Monona Days

By Liz Kilger

Vanessa Anne Nessbrook slipped out of her own home to meet her new boyfriend Scott Allen Bixby. He was busting with the news he had just done. He had just signed up for a tour of duty and joined the Marines! He would be leaving for basic training in just a few weeks! Would she wait for him to return? It appeared to be an important question for him, so she answered with thought. Of course she would wait!
Where would she go? I have to finish my high school classes; mom & dad wouldnt just let me drop out! We can write every day, just as soon as I get your mailing address. If you write to me, you can be assured I will answer each and every one of your letters. Vanessa was looking at a June graduation date from High School anyway. After she finished school, she would have to decide on a career! What would be her life's vocation? The choices were epic: college, (her parents first choice), junior college (her parents second choice), technical school or college, or trade school? She had to make choices and decisions she could live with now and for many years to come.
Finally settling on something she had always loved, she took a look at The Madison School of Beauty, there were so many aspects to look at. She was excited to take a look! She was sure she would find something that took her interest. Cuts, perms, dyes, nails, manicures and pedicures, trims and shaping. It was kind of exciting! Scott would be returning on completion of his Basic Training initiation. She knew Scott meant to report for active duty right away but did not know just how she felt about that one! It would be a quick turnaround for him just before Christmas this year. She would just be finishing up at the Madison School of Beauty.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503548442

Liz Kilger

I was born right here in Middle America, the Bread Basket of the USA, Wisconsin. I am an old farm girl at heart, watching and working odd jobs on my grandparent’s farm until my grandfather’s retirement when I was 14 years old. Afterward, I decided I really did not like the work on the farm: work too hard and no vacation time either! I guess writing has become my lazy profession since my forced retirement from my 40 year career in accounting and finance. I say forced retirement because I developed MS--Multiple Sclerosis which cost me most of my sight in 1997. Some has returned, but much is permanently gone. This keeps me busy.

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Copyright © 2015 by Liz Kilger.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 04/13/2015

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

About the Author

CHAPTER 1

July 24, 1993, Samantha Lauren Bixby was born to a young widow, Mrs. Vanessa Anne Bixby. Her husband of less than six months, Scott Allan Bixby was killed in Kosovo, in the late fall of 1992. Her Grief palpable, Vanessa was left alone to deal with first birthing and then raising an infant daughter. Her Grief was bone deep, but she had to pull herself together to raise her new daughter she was left with important decisions to make. Find an obstetrician, talk to her parent’s about the impending birth of her new child, child care possibilities, so many possibilities. She was just finishing her classes at the Beauty School. She had already been offered a position at Scissor Palace. She would accept the position at the Scissor Palace and help pay the hospital fees. This would get her parents off the hook for the hospital costs. Her parents had been both loving and caring, offering babysitting services and a new swing set and slide for a new granddaughter. That worked out better than she expected. She moved back home to save money and get her parents support with the birth and relieve her depression. It did not take too long before they put a smile back on her face. After graduation, Vanessa began working at the Palace and began making a name for herself, pregnant or not. She was growing with each passing day, and her co-workers joked with her about her due date maybe coming sooner than the doctor thought! She certainly was getting plump… It was shortly before Easter at the Bixby house, and Vanessa had been working steadily at the Palace since her December Graduation date. She had Sunday and Monday off work for the Easter Holiday, so she was assisting her mother with Easter preparations, even the Egg Hunt. She colored Eggs carefully for the morning hunt with her aunts and uncles, mother and father, even a cousin or two. Easter Holiday in this family is a big event, and she sat back commiserating with her cousins over her husband’s death. Her parents made plans to meet again at her aunt and uncle at their house over Memorial Day weekend, It was a joyful weekend all around. It was only a little better than a month away! On Tuesday morning Vanessa, arrived at work happy and pleased with herself, She had had a most pleasant weekend with her extended family. The next two weeks were incredibly busy for Vanessa at work. It kept her quite busy and connected. She and her mother traveled down to State Street around the Capital, looking for baby things. cribs and travel items, including a car seat. A very productive day in downtown Madison.

Vanessa was back in her old family home waiting for the birth of her daughter. Her due date was only a month away, and the new nursery was filling up with baby things. Things were looking good. Dad was working nearly day and night to complete the new swing set and slide, for his new granddaughter. With the Memorial Day Weekend approaching, her mom, Ann, was in constant contact with her aunt, Lucy. Lucy loved her job at the Badger Bowl in Fitchburg. She worked a steady 5 -day week for 40 hours every week. She worked as a waitress, knew her customers, enjoyed the banter and kidding by both customers and staff. Ann sat back at her kitchen table and laughed along with Lucy at some of the crazy things that happened at the Bowl. Dad was out back working on that fancy new swing set in the back yard. Soon, mom would have her days filled up by a new granddaughter. Her parents were packing up for their Memorial Day Holiday, dad had just finished his work on the swing set, mom was just finishing up her refinishing project for the baby’s dresser. Vanessa was working the long Memorial Day Holiday, after all it would be triple time on her paycheck. There were no others in her life right now, only her family, and her aunts, uncles, and an assortment of cousins. Not quite the full life she had expected to live with her new husband and their new baby, but it was a full life.

On Monday afternoon, she received a call from the State Troopers checking on the names and addresses and home address of a couple of accident victims. A whirlwind of activity started taking place around her parents home. Her Aunt was also killed in the accident, and her Father was in critical condition. Vanessa was forbidden from seeing her or even visiting her Father in the hospital. He would have to Sedate her close to her due date. Her father died from his injuries, three days after the accident. Then her father’s Attorney stopped by the house to go over her father’s will with her. The house was now hers, and the insurance policy her father had taken out on himself and his wife would provide generously for her and her new baby. Her colleagues and co-workers from the Scissor Palace stopped in to comfort her and ease the stressful situation Vanessa found herself in. She had a week off for her bereavement leave. It would take that long to get her head around what had just happened. And she was still waiting for her dad’s insurance agent to show up. The next afternoon, her dad’s agent knocked on the door. He pulled out the policy, showing her specifics of the policy. Yes her father had increased his policy from the original $500000.coverage to $1,000,000.00 for himself and his wife, with a double indemnity clause. Did she understand the meaning of this new policy? Call, if anything seems questionable. the agent said.

Vanessa sat back in her chair to go through the insurance policy. Going through the usual stuff of coverage, amount of coverage, cost of coverage, and an additional paragraph on Double Indemnity clauses. She started reading the double indemnity clauses, flipped back to the original coverage, and suddenly had questions for her father’s insurance agent. Yes, her father did have a double indemnity clause in his policy in case of accidental death. So, it would bring a total payout on your mother’s and father’s deaths to a total of 4 million dollars if his condition continues to fail. That news was spinning for a still grieving daughter that had not been able to get up to see her father yet. Guilt weighed heavily on her soul, She told herself, come hell or high water, she would get up to see her father right away. Calling the Scissor Palace, she asked her boss to come over after work to get her up to the hospital to see her father. She was growing so large, it was becoming uncomfortable for her to drive little car. Her tummy rubbed against the steering wheel, making short stops incredibly dangerous for her baby. She had to wait another two hours for boss to finish up and get over to pick her up. Squeezing into her bosses new mini-van, She clicked the seat belt in perturbation, under her full tummy. Her anxiety showing, her boss drove slowly to the hospital, parking out front as Vanessa made her way to the door. Sitting down in the front of the hospital elevators waiting for her boss to return. It would be a little scary to see her once strong and competent father lying in a hospital bed attached to tubes and breathing devises, she needed some support. They asked for her father’s room number, and then took the elevator up to the proper surgical floor. Marching Down the hall to her father’s room, Vanessa stopped at the nurses’ station to inquire about his health, and if she could or should disturb him. Following the nurse’s directions, they walked only two more doors down to her father’s room. Just as they arrived at the door, a code blue light went off, crash carts came rolling down the hall, and medical staff was rushing right out of the walls. They all converged on her father’s door. Vanessa was so very confused by the entire situation; she was jostled out of the way by rushing medical teams. Looking into the still open doorway, her father’s bed was surrounded by medical personnel. A doctor was reading the paddles to jump-start her father’s heart. Her boss slid her arm around Vanessa’s shoulder urging her over to some chairs on the other side of the hall. Her boss, Penny handed her a tissue to dry her face. Accepting the tissue, Vanessa had not realized she had been crying. The Doctors and medical teams worked frantically for better than an hour, before calling his time of death.

As next of kin, Vanessa was bombarded with legal documents that had to be signed for state and Federal government departments. Finally, in her hands remained 1 document, her father’s death certificate. Now, make sure you make copies of this death certificate, it will save time over the next couple of weeks. Penny coached her. You have many notifications to make to a lot of government agencies, the DMV, Life and health insurance companies, the IRS- state and federal, etc., etc., etc., she continued. Vanessa was overwhelmed by funeral arrangements for both her mother and father, hospital insurance claims, all those insane little details that follow the death of a single person much less two heads-of- household. Her heads-of-household! The totality hit her, her mother and father were both gone, the house was hers as stated in her parents hand- written attachments to the insurance policies, The house was so big just for her and her daughter, she would rattle around alone in the house until her daughter’s birth. Now she would need a new birthing coach, someone to get her to the hospital when it was time, take them home from the hospital when the time came, paying the hospital bill, etc., etc., etc. Penny delivered a shell-shocked Vanessa back to her house…

At the end of her bereavement leave, Vanessa was more than willing to return to work. Knocking around in that big house that was now hers, had been particularly difficult with memories of her parents around every corner. She was so happy for the distraction of work; she really loved the work, and could not think of a single thing she would change in her life right now. But now she could if she truly decided to. At her last doctor’s appointment she was advised of the possibility of Braxton Hicks contractions coming the closer she got to her due date. Her co-workers vied to be her coach, others volunteered to get her to the Hospital when the time came. The place she worked was becoming her family, and it brought a warm feeling to her heart. She drove her small compact car back to her house when she finished her shift, but a co-worker followed her home, just in case she said. I will be back tomorrow morning to get you in. Bonnie said in an emphatic manner. That’s really so thoughtful of you. I will be ready at 7:30 a.m. for our 8:00 a.m. start time. Well, we will get done at 6:00p.m, after an hour’s lunch. Vanessa remarked punctuating the schedule for the remainder of the week… Don’t worry the rest of the girls have been working out a schedule to pick you and take you home every day everyday till the little one arrives. Della commented. There are at least six weeks left before the due date, that’s a long time to keep up this schedule. she commented. Oh, we weren’t doing anything else anyway. It will be a short six weeks.’ Della said pulling into the driveway to let Vanessa out. Thanks for the ride, Short six weeks, huh? If you say so. Vanessa stated doubtfully. She patted her growing round belly, and placed a supporting hand to her back. See you tomorrow," they both shouted. Making her way into the house, she locked the door after herself, going unerringly to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator door, she assessed its contents, closed the door opening the freezer door. Pulling out a container of some soup her mother had prepared, brought a little melancholy to her normally sunny disposition. She sat down at the table, after placing the container in the microwave oven. She enjoyed the chicken dumpling soup her mother had always made so perfectly. She added milk and a purchased hard roll to complete her dinner.

Taking her soup bowl, spoon, and knife over to the sink she washed out her forlorn utensils. Just then there was pounding at her door, and the doorbell was ringing too. Hurrying to the door as fast as she could, she moved around to the window facing the door to look out at her arriving visitors. It was the insurance agent with a younger companion in tow. Opening the door, she greeted the insurance agents with a quizzical expression on her face. Her parent’s agent, Mr. Robert Hadley, entered the living area closely followed by his younger protégé. Ms. Bixby, I have some very good news for you. Your claims and proofs were submitted to the insurance company, and I am pleased to present you with this check for $4,000,000.00. I wanted to introduce, my son, Michael. He is new to the insurance business, and I thought he would be pleased to share in this happy moment This is the happiest in the insurance business. Thank you; I don’t quite know what to say. This is really a bit unexpected, even though I did read through the policy. I have difficulty fathoming my father’s capacity to so completely care for me and my daughter, his granddaughter she explained sheepishly.

Vanessa was backing toward the front door, wanting to get them on their way. The agents were more than a bit reluctant to leave. I really am sorry to be pushing you out, but I have had a long day at work, and I really need to lie down she begged off. Of course, we should have thought. Let me know of your plans for investing this rather large sum. I do have a few suggestions for you Good evening. Good evening. Locking the doors again, she picked up the check, looking at it in wonder. Stunned by the information, and check she received tonight, She picked up the check, turned around and flicked off the lights. Should I, can I tell anyone about this check? I really cannot tell anyone about this check. The amount of this check is a show stopper, but will it make people treat me any different? The Scissor Palace employees have been my salvation without my even getting this check, right now, they are