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Barb's Advice
Last Updated:
2025-04-08 06:34:58
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Whispers of the Heart It's Your Name He Moaned, Not Hers
She tamped out her cigarette before leaning back with a deep sigh. “I see your point, kid. That is tough. But, that was a long time ago and your momma is long gone from this world. That doesn’t seem to bother him too much now, though, does it?”“Men are different. I remember what it was like for them to be together, though. Janet had always struggled as a mom. She wanted to be my friend more than my parent. She liked to party, drink and do drugs. She smoked marijuana and would snort pills but nothing more than that, not at first. I got drug around with her to every party she went to from the moment my granny died when I was eight. It’s any wonder I didn’t end up being abused when I look back on it.”“She was different when she got with Phil.” I continued pouring my heart out, unable to stop now as Barb just sat and listened. “She tamed her ways, something I never thought would happen. She acted like a real mom, for once. They lived together and seemed happy and in love. He worked, she
Last Updated : 2025-04-08Whispers of the Heart The Walk Back Home
The conversation I had with Barb replayed over and over again in my head the entire walk back to the little white sided, three bedroom house with the white picket fence. Phil owned it or was in the process of owning it, I knew that. He made the mortgage payment every single month. It was a nice little starter home, nothing extravagant but comfortable and I had added feminine touches over the years to make it feel like a home. A nice place for Nate to grow up in and it was.Phil and I didn’t fight. Nate was healthy and had a happy childhood. Phil and I together, co-parenting, was all that Nate had ever known. He knew I was his sister but he slipped and called me “mom” as much as he called me Rory. Neither of us ever corrected him when he did, either. As long as he was happy. It was like all three of us had accepted that this was our family, our dynamic and it was, as long as it remained safe and platonic.Phil was hard working. He was the day shift crew chief down at our local saw mill.
Last Updated : 2025-04-09Whispers of the Heart Need to Figure This Out
I took a few calming, deep breaths as I swung the traitorous gate back and snapped the latch into place. As I passed underneath the plantar box edge I had filled with marigolds, I glanced up into the kitchen window and locked eyes with Phil as he watched me walk past. I offered him a small smile that he did not reciprocate. His face remained void of any emotion whatsoever. Maybe he was just as freaked out about this conversation as I was.“Only one way to find out”, I thought to myself as I climbed the three small steps and grabbed the door knob, twisting it and giving the door a gentle push. With one last deep breath, I crossed the threshold and closed it behind me before calmly walking into the kitchen and taking a seat at the retro red formica table with silver metal trim.Phil was still at the window, his back turned to me and I let my gaze trail down his body appreciatively. He was of average height, around six feet tall. His muscles were solid and his figure lean, just visibly de
Last Updated : 2025-04-09Whispers of the Heart His Closure
He turned to me and leaned back against the sink with his arms wrapped defensively around himself. He shrugged his shoulders before answering, “I don’t know. I was hoping you might be able to tell me. She just disappeared on me. Took you and left. I found out later from somebody that had seen you all that she was pregnant and I wanted to see if it were true and do the right thing so I started looking until I found her.I chased her down to see if Nate was mine, hoping if he was, that we could work it out and get back together but she didn’t want to have anything to do with me by that point. I’m sure you remember that fight that night. She even claimed he wasn’t my kid but I knew better so I pushed. I pushed for the paternity test. She pushed back for child support. I signed all the paperwork and I let her have whatever she wanted cause I figured that we would still end up back together at some point.I had heard through the grapevine that she got hooked on drugs again but I didn’t beli
Last Updated : 2025-04-09Whispers of the Heart Keep an Open Mind
“Let me ask you this,” he reached across the table and grazed my knuckles with the tips of his fingers. The act was innocent enough but never having had any physical interaction with someone of the opposite sex before, especially someone who had just admitted to finding me desirable, it sent butterflies through my stomach. “Do you find me attractive?”I looked up at him, meeting his intense stare and felt heat rush to my cheeks. I took a deep breath before speaking. “Honestly, I can say yes. Yes, I think you are a handsome man, an attractive man.”“But….”“But, I’ve never looked at you like that or thought of you in that way before today.”“Do you think you could?”It was my turn to stand up and pace. “I don’t know, Phil. I just don’t. This closeness now is having an affect on me but it's all so new that I'm not sure what I am feeling. I’m not even eighteen years old. I have been raising Nate since the moment he was born. I have never even had a first crush let alone a first kiss, a f
Last Updated : 2025-04-10Whispers of the Heart A Much Needed Nap
Turns out, that nap was exactly what I needed. I woke up a couple hours later feeling much lighter, much more relaxed and like I was in complete control again. I glanced at my alarm clock, surprised that it read 1:26. Apparently, the last few weeks of tossing and turning had really caught up with me and I just hadn’t realized exactly how exhausted my body and mind had become. It was like a weight had been lifted today, with Phil agreeing to take things at my own pace and not forcing any ultimatums on me.It was such a relief that I could cry but I managed to hold myself together from the dam that would burst if the tears ever started flowing. All the worst case scenarios I had plagued myself was nothing more than useless worrying. Phil had shown weakness and vulnerablility, two things men only ever care to display around someone they trust. I had the control here and I was going to try my best to make my decision as quickly as I possibly could so as to not string him along, one way or
Last Updated : 2025-04-10Whispers of the Heart Mrs. Jackson and Melanie
I felt the heat rising in my face as I glared at her, something inside of me snapping at the way this woman was judging me without knowing me. “Well, yes, I would be. But, if you would take the time to actually READ the card there, you would see that my last name doesn’t even match Nate’s so how could I be his mother?”She looked down her glasses at the card, ignoring the sarcasm and thinly veiled hostility in my voice. “Aurora. Such a pretty name. Pity.” She handed the card back to me with a fake smile and overinflated ego. “Aurora Butler, though. That’s fitting. Okay, Aurora Butler. What is your relationship with the child you are collecting?”“Well, Ms….?”“Jackson. Mrs. Jackson.”“Well, honestly, Mrs. Jackson. I don’t see that to be any of your business.” I answered with my sweetest, diner approved smile. The one that says ‘I’m telling you to go screw yourself in the nicest way possible.’ My smile continued as I tucked the ID card back in my pocket. “You see, I have provided you w
Last Updated : 2025-04-10Whispers of the Heart Nate's Excitement is Contagious
“So, buddy, how was your first day?”“It was great!” With that, he launched into nonstop chatter about everything he had experienced from the moment I dropped him off until I picked him up again. He had to tell me all about the rules, the classroom, the breakfast, the lunch and especially his favorite time of the day, recess.We made it home and he was still talking. I learned about all his classmates, including a little girl named Zaniyah that stood with him in the walkers pickup line. I am hoping that is Melanie’s little girl as I asked Nate if he liked her and he said that he did and that she was one of his best friends already.We sat at the kitchen table together as he ate the snack of grapes, cheese cubes and Goldfish crackers I fixed for him as I filled out the additional mountain of paperwork the school had sent home with him. He chatted away and I listened as I jotted down his social security number for the fourteenth time. I wanted to make sure everything was completed and i
Last Updated : 2025-04-10
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Whispers of the Heart Every Kid's Dream
“WOW!” was all I heard from Nate before he tore into the room with a giggle. Owen reached for me and pulled me to him, giving me a very sound kiss that completely distracted me from even looking and seeing what had Nate so excited about.Once Owen released me and I turned my attention back to the room itself, I was just as excited and elated as Nate was. The entire space was like any arcade or play place one would ever visit as a child on those very rare special occasions. The space of the entire room couldn’t have been any less than a thousand square feet. Wooden support beams were scattered throughout the space like typical reinforcements in a basement and it had the panel block ceilings like you would see in office buildings and hospitals with the big rectangle panel light panes. The walls were all painted a deep charcoal gray with light gray plush carpeting in part of the area and just solid concrete painted the same color in the other half.The carpeted area was more narrow but t
Whispers of the Heart Dinner and a Tour
Owen was right that Nate and I would both love the hibachi. From the experience to the food, everything was wonderful. Nate was completely infatuated and amazed by the entire experience and was telling me all about how he wanted to learn how to do that when he got bigger so Owen may have just helped create a monster because I now know where Nate will want to eat anytime I ask.Owen, being the gentleman, wouldn’t let me pay a dime on the meal, not even the tip. I had wanted to go by Phil’s house for more clothes and Owen was fine with it so he stopped there first.I explained to Nate on the way where his dad was and that his dad had told me this morning the reason he was so sick yesterday. Never having had a grandparent, Nate really didn’t even realize what that was or what he was really missing in his life by not having one, either. So, understandably, he wasn’t upset to find out that his grandmother had passed away because she was a stranger to him.He didn’t ask why we weren’t stayi
Whispers of the Heart Dinner Plans
I left the office feeling really good about my talk with Sherry. I was so happy that I was able to improve her mood and help her to understand the current situation with Phil. I would definitely try my best to do what I could whenever Phil came back to push him toward her because he definitely needed to understand that he had burned all his other bridges and he’d better appreciation someone like her. If he liked her enough to sleep with her, regardless of his dumbass reasons, he needed to give her a chance to make him happy.I watched Owen’s face light up from over top of Vanessa’s head whenever I walked through the door of the Photography classroom. She turned at the same time that Courtney and Bethany gave me a wave.“I knew it had to be you or at least it had better be you,” Vanessa teased. “If he was suddenly looking at me like that, Danny was gonna kick his ass and if he was looking at any other girl like that, I was gonna be the one to do it! But I knew only one woman could make
Whispers of the Heart Talk with Sherry
“What did you need to talk to me about, Aurora?”“I had wanted to ask about how things were going with you and Phil but seeing how sad you look, I am now more worried about you and making sure you are okay.”She sighed. “I am, I guess. This is actually about him. I thought we hit if off and were gonna start talking, start dating even but he has completely ghosted me, Aurora. Now, I am left feeling like this cheap, one night stand.” She covered her face with her hands. “Plus, I am a professional here, an adult and I should not even be discussing things like this with you.”“Hey, I asked.” I assured her. “I only asked because I care and I wanted to know how things were going. I never imagined he hadn’t reached back out to you yet but now that I think about everything that is going on, I just realized that I have been so caught up in my own little world with Owen that you probably have no idea of anything going on.”“What do you mean? What is going on? I don’t know anything except I was
Whispers of the Heart Couple Adjustment
Getting Nate out of bed and dressed was easy as he was super excited as soon as he woke and realized we were still at Owen’s house. As I was getting him dressed, he asked me if Owen was my boyfriend and I was glad that he did since I was thinking of how to bring it up myself. I answered him honestly and told him that, yes, Owen was my boyfriend and I asked him how he felt about that.He said he liked it. That he liked Owen and he liked seeing me look happy. He, then, went on to tell me that he hoped Owen and I got married and have seven kids. Of course, while he said this Owen walked up to the open door and heard it but he seemed pleased with Nate’s plans for us. Regardless, both of them could forget about seven kids. It wasn’t going to happen!We dropped Nate off at school with my promise of picking him back up this afternoon and reminding him to give Miss Kelly or Miss Lyndsey his note about being a car rider this afternoon. When we parked at the high school, we still had fifteen mi
Whispers of the Heart Sweet Addiction
The first kiss left me in awe. The second took my breathe away and touched my soul. The third and all beyond that had me addicted. Addicted to this man, his touch, his kiss, his lips, his tongue. Dear Lord, the way he could kiss me left me just dizzy with desire, craving something more. More of him, more of his touch, more of everything.After the second kiss, he had pulled me onto his lap to straddle him and although I knew nothing of what I was doing, my body seemed to. Natural instinct kicked in as the primal urges and desires I felt took over my body, moving my hips in ways that felt good, felt right, felt necessary.Owens hands had started on my face, working their way down my body to my hips and then under my shirt. He first gripped the bare skin of my hips but as my hips started moving, so did his hands until he was running his thumbs over the outside lining of my bra, causing an explosion of electricity as he brushed the hardened buds rubbing against the soft cotton of the und
Whispers of the Heart Morning Confessions
I opened the door and walked out, leaving it partially open again. I rapped lightly on Owen’s door as I skipped up to it and waited just a few seconds before opening it slightly. He answered for me to come on in, so I did.He was sitting at the L-shaped desk already dressed in t-shirt and jeans and it looked like he had been working on homework. He turned to look as I walked in and he quickly stood up, walking toward me to greet me in his bare feet.“You look amazing this morning, Aurora.” He said as his eyes raked up and down my body, his gaze lingering hungrily on my long legs in these black shorts. “Damn!” He said with an appreciative sigh.“You like my outfit, then?”“Yes, very much. I never imagined someone could look so casual and comfortable and still so sexy and mouthwatering at the same time but you have managed to pull it off.”“Thank you, I think.”He gave me that devilish smirk that heated my cheeks as well as sent a flush through the rest of my body. “Trust me, it was a c
Whispers of the Heart Make the Best of It
I glanced at the time on my cell phone again. It was now four in the morning and I had a choice to make. Lay back down for the next two hours and toss and turn where my mind was now on overdrive or make the best of the extra time I now had. It would be hard to pass the time unless I kept myself busy. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to wake Owen up and tell him everything that had been said in that conversation but I wasn’t about to risk both of us being dead tired tonight when Nate was barreling full steam ahead.I was thinking about what I could do to pass the time when I realized with everything that had happened last night, I hadn’t even touched my homework and I had assignments to complete in almost every class. So much for free time but I could at least be thankful that I now had time to get it all finished so I was not showing up to class unprepared.But before I started that, I wanted to get my shower and soak up the heat and steam. This morning, I needed the shower to wa
Whispers of the Heart Phone Cohones
My phone blared in the dead of the night, causing me to scramble from the bed as I hurried to answer it quickly so as not to wake Nate. Owen was no longer in the bed, having went back to his room as soon as I fell asleep, I would assume. Grabbing it up, I hit silence giving a brief glimpse back at the bed to make sure Nate hadn’t woken up as I rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Even before I looked at the display, I already knew who this was and what conversation was getting ready to happen. I just needed confirmation of the time it was occurring. Three forty-six in the morning. It took him that long to wake up and come around enough to miss us in the house.“Hello.” I hissed in a loud whisper as I hit the accept call button and brought the phone to my ear.“Aurora! Where the hell are you and where is my son?” His voice was strained so I knew he was angry but that it was causing him too much pain if he tried to raise his voice or get himself too worked up. That coul
