Chapter 01 The Visitor
Julie Gaffney was watching a movie on TV in the kitchen with her sisters Mary and Katie at near midnight and eating popcorn while they heard the storm outside. It was the second week of the summer and the 3 of them were bored to death.
"It's hard to believe that we have this weather in July." Julie muttered looking out of the kitchen's window when the film stopped and she went to get more popcorn along her sisters.
"Are you waiting someone, Katie?" Mary asked seeing a cab parking outside the door and a kid getting down from it and running to the door and ringing the bell.
"Who is it?" Katie asked while Julie went to wake her parents.
"Is Julie Gaffney at home?" Asked the boy that was outside at the moment that said girl arrived with her parents.
"Charlie?" Julie asked opening the door recognizing her friend's voice and seeing him.
"Hi." The duck's captain said shivering in cold under the rain.
"What are you doing here?" The goalie asked shocked to see him.
"Do you think that I can come in before I answer that? I'm freezing!" The boy asked with a plea.
"Come in!" Julie's mom said inviting him inside.
"Thanks." Charlie said before he added: "I need to get my things from the cab."
"What are you doing here at Maine?" Julie asked while her father and brother took the things from the cab.
"I was supposed to spend 2 weeks at my step-aunt's house while my mom and Scott went on a trip. The problem is that they left and their house is empty. I came to you because I need a place where to sleep tonight and I couldn't find a hotel." He explained going to the fireplace and getting some warm from it.
"Julie, why don't you introduce your friend?" Her father suggested.
"Sorry." She said with a sheepish smile before she added:"Everyone, this is Charlie Conway, the Captain form the ducks. Charlie, they are my family."
""Hold on, you are the Charlie of the Kama Sutra?" Alex asked him.
"Yeah, that would be me. I guess you are Alex." The boy said with a blush at the memory of the prank that he and Julie had played to her family.
"Yeah, that's me." Alex said with a smile before he said to his parents: "Make sure to keep them apart tonight."
"Alex!" Julie shouted to her brother smacking his arm while blushing completely red.
"What? I'm sure that mom and dad don't want you 2 to repeat what you did at the hotel during the games." The man said with a smile to her sister and her friend.
"Don't pay him attention." Julie's mom said to Charlie with a smile before she said: "I'm Andrea, Julie's mom."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Madame." Charlie said with a smile still shivering.
"Julie, take him somewhere to change his clothes before he catches a cold." Her mother instructed and she nodded. Charlie took one of his bags and followed her.
"You, little moron! Why didn't you call me to say you were coming to my state?" Julie asked Charlie smacking his arm before they entered in a room and Charlie started to take off his clothes and dried himself.
"The trip was something out of the blue. I came to stay with Scott's sister for the only reason that no duck would be at Minnesota those 2 weeks. Either they left this week on holydays or returned next week. No one was around for that time." Charlie explained while he started to take some clothes form his bag.
"So what will you do now that she's not here?" The blond girl asked turning around to let him change in privacy.
"I have a few choices where to land and your house is first on the list." Charlie said putting in his t-shirt, before he continued:
"I was going to see you. I mean, being at the same state would be something stupid to not do it. In case of problems at her house, I'd ask you help. In case I couldn't stay here for any reason, let's say I would start a marathon."
"What do you mean?" Julie's mom asked brining him something hot to drink.
"From here, I would try Chicago." Charlie said before he added: "Fulton's there with Portman and told me that if there were problems I could land there.
"If that doesn't work, my next destination would be Texas."
"I don't see you in a ranch, Charlie!" Julie laughed before she explained to her Mom: "Dwayne lives there."
"And if that didn't work either, I would return home and would move around till Coach Bombay returns next Wednesday and I would stay with him till mom's return." Charlie finished his tale and his coffee and returned the cup to Andrea with a smile.
"And why not Russ, Ken or Luis?" Julie asked confused.
"Ken returned to skating and is in tournaments. Russ' mom is still sick. And Luis is in the other side of the country." The captain explained.
"I heard about Ken. We talked last week and told me he would be at Maine in a few days in a tournament." Julie said with a nod.
"And he won't be the only duck on it. Tammy Duncan will be there too." Charlie informed her friend.
"Hold on! You know Tammy Duncan?" Mary asked entering at that moment and introducing herself: "I'm Mary, nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Your sister talked a lot about you." Charlie smile to her before he added: "Tammy and her brother Tommy played with us on the pee wee league."
"Now I know why that name sounded familiar!" Julie exclaimed before she added: "She was interviewed today at the newspaper."
"I'm not the one who keeps her tracks, that one is Connie. She has every news article about her. Remind me to keep it for her." Charlie asked his friend who nodded.
"I have a question: shouldn't you call your parents to tell them you are here?" Mary asked him seriously.
"They must be still on flight to New York. They were flying tonight." The boy explained before he said: "And she's very well aware of the marathon. She told me to inform her about where I landed every time I moved of place,"
"So," Katie said entering at that moment along Alex and a little girl, "You are the guy who perverted our little cat."
"Something tells me you'll keep reminding us of that joke." Charlie muttered blushing like Julie.
"We will!" Julie's older siblings chorused with a smirk to them.
"Yeah, let me remind you that your little sister wanted to kill you and cursed your name for 5 days." Charlie told Katie with a smirk too.
"You should have seen what she did at her return then!" Alex laughed at that memory.
"She told me about dying her hair with the rainbow colours." The kid laughed before he asked: "Are you Olivia?"
"Yes, I am." The little girl said with a smile.
"Then I have a gift for you and your sister." Charlie said before he opened of his bags and started to look for something there,
"What did you bring, Charlie?" Julie asked as confused as her family.
"We found a box of these a few days ago and we are sending them to everyone." Charlie said taking from the bag 2 of the original stuffed ducks and handed them to the 2 sisters.
"Oh my god!" Olivia exclaimed taking it and hugging it.
"Thanks!" Julie said hugging him.
"I brought another one for Ken." Charlie said pointing to the last duck he had on the bag.
"Ok, everyone to sleep now! It's almost 2 o'clock and you need some rest. Tomorrow we'll decide what to do. In the meantime you are welcome to stay here." Andrea told Charlie before she left along her children and told Julie: "I want you in your own room in 20 minutes."
"Yes, Mom." She nodded before both ducks were left alone.
"Do they think that we had sex?" Charlie asked Julie worried.
"They took me to the doctor to make sure I'm still virgin, Charlie. Yes, the believed that the joke was true." Julie said with a disgusted look at the memories of the aftermath of that event.
"Sorry for that. I didn't want to create you problem with your family." Charlie said with a sheepish look.
"Hey, I really had fun with it that day. Don't worry. If they mess up with me too much, I have more information about them to use as blackmail." Julie smirked to her friend before they hugged again.
"It's great to have you here. And don't worry about not staying. My parents will let you stay the 2 weeks. But there might be a little situation." The goalie said unsure of her words.
"Katie's wedding? Isn't it in 3 weeks?" Charlie asked remembering what she had said about the wedding.
"Actually it's in 2 weeks and half. If I know my family, you'll be invited what means they'll want you to stay another week." Julie explained.
"Do you want me to stay that week? I have no problem with that. I mean, the school doesn't start for another month and half and the season is over now so we don't have to play." The captain said with a smile.
"What will you mom think? You have to ask her permission, I guess." Julie said before anything else.
"My mom will be delighted that I don't have to run a marathon among states. Besides when shall we have another chance to see each other for so long?" The boy asked with a smile.
"That's settled then. I'll talk to mom tomorrow and you'll call yours." Julie said with a wide smile before she added: "We better go to sleep. If I'm not in my room soon, I'll have to sleep with one of my sisters and they snore too much for my like."
"Goodnights, Jules." Charlie said hugging her before he went to bed and she left for her own room.