" Alex was already pushing her that way, people politely moving their chairs out of the way so that she could get closer to the table. Samantha, for h...r part had stood up and slid out between the tables to stand a little ahead of Rachel's chair as Alex brought Monique's chair to a halt."Bon soir, Monique. Ca va?" Samantha said."Bien, chérie! Tres bien. You have been practicing, oui?" Monique said with a grin."Oui, c'est vrai, madam. Alex has been helping in his spare time," she said with a. Whatever. It all makes her happy." Hmmm," Veronica smiled. "All women writers. Interesting."Gerry shrugged. "I'm hoping to inspire her." Very nice."Veronica pulled her roller suitcase into the kitchen and placed it onthe floor, opening it to reveal a plethora of bottles, cans andequipment. "We've got a lot to do to get that hair of yours undercontrol, so we should get started." She removed several bottles of hairproducts and placed them on the counter. "Come on over to the sink sothat we can. I looked over at the nightstand where my alarm clock sat. It was 8:47.Why, you might be wondering, didn't anyone hear us and come running to investigate the noise coming from my room?Well, first, by 7:30 in the morning on weekdays my parents have already left for work. They are extremely punctual... nearly obsessive in that regard. Sad to say, I have inherited that little quirk.Second, Ivan always left early to go work out with his football and wrestling buddies. He was usually gone before my. He'll come around eventually. He even grudgingly paid for the heart to send you. I swear, baby, I just want you to be happy. Even if it's not exactly what we envisioned your life being like." "Well....I guess that's not so bad. Thank you for the gift." "It's my pleasure, now how's the career going?" I go over my career, and proudly boast a bit about the new line going in at Macy's, and mom says she'll get into the city to see them, betting me that her powers will tell her which ones were mine..