You're most welcome!
It may very well be that Doris will be the star of a long short story or a novella or a series of vignettes. Ignore the word count, the monthly goal, and live in the moment with Doris - discover what she discovers - and then tell us! We readers can be insufferable gossips at heart. We want to know how that jilted woman who didn't leave the house for three week and lived in squalor manages to wake up one day, clean house, walk out that door, and start living again. Deirdre is the perfect foil - she plays the "gossip" for us, even though I know full well busybody isn't really what Deirdre is, but Michael ribs her for it, and readers love Deirdre all the more for it. How dare her husband suggest that she needs Doris to be needy, and to need her. You have really created a captivating cast here, Julia, and I will nag you to keep us up to date on their latest antics!