Sicker then the Dog

For the few reading Eliza's adventures i am curious to know your feedback?  Be it good or constructive criticism I am always open to suggestions, questions and of course praise :-)

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"No Frito. Mommy needs her sleep." Eliza's buried her head beneath pillows, rolled to face the wall and blindly waved the hand she wasn't laying on in the direction she was pretty sure poor little Frito was in.

Another creak of the door.  Eliza was making a mental note to get some WD-40 after she felt more human and less like a stuff potato head.  Her head was so congested it felt like it had swelled to three times the size of its normal size. Eliza groaned imagining Fritos tiny, non congested, had slowly pushing her bedroom door open, his hind quarters inching up.

"Baby I said no. Mommy's head could explode at any minute. You don't need to see that."

"Baby? I didn't think we were there yet," came an unexpected yet familiar male voice.

Eliza slowly rolled over keeping her head mostly buried. Peeking out an eye she saw Ray.

"Bad Frito. You're a horrible guard dog." Eliza sniffled and groaned again.

"He's a great welcome mat even if he isn't so good at scaring people off. Anyway how are you doing sniffles?"

Eliza groaned and came out from under her pillows. "Hi Ray. How do you think I'm feeling?". Eliza pulled her blankets over her head this time. Why did Ray have to stop by when she was at her worst for crying out loud! She doubted she was go to remembering this along with the WD-40 but second mental not of the day was to revoke Ray's emergency key and make sure to never let him see her sick or puffy eyed again.  Hair and make-up would be done from now on. 

"So glad you’re happy to see me. And, well, I think Medusa is a bit harsh for your look. You do have that wild cat lady hair thing going for you though."  Ray paused and Eliza watched as a grin spread across his mouth.  His mouth, surrounded by a five o'clock shadow was actually invoking some healing qualities, as in her girl parts were awake even if her head wasn't playing in the game.  That can't be a normal reaction, could it? Eliza wondered at her thoughts as she watched Ray's smile falter.

"Uh, right.  Okay.  So anyway on that note. Why are you here?"  asked Eliza in the least annoyed or flustered tone she could muster.  She hoped her voice was more annoyed then flustered no matter what she sounded like.

"Aw come on you know I'm just messin. I brought my notes from today’s classes." Ray was dangling a set of notes in front of Eliza. "But with an attitude like that I'm not sure I'm going to share anymore."

"Oh, thanks. You're an angle."  Eliza reached up her hand in time for Ray to pull the notes away.

"What do i get in return for being so angelic?"  Ray asked, his smile full and his eyes sparkling in mischief.

Eliza couldn't help but smile back.  The thought occurred to her that Ray, her study partner, the shy Ray, was actually flirting with her.  She coughed and moaned.  Thankful for the cold, because there was a second where paralysis almost set in.  She wasn't really sure how to react to flirty Ray.  The blip she'd felt has continued, in fact it was more flip like now but that didn't mean she'd lost her mind and wanted to ruin their friendship.  

"Okay kid.  Sorry.  Here you go.  Actually i stopped by the copy center and got you copies so you didn't have to worry about rewriting them right now.  I would suggest reading the physics stuff and maybe the Thermo stuff but the rest can wait.  Anything else you need before i leave so you can rest"

“Um…”  Eliza paused.  She had he sudden urge to reach out past the notes and pull him to her bed.  Apparently she wasn’t as sick as she’d thought.   Instead of fully acting on her thoughts she took the notes and the hand he’d extended with them.  “Uh, Ray.”

“Yes?”  A hopeful edge beneath his tone.

“Well I was wondering.  You know if.”  And before Eliza could say anything else Ray, who had been taking a few steps closer to her, creeping ever closer to her, tripped over Frito’s sausage like body and landed onto Eliza.  Their faces mere inches apart and Eliza gasping for air.

Day 100 and something …Eliza and Elvis

Eliza is a character that has a full story – but until that story can be told to everyone through publication here is who she was in her college years.

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“You have a beautiful mind.”

Eliza looked dubiously at Julianne, her best friend for the last few years.  “Right, uh huh.  When was the last time those words were uttered by a man,”  Eliza paused and held her hand out to stop Julianne, “a real man, a human one.  Not one of those men from your books or the ones on stage in your acting classes?”

“Look do you want help or not?  You asked me to help you figure out what to talk about on your first date and my vision of him was this.”  Julianne waved her hand in the air gesturing to herself clad in a top hat and overcoat, a little paper mustache taped to her nose.

“Maybe we aren’t talking about the same guy?  I mean he isn’t Abe Lincoln and I realize he is a friend of yours so we can give him the benefit of the doubt that he is an odd duckling but he looked normal enough at the last party you dragged me to,”  Eliza said, sizing up Julianne.  Eliza smiled.  “In fact the way I remember him, he is a hot odd duckling, something between that doctor on that doctor show and the hottie in that movie we saw last week.”

A smile touched the edges of Julianne’s mouth.  “Gee with those descriptions how could I not know who you are talking about.”  Julianne laughed for a minute her fake tantrum thwarted. “Oh fine.  Lets pretend he’s boring, whatever.”  Julianne defeated, flopped down onto the twin size bed that was crammed into their small college room. 

“Well at least we know you have the right major, Miss Flair for the Dramatic.”  Eliza dropped down next to Julianne and situated herself so they were facing. “Okay, so when I said help I guess I was really thinking tell me something about him since I have yet to get past the making out stage with him.  I don’t even know his last name.”

Julianne perked up and smiled.  “His name is Theodore Elvis Fitzgerald.  He’s from Connecticut, he’s majoring in Theater with a minor in…”  Julianne pursed her lips in thought, raised her eyebrows and declared, “well actually I can’t remember the minor but who cares.  He loves anything cinema and Broadway related.”

“Well gee, lets state the obvious, well except the name, who names their kid Elvis?  His middle name is Elvis, really?”  The two girls burst into laughter.  “Remember your last fish, his name was Elvis.  All I can think of now is the goldfish with massive white eyes that used to creep up on us in the dark.  Dang thing scared the crap out of me.”

Julianne smiled, mostly likely at the untimely demise of Elvis the fish, who had been exceptionally huge at the time of his death.  “Well who knew that goldfish grow to the size of the tank.”

“No Jules who knew that you would buy, no wait, who knew we could fit a twenty gallon fish tank in our room.  The sucker got as big as a pop can, and his big bug eyes.”  A shudder ran through Eliza before she could finish her thought.  “Well anyway creepy fish.  I still don’t think the university has forgiven us, I didn’t realize he would clog the toilet.”

“Yeah well who cares.  I still laugh at the memory of you and the fish, who would think to sing, or hum, or whatever, the Jaws theme song.  It was brilliant.  Really captured the essence of Elvis as he approached the walls of the tank.”  Julianne sighed.  “Good times.”

Both girls stopped as the phone rang.  “It’s him, answer it,” whispered Julianne.

Eliza looked at the phone as if it were an alien coming for her. 

“Okay, seriously El, answer the phone, it isn’t going to bite.”

“But what if he isn’t what I think he is.  I’m so tired of bad dates and right  now he is a great make out friend.”

Julianne gave her a disapproving look and shook her head.  Still unsure Eliza lifted the receiver. “Hello?”  She paused, “okay, I’ll be right down.”  She hung up the phone.

“He’s here to pick me up, thanks for nothing on the talk points.  Oh well, too late now.  Wish me luck.”

“Good luck, have fun, but…”  Julianne paused, biting her lip.

“Jules what?  I’m on my way out.  You said this outfit was fine.”

“No it isn’t the outfit, it’s more about the picking you up part.”

“What? What do you mean.”  Eliza’s eyes said it all, they were little slits of suspicion. 

“Well.  It’s just, I don’t think he owns a car.”

“You what?  Well then, how, I mean what, oh for the love.  Well maybe he borrowed one?  I gotta go, I’ll let you know later.”  Eliza bounded down the stairs of their dorm hitting the ground running only to come to an abrupt stop.  There he was, the dreamy man with high cheek bones, pink lips, dreamy eyes and helmet hair.  She froze, behind him was a tiny little scooter.