Before
Chapter 1
New Friends
Disclaimer: This is my original fiction. No copyright infringement is intended. The character Michael Long belongs to Universal Studios. The Characters Maria Knight, Jenny Long, Dan Long, Dom Knight, and Greta Knight are my creation.
Thanks to Tomy for all of her great help with this every step of
the way. Without your help I would be lost in a sea of spelling and grammar
errors.
Jenny Long was curious about the people moving into the house next
door. Being a young Mother whose husband worked long hours, she did her best to
keep him happy and to make as many new friends as possible. She was an
attractive young brunette who took pride in being the best housewife she could.
'Once she completed her housework, she proceeded to do one of her favorite
things, baking. She was the envy of the neighborhood with all the desserts she
could make and yet still have the thin figure of a teenage woman. She put a
batch of brownies in the oven as her two-year-old son sat on the kitchen floor
licking the bowl; chocolate all over his face.
She smiled hoping that the new neighbors might have children so
her son would have a playmate.
Greta Knight was busy in her new home unpacking cartons trying to
get things in order. She was trying to decide where to put some pictures she unpacked
when she heard her baby daughter cry. Greta was a new Mother to a beautiful
6-month-old daughter named Maria. She hated moving from her comfortable New
York home to this unfamiliar place. Her Husband Dom insisted that they move
here to help his brother Wilton with a business he was running. Dom, being
considered a financial wizard was always sought after by business tycoons for
his advice.
As soon as she was
finished setting up the house she planned on trying to meet some of the
neighbors. She hated being alone and Dom spent many hours away working on one
project or another. She picked up her daughter and decided it was time for
lunch and went into the kitchen. She put Maria into her highchair and proceeded
to give the little girl her lunch of strained vegetables when there was a knock
at the door.
Jenny stood on the front porch of the new neighbors’ house holding
a plate of warm brownies in one hand and her 2-year-old sons’ hand in the
other. After she knocked she looked down at his smiling face and told him to be
on his best behavior. He smiled up at his Mother with his sparking blue eyes
and curly brown hair and nodded.
Greta rushed to the door looking over her shoulder at her daughter
making a mess with her food as she answered the door. An attractive young
brunette stood there with a plate of brownies and a little boy. She introduced
herself as being the next-door neighbor and handed the plate to Greta. Greta
opened the door wider and invited Jenny in and started off to the kitchen.
Greta explained that her baby was in the high chair and hoped that she didn't
mind sitting in the kitchen while she finished feeding her daughter. Jenny
smiled and said of course not. The two women started talking and getting to
know each other as Greta finished feeding Maria. After she cleaned the little
girls hands and face she took her out of the high chair and put her on the
floor. Michael was sitting there playing quietly with a toy car and looked at
the little girl curiously. She looked at him and smiled a toothless grin and he
smiled back. He looked at his Mother and asked what her name was. Greta said Maria as she looked at Michael. He smiled and went back
to playing with his car.
The two women became fast friends talking about their husbands and
interests. Two hours later Jenny went home with little Michael in tow, with
knowing her days would no longer be spent bored alone. She now had someone she
could talk to and whom she thought would understand her. When she got home she
started dinner for herself and her son. Her husband wouldn't be home again
tonight for dinner as he was on a business trip.
Dan Long was a
corporate lawyer who had clients all over the world. He would often be gone with for
weeks due to his trips with only phone calls. He loved his family but his work
always came first. He always wanted to do what was right for them and give them
the best. If he only knew that all they wanted was for him to be with them.
