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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Life Changing Decisions/Events
- Published: 04/16/2020
Queen for a Day
Born 1944, F, from Melbourne, FL, United StatesQueen for a Day
by
Valerie Allen
“I can't believe the schools couldn't have done a better job coordinating these three events,” Meagan said. She looked at her husband. “If they had my mother in there to run things, you can bet this would never have happened.”
“I have to agree with you on that one,” Jack said. He sipped his morning coffee and watched his wife grab boxes of cereal and a handful of spoons and slide them onto the table. “I'm amazed we were able to work the whole thing out and on a Saturday, no less!” he said.
Meagan, eyebrows raised, turned to her husband. “'We' worked things out? What part of 'we' was 'you' working things out? I thought most of 'we' was 'me' working things out.”
Jack looked up and winked at her. “My most amazing wife. I give you full credit for all the arrangements and details. You are like your mother. You definitely got the 'good organizational skills' DNA from her.”
Meagan stopped midway between the fridge and the kitchen table, a gallon of milk in one hand and a bottle of orange juice in the other. “Okay, you can stop buttering me up now. Yes, in the middle of it all, you are going to pick up my mother and drive her to Nate's Kindergarten graduation, Eva's science fair presentation, and Adam's VIP Award ceremony. I'll do the running around with the kids.” She set the milk and orange juice on the table.
“How come your mom's not driving herself to share in all the family fun today?” he asked.
Meagan frowned. “She said she's feeling a little out of sorts but this is the last graduation for the last of the grandkids, not to mention how proud she is of Eva and Adam. She's not going to miss a minute of it.” Meagan smiled. “She's even figured out how to use the camera on her phone for the occasion.”
Jack let out a laugh. “Wow, she is going all out.”
“Don't be such a smart aleck. You just told me about her great DNA.”
Jack laughed. “Will her trigger finger be all worn out by tonight? I don't want to miss any of the kids' events either, so I hope I won't have to take her home early.”
“Mom's a trooper, you can bet she'll be firing away with that camera all day long.” Meagan plugged in the toaster, dropped in two slices of raisin bread, and put the butter dish on the table. “It's good for me, too, 'cause I'm going to be just a little busy hauling the kids around and I won't have an extra minute to take pictures.”
“Gotta love your mother.”
“I do and you better too!” Meagan said.
“Hey, no complaint from me in the mother-in-law department.”
“Wish I could say the same,” Meagan mumbled under her breath.
“I heard that!” Jack said.
“Let's not go there,” Meagan said. She checked the time. “How about you go and see what Nate's up to? Don't let him get lost in one of his projects this morning or we'll all be off schedule.”
Jack swallowed the last of his coffee and got to his feet. “Sure, let me see what our little genius is thinking about this morning. You know what he asked me about yesterday?”
“Why some camels have one hump and others have two humps?”
“No, but he probably will one of these days. He asked me about quarks and black holes.”
Meagan tilted her head to one side. “Beyond your pay grade was it?” she asked.
Jack shook his head and laughed. “That boy amazes me but I just wish he would let it go. No matter what he asks about he always has a follow-up question—or three or five.” Jack leaned in toward her. “I only hope he grows up and becomes rich. Maybe he'll be a scientist who finds a cure for some strange virus and then he can take care of us in our old age.”
“Don't hold your breath,” Meagan said, “besides it's much more likely Eva will be the scientist. She may be the one who cures a strange virus.”
Eva made her way to the table. “What were you and Dad saying about me?”
Meagan gave Eva a quick hug. “We were just talking about your interest in science.”
“I love it! Wait until you hear my talk today at the Science Fair. It's the best!” Eva said.
Adam, searching inside the refrigerator, turned to Eva. “A girl who likes dust and bugs—just what every guy is looking for.”
Meagan moved toward the refrigerator. “Close that door, Adam. There's nothing else in there for breakfast. It's all on the table and stop picking on your sister.”
“I'm not picking on her. Just sayin' this is why she won't have a date any time soon.”
Jack returned to the kitchen, Nate in tow.
“Mom, where's Asia?” Nate asked.
Meagan and Jack exchanged looks. “It's a big country, way far away from the United States.”
Adam looked up from his cereal bowl and glanced at his younger brother. “Actually, Asia isn't a country. Asia is a continent.” He smiled with the satisfaction of a teenager proving his parent wrong.
“Adam, thank you for your two cents, but I think we've covered it sufficiently for now,” Meagan said. She gave him the warning look that all three children knew and understood.
Nate glanced from his mother to his brother. “Is Adam right?” he asked. “Is Asia a continent?”
Meagan let out a deep sigh. “Asia is a continent. It has many countries inside of it and it's very far away.”
“Can you drive to Asia?” Nate asked.
“No, you would have to take an airplane or a ship.”
“Good,” Nate said. “That must be why Grandma's not going there.”
Jack looked at Nate and asked, “What are you talking about?”
Meagan interrupted. “Jack, maybe we could discuss this later. We don't want to get sidetracked.”
Jack looked at her knowingly. “Right.”
“Okay kids, here's the plan,” Meagan said as she joined them at the table. “First, while Dad's on his way to pick up Grandma, you kids will come with me. We'll all meet at Nate's school for his graduation.” She looked at Jack. “Parking's going to be a mob scene so we need to be there early. They're also going to have a reception afterward with milk and cookies.” She turned to Nate and smiled.
Nate spoke up. “Yep, we all had a turn to help make the cookies. I got to use a big spoon to stir in the chocolate chips and the teacher let us lick our fingers!”
“Great,” Jack said and looked at his wife. “Remind me about all those little fingers before I dig into that cookie jar.”
Meagan laughed. “We won't be able to stay too long. We have to buy lunch before we race off to Eva's science fair. We're going to have the salad bar at Big Boys Deli. It's quick and not too expensive.”
“Salad!” Adam said. “I hate salad. Can't I have a sandwich or something?”
Meagan tapped the butter knife on the side of her plate. “They'll likely be packed. We won't have time to stand in long lines with the lunch crowd. We need to run in, grab something quickly, and run back out.”
“I don't think Grandma can run,” Nate said.
Eva and Adam burst out with laughter. Adam leaned toward his sister and in a half-whisper said, “He's supposed to be the smart kid in the family.”
Jack sent a warning look toward Adam and raised his voice. “Okay, enough of that.”
“After lunch, we'll go to hear Eva make her presentation.” Meagan and Eva did a high five. “It'll be crowded so be careful not to bump into anyone or knock the projects over. They had to set it up in the cafeteria and it's a tight squeeze in there.”
Adam smiled. “I can wait outside,” he offered. “I don't mind and it'll be one less person taking up space.”
Meagan glared at him. “No, you can not wait outside. You'll hear your sister's presentation and applaud wildly when she's done.”
Adam crossed his arms across his chest. “After that can we go and eat?”
Meagan tilted her head to one side and gave Adam the warning look. “When we're done we'll go to eat dinner at Moma Maria's Buffet.”
“Now you're talking,” Adam said and rubbed his hands together as if warming them over a fire.
Meagan looked at him. “You know Adam, I think you'd eat anything that wouldn't eat you first!”
“Well, Italian beats out salad any day,” he said.
“After dinner, we'll head over to your award ceremony. Your coach said the stadium will be jammed. I hope we can all sit together without getting squashed.”
Jack tapped his spoon against his coffee mug. “Everybody got that? Now, how about a big round of 'thank yous' to Mom for working out all the details. He clapped and all three kids joined in.
Meagan stood and bowed, which brought laughter from everyone. “Let's finish eating, and then clear the table.”
Nate spoke up. “Mom, what's a corona?”
Jack and Meagan exchanged glances.
“I got this,” Jack said. “A corona can mean different things.”
“Like what different things?” Nate asked.
Jack continued. “A corona is the top of something. Like when they look at treetops covering a forest.”
“How can anyone see the top of trees?” Nate asked.
Jack rubbed his hand across his lips and down his chin. “If you were in an airplane and it was coming in for a landing near a forest you could look out of the window and see the treetops making a big green corona over the top of it.”
Nate squinted his eyes. “Treetops? Are you sure?”
“A corona is also a halo. It's like a light that shines around the edges of the sun or the planets,” Jack said.
Nate slowly stirred his cereal. “That doesn't sound right.”
Jack poured more coffee in his mug. “When I was a kid my grandpa and my dad both smoked Corona cigars.” He shook his head and let out his breath. “Boy did those things stink. Your grandma made them sit outside if they were going to smoke. She didn't care if it was hot or cold if there was rain or snow—no stogies in the house!”
“What's a stogie?” Nate asked.
Meagan let out a low groan.
Jack looked from his wife to his son. “Okay, Nate let's talk about that another time, for now, let's eat breakfast so we can get going.”
“You didn't finish telling me about a corona,” Nate said and pouted.
Meagan stopped buttering her toast and looked at him. “Well, a corona could be a crown,” she said. “When girls win a beauty contest they put a tiara on their head and they call it a crown. A very important person, like a king or queen, wears a crown on their head for important occasions.”
Nate jerked his head up. “Oh, that must be it!”
Jack and Meagan looked at each other and then at Nate. “What must be it?” Meagan asked.
“When I talked to Grandma on the phone last night she said she felt a little sick and she hoped she wasn't going to have corona on the day of our big celebrations.”
“Corona?” Jack and Meagan said at once, alarmed.
Nate looked puzzled. “Grandma said not to worry. She said corona was only in Asia and she wasn't going there. She was going to be with us and everyone else today and take pictures.”
# # #
About the Author
Valerie Allen, psychologist and author, writes fiction, nonfiction, short stories, and children's books. Her articles about mental health and parenting have been published nationwide. She has taught students in elementary through post-graduate studies at various colleges and universities.
She lives in warm and sunny Florida where she enjoys fun with family and friends. She's all about good health and fitness activities. Also to her credit, she has learned many things about life and love while raising her six children! Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Queen for a Day
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright by Valerie Allen 2020
Amazon.com/dp/B086BWK31H
All rights reserved
For More Information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
~ ~ ~
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
A True Miracle
Ad Hoc Committee
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday House Rules
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
No Goin' Home
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You! Mr. Jackson
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
Words of Wisdom
~ ~ ~
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Queen for a Day(Valerie Allen)
Queen for a Day
by
Valerie Allen
“I can't believe the schools couldn't have done a better job coordinating these three events,” Meagan said. She looked at her husband. “If they had my mother in there to run things, you can bet this would never have happened.”
“I have to agree with you on that one,” Jack said. He sipped his morning coffee and watched his wife grab boxes of cereal and a handful of spoons and slide them onto the table. “I'm amazed we were able to work the whole thing out and on a Saturday, no less!” he said.
Meagan, eyebrows raised, turned to her husband. “'We' worked things out? What part of 'we' was 'you' working things out? I thought most of 'we' was 'me' working things out.”
Jack looked up and winked at her. “My most amazing wife. I give you full credit for all the arrangements and details. You are like your mother. You definitely got the 'good organizational skills' DNA from her.”
Meagan stopped midway between the fridge and the kitchen table, a gallon of milk in one hand and a bottle of orange juice in the other. “Okay, you can stop buttering me up now. Yes, in the middle of it all, you are going to pick up my mother and drive her to Nate's Kindergarten graduation, Eva's science fair presentation, and Adam's VIP Award ceremony. I'll do the running around with the kids.” She set the milk and orange juice on the table.
“How come your mom's not driving herself to share in all the family fun today?” he asked.
Meagan frowned. “She said she's feeling a little out of sorts but this is the last graduation for the last of the grandkids, not to mention how proud she is of Eva and Adam. She's not going to miss a minute of it.” Meagan smiled. “She's even figured out how to use the camera on her phone for the occasion.”
Jack let out a laugh. “Wow, she is going all out.”
“Don't be such a smart aleck. You just told me about her great DNA.”
Jack laughed. “Will her trigger finger be all worn out by tonight? I don't want to miss any of the kids' events either, so I hope I won't have to take her home early.”
“Mom's a trooper, you can bet she'll be firing away with that camera all day long.” Meagan plugged in the toaster, dropped in two slices of raisin bread, and put the butter dish on the table. “It's good for me, too, 'cause I'm going to be just a little busy hauling the kids around and I won't have an extra minute to take pictures.”
“Gotta love your mother.”
“I do and you better too!” Meagan said.
“Hey, no complaint from me in the mother-in-law department.”
“Wish I could say the same,” Meagan mumbled under her breath.
“I heard that!” Jack said.
“Let's not go there,” Meagan said. She checked the time. “How about you go and see what Nate's up to? Don't let him get lost in one of his projects this morning or we'll all be off schedule.”
Jack swallowed the last of his coffee and got to his feet. “Sure, let me see what our little genius is thinking about this morning. You know what he asked me about yesterday?”
“Why some camels have one hump and others have two humps?”
“No, but he probably will one of these days. He asked me about quarks and black holes.”
Meagan tilted her head to one side. “Beyond your pay grade was it?” she asked.
Jack shook his head and laughed. “That boy amazes me but I just wish he would let it go. No matter what he asks about he always has a follow-up question—or three or five.” Jack leaned in toward her. “I only hope he grows up and becomes rich. Maybe he'll be a scientist who finds a cure for some strange virus and then he can take care of us in our old age.”
“Don't hold your breath,” Meagan said, “besides it's much more likely Eva will be the scientist. She may be the one who cures a strange virus.”
Eva made her way to the table. “What were you and Dad saying about me?”
Meagan gave Eva a quick hug. “We were just talking about your interest in science.”
“I love it! Wait until you hear my talk today at the Science Fair. It's the best!” Eva said.
Adam, searching inside the refrigerator, turned to Eva. “A girl who likes dust and bugs—just what every guy is looking for.”
Meagan moved toward the refrigerator. “Close that door, Adam. There's nothing else in there for breakfast. It's all on the table and stop picking on your sister.”
“I'm not picking on her. Just sayin' this is why she won't have a date any time soon.”
Jack returned to the kitchen, Nate in tow.
“Mom, where's Asia?” Nate asked.
Meagan and Jack exchanged looks. “It's a big country, way far away from the United States.”
Adam looked up from his cereal bowl and glanced at his younger brother. “Actually, Asia isn't a country. Asia is a continent.” He smiled with the satisfaction of a teenager proving his parent wrong.
“Adam, thank you for your two cents, but I think we've covered it sufficiently for now,” Meagan said. She gave him the warning look that all three children knew and understood.
Nate glanced from his mother to his brother. “Is Adam right?” he asked. “Is Asia a continent?”
Meagan let out a deep sigh. “Asia is a continent. It has many countries inside of it and it's very far away.”
“Can you drive to Asia?” Nate asked.
“No, you would have to take an airplane or a ship.”
“Good,” Nate said. “That must be why Grandma's not going there.”
Jack looked at Nate and asked, “What are you talking about?”
Meagan interrupted. “Jack, maybe we could discuss this later. We don't want to get sidetracked.”
Jack looked at her knowingly. “Right.”
“Okay kids, here's the plan,” Meagan said as she joined them at the table. “First, while Dad's on his way to pick up Grandma, you kids will come with me. We'll all meet at Nate's school for his graduation.” She looked at Jack. “Parking's going to be a mob scene so we need to be there early. They're also going to have a reception afterward with milk and cookies.” She turned to Nate and smiled.
Nate spoke up. “Yep, we all had a turn to help make the cookies. I got to use a big spoon to stir in the chocolate chips and the teacher let us lick our fingers!”
“Great,” Jack said and looked at his wife. “Remind me about all those little fingers before I dig into that cookie jar.”
Meagan laughed. “We won't be able to stay too long. We have to buy lunch before we race off to Eva's science fair. We're going to have the salad bar at Big Boys Deli. It's quick and not too expensive.”
“Salad!” Adam said. “I hate salad. Can't I have a sandwich or something?”
Meagan tapped the butter knife on the side of her plate. “They'll likely be packed. We won't have time to stand in long lines with the lunch crowd. We need to run in, grab something quickly, and run back out.”
“I don't think Grandma can run,” Nate said.
Eva and Adam burst out with laughter. Adam leaned toward his sister and in a half-whisper said, “He's supposed to be the smart kid in the family.”
Jack sent a warning look toward Adam and raised his voice. “Okay, enough of that.”
“After lunch, we'll go to hear Eva make her presentation.” Meagan and Eva did a high five. “It'll be crowded so be careful not to bump into anyone or knock the projects over. They had to set it up in the cafeteria and it's a tight squeeze in there.”
Adam smiled. “I can wait outside,” he offered. “I don't mind and it'll be one less person taking up space.”
Meagan glared at him. “No, you can not wait outside. You'll hear your sister's presentation and applaud wildly when she's done.”
Adam crossed his arms across his chest. “After that can we go and eat?”
Meagan tilted her head to one side and gave Adam the warning look. “When we're done we'll go to eat dinner at Moma Maria's Buffet.”
“Now you're talking,” Adam said and rubbed his hands together as if warming them over a fire.
Meagan looked at him. “You know Adam, I think you'd eat anything that wouldn't eat you first!”
“Well, Italian beats out salad any day,” he said.
“After dinner, we'll head over to your award ceremony. Your coach said the stadium will be jammed. I hope we can all sit together without getting squashed.”
Jack tapped his spoon against his coffee mug. “Everybody got that? Now, how about a big round of 'thank yous' to Mom for working out all the details. He clapped and all three kids joined in.
Meagan stood and bowed, which brought laughter from everyone. “Let's finish eating, and then clear the table.”
Nate spoke up. “Mom, what's a corona?”
Jack and Meagan exchanged glances.
“I got this,” Jack said. “A corona can mean different things.”
“Like what different things?” Nate asked.
Jack continued. “A corona is the top of something. Like when they look at treetops covering a forest.”
“How can anyone see the top of trees?” Nate asked.
Jack rubbed his hand across his lips and down his chin. “If you were in an airplane and it was coming in for a landing near a forest you could look out of the window and see the treetops making a big green corona over the top of it.”
Nate squinted his eyes. “Treetops? Are you sure?”
“A corona is also a halo. It's like a light that shines around the edges of the sun or the planets,” Jack said.
Nate slowly stirred his cereal. “That doesn't sound right.”
Jack poured more coffee in his mug. “When I was a kid my grandpa and my dad both smoked Corona cigars.” He shook his head and let out his breath. “Boy did those things stink. Your grandma made them sit outside if they were going to smoke. She didn't care if it was hot or cold if there was rain or snow—no stogies in the house!”
“What's a stogie?” Nate asked.
Meagan let out a low groan.
Jack looked from his wife to his son. “Okay, Nate let's talk about that another time, for now, let's eat breakfast so we can get going.”
“You didn't finish telling me about a corona,” Nate said and pouted.
Meagan stopped buttering her toast and looked at him. “Well, a corona could be a crown,” she said. “When girls win a beauty contest they put a tiara on their head and they call it a crown. A very important person, like a king or queen, wears a crown on their head for important occasions.”
Nate jerked his head up. “Oh, that must be it!”
Jack and Meagan looked at each other and then at Nate. “What must be it?” Meagan asked.
“When I talked to Grandma on the phone last night she said she felt a little sick and she hoped she wasn't going to have corona on the day of our big celebrations.”
“Corona?” Jack and Meagan said at once, alarmed.
Nate looked puzzled. “Grandma said not to worry. She said corona was only in Asia and she wasn't going there. She was going to be with us and everyone else today and take pictures.”
# # #
About the Author
Valerie Allen, psychologist and author, writes fiction, nonfiction, short stories, and children's books. Her articles about mental health and parenting have been published nationwide. She has taught students in elementary through post-graduate studies at various colleges and universities.
She lives in warm and sunny Florida where she enjoys fun with family and friends. She's all about good health and fitness activities. Also to her credit, she has learned many things about life and love while raising her six children! Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Queen for a Day
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright by Valerie Allen 2020
Amazon.com/dp/B086BWK31H
All rights reserved
For More Information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
~ ~ ~
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
A True Miracle
Ad Hoc Committee
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday House Rules
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
No Goin' Home
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You! Mr. Jackson
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
Words of Wisdom
~ ~ ~
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
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JD
04/17/2020Wow! That's some day planned.... And so it began for many innocent people who planned family gatherings and events, never imagining what sort of killer might be stalking them there. And once everything was 'shut down', just the fear of what any family, friend, relative, or person with whom you come into contact for any reason might be 'carrying' with them, is difficult to cope with. It causes us to be fearful of one another in a time when we need each other the most. So tragic for so many.... Thanks for sharing this thought provoking 'family' story on Storystar, Valerie.
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