idioms...sayings understood by native speakers part four

"Charlie...time to eat."

Charlie sat in the middle of the tiny living room finishing the touches on his current masterpiece. He did not respond to Lynn. He appeared to be searching all over the place for something. Lynn came over and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, buddy, we gotta eat now." she spoke as gently as she could.

"Whitey... I lost whitey."

"Ah, your white leggo. Um, Charlie, do you know where you last saw it?"

Charlie's face dropped. "I threw Whitey." He gasped. "I hurt Grammy." Tears started to form.

"Charlie, Mrs. Allen... I mean Grammy is okay. It is just a scratch. But you must not throw your toys anymore. It hurts to get hit... right?"

Another memory passed across the face of Lynn's brother. "I want to give Whitey to Grammy. I sorry, LiLi."

"Well, Grammy made us some great stew to eat. She will be sad if her Charlie does not eat it."

"But Whitey....."

"Charlie, I will help you look for whitey, Kay? After we eat... you have to get a bath, brush your toofers...and get ready for bed. Kay?" Lynn was tired and hoped her impatience wasn't getting the best of her. She got up and reached down to take Charie's hand. "Come, Eat."

Charlie reluctantly got up and sat at the table. He grabbed his spoon and galantly attacked the stew. Lynn smiled.

"Grammy's stew is goooooooddddddd." He said with his mouth full. Lynn shook her head, taking a bite.

"It sure is. So let's enjoy it by eating with our mouth closed, Kay?"

"Ummmmmmnnnn."

"Ah, Charlie, I don't know what I would do without you."

Charlie gulped. "Why?"

"You are my good brother. Kay?"

The boy beamed as he grabbed a piece of toast, then stopped as if horrified. Clasping his hands together. He bowed.

"Oh, Charlie. Now I am sorry. Let's pray."

---

The blonde turned to a sandy haired man who came out of no where who was sidling into the seat beside her.

"I am sorry. Did you say something?"

"Um, Hi. My name is Carl Matthews."

"And aren't you with him?" Pointing to Lynn's boss.

"Well, sort of. He is my cousin."

"OOOOOOOOhhhhh. Let me guess. You are the one who got Lynn's promotion."

Carl wasn't quite expecting the conversation to take on this tact.

"Um, well, I would not have gotten it, if I had not been qualified for it."

"Humph."

"Um, I was kinda hoping to let bygones be bygones."

"Humph."

Carl looked at the bartender hoping for some support, but the tall man just kept cleaning glasses with his towel, not saying a word.

"Bartender, I will have what she is having and I will buy her another one."

The bartender smirked and took two glasses filling them with a diet Coke and then placed them on the bar in front of each customer.

Jenny laughed at the look on this man known as Carl Matthews' face.

"So it looks like you are the designated driver too." She pulled her arms up into a stretch with her fingers intertwines, like she was getting ready to rumble. "You know, curiosity killed the cat. You should have asked me what I was drinking...instead of beating around the bush, that is."

"Ah... er..."

Jenny crossed one arm around her waist and then cupped her chin and leaned on her elbow. Turning slightly towards the man, she smoothed her long skirt. "Hi. My name is Jenny Lundstrom. My friend is Lynn Johnson. Now which are you? Friend or foe. I keep my friends close and my enemies closer."  She turned her head and glanced  at Carl's cousin, then stared gravely at  the man in question  "Or should I look at you as an enemy of my enemy which makes you a friend."

Carl blinked at that. Smiled. "I believe in making love, not war."

"That is evading the question, Mr. Matthews. But I would be remiss if I did not thank you for saving Lynn's job. I got a text message from her. Seems like you can do no wrong."

"Your friend is really special."

"Oh? and after spending one work day with her, you realize this? How about your cousin? She has worked there for eight years."

Carl frowned a little. This is not going as planned. Who ever heard of a brainey blonde? Then he reciprocated Jenny by taking his hand he cupped his chin and leaned on his arm, gazing at this bombshell.

"You know, one can tell just how special Miss Johnson is by the loyalty exhibited by her friend."

Jenny's mouth dropped open. When out of her periphery she noted movement. She smiled when the other Mr. Matthews placed his hand on Carl's shoulder and made him jump losing his balance, landing with his gut on the stool which made the man just eyelevel to Jenny's knee.

Lynn closed the door to the bathroom and placed the cowbell strategically over the handle. She grabbed her cell, only to find quite a few messages from Jenny. She sighed as she bypassed them and hit the speed dial to Mrs. Allen's home.

"Hello." A gruff voice entered Lynn's ear.

"Hello, Mr. Allen. This is Lynn Johnson. I am sorry to be calling you this late, but I really need to ask Mrs. Allen a question."

"Well, she is busy. And she won't be coming back there anymore. Your brother is a menace."

"Um...er...ah..." Lynn was speechless.

Then she heard, "Daddy, I will decide if I go back there or not,... Not you. And until you get a job that can pay some bills around here..."

Lynn held the phone away from her ear. Then heard a familiar voice.

"Hi Lynn. Um, until I can set some things straight here, I won't be able to come over tomorrow."

"Um, are you all right?"

"Sure, hon. Just need to knock some sense into that man of mine. I was going to call you, But what happened that you called me so late?"

"Well, Charlie wanted you to have something, but his heart is set on his white leggo. I can't seem to find it."

"Ohhh, that rascal. So he is making me something to apologize?"

"Well, yes."

"I put that offending piece in jail."

"Huh?"

"That is what I told him. It hurt me so I put it in jail."

"Where is it?"

"In the first aid kit... where else?"

"Oh, okay."

"But, um Lynn, I might have a solution for both of us. I just know that it will take me all night to convince my hubby. So that is why I can't come over tomorrow. Please explain it to Charlie."

Lynn heard the jangle of the cowbell. "Sure. I will figure something for tomorrow... Kay? Bye."

Lynn hung up the phone and there stood Charlie a little damp in his PJs and shivering.

"Ah, sweety, did you forget to use the towel?" walking past Charlie and getting a big towel from the closet. She threw it over his head and started to rub.

"LiLi that tickles."

"Well, if you did this yourself, it wouldn't tickle now would it?"

Her brother giggled as she finally pulled the towel off. "Okay. Do you want a video or story?"

"I want Little Engine."

"Okay. Video it is."

"LiLi, what about whitey?" As Charlie saw his creation. the missing piece had come to mind.

"Did you forget? Whitey is in jail."

Charlie's face fell. "That sounds like a lonely place."

I wonder... thought Lynn. I hope this works. "So you miss whitey that much?"

"uh huh."

"Whitey is in jail cause you hurt Grammy with it. Grammy will be the one to decide when Whitey gets out. Kay?"

"Oh. So tomorrow?"

"No, Charlie. Grammy has to stay home tomorrow at her house."

"Oh."

"Okay, Big Guy. What was it again? Oh yeah, The Little Engine that Could right?"

Charlie shrugged and headed for the bedroom. Lynn sighed. How can I make him understand?

Snuggled into the covers, Charlie watched, captivated, as Lynn lay down beside him and rubbed his head. Soon he fell fast asleep. Lynn got up and placed the cowbell on the outside of his door. Then she went into the bathroom to see what mayhem was there.

"Phew, it is ten o'clock already. Oh man, I forgot." Lynn exclaimed to herself as she grabbed her cell phone.

"You will never guess who I ran into." read the caption.

There was a picture of her boss with a red face lying across a barstool. Lynn smiled and started to giggle.

"And who else would be there but Mr. Leopard."

Then she saw a picture of her boss holding his cousin by the shoulders as if righting him from the barstool. The face was priceless.

"And I wonder what they are plotting?"

The CO was leaning into his cousin, whispering something into his ear.

"And for the finale."

The CO looked to be leaving with her manager holding up an arm as it to say hold on a minute.

"And this all just happened. LOL"

Lynn texted Jenny. "I really needed a laugh. I don''t have a sitter for Charlie tomorrow. :(

"I wish I could help you but it is really busy now at work. They would hunt me down if I went AWOL."

"Understood. Nite."

Lynn dialed her work number. It would be good to have a three day weekend with Charlie.

---

Carl came out of his office. The presentation for the board would be at noon. It was only ten. The stipulation of the CO came as a surprise to him last nigh. He knew he was in trouble when his cousin smirked at him and whispered in his ear, "It is only fitting the one who owns the proposal, presents the proposal to the board. Miss Johnson had better be that person. Carl looked at the empty desk. "Where is she?"

The team leader placed some paperwork on Miss Johnson's desk..

"Hey, Joe. Where is Miss Johnson?"

"Oh, they did not get a temp for you yet?"

"A temp?"

"Yeah. Miss Johnson called in sick. I hope everthing is  okay. She never calls in sick... the last time was when her mother passed."

"Her mother?"

"Yes. Her mother died in a car accident about four years ago."

"So you are saying that Miss Johnson..."

"Has never missed a day of work, except that time. I'll call and get you some help."

Carl stood by the empty desk. It is ten o'clock. The presentation would go to hell in a handbasket if Miss Johnson was not there. My uncles will have a field day, So will my father... and what about Rick's?

No... this cannot happen. He grabbed the personnel file of one Miss Johnson that he had picked up yesterday to peruse. Writing the address down, he grabbed his coat and headed out the office with a large package in hand.

"Hey, Carl... where are you going?"

"Um, there might be a slight SNAFU in our presentation."

"What ... did... you ... just... say?" Rick went dead serious.

"I will handle it. Miss Johnson called in sick today... and..."

"Sick?"
"I have got this, Kay? Come hell or high water, I will make sure she is there." As he jumped on the elevator and it closed on his boss glaring at him, yelling "WAIT!!!!!"

to be continued.