*WARNING: This blog is intended for a mature audience. Its contents may include adult situations, violence and sensitive issues that some people might find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.

17 July 2013

A Pair of Brown Eyes: Chapter 06

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Andrew knew he shouldn't be staring at Claire so fixedly, almost spying on her, but he just couldn't help himself. There was a scarcity of patients that day, so their break for lunch had been longer than usual. The midday sun was very becoming to her as she stood there gazing lazily at the ocean in front of her.

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She looked so beautiful, so pure, he simply couldn't take his eyes off her. One could almost say she was experiencing life for the first time. At one point she seemed to have acknowledged his presence, and glanced in his direction, only her gaze was lost in some far-away place inside her mind.

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Ever since that incident with the flirty drunkard she was acting a little less reserved around him, and her elusiveness was increasingly giving way. And yet there was still something about her that Andrew couldn't fathom. Even as she stood there leisurely he saw her face change every second, as if she couldn't wholeheartedly commit to any feeling in particular. Her eyes would wander incessantly and her arms were protectively pressed against her waist. She was an intriguing lady, indeed!

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Eventually, he decided to go and join her at the shrubbery that lined the entrance to his home. He cleared his throat as he approached her to make her aware of him. She jumped and turned to look at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Andrew apologised.

"It's nothing. I was lost in thought, I guess."

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"It's been quite a long journey you've made." Andrew pointed to the sea. "Do you miss your home?"

"No. I have left nothing that I miss." Andrew wasn't expecting that answer. "Well, except for Eliza, that is."

"Eliza?"

A sad smile spread across her face. "Yes. I never knew my mother, she died when I was born. Eliza has been the closest I've ever been to having one. She's been my friend, my counselor, my confidant..." Their eyes met for a moment, and Andrew could see hers shining unnaturally. "She was my personal maid, actually. She's been with me all my life, even went with me when I... got married."

"You don't have any family left, then?"

She winced at Andrew's question, and the seconds that took her to answer felt like a piercing needle. "No"

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Andrew couldn't bear to see her in such a melancholic state, so he thought that a change of subject was in order. He wanted to reciprocate the information she had shared with him by giving her some of his own. "Do you see that lighthouse over there?"

She nodded. "It's lovely."

"It was my favourite place when I was a boy. I would go there whenever I wanted to be alone; which happened every time my father and I had a disagreement." He chuckled.

"And was that a frequent occurrence?" What was not a frequent occurrence was for Claire to be asking him a personal question.

"Every now and then. But all in all, we got along well." He then tensed slightly. "I went there the day he died. I was sad, and overwhelmed by what was to come..., knowing that, from then on, I were to take full responsibility for a ten-year-old girl, imagining all possible scenarios in which I was liable to fail her... Don't get me wrong, I love my sister, but... I guess I was too young then."

"I think you did a great job. Ethel always spoke very highly of you."

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Andrew felt more confident after that conversation, so he took his chance a few days later, his sister having given him the perfect excuse to ask Claire out.

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"Since we are both to go to Ethel's party this evening, would you find it acceptable if we walked together, Mrs. Parker?" He asked her that afternoon while they were doing their daily cleaning of tools and medicines.

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Andrew could see the shock in her face -and her hesitation-, almost to the point to make him regret his offer, when Claire finally accepted it, a coy smile forming on her lips.

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The warmth of late June was already felt in the air, so the thought of being out in the open for a while and walk to his sister's home was very appealing to Andrew. Smiling, he offered his arm to Claire, and together they crossed the street. After some silence, in which Andrew was reveling in their new bond, Claire spoke. "I don't know how to properly thank you, Dr. Stuart." And she looked sincerely thankful.

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"Do you mean about that drunkard? I did nothing, actually, I have always hated those men who show no respect for women." Andrew stopped walking and looked at her. "Mrs. Parker, I know it is hardly my place to give you any advice, but... Unfortunately, in this line of work, one has to deal with the likes of him from time to time, and... a beautiful young lady like yourself may encounter more difficulties." And beautiful indeed she was, Andrew thought, especially that day, the sunset light making her chestnut hair stand out. "You should never let anyone treat you the way he did."

"I never knew how I was supposed to behave with those men..." She must have sensed the questioning worry on his face, and faintly smiled. "But you shouldn't worry about me. I am not an old spinster, after all, so I'm not so easily impressed by men's misbehaviours." Andrew wasn't so sure about that, but decided not to push any further. Her gaze was fixed on the ground when she spoke again, her voice barely audible. "In any case, I... also wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me since we have known each other. You were willing to give me an opportunity, and you've taught me so many things I could never have hoped of learning."

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Her words were melting Andrew's heart at a dangerous speed. "It is me who should be thankful. I must shamefully own that I was a little apprehensive at first about hiring a woman, but... I never imagined that your help would become so invaluable." Fortunately for him, they arrived shortly afterwards at Ethel's home, because he was on the brink of saying something that would, no doubt, have scared her.

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Ethel and her husband came out of their home to meet them, and Andrew stepped forward to give his sister a quick kiss on the cheek while Jack, being the gallant man that he was, introduced himself to Claire with a bow.

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The two other guests were Jack's co-worker at the bank, who Andrew knew slightly, and wife. Andrew noticed that Claire was a bit too stiff during dinner; why was she so self-conscious when dealing with men, even with good old Jack? He had assumed that married women of her position learnt how to entertain guests, be them female or male. But she would just lower her eyes, and voice, whenever a man addressed her. Her behaviour with that youngster had not been an isolated instance, after all.

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And when Claire got up from her chair to bid her farewell to Jack's friends, who had to leave early, he could see her blushing. He also noticed, however, that she seemed to relax when his little nieces were around her. And it was right before their bedtime that he discovered yet another interesting thing about her.

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Claire was whispering something to Becky as the little one embraced her neck, when Caroline came from behind and tugged at her skirt. "Auntie Claire," Andrew was pleasantly surprised at Caroline's sudden familiarity with Claire. "Mother has been telling us that you used to play the piano very well. I'm... just beginning lessons myself, and I would love to listen to you for a while."

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They all went to the little parlour adjoining the dining room, and gathered around the instrument to hear Claire play. Andrew couldn't believe the deep emotions she put into every note. Her eyes shone, either out of joy or sadness: he couldn't decide which. And as music filled the air, he could feel her expressing in a way she did not when talking. It was a powerful piece, filled with so many nuances that it was impossible not to connect to it, and he listened to it in complete awe until she finished. 

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Afterwards, on being asked who the composer was, she simply answered I wrote it, and gave no other explanation.



Chapter 05Chapter 07



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Author's note: The idea of the "bookshelf piano" is not mine. I found it on some forum about creative ways of using the "MoveObjectsOn" cheat, but unfortunately I can't remember where.

35 comments:

  1. The doctor is quite taken with Claire and the more he's around her, the more he is falling for her.

    Poor Claire, something has happened to her where men are concerned that makes her go into a shell. I'm so intrigued to find out what happened and what she's running from.

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    1. Andrew is really, really taken with Claire. He's finding that "mystery" surrounding her very alluring.

      Poor Claire, indeed! Eventually, we'll get to see the whole picture of who Claire is and what her life has been like. It has to be told little by little for the story to make sense (that's what I think anyway) :-).

      Thanks for reading and for your feedback.

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  2. ~ Slowly Claire is learning about her job & about men! both by the same man!
    ~ Andrew is falling for Claire,but still knows something is not right about her reaction to men,in general,he knows he must step carefully with her,he understands,but knows something bad has happened to her in her past,involving men!
    ~ Loved it it is so beautifully done!Looking forward to more! (",)

    PS- Just some things that may help!Thank you creators for your amazing talent & work! <3
    - Organ :: http://www.sims3marktplatz.net/forum/index.php?page=DownloadDBData&dataID=1544
    - Upright piano(2 different) :: http://www.aroundthesims3.com/objects/function_entertainment_hobbies_01.shtml
    http://melinda-shoppingbreak.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/piano-corner.html
    - Hair from Cloudwalker Sims :: http://cloudwalkersims.com/butterfly-bangs-hair/

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    1. First of all, thank you for the links. I hadn't seen that hair and it's great :-). I DO have some of the pianos you've linked, but they somehow didn't fit the space I had planned for it, I found them all a little too bulky. Even though I called it a parlour, it's not even a room in-game, it's nothing but a long corridor leading to the staircase. Thanks for the links, anyway :-)

      But, back to the story. It was very important for me (to Claire, rather) that Andrew should be the one to put Claire's highly biased beliefs to the test. And he, being the gentleman that he is, knows that he has to be careful and go slowly if he doesn't want to scare her away.

      Thanks for reading, and for your compliments.

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  3. It's nice to see Claire open up to Andrew bit by bit. Although he needs to be careful though, and not rush things since she's still obviously emotionally vulnerable. I know he's developing feelings for her, but he is also her boss.

    Since the two girls seem very comfortable with Claire, I'm wondering if she was pregnant or if she had to leave a child behind as well.

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    1. Claire has taken what would seem a tiiiiny, little step in opening up, but it's really a great, GREAT effort she's making, even though she may not be fully aware yet how important this is to her. Andrew's being her boss could be a bit of a problem, you're right, only that pales in comparison with other issues they'll have to deal with... I can't say more, sorry ;-).

      Oh, the children... I'm glad you picked up on that, you're a clever girl ;-). You'll be finding out the truth behind that soon enough.

      Thank you for reading.

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  4. I'm glad to see Andrew so taken by Claire, I think he could be good for her. She obviously has difficulties with men, but she opening up to him a bit, which is nice to see.

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    1. So you think Andrew is good for Claire? Yay! Actually, if she was ever to open up to a man, it'd have to be someone like him, no doubt. I'm so glad you found it nice.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  5. It was great seeing things from Andrew's POV.

    He seems quite taken with Claire, and I would go as far as say he's falling for her. I'm not so sure if that's a good thing, considering they'll be working so closely together and with Claire's mysterious past...

    Whatever happened to Claire's husband? That part hasn't been covered has it? My apologies if it has, I'll go back and re-read.

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    1. You can very well say Andrew is falling for Claire. It remains to be seen whether that's a good thing or not, but at least he's managed to make her come out of her shell a bit, which must be good.

      Don't worry, no need to apologise. I take it you mean the reason why she is a widow, and, no, it hasn't been covered. We don't know anything about her husband... yet.

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    2. Oh, I forgot to thank you your comment :-).

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  6. I liked hearing Andrew's thoughts. He's incredibly taken by his little employee. I wish she'd been more truthful with him, since apparently she wasn't from what we know. Still, then it wouldn't be this story ;) .
    That walk to his sister's house was SO romantic. /happy sigh
    For a moment, I thought he was going to get jealous of some attention from some of the other men at the gathering, but I'm a little glad that didn't happen.

    It is... so hard... to play the piano with someone STARING at you like that, and I speak from personal experience. Not that I didn't have a lot of practice with that, but it can be a little nerve-wracking if it's someone you're attracted to.

    loved this update!

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    1. You're right, if Claire were more truthful, it wouldn't be this story. But I like to think that it's precisely her elusiveness that has made him fall for her so quickly. He's presented with a very challenging mystery he's very eager to solve, if you get what I mean ;-).

      It was romantic, wasn't it? I'm soooo glad you said that, because I absolutely loved putting that part together and I'm very happy that I somehow managed to convey the appropriate atmosphere, so thanks :-).

      Nah, no jealousy, at least not for now. Anyway, both men were there with their wives, so they "couldn't" be too overly flirtatious, even if they wanted to. Besides, Andrew already knows his brother-in-law is rather harmless (we'll get to know him in a few chapters, btw).

      Do you play the piano? That's cool! I've had some similar experience, as well. Not playing the piano (which I don't), but, hmmm... singing. And it can be really hard when you're asked to and you know you can't say no. However, we don't know yet if she IS attracted to him ;-), so perhaps that didn't make her nervous, after all.

      Thanks for reading!

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    2. (going backwards)
      Yes, I've played the piano since I was 9 years old. There was a time there that I wanted to be a professional pianist. I even attended college as a piano performance major for a year. That's when I decided that I wasn't as dedicated to it as I needed to be because I wasn't willing to put in eight hours of practice a day necessary to reach that level of ability for lack of a better way to put it. So, I changed my major to Spanish education. *blushes* I haven't completed my degree because I don't think I'm the type of person that can take the same thing every day. It's a little disappointing because I only have one year left, but, of course, it's the toughest one. Still, learning all that has helped me with my English believe it or not. Well, I guess you can. ;)
      Wow, that was much more than I planned on saying about that, but I'm in a rambling mood this morning.

      Oh good, no jealousy. Hehe, I'm looking forward to seeing more about his brother-in-law. He reminds me of my lead vampire in my vampire story that's on hold right now, so I can't help but compare the two. I'll be tickled if their personalities turn out to be similar, but I'll still be tickled no matter what, so that's no surprise there.

      Yes, it was very romantic. I love settings like those. The shy looks, the wandering topics as they try to get to know one another, etc. /happy sigh. I'm such a sucker for that kind of stuff.

      I wondered if it was the elusiveness that pulled him in like that. I can't wait to see more of that, and I hope you let us hear his p.o.v. often enough. :)

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    3. Don't worry about rambling, I do it all the time...
      Spanish education, eh? No need to blush :-). That's kind of funny, because English is what "I" studied at university. Only for me, it never helped me with my Spanish, it's been more like the other way around LOL. In fact, I began translating this story, and for some chapters now I've been procrastinating like a pro, because I find the task extremely difficult. Seriously!
      See? Now it's me who's rambling ;-).

      Well, no jealousy... for the time being.
      That reminds me, I still need to catch up on your other stories. I will, eventually, I promise :-).

      Somehow, I had the feeling you'd like all that romance. Well, this story will probably (why do I say "probably"?, as if I didn't know it LOL) get cornier and sappier, so there'll be more where that came from, be warned :-P.

      And, yes, Andrew will voice his thoughts for you all often enough ;-). In fact, the story, as it was conceived from the beginning, is based on contrasting his and Claire's POV.


      PS: It was very nice learning something about you :-).

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  7. It looks like these two are getting closer together, expectedly after he saved her from that guy after all. Claire has had a tough life thus far from what I can tell, so hopefully her past remains in the past!

    Oh and she's a musician too!

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    1. Andrew's saving her from that drunk man must have meant something for Claire, surely, at least she feels thankful, which is already something. And, yes, her past'd better be buried, but... well, you know how these things go... :-(.

      She is a musician, yes! You'll get to know more about that in next chapter.

      Thanks for reading :-).

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  8. Oh yay Andrew. It is cool that Andrew is paying attention enough to find out little things about Claire and her mannerisms. It's a shame she had been treated so poorly by men, or a man, in the past that it's made her so fearful. That's so cool that she wrote that music.

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    1. Yes, that's why I "needed" Andrew to be taken by Claire almost from the beginning, so that he'd have the motivation necessary to pay attention to those small details. "Mannerisms", yeah, that word is great, it perfectly describes Claire's behaviour. I wanted her artistic-oriented, and I somehow thought that writing music suited her better than other disciplines :-D.

      Thanks for reading.

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  9. He's so clearly crazy about her, and so kind and sweet! He senses that he needs to take things slowly with her. I'm so happy that she seems to be falling for him too!

    I'm dying to know what happened to her! She lowers her eyes with men and is so clearly uncomfortable with them. Some man has to have abused her.

    She has a lot of intelligence and she composed her own music! We're slowly learning her personality along with Andrew.

    I love how you're doing this story! It's so good!

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    1. Andrew is great, and the right type of man for Claire.

      Claire is really very, very uncomfortable with men :-(.

      And, yes, I thought that if I wanted this story to make sense at all, Claire should be both intelligent and sensitive, and the writing music stuff was what came to my mind to represent that.

      Aww, thank you so much, you're making me blush! :-D

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  10. Mmmmm. Andrew. I love how very aware he is of her and what she's doing at almost every moment. In some ways, I'm somewhat surprised that Claire hasn't picked up on it, unless she's purposely being a bit blind. And though I realize this is with only one male, hopefully her comfort with Andrew will help her be comfortable with others as well as eventually seeing the difference between one type of man, and another.

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  11. Oh, Andrew, our dear Andrew! He is very AWARE of her at all times. As you may have already noticed, this story has much to do with people observing and watching in many different ways. Claire is genuinely clueless when it comes to men, because that's not the kind of attention she's used to receiving. She's on her way to understanding there are different types of men, many of them good.

    Thank you for reading.

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  12. One step at a time, for both Claire and Andrew it seems. He is very observant and I guess that is because he is fascinated by her. She intrigues him... She, on the other hand, has so much inside that she wants to keep hidden. or so it seems to me :) Her piano and composition was quite the surprise to Andrew it appears. More to tickle his curiosity. ^_^

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    1. Andrew finds her utterly intriguing, and now he learns besides that she plays the piano AND composes (how cool is that?). While Claire, as you said, keeps many secrets she's not ready to share yet.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  13. Wow... I love this story! And the way he looks at Claire while she plays the piano at the end...

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    1. Aww, thanks! Andrew is a hopeless romantic, he can't deny it <3.

      Thank you for reading!

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  14. Andrew is falling hard and fast. :D Not only is Claire smart and pretty, but she also has an involuntary vulnerability that he has started to tap into...such seductive combination. Great chapter!

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    1. Yes, absolutely! Wow, you do have an eye for nuances, I love your comments :-D.

      Thanks for reading and for your words.

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  15. Ooh a budding romance I hope? I would love to see those two together, but with Claire's past that might not be something that will be easily achieved. I wonder how you get your pictures so I don't know they are just beautiful. I wish I knew your secret. Great pictures and a story to die for. You are talented.

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    1. Oh, a budding romance, most definitely, hehe! Yes, poor Andrew, I bet it would take him a lot of effort to win her heart, given her past experiences :-(.

      Secret? Well, I don't think I have one, just lots of patience, I'd say, and trying out many different things in the hope that some of them will be what you were looking for in the first place LOL.

      Thanks for reading and for your nice compliment, you made me blush.

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  16. Andrew is very observant, and maybe that is what makes him take careful steps and have considerate gestures toward Claire -- and that's how he is gaining her confindence, I think. Or maybe he is just reserved by nature, and maybe even a bit shy, we don't seem to know much about him yet.

    I was surprised that Claire even allowed Andrew to have some physical contact with her -- and by that I mean walking arm in arm -- when she puts a clear limit to all other men that approach her. "Her words were melting Andrew's heart at a dangerous speed.", but I'm not sure his heart was ever frozen, while Claire's seems to be slowly melting too, with his gallantry.

    I wonder if that piece of music, that allowed Claire to expose herself so much to Andrew's ever seeking gaze, is just a single piece or part of the complete music for a ballet she dreamed of writing when she was a child... Would be lovely to see her pursuing that dream and realizing it! And in my reverie I see Andrew's nieces dancing it :)

    Oh, and I forgot to say... Claire looked absolutely beautiful in the previous chapter, with her hair let down -- and of course, that should be why she keeps it so tidy and tied behind her neck... She is still very attractive, but she doesn't want to be any seductive, does she?

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    1. Andrew is very observant (he's a very good doctor, after all), but all that is about to change ;-). I don't think he's much reserved, though, I just assumed that's how a well-educated gentleman of that era would behave.

      Aww, I had to smile at your third paragraph :-), that reverie of yours is just so endearing... <3.

      You see, I wanted Claire to have that natural beauty that usually comes when a person is not even aware of possessing it in the first place. What I mean is... Claire doesn't try to be seductive, but she doesn't try the contrary, either; she just gives no thought to those things.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

      PS: I already corrected the typo you mentioned. Thanks for letting me know, Marcelo ;-)

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  17. I'm starting to form some opinions about Claire's past and I don't like it. Not one bit!

    But Andrew, Andrew, Andrew...you shall be her knight in shining armor! Yes, I've decided lol

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    1. Poor Claire, her past is not exactly a happy place, I can tell you that much... :-(

      And, LOL about the Andrew comment... All right, if you've decided so, I can't argue with you... LOL

      Thanks for reading.

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