A Kiss and a Cuddle Read Online Free PDF Page B

into the phone sleepily.
    “Why
are you whispering, darling?  And it is the afternoon, not the morning!” she
proclaimed.  “Why are you still sleeping?  Are you depressed or something?”
    “No,
Mom, that’s crazy.  I have just been doing a lot of work for my album release,”
I replied.  “And there is this guy who keeps trying to get my attention, but he
is just getting on my nerves.” 
    “Oooh,
a guy?  Tell Mama more.”
    “He
is just a spoiled brat who tries to steal the spotlight.  I don’t really want
to talk about him.”
    “But
honey, you never want to talk about them.  I think it would be good if you had
a man who treated you nicely, but you never seem to give them a chance.  I want
to know that my daughter is being taken care of while she’s so far away.”
    “I
know, Ma.  I treat myself nicely and take care of myself though.  Besides, this
guy is trouble.”
    “Well
honey, stories of love usually start as tales of war,” she said
enthusiastically.  After all she had been through in her life, she was still a
hopeless romantic.  I admired that about her.
    “Oh,
Mom.  Not this one!” I laughed.  “Those words do sound pretty profound though. 
Do you mind if I use them as song lyrics?”
    “You
can definitely quote me.  That is a Mama original!” she replied. “And when it
is a big hit, you can pay me back with hugs and kisses… and lots of
grandchildren.”
    “Sounds
good, Ma,” I said, reaching in my bag to grab my lyric book.  My hand kept
searching in the empty bag.  Oh my goodness.   It wasn’t in there.   I
replayed my memory to where I last had it.  It was last at the café!   “ Ma,
I’ve got to go.  I’ll call you later.  Love you!” I said and hung up the phone. 
I jumped out of bed in my pajamas and started to scramble around my bedroom for
clothes and a hairbrush.
    I
must have been in such a rush to leave that I left it at the café table.  With Rex! 
The situation was getting worse and worse.  I could imagine him reading through
all of my private lyrics and poetry.  I had to get my book back!

NINE
    It
was 1:45PM, and I was eagerly sitting on the café patio.  The mid-afternoon sun
was prudently beating down on me, and I couldn’t tell if I was sweating due to
the heat or my nerves.  My hands were nervously playing on the table, and my
feet were bobbing up and down to an imaginary beat.  I had never been so early
to meet a guy before.  It was embarrassing.  What if he didn’t even show up?
    “Well,
well, what do we have here?” an enthusiastic voice said from behind me.  Rex
jumped over the patio fence again with ease and sat down next to me.  He was
sporting another American disguise, with a baseball cap, a plain t-shirt, and
long shorts.  He definitely had no qualms about wearing man-jewellery; his
wrists were wrapped in multiple bracelets and watches, and he wore a black
string necklace.  Sure enough, I looked down the road, and I saw his two
bodyguards on the bench.
    “This
isn’t what it looks like.  I forgot my….” I started to say.
    “Why,
this is such a surprise.  You are actually here.  This may be the best day of
my life, except for the day I met the Spice Girls, of course,” he bumbled on,
unaware of my sense of urgency.  “What did you forget, love?”
    “I
left my notebook here.  It is really important.  Did you find it?” I asked
quickly.
    “No,
I didn’t find a notebook,” he replied plainly.
    “Oh
no…” I trailed off, getting up from my chair to search around.
    “But…”
he quickly interjected. “I did happen to come across a collection of love poems
written for me,” he said while revealing my lyric book from behind his back. 
He flipped through the pages dramatically.  “I just love the way you described
my luscious coiffed hair and icy blue eyes.  Do you really think I’m the most
handsome man in the world?” he asked as he dropped my book on the table.
    “There
it is!” I grabbed