‍The Conclusion Of ‍Part Thirty-Two Keeping Myself Busy 

"Now let's move on to the Assemble en tournant grand." We all stopped dancing and turned our attention back to her , as she said, "Now this is a big assemble , and you turn , as your working foot crosses over your supporting  foot, or you can also use a position where your limb is behind you, as  you travel to your right to the side at a diagonal angle, to the front  of the stage in a circle, and you end it by facing the audience." Then, she told all of the men in the room to sit in front of us, so that we could practice in front of an audience, and then when we were finished, we did the same thing for them, before we were shown our last move for  the night. Which was the Assemble , and we practiced keeping  our feet working together, while the working foot slid along the ground,
before we swept it into the air, after we pushed ourselves off , and then we all landed with both of our legs at the same time.

Nadia also reminded to keep our toes on the supporting leg  extended, while we continued to practice this new move. Then, after the  class was over, she let me have another video to study over the weekend,and before we left she told all of us to have a good weekened.  Anna wished her the same, while we walked out the door, and then I went right to bed, after Anna dropped me off, because I was very tired.  On Friday, the children found plenty of ways to keep me very busy, while we made some decorations for Easter, and then they also drew pictures of  their favorite thing, or things that they liked about the holiday, that  were going to be displayed out in the hallway and on the windows. I had a lot of the children show me their Easter bunnies, and some had drawn a
basket filled with colorful eggs and candy. 


I liked all of the pictures, and then I was pleasantly surprised and a little touched when Alexandria showed me her picture of a cross, and then she asked me if I could help her spell Jesus, during
the afternoon session, and I helped her spell Jesus , while she told me  why he was so important to her, I just smiled and listened to what she  was saying.   Then later on , when all of the children had left to go home, Anna and I worked on hanging up all of the pictures, before  Tatiana dropped me off at home, where I had that well deserved nap , that I had mentioned to Alexei in my e-mail reply. Because, my body could finally slow down, and it just felt so good to lay down and to  also allow my mind to unwind, until my eyes grew heavy and closed, as I went into a deeper sleep.

I was still sleeping soundly , when I heard Petie's shrill  chirp , that he only did when the phone rang, and once I heard the phone ringing, I sprang up off my bed, and ran to the nearest phone, then I
picked up the receiver in the kitchen, and said, "Hello?"  Alexei's  voice on the other end was music to my ears, when he said, "Hello."  I  smiled, and I asked him, "How are you?"  He said, "Tired just finished my first number, thanks for your e-mail  reply."  I replied , "You're  welcome, Thank you for your e-mail."  He chuckled and said, "You're welcome."  Then I asked him, "May I ask what time it is?" He said, "Yeah, I think it is after 8."  I couldn't believe it, and I asked him  if was true when I said, "Really?!" He said, "Yeah, I just looked at my  watch ."   I said, "I have to eat, do you mind talking to me while I make me something to eat?" He asked with a surprised tone in his voice, "You haven't eaten yet ?"  I replied sheepishly,"No, I was so tired, and I just fell right to sleep, then Petie woke me up, after he heard the phone ring."  Alexei just replied with an excited tone in his voice,  "Then make you something to eat now!"  I said, "Yes, Sir. I am looking
in my cabinets right now."

He laughed and then he said, "I hate to cut this short, but I want you to eat, and I also have a group number coming up before we have our break."  I smiled and replied, "I loved that number , it looked like so much fun , and you looked great in that blue shirt , and your  suit looked good."  He said, "Thank you, Suzanne. Anyway the reason I  called is that I wanted to invite you to have dinner with me at my  apartment on Sunday , probably will be in the evening."  I grinned and  said, "I would love to come. Yes, Sunday evening sounds great. I can't  wait , and I probably won't be able to concentrate in church on Sunday morning. "  He said, "I probably will not be able to concentrate during  the show tomorrow."   I said, "I hope that you can concentrate."  He  said, "I will ."  I said, "Good."  Then he asked me, "Did you find something to eat?" I said, "Yes. I am getting ready to heat up a dinner  right now." He said, "Good , What kind of dinner is it?"
I said, "It is sweet and sour chicken with rice, pineapple , and broccoli, and then I am going to add some apple sauce."  He said, "That sounds very good, and it is a well balanced meal."  I said, "Yes."  Then he was quiet for a few more minutes, before he said, " I have to go now, but if you are staying up tonight, I could call you , or talk to you on the  IM."  I pushed the Start button on the microwave, and then I replied,  "Well, I don't know if I can stay up tonight, but I will try , but if  I talked to you on the IM, I might fall asleep." He said, "Then, I will  call you even if it is just to say, good night."  I grinned and said, "That would be nice, I hope you have great show tonight, well the secondhalf of it."  He said, "Thanks. I gotta go get ready now, I'll talk to you later, Suzanne, enjoy your meal."  I said, "I will . Bye for now , Alexei ." 

He hung up , and I hung up , before I spruced up my meal, by adding some butter to the broccoli, and then after I was finished eating, I spent some time talking to Nina Online, before I
retired to my room for the night, where I found Petie fast asleep. I smiled and whispered, "Good night, Petie," before I slowly covered his cage.  Then , I got ready for bed , and I turned the light off, but I  kept my cell phone, that was by my pillow, on, while I slept, until I  heard it ring, and then I sat up , picked up the cell phone, and fumbled with a few of the buttons, before I finally pushed the right one, and  softly said, "Hello?"  Alexei said, "Hey, Suzanne the show just ended,  and I am on the bus , because I wanted some privacy."  I said,  "Awww."   Then I asked him, "How was the show?"  He said, "It was great, but I hope I did not wake you."  I replied , "Well, You did, but I can sleep in tomorrow." He chuckled , and asked, "Did you enjoy your meal?" I said, "Yes. I did it was very good."  Then he said, "Good. I don't want to keep you up any longer, you need your rest." I yawned and replied, "Okay. It was nice to hear your voice again, I really enjoy getting calls from you."

He said, "I am glad, I enjoy hearing your sweet voice too." I smiled , but I asked him, "Does it really sound sweet? Because, I used  to not like what I sounded like over the phone."  He said, "Yes, I like  your voice , it's soothing , it calms me ."  I smiled again and said, "I like your voice too, it always sounds nice and it puts me at ease right away." He said, "Thank you, but I better let you go back to sleep. Good night, Suzanne."  I replied back to him with, "Good night, Alexei ."  Then he whispered, "Sweet dreams." I said, "I will have sweet dreams  now, see you on Sunday." He said, "Good. I hope so, see you soon. Bye."  I said, "Awww, Bye."  Then we hung up at the same time, and I put my cell phone on my night stand, before I got back under my covers, and  closed my eyes with a smile placed on my lips.  While, I had sweet dreams of spending more time alone with Alexei again. 

To Be Continued     http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html ‍

Saturday morning clearly marked the end of my extremely busy week. I slept in later than usual , because I did not
really have any plans, and I also really wanted to be alert for my dinner with tomorrow night with Alexei . When, I finally woke up, I
had a huge grin on my face, as I continued to think about it, eventhoughone part of me still could not believe that I really was going to have
to have dinner with him at his apartment, but I was . He actually invited me , and I accepeted. How could I have turned him down?  I would  have had to be crazy to turn an opportunity like that down. I smiled some more, while I took my time getting out of bed, since I had  decided that I deserved one day to take things easy, and maybe pamper myself, which I rarely did, so it was something new for me to  discover, but I was not too sure where to start, until I suddenly had an idea  to call Anna , and ask her for some advice .


I knew that she would know where to go, however I took care of Petie first, because he was used to getting his royal treatement every Saturday, and he expected it to happen at a
certain time as well.  When , I was finished with giving him his bath, and I made sure that he had plenty of fresh food and water, I changed  into a blue cotton, short sleeved shirt, and some jeans, then I headed  into the kitchen, where I looked around to find something to eat.   I continued my search, until I noticed a box of pancake mix, and I thought
pancakes sounded good, so I got out my mixing bowl , and the skillet, before I carefully followed the directions on the back of the box. 
Then, when I had my pancake batter mixed well , I poured the batter into the skillet, after I made sure it was hot enough. 
Then, I watched my pancakes as they cooked, and flipped them over when it was time for them to cook on the other side.

Once both of the pancakes were golden brown on each side, I took them out, placed them on a plate,  added some butter and syrup, and I also made me a cup of hot tea, then I warmed my pancakes up in the mircrowave, before I sat down and slowly ate my breakfast, while I sipped my cup of hot tea, and read my devotions for the day in the book of Luke.   Then, while I looked through the newspaper,  I saw an advertisement for a nail salon, that was offering  manicures for half price, so I started to read it, and I thought that  was a great deal, and I also knew that tomorrow night was going to be  special, so I wanted to look my very best , and I decided to try having my nails done. I was also very sure that Anna could offer me  some helpful information about manicures , so after I finished my last  drop of hot tea, and cleaned up the kitchen, I gave Anna a phone call.

 
After she answered the phone, I explained to her that I had a very special occasion tomorrow night, that I wanted to look really nice for. She was very excited, and she told me
that she would picking me up to take me to the nail salon I told her about in,  a few minutes. I just laughed and told her that I would be waiting, and then I grabbed my purse, before I told Petie , that I would be back later.   Then, Anna came, and we left shortly after she  arrived. In the car, she asked me, "Do you know what you are going to  wear?"  I replied, "Well, I really haven't had much time to think about  it."  Anna said, "Don't worry, I have everything under control, and the  first thing we are going to do is get your nails done."  I smiled and  replied, "Okay." She smiled and told me that she went to the same place  sometimes, and I just grinned at her without a reply.


When we arrived at the nail salon, she  told Monica to give me the same manicure style that she always gets.  Monica smiled at me, and said, "Please have a seat."  I sat down, and  she worked her magic, while I just watched her in amazement , and I  thanked her when she told me I had beautiful cuticles.  She said, "You are very welcome, Suzanne."  Then, she trimmed my nails, and filed  them, before she applied a clear coat , and Anna told her to paint my  nails a shiny light, pearlish pink.  Then, once my nails were painted,  and dried, I paid Monica , and thanked her for her assistance, before  Anna and I left for the hair salon.  On the way there, I asked her, "Do I need a hair cut?"  Anna said, "You need it shaped a little and styled,
now don't worry, Okay?"  I replied, "Okay," and she parked the car, and told me to wait there in my seat, because she was going to open the door
for me.  I sat there and waited like she wanted me to, then she opened  the car door.


I said, "Thank you , Anna ."  She said,  "You are welcome." I gave her a smile, before we walked into the hair  salon, and she told one of the stylists that I needed a little trim, just to shape my hair, and that I also needed a style.  The stylist wrote my name down, and while I waited for my name to be called, Anna  showed me styles that were cute.  I said, "I like my hair the way it
is."  Anna just said, "Come on, Suzanne try something new."  I replied, "Okay, I will try something new."  Anna said, "This cut would shape around your face more, and it would bring out your brown eyes."  I  smiled and said, "Okay, I will point to that picture, and tell the  stylist to make my hair look just like the way the woman in the picture  has it."  She smiled and replied, "Great, then after your hair cut, I  will treat you to lunch at Subway."  I said,"Sounds good." 

 

 Then, I heard, "Suzanne Jones."  Anna said with excitement in her voice, "That's you."  I said, "Yeah, my name is Suzanne Jones."  Anna chuckled and then she said, "Wait you almost
forgot the book."  I said, "Oh Yes. I can't forget the book."  She just handed me the book, and I went over to the chair, and had seat. The  young woman asked me, "So, how do you want your hair done today?"  I  gave her the book, and she said, "Oh, that would look great on you, so  you want that style?"  I replied, "Yeah, Sure. Why not."  She said, "Well, your hair is longer now , do you want to keep it that way?" I  said, "No, I just have not had time to get a haircut, I moved here and  then I got involved in my job."  She laughed and said, "Okay, You are
due for a haircut then." I said, "Yeah, I guess I am."  While she gave  me a bob style haircut that made my hair take shape around my face, she asked me, "Where did you move from?"

 I replied, while trying to remain still, "I am originally from Indiana, but I moved to Florida, and then I moved here."  She said, "Wow ."  I said, "Yeah, I would like to stay put for a
little while."  She replied, while thinning out my hair, "I don't blame you, Okay tell me how you like it."  She handed me a mirror , so that I could see my hair from the back, and I took a look.  I smiled and I said, "I really love it, and my head feels lighter, now that all of that bulk is gone." She smiled and said, "Yep. It's on the floor, you have a lot of hair."  I said, "I know. I get told that by evey hair  dresser that cuts my hair." She laughed and she said, "Well, here is my  card, Suzanne you can call me anytime to get your hair needs taken care of."  I smiled and I said, "Thank you, Cindy." She said, "You are  welcome , Suzanne , let's see that will be $15.00 for the hair cut." I wrote her out a check, and gave it to her , before she said, "You have a
nice day."  I smiled and said, "You too." 

 

 Then Anna jumped up, and said, "Your hair  looks so cute!"  I smiled and I said, " I was due for a haircut, so it  does feel much better." Anna smirked and said, "Told you so."  I just
replied, "Yeah, yeah let's go eat now."  She laughed and said, "Okay ."  Then, we went to Subway , and I had a six inch  chicken  teriyaki, with a bag of low fat potato chips, while Anna had a grilled chicken, but she asked me how mine was.  I said, "Delicious."  She said, "I will have to try it next time."  I smiled and nodded my head, while I wiped my mouth with my napkin.  When we were finished eating, she said, "Now to find you a new dress."  Before I could protest, she pulled me out to the car, and she went to the local mall, and whisked me off into a
store with dresses inside, where she handed a bunch of dresses, for me  to try on.  I was glad that there was not  a limit in the  dressing room, because I would have been in trouble.  I tried some on,  but I choked when I saw the price tag, and I really did not like them either.  So, I handed her a bunch of them back.  She told me through the door, "I want you to try a different style , than the one you normally  wear."  I reminded her in my reply that the dress also had to fit within my price range.  She said, "All right, I  will go look and see what I can find."  Then, I tried on some more  dresses, that I did not like because of their color, or the way they fit.  I had just tried on what I thought was going to be my last dress, when she said, "I found this one, I think the color is pretty, and it is not too expensive, so try it on." She flung the dress over the top ofthe door. I looked at it and smiled, then I said, "I really like this aquamarine color."  She replied, "Yes, I thought you might."  I looked  at my reflection in the mirror and noticed the hem was shorter, than I  was used to wearing, but I really liked it, and I also liked the thin
straps , that tied around at the back of my neck.  Anna said through the closed door, "Let me see how you look."  I said, "Hold on, I am coming." 

To Be Continued
  

 

  

  

  

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Three

‍Then, I opened the door to the dressing room.  She smiled and said, " That dress is gorgeous, it looks so great on you."  I felt myself begin to blush, and I whispered, "Thank you." She said,
"You're welcome. But now you need to go get changed, because we have to find the pair of shoes to match that dress."  I went back inside, and carefully hung the dress up, while I got dressed, and then I laid it  over my arm, until we made it into the line at the cash register. Then, I paid for the dress with my check card, and the sales clerk put the  dress in a protective bag for me. I smiled and said, "Thank you."   Before, Anna pulled me into a shoe store, where a sales person helped me try on a pair of high heels in my size  that were the same color as the
dress, and Anna had me stand up and walk around in them, before she asked me, "How do they feel?" 

  
I replied, "Not bad, pretty comfortable actually."  She told the sales person that we were going to take them. I smiled at the sales person and said, "Thank you."  The man said,
"You're welcome." After I paid for the shoes, Anna said, "Now we have to find something special for you to wear in your hair. Oh and a necklace  too."  I told her that I had a necklace with a heart that was about the  same color at home, but she still wanted me to have a look around in  another store.  I looked for awhile, then I told her about the  necklace I wore in my sister's wedding a few years ago, and she told me  that she had to see it too, so I said, "Let's go back to my apartment then."  After we came back to my apartment, I led her to my room, and she chatted with Petie , while I put my new dress and away , before  I pulled my heart shaped jewelery box, out from underneath my bed. Then, she came over to to my bed and had a seat on the edge of it, and said,
"Show me your necklaces."   I said, "Give me just a minute," before I  lifted the first compartment, and found the first necklace, that I  wanted to show her, and I said, "I wore this one in Lynn's wedding three years ago, as one of her bridesmaids."

Then, I handed it to  her, and she said, "Hmmm it looks interesting, let me see what it looks  like on you."  I said, "Okay," then I sat perfectly still , while she  put the necklace around my neck, and worked on closing it's clasp.  Once she had the clasp closed, I asked her, "What do you think?"  She  replied, "Stay right where you are, I am going to see what it looks like from the front," and she came around, she immediately saw that the  necklace really did not want to lay down properly against my neck."  She said, "It sticks out", and then she tried to pull it down, before she continued telling me what was wrong with the necklace.  I said, "I know."  Then she said, "Even when I pull it back down it pops  back up and sticks out again." I nodded my head and replied, "Yeah, I
think it is pretty and I still wear it, but it can be annoying."  She  said, "Okay. I think that one is out, so show me the other necklace."  I picked up the first compartment of the jewelery box, and dug around the other necklaces, until I found my gold chain with a gold heart , that had a pretty silver pattern in the middle, where a teal gem stone rested in the heart's center.  I laid it out across my palm, and she said,  "Let me see if that will match the dress."  I said, "Okay, Anna," while  she scooped the necklace from my palm,  went to my closet and unzipped
the bag with the dress in it.


Then, she held the necklace up to the  dress, and she said with a smile, "Okay, I think this one will work,  because the teal color is a little darker than the dress, but they are pretty much the same color, so this necklace gives it a nice kind of a  contrast, but I still think we should find something to pick up the  color in the necklace."  I just grinned, said, "Then we should go back  to the mall."  She said, "Yeah."  I stood up from my bed, and I saw the  ring that went with the necklace, and I asked, "Is this enough?"  She took the ring and looked at it, and she said, "It's very pretty, and I
think you should wear it tomorrow night, but I was also thinking maybe we could find a nice scarf to add a more colorful touch to the dress,  since it is a solid color." 

 

 I smiled and I said, "Anna , you should be a fashion desinger."  She grinned and asked me in reply, "You really  think so?" I nodded my head and said, "Yes, I really think so." She  smiled and told me that she always loved to put outfits together for her friends.  I said, "I think you would be wonderful , and that you should look into it."  She said, "Maybe, I will , but I want to see what you
will look like tomorrow, before I plan too far ahead."  I smiled and  then I said to Petie, "I will be back soon."  He just chirped , and Anna said, "Bye. Pretty boy."  Well after he heard that, he bobbed his head  up and down, while he checked himself out in his mirror.  We laughed for a few minutes, while he continued to strut his stuff, before we left  the room, and headed back out to her car. Then, when we made it back to the mall, she took me to this small store that only sold scarves, along  with some other small fashion accessories, and we spent some time  looking through the selection of scarves.


She held up one , but I did not like it, I thought it was too dark, and then I held up one for her to see, but she thought the one I picked was too light, so I continued to search for
the right scarf, until I suddenly some gold at the bottom of the pile,  and I moved the other ones out of the way, before I grabbed it, and  said, "Ooooo, Anna look at this one." She looked up from her side of the bin, and said, "Oh, that is pretty, and there is some gold, teal, light pink, with some dark pink in it." I said, "I know, I think this is the one , and look it even has some aquamarine in it." She smiled and said, "Yes, and the light gold background color is not too dark , or too light. "  I said, "Yes," and smiled at her.  Then, she said, "Then, we  are done for the day."  I said, "Great," and got in line , and after the customer in front of me finished paying, I paid for my scarf, and  we headed back to my apartment, where I put everything else I  bought away.


Then, Anna said, " I suggest that you take it easy tonight, and you should also relax in a bubble bath , and  allow yourself to unwind." I said, "All right, I will do that, I do have
some bubble bath my friend , in Indiana gave me for my birthday, and I  never have used it, I opened it , to smell it, and I loved the vanilla  scent, so I will use that for the first time , tonight."  Anna grinned  and I gave her a hug, while I said, "Thank you so much ." She hugged me  back and said, "You are welcome , Suzanne."  I walked with her to the  door, while I said, "I will go to church tomorrow."  She had a big  smile on her face and replied back with glee in her voice, "Great, and  then I will help you apply your make up."  I said, "Sure. I would like  that a lot."  She said, "I had so much fun today with you , and I love to shop."  I replied back with, "Yeah, I had fun too, and I normally don't like to shop."

To Be Continued

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Thirty-Three

‍

She smiled and said, "Well ,maybe that will change, and you know you have to take me shopping for your wedding gown."  I just laghed , smiled, and nodded my head, then I rested for a
little while , after she left. Then, I made myself some soup for supper, and I checked my e-mails, but I did not have any new messages waiting  for me, so I did as Anna suggested, before I changed into some really  comfortable pajamas, and I talked to some fans in the chat room. We were all talking about the tour , and the shows that we had attended, until I had to excuse myself to answer the phone, and I was surprised , when I  discovered it was Alexei .  He said, "Hey Suzanne, how are you?"  I  replied, "Tired, I went shopping with Anna today, and I am not into  shopping that much, but we had fun, oh and she also had me get a haircut, but I needed one, and I tried a manicure for the first time." 



He said, "Wow."  I replied, "I know, I tried a lot of new and different things out today, and I also have a  new dress to wear for tomorrow night."  He said, "I can't wait to see it on you, or you for that matter."  I smiled and I asked him, "Is the  final show over?"  He said, "No, not yet, almost."  I said, "Well, I  hope you are having fun."  He said, "Thanks, I am , but I wanted to call you to ask you if you would like for me to pick you up tomorrow  evening, so would you?"  I said, "No. That was very sweet of you to ask, but I think I will take a taxi, and I still have your address."  He  replied, "Well, if you don't I will e-mail it to you."  I told him, "No, I am in my room looking for it right now, and I have the piece of paper right here in my hand."  He laughed and said, "Okay."  Then I asked,
"Do you want me to bring anything?"  He said, "Nope. Just bring  yourself, I have everything else under control, and I am leaving  tonight, right after the show, so that I have all day tomorrow to cook."


I smiled again, and said, "Okay, Well, I know you always cut our conversations short, but if you don't mind , I need to go, because I need to get some sleep."  He laughed, and said,  "This is a switch, but I understand , Good night, Suzanne. Sweet dreams , see you tomorrow."  I replied, "Good night, Alexei . Yes, but I will  see you tonight in my sweet dreams."   He said, "Awwww."  Then I
realized what I had just said, and I replied back , "Wait, Oh my , tell me I did not just say that to you out loud."  He chuckled and replied,  "Yes, you did and I did not mind , because I won't mind you having sweet dreams about me."  I said, "Awwww, Thank you, I feel better now."  He said, "You're welcome. Go and get those sweet dreams started now, you  can dream about me skating in tonight's show."   I said, "Okay, I will .  Bye Alexei ."  He said, "Bye , sweet Suzanne."  I smiled , and then I  whispered, "Bye," and I hung up the phone, went right to sleep, before I
had more sweet dreams about tomorrow night.
 

To Be Continued

 Part Thirty-FourA Very Special Sunday

When Anna came to pick me up for church the next morning, she had a little  surprise for me, and when she handed me the wrapped box , I asked her,
"What is it?" She laughed and replied, "Just open it."  So, I tore the  pink wrapping paper off , and then I opened the box and said, "Oh it's a notepad."  Anna said, "I thought that this could help you to focus on the sermon, during the service." I smiled and I replied, "Thank you, Anna."  She said, "Look on the front."  I flipped the notepad over, and I saw the cute cocker spaniel puppy, and I said, "Awwwww." She said, "I  did think about buying one with a blank cover, so that I could have  glued a picture of Alexei to the cover, but then I remembered the purpose was to have this notepad help you keep your mind on the sermon." 

I chuckled and then she said, "So, I was afraid , that you would stare at the front cover during church."  I laughed and I said, "I love it, Thank you."  She gave me a hug, while she told me in return, "You are welcome, Suzanne."  Then, I grabbed my jacket and my Bible , before I followed her out to her car.    When we arrived at the church, I had a  chance to break in my new notepad during Sunday school, by taking notes on what the lesson was about, and the lesson was about taking time out of our busy lives and spending that time with God, so that we could grow
closer to him, and have a deeper root in our faith as Christians.  

Then,after Sunday school class was over, I managed to keep my mind on the whole service , and I thought that the sermon was very good this week, because it was all about believing in God's plan for our lives, and that we should also know for a fact that nothing is impossible through God, and his mighty power, because through him all things are possible , and  the Bible will always state that truth forevermore.  After church was over, Anna drove me home, and on the way there, I shared  with her about what I understood from the message, and how the message
caused me to think back on the times, when I felt that I did not even  know what God's plan was for me, and how I went through half of my life
thinking, Why am I even here?     

Because, I had people tell me what I should do, or should be, and I became so  frustrated when what they thought I should be did not work out, and I  was lost, and I felt like I really did not have a purpose, or that I would never discover what God wanted me to do.  She just quietly listened to me, then she asked, "Do you still feel that way?" I replied, "Yeah, I honestly do at times, but I also just try to trust in what God thinks is best for me."


"But, I still can limit myself  at times too."  Anna said, "Never limit yourself, Suzanne , because God has an amazing plan for you , think big , and continue to think big,  even if something comes along in your life , and you don't understand it, or it just seems too crazy to believe, or you think it could never  happen, just remember it is God's plan , and you are exactly where you
are supposed to be, and that what God wants you to do, you will do, just believe and have faith in God." I said, "Yeah, I know and I am trying  to keep all of what you have said, and the message from this morning  said in mind."  She smiled and said, "Good , Well tonight is the big  night for you."  I smiled and said, "Yes it is, I am very excited , and Ican't wait to see my special friend again." She smiled and asked, "He's only a special friend?" I said, "Yes."  She looked at me for a few minutes, after she parked the car near my apartment building, and then  she said, "You really did not tell me his name."


I asked her back in reply, "I  didn't?"  She said, "No."  I said, "Well his name is, Alex."  She said,  "Okay. Well , I think you should take some time today, and just rest up for tonight, for your special time with Alex." I said, "I will ."  Then I started to open the car door, before she said, "Then , you call me, and I will come over and help you get ready ." I smiled and replied, "I
will call you later on this afternoon, Thank you Anna."  She smiled and  replied, "You're welcome," then I got out of the car , before I headed  up to my apartment.  Then , I went inside and after I greeted Petie, I  kicked off my shoes , and laid down for an hour , or so before the  telephone woke me up. I hurried into the living room to answer it, and I mumbled into the phone, "Hello?"  The person on the other end, whose  voice I did not recognize at first , asked, "Did I wake you?" 

 


 Then , I said, "Oh Alexei it's you, I am so sorry for mumbling . Yeah, I was kind of taking a nap."   He replied with an apology of his own, then he said, "I just wanted to
let you know that I asked Andrei to pick you up." I asked him in return, "Is he back from the competition yet?"  Alexei laughed , and said, "I hope so, or else he wouldn't be picking you up at 5:30 ."  I giggled, and I said, "Okay, You have a point, then the answer to my question is  that he is back, I promise , I will snap out of it before dinner  tonight."  He said, "It's fine , I woke you up , so now I will let you go back to your nap."  I replied, "Thanks, Oh I have to tell you  something, and I hope don't get mad."  He said, "Uh oh ."  I just took a deep breath  and replied, "Yeah, Anna asked me some questions about who I was seeing tonight, and I told her that he was just a special friend, and I hoped that my first answer , would have satisfied her curiosity,  but she still wanted to know the name of my special friend." 

 


 I was quiet for a few minutes , before he asked me, "Did you say it was me?" I shook my head and said  into the phone, "No, Because I am trying to keep our secret like you  want me to, so I made up a name, and I told her the my special friend's name was  Alex."  He said, "Then it's cool, you handled that very well, so to her I am Alex , I mean when you talk about me, that's kind of
cool actually, I am kind of like your secret boyfriend." I smiled, while I tried to think of something to say, I liked the idea of considering  him my secret boyfriend, but I was also afraid of finding out that he was joking with me, yet on the other hand he did not sound like he was  joking. So, I had to decide which way I was going to go, was I going to
be safe and just keep my true feelings to myself? 

 


Or, was I going to be brave for once, and take a very daring step ?  I still was trying to make up my   mind , when he asked, "Suzanne, are you there?"  I said, "Yes. Sorry I  was thinking of a way to respond."  He said, "Okay." Then, I decided to  play it safe, and I finally told him, "I am so glad that you think I  handled it,very well because believe me, I was scared that the truth  would come out.  " He said, "Awwww, you didn't have to be scared."  I  said, "I know , but I just want you to know that I completely understand how you would feel, if our secret got out." He replied back softly
with,"Thanks, that really means a lot to me." I grinned and I said, "  Yes, You are so special to me , and that is why I try so hard to keep our secret." Then he said,  "I think we need to have a serious talk."  I softly replied, "Okay." 

  

 To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four

‍Then I asked him, "Now?"  He replied, "No, I want to talk to you about it tonight, but I did enjoy our conversation like I always do ."  I smiled and said, "Me too," before he said, "Well, I will get back to cooking now," and I asked him, "Are you sure I can't bring anything?"  He replied back with, "I am positive , you don't need to worry about anything, because I am taking  care of it all, I just want you to come and relax, enjoy yourself, and  hopefully you will enjoy my company as well." I grinned and said, "I  always enjoy your company , Alexei."  He said, "Good."  Then I heard the door bell , and I continued talking to him, while I walked to the door, and told him, "I think Anna is here, so now now it is time for me to  get ready."  Alexei said, "See you soon, Suzanne." I replied while
smiling , "Yes, very soon I can't wait, and I also don't want to stop talking to you, but I have to now."


He replied with, "It's  Okay. We will have plenty of time to talk tonight."  I softly replied, "Yes, Tonight."  He said, "On the count of 3 , we will say our
goodbyes."  I laughed, and he did the count down, "1...........  2..........  3........., Goodbye, Suzanne."  Then, I said, "Good bye ,  Alexei," before we both hung up, and I answered the door.  Anna just
gave me a smile, and I said, "Come on in."  Then, she followed me into  my room, and she had me lay out my new outfit, on the bed, so that she  could study it for a few minutes. I said, "Everything matches, I love  it."  She gave me a smile and said, "Okay. Now you can go put it on." I grinned back at her,  grabbed my new dress, along with everything else, and went into my bathroom, before I got ready. Then, when I came out, she had me twirl around, so that she could put my necklace on, after she added the scarf, and she explained to me that the heart, would be the  center piece of the scarf.


I just smiled and said,  "Okay . That sounds good to me."  Then, she led me over to a chair , and she brought my make up case in from my bathroom, before she said, "Have
a seat."  I sat down, and she wrapped a long towel around me, and told  me, "This will protect your outfit, in case something gets spilled."  I  said, "Good idea."  Then, she asked me , "How do you put on your  makeup?" I looked at her a little funny, before I said, "Well, like most women, I like to begin with my liquid foundation, or base."  She said, " I know that question sounded weird, but I asked you that, because I  want to know what you apply first, so that I can apply your make up the  same way you do, you know the way Alex is used to seeing you."  I smiled and replied, "Okay. I understand, I start out with the lighter shade of base, then I add the darker and blend them in."  


She said, "Great," before she applied my liquid foundation, then she had me blend both of the shades in, by wiping the access off.  Then , after she applied the powder, she had me point out to her which color of blush I used, and she worked on applying the blush, before she used some extra liner and  mascara to really bring out the brown in my eyes.  Then, her last touch was my lipstick, and after I told her the colors I used, she decided to  use a darker shade of pink.  So, that the same color in my scarf , would be picked up, then after she had me blot my lips, she gave me a small
mirror , and I looked at my face, before I smiled and said, "You did a  wonderful job, Anna."  She gave me a smile, and replied, "Thank you,  Suzanne, you look beauiful and I have a feeling that Alex is going to  think so too."  I just laughed and said, "Awww. Stop it, or you will  make me blush."


She gave me a hug and she  asked me, "What time do you have to leave?"  I said, "Alex's friend is  coming to pick me up in another hour or so."  Anna smiled at me again,  and asked, " Are you nervous?"  I said, "Yeah, I am a little nervous."   She said, "Well.. I hope you have a great time with Alex."  I grinned  and said, "Thank you, I hope so too." Then she said, "Well, I think I
will head  on home , and give you some time alone."  I smiled and told  that her idea sounded fine to me.  She gave me one more hug , before she left, and after she was gone, I grabbed my book , since I thought  reading would keep me relaxed.  So, after I found my book, I removed my shoes, and curled up with it on my couch, while I continued to read from
the place in the chapter, where I had left off.


However, I had to stop  reading my book the minute I heard a knock on my door, and I checked my  watch, to see what time it was, then I said, "Oh, Wow it's time to go." 
Then, I yelled, " I am coming Andrei!", as I slipped my heels back onto my feet, and hurried towards the door, as fast as I could, and once I  got to the door, I opened it while I tried to fasten the buckle on my left heel, at the same time I tried to greet Andrei.  Andrei looked at  my foot, that I had lifted up, while I stood in an awkward position in  the middle of  the doorway, as I bent down to mess with shoe's buckle.  He said, "Hi Suzanne."  I turned my head up to look up at him, and he  just smiled, while I softly replied, "Hi."  He grinned , and I said, "I  was ready, but I decided to pass the time by reading, until you arrived, so I took my shoes off, and I think I should have kept them on."


He chuckled and just asked , "Would you like some help?"  I smiled and replied, "That would be  great."  Then, he helped me walk over to the couch, and then I had a  seat, while he fastened both of my buckles, after he asked me how tight , I wanted the straps on my heels to be, and I told him that I wanted  them tight enough, so that they don't feel too loose. Once he had them
fastened, I stood up , and walked around for him, before I told him that they felt fine, and he escorted me out to his car, where he opened the door for me, and I said, "Thank you," before he closed the door. Then he got in, and started the car, after he replied, "You are welcome ,  Suzanne."  Then, we spent the rest of the ride in silence, until he  asked me, "So...Suzanne are you excited to see Alexei again?"


I smiled and said, "Yes, I  am and a little nervous too."  Andrei grinned and replied, "He is too,  he called me this morning, and he asked me for my help with the
dinner."  I shook my head, and I said, "I asked him several times if I  could bring anything, or help him in anyway, and he always told me that  he had everything under control."  Andrei laughed and replied, "He can  be very stubborn sometimes, no make that most of the time, as you are  finding out, but he means well. He just wanted the dinner to be perfect  tonight, and the whole evening to be special for both of you."  I  smiled, and I said, "He does not have to show off to impress me, he has already made a very good impression on me, and whatever he decided to  cook, will be fine with me."  Andrei said, "Good, but for now you can  just sit back, and enjoy the ride, because it is going to be a little
while, before we get there."

To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four

I closed my eyes, and  thought about Alexei , while I wondered if he would look the same, or if he had changed since our last time together. Then, Andrei said, "We are
here," and I opened my eyes, and saw the apartment complex, before I felt my stomach do it's famous flip flops, because I knew that I was  finally going to see him again. Andrei opened the car door for me, and then he walked with me to Alexei's door, where he told me to give him a  call , when I was ready to have him come pick me up.  I said, "Okay, I  will , Thank you , Andrei."  He smiled and replied, "You're welcome,"  while he gave me a wave good bye with his hand.  I waved back to him, before I took a deep breath ,  knocked on the door, and waited for it to
be opened, while I listened to the soft music coming from inside.  Then, I grinned when I heard him say, "Just a minute," and I smiled
again, before the door slowly opened, and when his blue eyes met mine, my heart started to thump harder in my chest. 
 

 
Then, the door opened a little a more , and we smiled at one another, while he raked his hand  through his light, brown hair, and I swallowed the large lump in my
throat, before he said, "Hi, Suzanne . Come in , let me get a better  look at you, since the lighting out there is kind of dim."  I smiled and stepped through his doorway, before he gently closed the door behind  me.  Then, I smiled at him , after he asked me to spin around for him.  I also laughed, as I did a little twirl , and he whistled, before he  said, "Suzanne, you look amazing tonight."  I grinned at him and softly replied, "Thank you, Alexei."  He smiled and said in return, "You are welcome, but I was only stating the obvious."  I said, "It's great to
see you again, Alexei ."  He replied, "Yes. It's great to see you too,  come a little closer, let me give you the proper greeting ."


I stepped towards him, and  got a little closer, then he pulled me into one of his warm hugs, and I  wrapped my arms around his neck , before I squeezed him back. Then, we
hugged each other for a few more minutes, before we pulled away, and he  said, "Let me give you a tour."  I smiled , and said, "I would like
that."  Then, I followed him around to each area of his apartment.    After the tour of his apartment was over, I said, "You have a very nice  place."  He said, "Thank you."  Then, he looked down and noticed that he was still wearing an apron, and he said, "I meant to take this off."  I laughed and said , "Awww, I really like it, I think your apron is very  pretty."  He just replied, "I borrowed it from Tatiana, after I spilled  some sauce on the one I had."  I laughed some more, as he yanked it over
his head, and rolled it up into a ball , before he tossed it at the  counter.


I just giggled some more  and told him that the pink and purple flowers were very becoming on  him.  He said, "I am going to go change now, here is the remote, feel
free to watch whatever you want, while I go find something more  dignified to wear ." I chuckled and said, "I think you look fine, but if it will make you feel better, then go on ahead." He replied, "I will be back in a few minutes."   Then, I sat down on the couch ,  turned the television set on, and flipped through all of the channels, while I looked for something to watch, but I really didn't find anything that  was interesting, and I also heard the door to Alexei's room open, so it really did not matter anyway, because when he came back into the living
room, his dress shirt , that was the same color as a robin's egg stole  my attention away from the television set all together.



I turned the television set off, and handed him the remote back, while I felt my heart , as it  hammered wildly within my chest, and I also tried not to stare at Alexei too much. However, I think he enjoyed it, because he just smiled at me  and asked , "How do I look?"  "You look very handsome, " I replied with a smile of my own. Then, I noticed his black slacks , and I thought they
also looked very sharp, which only made me start to blush, especially  when he asked me, "Are you hungry?" I said, "Yes, very hungry."  He  laughed after I had said it, and I quickly blurted out to add, "I mean  for food."  He just chuckled, and extended his hand to me, that I  accepted without a word,  then he escorted me to the dining room
table, where he pulled my chair out for me, before I had a seat, and he pushed my chair in, after I was seated. 

  
Then once he was seated, I  said, "Thank you, Alexei."  He gave me a smile and replied, "You are welcome, but now I have to go get our dinner, that I kept warm on the
stove." I laughed and then I asked him, "May I help you?"  He said, "No.You are my guest."  I replied , "I know I am , but I want to help."  He
threw his hands up into the air, and said in reply, "Okay. I give up, you can help."  I just smiled left my place at his table, and followed
him into the kitchen.  Then I asked him, "What would you like for me to do?"  He said, "The person that helped me set the table, left out the candles and candlesticks , so it would be great if you would place them in the middle of the table." I took the candles along with the candlesticks from him,  carefully carried them to the table, and
then I gently placed the candlesticks down in the center of the table, before I put the candles inside their holders.

Then, he asked me if I could come back into the kitchen to get the salad. So, I picked up the bowl of salad , and he told me where he wanted it to go,
before he had me carry out a platter with buttered garlic bread, while he carried out a serving dish filled with spaghetti and meat sauce." He said, "Oh, I forgot the pot holder."  I quickly headed off to the kitchen, while I responded with, "Just let me know where you keep them."  He said, "The middle drawer near the far cabinet."  I grabbed the first pot holder that I saw, and slid underneath the serving dish, just at the same time, as he was setting it down on the table."  Then, he said, "Thanks, but now I have to go get the salad dressings, and Parmesan cheese."  So, I helped him with the last minute items , before he he lit our candles, and helped me get into my chair again, before he
smacked his forehead, and exclaimed, "I forgot the ice tea!" 

I laughed and placed my hand on top of his, while he was still standing next to my chair, before I said, "You just sit down and relax, I will go get it."  He grinned and replied, "Okay. I will let you," as he had a seat in the chair across from mine. Then, I returned to the kitchen, and I found the pitcher of ice tea on the top shelf of the refrigerator ,  before I brought it to the table, before I noticed that we needed ice in our glasses, so I just turned right around and went back to get a bowl , that I filled with ice cubes , and came back to the table  again.  Alexei smiled at me, while I sat down, and I gave him a smile in return, before I said, "I think we have everything now, at least I  really hope we do." He chuckled and nodded his head .  Then, I asked , "Would you mind if I prayed?"  He said, "No."  I replied while grinning , "Great , I will just pray silently." 

He told me to go  ahead, before I bent my head down, closed my eyes,  rested my head on  top of my folded hands, and thanked the Lord for the food that had been
provided, before I said, "Amen," and opened my eyes.  Then , Alexei  said, "Help yourself."  I replied, "You don't have to tell me twice,"  while I picked up my plate. He just laughed , and then we filled our  plates with spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad, before we put some ice in our glasses, poured the sweetened ice tea, and then I took my first  bite , as Alexei nervously watched me the entire time , while I lifted  my fork up to my mouth.  So, the minute that I was finished  with swallowing, I said, "Alexei ...the spaghetti is delicious."  He  still did not believe me, because he asked me in reply, "Really?"  I  just answered his question, by taking another bite, before I made a signwith my hand , to let him know it was perfect.  Then, I heard him
exhale, and he said, "I am so glad you like it, I was afraid that you  didn't like spagehtti."  I replied after I wiped my mouth with my
napkin, "I love spaghetti, it is one of my favorite meals , next to  chicken and noodles , and pizza."    

 
 
To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four

‍He softly repeated to himself,  "Chicken and noodles," while I just gave him a smile, and then he said, "The candles need lit now."  I just chuckled after I heard him say that,
but he got up and went back into the kitchen to find some matches.   Then, I asked "Do you want the lights dimmer too?"  He responded from  the kitchen, "That was my plan, but now nothing is going right, I can't  find the matches."  I said, "Awwww, Alexei , I really think you need to  relax, it's really okay , don't worry about the matches, we can pretend  the candles are lit."  He said, "I am not eating in the dark."  I laughed and told him, "Well, our food is going to get cold if you don't  come back soon."  Although, I tried to get him to come back to the
table, he just acted like he did not hear me, and he continued to look  through the drawers for the matches.  So, I came into the kitchen with  our plates, and warmed our food back up in the microwave.


Then, I suddenly heard him  exclaim, "Yes! I found them !"  I said, "Yay! Our food is hot too."  He  smiled at me, and replied, "Things are finally looking up."  I smiled  back at him, and said, "I never knew things were looking down," before  we returned to the table with our plates of food. Where he lit our  candles, and we went back to eating our meal, after I dimmed the lights a
little lower, had a seat in my chair, and we talked about why we both  liked the bread, and how happy he was that the pasta turned out just the way he wanted it to be. Then, after we helped ourselves to some more of the spaghetti, he said, "So...... I wonder what we can talk about  now."  I took a sip of my ice tea , and replied, "Maybe we could talk
about my car."  He smiled and said, "All right let's talk about that." 

 

 I said, "Great, so I guess we could pick out the day."  He asked me, "Well, what is your week like?"  I smiled again and replied, "Busy."  So, he said, "Okay . Then Saturday
it is."  I grinned and repeated, "Saturday."  He said, "This Saturday."  Then we spent a few minutes , and looked at each other over the  candlelight , and we smiled , before I felt his hand grasp mine, which  made me grin a little more, while I looked down at my plate, as the  silence surrounded us again, until Alexei said, "You look gorgeous
tonight, Suzanne."  I looked at him again, and my brown eyes met the intense gaze of his beautiful blue ones, before I whispered,
"Thank you , Alexei."  


He softly said, "You're  welcome , Suzanne," while he pulled my hand that he was holding up to his lips, and gave it a soft gentle kiss, which made me blush, and  caused me to grab my glass of ice tea , so that I could take another sip of it.  Then, Alexei lowered our hands back down onto the table, before he squeezed my hand, and said, "Tell me more about you , and your  family."  I put my glass down and I said, "Okay, I will." He grinned and replied, "Great," and I asked, "Should I start with my family?"  He  said, "Sure if you want to."  I said, "Okay. Well my dad and mom both
come from Indiana , and my dad was my mom's Sunday school teacher, but  she had liked him before he became her Sunday school teacher, and after  they dated , they got married very young, she was 18, and he was 21 ."


"They moved to Anderson, which is a very small city in Indiana, and my dad became a teacher after he graduated from Indiana State University with his Bachelors degree, and then he attended Ball State University, where he graduated with his Masters , before he became an elementary  school principal. So, my older sisters and I grew up in the public's  eye, since the whole town knew my dad through the schools he worked for, so we all had to act a certain way, that was not always easy, and then  he worked at a car dealer ship after he retired from the school system,
and he sold cars , before the three of us left Indiana, and moved to  Florida."


"Where my dad enjoyed golf, but then he also joined a softball team, softball is just as big as  golf in Florida, and of course we did fun things together as a family,  without having someone come up to him and tell him they know him, and I  have to be honest and say that I loved it. So, there is a little more  about my dad. Like I said before I grew up with two older sisters , but I lost my oldest sister, Kay in the year of 2001, she had been missing  during the last week of January, and she was found on the same day that  my parents celebrated their wedding anniversary which was on February 4th. The police came over to our house and told us the news we never wanted to hear, and we were devastated, and then we had to break the  news to my other older sister Lynn and her family, we did a lot of  crying that night , but over time,  we all grew closer and we were even
stronger as a family, and I also grew closer to my other sister, Lynn and her family."


Alexei squeezed my hand  again and he said, "I am so sorry."  I squeezed his hand back and  replied, "Yeah, I still miss her, but I am a firm believer and I know I  will see her again someday.  Anyway, my sister Lynn is marrried and she has two children, Bryan and Sydney , so I am an aunt , and it took me  awhile to get used to that role, but I am glad I did. Some of ther other
stuff about my family , you already know, because I mentioned it  before. So, I guess I will move on to myself , Well , when I am not busy working, I like to read, and I really love to read Christian Romances, because of the values, the stories teach , and I also believe that God  should be the center of any relationship, and then when I am not
reading, I enjoy playing games on my Playstation, which I know I am behind the serious gamers that have moved on to Playstation 2." 



He laughed and then he  said, "Please excuse me , I have to check on the brownies."  I said, "I thought I smelled brownies, I love brownies."  He replied, "I am very  glad to hear that."  Then, he went into the kitchen, and looked at his  brownies , while I started to clear off the table, until he said, "The  dishes can wait, I was enjoying our conversation."  I replied from the  kitchen sink, "Okay, I am coming," then I left the dishes sitting there in the kitchen sink. Then, when I returned to the dining room, I asked  him how the brownies were doing. He said, "They have to bake for a
little bit longer, so let's go sit on the couch and continue our  conversation there."  I blew out our candles, before I replied back with, "Sure we can do that," and followed him into his living room, where we had a seat on his couch , and he asked me "What else do you like to do for fun?"

To Be Continued Tomorrow

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four 

‍

I thought about my reply , before I said, "Well, when I am in Florida , I really like to walk along the beach, in the waves, on the  shoreline , while I look for sea shells, and just watch the waves roll
in and out."  He smiled and then I took a breath and continued telling him what I liked to do for fun, by saying, "I love to dance, especially  if I hear a certain song that is just so upbeat, that my feet won't stop moving."   He laughed a little and asked me, "Do you like to sing?" I smiled and looked down at my lap, before I met his eyes agan and said,  "Yes."  He gave me a wide grin, before he said in return, "I think your voice would sound very pretty." I just replied with a soft, "Awwwww."  He gave me a wink, and asked , "What else?"  I said, "Well, I like  walking and going to any park , just to be closer to nature, because it  reminds me of the state parks my family and I used to go to on  vacations."



He said, "Walking is a great way to keep in  shape, but I jog when I train."  I nodded my head and said in reply,  "Yes, I can jog for a short period of time too, but I can't jog or run  for a long period of time."  He grinned at me again, and said, "Well...  Maybe we could take a walk some time."  I smiled and I said, "I would  really like that."  Then, we both were quiet , while we thought of what
we could talk about next. Even though, I was getting tired of talking about myself, since I never really liked doing that sort of thing, I discovered while talking about myself for Alexei , that it was
not a bad thing, and that I was willing to share more, because the silence between us was unnerving for some reason, and I also felt that  there was some kind of change coming.


So, when I really do not know what will  happen, I start to feel very anxious, and that is what happened , while I waited patiently for one of us to talk again. Then, Alexei finally  ended our silent spell , when he asked me, "Do you like cookie  dough?"  I just laughed , because his question put me back at ease so  much, that I could smile again, before I said, "Well, I don't eat raw  cookie dough anymore, because of an experience I had after eating too  much of the cookie dough for the Christmas cookies, when I was a little  girl. All I will say is that I learned my lesson the hard way."  He  said, "I see. Well , I have some ice cream with cookie dough in it."  I  said, while I patted his hand, "I am sure, that will be fine, I have had that kind of ice cream before." He smiled and said, "Oh. Good," then I  just grinned and said, "Well, I think we should take care of the dishes  now."  



He laughed for a few minutes, before he got up and helped me get off the couch.  We headed back into the kitchen,  where we found the dishes  still waiting for us in sink, and then I  asked him, "Do you want to wash and I dry, or do you want me to wash the dishes, and you dry?" He replied immediately with, "I'll dry."  I  laughed and said, "I thought you would say that, but it's Okay I don't
mind washing the dishes."  He gave me a big and bright smile, that reached up to his eyes , and they smiled, before he retrieved a dish  towel. Then, I looked under the sink for any kind of dishwashing  liquid, as I moved some of the other bottles of cleaning prouducts out  of my way, until I saw the bottle of DAWN, and after I pulled myself back up, I filled the left side of the sink with hot water, that I squirted a small amount of DAWN , and added some more water to turn it's surface into a soapy, sudsy  foam, and I asked Alexei to fill the right side of the sink with hot water, so that I could soak the dishes in there to rinse them off.


So, I picked up my first plate , and  scrubbed it with a dish rag, placed them into the right side of the sink, and  Alexei picked it up and rubbed it dry, before he dried another plate, and I placed some silver ware, glasses, a serving dish, along with the platter into the rinse water. Then I said, "Well , I have washed everything that was in here." Alexei finished putting away a  glass, and asked, "Is that all of them then?"  I said, "Yeah, and now I will help you dry." He smiled , but he also said, "I think the salad  bowl is missing."  I said, "Ah . I bet it is still on the table, let me  go see." Then, once I turned on the lights, I saw it sitting on the table, and when I grabbed it , I noticed some of the last minute items ,had been left behind, so, I picked them up after I gave him the salad bowl, then when I came back , I asked him where everything went, and he  said, "I'll put these away," as he took them from my arms.


While he put those away, I asked him ,  "Do you have a plastic baggie that zips?"  He said, "I think so, I have some friends watch my place, when I am traveling, and they are usually good at keeping my shelves well stocked."  I said, "That is very nice of them," before he walked over to his pantry, slid the door open, and  turned on the light , so that he could see.  Then , I just grabbed
another dish towel , and got to work on drying a few more dishes, while he continued to search around for the box of plastic baggies, and after I had put away the dishes, he said, "I found them," before he brought the box over to me, and I said, "Thanks, Alexei." He just replied, "You're  welcome," and then I asked him, "Could you hold the plastic baggie while I scrape the bowl and pour the salad into it?" He said, "Sure, I can,"  as I started to carefully scrape the salad from the bowl with a large  plastic serving spoon, until the salad bowl was empty, and Alexei found aplace on the side of his refrigerator for the plastic baggie filled with the left over salad. 



Then, I changed the water in both sides of the sink, and I placed the salad bowl into the soapy water, to soak  it a little, before I cleaned it with a rag, and gently put it into the  rinse water, where Alexei picked it up and dried it, then he put it away along with the serving spoon, before he checked on the brownies again,  that were starting to smell very good, so good that I asked him, "Are they ready yet?"  He rubbed his chin with his finger, and said, "I really don't know how to tell."  I smiled and I said, "It's Okay, I can  show you , but only if you want me to."  He looked at me , and said,
"Please show me, Suzanne."  I said, "All right," and I found a tooth  pick, then I said, "This is how I was taught to check to see if the brownies are done.  All you do is stick the tooth pick in, like this." 

To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four

‍After, I said it, I showed him by sticking the tooth pick in to the middle, or center of the brownies,  while I said, "The middle , or center is the best place to do your  test."  He said, "Got it."  Then, I pulled the tooth pick out , and I  explained to Alexei, "The tooth pick came out clean, and that means that the brownies are done, and if the tooth pick comes out with brownie batter on it, then they need to bake more, and if it comes out with a  thin cake like texture, that means the brownies are almost there, but not quite done." He gave me a big grin and said, "Thank you."  I smiled
back at him, and replied, "You are always welcome, Alexei," and then he asked me, "Do you like chocolate frosting, or icing on your brownies?"  I eagerly nodded my head and said, "Yes. I love anything with chocolate."  

 


He gave me a big smile, before he asked, "Should I let them cool for a little bit?"  I said, "No, You don't have to." He said, "Okay, we will be having our dessert in a few minutes."   I smiled and replied, "Great . The brownies look very good, and they  smell even better too."  He got the container of icing , and he showed me the picture on the front, and all I could say was , "Yum."  Then, he
opened the lid, slowly peeled back the foil, and held the container out in front of me. I just looked at him and asked, "Are you trying to tempt me?" He gave me a wink, but he did not respond to my question. So, I laughed and said, "I think you are."  He just shrugged his broad shoulders, and then he took a spatula , and dipped it slowly into the thick , creamy, chocolate icing, and scooped some of it up. I just told him, "Now, I don't think you are tempting me  with that icing, because I know you are tempting me with that icing."  He chuckled , and then he began to spread the icing all over the top of the brownies.  While, I watched him spread that icing around, my mouth  began to water. However, I quickly swallowed it, so that he would not  see what he was doing to me. Then, when he was finished with applying  the icing to the brownies, he scooped more of the icing out with the  spatula, and he asked me, "Want a taste?"  I said, "No. I can wait." 



He smiled and waved it under my nose, then  he asked, "Are you sure?"  I looked at him and asked in reply, "Are you  testing my willpower?"  He said, "Maybe , I am."  Then, he tried again
to get me to lick the icing off of the spatula , when he slowly brought  it to my lips, but he did not rest the spatula on them, he just had it  lingering a few inches in front of my face instead.  I stared at that  chocolate icing, and his blue eyes that were staring intensely into mine. I said, "This is not fair."  He laughed and said, "It is just  icing, you can take a lick."  I replied, "You want me to give in."  He gave me a puzzled look, and asked, "What do you mean?"  I said, "It  seems like you are trying to see how long I can resist temptation."  He laughed and said, "No, I am just offering you a taste of the icing, kindof like a preview to what is to come, I will even lick it."  I said,  "You also could be flirting with me using the chocolate icing."


He replied while smiling, "Oh no you are on to me ," and then he took the spatula away from my lips,  placed it  on his own , and smiled again, before he had a taste. Then, he said,  "Mmm, this is good."  I said, I enjoyed you flirting with me, but I really just want to wait, until I have my brownie with ice cream on top  of it."  He smiled and told me after he like the spatula clean,   "Then,
let's have our dessert now."  I grinned and asked, "Where do you keep  your bowls?"   He said, "In that cabinet over there." I said, "Thanks,"  and after I opened the door, I went up on my tiptoes, and tried to reach for the bowls.  Alexei said, "Here , let me get those ," before he came up beside me, and grabbed two bowls.  I looked at him and replied  softly, "Thank you , I guess I still couldn't reach them, even in these  high heels." He said, "You're welcome, that is a tough spot to reach, I think I will do a little rearranging in this cabinet." 



I just gave him a grateful smile, and  then I got the carton of ice cream out of the freezer, while he looked  for his ice cream scooper, and after he found it, he handed it to me,  before I began to scoop out some ice cream for us, and put it into our  bowls.  Alexei grinned at me, but he also asked me, "Didn't you want the ice cream on top?" I looked down at the bowls,  then I covered my
mouth, and uncovered it , before I replied with, "Oops."  He just  laughed and told me, "Hey. I don't think it really matters if the  brownie is on top, or on the bottom." I said, "Well, I can add another
scoop of ice cream to the top." Alexei replied, "Sounds good to me," and then he found something to lift the brownies out of the pan with, before he asked , "How many do you want?"  I said, "One please."  He  said, "Okay. Here you go ," as he put a brownie into my bowl.

To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four

Then, I added the extra ice cream scoop to the top of mine. While, he said, "I better watch it too, so I will only have one as well."  I said, " All right, give me your bowl." He gave me his bowl , and I gave him one more scoop of ice cream on top of his brownie, then he led me back out to his couch.  Where, we had a  seat, and he told me more about the show he performed in with the cast of Stars on Ice the night before, while I just listened to every word, and laughed at the parts that were funny.  Then, he grew
quiet , while I was busy eating my brownie and ice cream, and when I was finished, I said, "This brownie is so moist, Alexei , it just melts in my mouth." He said, "Thank you, I am glad you like my brownies." I  smiled and responded back to him with, "You are welcome , Alexei , but I don't think I just like like your brownies, I love your brownies." 

He laughed and proclaimed, "I am an awesome cook!" I replied while laughing softly, "Yes. You are."  Then  he asked me, "Do you want some more?"  I held up my hand, and said,  "No. I better not , I am very full right now, because everything was just so delectable tonight." He just gave me one of his smiles that I loved, it was the smile that lit up his whole face and made his eyes smile as well.  I smiled back at him , before I looked down at my lap.  Then while I was still looking down, he removed my bowl , and placed both of the empty bowls onto the table, and even though he said my name, I still kept my gaze on my lap. I was fighting the urge to look up,
because I knew that if I did look up again, my eyes would give away all of my heart's secrets, and the thought of that happening, just made my
heart start to beat wildly again, so I refused to look up.

He said, "Suzanne , Please look at me  now, I have to talk to you."  I whispered back, "I can't."  He tried to bend his head down , so that he could meet my downward gaze, while he quietly asked me, "Why can't you?"  I replied, "I just can't."  He aske me again, "Why can't you?" Then, I felt his finger rest on the bottom of my chin, before he gently raised my face , until I was forced to look into those deep pools of blue.   I looked into his eyes , and I wanted to tell him everything, yet I still fought against how I was feeling, and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut a few minutes, after I met his warm gaze.  He just said, "Suzanne, Open your eyes, and tell me how you are
feeling, just let me know what you are feeling ."  I said, "If I open my eyes and look into your's then you will see how I feel about you in my
eyes, and I don't want you to see how I feel about you."

He said, "Open those brilliant brown eyes now, I need to talk to you, it's important , please don't be afraid to show me how you feel, because I already can see your beautiful soul , and what is in your heart, and it's nothing to be afraid of showing me."  I just replied back, "I am just scared of being rejected and hurt
again."  He said, "Tell me why, I want to know."  I said, "I have been hurt before, when my true feelings for some I really cared about came
out." I felt him place his hands on my face, and he held it so tenderly ,that my eyes opened again on their own. I saw his face, that was
studying mine, while his eyes probed mine for the answers to his questions.  Then he said, " I really want to know , because like I said
before I care about you, and I care about how you are feeling , so just tell me what is bothering you."  

I took a deep breath, and I slowly released it before I said, "I really care about you too, and I have always cared about you, but I was afraid to show that I cared too much, even as your friend, and now I am terrified , because now I care even more about you,these feelings I have are different, they are stronger than before. 
This is the point where things always get messed up.  Fears from the past cause me to hold back, and I don't even know how to act anymore . I never get to the next step, because I want that next step so badly that I become an idiot, and I don't even know how to express my feelings anymore , and there is always confusion and hurt , before I lose it all so friendship is safe to me, but anything beyond that and I am just scared out of my mind, I would really hate to lose our friendship ." 
His thumbs stroked my cheeks, while tears fell freely down my face, until I noticed that I was crying, and exclaimed, "Oh great , I am
crying now!"

To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Four

‍He wiped my tears , and then he said, "Maybe those times in your past relationships or progressing friendships, you were not ready to have them change, so it was difficult for you and the other person involved, but this time , you should just let go of the past, forget those times when you were hurt, and concentrate on what is happening now."  I kept my eyes openend , while I tried to wipe them, and I said, "I must look a mess, I bet I have black streaks running down my face now." He smiled and said, "I think you look fantastic, but if you want, you can go into my bathroom and wash your face." I replied, "But, then all of my makeup will be washed off."
He said, "You don't need makeup , I think you are very attractive on the inside, and what you look like on the outside really does not matter." 

I chuckled then I asked, "Are you sure you want to see me without makeup on?" He said, "Yes, let me see you without it" and he gave my cheeks a gentle pat , before he removed his hands. I got up from he couch, went to the bathroom, and washed my face with a warm washcloth and soap, before I returned to the living room un masked,
where he asked me,"Do you feel better?"  I said, "Yeah, I do . Thank you." He just smiled, held out his hand and said, "You're welcome ."  I took his hand , and he slowly pulled me back down onto the couch, before he said,"I think you look lovely now, and we really need to talk, because I want you to know how I feel before you have to leave." I said,"All right."  He asked me , "You are not going to look down , away , or try to close your eyes on me while I tell you what I need to say are
you?"  I laughed and shook my head and said, "Sorry about that, I won't do that, I will look into your eyes the entire time you are talking." 

He said, "Good, then he had to clear his throat, and he said, "Ahem."  I just squeezed his hand, and he squeezed mine back. Then he said, "I felt the same way at first, when I said I cared about you it was just as friends, because we lived in two different states, and I am also from another country, so I did not want to get too involved, but like you I am having different feelings, things are changing between us . You moved here , you live here now, so I started caring about you more, and I wanted to get to know you more. The more time I spent with you, the more I cared about you. Now, I want to spend even more time with you, I have enjoyed every moment with you
tonight, and I feel like I know you even more, since you shared more about yourself and your family, and now I want to go out on more dates
with you , and just continue to get to know you."

When, I was on the road , I thought about you, I have also enjoyed kissing you , and I thought about kissing you again, and it was during that time, that I realized that the feelings I had for you , were getting deeper , and I really knew my feelings for you had changed, when I couldn't wait to see you, or hear your sweet,  soft voice in my ear, while we talked on the phone."  I smiled, but I just remained silent while I listened to him, because his words were saying something I thought I would never hear , especially from such a special person in my life , his words were telling me , that for the first time in my life , I was going to have a meaningful relationship, and my smile just continued to get wider and wider, as he said, "I guess what I am trying to say is that I want more." I asked , "More what?"  He said, "I want to be more than your friend, I want to be more than just friends, I want to be your boyfriend."

I tilted my head over to the side and I asked him, "Really? You really want that? You don't think we are rushing into something ?"  He took my other hand in his, and placed it over his heart, and asked me, "What is my heart telling you?"  I felt his heart beating fast, and I whispered, "Yes." Then I repeated my other question,"You don't think we are rushing into something?"  He just whispered back, "Yes is your answer."  I scratched my head and asked, "Yes is my answer to what?"  He said, "Yes, I want to be in a serious relationship with you." I asked, "But, what about my other question ?"  He said, "I think this will convince you."  I asked , "What will convince me?"  He just scooted over closer to me on the couch , and even though he did not answer my other question, I was still proud of myself for not backing
away. Then, his hands cupped my face. 

My own heart beat went crazy, and I also felt my palms get all sweaty, before I got a little light headed from that intoxicating scent of his.  He quietly asked , "Are you all
right , Suzanne?"  I  swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat and replied, "Yeah."  He just said, "Then relax and close your eyes, I am not going to hurt you I promise."  I said, "I trust you, but before you kiss me, please answer my other question ."  He laughed and whispered, "Just close your eyes."  I reluctantly closed my eyes, because I really wanted to make sure that we were not rushing into this. I just wanted to make sure that this was not a mistake, and he seemed sure enough to know that it wasn't, I sensed how sure he was, just by his closeness I felt, that he knew exactly what he wanted, because his face was mere inches from mine, and then his lips sealed the deal , when they brushed over my lips, and eventhough , I did not know the answer to the other question, I quickly responded to his kiss , which scared
me, since I really was not convinced that this was right.

 Stay Tuned For The Conclusion Of Part Thirty-Four Tomorrow!

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Thirty-Four

‍Yet, my arms just wound themselves around his neck, while I matched his kiss, until my own breath was taken
away.  Then, he suddenly pulled away, and we had to catch our breath , before he asked me , "Did my kiss convince you?" I nodded my head and
said, "But, I still need to know that we are not rushing into this."  He stroked my cheek with his hand and said, "We will go slow, we don't
have to rush into anything , think of this as another level , it will still be the same as when we were friends, we will continue to grow
together in a relationship. There will also be some differences , but we won't rush, we will take our time , and contniue to get to know one
another and see where it goes, so to answer your question, we are not rushing this, and I know you are scared , this is scary , but I will
respect you , and I won't force you into anything you are not ready for, or that you don't want to do."

 I smiled , and I said, "I want this too, I just didn't want to rush into it, but you have made me feel so much better , and I know that I can trust you , and I will just follow your lead. This is just very new to me, and that kiss was wonderful, but it also scared me, I became weak, your kiss stirred feelings from deep inside of me , that I never have experienced , and I know with a more serious relationship comes more physical contact, and I believe in waiting for marriage , and until I am married before I become too physical , so that my future husband can have the ultimate gift, that I can ever give him , and that kiss was so powerful, that I felt myself start to lose control."  His thumb rubbed my cheek again, and he said, "I want to respect your belief , and that is why we will just take things one step at time, and if you feel that I am getting too carried
away at anytime , please let me know."  

I smiled and whispered, "You are too good to be true, this is to good to be true."  He said, "You deserve to be happy, and I want to make you happy, I hope that you understand how special you are to me."  I smiled and replied, "Thank you Alexei , You are very special to me too, and I am so happy that you understand how I
feel ."He smiled and said, "You are welcome, and please call me , Lyosha."  I grinned and replied, "Okay. Lyosha ."  He gave me a tender smile and sighed as he said, "Ah ,an angel just spoke my name."  I  smiled at him again before he stood up , and offered his hand , while he softly asked, "May I have this dance?"  I accepted his hand, and he slowly pulled me up from the couch.

Then, he led me over to a corner that  had plenty of room for us to dance, and as the soft , romantic music played around us, he held me in his arms , while I followed his lead , and we slowly swayed and just moved in time with the music , while I laid my head down on his shoulder ,  closed my eyes ,  and surrendered
everything to him and the sweet slow dance that we were sharing ,  because I trusted him completely with all of my heart and soul  . I opened my eyes again, once the music stopped, and I knew that our evening together was coming to an end, when he said, "Well, I don't want you to leave, but you better call Andrei and let him know , you are
ready to go." I lifted my head from his shoulder, and I smiled at him,  and I said, "Yes, I have to go back to work tomorrow, and then I will have to learn more ballet tomorrow evening, so I better get plenty of rest tonight."

He gave me his telephone , and I called Andrei after Alexei gave me his phone number, before we had a brief conversation about him picking me up . Then, after I hung up the phone ,I helped Lyosha with washing the rest of our dishes,  then we sat down on the couch , and he asked me, "Have you found a partner yet for your ballet class?"  I looked at him for a few minutes, and I really was not sure how to reply, because I did not want him to know that I was the student , that Nadia made the arrangement for. He patiently waited , while he moved his arm to rest on the top of the couch, and sort of  around me at the same time. I just grinned, while my mind was busy
thinking of a way to respond , that would allow me to keep my secret. 

Then, I finally said, "No, I haven't , I  really don't know who to ask, I am one of the newer students, and I also am the odd one out ."   He said, "Hmmmm."   I said, "Yeah, I have until the summer, so I will find the right one."  He smiled and asked me, "Are you sure there is no one you want to ask?" I replied, "Well, No one from my class , anyway."  He said, "Ah ."  I looked at the clock on the wall, and said, "Wow, it is late."  He said, "Yes it is." Then, he got  right back to the other subject of conversation, and asked, "So, if you  were going to ask some one , who would you ask?" I laughed and had  another look at the clock, and said, "I wonder what is keeping Andrei ."  He just asked me, "Are you avoiding my question?"  I chuckled and said, "Sort of ."

He asked me , "Why?"  Then , I was saved by the knock on the door, and I said, "Andrei is here now."  He replied while crossing his arms , "This is not over yet, I will keep asking you until you tell me what it is your hiding."  I just stood up and said, "I am not hiding anything, you think I am hiding something?"  He nodded  his head and said, "I know you are hiding something, and I will find out what it is."  I replied, "Okay ."  Then he stood up , and I followed  him to the door, and after he answered it, "Hey Andrei."  Andrei replied while smiling, "Hey Alexei ."  I said, "I am ready to go now."  Andrei  said, "Great."  Alexei said, "Thanks for giving Suzanne a ride tonight, I wanted her to be safe, I did not trust any taxi , and I did not want  anything to happen to her ."  Andrei grinned and said, "No, problem , I  was glad to do it for you."  I was so touched , from what Alexei did ,  that I said, "Awww. That was so sweet of you, Alexei." 

He grinned at me and replied back, "I am glad you thought so."  I just gave him a smile, because I felt guilty for not telling him what he wanted to know, but I also did not want him to know that I was the student that had Nadia make the arrangement , not yet at least. Then, Alexei put his arm around my waist, as he said,  "Let me walk you out to Andrei's car."   I grinned, and walked out to  the car with them, before Alexei told Andrei to give us a few minutes  alone, and he said, " I had so much fun with you tonight."  I smiled and said, "I had an incredible time with you tonight, you made this evening so special, that I may be too excited to sleep."  He just wrapped his  arms around me in a hug like embrace.  I embraced him back, and he said, "Okay. We can chat Online for a little while."

I pulled away , and grinned some more, then I said, "I am looking forward to it."  He whispered, "Me too," then he checked to see if Andrei was looking , before he gave me another heart stopping kiss, and during that kiss, he slid his hands slowly up  my arms, which gave me a tingling sensation , that was followed by goose bumps.  Then, when he pulled away, he asked me, "Are you cold?"  I  whispered, "No, I just have never been touched like that before." He  smiled, and gave me one more peck on my lips, before I climbed into Andrei's car, and he said, "I will say Good night to you Online."  I smiled while I replied, "Okay."  Then he waved to us, and Andrei took me back to my apartment, where I said to him, "Thank you so much, Andrei."  He gave me a little grin and replied, "I was happy to do it."  Then, he got out  and opened the car door for me, and escorted me up to my apartment, where I said, "Good night, Andrei." 

He said, "Good night, Suzanne , I bet Alexei is waiting for you to come Online now."  I just grinned, unlocked my door, and went inside .  Then, I greeted Petie, changed into some comfortable pajamas, and booted up my computer.  Then, once the computer was finished booting up, I signed on to my account, and saw my list of contacts, but he was not on there yet.  So, I thought that I would just  send him an e-mail, and while I started doing that, he suddenly appeared, and the new window startled me , because I was looking down  one minute, and then when I looked up the next minute , I saw this window just pop up out of no where.  As soon as I had myself calmed down, I saw that he had typed, Hello! and I typed back Hello , Lyosha ! 

Then he typed back, You need a special name now. I typed back ,No. You can call me Suzanne.  He typed again and said, No, I will think of one.  I grinned , and sent him back a   Then he typed , Now back to what we were talking about before you left. I just chuckled and shook my head, and then I typed,  What was that? He sent a   and typed, You know what we were talking about. I typed back, Oh that , Okay all I can say is that my ballet teacher made a special arrangement He typed , I just want to know who you would ask. I started to shut down the other messengers that were opened, on my computer and he typed, Are you avoiding my question? I quickly typed back, Yes.  He typed , Ha, ha , ha . Why?

To Be Continued ‍

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Thirty-Four Continued

  I typed , I will tell you , just not tonight.  He was not willing to give up that easily, and typed , Can I guess ?  I typed, Fine . Sure , take a guess . He quickly typed back, Me? and after my jaw had dropped, I just typed back ,Very lucky guess, Lyosha. He just typed, Awwww, that is sweet. I know what I can call you now, Sweet Suz. I sent a   He typed, Thanks for telling me.  I guess I will see you on Saturday? I typed back, You're welcome, Lyosha. .Sounds good. Then he said, Although, I really can't wait until Saturday can we meet sometime this week ?  I just stared at the monitor and smiled like a fool in love, because I was, but I was not ready to tell him that yet, but of course he probably already knew, so it really didn't matter anyway, when I was planning on telling him.  Then, I finally typed my reply , That would be lovely , I feel the same way, I just can't wait to see you again.  He typed back, Great !  Maybe we can have the left over spaghetti again. I typed back, Okay. Maybe we could meet for lunch. 

He made me laugh when his reply was, Tomorrow? I asked in my response back,Tuesday?  He typed back, Tuesday it is. I typed ,Wonderful  Then he asked, How about breakfast tomorrow morning?  I will pick you up . I grinned and replied by typing, I can't wait . Then I laughed again when he asked, Hot tea tonight?  I just sent him a laughing icon back .  He sent a . Then, I typed back, Hot tea tomorrow, with a   He sent a  Good night, Sweet Suz.  I typed back, Good night, Lyosha. He sent a  , I sent back a , then I shut the computer down for the night and I went to sleep.

To Be Continued

Part Thirty-Five Sharing More Over Breakfast

The next morning, I woke up with a huge smile on my face, and I got out of bed, before I made it , while I whistled. Then, I started to
 laugh , when I heard Petie chirping through the closed towel, and I  walked over to his cage , before I said, "Good morning, Petie", as I
 gently pulled his towels back away from the front of his cage.  He sang back to me, and I whispered, "Petie , I have a secret to tell you."  He
 hopped up to his cage bars, and looked at me , while he waited to hear my secret.  I grinned , and leaned in closer to him, then I whispered,
 "I am in love with Alexei."  He gave me a wink, and I said, " I think you already knew that."  He chirped and bobbed his little head up and
 down.

I laughed before I said, "Well, I am just bursting at the seams to tell him, Petie, but I want to wait until the perfect moment,  like maybe on New Year's Eve, just right before midnight, and I am looking into his eyes, his brilliant , bright , vibrant blue eyes, then I just feel this overwhelming surge of happiness, bubbling up from deep
 within my heart, until I can't hide my secret any longer, so I tell him  that I love him, and then we share a kiss that lasts into New Year's Day.  Or just maybe while the snow is falling down softly around us on a cold winter's night, you know just a moment like that."  Petie just  blinked at me, and I said, "I know all you care about is getting your  cage cleaned."  He chirped back in his own response, and I gave him a  kiss on his tummy, before I started to look for something to wear.

Petie watched me with interest, while I looked at every single outfit in my closet, until I pulled out a short sleeved teal blue sweater, and I  asked him, "How does this look?"  He cocked his little white and black,  zebra ,striped, head  to the side, and I said, "With these black  slacks?"  He just continued to study the sweater, while I said, "I have  my necklace from last night to wear with the sweater, and maybe my new  scarf I wore will go with it too, to bring everything together."  Petie just blinked back at me, so I grabbed my outfit for the day, and went  into the bathroom, to change. 

Then, once I was ready, I took care of Petie's needs, before I read the scripture for the day in the little  devotional book, and I spent some of my time, praying to the Lord, whille I waited for Alexei to pick me up. A few minutes later, my wait  had ended, when I heard a knock on my door. I quickly walked up to the  door, and I checked my little peep hole, so that I was sure it was him and no one else I unlocked the door, once I saw that it really was him, and I said, "Good morning, Lyosha," after I opened the door. He gave me a bright smile and said, "Good morning, Sweet Suz."  I grinned and asked , "Do I need a light jacket?" He replied, "Yeah. It is a little chilly outside right now, but it should be a nice day."  I  thanked him, and then I went into my room, and found my jacket in my
 closet, before I told Petie that I was getting ready to leave. He did not care, or at least he did not seem to, because at that particular moment, he was too busy playing with his red rope and beads.  So, I just put on my jacket, picked up my purse, and returned to the living room, where Alexei was waiting.  Then, I  locked my door behind us, and walked out into the crisp, refreshing, morning air with Alexei , as he led me out to his SUV.

He opened the door, and helped me climb up the big step, before I had a seat and buckled up my seat belt. He got in, after he shut my door, and then he drove us to a restaurant that he knew of.  We went inside, and waited for our turn to be seated, and then a few minutes later, the hostess led us to a booth in an area that was in  the back, that seemed nice and quiet, since there were only a few people sitting there.  We thanked our hostess, and slid into the booth ,  before I picked up my menu , and studied the various specials, then I said, "Everything looks so good."  Alexei grabbed the other menu, and  looked at it.  "Yes it does," he replied.  Then, our server, came along and said, "Good morning, my name is Glenda, and I  will be at your  service, this morning, so why don't you start things off, by telling me what you would like to drink."

I said, "I would like to have  some decaffeinated hot tea please."  She said, "Okay, as she wrote that down, before she asked me, "What kind of favor would you like, hon?" I was silent for a few minutes, while I tried to think of a flavor, but  that was really difficult since I hadn't really had too many different  flavors.  Glenda waited patiently, then to avoid looking like an idiot  in front of both of them, I finally said, "I really don't know."  Alexei came to my rescue and said, "Bring out your assorted basket, and I will help her pick out a flavor."  Glenda said, "You got it, Alexei nice to see you again, how have you been?"  He smiled and said, "Busy but  good."  Then Glenda asked him, "Will you have your usual?"  He replied,  "Yeah, I will , Thank you."  She grinned at him , and asked me , "So,  hon, Are you ready to order?"  I smiled and said, "Yes. I think I will  try the French toast."

She said, "Excellent choice, I will be right back with some cups, tea pot filed with hot water, and your  basket of assorted tea bags."  We both thanked her, and handed her our  menus , before she left us alone.  Then, I said, "Thank you, Lyosha for rescuing me, I am so embarrassed now." He said, "You're welcome , don't be embarrassed."  I just looked down at the table , and tried not to  blush.  He said, "Hey, I did not tell you this, but I really like that  color on you it makes your eyes sparkle."  I looked up and whispered,  "Thanks."  Then, he gave me a wink, and added, "I also think you are  very beautiful when you blush."  I asked him, "I am blushing?"  He  laughed and said, "Yeah, You are."  I said, "That's just great."  He laughed some more before he asked , "So , do you have any plans for the summer?"  I looked at him and studied his face, until he said, "I am  just trying to make polite conversation."
 

I grinned at him, and said, "Well , my mom and dad want me to come visit for awhile , but I  really need to stay here and find another job, so that I can keep my apartment."  He added, "Your car as well."  I laughed and replied, "Yes, I really will need to keep my car too."  Then he asked, "Don't you have ballet too?"  I said, "Yes, and I am also going to be taking figure  skating lessons , or more ice skating lessons, Anna signed me up for a  class with her." He smiled and said, "That's cool, so it sounds like  you will be here."  I nodded my head, and said, "Yeah, I will be here  all summer I think."  He said, "Good."  I smiled, and then Glenda returned with our tea cups, tea pot, and the basket of assorted tea bags.

  We thanked her, and then Alexei said, "Now close your eyes."  I  asked him, "Why?" He said, "It's a surprise , Sweet Suz."  I asked him,  "Are you going to kiss me again?"   He said, "No, not this time , maybe  later, I will, but now you are just going to have to trust me."  I said, "Okay." He said, "Good, now just close your eyes, and don't peek." I  closed my eyes and covered them with my hands to prevent me from  accidently peeking.  Then, I heard some water being poured, into the cup in front of me, and the sound of paper being torn followed the sound of the water being poured, and I had a pretty good idea of what he was  doing.
 

He said, "You can open your eyes , in a few minutes,   just as soon as I finish stirring."  I said, "All right, just let me  know when Glenda returns with our food, so that I don't get my elbow in the syrup or something ."  He laughed , before he replied with, "I am done, you can open your eyes now, and uncover them too."  I removed my hands, and slowly opened my eyes, before I had to blink them a couple of times , in order to become adjusted to the light.

Once, I  had  stopped blinking, I saw the tea in my tea cup and said, "Thank you."  He smiled and told me in return, "You are very welcome, it was my
 pleasure."  I smiled back at him, before he softly said, "You  have a  lovely smile."  I just smiled even more, then Glenda came back to our  table with our food, and placed the hot plates in front of us, as she  said, "Hon, here is your syrup, I was not sure what you liked, so I  brought you some different varieties." I said, "Thank you," and she  said, to Alexei, "Here you go darling , just the way you like it."  He gave her a wink, and said, "Thank you, Glenda."  She gave him a smile, and replied, "You both are welcome, enjoy , and give me a wave if you  need anything else."  I said, "Okay."  Then, I picked up my tea cup , and gently blew on the tea, while the steam warmed my face, before I took a small sip of the mysterious tea. 

Then, Alexei asked me, "So,  do you like it?"  I put my cup down and said, "Yes, I  think it's delicious , it's not too sweet, but it is sweet enough."  He grinned and had a sip of his own tea, before I  asked him, "What kind is it?" He  put his cup down, and had a bite of his usual, which was an omelet with  cheese on top of it, and mushrooms , with cooked onions on  the inside  of it.  After he had his first swallow, he replied, "I am sorry Sweetie, but I can't tell you, even though I am glad you like it."  I decided to stop asking about the flavor of the tea, and I concentrated on eating a
 few bites of my French toast instead, before I told him how much I  liked it.  He also said, "I really like my omelet , I come here when I can, and order the same thing , because I love it so much." I wiped my  mouth and I replied back to him by saying, "I know how you feel, I used to order the same breakfast sandwich at Mc. Donalds too, because I always enjoyed having it."

To Be Continued

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Thirty-Five

 He laughed and snapped his fingers, while he said,  "Shucks."  I chuckled and said, "I really don't want a new car, because I don't really feel comfortable driving one, and I would be scared to  drive it, because I would be afraid of wrecking it."  He quietly  listened, while I explained why I felt that way, and I told him about some very scary experiences that I had , like the car wreck , I had one day coming out of the parking lot on a chilly November morning in 1998. I told him how I still felt the reflexes at times, that were caused by  the traumatic experience, if my dad suddenly stopped the car, or it if  looked like my dad was not going to stop in time, and that it took me  two more years to completely get over the car accident , and own another car, since I was emotionally attached to my car that was totaled, after a big SUV slammed into its side. I had seen the damage , after  I was checked out and released from the hospital.

 My black car had no left side left, it was all smashed in,  tires and all , so that was hard to take, and we had a picture I took  with my car my senior year , in a photo shoot, that had to be taken down immediately after I saw it and burst into tears, and I also realized  that if the SUV had hit me a little closer to the driver's side door, my life would have either ended, or would have never been the same, so I  had to do some healing, but I knew when I was ready to have another car  again."   I grew quiet and finished the last bites of my French toast,  and he asked me with concern, "Are you ready to have a car?"  I pushed  my plate over the side, and said, "Yes. I really want a car , because I  always manage to face the fear, I will always have that fear, but I  faced it, on the day my dad and I went to buy my car, actually we had already paid for it, it was mine to take home, and I drove it home, and  it felt great, I made it home safe and sound, and I was so proud of myself after that."

 "You know, I could have let the fear take over, but I  didn't  I had driven other cars, before we chose the one I sold, so I  had some of my confidence back, by doing that, my dad wanted me to drive again, so he made sure that once he felt I was ready, that I would get  back behind the wheel. I was timid at first, my dad told me to put my foot on the gas a little more, but over time I felt comfortable in  driving a car again ."  He said, "Good, I just wanted to make sure this  is what you wanted."  I said, "Yes, I really want a car, unless you want to help me find a horse."  He laughed , and said, "So, you want a horse."  I replied, "Yeah, I have always wanted to own a horse, or at  least work with horses, I had an adopted pony named Moonbeam, but I only got to see him once, and then when I was too old to ride him, I found out that he had passed away. " 

He said, "Awww."  I said,  "Yeah, but he was very old, he was born on the day that the first man walked on the moon, and that was before I was born, I found that out,  while I asked his owner questions about him, as she led me around on  him, during the day I got to see him."  He whistled and replied, "Yeah, he was old."  I nodded my head before I said, "That was as close as I  had ever gotten to owning a horse, and my dad told me after I had asked him again if I could have a horse, that by the time, he got me my horse, I would want a car."

 Alexei laughed again , and I said, "Lyosha , I want to get over the fear I have of owning a new car."  He grinned, and then he replied, " I am glad you said that, I think we will have an easier time finding  you the color you want, and you will be safer, and I think your dad  would not worry about you as much, if you were driving a new car,  Sweet Suz."  I nodded my head, and replied with , "Yes, my mom and dad  have always tried to get me to drive a new car, I even practiced  driving with them, while I had my learner's permit. Yet, I was always  really nervous too."  He said, "Yeah, there is nothing wrong with that, I will let you practice driving your car, you know let you get used to  it, and I will be with you, until you feel comfortable enough to go  solo." I asked him, "You won't yell at me if I make a mistake will you?"  He grabbed my hand, and shook his head, before he asked me, "Is  that what your dad did?"  I quietly nodded my head, and said, "Yeah, he  did, and I think when he yelled at me, it made more nervous."

"I was just afraid to make any mistakes, some times it was really hard."   He said, "I will try my hardest not to yell at you, I know this won't be easy, but I am very proud of you, and I want to help you get back  behind the wheel." I smiled and said, "Thank you."  Then, Glenda came to our table, and she gave us the bill, while she asked me, "Was  everything good, hon?"  I replied, "Everything was delicious, Thank you,  Glenda."  She smiled, and told me, in return, "You are very welcome,  hon, I hope you come back soon." I gave her a smile, then I handed her a five dollar bill, and I told Alexei that I was taking care of the tip.  Glenda said, "Wow. You have really made my day a little brighter." I  smiled and I replied, "I was a server and hostess once at Ponderosa Steakhouse,  in Indiana , and I understand how hard you work, so I wanted  to show you my appreciation."  She said to Alexei, "I really like her."  He smiled and replied back to her, "I do too."  Then, he  paid the bill, picked up the mints, before we walked out hand in hand  back out to his SUV, and after we arrived at the preschool, we shared a  nice kiss, before he told me to have a good day, and I said, "Thank you, Lyosha , you have a very nice day too," as I got out of the SUV and  walked towards the building.

To Be Continued 

Part Thirty-Six Discovering New Possibilities

After I walked into the familiar building, I went straight to our classroom.  Then, I opened the door , and went into the dark room, before I flipped the light switch.  Then, once the lights were on, I noticed that I was  the first one there, and I took some time to just enjoy the quiet peace, as I started to get everything prepared for the children. I also liked feeling the hot water, as it ran over my hands, while I washed them. Then, I sprayed, and wiped each table, before Anna stepped in, as she said, "Good morning, Suzanne."  I grinned and replied back to her with a cheerful , "Good morning, Anna," while she pulled out the children's  carpet squares.  Then, as I went around and placed each child's name tag on the squares of carpet, she asked me a question about the night before.

 "So, how did things go with Alex last night?" I just took a deep breath , before I carefully responded to her, by saying, "Last  night went very well."  She smiled, so I smiled back at her. Then  she said, "I am so happy that last night went so well for you." I smiled  before I replied back to her with, "Thank you. That is very nice of you to say."  She said, "You're welcome, I really mean it, you deserve to  be happy. " I just smiled at her again, before I asked her, "Do we have any papers , or artwork to put into the children's folders?" She gave me another smile , before she said, "No."  I said, "Okay. I was just  checking to see if we did." Then, she asked me , "So , did he like your  dress ?"

I nodded my head and said, "Yes. He asked me to twirl  around for him, and he thought I looked pretty."  She clapped her hands  and said, "I was hoping he would like it." I laughed and replied with ,  "Trust me. He liked it."  She smiled and said, "I am so glad to hear  that."  After I heard her say that, I replied back while grinning, "You should go into fashion, Anna."  She asked me, "Do you really think so?"  I exclaimed back, "Yes. I do !"  Then she said, "Well, I have been  thinking about looking into some schools."  I gave her a thumbs up and I said, "Go for it." Then, I gave Sandra a very big smile, when she  walked through the door.  Anna gave her a smile too, as she cheerfully  greeted us with a friendly, "Good morning, Miss. Anna and Miss.  Suzanne."

 Anna replied, "Good morning." Then Sandra said, "It is such a beautiful morning."  We eagerly agreed with her.  Then, we saw the time  on the clock, and we knew that it was time to greet the children, so I  just headed out there to meet them.  After they were dropped off, we  immediately began our busy day, with Sandra telling them about our next  field trip, and they were excited when she mentioned a farm. Since  spring was on its way, our lessons were going to start to focus on how  nature was filled with new beginnings.  Once the children were  told about our class outing , we spent our morning outside.  Where we  looked for those signs of spring, because the weather was just too nice  for us to stay inside. So, the children were given some pieces of paper, with a choice of pencils, color pencils, or crayons . Then Sandra told  them to record what they found , and she said that they could write a  story, draw pictures, or they could just write them down, it was all up  to them.   Before we started to walk around , some of the girls asked me to help them look.

Then, Mark couldn't wait to show me a bug , that he thought was cool, and I really thought the bug was cool too, because it was a bright, red, lady bug sitting on a yellow flower.  After I looked at Mark's lady bug,  Olivia, Reanna, and Fran showed me some flowers , that they had found. I  smiled and told them that pink was one of my favorite colors, while  they just sat quietly in the grass, and drew the flowers.   When  everyone was ready to go in for a snack, we all washed our hands, before each table shared their discoveries as they ate. Then , the children  handed us their creations , and we put them in their folders, so that  the children could take them home, and share their experiences with  their families, and before any of us knew it , the time for our little  dolphins to go home had come.

 So, we made sure each child made it to their car safely, then  we waved to them as their car left our drop off and pick up zone.  Then, it was time for us to share some time together during our lunch.  I was a little worried, that Anna would try to ask me more about Alex, or  even worse tell Sandra about him , but Sandra kept us too busy to talk  about much of anything else , other than future ideas for fun and  creative activities that our students would enjoy.  I was so happy  that we did not have time to just chat about anything else, that I  became an active participant, and I told Sandra about what I had  observed that morning, how the boys were trying to catch the bugs they  saw. She thanked me for telling her, before we all agreed to order some  bug catchers, and Anna even suggested that we have the children that want to,  make their own .

 Then, Anna shared with us about our girls showing great  interest in the variety of flowers that grew. So, we discussed possible  activities that the children could do with flowers.  Anna suggested that we could do an art project , where the children collect flowers, and  then we could glue them on a large sheet of paper, to hang on the wall.  Sandra also said that we could use flowers for our science corner as well, by having the children grow their own flowers from seeds. I loved all of the ideas, and I told them about the times ,  I had grown my own flower, or plant in school when I was a little girl.  Then, I  also told Sandra about a teacher I worked with at a preschool for my  practicum class, that ordered caterpillars, and that her class was able  to watch them hatch into butterflies.  She grinned , and told me that she really liked the idea too.  I gave her a smile back, and then she  suddenly jumped up from the table.

To Be Continued

 ‍The Continuation Of Part Thirty-Six

Anna and I just gave her a funny look, until she said, "Our afternoon group should be coming now."  Then Anna laughed, and I said,  "We were wondering why you got up so suddenly, but we understand why you did, now."  She said, "I am sorry, but we better get out there."  So,  we all went out and met our whales, as they arrived, before Sandra gave  them the same news, that the morning group had heard.   Our whales were just as excited , as our dolphins were, and they clapped  their hands , once they heard the word farm. Then, after our circle time was over, the children spent most of the afternoon, outside where they  went around and looked for more signs of spring, while the three of us  just walked around and observed what the children were doing.

 While, I was watching some of the girls, Elizabeth came up to  me, and told me that she had found a piece of straw, before she asked me if it was a sign for spring. I picked it up from the ground, as I said,  "This is a big sign of spring, because it means that the birds are  getting ready to build their nests, so that they can have baby birds."   She smiled , and she told me that she wanted to draw the birds making  their nest.   I grinned and said, "That sounds lovely, Elizabeth, and maybe we will see a nest in one of the trees soon."  Then  Christopher ran over to me, and he said, "I found bunnies, come see them , Miss. Suzanne."  I gave the piece of straw back to Elizabeth , so  that she could begin her masterpiece, before I followed Christopher, as  he led me to the baby bunnies.

 While we walked over to them , he said, "We have to be quiet ,  so that we don't scare them."  I smiled , and carefully knelt down  beside him, as he pointed to the giant hole.  Then, he whispered to me,  "They are in there." I took a peek , after he carefully removed the  grass covering, and then he said, "They are so small, and fuzzy."  I  smiled and said, "Yes, and I bet that they are very soft and warm, but  we should not hold them, or the mama rabbit may not come back." He looked at them for a little while longer, before he asked me, "If she  doesn't , could we keep them as our class pets?"  I said, "That would be nice, but these bunnies are wild, and they need to learn how to survive in the wild, so it wouldn't be fair to them , if we kept them as  pets."  He nodded his head and replied softly with, "Yeah, but I wish I  could have a bunny."  I studied his face, while he continued to watch the baby bunnies, and I wondered if he had any pets at home.   Then, I gently asked him, "Do you have any pets at home?"  He frowned  and said, "No, I can't have one yet, mom always says I can have one when I am older."  I said, "Hmmm. Well, I have an idea , but I have to ask  Mrs.  Parker first, Okay?"

He gave me a smile , and replied  with, "Okay."  After he said, "Okay."  I said, "Well, we better put the  grass back , so that the mama will come back and care for her brood."   So, we left the bunnies alone, and Christopher told me, that he was  going to write a short story about finding the bunnies.  I grinned and  said, "I can't wait to read it."  Josie also told me about the butterfly she saw hatch from its cocoon, and she described what happened moment  by moment during its hatching .  Then, she showed me a picture  that she drew of the butterfly , before we all went inside.  Then, while they enjoyed their snack, the children told one another about their exciting experiences, before Anna collected their stories, drawings, and written descriptions , and before the children went home, I placed them into their folders , while Anna gave them their backpacks, and Mrs.  Parker led them out to meet their parents.  Anna and I also greeted each parent, and told them what we did at school, but also allowed each child to tell his , or her parents more about their discoveries.

After we waved to the last car, I told Sandra that I wanted to ask her about something, so she had us sit down again and share with her , about our observations. I started off, by telling her about Christopher, and  how I saw his interest in having a pet , after he found some baby bunnies, and that he even wanted to keep them.   She just smiled, and  said, "I think I know where you are going with this."   I grinned and  said, "Yes, he told me that he can't have a pet until he is older, but I watched him, and he was so careful with the bunnies, and I could just  tell that he loved animals, or at least bunnies."  Sandra grinned, and then she said what I had been trying to say , when she  asked me, "So, You were wondering if we could have a class pet right?"  I replied to her softly with, "Yes. I was, I told him that I would ask you."  Anna smiled and asked her, "Can we have a class pet, please?"  I  added , "Yeah. Can we, may we , please?" Then Anna and I gave her our  best pouty faces, and she just laughed.

Then she said, "You two are just like little kids , so I can't say, No."  Anna smiled and  exclaimed , "Yes!"  Then, we heard a , "However, I think since this pet will belong to the class, all of the children should be allowed to  express what kind of pet they want, and we will take a vote as a class, " Sandra added after her answer. I nodded my head, and  said, "That sounds fair, Thank you, Sandra."  Anna agreed with me, and  she said, "Yes. It is." Then, I asked Sandra, "Are we going to vote on the name too?"  She nodded her head, and responded with a firm, "Yes,"  before Anna said, "That's fine with me, I just can't wait till we get  one."  Sandra laughed and smiled, then she told Anna, "We will tell the  children tomorrow, and we will vote some time this week, before we go  shopping for our pet."  Anna and I just replied with a loud, "Yay!"

‍To Be Continued

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Thirty-Six

Sandra laughed again, and then she said, "You two can go now, I will see you  tomorrow."  We smiled at her, and told her to have a good day, before we headed out.  On the way out of the building , Anna chattered on about  our class pet, while I tried to figure out who my ride was going to be,  since I honestly couldn't remember if Tatiana was picking me up, or if  Alexei said he would.  I was still thinking about that, when Anna suddenly stopped  talking , and I did not hear her question that she asked me, until she  said my name louder, to get my attention.  Then, I just looked at her,  before I asked her, "Did you ask me something?"  She laughed and studied me, while she replied with, "Yeah. I asked you if you needed a ride."  I apologized , and I told her that I had a ride.  So, she said, "Okay. I will see you tonight , remember we have ballet class."

I nodded my head up and down, while I replied with, "Yeah. I know. I will see you there." Then, she waved, and I waved back to her, before she got into  her car. I watched her as she pulled out, and after she was gone, I  started to walk around the parking lot, while I searched for my ride.   Then, just when I thought that I was stranded in the preschool's parking lot, someone said from behind me, "You look like you are lost." The  person had startled me, so badly that I jumped, before I turned around and saw Alexei grinning at me. I looked at him, while I put my hand over my heart, then I said, "You really scared me, Lyosha ."  He said, "Well, I watched you walk around the parking lot, and you looked  like you needed rescued."  I grinned and told him, "Well, I did, because I could not remember who my ride was going to be." He chuckled, before  he replied with, "Well, I dropped you off this morning, after I took  you out for breakfast, and I picked you up this morning as well, so of
 course I would come and pick you up ."  I just said, "I am glad you did, so let's get going now."

Then, I followed him out to the car,  and he held the door open for me, while I got in, and I thanked him.   When he was settled into his seat, he asked me, "So, how was your day?" I grinned and laid my head back on the seat, then he said, "The kids wore you out again, I see. No, wait you had another heavy lunch."   I  laughed and said, "No. I just had another busy day, but it was very  good, and my preschool class is going to have a pet."  He  grinned and said, "That will be fun."  I just closed my eyes , before I  replied with a soft, "Yeah. I can't wait."  He said, "Well.... There is  something I can't wait to do."  I was curious and I asked him, "What is that?"  He did not reply, so I asked him , "What can't you wait to do?"

 I waited for his reply, but my answer came in the next second , when I felt his lips gently kiss mine. I opened my eyes, and kissed him back, until my eyes automatically closed again , while we continued our kiss. Then, just as quickly as the kiss had begun, he suddenly pulled  away. When , I opened my eyes again, I said, "Well, I am wide awake now."  He just laughed and started to drive me home.  On the way there, we talked more about my preschool class getting their  first class pet. Then, when we arrived at my building, he gave me one more  kiss , that left me feeling the lingering taste of his lips on mine,  after it was over.  Then, he softly said while he held me close to him,  "I will see you tomorrow." I grinned and gave him one more quick kiss on his lips, before I softly replied, "I can't wait."

So, that made him say, "I could come to your class tonight, and see you dance."  I smiled, but I also admitted to him that what he said was very tempting, and that it was also too risky."  He just said, "Okay. Tomorrow, lunch at my place, and in case you are wondering , yes I will pick you up."  I just got out , and responded with an enthusiastic, "Great. I will see you then, Lyosha!"
 He said, "Bye," and gave me a little wave, so I waved back, before I impulsively blew him a kiss. Then, he surprised me when he returned it, by blowing me a kiss. Then, I blew him another one, and got another one back, before I just waved at him one more time, before I went inside my building .  Once, I had made it to my room, I had a quick nap, so that  I would be refreshed
 and ready for my ballet class that night.
 

‍To Be Continued

Part Thirty-Seven
 My Evening Had A Happy Ending After All

My evening started out kind of rough, when the phone suddenly woke me up, after I heard it ring. I quickly sat up and noticed the time on the
 clock.  "Oh my gosh!"  I exclaimed, once I realized that I had over slept.  Then, I jumped off of my bed, and ran out of the room, where I grabbed the phone by the couch. Things started to look up, when I discovered that it was still ringing, and I answered it in time, before the person hung up. Even though I was still catching my breath, I managed to say, "Hello?"  I heard Anna ask, "Do you need a ride, are you all right?"  I replied, "Yes, I just over slept, and yes I do need a ride." Anna said, "Great, I am on my way."  "Okay, I'll be ready."  I replied.  Then I hung up the phone, and quickly got my ballet stuff together, before I popped a Lean Pocket into the microwave. I also got myself some thing to drink, while I ate some grapes, before I finished off my Lean Pocket, and took out the trash. When Anna arrived, I was ready to go out the door.  On the way to our class, I told her that after Saturday I would have my own car. She was excited for me, and I was even more excited from just talking about it. She also asked me if I knew what kind of car that I was going to buy. I told her about my dream car, a Pontiac Sunbird, but she was not too optimistic about me buying one of those cars. She was however, confident that I would be able to find a Pontiac Sunfire, because that was the model that replaced my dream car. We also talked about the color that I wanted to buy. I honestly told her, that I had always wanted the color that her car was.
 
She just smiled, and told me that she couldn't blame me. Then, she suggested some websites, that I could look at, to help me start looking.  I thanked her, and then she pulled into our destination.  We quickly walked up to our room, and changed into our practice attire. Then, Nadia had us do some stretches on the bar, and while I did my stretches, I thought about my first time I had to use the bar.  I really had to get used to it, and my leg being up that high, so my foot continuously slipped off the bar. I was very grateful, when I over came that obstacle. I certainly provided some entertainment and laughter for my fellow classmates.  Now, I just smiled at those memories, and I started to smile again, before Nadia brought me back to the present. She told us , that this was going to be our final week, or half of the week of class. She explained to us, that she was going to teach some jazz and swing dance classes, so we were going to get some time off, until June. She still expected us to practice every step, that we had learned, so that we would be ready for the summer session, when we would put everything together with our partners. I was excited, and I was ready for a break, I wanted to get a head start on looking for another job, but I would still find time to practice , as she instructed all of us to do. After Nadia's announcement, we went right into the ballet.
 
She demonstrated, and explained how to execute a Croix , en.  It was a step that was shaped like a cross, that was done in the fourth front, or second position, and to the fourth position in the back.  She had us try it, before she thought we could move on. Once , she was satisfied, we moved on to the Diagonale en. This particular step was just traveling in a diagonal direction. We practiced that, then she moved on to a term , she called a Maneges. We watched her, as she danced in a circular pattern, and then we joined her.  The steps were fairly easy for all of us, which was a refreshing pace for a change. Our last move for the night , was called a Dessus, and we practiced having our working foot , pass in front of our supporting foot.  Then, she dismissed us, before her students attending her jazz and swing class arrived. Anna dropped me off, and she told me that she would see me tomorrow. I thanked her, and wished her a good night, before I went inside my apartment complex. Petie eagerly greeted me , the minute I entered my bed room, and I spent some time with him.  Then, I booted up my computer, and I checked out the car
 websites, that Anna gave me to look at.

One of them was for a Pontiac dealership, so I did a search to see the preowned vehicles.  I just wanted to see their listing price, and compare the cost between a new car, and a used car.  I saw some really nice cars, for a decent price.  Then, I studied the details that came with them.  Since, I have had some experience with owning used cars, I knew that more money would have to be invested in them, for them to be dependable. My first car, had to have a lot of work done after we bought it. We had to fix the brakes, add new shocks, along with some other additional details that included some work on the engine .  So, I started to consider the other possibility, of owning my first new car. I knew that dad would be happy if I did. He wanted me to be safe, and he always wanted his girls to have a reliable source of transportation, and I noticed some very nice looking cars, so I called Alexei and told him about them.  He went to the same website, and looked at the cars with me. We saw some other cars, but I was really excited when I found a Pontiac Sunfire.
 
I also liked the price, and Lyosha agreed that a new car was the best route to go, because he was also concerned about my safety. The Sunfire  , was not the color I always wanted to have, but Alexei told me , not to get discouraged yet, because the car lot might have some cars with my dream color. We talked about cars for a couple more hours, then we said our good byes and good nights.  Before, I went to sleep, I decided to so something very nice for him.  He really helped me through out the whole process. So, I looked for websites , with recipes, and I found one that had Russian Tea Cookies, which I printed , so that I could study the ingredients. Then, I looked around in my kitchen to see, if I had butter, or margarine, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, flour, and chopped almonds.  I did not have any finely chopped almonds, or powdered sugar, and I decided that since I was missing those two ingredients, that I would make the cookies on Friday night, and surprise him with the cookies on Saturday.  I was very pleased with my decision , and I went to sleep with a smile on my face, because the evening
 started out rough, but it had a happy ending after all. 

To Be Continued