This diary entry is part 20 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Wow, it’s the end of September already!  Can you believe it?  Holidays are coming up!

It was a boring day.  Boringly boring.  What did one of those space guys say?  90 percent boredom and 10 percent terror, or something like that?  Maybe that’s life too.

But we did hear from the police.  The guy is out on bail, but he was served the restraining order, and if he’s caught anywhere around here it’ll be curtains for him!  I hope he stays away!  I don’t want to have to beat him up again!  They told Sabby that a part of his bail conditions were that he has to get a psychiatric evaluation.  Can they even do that?  I guess so.  Anyway, I guess we’ll see how that turns out.  I have two pending court things going on, and they’re both for people attacking me!  What the heck?!

But at least nothing really bad happened either time, and I even learned something about myself!

Well, short entry today.  I need to go to bed!  I’m tired!

Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 23 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

We got a LOT of rain last night!  It was noisy!  Thunder all night!  But it wasn’t the loud kind, it was the quiet rumbly kind.  I didn’t have too many problems sleeping.

Well, after all the excitement of the weekend, back to normal today!!!  Sabby asked me a good question, though.  She asked why I didn’t react that way with that karen a while ago.  I thought about it.  Finally I told her that I think it’s because I didn’t really see her as a threat – I was more confused than anything.  She grabbed my arm, but I was already walking over to her, so I guess I didn’t really feel like I needed to react.  With that guy, though, I needed to react, and, well, I guess I did.

It’s funny though how all that stuff seems to happen to me.  I’m just a magnet for bad stuff, I guess.  Or bad people.  Sabby thinks it’s because I seem innocent – even though I’m only mostly innocent.  I guess innocence attracts those kinds of people.

Oh, and speaking of that karen, the court date is approaching soon – things have been backed up because of the virus.  Her lawyer’s been trying to get us to settle and drop the charges, but Sabby’s refusing.  She says if she can grab me, she can show up at court.  I guess I’ll have to be a witness soon.  Or maybe just Sabby.  We don’t know yet.  There’s CCTV footage too, which the police already have, so maybe it won’t be too big a deal.

Anyway, gotta scoot!!!  Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 22 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

And it’s raining!  And thundering!  Yayyyyy!!!!!  We need rain!  Thunder a little less, but thunder comes with the rain, so yay!!!!  Let it rain!!!

So Sabby told me she’s really proud of how much the events of Sunday don’t seem to be affecting me, but I asked her why they should affect me?  I handled myself, he got in maybe one good grab and that was it, and it’s all taken care of.  What’s the point in being too upset about it?  She said that sometimes that kind of thing can be traumatic for a girl, and maybe it would have been if he’d gotten any further, but he didn’t!  So why be too upset about it?  Most boys are pretty nice and know what the limits are.  Just because I don’t want a boyfriend right now doesn’t mean I don’t like boys!  So why should I let one idiot hurt me more than he already did?

Oooo that was a close lightning strike!  Made me jump!!!

So this weekend we’re going to go see a sensei and find out what kind of martial arts I know and how good I am at it.  I can’t wait!  I’ve wanted to do a sport!  And this might be something I’m actually good at!

Oh, and he did get out on bail, but the restraining order was apparently very quickly granted.  He can’t attempt to make any contact with me in any way, and if he tries, he could get in serious trouble.  The lawyer warned me, like Sabby did, that that only helps after the fact, so I still have to be careful, but it’s a good thing, and I’m glad he got it so quickly.  Dave and Sabby have a good lawyer.

Well, Beth and I are going to do our hairbrushing ritual, and then I’m going to try to sleep, if I can through all this noise.  I love the rain, but it’s noisy!!!

Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 21 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

Well, today is interesting, anyway.  I’m not going back to that convenience store for a while, and neither is Beth.  Sabby forbade it, because he might know she’s my sister, and she’s not as able to defend herself right now, apparently.  She actually seemed relieved.  I don’t think she really enjoys spending time there with her friends.

So we called the lawyer today, and he promised to get everything going as quickly as possible.  He said they could do an ex parte motion, which I think means without the knowledge of the guy, and with all the evidence should have enough evidence for a restraining order.  He said if we’re lucky, we can make it broad enough so that he can’t show up at the store either, because it’s close enough to our house.  I kind of suspect that won’t be an issue, though.  The owner’s last words to him as he was being carted out were “there’s no place for that stuff in my store.  Don’t ever come back here again.”

But, guys like that, you’ll never know.

I’m really not that upset that he grabbed me, honestly.  I was able to handle it, and he didn’t cause any damage.  But he wanted to, and I think that’s what upsets me.  He was going to take what wasn’t his, and I’m glad I knew martial arts, even though I didn’t know I did.  But how do I know it?  What kind?  Sabby’s going to take me to a sensei soon so we can find out what kind of skills I have.  I still don’t know who I was, but it’s a clue, and it’s one more clue than I had before, so in a twisted way, I’m kind of glad that he attacked me!  I learned something about myself!

The lawyer also said he’d find out if the guy was out on bail, and whether I needed to show up to testify.  I hope not!  But I will!  I want to look him in the eyes and tell him he’s a big meanie!

Or another word Sabby doesn’t want me to say.

I think Dave was more upset than anyone else, but he was really proud of me.  He told me that I did exactly the right thing, except next time, don’t save his boy bits.  I see his point.  Maybe next time I’ll start with the knee.  But I hope there’s not a next time.

Anyway, Dave has to work, but Sabby’s taking me out for something extremely chocolatey.  And Beth and David don’t even seem to mind!  David still seems to be in awe that I beat someone up, and Beth, well…  she told me she was just glad I wasn’t hurt, and that I deserved some chocolate.  She did ask us to bring her back some, and I think we’re doing that.

Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 19 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

So work was pretty good today, except I was right about that guy, he asked me out.  I told him no.  He got a little huffy, but I didn’t think too much about it.

But then I went in back to get something, and he cornered me.  He was acting really weird, and he tried to grab me.

Well, it turns out I know martial arts.  I don’t know what kind it was, but I grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back.  He had the wind knocked out of him, and tried to get up, but I put my knee on his.. well, boy bits, and told him if he moves, he gets it worse.  He started screaming bloody murder, but he had the sense to stay still.

The owner came in and yelled, demanding to know what happened.  I didn’t blame him!  I was kind of in tears, but I told him that he tried to grab me.  Of course, the guy denied it, and said I was crazy and trying to kill him.  I kind of froze.  I was sure I’d lost my job.

The owner called the police.  He explained that he had to do it, because no matter who was right, someone got assaulted, and he wasn’t going to put himself in the position of trying to figure out who.  I was really scared at the time, but looking back on it, that was really professional.

While we were waiting for the police, I called Sabby, and they all arrived at about the same time.  I clung to her, but she kind of pushed me away, gently of course, and told me that while she’ll have my back, I need to deal with it like an adult.

So the police took our statements, and thankfully, there were cameras.  The police went back to look at the cameras, and then took him out in cuffs for assault of a minor.  They advised me that he would probably be out on bail pretty quickly and that I might want to take steps to protect myself.

Sabby and I had a hushed conversation, and I told the owner that I couldn’t work there for a while, because the guy knew where to find me.  He understood, and told me I could come back when I was ready.  Sabby told me we were going to talk to our lawyer immediately and file for a restraining order.  She also cautioned me that restraining orders really don’t do a whole lot.  So we left as the police cars were pulling away.

When we got home, she demanded I tell her everything, and I did.  She was surprised that I knew martial arts, but no more surprised than I was.  But David actually was looking at me with admiration in his eyes.  He wanted to hear the story about how I beat up a boy!  So I told it again, leaving out the details, and he actually said “wow, that’s cool!”  Then he ran up to play games, but I’ll take what I can get.

Sabby is giving me the day off from school.  We need to talk to the lawyer, and she’s going to make sure I’m loaded up on chocolate.  I can’t complain about that!

What a way to start a job!

Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 18 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

I didn’t write yesterday because I was busy!  So busy!  I ran, and had school, and had dinner, and went to work until 10 PM, then came home, and went right to bed.  It was a busy day!

But work is good.  I met some more of my coworkers.  I think most of them like me.  I think one of the guys really likes me.  I’m sad I’m going to have to shoot him down.  But I will!  I said I don’t want a boyfriend!

I’m not sure he really wants a girlfriend either.  I caught him staring at my floppy bits.  I think it will be easy to shoot him down, even if it’s a sad thing.

Sabby told me that I should report him if he gets too bad.  I will.  But right now, well, some folks at the waterpark saw more of my floppy bits than he ever will, so I don’t think I care all that much.

I worked most of the day today, but I did get to leave at 6, so that was nice.  I’m not allowed to work too late legally, but the owner knows my age and is trying to not keep me out late, or at the times when bad things might happen.  That’s nice of him.  I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with that time I saw Sabby take a walk over there.  He does seem like an okay guy.  Very business driven and professional, but professional people do right by their employees too, and he seems to want to.

Tomorrow after work Liz and I are going to have some girl time.  I miss her.

Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 17 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

Today was another quiet day.  Just learned stuff.  I’ve learned a few more Japanese things!  Like how to say “itadakimasu!”  and please, and thank you, and I’m sorry!  yay!  Or should I say, yatta!

Japanese is a weird language.  It’s backwards from everything!  The grammar is backward, the prepositions are postpositions, and basically, it’s just… backwards.  But it makes Spanish look easy!  So that’s good!

Liz came over tonight for dinner and we had “Chinese” food.  I know Liz doesn’t really like the food we call Chinese, well, she likes it okay, but she doesn’t like it when it’s called Chinese.  But I told her a while ago that we get it, but no one here knows what real Chinese food is, so she’ll just have to get used to it.  She offered to teach Sabby how to cook “real” Chinese food, and Sabby wants to learn someday.  But it hasn’t worked out yet.  So she made chicken and mushrooms with rice, and it was delicious.  Liz ate it all, so there’s that.  Afterwards, we had a little girl time with her and me and Beth.  She seems to be accepting Beth now, Beth hasn’t done anything to break her trust, and, well, let bygones be bygones, I guess.  Beth is actually pretty good at pronouncing her real name!  But I’m still not.

Well, I need to get some sleep.  This is how I stay cute!  I work tomorrow night, but that’s okay.  That’s how I’ll afford my license and stuffs!

Love you all!!! ❤️

This diary entry is part 16 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

I went for a run this morning, and a cold front went through last night!  It was nice!  It’s supposed to be even nicer tomorrow, I might even have to wear a long exercise outfit instead of the shorts and tank top I usually wear!  But fall is here!  I like fall!  The trees don’t start losing their leaves until like February, but I still like it!

I’ve never been to the northeast, not that I can remember, anyway, but I saw pictures, and their trees are beautiful, especially when they change color in the fall!  Maybe someday I can go visit!

I gave my presentation on the Space Shuttle.  It was an amazing machine, with a lot of shortcomings.  I wish I could have seen a launch, it would have been amazing!  But now we’ve got all of these private companies, like SpaceX and whatever, and it’s cool, but not quite the same.  It’s like they’ve taken the mystery out of it.

Apparently some political stuff has been going on that I don’t understand, and Sabby’s been a little sad.  I gave her a hug, but I don’t think it helped.  I hope she can get past it soon.  I’m sure I could understand if I wanted to, but I don’t want to.  It’s boring and depressing.

Oh well.  I guess I have things to do.

Love you all!!!  ❤️. And Sabby tells me Allison reads this now!  Hi Allison!

This diary entry is part 15 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

Oh no!  I wasn’t able to update for a few days!  I got a little sick late last week and Sabby insisted that I stay in bed.  She even made me some chicken soup!  Don’t worry, it wasn’t the virus (I was tested), just a little something going around.  Unfortunately, I had to put off starting the job though because the test didn’t come back until Saturday.  They let me start on Sunday though!

It’s a… job, I guess.  Not a bad job, not a really fun job, just a job.  They taught me how to use the cash register and gas pump machine, and gave me a little uniform and everything!  It’s not cute, but it’s cute on me, because I’m cute!  Modest, too!

After a couple of hours I got the hang of it and was pressing buttons along with the best of them!  I had a few problem customers but I learned that just looking innocent and not saying anything until they run out of steam, and then pretending like they didn’t say anything, works pretty well.  They get all upset again and I just do it all again.  Finally they ask for my manager, and, well, he’s standing right there and tells them to get out.  He’s a little strict, but he seems to look out for us.  He doesn’t take it from customers, and I love that!

But maybe that’s just how you get after years of owning a convenience store.

One perk is, I get to eat a sandwich or something for lunch!  The job doesn’t have many perks, but like I said, he has an attitude of “you take care of me, I take care of you”, and a free lunch is a part of that.  I have to be careful not to get fat now!

Dave is a little worried because sometimes people rob stores, but I think it’ll be okay.

Don’t worry about me!  I’m feeling better!  And I have a job!

Love you all!!!  ❤️

This diary entry is part 14 of 23 in Lily's diary dated 03 - September 2021

Hi!  It’s me!  Lily!

Have you ever just woken up in a bad mood?  That kinda happened to me today.  I don’t know why.  I woke up, my hair was frizzy, my pjs were rumpled, the cat was on the foot of my bed licking its butt, and I just… couldn’t.  I dragged myself up, and I went for a run, and it didn’t really help.  I just felt cranky.

I guess a girl’s allowed a cranky day.

Sabby was all cheerful this morning for breakfast and I was just having none of it.  I just robotically ate, and then went to take a shower.  That helped a little too but, still.  I was just cranky.  All day.

Finally Sabby asked me what was going on, and I said I had no idea, I just hated the world at that particular moment.  She sighed and went for the chocolate pudding in the fridge.

“You know when I do things like this I feel like I’m playing favorites,” she said, sadly.  “But I can’t think of many things that chocolate doesn’t fix.”

I sighed and took a bite.  It actually helped!  I ate the rest of the pudding.  “Why do you feel like you’re playing favorites?”

“I never did this with Beth.”

“Beth’s a different person.  And a little younger.”

“True.  Maybe…  maybe I haven’t been fair to her and David, though.  You’re so much like me… and they’re not.”

I was quiet.  I scooped out another bowlful of pudding and ate slowly.  Chocolate really does fix almost everything.

She kissed my forehead.  “Take your time and get back to school when you’re ready.”

This evening she took Beth out for girl time, just the two of them.  I didn’t mind.  Everyone needs some girl time.  Except maybe David.  And she spends so much time with me, I can hardly complain, can I?  I just sat in a chair and read a book.  I think I see why Beth likes that so much.  Then Dave and I played a board game.  Now it’s time to brush Beth’s hair.

Love you all!!! ❤️