After sleeping through the morning everyday, S would sit at her new chess table and practice for hours. She had nothing to do until 5 o'clock rolled around M-F so she kept up on her chess skills. It was really helping with her job, as catching the spirits and poltergeists was getting easier and easier.
One such afternoon she received a call from Timothy asking her if she'd like to catch up and grab a cup of coffee at a local café.
After readily agreeing, she packed her work clothes and headed out.
Upon her arrival, Timothy was already there waiting. Getting up from a picnic table he headed over to her.
"Hey S, how's it going? I picked this place cause it has an awesome sushi bar if you're interested."
"Sushi? I've never had that before... do they have salad? I'm a fan of the whole leafy thing but I don't know about nori.
"Um... I'm guessing they do, why don't we find out later, let's go inside and talk."
"So how have you been Tim? We haven't talked in a week!"
"It's been going, you know. Hey wanna play darts?"
"Do I ever! I bet you my last dollar I'll beat your ass."
"You really think so? You're on."
As they made they're way over to the board, S realized the only darts she had ever played were with beer and in her dorm's front lawn. This was going to be an epic fail.
As she lined up her first shot, Tim taunted at her from behind.
She completely missed the board.
Pissed that she was going to lose, she decided that maybe glaring at the dart board would help her strategy.
After planting the last two darts on the outside edge of the board, Tim lined up to take his three shots.
He missed his first shot too. S wondered if she'd win?
It was not to be though, Tim landed a bullseye on his second shot and almost got another one on his third.
"So, I won, time to pay up," Tim quipped.
"Oh come on, it was totally unfair. You obviously practice. If we played chess I would have smashed you. I call for a rematch."
"Nope, fair is fair. You made the bet."
"Listen, Tim, I have §23 to my name. I can't even afford to give you a dime," S whispered, on the verge of tears.
"Shhh. It's okay S, come here," Tim soothed.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, I can lend you some money if you need it."
"Oh Tim, I couldn't accept it, really. I make a couple hundred a night but it all goes to finishing the house. I finally got the walls done the other day. I didn't even have one chair til yesterday."
"Well, I know another way I could help you, it would help me out a lot too..."
"What is it Tim?"
"It's embarrassing S, I don't know."
"Come on you can tell me."
"Well, I'm having problems with the place I live at now... We could be roommates? I'll help you finish your house as payment if you give me a place to stay..." Tim sputtered out.
"Oh Tim of course you can move in! That would help out a lot actually to be honest."
"We'd really be helping each other out." Tim agreed.
"Well I have to head out to catch some ghouls, but you're welcome to move in anytime. I have a spare bedroom you can use, but it's not painted yet."
"S, I really can't thank you enough."
As S headed off to her first clients house, she thought about the implications of what she had agreed to. She would be living with a man she wasn't married to. She wasn't even in a relationship with him. What would people think of her?
She tried to put such thoughts away with exorcising a mailbox...
...a living chair...
...and a potted fern.
None of that helped, but driving ghosts out of the mausoleum did.
After evicting several spirits from the graveyard, she had her first encounter with a real ghost. He had died in medieval times and needed some reassuring that the afterlife was a better place for him and that his family had loved him.
Ghosts made S shy.
When the fully formed ghosts refused to move on, S had to call up backup, who never truly helped, and use her Banshee Banisher.
Silly ghosts, costumes are for kids!
Upon arriving home after 3am, S practiced some more chess before hitting the sack. She was getting really good at it, she might even be halfway to being a master!
The next morning, Tim got up early and read the newspaper while waiting for his job to start.
When S woke up that afternoon, she was surprised to see Tim teaching a toddler how to talk, not to mention the toys scattered throughout the living room.
"Tim. What is going on. You didn't say you had a kid."
"Didn't I tell you I run a daycare? I got sick of listening to my egotistical boss so I started my own daycare. This is Teddy, who is ironically dressed as such."
Ignoring Tim, S stormed over and picked up all the toys littering her floor.
"I'm leaving for work," she huffed.
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OUTTAKES
For the scene in the café, this random customer kept telling the mixologist ghosts stories.
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Challenge Notes
I HATE DAYCARE. Nuff said.
Just wait til you have four toddlers and about six kids after school. Fortunately the job only has five levels so it's easy to reach. I'm really enjoying your characters, they're too funny.
ReplyDeleteS and Timothy seem like a cute couple. Can't wait to see how their relationship evolves!
ReplyDelete