dry goods would have been stored and thought someone must have started the fire since the fireplace had no damage and the stove in the kitchen was clean looking. He couldn’t understand why the windows were blacked out and the roof missing, it had to be a blast or something… or a cannon ball come through the roof to make such damage. But the war didn’t make it out this far west he thought but he was in Virginia for almost all of the fighting, so he really didn’t know much of what was going on in the rest of the country at the time. He didn’t say anything to her and stood up and grabbed the pot and carried it to the well for her. Pushing a large slab of limestone off the mouth of the well Ian was careful not to drop it. “I think these people are not originally from here. This is limestone.” He looked over at Audrey for a moment wondering if she was curious. “They are from the east. Most limestone deposits are in central United States or on the east coast.” She smiled back at him she wasn’t interested in the limestone but gave him a smile knowing that he loved telling her the fact. “I’ve got matches in my saddle bags go grab them for me.” She nodded and went on her way to fetch what he asked for; waiting for her to return it became darker out only the light from the little windows was seen. Making her way slowly back to Ian she bumped into him, and he caught her before they both went in the well. Taking the matches from her he stuck it and dropped it down the well, it didn’t go far and was out instantly with a hiss. The water was close to the top of the well which was good with all the rain that has been in the area. “Why did you do that?” Audrey asked with pure fascination. “In case there was gases in there, would have set a fire or blown up in our faces.” She studied his face for a moment or what little of it she could see. “The Yanks poisoned the water and killed crops and burned down everything in their wakes, I’m not taking any chances.” Ian frowned. She could hear it in the tone of his voice. He was in the war and he was on the losing side. “Are you ready to get the water and firewood?” She asked sheepishly trying to get his mind out of the past. He gave his head a shake and looked back at her and pushed the bucket into the well. Grabbing the wood, they needed and began their way back to the house the rain was starting again, starting the fire as quickly as he could he stood up and wiped his hands off and walked to the door. “I gotta get Caesar into the barn. I think it will be dry enough in there for him for the night.” Audrey watched him grab his hat and walk out the door. She looked around the little house it was quiet in there and well lit up for what she found in lanterns; if it was fixed up it would be a beautiful little house… maybe even a home with children in it. She pictured Ian walking through the door with several tiny children running up and attacking him as he made his way into the tiny home. She smiled then shook her head, he wouldn’t want that he wasn’t that kind of man not a man she needed she didn’t know his past or what kind of man he really was, and she had to clear her fathers name before any fantasies of finding a husband and making a home. She cut up a few more potatoes trying to get her mind of the little fantasy when Ian came back through the door and began stripping his hat and shirt off. The rain had started to come down light and cold, he wasn’t ready to deal with being sick just yet not in the hands of some girl that didn’t even know how to cook, she wouldn’t be able to help a sick man. He looked up at her as he placed his shirt on the chair by the fireplace then looked up at the hole in the roof over the kitchen where the loft was. He sighed and made his way up the steep staircase and looked around for anything to patch the hole. Audrey sat silently at the table while he worked on covering the hole and making his way back down to her, “It’s not much but it will keep us warm for the night it’s a cold rain. I’m surprised it is for this time of year.” He said putting his hand on his chin thinking about the weather in the area. Audrey’s eyes grew large when she saw huge scars on his side and back, she let out a little gasp that caught his attention. “It’s from the war.” He replied back to her, that was as much as she figured. “I was in Fort McHenry for a while, I got injured before going there some Union boys got a hold of me and two other men and beat us after a bunch of us got capture at Antietam. I got a couple lashes from them and tried to escape and fell off a bridge during transport to Fort McHenry and they patched me up there and I bribed my way out.” Ian got quiet for a moment, “They had a lot of Southern sympathizers there, so they weren’t too bad, not like the stories I’ve heard out of Donaldson or Andersonville.” Audrey grew still and kept watching him his breathing was slow and deep she could see all the scars and muscles from his back to his stomach up his ribs to a large chest and broad shoulders. His body was covered in scars one that bothered her the most came from his belly button to his right hip. He gave her a tiny smile. “I thought it would be a good idea to get gutted like a fish and jumped into a trench with a bunch of them blue bellies and start attacking them, I landed on a young farm boy no more than 15 or 16 and scared the hell out of him and he just slashed the hell out of my gut and left me to die.” Ian was quiet for a moment. “He didn’t even look back to see if I was still alive, he just ran. I got trampled by a few of my guys then my friend Tommy found me and managed to keep my stomach inside me and got me back to our lines and got me to the surgeon.” Audrey watched him grow quiet he had cut up and gutted the rabbits that were sitting on the table without second thought and threw them and the potatoes into the boiling water and went looking for extra stuff in the root cellar they had found earlier. Audrey sat there silently thinking about everything. Daddy and Eric fought in the war on the side of the Union, they were brave and fought for the country and everything America stood for. Daddy had lost his arm from the elbow down and Eric was killed with a cannon blowing off his leg, he died with the surgeon on the battlefield there was no way to save him. Pulling her out of her daydream Ian made his way up out of the root cellar and added some more ingredients to the pot. She watched him for a while, was he as evil as everyone said he was a Confederate soldier were they all monsters? Grabbing the blanket off the bed and walking back to the table he sat down and looked at her still trying to understand what he had told her. “I’m not a bad guy Aud. I didn’t own slaves my daddy didn’t own slaves and we lived in the middle of nowhere I didn’t know anybody that owned any until I was in my teens looking for a job when we moved east. I worked with I picked tobacco and cotton I shoed horses and painted and mended fences I worked like a dog like everyone else did.” Audrey looked over at him at the other side of the table she didn’t hear anything he had said after he called her ‘Aud’. All she could think of was maybe he did like her even just a little bit. He gave her a quick little smile realizing she didn’t hear him and got up to find another blanket for her to keep warm. After eating dinner, they fell asleep at some point in the night and Ian woke to being bent over the table. He stood and stretched and looked around for Audrey she wasn’t at the table, he found her curled up in the bed and draped his blanket over her got his shirt back on and went out to check his horse.
By deanna cree2 months ago in Fiction
A man named Harrison Ruger
“Don’t be stupid, you aint gonna shoot me. Put the damned thing away before one of us gets hurt.” Bellowed the deep voice as it entered the house, the storm outside outlined the figure when the lightning struck. “I…I will do it!” The young trembling voice called out, “He…He got Mama and he aint getting me! You aint getting me either mister!” The little boys voice cried out holding the colt so tightly that his little knuckles were turning white. One eye peeked out from under the brim of the old hat and dirty blue handkerchief wrapped around his face, standing in the doorway so the young tyke couldn’t escape he surveyed the little room. He looked down at the boy after seeing the two bodies on the other side of the room, the man was slumped against the wall with a bullet hole in his chest. The woman on the other hand was in a ball with her back to the room. “Are you alone?” The deep voice called out after a moment. “No. But I don’t know where my brother is.” The gun was gaining weight in his hands and he was struggling to keep aim. The tears started to stain his face; no little boy should ever see his mama struck down. “What is your brother’s name?” “Nick.” Replied the little boy, “He’s 4. I’m Ian and I’m six and a half.” Ian’s arms finally gave out and dropped to his sides the gun still weighing heavy in his right hand. “You got a last name there Ian?” The man asked calmly, “No, mama never gave us one.” Just as calm fell upon the boy for a brief moment movement caught the man’s eye and he rushed to grab his gun. The mother’s body began to move and before panic set in a brown-haired little boy that looked like the first one popped up and looked around. The man gave a sigh of relief not allowing Ian to notice he was actually nervous. “Nick!” Ian gasped as he dropped the colt and ran to his brother, he pulled him out from other his mother and bear hugged him. Picking up the gun and putting it in his holster the man looked at the two boys. He took off his hat and scratched his head, “I guess I can’t just leave the two of you here alone.” He sighed. “Go pack a bag for you and your brother Ian I will get some wood to start a fire.” Ian ran to his room then stopped in the doorway. “Why do you need wood if we are going with you?” Ian looked back at the man with big green eyes judging everything the man had to offer them. “We are gonna burn the house down.” He choked out. “Not with mama in here!” Ian yelled running back at the man and pummeling his stomach with his fists. The man grabbed Ian’s fists and knelt down to face him man to man, “I aint digging no holes.” “Yes, you are!” Ian yelled back with tears streaking his face again. The man stood up, “No I aint.” “Then you pack our things and Nick and I will dig a hole for our mama.” The boys stopped at the front door to watch the wind and rain crash down at their feet. Ian grabbed a small poncho and wrapped his brother in it, “It will help a little bit. Mama kept a shovel near the chicken coop.” He grasped Nicks little hand in his and proceeded out the door to the chicken coop. Stomping around for a moment and contemplating everything he had ever done up until this moment the man turned to their room and proceeded to fill it with their needs, spying a photo graph on the night stand of the boys and their mother he had no heart to leave it and cramped it in the bottom of the bag and returned to the living room leaving the bag on the table he stepped out onto the porch looking for the boys. Spotting them moments later near a large dead tree he took his jacket off and made his way to the boys. Gabbing them up each under one arm he brought them back into the house. “I think it’s time for the two of you to get some sleep.” “I have a job to do!” Ian yelled the man watched the anger and sorrow cover his face when Nick yawned pulling them both out of the trance. “Your job is to take care of your brother. I will take care of your mama, stay in your room and go to sleep and I will put your mama in the hole you started.” The man’s silver eyes pierced Ian’s soul and he hoped he could trust him. “You promise?” “I promise.” The man stood up and began to leave, “What is your name?” The man stopped. Silence filled the room, his name? Why would anyone want to know his name? It wasn’t anything special and it had no meaning behind it. Finally, “Harrison Ruger.” Fell past his lips and he turned slowly to look at the boys. “I guess that will be your name now too, Ian Ruger.” Ian caught his breath and watched as Harrison proceeded out the door of the small house. As the sun breeched the horizon and let in a line of light over Ian’s face Harrison was putting the final stone on their mother’s grave. Ian dressed and ran out the door as quickly as he could to meet Harrison at the tree. He stopped instantly, the youngest ran out and stopped by his brother whom was still in his sleep gown. “What do we do now?” Ian asked looking up at Harrison whom was covered head to toe in mud. He scratched the back of his neck and suggested getting her flowers as he cleaned up and prepared to set the fire. Finding an old buckboard, he gathered up his horse and hitched him to it. He gathered what he could of food and their items and threw it in the wagon as well. Watching the two little boys place wild flowers on their mother’s grave made Harrison realize that he needed them more than they needed him. Getting Nick dressed and tossing him in the back with their items, Harrison set fire to the house and drove the horse and wagon away. Ian looked up at him after a while. “Will I ever get to see her again?” Not looking at him Harrison sighed, “Hopefully not for a long-time son.”
By deanna cree6 months ago in Fiction
A man named Harrison Ruger
“Don’t be stupid, you aint gonna shoot me. Put the damned thing away before one of us gets hurt.” Bellowed the deep voice as it entered the house, the storm outside outlined the figure when the lightning struck. “I…I will do it!” The young trembling voice called out, “He…He got Mama and he aint getting me! You aint getting me either mister!” The little boys voice cried out holding the colt so tightly that his little knuckles were turning white. One eye peeked out from under the brim of the old hat and dirty blue handkerchief wrapped around his face, standing in the doorway so the young tyke couldn’t escape he surveyed the little room. He looked down at the boy after seeing the two bodies on the other side of the room, the man was slumped against the wall with a bullet hole in his chest. The woman on the other hand was in a ball with her back to the room. “Are you alone?” The deep voice called out after a moment. “No. But I don’t know where my brother is.” The gun was gaining weight in his hands and he was struggling to keep aim. The tears started to stain his face; no little boy should ever see his mama struck down. “What is your brother’s name?” “Nick.” Replied the little boy, “He’s 4. I’m Ian and I’m six and a half.” Ian’s arms finally gave out and dropped to his sides the gun still weighing heavy in his right hand. “You got a last name there Ian?” The man asked calmly, “No, mama never gave us one.” Just as calm fell upon the boy for a brief moment movement caught the man’s eye and he rushed to grab his gun. The mother’s body began to move and before panic set in a brown-haired little boy that looked like the first one popped up and looked around. The man gave a sigh of relief not allowing Ian to notice he was actually nervous. “Nick!” Ian gasped as he dropped the colt and ran to his brother, he pulled him out from other his mother and bear hugged him. Picking up the gun and putting it in his holster the man looked at the two boys. He took off his hat and scratched his head, “I guess I can’t just leave the two of you here alone.” He sighed. “Go pack a bag for you and your brother Ian I will get some wood to start a fire.” Ian ran to his room then stopped in the doorway. “Why do you need wood if we are going with you?” Ian looked back at the man with big green eyes judging everything the man had to offer them. “We are gonna burn the house down.” He choked out. “Not with mama in here!” Ian yelled running back at the man and pummeling his stomach with his fists. The man grabbed Ian’s fists and knelt down to face him man to man, “I aint digging no holes.” “Yes, you are!” Ian yelled back with tears streaking his face again. The man stood up, “No I aint.” “Then you pack our things and Nick and I will dig a hole for our mama.” The boys stopped at the front door to watch the wind and rain crash down at their feet. Ian grabbed a small poncho and wrapped his brother in it, “It will help a little bit. Mama kept a shovel near the chicken coop.” He grasped Nicks little hand in his and proceeded out the door to the chicken coop. Stomping around for a moment and contemplating everything he had ever done up until this moment the man turned to their room and proceeded to fill it with their needs, spying a photo graph on the night stand of the boys and their mother he had no heart to leave it and cramped it in the bottom of the bag and returned to the living room leaving the bag on the table he stepped out onto the porch looking for the boys. Spotting them moments later near a large dead tree he took his jacket off and made his way to the boys. Gabbing them up each under one arm he brought them back into the house. “I think it’s time for the two of you to get some sleep.” “I have a job to do!” Ian yelled the man watched the anger and sorrow cover his face when Nick yawned pulling them both out of the trance. “Your job is to take care of your brother. I will take care of your mama, stay in your room and go to sleep and I will put your mama in the hole you started.” The man’s silver eyes pierced Ian’s soul and he hoped he could trust him. “You promise?” “I promise.” The man stood up and began to leave, “What is your name?” The man stopped. Silence filled the room, his name? Why would anyone want to know his name? It wasn’t anything special and it had no meaning behind it. Finally, “Harrison Ruger.” Fell past his lips and he turned slowly to look at the boys. “I guess that will be your name now too, Ian Ruger.” Ian caught his breath and watched as Harrison proceeded out the door of the small house. As the sun breeched the horizon and let in a line of light over Ian’s face Harrison was putting the final stone on their mother’s grave. Ian dressed and ran out the door as quickly as he could to meet Harrison at the tree. He stopped instantly, the youngest ran out and stopped by his brother whom was still in his sleep gown. “What do we do now?” Ian asked looking up at Harrison whom was covered head to toe in mud. He scratched the back of his neck and suggested getting her flowers as he cleaned up and prepared to set the fire. Finding an old buckboard, he gathered up his horse and hitched him to it. He gathered what he could of food and their items and threw it in the wagon as well. Watching the two little boys place wild flowers on their mother’s grave made Harrison realize that he needed them more than they needed him. Getting Nick dressed and tossing him in the back with their items, Harrison set fire to the house and drove the horse and wagon away. Ian looked up at him after a while. “Will I ever get to see her again?” Not looking at him Harrison sighed, “Hopefully not for a long-time son.”
By deanna cree6 months ago in Fiction
move across country
In January my husband found out he was getting orders to move to Washington State, which is great it was nice to know it would be closer to his parents and son. My problem was that I would be leaving the east coast (Virginia) and only being a 10 hour drive away from my grandmother after all the time in the military was great. We went and saw her at the end of June and for the Fourth of July for our normal family get together and it was so nice seeing aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. My parents are divorced and now having two different grandparents I had to split my time between them for everyone to spend time with the kids it was a fight, which I did expect. My mother always had to make a big deal that I was spending too much time with my father, he was great with the kids little over bearing but not too bad after I got over it. My mother brought the drama the whole time but was a good sport this year which says a lot for her. I was able to take the kids all over New York which was great, they got to see Sacketts Harbor, Fort Ticonderoga and even got to go to lake George and go to the old amusement park. I probably put over 500 miles on my car a lone being in New York before driving across the country. Before we decided to pack up and go home back to Virginia to help finish up packing our dogs ran away and we live right next to the border of the next town over and just my luck a neighbor found my dogs and decided not to bring them back to us. I had to get a friend to help find them apparently the lady called the dog warden from another town over... I swear life would be easier if people just didn't act ridiculous. The lady had told the warden she knew where the dogs came from and didn't want to bring them back to me. My whole family was sitting outside so we were home. After getting the dogs home and calling off my uncles looking for the dummies we ended up leaving nice and early and made it home by dinner time. My sweet little hubby whom was over cleaning the house and packing had dinner ready for us and was glad to have us all home. A few weeks later was our oldest daughters birthday. We went to Yorktown beach (For the beach) Not for me to run around the battle fields like a kid in a candy store. While we were enjoying our time at the beach our middle child got stung by a jelly fish and we had to end our time at the beach and find a CVS that with a little investigating online we just needed distilled vinegar and Tylenol for her to easy the jelly fish sting, we couldn't find anyone that sold it. We ended up going to several stores and luckily dollar store had it. The car smelled awful all the way home but the kiddo made it out just fine. Soon after that I made my way to Appomattox Courthouse (It was on my bucket list) Totally worth the trip out to it! and the museum out there was amazing as well. We decided to stay in a hotel for the last two days of cleaning the house which we knew was gonna cost us a bunch of money due to our feral children, The hotel was dirty the door to the bathroom was covered in dirt and the floors were filthy. You'd get out of the shower and your feet would be black by the time you got to the bed. Getting the bless off on the house we were worried it was going to be a huge financial loss but the inspector said we got saved by an email saying our house was going to be totally gutted and remodeled so that was an amazing stroke of luck! We took off and ended up going to Lexington VA which we had stayed at that hotel before on our trip to our last post, then made our way to Lexington KY. Which was a nice area EXCEPT the hotel (yes I'm calling it out because I don't remember its name) There was trash all around the back of the hotel where I could barely walk our dogs, they got fleas and the kids got lice and I got food poisoning. I swear I couldn't believe how the place was still up and running... Not a good way to start off a cross country trip. We then made our way from Lexington to St Louis MO which was a nice trip never been there but not bad. Then to Fort Riley which we were stationed there before VA so we knew the area it was nice to see old places and not miss any of it. From there we went to Limon CO can't remember much of that hotel except we had to wait a few hours to get into our room because they were so backlogged, but beautiful trip through the mountains. Rawlins WY was another story we got to our hotel and it looked like a hotel out of a murder movie. We both questioned moving on but I said look on the inside to see how it looks and low and behold it was one of the nicer hotels we had stayed in to that point. I got to go to a museum while we were there which was a great little hide away museum. then we move on to SLC UT and we ended up getting a suit! It was so huge the kids had breathing room to run and sleep in their own spaces and we had king sized beds and even got to swim in the pool it was the greatest hotel we stayed in I believe it was a Comfort inn. That place got a 10 out of 10 rating from me! The next morning we headed to Boise ID and got to our hotel and they told us they do not except dogs. We were like we booked with pets and they got uppity and told us to go to another hotel across the street I got upset and told my husband lets just keep going. We ended up driving 620 miles that day to Kennewick WA and passed out instantly good thing we wore everyone out, we got to our new home and we started questioning everything about the place. Kudos to the people that took the pictures and neglected many of the little details like the yard was half the size we thought and covered in trash and broken thinks and screws. The driveway is right off a main road and the front door is literally feet away from it as well. (Not great with little kids) One set of neighbors has a junk yard in their back yard along with random old cars and tarps all over. The kitchen was filthy, someone used the bathroom before leaving and it smelled like death in the bathroom. I was really disappointed but my husband got on his work gloves and started cleaning the yard and we started to get the house cleaned up and get our areas set up and going. I'm excited to say the hubby and I have our own little offices and the kids have rooms and a play room and a good size back yard besides the mess we need to clean. So that's one adventure down... Now getting the kids in school!
By deanna cree9 months ago in Families
Cross country move
In January my husband found out he was getting orders to move to Washington State, which is great it was nice to know it would be closer to his parents and son. My problem was that I would be leaving the east coast (Virginia) and only being a 10 hour drive away from my grandmother after all the time in the military was great. We went and saw her at the end of June and for the Fourth of July for our normal family get together and it was so nice seeing aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. My parents are divorced and now having two different grandparents I had to split my time between them for everyone to spend time with the kids it was a fight, which I did expect. My mother always had to make a big deal that I was spending too much time with my father, he was great with the kids little over bearing but not too bad after I got over it. My mother brought the drama the whole time but was a good sport this year which says a lot for her. I was able to take the kids all over New York which was great, they got to see Sacketts Harbor, Fort Ticonderoga and even got to go to lake George and go to the old amusement park. I probably put over 500 miles on my car a lone being in New York before driving across the country. Before we decided to pack up and go home back to Virginia to help finish up packing our dogs ran away and we live right next to the border of the next town over and just my luck a neighbor found my dogs and decided not to bring them back to us. I had to get a friend to help find them apparently the lady called the dog warden from another town over... I swear life would be easier if people just didn't act ridiculous. The lady had told the warden she knew where the dogs came from and didn't want to bring them back to me. My whole family was sitting outside so we were home. After getting the dogs home and calling off my uncles looking for the dummies we ended up leaving nice and early and made it home by dinner time. My sweet little hubby whom was over cleaning the house and packing had dinner ready for us and was glad to have us all home. A few weeks later was our oldest daughters birthday. We went to Yorktown beach (For the beach) Not for me to run around the battle fields like a kid in a candy store. While we were enjoying our time at the beach our middle child got stung by a jelly fish and we had to end our time at the beach and find a CVS that with a little investigating online we just needed distilled vinegar and Tylenol for her to easy the jelly fish sting, we couldn't find anyone that sold it. We ended up going to several stores and luckily dollar store had it. The car smelled awful all the way home but the kiddo made it out just fine. Soon after that I made my way to Appomattox Courthouse (It was on my bucket list) Totally worth the trip out to it! and the museum out there was amazing as well. We decided to stay in a hotel for the last two days of cleaning the house which we knew was gonna cost us a bunch of money due to our feral children, The hotel was dirty the door to the bathroom was covered in dirt and the floors were filthy. You'd get out of the shower and your feet would be black by the time you got to the bed. Getting the bless off on the house we were worried it was going to be a huge financial loss but the inspector said we got saved by an email saying our house was going to be totally gutted and remodeled so that was an amazing stroke of luck! We took off and ended up going to Lexington VA which we had stayed at that hotel before on our trip to our last post, then made our way to Lexington KY. Which was a nice area EXCEPT the hotel (yes I'm calling it out because I don't remember its name) There was trash all around the back of the hotel where I could barely walk our dogs, they got fleas and the kids got lice and I got food poisoning. I swear I couldn't believe how the place was still up and running... Not a good way to start off a cross country trip. We then made our way from Lexington to St Louis MO which was a nice trip never been there but not bad. Then to Fort Riley which we were stationed there before VA so we knew the area it was nice to see old places and not miss any of it. From there we went to Limon CO can't remember much of that hotel except we had to wait a few hours to get into our room because they were so backlogged, but beautiful trip through the mountains. Rawlins WY was another story we got to our hotel and it looked like a hotel out of a murder movie. We both questioned moving on but I said look on the inside to see how it looks and low and behold it was one of the nicer hotels we had stayed in to that point. I got to go to a museum while we were there which was a great little hide away museum. then we move on to SLC UT and we ended up getting a suit! It was so huge the kids had breathing room to run and sleep in their own spaces and we had king sized beds and even got to swim in the pool it was the greatest hotel we stayed in I believe it was a Comfort inn. That place got a 10 out of 10 rating from me! The next morning we headed to Boise ID and got to our hotel and they told us they do not except dogs. We were like we booked with pets and they got uppity and told us to go to another hotel across the street I got upset and told my husband lets just keep going. We ended up driving 620 miles that day to Kennewick WA and passed out instantly good thing we wore everyone out, we got to our new home and we started questioning everything about the place. Kudos to the people that took the pictures and neglected many of the little details like the yard was half the size we thought and covered in trash and broken thinks and screws. The driveway is right off a main road and the front door is literally feet away from it as well. (Not great with little kids) One set of neighbors has a junk yard in their back yard along with random old cars and tarps all over. The kitchen was filthy, someone used the bathroom before leaving and it smelled like death in the bathroom. I was really disappointed but my husband got on his work gloves and started cleaning the yard and we started to get the house cleaned up and get our areas set up and going. I'm excited to say the hubby and I have our own little offices and the kids have rooms and a play room and a good size back yard besides the mess we need to clean. So that's one adventure down... Now getting the kids in school!
By deanna cree9 months ago in Families
The Ughhhh is real...
First off I want to set the record straight before I go any farther in making said record... I love my husband and I would do anything for him and he has given us a pretty great life, especially from where we started out at ten years ago... But other than that I hope he gets hit by a dump truck some days. He is a great father and husband and we have a very weird relationship where we are always smack talking each other but it works for us and it keeps us on our toes around each other too. I wont lie I am one of those people that you should not put on speaker phone if that helps in gauging where we stand on the kind of people we are. So now that the holidays are now in full swing because I guess Thanksgiving didn't count... My husband has become Grinchier than he normally is which I should be use to after ten years but I'm not. I love the holidays and a big family get togethers and Christmas very much, he hates it with the intensity of a thousand burning suns (in his words) and I did everything on Thanksgiving with cooking and planning to go to a neighbors house and taking care of the kids while I rushed around the kitchen. Only did it come to me tripping over children did I lose my shit while the hubby sat on his Call of Duty game fighting with internet people instead of helping inside the real world. Fine we managed to get through the holiday and survived to the next weekend where he yet again sat in front of his game and ignored me and the kids again. (yes I get his job sucks let me whine, I didn't say anything that weekend either) then last weekend he had staff duty (army thing) and had to work Saturday night and sleep as much as he could on Sunday. Which is fine; but he got up and went right to his games and ignored us again. (and the butthole says I need to spend more time with the kids... I thought that was what I was doing as a stay at home mother...)I get it life isn't as exciting as we hoped it to be with three kids and me going to school and him working terrible hours but we have managed to get through it all. Just sometimes I want to drop kick him into a weekend where I acted like him for one afternoon and maybe he would change his attitude. Even just lighten up for Christmas for the kids, hell I have done all the Christmas shopping for his parents my parents our kids and teachers and now I must bake like 10393848 cookies for Thursday … I am lying. more like 40 but still. I want to be dramatic once in a while. Through out all of this I may have some issues with depression and anxiety and stress I eventually get out of bed each day and night over and over and over... and over its like a never ending torture wheel. I have been working on my comic for about 15 years now and that really is my first baby it has been published and I was proud of it when it was published a few years ago but now I have panicked again because it is not perfect like everyone else in the world and I tired my best to make it perfect and bought one of those Gaomon tablets (it is amazing if anyone is interested) (my opinion for someone who is just getting into the drawing scene for digital work.) I lothed how my first two books came out my original publisher didn't help or give feed back they were just happy to take my money and I wanted my book to be great and now looking back after writing the 5th book for the 4th time I went back to the original way of doing things because that is the way the story needs to be told and I am so much happier with writing it... The reason I bring it up is its a good stress reliver. It even got me to connect with my kids on a level that I knew would help us become closer and even enjoy being around each other without fighting (a miracle in its own). We draw together and paint (even though painting is a nightmare when we try to do something fun.) So now that I am done venting about being married to the Grinch I will go and talk about my day (yay). Junior and I went all around the Petersburg Battlefield here in Virginia today its beautiful and we go often, it was freezing today and the wind did not help set the excitement of walking all over the Battlefield but I did get some great pictures. Even though we don't have Biggie and Mini me with us its still a great time spending time with the last child in the house. We were having issues on figuring out what Mini Me wanted for Christmas, she doesn't ask for much due to being the middle child I don't ever want her to feel left out so she wanted a kitten, Grinch said no. (we have two dogs) and Biggie wants everything (of course) we finally got Mini Me to tell me what she wanted for Christmas.... and it did not come out like I expected it to. She asked for Five Whores. for Christmas... Grinch said that would be a little hard to find... Very funny.... after much confusion we figured out she wanted five HORSES.......... After the fun at the Battlefield we decided to go to Sam's club and get some groceries and pizza (yes I will confess they have the best pizza) I ended up carrying him out of the store like a football when I had to break his heart over not getting the 20,000 toys he picked out. (It's all Santa's fault.) I was telling Grinch about our adventure today while he was on break and he had a good laugh at me over Junior, being three must be so hard. We had to return stuff to a few different stores today and I tried my best to get some cash in my pocket but all the stores now want to put it back on the card... no fun and no extra snack stops this time.... foiled by capitalism. So I guess after all the stress and arguing over everything I am right no matter what and Grinch will always be a Grinch and I will have to carry my screaming 3 year old out of a few more stores and watch my girls grow up and keep up with my shoddy book and finish college without losing my mind completely... One day at a time I guess.
By deanna creeabout a year ago in Families
The Dirty Turtles
Prologue “In the beginning there was nothing. The universe, the stars and heavens the planets and the air we breathe was nonexistent at a point in the universe. Then 13 eons ago the big bang happened and that was the beginning of time and space. My son, I am the first of our kind. Alone and living in the emptiness. When I made you, I was no longer alone, no longer unloved or uncared for. For you my son I hope all your days are filled with everlasting happiness and love.”
By deanna creeabout a year ago in Futurism
11/28/2020
So I talked about starting a garden in the middle of fall like a complete idiot but I totally cheated when it came to the carrots growing and low and behold I now have a dinky little green thing growing! It is now my baby and my life. My husband heard me squealing over it last night and couldn't be less interested but it being the first green thing I haven't killed yet it is now the miracle of life in my house now. Tony the carrot broke through last night after we had put our Christmas tree up which was a complete and total nightmare due to Biggie and Mini Me fighting over who could put ornaments up faster... luckily nothing broke this year. Junior couldn't care any more for putting the stuff on the tree until his sisters made it a life or death situation to do so. The hubby in his normal grinchy life gagged when I asked him to put the tree together for us and refused to even look at it after it was all decorated and lit up. the kids were so proud of how the tree turned out we have 34836 bulbs and decorations in one area of the tree and nothing in another looks like a crack tree but they are happy. So the Grinch (my husband) has now officially tried to barf on the tree and scream curse words at my toilet seat cover which is a penguin head and body and fought putting up any Christmas stuff at all... It has now become my life mission to decorate this house to the point of him gagging every time he walks into the house because I LOVE CHRISTMAS and I don't give a shit that he doesn't any more. I will make this as painfully Christmasy I got a wreath on the front door, even a great door mat with Santa and a snow man on it and the kids have had Christmas movies on all day its been great... We will convert him one day. haha. We now are coming up on the last pay day before Christmas and every year he wants to bring up doing Christmas after Christmas and its something that I have considered but never want to do, not sure if it would really save any money or not but I love it on the day. It is about fifty degrees out and the kids are outside screaming and yelling rather than inside screaming and yelling. We feel its great to share the joy of our children with everyone around us in a 2 mile radius due to the loudness of the screams. Grinch and I are working on our finals for this week for our classes, I talked him into human sexuality class just to get him back into the swing of school, he wasn't too excited about it in the beginning but now that we are at the end of the class I think he has learned a little and appreciates taking the class. I on the other hand am finishing up Colonial America and Folklore which have been excellent classes and will be moving on the the American revolution and ww2 next. ( I know big time hop) Its nice that I am getting to the end of these classes now but not so sure on what to do after this due to us planning on moving in the middle of it as well. It will be interesting to see how the next year is going to go with all our moving and getting kids back into new schools again. The PCS season has been busy around here we have seen several families move in the last two months and just watch from the porch as the semis try to make their ways into the tiny road littered with cars. That's another thing we got fortunate about we are at the beginning of the road so it will be easy for a truck for us but bothersome to everyone else. haha. Our neighbors attached to us are a young family and the husband will be heading to Korea with his little family... Kind of glad we don't have to worry about a move like that. UGH! hopefully we will get lucky and we wont have to go cross country... that will be a pain....
By deanna creeabout a year ago in Families
A Princess and her Monkey
A Princess and her Monkey Once upon a time not so long ago there was a princess that lived in the clouds. She loved to play with her siblings and run and hide in makeshift forts they made out of items around the castle. Strawberries were her favorite treat and naptime was something that she did not like at all, but who could blame her? When you are young you are in charge of it all… So, she thought.
By deanna creeabout a year ago in Families
The day....
I guess bird brained doesn't go too far from me any more. My state inspection was up in August... Had no idea because I am oblivious to everything in the world apparently and this douche canoe of a gate guard where I live says that I need to get it done before I get pulled over.... Well now I'll get pulled over because you said something about it asshole... Searched all over the area to find a place to do the state inspection without a wait and could not get a hold of anyone until early this morning, the hubs can't meet me at the inspection place (that is on post because god forbid he be late to work.) and the guy at the shop says it will take all day... Well that was not amusing to hear when I have a three year old that literally wants to destroy everything in a store or throw a fit if he doesn't get a lolly pop at 8am because yolo... I was just lucky enough to get biggie and mini me on the bus before going to the shop and thought well its not that far of a walk home we have done it before on bikes its about (for a normal human or functional family about 15 minutes.) For me and my hellions it took 2 HOURS on bikes..... but without the girls it should be no problem waddling my fat ass and fighting with a three year old all the way back to the house in the 35 degree weather in the sun... it was shady all the way back to our house and I needlessly forgot juniors coat... I was able to get a neighbor to help me with the offer of a cheese Danish so that was good. We get home and by 0945 the shop calls and says the car is done....WOW...thanks....BUT I need a new battery and an alignment … so yea thanks 2020 just keep adding to it. And the dude was like "The battery is only $179.00 with installation and the alignment is only $99 …. yea fantastic news. (I was only planning on spending $20 on the damn inspection and these assholes come to just take it all... (they could have bought me dinner first...shoot)
By deanna creeabout a year ago in Families
