90 Day Fiance S12 E3 I Manifested You

Rajit and Mallory say goodbye to his beautiful city and family.

Medo makes Debbie throw up at the airport.

We meet Paula from Sao Paolo, Brazil and Thomas from Long Beach, California because the universe made it happen.

Marissa picks up Edward from the airport after a tense conversation with her ex husband Michael.

Catie worries that her drinking annoyed people and Josh is being too, too nice about it.

Shea and Annabelle head to Paducah, KY, and are immediately greeted by unruly dogs, children, a messy house and a messy daughter.

Book Club Corner: What am I reading?

In Romance: Beyond Repair by Charlotte Stein

In General fiction: Ulysses by James Joyce (It's a goal read of the summer and it's not starting out well!)

In mystery/thriller: The Only One Left by Riley Sager.

Also: my new romance novella is out. You can read it! 

For more happily ever afters, join me on Storygraph!

Thanks for listening and please click 5 stars on your listening platform.

Drop me a message at authorabbyknox@gmail.com

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Transcript

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The 90 Day Book Club contains adult language and is meant for entertainment purposes only. Hello, hello everybody. My name is Jen. I'm your host and welcome to the 90 Day Book Club. Today we're talking about season 12, episode 3 of 90 Day Fiance. I manifested you. I'm gonna start with Raj and Mallory. It's the next day of Mallory's travels to Turkey. They're on their way to visit his friends. He says, My family and friends are happy I found a wonderful woman. They just wish I found one in Turkey. So we meet uh Damla, Ali, and Khan. They have this beautiful balcony and this food set out. This pastry thing looks good. There's yogurt, hummus, something called Hadari. Uh, I don't know what that is. Um, Mallory says the only thing she doesn't like in Turkish food is this milk drink, which is called Raki Reiki, Reiki, I'm not sure. But it's a fermented milk drink. Apparently, everybody drinks this in Turkey. I mean, we can't love every single thing, but Mallory calls it nasty and gross and says she's not trying to be disrespectful, but I don't know, her wording is a little disrespectful, even though you don't have to drink the drink. I bet if it's fermented, you could find a way to make it for him in the US if you have an instant pot. Rajit's friends are clearly worried about his paperwork while getting into the US. One of them brings up also um her Mallory's ex, Brandon. Mallory says, technically he's not an ex. They didn't date as we understand it. They were friends with benefits, she says. In her talking head, she calls it strictly dickly, which I never heard before, and now I'm gonna use that. Mallory explains about a year ago she was in a really bad car accident with her friend Michaela, her friend's mom, and her friend's seven-year seven-month-old son. Her friend was driving. She remembers listening to the Jonas brothers. Isn't it funny how you always remember exactly what you were doing or what you were listening to the moment something really traumatic happens? She says she remembers her friend saying, Is this car coming into my lane? Mallory blacked out, came to, and then just remembers screaming. Poor thing. They did emergency surgery. She says they took out three feet of my intestines. She says, Brandon took care of my dogs, and I didn't even have to ask. That is a good friend. She says, just because Rosh is having problems, it's not a good reason to end a friendship over. Yeah, I agree. Based on the story, it seems like Brandon is a non-issue. Rosh says to his friends in Turkish that once they're under the same roof, things will have to change. Um, the friend translates for her. Uh, yeah. In a shared talking head, she says, at this point in my life, I don't want a man telling me what to do. I've been there before and I don't want that again in my life. We do not get a backstory on that. This episode. Rosh pushes back a little, says, but you will be my wife. Mallory says, I won't be if you're gonna act like this. I appreciate her sticking up for herself while remaining calm, being straight with him. She says, I want you to give him a chance because he's going to be around. Rosh says, When I meet him, we will see. The next morning, she and Rosh are in bed together. She says, She's tired because he kept her up all night. He says, Because I missed you so much. Have I seen it before where we get an in the moment an ITM interview where it looks like the producer's just yanked these two out of bed? Uh, he's got no shirt on. She's got bed head. The way he looks at her, though, I wish that for everyone. Rush says, when she left Turkey, he put on his belt and didn't open it for six months. She laughs and says, I hope so. He says, last night I wanted to make a baby. I think coming from anybody else, I would be concerned. But she finds this hilarious and says, uh no. While they're still in the bed, he says, Don't look at me like that. It's very, very hot. We have to get ready. Come on, come on. You guys, I'm sorry I had to fan myself watching this scene. Isn't it funny that it's so remarkable when a couple on the show seems genuinely into each other? We have to point out the chemistry seems real. He's a horny, horny man, and he is into her. Okay, it's extra hot that he likes that she's a curvy girl. Um, the way he pulls her back in for a kiss, you cannot fake that. Sorry, you just can't. We've seen con men on the show before, and they are not this good. He's crazy about her, and vice versa, understandably. She hops out of bed. He says, I love you so much. She says, I love you so much. They I love I I believe in their love. They're so sweet together. So on this day, they're going to Rosh's sister's house to say goodbye to the family, and I'm already in my feelings about it. I can see already. I promise I have not watched ahead, but I can see that this man was raised right, and that this goodbye is gonna be sad on the level of Kenny, of Kenny and Armando when Kenny had to leave his grandson and his kids to move to Mexico. It was just so sweet and so heartbreaking. But they go inside to see his family, and clearly she's met them all before. She greets all the women with hugs. They are so happy to see her. This warmed my heart. They seem like nice, nice people. A beautiful family. His mom is there, Aliyah, Ali, Alia, I'm not sure. Ali, Alia, brother Torabi, brother Levent. In their talking heads, she says, Rosh's mom was so loving and kind when they first met. Rosh says, My mom told me, if you make her sad, I don't give my milk. And they do not explain what that means. Mallory says, Weird. Uh Levent says, When can you come back? Rosh says, Two years. I'm not sure what this number is from, but um, the mom says, My eyes will stay on the road waiting for him to return. Oh so because Rosh Eat's family cannot come to the wedding in the US, they do a Turkish wedding tradition, which is salt coffee. So, what this is, she Mallory has to put salt in his coffee. He has to drink it because it symbolizes that life will be good but also bad at times. If he can drink the salt coffee, they can weather the bad times. And interestingly, his brother covers Rashid's eyes while Mallory puts a salt in the coffee. So it's almost like saying to me, it was almost like saying that you don't know how much bad time you're gonna get. And so Mallory starts chanting, chug it, chug it, chug it. And the brothers join in, and it's so funny. But he drinks the coffee, it's bad. Um, this is very poignant, especially with what we find out a little bit later. Um, the men and women separate. The men stay in the living room to chat, the women go into another room. He is asked by the men why he's decided to move it all. They say, Why do you want to leave paradise? Good question. He says, Because is what Mallory wanted, so that's what they're doing. And then we find out that Rosh's parents lost their home in an earthquake. They are living out of a tent. They show video footage and it's just rubble. It is heartbreaking. Apparently, a wall fell on his dad, and his dad managed to get out of the rubble. Unfortunately, we don't meet his dad in this episode. I want to meet this Hercules who crawled out of the rubble in Turkey. But Rosh says they are going to rebuild, but the financial responsibility falls on him and his siblings. Another brother, Maxalina, I think that's how you pronounce it. I apologize for butchering all these names, asks him if he's going to work and send money. Rosh says it's very important for Turkish men to work and support their families, but the for the first few months, I won't be working. I mean, that's just how it is when you first get there. But it's not just the first few months, Rosh. You won't get your work permit for a little while, even after the 90 days. I mean, you'll you're lucky if we're gonna get it a few months after the 90 days after you're married. It's gonna get very annoying for this man, I can see already, because he's not gonna be happy to stay home and play video games. Uh, you can see already, this is a man who likes to work. He prides himself on being able to work. Um, so we'll see what happens. I am 99% sure we're gonna see them again on Happily Ever After, and I will Happily Ever After cover them, even though the 90-day Happily Ever After is one of my least favorite spinoffs. But the men say, Well, you you do need to continue to send help. Rosh says, Yes, yes. I will have to talk to Mallory about that. I have to say, this is all the more reason for Mallory to move to Turkey. I mean, why not? It doesn't have to be forever. Like, maybe just move there and let him continue to work as a charter boat captain and live in paradise for a little bit. I know she may not be able to work there, but I mean, at least he'll be there. He can make some money until his parents can rebuild. Uh, in the next segment, there's more beautiful footage of the turkey coastline. It is breathtaking. Uh, the final goodbye is so sad and sweet. Rosh's mom says, My pain and my love is indescribable. When I look at him, I still see the little boy. Okay, I know that feeling. Uh, he Rush breaks into her talking head to comfort his mother. So as they're leaving, someone's throwing water at the car as they're leaving. On the way to the airport, she asks, How are you doing? He says, I don't know. Mallory says, It's not easy. Leaving this beautiful place, live in Alabama. Rosh says, Everything is for you. Oh. Rosh says, You know, I can't work when I'm there. I will feel poor and I don't want to be. It's really sad because last night my mom and sister were crying, and my brother asks me, How can you help mom and dad? He says, in Turkey, we show love and respect to ult to our parents, but also do what we can to support them financially and emotionally. He says, I am nervous to talk to Mallory about money. Raj says, if after three months or six months, if my mom calls to ask for money, maybe you will say yes. Mallory says, We will have to talk about it. I have a mortgage, I have a car payment, bills. I can't just say yes. In their shared talking head, she says, Why are you just telling me now we're gonna have to send money back? Rosh says, Well, my parents need help. He says, You can work for one day to help my parents. Mallory says, That's not how it works. Yeah, it's not how it works here, where you work for one day and then you get cash and you send it home. It's just not the system here. Uh, I'm just gonna have to figure it out. And um, that's also a little bit on Mallory that she hasn't explained that. It maybe it's hard to explain. Uh, he reminds her that his parents are living in a tent. I don't feel that you want to help. She says, of course I want to help your parents. I don't think you understand how much things cost in America. As soon as I get paid, my money is gone. Um, so their whole section ends on a pretty uncomfortable note, but I'm I'm not super worried about this. I think they are both very reasonable people and they're they're gonna work it out because I believe in their love. They just will. Um, next week's episode, we get, I think we're gonna meet Brandon, and I don't think that Rosh is happy about it. Um moving on now to Debbie and Mito. We start out seeing Debbie 18 hours before Mito's flight. She's taking a break from the office because it's been a stressful day. They zoom in on her watch, and it's a rhinestone Snoopy Watch, which is super cute. She said she looked into helping Mito change his flight, and it was $3,800, which is not doable. When she messaged him about this, he said no comment. Why do you say no comment to your girlfriend? That's so weird. So she's now worried he may not be on that flight tomorrow. Like, why is he not communicating with her about that? It's so rude and strange. But later that night, she's wide awake, she cannot sleep, she's not sure if he's on the flight. She's texting him, asking where he is. He says, home. She's like, what? And he's like, what, what? This poor woman is exhausted and confused. Devin, thank God, is driving her to the airport. Um, and Devin's talking in. She says, My mom hasn't been eating or sleeping. You can see that she's really worried about her mom. She asks her mom, should we even be doing this? Debbie says, We're just gonna proceed as normal. So at the airport, she's dressed in red, white, and blue. She has on a red uh white pants, bright blue top, red lipstick, and a red, white, and blue bouquet. You know, she looks really cute. She's sitting on this bench by the escalator with Little Bit, the dog. I zoomed in on her earrings and they look like tiny picture frames. And I can't tell, but I it might be a tiny picture of her and meet though. Someone with a better TV, let me know. This poor woman runs to the bathroom to throw up while she's waiting because she's so anxious. What it's one hour after his arrival time, then it's 90 minutes past his arrival time. She says, as I'm waiting, I know he's landed because I can see the luggage going past. She says, at this point, I'm hoping he got caught up at immigration. Hmm. I don't think anybody hopes anybody is getting caught up at American immigration. Good lord. Uh she says, I'm not ready to give up hope yet. Little bit is just going, Mama, I need to go to the bathroom. Finally, finally, Mito shows up at the top of the escalator. Okay, I need a drink of water because we gotta take a good hard look at this greeting. Of course, Debbie is beside herself, throws her arms around him, says, I thought you weren't on the plane. Mito is smiling and happy, but it doesn't look like a lot of emotion behind it. The fact that we didn't see anything with Mito in his hometown is very telling. We got almost no anticipation from his side, no buildup. His face is like, okay, my auntie's very, very happy to see me, and I'm just gonna write out this hug. She kisses him a bunch of little pecs, and his face does not change. He looks like he's smiling over her shoulder, like he's grinning for the camera. The whole entire time she has not let go of her retractable dog leash. Um, in their ITM, producer asks Me Do, why did you decide to surprise Debbie? Okay, so I'm saying here, the first thing I notice here is that he is super poised and rehearsed when he speaks. He says, I wanted to play with her, as in he wanted to play a little joke on her. She says, and I wanted to strangle him. Yeah, that's not cool, dude. He has a very strange delivery, and it's not because of his accent. He speaks like a tour guide, which he is, or a teacher, like friendly and charming, but also I have my walls up. He says, It's okay, I'm here now. You can touch me. Mm-hmm. So in his solo talking head, his whole vibe changes. He says, I'm here with what I can only describe as game show hands. He and then he points and winks at the camera. It's very cheesy. He says, God willing, I will be a famous actor in the US. He says to the producer, You want me to act something? Producer's like, Yes. I mean, yeah, of course. He says, Okay. He says, I'm going to make an offer he can't refuse. And then he says, You talking to me? You talking to me? Another blip. And he says, I will be back. And he winks at the camera. So, okay, so he knows we from this. We know that he likes mob movies and that he's seen The Terminator. So he's seen those movies. Anyway, he says, I'm here to make my dream happen. And of course, I'm also here to marry my fiance, Debbie. Sir, you aren't even trying to hide the fact that you're using her to get to the US to pursue acting. Has Debbie talked to him about how absolutely delusional to think you can just land here and start acting? Has she done five minutes of research about how any of this works? No, of course not. But the first thing she tells him, I was literally in the bathroom throwing up. He says, She gave me good kiss with flavor vomit. She laughs and points at him and says, No, I had mouthwash. And she tells him, it was not a fun surprise what you did. He says, It was a fun surprise for me. And then he says, Did you inform Will Smith and Tom Cruise that I am here? She says, I did, and they did not respond. And they laugh. Their banter here is not giving me the impression of an engaged couple. It's giving best friends. Um, so next episode, we're already seeing trouble with Mito. She's saying, Do you just not want to talk anymore? He says, I can't. She says, I will not continue to be walked over. He's saying, I'm not happy. She's like, I'm not either. And he's like, I'll be downstairs. Hmm. Uh, are we surprised that it's gonna go south immediately? No. Let's move on to Paula from Brazil, age 41, from Sao Paulo. So we're meeting her for the first time. She has a she calls it a very successful piercing business, and she has a little obsession with tiny things. Tiny, tiny objects, not like dollhouse furniture, even smaller than that. Tiny, just tiny things. I don't I don't understand the tiny things, but that's okay. I don't have to. She says they're not toys, they're tools for manifestation. She shows the camera a tiny toilet with a teeny poop inside. Okay, there's a teeny salt and pepper shaker. She says she Use that to manifest the kitchen that she wanted. She says it's a law. It's called quantum physics. Okay. She used it to manifest her couch. Okay, so the tiny patio set with a tiny coffee and a teeny croissant is real cute. She says, I use tiny things to manifest the bigger things. Okay, this is very odd, but I love her anyway. Connect to that, she says, I always wanted to get married to a gringo. So she wrote a letter to the universe, and the universe introduced me to Thomas. And now we meet Thomas, age 31, from Long Beach, California. And he says, probably gives too much credit to the universe. Thomas is rollerblading all over Long Beach. He says he's from North Carolina originally, but he says days after moving to California from North Carolina, he met Paula. She was on a one-week vacation. They met at Beach Volleyball class at Hermosa Beach. Okay, I'm gonna be a small petty person right now. Thomas seems like a nice guy. He is attractive, but he has the kind of mouth that freaks me out a little bit. It's the same kind of mouth as the actor Jason Siegel. I had a friend in college who had this mouth and it also gave me the ick, and I can't explain why. It's the lips that are sort of pale. I if you know, you know. I'm probably the only person who understands what I mean. But if anybody out there understands what I mean about Jason Siegelmouth, just let me know. Moving on. At first, they were just friends, and then Paula broke up with her boyfriend. He says, I don't know what changed, but she flipped a switch and she said, you know what? Let's give it a shot. He says, We were best friends and overnight we became lovers. Two years later, we were engaged. You know what? I like this. I like it that they took time. I like it that they were friends for a long time first. Uh, he proposes to her on the beach. There's a video of a of their proposal. Everyone on the beach is cheering. It's not a grand public proposal because they're pretty far away. So as public proposals go, I like this. And then we see Thomas's apartment. He says, packages keep arriving because she's ordering stuff. He says she calls it her tiny stuffs, which is adorable, he says, but it that's not the point because it's ridiculous. He says, we have major philosophical differences. I eat meat. She's a vegan. I don't think that's a huge issue. People make that work all the time. But what could be a problem is her attachment to her tiny stuffs, and he calls it clutter. Uh, she also, I think she's got a thing with tiny poops because she sent him a tiny poop that says, I believe in you, now go do your crap. He calls himself a minimalist, but what his apartment is is not minimalism to me. To me, it's I cannot be bothered to figure out how to furnish my place. Um, in her talking head, Paula says, I believe in the magic-y. She added a little E at the end, which made me think about Larissa. Oh, I wonder how Larissa is doing. Thomas does not believe in manifestation, but she says he needs to learn to believe in it because it's the only way we'll achieve our dreams together. Um, Thomas in his white white apartment says, This is my sofa. He points to his bed. He says, the best part of a sofa is the laying down portion. Hashtag relatable content. He says, You can enjoy your coffee and be on your phone. Except you don't lay down and drink coffee on that bed. You need to sit up for that. But I don't know. I guess he doesn't have boobies getting in the way. The real problem here is he has a very low folding table that's like for a toddler or something. He calls it his dining table, and he's sitting on two yoga blocks to eat. Back at Paula's house, we see more of her place, and the tiny things are on like every surface. Thomas told me to take only one bag, but that's impossible. Yeah, that's unreasonable. If you're moving countries, you you have to take more than one bag. Even if you're waiting until you're actually married before you bring all your stuff over, it's still not realistic to bring one bag for the 90 days. Um, she's packing up some of her minis to take with her. I would say maybe just stuff two or three of your favorite, most effective manifestation minis into your personal item on the plane. I don't think you need to pack that many, but okay. Uh, it's airport day. Thomas is making himself a gluten-free cake with beef tallow. Okay, so beef tall beef tallow is like a whole trend right now. I'm not into it, but uh good for you, I guess. And I don't know. But he's also making Paola a lunch of rice, beans, and tofu. Very nice. I also see some chopped onions in there. Very good. Looks okay, except are you seasoning it? Um, he says he's adding something called pega esposa. He says it means pega means to grab. I don't know. Esposa means wife. Is this in Portuguese or Spanish? I don't know. He has the same Instapot. I have only smaller. It's good for rice cooking, so good for you. This is a perfect small, perfect for a small apartment. It's good for a minimalist because it does many, many things. You can saute, you can pressure cook, you can just regular cook. Uh he brings a Brazilian flag to the airport, which I think is really sweet. Okay, so they see each other at the airport. He is fully sobbing. She is sobbing. Okay, they are super, super happy, and I'm very happy for them. She says, You are the chosen. The universe chose you. Thomas says, Well, I did put in a lot of work for this to happen. See, as I understand it though, people misunderstand manifestation. It's not just about like you think it and poof, it happens. It's not really the thinking about things motivates you to do the work to make the things happen. He says, You hungry? She says, Yes. And he answered a thermos. What do you think is in here? I don't know, water. He says, Beans, and I made you tofu and rice. She looks very confused. As do I. Where are we going to eat this? Like she looks around like, are we supposed to sit down and eat this somewhere? I don't know. Did you bring the yoga blocks for her to sit out to eat? She says, Who puts beans in a coffee bottle, Thomas? I mean, well, coffee is hot bean water, but she drinks the beans and tells him he did a good job. She says it's delicious. And he goes, nailed it. So they go and get her suitcase and it's um broken. I want to know if it was broken before she left the airport. I'm not clear on why it's broken. He says, Did you pack any tiny stuff in here? She says, Yes. So she's making him carry the tiny, the tiny stuff suitcase. Okay, so when they have their shared talking heads, she has these little teeny tiny shoes on her fingers. He calls this an addiction. She says, is to help build her business, her piercing business. Which I don't know. He says, really, he can't wait for her to declare her tiny things as a business expense and explain that to the IRS. Okay, funny, but he goes a little over the top. He says, I'd love to see how your audit goes. Okay, fair. But now I feel like he's being a little bit belittling. She takes it in stride and sort of laughs along with him, but I see something in her eyes that maybe she doesn't appreciate that. And now I'm gonna move on to Marissa and Edward. Marissa's packing up the boys for football summer camp, and we finally get to meet the dad, Michael, who's coming to pick him up. He walks in, backward baseball cap, looking like every other divorced dad in America. They send the kids outside so they can talk. This is a very good move. Marissa wants to talk about how the dynamic is going to change. And I personally I like that Marissa's taking the initiative here. She wants to know how Michael feels about Edward playing playing a role in the kids' lives. I think this is very healthy and mature. Michael says, not something I'm looking forward to, but what choice do I have? Uh Marissa says, all I'm saying is, you know, let's try to keep it peaceful. Michael says, I'm gonna keep it real. Okay, so we get an earful in Michael's talking head. He says, the kids told me about this relationship first. She didn't. He said, I thought they'd been eavesdropping and misheard the wrong conversation. He says, when I asked her about it, I went into protective mode. Who is he? What does he want? Does he just want a green card? So Michael's concerned about Edward wanting access to Marissa's family's money. Up to this point, we know Marissa has a high-paying career at Kleinfeld. This is the first time we're hearing about Marissa coming from money. Michael felt like he didn't fit into that lifestyle. He says, I felt like a loser. Wow. I want to know how she and Michael met if he didn't feel like he fit into her family's lifestyle. She says to him, I know, I saw what it did to you. Interesting. In Marissa's talking as she explains, My parents are affluent people. I know it will be intimidating for Edward to meet my family because they're going to judge him the way they did with Michael. Okay, if they judge Michael, who is white, then I am very, very concerned about what some blue-blood Pennsylvania people are going to do to Edward, who is from a different country. Uh Michael admits that he might have a little bit of an attitude, but he's going to be spending time with my children, he says. The only problem I see is if he's adding stress to my boys, then it's going to be both of your guys' problem. And Michael's talking head, he says, I'm going to have a man-to-man conversation with him. It's not a question of if it's happening. He tells Marissa he needs to not come in hot and heavy and come at me a certain way, especially when it comes to my kids, because I will bite someone's face off when it comes to my kids. Marissa in her talking head says he can be very scary and intimidating when he goes off. I see a lot of buildup here about Michael being intimidating, implying he's aggressive. I have no doubt he'll go into major protective mode if someone's messing with his kids. I mean, won't we all? But I understand his feelings about some guy he doesn't know going into the home with his kids. I think his concerns are valid. And I think Marissa's also understanding of that. I think she's also protective of her kids. So I don't think these two are on different pages. I don't think this is gonna end up being as dramatic as they want us to think it is. But we'll see. In the next segment, she's alone on her bed, enjoying the last moments of peace and quiet in her house. She says she woke up in the middle of the night and realized this is my last night alone in my big beautiful bed. Hmm. She had a mini panic attack in the middle of the night. Um, listen to your body, maybe. So in the morning, she's making a present for Edward to make sure he feels welcome. She says, I'm not a balloon lady. Yeah, I can't see her holding balloons at the airport. It's a house key wrapped in a really, really pretty box. The producer asks, is the key work? She says, No, because everything in my system is digital. But it's the meaning behind the key. Now you're a part of this house. Okay, I get it, but also, did you put the code in the box so he can get into the house? She says she's never been nervous from seeing him before, but now we're embarking on this journey, and she is very nervous, you can see on the way to the airport. She says, I don't know if I'm ready to give this single life up yet, but I want to take this leap of faith for us. Yeah, it feels different because this is not a vacation romance anymore. This is real life. Um, so when they see each other, he picks her up like for a long time and like three different times. I am not seeing any big kissing though. Not a lot of kissing action. Um, Edward is very good looking. He's very endearing. He describes his first trip on a plane. He was very excited about opening and closing the window blinds until somebody asked him to please keep it closed. She gives him the present, and it's a key on a little plastic bracelet, those little spiral bracelets like a teenager. Moving on to Josh and Katie in Portland. Josh is packing up the hotel room, and Katie's lying in bed. Oddly, he seems to know how to properly fold a flag into that perfect triangle. And Katie's all just shoving it in a bag. She is very hungover, and he gets some water for her. Um, today they're going to see the new apartment. Dang it, we don't get to see the new apartment in this episode, and I'm really bummed. It's just a pretty quick segment with them. So last night he says she was brazenly complimentary about some of the guys that she's hooked up with in the past. Ugh. He says, Some things are blindingly obvious about respect in the relationship. I assume Katie gets it, but I guess she doesn't. She asks, was I too crazy last night? Hmm. If you're getting blackout drunk regularly, then yeah, uh that's crazy in itself. This is not the time for getting blackout drunk. Or this is not the time for a committed relationship. This is my opinion. If you're getting blackout drunk regularly, and then you're gonna bring a man over from another country and have to decide in 90 days if you're getting married, like what are you doing? She's having this morning after feeling like she's worried that people are annoyed with the way she acted last night. Um, Josh is very rightly trying to gently gently steer the conversation into thinking about how much she drinks. And he says, You drink differently than me. He says, It's something to think about if you want to have a stable situation, if eventually you want to have children. Katie says, It's not something I think about because it's in the future. In his talking head, he says it takes a lot of energy to deal with the absurdity of your loving partner being such a ferocious party girl. I'm starting to think this does need to change. I want to look at her and think of stability and feel secure. And I think one day this could be someone I could have children with. I don't know if that means if we can't get on the same page, I don't know if we're compatible as it I as we think we are. And that's really all we get from them in this episode. And y'all, I'm worried. Let's move on to Shay and Annabelle. It's the morning after Annabelle's arrival. They're at the church hotel. She dresses him and puts on his socks and shoes. He says, Are you fine? My fiance or my mommy? That is a very good question. They arrive at his house in Paducah, and he very nicely shows her how to use the gate. They go inside, he points out the house next door. That's Allison's. Inside his house is Allison and the dogs and her little children. Uh, so many things are happening all at once. The dogs are right there in their face as soon as they open the door. Okay, no. Uh, my thought, you need to train, especially big dogs, to sit and be polite when you walk into the house. This is too much. And there are kids' toys everywhere. And Alison is just sitting there in her lounge clothes looking comfy, and it looks like it might be close to bedtime. What is this timeline? Checkout at a hotel is usually 11, and then it's two and a half hours from St. Louis to Paducah. So I don't know, maybe they spent the day in St. Louis and we didn't see it. Uh, right away, Annabelle is asking for hugs and kisses from the little ones, and they don't really seem like they're into it, and the littlest one does not have much choice in being picked up and hugged and kissed by her. I am not about this. I am not about making kids give hugs to people that they just met. I don't like it, and I don't encourage it with my own kids. I didn't when they were little. I think if you let kids come to you if they want to hug you, it teaches kids how to set boundaries. I don't know. I always really disliked being forced to hug someone when I was a kid, and then of course, Annabelle's already starting to pick up, picking up blankets, folding them. She complains in her talking head that the place is a mess and there's dog hair everywhere. Shea says, didn't look like this when I left. Allison says, Welcome to your new laugh. I think Allison did this. I think Allison was like waiting for them to get back just to mark her territory. Or maybe they were babysitting the dogs. I don't know. But I think she was marking her territory. Come on. I also doubt that Allison's gonna make those kids pick up their toys at the end of the night. Um, so they give her the tour of the house. She's impressed with how big it is. Uh, that there's an oven in the kitchen. Allison. It's like, what? You don't have an oven in your kitchen in Philippines. Okay. Um, the real surprise comes when she sees four deer and a fish, taxidermied on the wall in the bedroom. Also, this giant headboard is too big for this room. She says in her talking head, she jokes. I feel like the deer are gonna be watching us have sex, and he says, I'll put a towel over them. Uh, I guess he has a bunch of presents for her in the bedroom, and it's so odd. He very casually says, Okay, here's your speaker, here's your bullova watch, here's your domine earrings, here's that chain you wanted. Alice is low-key heated watching this. She is trying so hard to fix her face, but she's having thoughts. Also, Shay, have you ever given a necklace to someone before? Have her turn around so you can clasp it for her without looking like you're trying to put her in a headlock. Uh okay, sure enough, Allison has her talking head, and she is shocked at all the gifts that her dad is giving to Annabelle. She says, he doesn't give me stuff like that, so I was caught off guard a little bit. Well, okay, then she turns around and says the exact same thing to her dad in person. This is not a girl who needs a talking head because she will say stuff to your face. She says, Well, kids are getting tired, so we're gonna go head on home. Can I get a couple of dollars? Uh Shay takes out looks like a couple of tens and hands it to her. Annabelle is not impressed. So after Allison leaves, she says, Why'd you give money to Allison? Shea says, 'cause she probably didn't have any cash Sunday morning to go get biscuits before church. Annabelle says, so she does not pay rent in that house. She says, No. She says, Why? She says, She's sick. A mom, etc. Annabelle says, sounds like a free house. She's a grown woman already. She says it should be the children taking care of the parents the other way around. In her talking head, Annabelle says, To me, Allison's still relying on her father. She calls her a spoiled brat. I think it's a little early in the game to be calling somebody a spoiled brat. Although she is kind of a spoiled brat. She says, I don't want to be the evil stepmom, but this needs to change. She's a troublemaker, you know it. I'm not happy about that. She says, Shays, just a few dollars to get the biscuits for some kids. I mean, how are you gonna say no for a few bucks for your grandkids? You know, I don't know. Annabelle is right on one hand. However, she doesn't understand the way things are in America right now. Uh, parents have the money, millennials do not have the money. He's 54, so he's right in the middle of Gen X. Here is my diagnosis based on nothing. Even though he looks like an unwell boomer, Shay may be very familiar with the way older parents were with him and older generations were with money. He's trying to be a good grandpa. He's trying not to be stingy. But we have not been told if Allison has a job. Um, in the next episode, we get some of Shay's friends meeting Annabelle and saying, Some people are saying you're a male order brad. Annabelle turns to Shay and says, People are saying this about me. And he says, Well, not you personally, but it has come up. In what context, if it's not about her personally, we see Annabelle storming off, saying, I left my family for him, and then this happens. Okay, so on the upside, maybe she's picking up on the fact that he's full of shit. I don't know. Asia's back next time with her friend Patricia the prophetess. Okay, they are speaking in tongues, out in the public, out in the park, just just wailing and crying and speaking in tongues in the park and upsetting the geese. Asia says, Patricia has been given words, and not once has it not come to pass. So now I guess she's being told that it's vital that she goes to Nigeria. We're getting a trip to Nigeria, you guys. It is time for book club corner. Let me give you some updates on what I'm reading. There's a couple of different books at once. Yes, it's a thing. I can do it. I do it often. Okay, The Romance. As you may know, I try to pick a book that has some kind of tie-in with the current season of 90 day that I'm recapping. So this go-round, I'm choosing Beyond Repair by Charlotte Stein. Find me on Story Graph and read it. Leave a review, give a boost to Charlotte Stein. She's one of my favorites when it comes to steam chemistry, dirty talk, consent. She writes men who are super secure and confident, but also absolute jelly for their partners. She also has a way of writing super unique dialogue, inner monologues. So go give her a read. Give her five stars. She's wonderful. Okay. Also, I am setting a goal this summer. I want to read Ulysses by James Joyce by the end of the summer. How's it going? It's not going well. I'm about 150 pages in. Infinity to go. What's it about? No idea. Is it engaging, absorbing? Nope, not at all. Maybe I'll have more about more to say about it next time. I don't know. Uh also, I asked my friend for a really good mystery to listen to because I've got a lot of house projects I'm working on, jobs to do. So she recommended this book called The Only One Left by Riley Sager. It is bananas. I've got about two hours left in it, and I still have no idea who done it. That's all I'm gonna say. I don't want to say too much about it. It's so good. If you like domestic crazy family stories, gothic horror, gothic suspense. It's so good. It's got feuding sisters, it's got axe murder, it's got it's got Maine, it's got a house that's about to fall off a cliff. It's got so many suspicious people so far. Loving it. So an update on me. I've just published book six in my current monthly series. It's called Unplanned, How I Canceled My Wedding and Got My Happily Ever After. You can read it on Kindle Unlimited. It's book six in my in the Songbird Ridge series. Each of the six books is its own standalone story. So, so far, six books, six different couples. Each story has overlapping side characters. It's very fun and frothy, quick one-hour escape. I'll link the book in the show notes for you to check out. This particular one, if you can't tell by the title, is all about weddings and an unexpected pregnancy. I love writing about an established couple because although it's really fun to write a good meet cute, I also really enjoy jumping into a romance with a couple who've known each other for years and years, and their relationship just works no matter what you throw at it. This one is short, but there are some doozies when it comes to outside forces testing the relationship. There's no third act breakup or anything. There's no fights, there's no misunderstanding. It's just a lot of drama, but also vibes and good feels. And that's the show. If you like what I do and you're interested in supporting 90 Day Book Club, I'll have links for that in the show notes. Click five stars on Apple and Spotify. Help me boost the signal. Share it with your friends. Tell your friends do not forget to follow the show on your preferred platforms. Take care, and I'll be back soon with episode four of Nighty Day Fiance.