Jason stood in front of the mirror in the changing room, disgust lingering on his face. He was swaddled in what he thought was one of the more demeaning and hideous uniforms he'd ever had to don in his short but illustrious career as a waiter. He was trying his hardest to get a leg up in the world. He'd been applying to graduate school all across the country to gain a foothold in the world of fine arts.
It was a pointless career path, his mother often told him. He'd tried to explain to her how he felt about the matter. It wasn't that he particularly wanted to show his art in a gallery, nor did he want to make any sort of grand world changing statement through his admittedly sub-par but good enough paintings. It was just that he liked those paintings. He enjoyed creating them, and it was the only thing in the world that he thought he would ever be remotely successful at. He was particularly hopeless at math and science. History and English just seemed like too much effort.
At least he was moderately successful at painting. He had made it through art school mostly unscathed. The biggest stumbling block had been a nearly incomprehensible essay he'd been made to complete in order to graduate. He had somehow managed to muddle through it, and from there he hadn't known where to go. He could only think of continuing on with school and even more increasingly menial part time jobs.
This time he had landed employment at the Knott's Berry Farm Restaurant. He worked the champagne brunch almost every Sunday, busing tables in a hideous and ill fitting green vest adorned with white trim. He had yet to figure out how the vest even fit in with the decor of the restaurant's interior or anything else about the place.
"Stop admiring yourself in front of the mirror, Jason!" He heard a distinct voice ring out from behind him.
It was Jody: prim and proper Jody: Jody, who never did anything wrong and was always getting extra tips on the side for her over the top and bubbly personality. Everybody loved Jody.
Everybody, that was, except for Jason. He found her constant ebullience irritating and insufferable and completely fake. He may have been the only one in the whole of the world that did. He was nice to her like most everybody was though. He did not want to be accused of being cold hearted.
"Oh, stop preening!' she said as she crept u from behind and squeezed his shoulders. "Show me your shiny green suit!"
He turned around with a barely controlled scowl. Despite his reluctance to like her, he did his best to be fake nice in return to her fake niceness.
"C'mon Sweetie!," She prodded him. "Show me that smile! C'mon!"
His scowl contorted into a toothy grimace, and she didn't seem to notice the hideous look that adorned his features. He was only thankful that he didn't have to look at hit himself in the mirror he had just been facing.
"There you go!" She squealed in delight and clapped her hands together.
"Come on, Jason," she slapped him on the back and her voice took on an impossibly cheery tone. "It's a beautiful day outside! There's no reason to be so down."
He resisted the urge to strangle the woman. If there was anything he hated more than his job, it was people that tried to force a happy mood onto him. Especially when there was no particular reason to be happy.
"I'm going to change my pants," he declared loudly instead and lay his hands on his belt buckle, slowly easing the buckle away from the leather and watching Jody's increasing discomfort with relish.
Her hand fluttered up to her lips as Jason wagged his bushy eyebrows at her. She fled the room in terror and brushed by another bus boy, startling him out of a slacker like daze.
"Hey, man," he mumbled in Jody's direction as she stormed away.
"What's her damage?" He turned his attention towards Jason, who's hands were still poised on his belt buckle, ready to drop his trousers at the slightest provocation.
He brushed away his shaggy hair and arched an eyebrow at Jason.
"Jody, man? Really? You've got to be kidding," he said in a long, slow, drawn-out drawl.
"Hey, it's not like that!" Jason held up his hands in disgust. "Seriously, I just wanted to scare her away."
"With your dick?"
"Yeah, you know how she is." Jason grinned.
"Hey, c'mon, she's nice!"
"I know she's nice, Ned," Jason replied. "But C'mon, she's a little off. I think she might be an alien."
Ned snorted a short burst of laughter. "Yeah, I think you may be right."
"There is such a thing as too nice!"
*****
The Baum family was staying at a Marriott close to Disneyland. It had been mother Baum's idea for that year's family vacation, and nothing seemed to be going right. They had not been given the triple A discount, because they had forgotten to bring their triple A cards, the youngest son had been denied passage on a roller coaster because he was too short, and they had to wait in many long lines in order to partake in their favorite amusement park attractions. It wasn't worth it she thought. It wasn't any fun, and It's a Small World, and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride were vastly overrated in her opinion.
"Look!" Father Baum, Jerry, spoke up from his spot at the small table where he was seated with his nose buried in his lap-top. "We could go to brunch at Knott's Berry farm!"
"Why would we do that?" the mother, Esther, snarled from her position, seated in bed, with a scowl on her face. Her long black hair was piled upon her head in one big mass of tangles. Jerry did his best to avoid looking at her. Despite looking like a hideous mess, she had still managed to find fault with his innocent suggestion. He wondered vaguely what on Earth he had been thinking to become ensnared with a woman as horrible as his wife and her family.
"I just thought it would be fun," Jerry muttered in a meek way.
She laughed at him, and asked why they didn't just have the free continental breakfast that came with the hotel room, and he repeated that it might be fun.
"We can't just stay cooped up in here all the time, Esther. We should get out and see the sights."
She glared ponderously at him for a moment, and Jerry withered under the strength of it. In the end she let out an exasperated sigh and instead of dressing him down, conceded to his idea.
"If you must have it your way, Jerry," she muttered caustically. "I don't see why we always have to do it your way."
Jerry smiled at her, and thanked her and told her that it would be fun. He didn't bother to mention that they almost never did things his way if she could help it. It would only lead to a big argument as it usually did.
*****
It was Oscar Rodriguez' birthday. He wasn't feeling happy about it though. His feet hurt and his back ached from the many long hours he worked at the construction site. The thought of getting one year older and still having to work at a back breaking job was not making his sour mood any better. He could only think of one thing that would make his birthday even remotely pleasant, and that was a long day off without the distraction of wife or his four children. It wasn't to be.
Rosa, his wife, was flitting brightly around the kitchen gathering up the children. Jose, the middle child was grumpily complaining about a day filled with family bonding at an amusement park. He was so over it. It wasn't any fun when he'd been there a million times. It was more like routine. David, the oldest boy wasn't much more enthusiastic. He would have rather stayed at home with the house to himself instead of the bustling drama that usually surrounded him. The two sisters, Jenny, the youngest, and David's twin, Mimi, weren't bothered either way. They were excited to get out of the house.
"Don't you have some boyfriend to go meet?" the eighteen year old David asked his sister as he stood slumped outside the only bathroom in the household which they all shared.
"Who says I don't?" Mimi replied as she penciled in her eyebrows.
"What are you talking about, Mi?" David arched one of his own eyebrows at her. It had its desired effect even though his didn't quite reach the same epic proportions.
"Maybe." she turned and faced him with an impish grin. "Just maybe I arranged to meet him at the park? Huh? How about that, Mister smarty pants? I'm not as dumb as I look, am I?"
David smiled ruefully at her. His sister had a long history of getting involved with the wrong type of men.
"Yes, you are," he said as he stared down at the floor to hide his grin.
"That's not funny!" She gasped at him then marched across the hall to swat him on the shoulder.
He started giggling at her and couldn't stop despite the swatting. She finally gave up in a huff and marched off down the hallway.
"Jose! Jenny!" He shouted loudly. In as small a house as it was, he was sure that they could probably hear him wherever they may be. "The bathroom is free!" He chuckled to himself one last time and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction as the one his sister had taken.
*****
There was something brewing. The sky above Southern California. The day was shrouded in ominous and foreboding clouds. Mary Smith sat nervously on a park bench awaiting her contact. Something was going to happen that day: something big. She wrung her hands nervously and peered about at the park staff passing by. There was still an hour or two before the park opened, and the tourists for the day started to stream in. Her staff at the Knott's Berry Farm restaurant was well underway to getting things set up for that day's Champagne brunch buffet. She didn't know who she was supposed to be meeting or what the purpose of the meeting was. She was half tempted to just ignore the note that she had found in her locker that morning, but she had been curious. Curiosity made way for fear; however, once the time had come to meet her secret admirer, or whatever the case may be. She had a hard time believing that anybody would admire her. She was short with mousy brown hair, and she knew that nobody liked her. Nobody ever did because she was a nonentity. She tended to fade into the background and not be noticed. She told herself that was what she wanted. She wanted to come and do her job and go home again without anybody taking notice of her. It was easier that way. There was no conflict. There was however a distinct lack of friendship, and Mary was feeling it. She was lonely. She was lonely for friends, and she was lonely for companionship of the male variety. She told herself she wasn't, but the truth was that when she went home every night and popped a pre-made meal into the microwave all she wanted was to have someone there to greet her.
And maybe cook something.
It was with that hope that she had taken the note to heart. She had made up elaborate stories in her mind the moment she set her eyes on the unsigned missive. The strokes were short and efficient. The scrawl of a man, she thought to herself. It couldn't be any other thing. She had hummed through the morning in an exceedingly good mood, much to the consternation of the rest of the crew. She was usually calm and got the job done, but she wasn't chipper or even what one would call pleasant. She was good at her job; nothing more and nothing less. Even Jody had been outshone at one point by her boss's good mood. Nobody was more pleased to see the surge of disappointment and jealously flicker across Jody's face than Jason, who stood, arms crossed against the wall, with smug satisfaction plastered all over his face.
That had been then though, and that time had passed. So many other options than a secret crush had crossed her mind in the final few minutes until the meeting time.
And then it was time. Her breath caught in her throat, and the thoughts of doubt and fear and excitement fled her mind and left it blank. Her limbs felt numb.
He arrived without fanfare. She hadn't seen him approach, and yet he was there, standing just in the periphery of her vision. He was a tall, blond man, wearing black jeans and a black jacket. He was wearing a maroon colored shirt, unbuttoned, and a white undershirt beneath it. He smiled benevolently at her.
"Nice day," he said to her.
Mary gulped down whatever she was going to answer and stared up at him with silent awe apparent on her face. He only chuckled fondly at her.
"May I sit down?" He gestured towards the empty side of the bench where she was sitting.
She stared dumbly up at him, and he waited patiently for her to regain her wits.
"Oh, yes of course!" Her brain was finally jump started, and the words came flooding out. "Please do! I'm just...I'm just waiting for...someone?"
She said the last bit with uncertainty. After all, he could be the man who had left the note, or he could just be a stranger who wanted to sit down and discuss the weather. She had done enough jumping to conclusions for one morning.
*****
They were fighting. They were always fighting. It had become a way of life for her mother and her step father, and there was nothing in particular that Catherine could do about it. So she sat in her room in despair. This time the argument wasn't about her, and that was a relief and an improvement upon the usual fare.
Catherine was her name, and she was an only child. She had no friends and no hobbies. Her family life wasn't optimal, so she spent her time fully immersed in her school work. It was what she would have been doing had the constant and unending screaming from her mother and step father not permeated the inner sanctum of her room. The privacy of her safe place had once again been shattered by people who had no sense of anything other than themselves. She didn't relish the thought of what a day like this would even turn out to be like, but she was starting to have an idea that it wasn't going to be anything good, and if she could have hidden away from the world alone in her room forever with nothing to keep her company except for her school books then she would have.
*****
The Mother Thing, as Jerry had taken to thinking of her, was angry already. She had spent most of the morning corralling her extended family in order to inform them of the change in plans. None of them were especially happy about it either. They were milling about in the lobby, a loudly complaining cacophony of whining voices that, Jerry thought, could probably be heard from miles way.
He surveyed the scene before him, his heart heavy with disappointment and dissatisfaction. How he had ended up with such a woman was beyond him. She was loud, obnoxious, and forever complaining about things mere mortals would never give any passing notice whatsoever. She belittled him at every turn. It was humiliating and demoralizing, and it had always been that way.
This was the day, though. This was the day he had finally gotten his way. He had no idea why, but he wasn't going to start complaining about it. His voice would only be lost among the complaints of his darling wife and her family anyway.
"Jerry, come here!" The Mother Thing squawked at him from across the room, her high pitched nasally whine ringing out through the building.
He shuddered and picked his way through the crowd of fellow tourists and on-lookers who's attentions had suddenly become fully transfixed upon Jerry and his impending shame.
"I hope you're happy now," she addressed him angrily and loudly enough that every curious bystander could hear, and even some not so curious bystanders as well. Some of them chose to stay and shift uncomfortably in their seats, while others fled the area for a more quiet venue to enjoy their early morning meals.
"I hope you're happy, Jerry," The Mother Thing repeated herself snippily as she made a sweeping gesture towards the scowling faces of her extended family.
"Everybody was looking forward to their bagels," she continued. "You don't want to know how many people Don had to ask to get a new toaster in here. The one they had out here wouldn't toast! Do you believe it?" Her belligerent tone of voice only increased in volume as her complaint reached epic proportions of undue hysteria.
"The service in this hotel is awful! I have had nothing but trouble!" She nearly shouted then. Several employees at the buffet turned and stared meekly and apologetically at her, even though they knew there had actually been nothing wrong with the toaster in the first place; at least nothing a careful eye and a second toast wouldn't have cured. An entire clan of loudly complaining imbeciles had brought the manager running though. They had spent half the morning and a large wad of petty cash, that had been set aside for the crew's pizza party at the end of the month, tracking down a toaster that was to the exact specifications that Esther had ordained. Even then her clan had not been satiated. The toaster was green. They tried their best to avoid dealing with green kitchen appliances if they could at all help it.
As Jerry stood there and listened to his wife relay the story of the toaster he was wondering, for the first time that day, when a meteor was going to come crashing down from the sky to land on his balding head and put him out of his misery once and for all. He was sure it wouldn't be the last time either. It was one of his favorite pass times...to sit around and imagine ways he could accidentally and freakishly die so he wouldn't be stuck in the nightmare that was his marriage.
*****
"I said it's a nice day," he repeated his earlier statement to Mary, who looked up at him, not believing that she would ever catch the eye of such a gorgeous stranger. He smiled calmly at her, awaiting her reply, and she gazed into his eyes. She found she could not look away. They were mesmerizing, those eyes, icy blue and cold like a glacier, yet full of fire and determination all the same.
"Yes, yes, a lovely day," Mary felt herself replying, though she had no conscious thought on the matter. She did not notice that the words didn't belong to her anymore. She couldn't think of anything except the gorgeous man before her...and his steely blue eyes.
She didn't notice the dark clouds building up all around, and if she had, she might have only attributed them to the early morning of a fall day in California: clouds that looked ominous but would eventually dissipate to reveal the ever-present bright sunlight.
"That's a good girl," he chuckled at her. Yes. She had been the right choice, so pliable, so easy to manipulate. She was the perfect patsy to put their plan into motion.
It was a pointless career path, his mother often told him. He'd tried to explain to her how he felt about the matter. It wasn't that he particularly wanted to show his art in a gallery, nor did he want to make any sort of grand world changing statement through his admittedly sub-par but good enough paintings. It was just that he liked those paintings. He enjoyed creating them, and it was the only thing in the world that he thought he would ever be remotely successful at. He was particularly hopeless at math and science. History and English just seemed like too much effort.
At least he was moderately successful at painting. He had made it through art school mostly unscathed. The biggest stumbling block had been a nearly incomprehensible essay he'd been made to complete in order to graduate. He had somehow managed to muddle through it, and from there he hadn't known where to go. He could only think of continuing on with school and even more increasingly menial part time jobs.
This time he had landed employment at the Knott's Berry Farm Restaurant. He worked the champagne brunch almost every Sunday, busing tables in a hideous and ill fitting green vest adorned with white trim. He had yet to figure out how the vest even fit in with the decor of the restaurant's interior or anything else about the place.
"Stop admiring yourself in front of the mirror, Jason!" He heard a distinct voice ring out from behind him.
It was Jody: prim and proper Jody: Jody, who never did anything wrong and was always getting extra tips on the side for her over the top and bubbly personality. Everybody loved Jody.
Everybody, that was, except for Jason. He found her constant ebullience irritating and insufferable and completely fake. He may have been the only one in the whole of the world that did. He was nice to her like most everybody was though. He did not want to be accused of being cold hearted.
"Oh, stop preening!' she said as she crept u from behind and squeezed his shoulders. "Show me your shiny green suit!"
He turned around with a barely controlled scowl. Despite his reluctance to like her, he did his best to be fake nice in return to her fake niceness.
"C'mon Sweetie!," She prodded him. "Show me that smile! C'mon!"
His scowl contorted into a toothy grimace, and she didn't seem to notice the hideous look that adorned his features. He was only thankful that he didn't have to look at hit himself in the mirror he had just been facing.
"There you go!" She squealed in delight and clapped her hands together.
"Come on, Jason," she slapped him on the back and her voice took on an impossibly cheery tone. "It's a beautiful day outside! There's no reason to be so down."
He resisted the urge to strangle the woman. If there was anything he hated more than his job, it was people that tried to force a happy mood onto him. Especially when there was no particular reason to be happy.
"I'm going to change my pants," he declared loudly instead and lay his hands on his belt buckle, slowly easing the buckle away from the leather and watching Jody's increasing discomfort with relish.
Her hand fluttered up to her lips as Jason wagged his bushy eyebrows at her. She fled the room in terror and brushed by another bus boy, startling him out of a slacker like daze.
"Hey, man," he mumbled in Jody's direction as she stormed away.
"What's her damage?" He turned his attention towards Jason, who's hands were still poised on his belt buckle, ready to drop his trousers at the slightest provocation.
He brushed away his shaggy hair and arched an eyebrow at Jason.
"Jody, man? Really? You've got to be kidding," he said in a long, slow, drawn-out drawl.
"Hey, it's not like that!" Jason held up his hands in disgust. "Seriously, I just wanted to scare her away."
"With your dick?"
"Yeah, you know how she is." Jason grinned.
"Hey, c'mon, she's nice!"
"I know she's nice, Ned," Jason replied. "But C'mon, she's a little off. I think she might be an alien."
Ned snorted a short burst of laughter. "Yeah, I think you may be right."
"There is such a thing as too nice!"
*****
The Baum family was staying at a Marriott close to Disneyland. It had been mother Baum's idea for that year's family vacation, and nothing seemed to be going right. They had not been given the triple A discount, because they had forgotten to bring their triple A cards, the youngest son had been denied passage on a roller coaster because he was too short, and they had to wait in many long lines in order to partake in their favorite amusement park attractions. It wasn't worth it she thought. It wasn't any fun, and It's a Small World, and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride were vastly overrated in her opinion.
"Look!" Father Baum, Jerry, spoke up from his spot at the small table where he was seated with his nose buried in his lap-top. "We could go to brunch at Knott's Berry farm!"
"Why would we do that?" the mother, Esther, snarled from her position, seated in bed, with a scowl on her face. Her long black hair was piled upon her head in one big mass of tangles. Jerry did his best to avoid looking at her. Despite looking like a hideous mess, she had still managed to find fault with his innocent suggestion. He wondered vaguely what on Earth he had been thinking to become ensnared with a woman as horrible as his wife and her family.
"I just thought it would be fun," Jerry muttered in a meek way.
She laughed at him, and asked why they didn't just have the free continental breakfast that came with the hotel room, and he repeated that it might be fun.
"We can't just stay cooped up in here all the time, Esther. We should get out and see the sights."
She glared ponderously at him for a moment, and Jerry withered under the strength of it. In the end she let out an exasperated sigh and instead of dressing him down, conceded to his idea.
"If you must have it your way, Jerry," she muttered caustically. "I don't see why we always have to do it your way."
Jerry smiled at her, and thanked her and told her that it would be fun. He didn't bother to mention that they almost never did things his way if she could help it. It would only lead to a big argument as it usually did.
*****
It was Oscar Rodriguez' birthday. He wasn't feeling happy about it though. His feet hurt and his back ached from the many long hours he worked at the construction site. The thought of getting one year older and still having to work at a back breaking job was not making his sour mood any better. He could only think of one thing that would make his birthday even remotely pleasant, and that was a long day off without the distraction of wife or his four children. It wasn't to be.
Rosa, his wife, was flitting brightly around the kitchen gathering up the children. Jose, the middle child was grumpily complaining about a day filled with family bonding at an amusement park. He was so over it. It wasn't any fun when he'd been there a million times. It was more like routine. David, the oldest boy wasn't much more enthusiastic. He would have rather stayed at home with the house to himself instead of the bustling drama that usually surrounded him. The two sisters, Jenny, the youngest, and David's twin, Mimi, weren't bothered either way. They were excited to get out of the house.
"Don't you have some boyfriend to go meet?" the eighteen year old David asked his sister as he stood slumped outside the only bathroom in the household which they all shared.
"Who says I don't?" Mimi replied as she penciled in her eyebrows.
"What are you talking about, Mi?" David arched one of his own eyebrows at her. It had its desired effect even though his didn't quite reach the same epic proportions.
"Maybe." she turned and faced him with an impish grin. "Just maybe I arranged to meet him at the park? Huh? How about that, Mister smarty pants? I'm not as dumb as I look, am I?"
David smiled ruefully at her. His sister had a long history of getting involved with the wrong type of men.
"Yes, you are," he said as he stared down at the floor to hide his grin.
"That's not funny!" She gasped at him then marched across the hall to swat him on the shoulder.
He started giggling at her and couldn't stop despite the swatting. She finally gave up in a huff and marched off down the hallway.
"Jose! Jenny!" He shouted loudly. In as small a house as it was, he was sure that they could probably hear him wherever they may be. "The bathroom is free!" He chuckled to himself one last time and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction as the one his sister had taken.
*****
There was something brewing. The sky above Southern California. The day was shrouded in ominous and foreboding clouds. Mary Smith sat nervously on a park bench awaiting her contact. Something was going to happen that day: something big. She wrung her hands nervously and peered about at the park staff passing by. There was still an hour or two before the park opened, and the tourists for the day started to stream in. Her staff at the Knott's Berry Farm restaurant was well underway to getting things set up for that day's Champagne brunch buffet. She didn't know who she was supposed to be meeting or what the purpose of the meeting was. She was half tempted to just ignore the note that she had found in her locker that morning, but she had been curious. Curiosity made way for fear; however, once the time had come to meet her secret admirer, or whatever the case may be. She had a hard time believing that anybody would admire her. She was short with mousy brown hair, and she knew that nobody liked her. Nobody ever did because she was a nonentity. She tended to fade into the background and not be noticed. She told herself that was what she wanted. She wanted to come and do her job and go home again without anybody taking notice of her. It was easier that way. There was no conflict. There was however a distinct lack of friendship, and Mary was feeling it. She was lonely. She was lonely for friends, and she was lonely for companionship of the male variety. She told herself she wasn't, but the truth was that when she went home every night and popped a pre-made meal into the microwave all she wanted was to have someone there to greet her.
And maybe cook something.
It was with that hope that she had taken the note to heart. She had made up elaborate stories in her mind the moment she set her eyes on the unsigned missive. The strokes were short and efficient. The scrawl of a man, she thought to herself. It couldn't be any other thing. She had hummed through the morning in an exceedingly good mood, much to the consternation of the rest of the crew. She was usually calm and got the job done, but she wasn't chipper or even what one would call pleasant. She was good at her job; nothing more and nothing less. Even Jody had been outshone at one point by her boss's good mood. Nobody was more pleased to see the surge of disappointment and jealously flicker across Jody's face than Jason, who stood, arms crossed against the wall, with smug satisfaction plastered all over his face.
That had been then though, and that time had passed. So many other options than a secret crush had crossed her mind in the final few minutes until the meeting time.
And then it was time. Her breath caught in her throat, and the thoughts of doubt and fear and excitement fled her mind and left it blank. Her limbs felt numb.
He arrived without fanfare. She hadn't seen him approach, and yet he was there, standing just in the periphery of her vision. He was a tall, blond man, wearing black jeans and a black jacket. He was wearing a maroon colored shirt, unbuttoned, and a white undershirt beneath it. He smiled benevolently at her.
"Nice day," he said to her.
Mary gulped down whatever she was going to answer and stared up at him with silent awe apparent on her face. He only chuckled fondly at her.
"May I sit down?" He gestured towards the empty side of the bench where she was sitting.
She stared dumbly up at him, and he waited patiently for her to regain her wits.
"Oh, yes of course!" Her brain was finally jump started, and the words came flooding out. "Please do! I'm just...I'm just waiting for...someone?"
She said the last bit with uncertainty. After all, he could be the man who had left the note, or he could just be a stranger who wanted to sit down and discuss the weather. She had done enough jumping to conclusions for one morning.
*****
They were fighting. They were always fighting. It had become a way of life for her mother and her step father, and there was nothing in particular that Catherine could do about it. So she sat in her room in despair. This time the argument wasn't about her, and that was a relief and an improvement upon the usual fare.
Catherine was her name, and she was an only child. She had no friends and no hobbies. Her family life wasn't optimal, so she spent her time fully immersed in her school work. It was what she would have been doing had the constant and unending screaming from her mother and step father not permeated the inner sanctum of her room. The privacy of her safe place had once again been shattered by people who had no sense of anything other than themselves. She didn't relish the thought of what a day like this would even turn out to be like, but she was starting to have an idea that it wasn't going to be anything good, and if she could have hidden away from the world alone in her room forever with nothing to keep her company except for her school books then she would have.
*****
The Mother Thing, as Jerry had taken to thinking of her, was angry already. She had spent most of the morning corralling her extended family in order to inform them of the change in plans. None of them were especially happy about it either. They were milling about in the lobby, a loudly complaining cacophony of whining voices that, Jerry thought, could probably be heard from miles way.
He surveyed the scene before him, his heart heavy with disappointment and dissatisfaction. How he had ended up with such a woman was beyond him. She was loud, obnoxious, and forever complaining about things mere mortals would never give any passing notice whatsoever. She belittled him at every turn. It was humiliating and demoralizing, and it had always been that way.
This was the day, though. This was the day he had finally gotten his way. He had no idea why, but he wasn't going to start complaining about it. His voice would only be lost among the complaints of his darling wife and her family anyway.
"Jerry, come here!" The Mother Thing squawked at him from across the room, her high pitched nasally whine ringing out through the building.
He shuddered and picked his way through the crowd of fellow tourists and on-lookers who's attentions had suddenly become fully transfixed upon Jerry and his impending shame.
"I hope you're happy now," she addressed him angrily and loudly enough that every curious bystander could hear, and even some not so curious bystanders as well. Some of them chose to stay and shift uncomfortably in their seats, while others fled the area for a more quiet venue to enjoy their early morning meals.
"I hope you're happy, Jerry," The Mother Thing repeated herself snippily as she made a sweeping gesture towards the scowling faces of her extended family.
"Everybody was looking forward to their bagels," she continued. "You don't want to know how many people Don had to ask to get a new toaster in here. The one they had out here wouldn't toast! Do you believe it?" Her belligerent tone of voice only increased in volume as her complaint reached epic proportions of undue hysteria.
"The service in this hotel is awful! I have had nothing but trouble!" She nearly shouted then. Several employees at the buffet turned and stared meekly and apologetically at her, even though they knew there had actually been nothing wrong with the toaster in the first place; at least nothing a careful eye and a second toast wouldn't have cured. An entire clan of loudly complaining imbeciles had brought the manager running though. They had spent half the morning and a large wad of petty cash, that had been set aside for the crew's pizza party at the end of the month, tracking down a toaster that was to the exact specifications that Esther had ordained. Even then her clan had not been satiated. The toaster was green. They tried their best to avoid dealing with green kitchen appliances if they could at all help it.
As Jerry stood there and listened to his wife relay the story of the toaster he was wondering, for the first time that day, when a meteor was going to come crashing down from the sky to land on his balding head and put him out of his misery once and for all. He was sure it wouldn't be the last time either. It was one of his favorite pass times...to sit around and imagine ways he could accidentally and freakishly die so he wouldn't be stuck in the nightmare that was his marriage.
*****
"I said it's a nice day," he repeated his earlier statement to Mary, who looked up at him, not believing that she would ever catch the eye of such a gorgeous stranger. He smiled calmly at her, awaiting her reply, and she gazed into his eyes. She found she could not look away. They were mesmerizing, those eyes, icy blue and cold like a glacier, yet full of fire and determination all the same.
"Yes, yes, a lovely day," Mary felt herself replying, though she had no conscious thought on the matter. She did not notice that the words didn't belong to her anymore. She couldn't think of anything except the gorgeous man before her...and his steely blue eyes.
She didn't notice the dark clouds building up all around, and if she had, she might have only attributed them to the early morning of a fall day in California: clouds that looked ominous but would eventually dissipate to reveal the ever-present bright sunlight.
"That's a good girl," he chuckled at her. Yes. She had been the right choice, so pliable, so easy to manipulate. She was the perfect patsy to put their plan into motion.
