nan paused fishing, hexed her gyroid, then went right back to fishing 🍃

she’s one of my villagers who’s always ‘in uniform’, bc she’s always wearing the outfits i gift her.

We're a Documentary, Not a Fucking Sitcom - WWDITS Fic

(Read on ao3 here)

I read ' 'The power dynamics seem so problematic. I mean, that’s his boss,' and this possessed me. Enjoy! 😉

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

Guillermo blinked his eyes open, the ghost of Nandor’s cold, smooth lips still lingering on his own.

He had just kissed him. Right on the mouth, mid-sentence, on a random Tuesday night, three months after Guillermo became human again.

“I…Mas–Nan…”

The words died in his throat as his brain whirred like a computer with too many tabs open.

“I am your boss,” Nandor continued as if he had not heard him, beginning to pace the length of the Fancy Room. “You are my employee. It is frowned upon…problematic.”

That snapped Guillermo out of his stupor, frowning as he tried to make sense of his rambling.

“Okay, first of all, employees get paid. If anything, I was an unpaid labourer,” he held up his hand to stop himself from tracing his lips with the pad of his thumb.

“Second of all, you’re not my boss anymore anyway. I’m just your human roommate now, remember? I have a new job teaching self-defense down at the YMCA. I’m not your familiar. We’re equals. We made the deal that I would stay in this house once none of you treated me like shit anymore and you got a new familiar. You’re just too stubborn to let me help you pick a replacement.”

That stopped the vampire in his tracks, a petulant pout on his handsome face.

“That’s because they are all terrible, Guillermo! Francine didn’t know how I like my hair combed, and Jason did not do my buttons up correctly!”

“You didn’t give them a chance to learn!”

“You picked it up right away!”

“Well, not everyone can be me!”

“I know! That’s the problem!”

Somehow they had closed the distance between them and were right back where they started moments ago, mere inches from each other. Naturally, Guillermo’s eyes fell on those pale, alluring lips, but he dragged them back up to a safe spot, focussing on the crinkle between Nandor’s eyebrows from where his head was bent downwards.

“Third of all,” he forced out, his breath no doubt bouncing off his chin. “‘Problematic?’ Seriously? You brutally killed innocent people that I lured here every single week for the last thirteen years. And you’re worried about us having a…a ‘workplace kiss’ being problematic?”

Look. It wasn’t like it had never crossed his mind. Both kissing Nandor and the very morally bankrupt decision to feed random humans to a group of bloodthirsty vampires every week for his entire adult life. But ever since he was faced with directly killing an innocent person so he could live and being unable to do it, he was questioning himself and his choices more and more lately.

(The whole wanting to kiss his former Master thing was a constant, ongoing thing. And definitely not a recent development. But that was his business.)

“Well,” Nandor waved a hand, undeterred. “Darla said it is frowned upon.”

Guillermo squinted up at him.

“And who is Darla?”

“My spotter at the gym. She’s a grandma looking to strengthen her pelvic floor.”

“Ew, what—? No. Doesn’t matter,” he winced. “So, what would Darla think about you kissing someone ten seconds after they tell you they’re going on a date? Is that not ‘problematic?’”

Nandor scrunched up his nose.

“Well, it just happened, so how would I have time to tell—”

“Mierda,” he muttered under his breath, staring up at the ceiling for a God he couldn’t believe in anymore.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you, Guillermo. I am sorry,” Nandor said in the ‘I’m trying to be diplomatic but am being a giant baby about it’ voice that he found hard to truly hate. “I just…thought that you had sworn off dating?”

A disbelieving laugh escaped his chest.

“So, what, you thought you’d kiss me in…protest?”

Something warm was fluttering around his abdomen as his heart beat what felt like a million times a second, his brain very unhelpfully replaying the kiss over and over in his head.

Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, stop—

“I’m just confused,” Nandor was shrugging when he forced himself to focus. “You seemed uninterested in dating, and now you come in here and tell me not to wait up because you’re going out with some fucking gu—”

“And why is it you think I’d be uninterested in dating, Nandor? Would it be ‘cause the last boyfriend I had, you fucking cloned for yourself, and then sent him away so he could meet up with Freddie and have him cheat on me with himself?!”

The words echoed throughout the large room.

Nandor looked just like he did when he'd been slapped.

“Guiller—”

“No. Let’s talk about it,” he cut him off, shooting a glance at the nearest camera before glaring up at him. “I’m so sick, of never talking about things in this house. Just letting them revert back to the status quo. We’re a documentary, not a fucking sitcom,” he huffed, pointing a finger in his face, still standing so close he almost poked him.

“You turned your wife into my boyfriend, and that was really fucked up. You know, something actually ‘problematic.’”

He added extra sarcasm and generous bunny ears around the word, scorn and hurt rising within him from where it had laid dormant for over a year.

“You destroyed Marwa, and then my relationship, and you’ve never once taken responsibility for it. Or anything else you’ve ever done. So if you wanna talk about what’s ‘problematic,’ let’s start—”

“I changed her back.”

Guillermo froze.

“What?”

Nandor was busy staring at the red couch, murmuring so quietly that he almost didn’t hear him.

“I said I changed her back. I used my remaining wishes to…undo it all. Give her the life she deserves…without me. She’s in Washington now. Has gone back to school, last I heard.”

His heart skipped a beat as he digested that.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well,” Nandor scoffed, stepping even closer, gaze locked back on him. “I might have if you hadn’t been so busy conspiring with Laszlo because you went behind my back and got Derek to turn you INTO A VAMPIRE. DEREK! FUCKING GUY.”

Guillermo’s blood began to boil, spilling like molten lava in his veins.

“Because YOU WERE NEVER GOING TO!” he exploded. “After YEARS of putting up with all of your shit, I had enough of waiting!”

Nandor’s jaw clenched.

“I was going to turn you, even though I wasn’t sure if it was right for you, but you abandoned me for London!”

“Laszlo locked me in a coffin and shipped me to London like a giant FedEx package! I had literally zero control over that!” Guillermo shot back.

“Well,” Nandor cast his eyes around the room for an answer and grinned humorlessly when he found one. “You didn’t look for me.”

Oh, hell no.

“Yes, I did! But I had no way of contacting you,” Guillermo spat. “I had Nadja reach out through the ether and said she couldn’t find you, that you were blocking her somehow. So, yeah. It wasn’t like you were looking for me, either!”

His chest was heaving like an overwhelmed Victorian maiden whilst Nandor was as still as a statue, but he didn’t care.

Finally. Finally he was airing his grievances. After all this time. Years and years of pent-up anger and hurt and resentment, they were finally talking about it all. And God, it felt amaz—

“I was mad at you when you didn’t meet me on that platform…you broke my heart.”

Those words turned his molten blood to ice.

But that didn’t stop his own words from tumbling out of his mouth anyway.

“Yeah, well. You broke mine first.”

Their eyes met.

Silence engulfed the room.

“That’s a lot of information to get in thirty seconds.”

His head whirled around to find Colin Robinson staring at them from the doorway.

“This is a private conversation, Colin Robinson,” Nandor replied, his gaze still burning a hole into Guillermo. “Leave. Now.”

“Right. Private,” Colin retorted with his usual deadpan tone, gesturing to the cameras. “Whatever. Just fuck already. It’s faster. Especially the way Nandor does it.”

They listened to his retreating steps for a beat, Nandor cursing him under his breath.

“Did he quote Friends?” Guillermo gaped after him, realising it was in vain when he remembered who he was asking, though he could swear he saw one of the camera crew quietly nodding.

“Do not change the subject, Guillermo,” Nandor drew him back in, his dark gaze unwavering. “What did you mean when you said I broke your heart first?”

They don’t call him ‘The Relentless’ for nothin’.

“Come on,” he cleared his throat, his heart firmly lodged there as he tried to step around him. “We don’t have to do this. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Yes, it does, and yes, we do,” his hand shot out inhumanly fast and held him in place by the wrist, firmly but not something he couldn’t break from. “You wanted to talk, so talk. Please.”

What were you saying about pent-up feelings, again?

“You,” he took a shaky breath, forcing himself to stand his ground. “You…have to know how I…how I’ve felt all these years. I know you’re not that dumb.”

Nandor’s lips parted, but Guillermo kept going, words flowing from him like a burst dam.

“Every cruel word, every dismissal, every time you rebuffed my hugs or compliments or belittled me or my accomplishments…it was death by a thousand cuts. Because I fuckin’ loved you anyway.”

A bitter laugh escaped him as tears stung his eyes.

“Huh. Now that’s problematic.”

The silence was deafening.

Nandor had yet to move an inch, not even to blink.

Well, you’ve done in now, de la Cruz. And even managed to reference a Taylor Swift song. Bravo.

Seconds ticked into nearly a minute, and Guillermo was really starting to get freaked ou—

“‘Loved…’” came a raspy voice, barely above a whisper. “...as in past tense?”

He stared at the hand that was still clasping his wrist, right over his hummingbird pulse point and thought, fuck it.

“Love. I love you, Nandor. I always have. And I meant it when I said I was gonna be right here by your side. Even…even if it’s just as your friend and roommate. Because that’s what love means.”

He had done a lot of brave things in his life. Had taken on and killed dozens of vampires, faced witches, zombies and werewolves without batting an eye, and had emo bangs way past 2012, but Guillermo de la Cruz had never felt true bravery until this exact moment.

He watched as Nandor’s face crumpled like creepy paper, his eyes squeezing shut as he took in a deep breath he didn’t need and mumbled to himself.

“Floating through the cold, dark universe like a little grain of furry sand.”

“...what?”

Those large, dark eyes that he loved so much popped open, and he almost gasped at their intensity.

“I…I once thought I was completely alone in this world, Guillermo. Without someone to love or love me. But I’m realising now that that hasn’t been true for a long time, has it?”

Guillermo swallowed the lump in his throat.

He shook his head.

Slowly, a small smile spread on Nandor’s face, his thumb brushing against the thin skin of his wrist.

“And it hasn’t for you either, you know.”

Guillermo felt his brow furrow.

“Wha—”

Cold, soft lips covered his for the second time that night. Heart hammering against his ribcage, he hurried to kiss back this time, leaning up on his tip-toes and gently trailing his tongue along Nandor’s bottom lip.

The kiss deepened as he opened his mouth, the corner of one of his fangs brushing against Guillermo’s tongue and sending a thrill through his entire body. They gripped each other, on the edge of frantic.

“That is why I kissed you, Guillermo,” Nandor murmured, leaning back to press his face into his jaw, peppering little pecks there. “I love you too. But I was too dumb to acknowledge it. Until I thought I was losing you again.”

Shock flowed through Guillermo at both confessions, gripping the back of his neck to pull him further down into him, arousal sparking in his gut as a large hand clutched his hip and pulled them flush together, covering his mouth with his carefully but passionately.

Over six feet of solid muscle draped over him like an awning, and he had never felt more in tune with his own body before, letting himself get lost in the sensation.

Dios mio.

After a few seconds, minutes, or several years, his heart squeezed on the bridge of pain, his head spinning a little, his lips growing numb.

Breaking for air, he gasped, reminding both Nandor and himself, “B-Breathe, I-I need to breathe.”

Smiling apologetically, Nandor’s giant hand cupped his cheek, gaze boring into him.

“I know I’m not your boss anymore, Guillermo. But I would still like it very much if…if you kept your post as my heartguard.”

Now he was breathless for a whole different reason.

Beaming, his eyes stinging again, he brought his hand up and linked their fingers.

“Okay. Only if you’re mine too, though.”

“Deal.”

“Deal.”

Somewhere in the depths of the house, they heard Nadja let out a loud gag, followed quickly by, “Give it to him, good, Gizmo, and shut up already!”

Face on fire, he turned to him, leaning back in.

They still had a million and one things to talk about and work through. Obviously. Issues like theirs—problematic or otherwise—didn’t disappear with one, two, or even three admittedly fantastic kisses. But for now, their roommates had a point.

“Fucking vampires,” Guillermo chuckled.

“No,” Nandor replied with a sharp grin. “There’s just one vampire to fuck. Me."

Groaning at the dumb pun, Guillermo allowed himself to be kissed deeply and thoroughly, winding his hand into the silky, dark hair he adored and tugging.

It was as Nandor let out a quiet mewl (that he was definitely filing away for later) that he remembered the cameras. And the other people in the room. And his date.

“Wait, sorry,” he broke the kiss, his mouth already raw from beard burn and loving it before he turned to the crew.

“Can we have some privacy, guys? Please? And here, take my phone and text my date that I’m sorry I won’t make it, but he seems like a good guy, and I hope he meets someone else.”

He watched as the crewmember closest to him just barely caught his phone while the rest of the team just gaped at them, frozen in place, until a dark shadow cast over the room.

“He asked nicely,” Nandor said, his voice an octave lower than usual. “Do not make me ask not nicely.”

Not needing to be told twice, the crew scrambled to vacate the room, lugging their cameras and equipment behind them as Nandor reeled Guillermo back in, pushing him gently against the wall and cradling his head.

“Out, out!” he shooed over his shoulder, kissing along his jugular, his sharp fangs lightly scraping his skin and making him shiver. “We are a documentary, not a fucking porno!”

“No, save that for the honeymoon, old chap,” Laszlo’s muffled voice wafted from above. “And, if you need any pointers, let me know!”

E Rated Fics Masterlist (13)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 /

Created: November 15th, 2023

Last Checked:-----

Magnum Opus-DistrictZero (MythicallySnappy) (ao3) Summary: “Sometimes,” I say with a fortifying breath, “I wish you’d let me show you— what it feels like to be loved.”

Make Me-LemonLuvGirl (ao3) Summary: In which Katniss goes to her favorite bar to play pool and things go suddenly awry. I wrote this story in response to a request for a drabble featuring “Come over here and make me” + Everlark.

Making Up Lost Time-glintwarsgreatest (ao3) Summary: From the "Need" universe. Peeta shows Katniss the effect she has as they make up for lost time.

Masquerade-purple_cube (ao3) Summary: "I just want to see what it’s like to be completely anonymous, if only for a few hours."

Maybe This Summer-hutchabelle (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen needed a vacation. On a whim, she reserved three months at Panem Resorts in North Carolina. She expected to spend her time recovering from the recent death of her sister, exploring the nearby nature reserve, and reminiscing about happier times. What she didn’t foresee was bumping into Peeta Mellark, one of Panem’s most valued employees, during his early morning run. Neither did she think she’d grow to admire him when she’d hated him from first sight, but his killer smile and gorgeous blue eyes had a way of breaking down the walls she’d built around her heart. Maybe this summer she’ll finally get what she’s always deserved.

Maybe Tomorrow-katnissdoesnotfollowback (ao3) Summary: Written for the 2020 Everlark Fic Exchange to fill the prompt: one night stand everlark sleeping together the same night a terrible snowstorm hits the city and everything gets shut down with no way to get home. Perhaps a two night stand?

Mic Drop-hutchabelle (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen doesn’t share the details of her life with many people—that is until forced onto stage at an open mic night by her friend. Recently divorced and still smarting, Peeta Mellark buys her a drink, and they commiserate and debate the fine art of a real mic drop.

Mine-teetorini (ao3) Summary: She’s used to this by now—strange guests in dark suits showing up at her grandfather’s house at all times of the day. Thugs, her nanny calls them one evening before bed. And they are, most of them, often wandering down the halls with a glint of ill intent in their eye. “You stay in your room when they’re here. Do you understand?” her nanny asks, tucking away the last of Katniss’s toys in the white chest near her dresser. “Yes, nan.” Except for that night, she doesn’t listen.

Misbehavior-hutchabelle (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen is an accomplished, successful, well-liked science teacher in her West Virginia town. She has a particular way of doing things, and she's pretty sure people who don't follow suit are lacking in some way. Peeta Mellark, the young and newly-hired English teacher, sweeps into town with his charm and new-fangled teaching strategies and pushes every one of Katniss' buttons. They're both professionals, but how are they supposed to just stand by when the other is clearly wrong? A teachers!Everlark story in which hijinks ensue, rules are broken, and Finnick goads them both into misbehavior.

Moonrise-misshoneywell (ao3) Summary: Once a year, the twelfth colony of Panem makes sacrifices to the Clan of Claws. This time, the Lupine prince eagerly awaits their volunteer. In-Panem Fantasy AU.

Currently Watching - April

I am back 😊

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 27.04.2023

This may contain spoilers!

1. A Boss and A Babe (8/12 on Youtube)

I wasn't a big fan of ForceBook after watching Enchanté, but I really think it works in this drama. Cher is getting an internship at a gaming company. In his free time he runs an ASMR channel and the boss is a big fan of his voice (a thing I can't understand) and they start talking in the evenings so Gun, the boss, can finally manage to fall to sleep.

2. Bokura no Shokutaku aka Our Dining Table (4/10 on Gaga)

Hozumi Yutaka likes to cook and is good at it, but he can't eat infront of other people. Meeting Tane and his older brother Ueda Minoru his life seems to change and he may finally have found what his body and soul were longing for. A true comfort watch right now.

3. Happy Merry Ending (2/8 on Gaga)

As often with korean bls, this one is soooo short! Just 15 minutes per episode. But it was a good first epside. We meet SeungJun and JaeHyun and from the first moment we know that these two really find each other interesting. A wedding singer and a pianist. A wedding singer with social anxienty and trauma. I am invested!

4. My Story (2/10 on Youtube)

Every now and than I like to watch a pinoy-bl. The first episode was a mess and a bit boring, but I have a strong second-lead-syndrome! I love the secondary couple and they just slept together in one bed, but that was so cute! Looking forward to the next episodes!

5. Our Skyy 2 (2/16 on Youtube)

Can I be honest? The first story wasn't my thing. I enjoyed Never Let me Go, but this was not that good. Perhaps it was the time-travel-thing or some of the cringy dialogues...who knows. I am still looking forward to all the other episodes!

6. Step by Step (2/10 on Gaga)

Employee meets boss without knowing who he has met and crushes hard on him, just tells him what everyone thinks about the new boss and is just adorably clumsy infront of him. I like it a lot. I adore the friend group! I hope we get to see them support Pat a lot.

7. The Promise (7/10 on WeTV)

I like it. Are there cringy moments? Yes. Are there slapstick moments I can hardly deal with? Yes. Are there plotholes that bug me? Sure...but! I like it. I like Nan and Phu together and I love the slow burn and am I well entertained. I also enjoy little Party being the jealous king he is, who deeply care for Nan and if latter would choose him, i wouldn't be that angry!

8. Tin Tem Jai (8/10 on Gaga)

And we took 45 steps back and the show is kind of annoying like before...Park has no right to be this jealous...Just let Tin have a sweet first romance. You obviously can't give him what he needs or wants. Just let him date his senior...

9. Watashi to Otto to Otto no Kareshi aka Me, My Husband And My Husband's Boyfriend (4/10 on gaga)

Misaki is married to Yuuki. She nows something is off, because he doesn't really have interest in getting sexual with her. On the day before their wedding anniversary she sees him kissing a man infront of their home. It is her former student Shyuuhei, who also has a crush on her. Now they have to find a way to deal with everything. And I am on board!

10. Zenra Meshi aka Naked Dining - Love, Life and Liberation (2/12 on Gaga)

Everybody has their own way to release stress. Ichijo Futa eats naked. When he goes to his dead grandmother's house, he meets Miki Mahiro, who finds out about his eating preference. I don't know what will happen in those 12 episodes, but it is funny.

Finished in April

Series

1. Unintentional Love Story

I love this one and I will watch it again. The story is good, the acting is good too and I really liked the chemistry of the characters. It felt real and yes, I don't care about the dead-fish-kisses. Do I like them? Nope, but it doesn't smaller my joy of watching the show. I guess I just like series in general which deal with artsy stuff like pottery or books. It has quite a good vibe and a good portion of angst. Highly appreciated and recommended. A solid 9,5 out of 10 for me.

2. Bed Friend

This was a hard watch sometimes. Not just because Uea's life was really hard and full of trauma, but because he overcame his problems because he was loved by another person. Love can heal everything. That is something I don't believe and I can't tolerate in my media. Love can definitely help you, but not heal you. Uea needs help and not just the D. But this is fiction, I get it. 6 out of 10 for me.

3. Chains of Heart

This is one of the most visually stunning shows so far. Really beautiful shots and scenery. Therefor I love it. The plot was confusing in the beginning, but later on it got clearer. Mr. Lue/Din and Ken were my favorites. I loved their scenes together, especially episode 9. But the ending...I had really hoped for at least one talk between those two. Ken can be angry at him and tell him, what he needed to tell and Din could just explain himself and his actions. But no...just an open end where it is implied that they see each other again at the 7th of the 7th month...still not very happy with this ending, but I can make my peace with it...soon, I guess. Still 8 out of 10 for me.

4. The Eighth Sense

Perfection. I have nothing more to say. For me, this was one of the best I have seen so far. I have a soft spot for gay surfer dramas, so me liking this wasn't that surprising for me. But it was a really good series and I will rewatch it soon and often! 10 out of 10.

5. Destiny Seeker

This one gave me so many good, nostalgic feelings! It is such a college bl, but with a twist. And the twist is steaminess! Especially in the later episodes. Really good kisses. Besdes that I love a good enemies to lovers story and the lovers part was just so...cute! Just awww! A nice, short series, which didn't get the attention it deserves! It is a 9 out of 10 for me.

Short Film

The Summer Pasta Recipe

Hee Joon visits his ex-boyfriend Seon Woo. Together they prepare an italien pasta recipe and talk about the past and their relationship. Breakups can hurt and sometimes we need time to get over them and if we manage to look back and be okay with the past, perhaps we can hope for the other person not to forget us. In the end I feel kind of melancholic. 7 out of 10 for me.

2. S.A.M.

This is a UK production. GagaOOLala says this: "A tender exploration of love, sexuality and disability." And that is exactly what you can watch here. It is a quiet short film and shows us, that prejudices can't tell you shit about a person. 8,5 out of 10 for me.

Movie

Dropped/On Hold in April

Past Senger (7/12 on Gaga)

It just doesn't get any better. It's just boring and I don't like t that much. There are better things I can do with my time. Perhaps I'll binge it when all the episodes are out. We'll see. For now I don't want to deal with it anymore.

Looking Forward to in April (with MDL-Links)

Chul-soo (April 4th on Gaga)

Our Dining Table (April 6th on Gaga)

My Beautiful Man Eternal (April 7th / no international release date)

The Summer Pasta Recipe (April 11th on Gaga)

Naked Diner (April 14th on Gaga)

My Story (April 15th on Youtube)

A First Love Story (Finally back on Gaga on April 17th)

Step By Step (April 18th on Youtube and WeTV)

Our Skyy 2 (April 19th on Youtube)

Midnight Love (April 22nd on Youtube)

At The Moment (April 24th on Gaga)

Happy Merry Ending (April 27th)

La Pluie (April 29th on Youtube)

Timari Jan. day 8: childhood friends

@timari-month-event

The Culpa family were Waynes of Europe. They own Culpa Consolidated, a company rivaling Wayne Enterprises in not only their income, but reputation. C.C. owns many establishments across Europe and is spreading to Asia and the Americas. It's is known for their funding of causes, well payed employees, and its 'puts-up-with-no-bullshit' CEO, Felix Culpa.  

Every business person knows the rules of making business with C.C.

1. No Touching

2. No Getting Off-Topic at Meetings

And most of all,

3. No Talking About The Culpa Family

Everybody knows that Felix is a widow, raising his daughter by himself, with only the help of his in-laws and mother. The first time a potential client brought up his family, they ended up getting fired from their company for ruining a business deal. There are no pictures or information on his daughter on the internet, everyone in the building has signed an NDA.

Anyone who thinks that Felix's cold exterior would make him a bad parent is wrong. Felix would sooner stab himself in the eye with a fork than ever treat his little flower as anything less than a princess.

He used to catastrophize to Bridgette, late at night when she was pregnant with Marinette. He was terrified that he'd be a horrible father.

'Just like his.' The bastard who left his mother when he was just a child and then returned later when he was a teen to harass her.

But Bridgette always made sure he understood that he'd never be that man.  That wasn't Felix's problem right now. It was taking Marinette to her first publicized gala.

~

"Little Flower, you remember the rules, correct?" Marinette nodded yes for the third time that night. She understood her papa wanted to keep her safe, she wanted her papa to be safe too, but she's 9! She's a big girl, she can take care of herself.

All of her martial arts teachers made sure of that.

"If someone tries drag me away I yell, if everything gets to much I come find you, don't cause trouble, don't let anyone see Tikki or Kaalki or Trixx. I got it, Papa." Marinette was wearing her favorite fancy dress. She saved it just for today, her first gala. She'd been asking her Papa to go to one since she was 6.

"Okay then, Little Flower, we're here." They step into the Wayne Ballroom.

~

Tim was no stranger to gala's. He had been going since he was a baby. His parents basked in the attention they got from other attendees who coddled him in 'oh look how big you  are.' and 'look at you. Such a handsome young man.' And when the pampering stopped he just spent the rest of the night in the kids room, taking pictures with the camera he smuggled inside.

Tim knew almost all of the kids who regularly attended galas, they understood that he didn't want to play, so they didn't try to wrap him into their mischief or games. It's not that he didn't like having fun, ever kid did. It's was because his parents made it explicitly clear that if he caused a scene, there would be consequences.

So it confused him when he saw a girl his age he didn't recognize. His parent's made sure he could recognize and name anyone important he might ever meet, including their kids.

She wasn't trying to recruit him into a scheme, so he ignored her and it seemed like she was too.

Until she walked up to him.

~

Mari really didn't like how all of the people at the gala kept touching her. When her checks weren't being pinched, her hair was being petted. Thank the kwami her Papa excused her to the kids room.

She started drawing him her picture diary. She didn't finish the page, she had a feeling her night had yet to reach it's climax.

She noticed a boy her age on the other side of the room and decided to introduce her self. Her Papa's protectiveness had left her in need of friends. Her cousin Adrien was not her friend, he let Chloe bully her and told her that she had to be nicer to Chloe, if you're extra nice to her she'll be nice to you, that's what the friendship advise videos Natalie shows me say. At least her Papa let her go to school. It was maximum security and he made sure all of the faculty signed NDAs, but it was something.

"Hi, I'm Marinette!" She had a mix of English and French accent, English from living in London with her Papa and Nan, and French from her conversations with Grand-mère and Grand-père.

The boy hesitated to answer, "I'm Tim." His disinterested tone would have discouraged most other kids but Marinette was determined.

"Hi Tim! What are you doing?" She sat next to him on the couch.

"Taking pictures." He really wanted to tell her he didn't want to play but his parents would have his head if she ran off in tears because of him.

He really didn't like how she was staring at his camera, if she was the 'steal from other kids' type he was ready to throw hands, despite how small they were.

"That's a Nikon D760 DSLR, right?"

Well, that was unexpected.

"Yeah... How'd you know that?" Tim didn't mean to be stereotypical but she didn't look like a camera expert. She looked more like someone likely to be caught on the other end to be honest.

"My Uncle Claude uses the same model, he's a photographer for my Papa."

"Cool," He noticed the book under her arm and couldn't contain his curiosity, "What's that?"

She looked down at her book. Mari didn't usually let other people look in it, it was one of the only things she had from her Maman. It was a magically endless and her Maman had written a letter for her in on the first page. She rarely even let her Papa see it, but Tim was, for what reason she did not know, special. She could trust him, she didn't know why but she could.

"It's my picture diary. I on each page I make a drawing that sums up my day. Here's yesterday's." She opened the book to the page she drew on the day before.

~

They had spent the rest of the night talking about whatever they could. They were so deep into their conversation they didn't even notice their parents walk into the room.

"Tim." Janet's voice surprised him, he froze.

Mari didn't seem to notice his parents, she was distracted by trying to catch glimpse of her Papa in the crowd of parents. "I'll be back in a second, Tim." Great, now his parents could rip into him without worrying about someone hearing.

"What do you think your doing, talking to some random nobody girl? You should be making friends with children of important icons, it's important to make friends with people like that. It will make business better when you're running a company and you have friends in high places." Jack scolds.

"I better see you on better behavior next gala or so help me-" Janet was interrupted by Mari's introduction.

"Tim! This is my Papa!" Well Tim really didn't expect this, and from the looks of it, neither did his parents.

From first look Mari and Felix look nothing alike. But if you stare long enough you see that even though Mari inherited her eyes and hair from her mother, her posture and bone structure matched Felix's. It was clear that Felix had taught his little flower to be a lady, while keeping her personality intact.

"Mr. Culpa! What a surprise! I didn't know this little angel is your daughter?" Janet's personality change would have given an unprepared fool whiplash.  Luckily Tim was neither.

"Mr. and Mrs. Drake, a pleasure as always. It seem my Marinette has made friends with Tim." He smiles a little.

"I hear you'll be staying in Gotham for some time. We should plan play dates for them! Timmy here doesn't have to many friends, it would good for him to spend time with someone his age." Jack proposes.

With a little convincing from Mari's deadly puppy-dog eyes, Felix, Jack, and Janet plan met up times for the kids.

"You're off the hook this time. Don't mess this up." She whispers to him that night at home.

Tim was genuinely happy, for the first time in to long. He actually looked forward to the days ahead. Nothing could mess that up, Mari and Tim had something special, they just don't know it yet.

July 9, 2010 . . . A (Trail)Magical Evening at Drakesbad

By Rees Hughes

There are certain magical days on the Pacific Crest Trail that stand tall; days that rise above that broad forest of glorious days.   These are the days that your memory immediately races to when you reflect on your life on the trail.  There was the day we guessed our way around snow-covered Mt. Adams ending on a ridge with a commanding view of Mt. Rainier and a solstice sunset; the day we swam our way down Falls Creek marveling at the granite walls above Grace Meadows only to while away an afternoon in the soft, lush grass basking in the warm sun near Wilmer Lake; or the day we walked south from Cook and Green Pass past Kangaroo Springs to Lower Devils Peak with its ringside seat to the conflagration raging across the Klamath River Valley.  Every hiker has their transcendent days.

Such days do not always represent a confluence of everything wonderful.  It is their enchanted quality, what English writer Nan Fairbrother calls “exquisite moments,” that sets them apart.  Besides, time seems to blur the difficult and brighten the best experiences of these stellar days.  Such was the case this particular day.

The day dawned with vestiges of the tumultuous evening resting on the peaks above Lower Twin Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We tried to shake off as much moisture as possible but there was no alternative but to pack the tents wet again.  Dr. Howard tended to Don and Eli’s ailing feet.  Wet boots and long days had chaffed their feet raw with blisters compounding their discomfort.  There were unspoken thoughts of an early exit from the trail as it is no fun when each step hurts.  Perhaps a short day will improve spirits.

Speed bumps of late season snow gave way to long stretches of snow sheltered by the dense tree canopy.  I always find these situations wearing if not exhausting.  Climbing up and down the steep edges of the snow banks; picking your path around downed trees; add in a couple of postholes.   We carefully crossed several creeks swollen by the melt water and preceding night’s rainfall. About midday we reached the crest of a line of basalt cliffs that comprise Flatiron Ridge high above the Warner Valley and, more importantly, Drakesbad.

Drakesbad, initially established clear back in 1900 as a guest ranch, remains a rustic refuge accessible via a corrugated unpaved road seventeen miles in from Chester (which is pretty remote itself) or on foot.  There are only nineteen units at Drakesbad some of which still rely on kerosene lamps.  However, the price for a night rivals the cost of a month on the PCT.  Yet, during much of the summer, accommodations have been reserved for years.  It really is a Northern California Shangri-la.

As we made the long traverse down, we could see the steam rising from the hot spring pool set out in a broad meadow.  The siren song of happy voices pulled us forward.  Our own chatter focused on the possibility of reserving a space for dinner.

We set up our tents in the Park Service’s Warner Valley Campground, hung a line and did our best to give the high mountain sun a chance to dry out our saturated gear.  Howard and I were nominated to walk the half mile to Drakesbad to ask about a table for four in the well ventilated section.  We donned clean tee-shirts and tried to sponge away the most offensive trail musk.

As we stepped into the closed space of the dining room, even our deadened noses became aware of the aroma that accompanied us.  The colorful tablecloths festooned the light wood of the dining room.  The room was set for dinner.  Salad forks.  Second spoons.  Wine glasses.  The ambiance was simple but elegant.   The realization that we didn’t fit here made us yearn for the opportunity that much more.

A tall woman brusquely emerged from what appeared to be the kitchen.  She had the air of a person with a long list of urgent tasks and little time for hiker trash.  Our first efforts to turn on the charm bounced off her and fell impotently to the floor.

We continued, “Any chance, any chance at all, that there might be a way to handle four more this evening?”  We weren’t above inserting a hint of desperation in our request.

“The Ranch is full and we usually only have enough food for our paying guests,” she replied without a hint of sympathy.  There was a pause as she saw our crestfallen faces.  “I will check with the chef and see if there is likely to be extra food.”   Perhaps it was her Germanic accent that underscored the futility of our quest.   Perhaps it was that she didn’t seem to be heading off to ask anyone anything.

We turned to go, tails between our legs.  Don and Eli will be so disappointed.  We had hoped this would be an antidote for their blistered feet and bruised morale.

With one foot out the door, Howard asked if it might be possible to use the phone for a quick call home as our cell phones had not been working along this stretch of the PCT.

It was if Howard had uttered a magic incantation that had propelled us into a parallel universe.  We were Dorothy trying to get into Oz.  “Why didn’t you say you were on the Crest Trail,” Billie Fiebiger exclaimed.  “We always have enough food for PCT hikers.”  In fact, Billie gave us the key to the city.  “Use the showers (please) and the pool.  Make yourselves at home.  Come back at 7 p.m. although you may not be seated until later.”  Still shaking our heads at our good fortune and this rather mysterious turn of events, we hurried back to tell Don and Eli the news before the spell was broken.

As the four of us returned the dark clouds that had dogged us the past several days were building quickly.  But, the warm showers and the hydrothermal pool kept us occupied until the rumble of thunder became more aggressive. Within minutes the remaining blue patches of sky vanished.  Lightning forced us reluctantly to vacate the pool.  The hail drove us for cover under the eaves of the bathhouse.   The gusting winds pushed tentacles of rain toward even the most protected corners.

Valiant employees raced down the trail to the pool in an electric cart to rescue the castaways three per trip.  The meadow had been transformed into a Sargasso Sea and the pyrotechnics kept us all jumpy.  Eventually we were deposited in the Lodge where we were to wait until dinner.

The photo albums and memorabilia in the Lodge deepened our appreciation for just what a special place Drakesbad is.  For two generations the Sifford family had built and tended this Guest Ranch.  For over 60 years they reclaimed the facility after each harsh winter for its four months of annual operation.  It had to be a labor of love.  The facility was incorporated into the National Park in 1958.  For the past 19 years, Ed and Billie Fiebiger have served as the hosts, caretakers, and stewards of Drakesbad.

Ed, in his chef’s apron, called us for dinner.  We crossed to the dining hall and were promptly seated.  There were several choices of entrees.  Or, Ed suggested, “Try them all!”  Heaping plates were brought to each of us.  The folks at the adjacent table took a special interest in our story.  One of their group had come annually for nearly fifty years.  Another from their table was sent back to their cabin and instructed to return with some of their wine stash to be shared with us.  “White or red?”  “No”, she instructed her husband, “bring one of each.”  We were peppered with questions and asked quite a few of our own.  We soaked up the attention that comes with being minor celebrities.

Ed pulled up a chair.  He had a bigger than life quality and exuded a warmth that permeated the hospitality of this magical place.

My cynical side wanted to peer around to make sure that we were not being fattened up by some wicked witch.  But, Drakesbad is a place that replenishes your faith in the generosity of the human spirit.  Distrust, doubt, and skepticism have no place here.

And, there was desert too.  In fact, there were three kinds.  “Try them all!”

It was tempting to linger much longer than we did.  I confess that it was all I could to restrain myself from asking if they served breakfast too.

Eventually we said reluctant goodbyes and enthusiastic thank yous.  The rain had stopped by the time we walked back toward our campsite.  If we weren’t walking down the road with our arms around each other, singing and talking loudly, then it felt like there was that sense of conviviality. 

The storm had spread our clothes across our campsite and sent cascades of water around our tents.   But there was nothing capable of dampening our spirits on this magical day.

Degenerate Beauty Queen (Robin x Fem!Reader)

Summary: An old friend of Steve’s ends up having more in common with Robin than she thought.

  Strolling into Scoops Ahoy with torn black tights, a red kilt with a safety pin lamely fastened at the slit, and the sleeves of your white uniform blouse rolled up to your elbows, you scanned the store for Harrington only to be met with disappointment as he was nowhere to be seen. 

Being back in Hawkins was the last place you wanted to be, but anywhere was better than Lady Loretta’s Boarding School, which you had spent the past year at. It had been your parent’s idea in “getting your life back on track” after stealing and crashing a Hawkin’s police car into the quarry, and “beating Tommy H to a pulp”.

Finally, the line fizzled leaving you and the girl behind the counter in peace. Sweet was a simple word to describe this stranger, but nothing about her was simple in the slightest. For the first time since last October when Nancy Wheeler had rejected you on the porch of Tina Young’s house, you felt something that wasn’t anger or guilt - you weren’t quite sure what exactly it was that stirred in your chest, but it excited you as much as it scared you.

“Hey.” you breathed, picking at the polish on your nails as you eyed the cute, freckle-faced girl. “Is Harrington here?”

Ever so slightly the girl’s lips parted and her brows raised as she stared in awe at you, completely taken by the way the collar of your blouse had flipped up and the buttons were undone just low enough to draw the eye, but high enough not to reveal anything you didn’t want to be seen.

“Huh?” she swallowed roughly, straightening up in her spot. “You want hazelnut ice cream?”

“No, I want Harrington,” you smirked, truly soaking up the attention her eyes were giving you. “Cute outfit by the way. Is Harrington dressed like that too?”

Oh, the woes of a cute girl lusting after Steve Harrington and not even glancing her way - a feat Robin knew far too well since the godforsaken incident of Tammy Thompson in sophomore year.

“Harrington, you’ve got a visitor!” Robin called, stepping away from the counters as her gaze dropped to the graffitied toes of her converse shoes. 

“Who?” he asked, sliding open the window that separated the back room from the storefront. His eyes widened in surprise before his jaw nearly dropped on the floor. “y/n? You’re back!”

Strutting around the counter and hopping over the small gate that separated the patrons from the employees. You walked passed Robin and allowed your Strawberry mist to overwhelm her senses. She watched almost sadly as you and Steve just stood before one another, neither saying a word. Robin wondered if you’d kiss him tenderly, and what your lip gloss would taste like on the tip of his tongue.

In one swift movement, your arm wrapped around his neck as you tugged him toward you - trapping Steve Harrington in a headlock.

“Why the fuck didn’t you write to me in the last three months?” you growled, albeit playfully, as you rubbed your knuckles against his head. “You little shit! I was bored out of my mind!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he panted, which led you to free him from your grip. “Shit, have you been lifting weights or something? I got busy doing this shitty job, just ask Robin.”

“Uhh-” Robin stammered as you turned your attention over to her with an amused look playing on your lips. “Uh yeah, yeah our boss is shit. He leaves us in charge while he’s out of town. Wh-which is like every week.”

“Alright, I’ll let it slide.” you gave in, settling against the back counter as you hoisted yourself up and onto it. “Only because of Robin.” you smiled, shooting a little wink her way.

“So you two aren’t…?” Robin trailed off, her lips parting to show the whites of her teeth as she looked at the two of you - It could’ve been a trick of the eye, but you swore she had blushed in your presence.

“Oh, God! No, no, Stevie and I are just friends by circumstance,” you explained, exchanging grossed out looks between you and Steve. “We hated each other for months.”

“It’s true.” Steve shrugged, pursing his lips to the side as he nodded, sitting opposite of you on the other counter. “That is very true.”

“What was the circumstance?” Robin quirked a brow, amused by how two completely different people managed to become friends.

“We liked the same person.” You sang nonchalantly, swing your feet two and fro. Robin’s brows furrowed as she let your words process, trying to figure out if she had heard you correctly. “Then that person broke our hearts and the rest is history. Right my boy?”

“Yes, she’s the ol’ ball and chain, that’ll probably drag me down to the bottom of the quarry someday.” Steve sighed, locking your foot between his ankles to stop your fidgeting. 

“Oh.” was all Robin could manage.

There was a silence in the air, settling amongst the three of you for far too long.

“Ugh!” you craned your neck back with a groan. “We gotta do something, I need to go get drunk and out of this god-awful uniform.”

“Well I can’t, I’m closing tonight, all by myself.” he pouted with a pleading look in his eyes. “Wanna stay here for another six hours and keep me company after Robin leaves at five?”

“As thrilling as that sounds, and believe me I’m enthralled by the idea, I better get home before my parent’s figure out I didn’t go to my nan’s house straight away from the train station.” You sighed theatrically as you slid off the counter. “Call me, Harrington. I missed your dumbass.”

Just as you exited the threshold of the store, you spun around one last time, offering a military salute his way - It had become a one side joke between the two of you, as Steve had been convinced you were sent to military school for the first month of your stay. 

And just like that, you walked out of the store, leaving Robin weak in the knees and Steve with a sore scalp and messy hair.

     Robin tiredly trecked through the mall shamelessly in her sailor costume as her shift had come to a close. She’d be lying just a bit if she didn’t feel bad about abandoning Steve for the rest of the night, but alas she had already done her eight hours, and his hell had only just begun. 

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Robin began frantically sifting through the keys on her keyring for the one that fit her bike lock, though it was no use. Beneath her breath she let out a string of curses, trying to think back to where it could have possibly fallen off.

“Looking for this, birdie?” 

Spinning around on her heels, still crouched by the bike rack, Robin was surprised to see you leaning against the pillar of the mall’s entrance. With a cigarette between your lips and the missing key held out like an offering, you watched her like a cat would a mouse. The evening sun glowed behind you like a halo, and the smoke from your lit cigarette melded into the blinding light.

“You dropped it on your way out, I thought I’d meet you out here to give them back,” you admitted almost nervously as if you had completely read her wrong earlier in the ice cream parlour. As you closed the space between the two of you, Robin got to her feet despite her legs turning to absolute jelly whenever you were around.

“I could be wrong,” She quirked a bow as she brushed her palms against the navy fabric of her shorts. “But I feel like you were waiting for me.”

“And if I was?” you asked lowly, not taking your eyes off of Robin as you brought the cigarette to your glossy lips. 

“Well, then, I would dare to ask why?” Robin challenged, an amused grin pulling at the corner of her lips as her fingertips brushed against your palm, taking the key back from your clutches. “Or is it just my lucky day?”

“Look’s like your luck just ran out, birdie.” Inching closer and closer, the toes of your black lacquer shoes nearly touched that of her sneakers, only did you look away when your gaze dropped to the back tire of her bicycle.

“Huh?” she breathed, hypnotized by the shapes your lips made when you called her ‘birdie’.

“Your bikes gotta flat,” you repeated, pointing your long, black painted fingernail toward the issue at hand. The gold bangles that clinked together around your wrist may have irritated Robin had it been adorned by anyone else, but from coming from you it was simply beautiful. 

“Aw shit!” she seethed, kneeling back down to take a closer look. “Some asshole slashed my tire.”

“Can you still walk it? I have a spare tire you could use…” you offered, a sympathetic look washing over your features. “My house isn’t too far from here, and I never ride my bike.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, not wanting to be a nuisance. “I can pay you for the tire.”

“No, I don’t want your money.” you sighed, plucking the key back from her hand, and began away at the bike lock. 

You didn’t want money, you just didn’t want to be alone.

     Walking down Cornwall Street, the two of you slowly walked in silence save for the squeak of her flat tire. Over and over again, you replayed the scene in your head, looking, searching and wondering “had there been something there?”

Had Robin simply humouring you in a friendly way, or had it been an undertow of flirting, the kind that couldn’t outright be shown in a town like Hawkins.

While you worried yourself sick about the details of your earlier interaction, Robin was left awestruck by the fact that she was walking alongside the most beautiful girl she had ever laid eyes on. You had spent more time looking at her than any girl had before, even in the presence of Steve “The Hair” Harrington. A roll of thunder had startled both of you out of your intrusive thoughts, resulting in your hand tightly gripping her wrist as she clung to the handlebars of her bike. 

“Sorry.” you murmured, quickly letting go. “Stupid thunder made me jump.”

“No, no that’s…cool.” she nodded, trying as hard as she could to remember the feeling of your skin on her’s. The cold drops of rain offered relief from the warmth of her burning cheeks, perhaps the perfect interruption.

“C’mon, we can wait out the storm at my house. Yeah?” you said, nodding toward the last house on the left.

The two of you giggled like maniacs, getting drenched by the summer storm as you ran down the street. 

     Abandoning the squeaky bike in your driveway, Robin followed closely behind, nearly dripping over the sopping wet shoelaces of her sneakers that had come undone. As the hem of your skirt bounced with every step, Robin felt as though this had all been some sort of daydream. That if she truly opened her eyes, she’d be back in the ice cream parlour and still be hypnotized by your strawberry mist. 

“Hurry! I’m freezing.” You let out a strained laugh, as you lifted the heavy glass of your bedroom window. “Thank God I live in a bungalow, otherwise we’d be scaling the side of a two-story house-” pursing your lips to the side, you looked over your shoulder playfully. “I’m sure Steve has told you about his Wheeler house escapades.”

“I can’t believe that dingus was the hot shot of the school. I swear every girl liked him.” she rolled her eyes, glancing away from your bum as you hoisted yourself through the window, leaving your skirt to lift. 

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him. He’s just a dork with a lot of hair.” you laughed, reaching through the threshold to grab onto her forearms and help her through. “Watch you’re head, God only knows how many times I’ve smashed my skull on it.”

There was something about sneaking a girl into your bedroom the left a giddy feeling in your stomach, and you swore you never wanted the feeling to fade. You were careful not to make too much noise - not that it mattered, it wasn’t like your parents were home to hear - you were simply a creature of habit, through and through. 

“Sorry if it’s kind of a mess, I haven’t been here in months.” You admitted, though there wasn’t much of a mess to complain about.

Your eyes followed Robin as she looked at the polaroids tapped to your vanity, and the cracked picture frames that sat on top of your dresser. A rather grumpy looking girl wearing a dress with far too many ruffles and purple eyeshadow with sparkles that could be practically seen from Saturn seemed to catch her interest. 

“Is this you?” she grinned, shocked to see you dressed so glamorously

“Unfortunately. That was from freshman year spring fling. I was supposed to go with Nancy and Barb but um, I don’t know, they kind of bailed on me last minute.” you cringed, reaching up into your closet, and pulling out a pile of clothes. “You’re gonna catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes. Let me get you a tee and some shorts.”

“Oh, okay.” she swallowed roughly, glancing down to the black lace bra that seemed quite apparent beneath the wet, white blouse. Fumbling to catch the oversized “Hawkin’s athletics” shirt and loosely fitted shorts, Robin stumbled over her words as she tried to thank you.

As Robin excused herself to change in the small, connected washroom, you flopped backwards and hummed with content, practically sinking into your mattress - never again would you have to lay on the stiff cots at Lady Loretta’s Boarding School. Shimmying out of your skirt and tights, and undoing the buttons of your shirt before slipping into your favourite sleep shirt.

“You should’ve been in band, you would’ve fit right in-” Robin had quite literally been a loss for words, unable to finish her thought as the mere sight of you in your long shirt, taking a swig from the flask you had left in your bedside table, and your hair damp with rain.

“Hmm?” you hummed, gently wiping your mouth with the back of your wrist. Looking down at your flask, then back to Robin, you held it toward her. “Want some?”

Now Robin wasn’t much of a drinker, not much of a drinker at all really, but the more she sipped and the more you laughed at her jokes, she began to understand the appeal. The more she drank, the less she worried about the little anxieties that had plagued.

     By the time the flask was finished, you were both tipsy, curled onto your sides nearly nose to nose beneath the purple covers of your bedspread and the storm raged on - the rain pelted against your window almost violently, and yet it was so soothing you could’ve fallen asleep.

“They were always closer in our little trio, Nancy and Barb, I mean.” You whispered with half-lidded eyes, gently tracing shapes on the fabric of your pillow. “I always wanted just a sliver of Nancy’s attention. But her attention went from Barb to Steve, and then Steve to Jonathan…but never to me…never like that.”

Robin remained quiet for the first time since the brandy had set into her system, no longer giggling at everything, no longer as tipsy as she swore she was.

“And then you looked at me in that stupid sailor outfit, and for the first time,” your voice wavered, blinking away the hot tears that had begun to well in your eyes. “For the first time, I felt something. I felt something that wasn’t anger or-or rejection. I looked at you and I knew you were looking at me the same way.”

Clenching your teeth together, you stared in horror as Robin failed to say anything at all. Your heart stopped, you were certain it had. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m drunk and-” your words became muffled as soft, supple lips pressed into yours. 

Hesitantly at first, then hungry and frantic all at once, Robin kissed you as if it were the first and last time she’d get the chance. The palms of her hands were a bit clammy as they cupped at your cheeks and neck, but you didn’t mind, not in the slightest. The blood drained from your knuckles as you took a fistful of her shirt, almost afraid of the feeling that built in your chest.

Finally pulling back to breathe, Robin found herself unable to open her eyes, in fear that this had all just been a pretty dream - but it hadn’t. You still laid in front of her with a dreamy look plastered on your face, and your lipgloss had tasted like raspberry on her mouth.

For the Love of Food

So where does my love of food come from? I firmly believe that my passion for all things food related and my willingness to try almost anything stems from my childhood and my family upbringing. My much loved Nan and Grandad must take most of the credit as from a very early age I was introduced to a wide variety of home-grown and home-cooked foods. My Grandad was an avid gardener growing a whole manner of fruit and vegetables in his garden. He showed me the delights of growing runner beans, cabbage and cauliflower along with a whole range of soft fruit ranging from English plums to gooseberries. My Nan like my Grandad was old school so everything in the kitchen was made from scratch using what was grown in the garden. I can still remember watching her cook and learning how to make pastry and cakes from basic ingredients.

Some of my fondest memories as a child are of the big family meals we had at their house at 218, London Road Waterlooville (sadly now demolished). At various times during the school holidays my cousins, uncles and aunties would all come to stay. This would be a big event for me as we would have fantastic traditional roast dinners with all the trimmings and yes if you didn’t eat your vegetables you most definitely wouldn’t get any dessert! To be honest I wasn’t a fussy eater even as a kid. As I recall it was only Brussels sprouts and Stilton cheese that I could have quite happily avoided throughout those formative years. The only real problem I had at these family meals was whether I could finish my meal and get to that last roast potato before my cousin Glen, who despite being younger than me could always match me for appetite.  My much missed Mum carried on the tradition set by her parents and although home-cooking has changed a lot over the years she has always instilled the same values in me to experiment and try everything at least once.

My Mum worked as a waitress in a local café called The Black Cat Café. I can remember going to work with her on one occasion and being allowed to watch what went on in the kitchen. My clearest memory here is one of the veg prep guys giving me a raw carrot to try. I had always eaten carrots from my Grandad’s garden but cannot recall eating them raw so this was a new experience. Even now I can still taste that distinct flavour which was somewhat of an epiphany moment for me. Like eating your first oyster or you first taste of true caviar this was a profound moment for me.

Another early food memory is also somewhat unusual. My Nan and Grandad lived in a big house next to a petrol station. The station had one of the first vending machines I can remember on the forecourt next to where the air and water could be found. This particular vending machine dispensed milk shake. My particular favourite was a raspberry milk shake which became a firm favourite with me so much so that if ever I had any money this would be my first purchase. The petrol station is still there but the machine has long gone but the taste of this milk shake still lingers in my senses. Every so often if I taste very fresh raspberries I get transported back in time to this very happy period in my life.

Food always seems to give me happy memories so it is probably no surprise that I followed my nose 9and stomach) into the industry. I began my adventure by training  as a Chef at Highbury College in Cosham. At the time I started there I was a fresh faced sixteen year old. The catering facility at Highbury was only a year old and at the time regarded as one of the best places to learn the trade in the UK. I studied there for three years from 1981 to 1984 and was as proud as anything to emerge with my Diploma in Professional Cookery. If my family gave me my love of food then the lecturers and college definitely fed my addiction. It was one of the happiest times of my life and I am forever grateful to all my lecturers and fellow students who taught me so much that stood me in good stead for later life. I would heartily recommend to anyone thinking of studying catering to go ahead and do it. Even if you never cook professionally after you leave, the skills you learn there will be with you for life.

I can still remember my first day at college as one of the new influx of PCD (Professional Cookery Diploma) students. We were all resplendent in a blizzard of spotless white jackets and blue checked trousers, wearing our new uniforms with pride for the very first time. Our aprons were trailing down to the floor and our starched hats were pointing proudly to the ceiling, we really must have been quite a sight. Over the years our aprons shortened until eventually they were folded into nothing more than miniskirts that just about covered our crutches; while the starched Mohawk-like hats were replaced by neat uniform disposable paper ones. We had finally come of age and were ready to launch our talents onto an unsuspecting world. Looking back it was hard work and frightening at times but honestly worth every second and an experience I would do all over again if I had the chance. It was the days before politically correctness had reared its head so it was a harsh environment for a young teenager.

Saying that the harshness was nothing to what I found when working in a professional kitchen. For a short while I was able to work as a Commis in The Café Royal, Claridge's, Langans Brasserie and Simpson's in the Strand. Working as a Chef in London was fresh, exciting and frightening. Working as a Commis you were on of the lowest ranked employees only one up from the pot wash. You were treated with disdain and generally verbally and sometimes physically abused. Nowadays this sounds horrific but it was pretty standard at the time in the industry. London tended to amplify this somewhat but wherever you worked in the UK it was pretty much the same. This harsh treatment either broke you or made you stronger. The restaurant trade has always been pretty transient so to survive you had to be strong. As a Commis you had to prove yourself before you were let anywhere near a stove. Although I was a qualified chef I spent 6 months peeling and turning potatoes, turning mushrooms and preparing the mise en place ready for service. I can remember many occasions when my julienne of carrot or my bruinoise of vegetables was unceremoniously thrown in the bin because it was not perfect. Through sheer persistence I managed to survive and once I gained the trust of the brigade I was able to watch and learn from the more senior Chefs. As time went on I was allowed to do more and more in the kitchen until I was welcomed as one of the team. I still have very fond memories of the loud punk music played prior to service and the sense of belonging I felt as part of the team. Outside of work we played hard and in London this could be very hard but I had a lot of fun and learnt a great deal.

My experience in London was for a relatively short time but it is an experience that has left its mark on me both personally and professionally. To this day I have a strange affinity with London and simply love the old school restaurants there. My career took me back down to the South Coast and away to sea working front of house for a change before ending up as a Food Buyer procuring high end products for the cruise industry. I have never forgotten my roots and although my time in the front line was brief I still regard it as one of the best experiences of my life. I am indebted to my college lecturers who got me the placements and hopefully I have paid my dues to the industry.

At home I still cook every day and still get that same sense of enjoyment I felt at 16. I genuinely love food and will try just about anything if I feel it is something that I might enjoy. I am frequently asked what is the best meal I have ever eaten. I have been lucky enough after nearly 40 years in the industry to have eaten in a lot of top restaurants and to have had the opportunity to try a myriad of dishes across the world. I have tried many unusual dishes and as a Food Buyer had the opportunity to taste many new and innovative ingredients before they reach the trade.

It therefore can come of something of a surprise when I reveal my favourite meal is not only very simple but from a most unusual food outlet. The location was Hong Kong International Airport around 2005 in restaurant which if my memory serves me correct was situated upstairs on Level 8 of the main concourse above the various check in desks. The restaurant itself is very simple, quite large but very unassuming. It was early morning and I was catching a flight back to the UK. I was not particularly hungry so I was just looking for something light before my flight was ready to board.

I opted to go for a simple Prawn Foo Yung. The picture above is exactly what was presented to me. You cannot see it on the picture as the colours are pretty subdued but the scrambled egg was almost orange in colour. To this day it is the freshest egg I have ever eaten. For such a simple dish the flavours were exceptional and taught me that to have a great dish sometimes simplicity is really the best. As long as you use good quality ingredients less really is more. Sometimes the most complex recipes containing multiple ingredients are no better than a single ingredient prepared well.

Life can quite easily be compared to food Choose your friends and your ingredients carefully and you will find that good friends and good ingredients can give you much happiness. As a Chef I can give you no better advice than love your life and love your food.

Janis & Jimmy

Janis: 💕 Jimmy: afternoon Janis: you wish Jimmy: Hang on, I love to serve ☕ what have you heard? Janis: oh soz Janis: obvs it's your passion and calling Jimmy: that's better tah Janis: got time to chat to me or you too busy being in love with the work Jimmy: you saying I can't do both? bit rude Jimmy: 🥇 me Janis: 😏 Janis: then tell me something I don't know Jimmy: you're planning the 2nd date Jimmy: so crack on Janis: but you did such a 🥇 job Janis: plus that means you get the 3rd and everyone knows thats the best one Jimmy: If you ain't up to the challenge, babe Janis: did I say that Jimmy: said it for you 💕 Janis: very rude Janis: 😒 Jimmy: you gonna prove me wrong then or what? Janis: keen Janis: but alright, it's a yet to be determined date Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: any chance I can tell you something you do know now? Janis: I'll allow it Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: I miss you Janis: I miss you too Janis: even if this beds more comfy without you Jimmy: actually 💔 Jimmy: I ain't gonna hurry back then, smoothie in hand Janis: didn't say I liked it Janis: 😞 Janis: don't be mean Jimmy: Oi who's 💔 who here Janis: me Jimmy: Baby Janis: when are you back, actually Jimmy: not for a bit Jimmy: 🎻🎻🎻 Janis: least you've got the orchestra keeping you company Janis: what about me Jimmy: you've got the 🐕 Janis: you don't even like the dog, not fair Janis: send Pete, you're being selfish Jimmy: I don't like classic FM either Jimmy: & Pete ain't in yet Jimmy: got any more 🎯 you wanna take or what? Janis: ugh, can this day get any worse Janis: new girl in? Jimmy: gets 1st dibs on every shift going her Jimmy: what do you reckon? Janis: poor baby Janis: remember when you were the favourite Jimmy: Piss off, it's your fault I ain't Janis: Oi, don't Jimmy: I never said it mattered to any dickhead but my manager Janis: well Janis: mia too, obvs Jimmy: she posted owt yet? Janis: not that I've seen Janis: not looked that hard, like Jimmy: 🤞 she's 💀💀💀 from her 💔 Janis: or she needs a new 👃 Jimmy: Can Gracie even 👊 that hard? Janis: probably not Janis: but her bones are brittle Jimmy: that solves that she's turned to dust Jimmy: one bit crumbled and there was nowt to stop the rest from going an' all Janis: meh, she's like voldemort Janis: do a little human sacrifice with the remaining and she'll be back stronger than ever Jimmy: looks like him, yeah Janis: what's that make gracie Jimmy: the one with all the hair and insanity Janis: 😂 Janis: checks out Janis: she was in 💘 with him Jimmy: there you go then Janis: she wishes her tits were that big Jimmy: might have given her the time of day if they were Janis: you or voldemort Jimmy: both probably Janis: 🙄 Janis: shut up Jimmy: what you doing today other than wishing my bed was bigger an' all Janis: size don't matter, babe Jimmy: 😱😱😱 Jimmy: why you trying to make me cry? Janis: gotta have a hobby Janis: seeing as I've fuck all else to do Jimmy: well I were gonna ask you what I'd have to do for you to get you to do my 🍀 homework Jimmy: but now I don't trust you not to let the 🐕 eat it Janis: a lot Janis: don't do homework 🤓 Jimmy: go on Jimmy: name it Janis: let me think Jimmy: 👌 Jimmy: keep in mind I ain't done a single piece since I got here Janis: then why bother Janis: pointless subject Jimmy: don't want them giving my dad a bell Janis: don't expect to pass Jimmy: they said I had the hols to crack on and 'show willing' nowt's been said about 🥇 Janis: write with my right hand Janis: 👍 Jimmy: Alright, super spy, calm down Janis: hardly Janis: you're northern, needs to be illegible Jimmy: what do you want then? Janis: do it for free Janis: as it's my fault you aren't favourite anymore Jimmy: must be 💕 Janis: you know I don't like being in debt Jimmy: you know I don't give a shit about no employee of the month 🏆 Jimmy: I'd take being 🥇 with you on that counter over owt else Janis: you don't regret it Jimmy: that you saying you do? Janis: no Janis: was asking Jimmy: did you think I did? Janis: maybe Janis: idk Jimmy: come here and I'll show you how I really feel Janis: if you're going to throw coffee on me, I'd rather we skip the audience Jimmy: if that's a kink of yours I can get you a job Jimmy: happens near every shift that Janis: not sure I want you training me Jimmy: 💔 Jimmy: so mean today you Janis: 🤷 Jimmy: roll over and get out the other side of my bed tah Janis: what's it to ya Jimmy: no 😭😭😭 in front of or on the customers Jimmy: bit of a rule Janis: no need to cry, boy Janis: I'll stay away Jimmy: 👍 Janis: I am taking your dog though Janis: will bring it back Jimmy: keep it Jimmy: 🤷 Janis: more trouble than she's worth Jimmy: tell me something I don't know Janis: bark is almost scary if you don't know her Jimmy: 😂 to who? Jimmy: 🙀 you, babe Janis: 😒 Janis: better than nothing, thank you Jimmy: is it? Janis: 🤞 Jimmy: keep telling you to just leave her in the park Jimmy: too nice you Janis: if she don't pull her weight then I will Janis: sell her instead Jimmy: nowt she can do so crack on Janis: I'm giving her a last chance Janis: nothing if not fair Jimmy: nowt if not 😍 Jimmy: 🐕💕 Janis: don't be jealous Janis: not going nowhere fun Jimmy: don't have to be to beat what I'm up to Janis: where the 🎻 got to? Jimmy: every dickhead's due a break Janis: just don't let the 🎺 smoke Janis: ruin their livelihood Jimmy: be a bit rude if I were the one to stop them Jimmy: 😎🚬 Janis: gotta be tough, babe Jimmy: that'll be why I need you Janis: don't make me soft Jimmy: why would I do that? Janis: you always do and I Jimmy: You want me to stop? Janis: no Janis: I just need to be tough right now Jimmy: Alright Janis: just gotta do something Janis: if it goes smoothly, maybe I'll catch you on your break? Jimmy: 👌 Jimmy: in a bit then Janis: Actually? Janis: or are you just mad Jimmy: what have I got to be 😒 about? Janis: if you're not then good Jimmy: 👍 Janis: 🙌🎊 Jimmy: aint you got something on? Janis: en-route Janis: but alright Jimmy: won't be alright when the 🐕 pulls you into the road and to your 💀💀💀 Janis: okay dad Janis: capable of walking and dog walking, as it goes Jimmy: stop pissing about Jimmy: and leave it out Janis: how am I Jimmy: 🙄 Janis: 😑 Jimmy: why are you being weird? Janis: Don't call me weird Jimmy: that's not an answer Janis: You don't want one Janis: we wanna move on from all that shit Janis: not bring more up Jimmy: if you're gonna be off with me then yeah, I do Janis: Just Jimmy: What? Janis: I don't know what I want Janis: I don't wanna talk about it but I still wanna talk to you Janis: bu then I can't 'cos I've got nothing else on my brain 'cept Jimmy: I'll sort it for you and stop talking to you for a bit Janis: 👌👌 Janis: great Jimmy: I ain't gonna force to you say owt you don't wanna so there's nowt else I can do Jimmy: is there? Janis: Whatever Janis: helped me make up my mind Janis: won't bother you anymore Jimmy: Don't be a dickhead Jimmy: you know where I am if you wanna see me Jimmy: we don't have to talk Janis: You Jimmy: you Janis: This is ridiculous Jimmy: leave it out then Janis: why can't you, dickhead Jimmy: I love you Jimmy: tell me what to fucking do Janis: I'm sorry Janis: I didn't mean to do this Jimmy: What are you trying to do? Janis: the other night Janis: when I went Janis: I did something stupid Janis: I'm trying to fix it, do something good Jimmy: You're alright though Jimmy: whatever happened Jimmy: you're alright Janis: Yeah Janis: but I still need to undo something Jimmy: I'll give you a hand Janis: you're too nice Janis: people are dicks Janis: me especially Jimmy: You're nice Jimmy: and we're a team Janis: I'm shit at this Janis: actually shit Jimmy: Bollocks Jimmy: you're so good Jimmy: 🥇 girlfriend Janis: I've caused so much needless stress today alone, like Jimmy: no Jimmy: it ain't your fault that in my head I always reckon I've done something wrong Janis: a lot of this was though Janis: I can own it Janis: and do better Jimmy: Me an' all Jimmy: sorry Janis: don't be sorry for being nice Janis: I love you Jimmy: don't make up your mind to dump me Janis: I'm not stupid Janis: I need you Janis: well more than you need me Jimmy: no dickhead needs owt more than I need you Jimmy: I'm not having that Janis: so you're saying I don't need to do more to make it worth your while? okay, like Jimmy: I'm saying you don't need to do owt to keep me here Jimmy: I'm staying Jimmy: you can't do owt to stop me Janis: alright Janis: hot Jimmy: you Janis: I miss you Jimmy: you don't have to Janis: I could come in and pretend I'm busy 💻 Janis: got Irish homework to do, like Jimmy: so come on Janis: I will Janis: I've got to try and get rid of this thing first Janis: but 🤞 this bloke will take it Jimmy: bit rude to chat about the 🐕 like that when she's so 💕 for you Janis: she's the muscle Janis: which you rudely 😂 at Jimmy: yeah so 🏆💪 her Jimmy: just don't 💀💀💀 Jimmy: alright? Janis: I won't Janis: I'm fast Janis: and that's providing it goes wrong anyway, which it won't Jimmy: such an athlete I ain't forgotten Janis: If I tell you, you won't tell my nan Janis: actual love of your life Janis: yeah? Jimmy: 🤐 me Jimmy: that's how she likes it Janis: you're so gross Janis: I just got some gear when I ran off Janis: but I don't need it now so I'm getting rid Jimmy: who to? Janis: idk Janis: it ain't like weed or pills so I couldn't just fob it off on any random cunt from school Jimmy: how did you find him then? Janis: just put it on socials Janis: not mine, obvs Janis: right people find it Jimmy: but he can't find you Janis: nah, I'm meeting him in big park Janis: people about but not enough I'll get caught or nothing Jimmy: when? Janis: now Janis: told you I was en-route Janis: just want rid, tbh Jimmy: you could've told me when I had chance of getting there Janis: you know why I didn't Janis: like you said, Twix 💕 me, she'll protect me Jimmy: 😒 Jimmy: you know why you should've Jimmy: I'll protect you Janis: It'll just be a harmless old junkie Janis: and then I'll come and see you and it'll all be alright Jimmy: you don't know that Jimmy: shit happens in a second Janis: I promise Janis: he's more nervous sounding than I am, gonna throw the cash at me lowkey Jimmy: just Janis: I didn't wanna worry you Janis: I swear, it'll be all good Jimmy: next time, worry me Janis: I'm not planning on doing it again Jimmy: works for owt else too Janis: Alright Janis: I'll try to remember Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: I love you Janis: I love you more Jimmy: Oi Janis: oi oi Janis: ? Jimmy: I love you more, shut up Janis: you cannot silence me Jimmy: challenge accepted Jimmy: [sends a 🔥 sext to try and stun her into silence] Janis: not saying that was my master plan but Janis: 🤤 Janis: fuck me Jimmy: [more because trying to make her speechless as here for everything she just said as he would really be lol] Janis: idk if this is the mood Janis: maybe if I show up turned on it'll freak him out Janis: 🤔 Jimmy: 😒 Janis: don't be mad Janis: only make it worse Janis: 😩 here baby Jimmy: you challenged me, it's your own fault Janis: just can't stop being hot, you 😏 Jimmy: 🥇 or nowt baby Jimmy: you were warned Janis: nothing could of prepared me for you 💘 Jimmy: even if you're taking the piss that's how I feel about you still Janis: 😳 actually Janis: well done Janis: and I meant it too, even if I covered it with an impenetrable layer of sarcasm Jimmy: stop 😳 he'll think you're 😰 Janis: might think it's good shit Janis: I'm a great bullshitter, can't deny that Jimmy: about as good as you are an actress Jimmy: but he don't know you so crack on Janis: 😒 excuse you Jimmy: no Jimmy: I don't want you to be able to bullshit me Janis: I'm not gonna Janis: bit late for that now Jimmy: is it? Janis: yeah Janis: you know things Janis: like the mafia Jimmy: Alright Janis: is it? Jimmy: I just Jimmy: it weren't like I expected my mum to turn round and do a massive bunk one day so Jimmy: I can't get my head round getting to keep you about Janis: nah Janis: I get that Janis: like, I don't fully, obvs but Jimmy: I don't always get it myself Jimmy: it's alright Janis: that's understandable Janis: don't reckon anyone or anything prepares you for that either Janis: reckon first pets are meant to but hamster don't = sister, let alone ma Jimmy: I probably should've seen it coming living with Ian as long as she did do earned her a 🏆 Janis: not ever a barrel of laughs Janis: I believe it Jimmy: I can't remember the two of them ever not having a go at each other Jimmy: could be 🎄 or 🎂 Jimmy: they'd still crack on Janis: s'shit Janis: fairplay for putting a stop to that nonsense but could've left a forwarding address Janis: jesus Jimmy: a ditch ain't got one in fairness to her Jimmy: not enough for post at least Janis: you think Jimmy: I have done Janis: could be Janis: anywhere Janis: that's the worst Jimmy: or nowhere Janis: yeah Janis: do you reckon Ian knows more than you lot or is he as in the dark Jimmy: Depends Jimmy: sometimes I reckon he knows everything but other times nowt Janis: and even if he did fancy a chat Janis: yeah Jimmy: and if he did her in, ain't gonna admit it Jimmy: to me or the proper 👮🚔 Janis: you thought that too Janis: how could you not Janis: think every which way when you've got nothing to go on Jimmy: got form Jimmy: only have to give her a smack, she hits her head or whatever Jimmy: happens Janis: not impossible Jimmy: she didn't leave a note Jimmy: he'd have probably faked that Jimmy: unless he really is illiterate Janis: right Janis: Not picturing him as a mastermind Janis: if that had happened, you'd know by now Jimmy: I dunno Janis: 'course you don't Janis: that's why it's the worst Jimmy: I probably just wanna blame him, don't I Jimmy: instead of her Jimmy: get him out of my way that Janis: can't blame you Janis: not winning dad of the year just by default of still being about Jimmy: could've, it wouldn't take much Jimmy: only gotta show willing but like me and my 🍀 that ain't gonna happen Janis: seriously Janis: prime opportunity to be 🥇💪 Jimmy: but the prime opportunity to get pity fucked by his co-workers HAD to win out Janis: Oh Ian Janis: 💔 Jimmy: only he could make 🎻🎻 into that kind of playlist Janis: 😬 Janis: oh god Janis: well consider me turned firmly back off Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: my plan so you don't cheat on me with this druggie bloke obvs Jimmy: tah Ian Janis: because that was mine Janis: fuck tinder Janis: find all the hotties this way Jimmy: what are you gonna do if he don't show? Jimmy: other than be stuck with me as a boyfriend like Janis: slam it all myself Janis: cope with that news Jimmy: very on brand, Jules Jimmy: 💀💀💀 and 💔 Janis: I try Janis: nah, idk, plenty of junkies about Janis: had loads of people wanting it so Jimmy: lucky you're used to being so in demand then Janis: Ikr? Janis: don't be jealous, babe 😘 Jimmy: don't sound like me that Janis: Nah? Janis: put my boyfriend on please Janis: whoever you are Jimmy: well funny you Jimmy: how long are you gonna wait for him and make me wait for you Jimmy: bit rude honestly Janis: missed opportunity to ask who I was then but alright Janis: you miss me, I understand Janis: giving him 5 more than we agreed on otherwise I'm putting it back up for sale Jimmy: yeah I do Jimmy: I really want you here Jimmy: now Janis: Baby Janis: I swear Janis: 5 minutes and I'm over it Jimmy: ⏲ Janis: You can time me Janis: IOU however long it takes Janis: whatever you want Jimmy: fuck Jimmy: I'm trying to be 😇 and not distract you mid deal but Janis: You're not the only one who wants me to be there right now, like Jimmy: I get it Janis: Don't reckon you do Janis: but I'll show you so it's all good Jimmy: You're so Janis: for you Jimmy: being mine is gonna be good Jimmy: I'll show you Janis: [long enough to do her deal] Janis: Literally all yours now so Janis: I'm ready Jimmy: tah for not running away with the druggie bloke Jimmy: 💕 Janis: it was tempting but Janis: see what you got first, like Jimmy: I get it, he weren't a 🐕 person Jimmy: she ain't everyone's cuppa her Janis: 😱 Janis: where are you planning to put her when you're showing me how good its gonna be though Janis: 💔 Jimmy: tie her up out front and someone'll think she's a daily special Jimmy: have her away Jimmy: nowt to worry about Janis: heartless you Janis: poor pup Jimmy: 💔 now an' all Janis: @ the kids when we lose their dog Jimmy: they'll live Jimmy: me on the other hand if you don't start being nice Janis: I'm running Janis: I can't be any nicer than that 'til I'm with you Jimmy: save some energy Jimmy: til you can drink it in a bit like Janis: so much to offer a girl, you 💕 Jimmy: 😘 Janis: mr drug addict who? 😍 Jimmy: 😂 that is what I'll say if it comes up with any other dickhead Janis: who you chatting to, kathy Janis: keep it 🤐 Jimmy: just like your nan you 😍 Janis: you are not funny and I don't like you 😑 Jimmy: Baby please Jimmy: let's be mates again Janis: fine Janis: FWB and nothing more Jimmy: 👌 Janis: no 😡 not ok Jimmy: make up your mind, Juliet Janis: have the common decency to pretend to be 💔 Jimmy: not faking nowt Jimmy: I'm 💔💔💔 Jimmy: 😭😭😭 Janis: such a bad actor Janis: can't bear it Jimmy: wouldn't wanna make you feel bad about how crap you are Jimmy: like you too much Janis: Obvs Janis: can't hide your 😍 for shit Jimmy: piss off I can 😎 Janis: 😏 Janis: okay babe Jimmy: such a pisstake you 💕 Janis: only a bit Jimmy: 🤏 Janis: if you hear barking Janis: it's not me Jimmy: It's alright, not a kink I've got Janis: Thanks for getting that out now Janis: don't wanna get down the line and find out I've gotta purchase a tail Jimmy: 😂 Janis: not gotta spill all your secrets but some warning be nice Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: keep that in mind, my dear Janis: considerate and cute 💕 Jimmy: 🤫🤫 Janis: Will if you come out Jimmy: [does and there's the most intense hug because she didn't get killed by a junkie and he's so relieved as am I] Janis: [a look like 'what was that for' but obvs not mad about it] Jimmy: [a look back like 😍] Janis: ['we missed you too' 'cos better love that dog too she'll be wilding] Jimmy: [🙄 at Twix but he still gives her some kind of food he's snuck out of the CG to bribe her to chill] Janis: [😏 'see, you love her really'] Jimmy: [kisses because 1. that smirk off her face 2. shut up and 3. love you more] Janis: [you've both earnt it like] Jimmy: [make the most of this break lads] Janis: [I always like to think of everyone in the CG/walking by are always like these two again] Jimmy: [literally same because they are always so extra with their makeouts and we know it] Janis: [stopping to be like 'I should take her back' but torn 'cos you don't wanna go yet but then you can actually stay lmao] Jimmy: [he'd likewise be so conflicted cos sooner she leaves sooner she can come back and also Twix is distracting but most importantly you never wanna stop ever so you nod but you're giving her such a look and staring at her lips until you just have to give in and kiss her again like oops] Janis: [going in on it like excuse me Twix please wait] Jimmy: [keeping this going til the last possible moment of your break so you can go back in before she goes back and you don't have to watch her leave even though she's coming right back] Janis: I get why people in relationships are so annoying now Jimmy: Oi Janis: don't need to get personally offended Janis: especially when I'm trying to be nice Jimmy: no need to call me annoying Jimmy: especially when I've just been well nice to you Janis: Well I was going to say I DO miss you already, it's not just bullshit Janis: but now I'm not sure Jimmy: go on Jimmy: please Janis: oh Janis: as you're trying to kill me Janis: it feels like it hurts or some shit Janis: not being with you, being able to feel you Jimmy: you didn't even try to kill me, eh? Jimmy: just went straight in with no warning Jimmy: 💀💀💀 Janis: if you were 👻 you could be with me but no Janis: stay alive Jimmy: you brought me to life and then did me in all in the space of one break Jimmy: bit rude Jimmy: don't know if I'm coming or going Janis: it's the most work I've done all day though so Janis: headfucky doesn't have to be bad Janis: prefer this ?! to how it was before Jimmy: drugs sell themselves, rich girl, what can you do? Jimmy: yeah but I don't want owt to hurt you even how much you like me Janis: it's Janis: every way I try to say it sounds like a line from a fucking bad romcom Janis: but it feels better than all the not hurting I've had Jimmy: 1. you loved last night's romcom Jimmy: 2. you're the only decent thing that's happened to me so I get it Janis: 1. if you wanna do your own performance down, yeah, couldn't take my eyes off it Janis: 2. shut up, dog will be well confused if I turn around now Jimmy: what's it gonna take for you to just ditch her? Jimmy: meant to be able to find her own way Janis: is she? Janis: not a homing pidgeon Janis: just be thankful she don't need go go back to my gaff Jimmy: there's been loads of bad films about that bollocks Jimmy: and I'm feeling too much other shit to put thankful at the top Janis: tell me Jimmy: I just Jimmy: I'd gotten used to not breathing til you're about but now it's Jimmy: like everything goes when you do Jimmy: there's no sound or colour Jimmy: no taste to the daily special 😱💔😱 Jimmy: it's jarring when you've only just gone cos when you're with me, the opposite's true obvs Jimmy: 🥇 muse with no need to do owt Janis: It's really indecent how good you are with words Janis: I wish I was better so I didn't feel like all I gave you back was a #same but Janis: I am fucking glad you feel it too or I'd feel like I was going insane Janis: well, do a bit but if you are too, it's alright Jimmy: you heard, you give me everything Jimmy: I don't wanna be stuck in a bad black and white film tah Jimmy: I'll take the romcom Janis: it's a deal Janis: take any and every cliche you wanna throw at me Jimmy: Good 'cause I'm ready to spend the rest of this shift staring at you Jimmy: don't get any more cliched than that around here Janis: I'm ready to pretend I don't notice Janis: that's a blatant lie I'm not ready at all but I'll try Janis: 😇 not getting you in any more trouble Jimmy: I'll clean your table well thoroughly and not 'cause I'm 😇 Janis: That should be the most unappealing offer Janis: and yet 😏 Jimmy: full of cliches and excuses to hang around you, me Janis: good Janis: not that you need 'em anywhere but CG Jimmy: We don't need them there Jimmy: I'll get in trouble for you Jimmy: 😎🚬 Janis: I know you would Janis: don't break my resolve and embarrass me with how easy it is Jimmy: what if I promise that ain't gonna be how you feel Janis: You're Janis: ugh Jimmy: not an answer, that Janis: what can I say to that, like Jimmy: what do you wanna say? Janis: big question Janis: loads I wanna say to you Jimmy: so go on Janis: how many dates you been on? Janis: need to think of something you ain't done for #2 Jimmy: loads but they were all up north so wouldn't be hard to top Janis: alright casanova Janis: no need to show off, not helpful to my cause Jimmy: it's Romeo to you, girl Jimmy: and if I were showing off I'd say they were all top not easy to Janis: 🙄 alright Jimmy: why are you jealous, you know I had a girlfriend for ages Janis: Not jealous, idiot Janis: they don't count Jimmy: ? Janis: obvs you go out with someone you go out with Janis: and she was your mate Janis: I meant the awkward kind with strangers we're tryna replicate Jimmy: then I've not Janis: back to the drawing board Jimmy: 👍 Janis: don't reckon anyone's done this since the 50s Janis: can't take you for a walk 'round the park, you ain't 🐶 Jimmy: if you ain't up to it, I'll do another one Janis: behave Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: but only til you get back Janis: such a 😈 Janis: no saving you Jimmy: that your plan were it? Janis: save your soul Janis: obvs Janis: how the church does it Jimmy: leave out doing my 🍀 homework and we're back on course for that catholic school Jimmy: job done Janis: you maybe but what about me Janis: rude Jimmy: Jesus loves you, girl Jimmy: you're always hyping him up Janis: Catholic girls are hoes Janis: you can't go alone Jimmy: 💔 Jimmy: but you've really sold it there Janis: 😒 Janis: fine Janis: see if I care Janis: 🖕 you and your soul Jimmy: 😍😍🤤🤤🤤 Janis: you're not allowed to be 😍🤤 Janis: leaving me here to 💀 Jimmy: I told you, I ain't leaving you Janis: are too Janis: for jesus and hoes Janis: but mainly hoes Jimmy: no Janis: promise Jimmy: I do Jimmy: you're mine, no need for nowt else Janis: you're important Jimmy: you Janis: do you reckon school will be weird Jimmy: usually is Jimmy: but why do you reckon it'll be weird? Janis: 'cos you're distracting Jimmy: you've been distracting me since I first turned up Janis: no I ain't Jimmy: bollocks Jimmy: you have Janis: nah Janis: just tryna be 👑 charming Jimmy: 1. I don't need to try at being #goals Jimmy: 2. you can't tell me I'm wrong about how I feel or felt Jimmy: 3. take the compliment Janis: not saying you're wrong just saying I'm not entirely sure I believe you Janis: but that's alright Jimmy: why? Janis: dunno Janis: just don't seem like the distractable type Janis: 😒 <-- you at school, from what I remember Jimmy: Alright, I'll prove it Jimmy: you at my house? Janis: yep Janis: just feeding her Jimmy: [tells her where to go to find the picture he drew of her in class way back when which we can say is dated because] Janis: [here for it] Jimmy: believe me now, dickhead? Janis: yes Janis: you're so lovely Jimmy: 💕 Janis: and you wonder why everyone was 😍 at you Janis: can't tone it down a bit, no Jimmy: I don't wonder Jimmy: I know what I've got to offer but I weren't offering them owt Janis: okay hot Janis: I'm 😍 now too, promise Jimmy: might believe you when I see them 😏 Janis: damn, shoulda knicked some 😎 Jimmy: got a pair here you can borrow Janis: you wanna believe me or nah babe Jimmy: I dunno you might suit 😎 Janis: can't steal your look Jimmy: I said borrow Jimmy: but you can keep the first piece of 🎨 you inspired if you want Janis: yeah? Jimmy: do you want it? Janis: of course I do Janis: why wouldn't I Jimmy: it's got whatever maths bollocks we were meant to be doing on it Jimmy: you hate maths Janis: I love you Jimmy: Come here then Jimmy: I need to see you Janis: So close Jimmy: Piss off, you phrased it like that deliberately Jimmy: like I said, so distracting you Janis: not my fault I'd much rather you were coming home Jimmy: I'll have a word with the new girl see if I can interest her in a work based accident Janis: you promised me intense looks from across the room Janis: we'll start there, like Jimmy: don't get more intense than 😱😱😱 babe Jimmy: you want us to go home or what? Janis: don't want no trouble, boy Jimmy: 🤏 Janis: you said you'd be good 'til I got there Janis: still a street or two to go Jimmy: 💔 Jimmy: Alright Janis: don't be sad Jimmy: don't be 2 streets away Janis: easy Janis: [runs that last bit like yo] Jimmy: [is 😍 af] Janis: [when you kiss him hello but gotta keep it not extra 'cos you inside and you nearly die, go sit like 💀] Jimmy: [he'd be suddenly concentrating so hard on smoothie making and deciding what food to get her because likewise dying as hard, it's not a concentration face it's a shameless lip bite guys] Janis: Probably should've ordered Janis: good thinking Jimmy: if I dunno what you want by now Jimmy: what kind of boyfriend Janis: [such a meaningful LOOk like you know] Jimmy: [giving her such a look back of course] Janis: how do you do this all day Jimmy: I don't make a habit of this with all the customers, dunno what you've heard Janis: from your mouth Janis: 👴👵💕 Jimmy: that your way of telling me you're heading over to the tip jar, rich girl? Janis: not as easy as Shelia, obvs Janis: least give me my drink Jimmy: [obvs does bring her the drink as a shameless excuse to come over and have a cliche hand touching moment] Janis: Thanks Janis: defs worth starting your homework at least Janis: [whack that out so you ain't just 😍] Jimmy: [brings her the food as a separate trip we all know why, just leaning over her like he cares so much about his homework all of a sudden not at all about the close proximity oh no] Janis: [just being like oh one sec like you're actually tryna help him with his Irish pronounciation and it's not just shameless] Jimmy: [we're taking that excuse to stare at her mouth and running with it] Janis: [hope some of the customers can speak it 'cos blatantly not explaining the homework, oh the horror] Jimmy: [where the old people at? LOL] Janis: [choking on their tea like excuse me] Jimmy: [we should also do signing across the cafe for the lols] Janis: [defs] Jimmy: [but for now whisper something saucy in her ear and get back to work boy] Janis: [😳] Janis: dickhead Jimmy: 💕 Janis: such a tease Jimmy: only if I weren't gonna do it Janis: hmm Jimmy: 😘 Janis: [blows IRL kiss] Jimmy: [😏 to hide that he's 💀] Janis: [do we want anyone to come in potentially?] Jimmy: [when you go from 😏 to 😒 so quick] Janis: need to stop posting your shifts with the specials, like Jimmy: put that in the suggestion box tah Janis: there must be however many asking for your home address so Janis: do my best Jimmy: [just imagine how much like spoiled rich girls they'd be talking to him cos Grace ain't there to tell them to chill he'd be loving life] Janis: [just 😣 trying to hold your tongue 'cos you know the manager would side with them 'cos no one gives a shit about their employees] Jimmy: [when you come over like you're cleaning up but really just wanna touch her like it's okay] Janis: [look like 'it ain't though' but giving his hand a squeeze] Jimmy: go if you want Janis: no Janis: fuck that Jimmy: they're gonna be here for ages Janis: me too Jimmy: I really like you Janis: I know Janis: should go out, after Janis: treat you with my drug money Jimmy: when you put it like that Jimmy: be rude to refuse Janis: and can be as rude as you want when you ain't on the payroll Jimmy: depends Jimmy: where are we going? Janis: where do you wanna go Jimmy: where do you wanna go? Janis: anywhere I can be with you Janis: I don't mind Jimmy: Hang on, I nearly forgot with all today's bollocks Jimmy: [comes over and slides her a 🔑 he got cut so she doesn't have to hope the spare is there cos we know Cass loses keys always] Janis: [when it's such a moment you have to have one yourself like] Jimmy: you can be with me whenever you want now Janis: [blatantly gonna come up and give him another kiss fuck all of y'all but then goes out like brb] Jimmy: [not being too extra with it but not being as chill as your manager would like either because emotions] Janis: give me the 3rd date Janis: I need time to cash in favours Jimmy: if you don't do any other drug deals in the park, you can have it Janis: 🤞 neither your sister or mine requires that much bribing Jimmy: I don't reckon sugar bear hair is the new crack Janis: 😂 Janis: arguably as effective to getting healthy skin and hair though 💔 Jimmy: have you seen the length of my sister's, don't reckon she needs a hand Janis: won't let Gracie come at her ✄ Jimmy: neither would she Jimmy: knock her out like Janis: think she's had enough 'fights' for a lifetime and Mia can't even hit back so Jimmy: 🎻💔🎻 Janis: gutted she's not got a blackeye Jimmy: take her outside, babe Janis: I want you Janis: 🎻💔🎻 Jimmy: Baby Janis: It's okay Janis: think of all the time owed now Jimmy: thinking of all sorts me Jimmy: nowt my manager or fave customers can do Janis: good Janis: think about me 'til you can be with me Janis: that's what I do Janis: all the time Jimmy: don't do owt else while I'm awake Jimmy: and you're in my head even more if I get to sleep Janis: I'll make sure you can sleep tonight, babe Janis: not just so you dream of me but you know Janis: not mad about it Jimmy: me either Jimmy: I used to dream really 🎻🎻 shit Jimmy: so you have saved me a bit Janis: gotta return the favour, like Jimmy: have a 🚬 for us that's a start Jimmy: got ages til the next break Janis: I will do Janis: give your lungs one Janis: 🛍 rn Jimmy: buy us some poison to chuck in 💀👑 and the rest of the squad's cups then Jimmy: call it even Janis: You've got some Janis: it's called FULL FAT MILK 😱😱😱 Jimmy: 😂 Janis: is there anything you need whilst I'm getting you what you want though Jimmy: we do need milk since you mentioned it Jimmy: I reckon Bob's putting it all in the 🐕 Janis: awh Janis: she's 😻 Jimmy: she'll be 😿 since you left, her Janis: don't 💔 and don't project Janis: be right back, baby Jimmy: don't sound like me, that Jimmy: never 😭😭 I don't Janis: and you wonder why she's my favourite Jimmy: is she? Janis: not saying you don't have a chance to win it back Janis: you know what to do Jimmy: Easy Janis: don't spread it about Janis: but yeah Jimmy: 👌 Janis: considering you ain't 🐶 you're pretty fucking cute Jimmy: you backhanded that compliment so far you've impressed me Jimmy: I'll take it Janis: 🏏💪 Janis: great arm, me Jimmy: I know Jimmy: 😏 Janis: corrupted me, you Jimmy: 😈 you Jimmy: how are you gonna put that on a poor northern lad? Janis: it's true Janis: pure 😇 'til I met you, mate Jimmy: that's the fakest thing you've ever said, mate Janis: 😣 so rude Jimmy: we sorted we ain't going to catholic school, no need to be 😇 Janis: not now Janis: every need before though Janis: what I'm saying Jimmy: I get it, no dickhead round here is worth risking your soul for Janis: or reputation Jimmy: or all your riches, girl Janis: just not shagging 'em Janis: but no, not gonna 🎁💎💰 'em either Jimmy: she says on a 🛍 spree Jimmy: feel well 💕 me Janis: Babe, you know you're well special Jimmy: shh you'll make me well up 😭 Janis: don't take much Jimmy: Alright, calm down Jimmy: I'm a poet and that so Janis: Sensitive type, I know Jimmy: won't be doing no dodgy deals in the park or owt Jimmy: leave them to you Janis: 'scuse me for being productive Jimmy: that what we're calling it then? Jimmy: 👍 Janis: what would you like to call it Jimmy: you just put a name to it, I don't have to Janis: Me either Janis: not a big deal Jimmy: it's nowt to do with me but that's bollocks Janis: no it ain't Jimmy: any other day for you, yeah? Jimmy: like I said, bollocks Janis: obviously not but it don't need to be a drama Jimmy: never said it were Janis: what are you saying then Jimmy: nowt Janis: alright Jimmy: what do you want to hear off me? Janis: fuck off Janis: only what you think, nothing more Jimmy: just seems like you're waiting for something Janis: nah Janis: I ain't Jimmy: 👌 Janis: 👍 Jimmy: you coming back here in a bit? Janis: yeah, can do Jimmy: 🤞 they'll be gone and you'll have brought some enthusiasm from the shop then Janis: 🙄 Janis: leave it out Jimmy: what? Janis: what do you expect Jimmy: you to wanna see me obvs but alright, don't Janis: I mean, how enthusiastic can I get about 👌 Janis: it's obvious that you have something you ain't saying but whatever Jimmy: I've said what I wanted to say Jimmy: if owt's obvious it's that you want me to say something else Jimmy: so what is it? Janis: if that's all you've got to say then what is the point in coming Janis: why was this even brought up Jimmy: if you don't see any point coming then don't Janis: no there is no point if we've got fuck all to talk about Jimmy: how have we got fuck all to talk about? Janis: don't we Jimmy: 'cause I know when to leave out something you're being a dickhead about that means we don't? Jimmy: Alright Janis: so we talk about shit as and when you do or don't wanna Janis: I don't think so Jimmy: that's what you wanna make something out of here? Jimmy: fuck's sake Jimmy: know how to pick your dramas, you Jimmy: not that you bought gear off a scary twat and sold it to another scary twat, why would that be? Jimmy: I'm just the dickhead overreacting for giving a shit what happens to you Jimmy: keep taking the piss Janis: I'm not trying to take the piss Janis: in any sense Janis: it was a fucked night Janis: everything was Jimmy: I get that and why you don't wanna tell me owt about it Jimmy: you don't have to Jimmy: just don't act like it's nowt Janis: It is to me Janis: that's the problem Jimmy: Bollocks Janis: ? Jimmy: you heard Janis: I don't know what you mean though Jimmy: you ain't that good of an actress, girl Janis: If you think I care about myself, then I'm a fucking great one Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: have it that way Janis: yeah like that's how I want it Janis: not a choice Jimmy: if you didn't give a shit you'd have taken it Jimmy: that were a choice Janis: not about me Jimmy: that don't work 'cause if you were thinking about anyone else you wouldn't have bought it Janis: I was thinking of someone else Jimmy: no one you know would want you to do that shit Janis: no one you know I know Jimmy: 🙄 Janis: my sister alright Janis: the dead one Jimmy: and what before she left she was like you know what you'd fucking love, some drugs Jimmy: crack on Janis: yeah and what Janis: was her ex Janis: dealer, boyfriend, whatever Janis: basically came recommended Jimmy: no it didn't Janis: you didn't know her Jimmy: I don't have to know her to know when you're being a dickhead Jimmy: shit matters and if you can't get your head round that then Janis: you know fuck all Jimmy: I know I've got enough on my plate without you scaring the shit out of me Janis: I apologized for that Janis: over and over Jimmy: your drug deal happened a bit ago and you're already over it Jimmy: you ain't that sorry Janis: there it is Jimmy: we're not in this together if I'm the only dickhead who's still gonna be standing at the end Janis: You want me to lie and say I care about myself Janis: you said you don't want me to bullshit you Jimmy: care about me then Jimmy: you might as well call me a cry baby and have done Jimmy: 'cause it's just nowt and I just need to put it out of my head Janis: I said I didn't do it because I care about you Jimmy: and what? that's meant to make me feel better Jimmy: safer Jimmy: or owt else Janis: For fuck sake Jimmy: you stop caring about me and then what? Jimmy: nowt Jimmy: but it won't be nowt, will it Janis: I'm not going to Janis: even though you're Janis: and I've got no idea what I'm doing half the time Jimmy: you have to care about yourself a bit Jimmy: like I do 'cause the kids need me Jimmy: enough to keep on Janis: I didn't take it, did I Jimmy: you can't leave me now Janis: I'm not Janis: I won't Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: then I'll leave it out Janis: I am sorry Janis: you know I am Janis: what do you want me to do Jimmy: I was being a dickhead Jimmy: I do know Janis: like you said I can't just leave you alone now Janis: but I can't promise or even say I ain't gonna bring hassle Janis: 'cos I will, even if I try not to, I still will Jimmy: and I can't promise I'll handle it 🥇 Jimmy: but I'll handle it somehow Janis: I don't want to be something to handle Jimmy: me either but I've got shit an' all Jimmy: nowt we can do about it, is there? Janis: It's bullshit Jimmy: you could have a go at pretending my family don't exist, crack on like my ex Jimmy: worked for a bit Jimmy: and you reckon your acting is up to it Janis: could do a better job than you Janis: but not braggable really, or your fault Jimmy: 💔 Janis: yeah Jimmy: just come back Janis: I can't get this shit right Jimmy: bollocks Jimmy: this is the only thing going right Janis: don't let me ruin it Janis: remember Jimmy: I won't Jimmy: so don't let me either Janis: like you said Janis: you ain't trading meth Jimmy: don't do it again and neither are you Janis: why would I Jimmy: you wouldn't Jimmy: we can just leave it now Janis: works for me Janis: long as you mean it this time Jimmy: I'm sorry Janis: Me too Janis: but I'm coming back Jimmy: I don't wanna be here if you're not Janis: I'm not going anywhere Janis: stay with me too Jimmy: I promise Janis: it's just a different kind of difficult Janis: it must be tough, your siblings needing you Janis: but it's tough when no one does, just for different reasons Jimmy: I need you, you don't have to feel like that again Janis: I like it Janis: it makes me feel Janis: just feel fullstop Janis: I need to get used to it, that's all Jimmy: I get it, I thought I was used to giving a shit 'cause I've had to look after them for ages Jimmy: but nowt's the same with you Jimmy: needing someone too, having something I could lose Jimmy: I don't want them to stay with me forever Jimmy: they're meant to fuck off if I've done a decent enough job Janis: you have Janis: you do Jimmy: 🤞 Janis: Seriously Janis: not just saying it because I love you Jimmy: might all be for nowt if we don't 💀💀💀 Ian Jimmy: how much do you love me? Jimmy: 💕🔪? Janis: Wouldn't even need to 💘 you that much Janis: that much of a dickhead, him, like Janis: but obvs enough anyway Jimmy: romance ain't dying with him then Jimmy: 👍 Janis: not that lucky, boy Jimmy: wouldn't be very lucky that Jimmy: need it for my 🎨 Janis: the 💔 years though, baby Jimmy: take that as your excuse like Jimmy: when you 💔 me Jimmy: a 🥇 muse has gotta do what she's gotta do Janis: no one 💸 to hear a muse's side of the story Janis: you'll have exclusive rights, like Jimmy: If I write it, every dickhead'll read it Jimmy: way with words, me Janis: Don't need to tell me Jimmy: take the reminder though Janis: tell me something pretty then Jimmy: put me on the spot Jimmy: [but a voice memo being cute cos never does any work obvs and I hope Mia saw him do it, deal with that hoe] Janis: 😊 Janis: oh you Jimmy: you Janis: Nearly swooned into oncoming traffic Janis: 💘💀👑 Jimmy: Shakespeare'll be spinning in his ⚰ Janis: Poor Bill Jimmy: I'll turn classic FM on for him Jimmy: with any luck he'll be a happy 👻 and 💀👑 will piss off Janis: some 🤓 you are Janis: you'll 🤯 with that space-age music and then 🌍💥 Jimmy: come sing for us instead then 🤓 girl Jimmy: that's that sorted Janis: not unless Pete has also shown up Janis: got to be audition ready Jimmy: he has Jimmy: you can crack on Janis: damn Jimmy: 🥇 or nowt baby Jimmy: don't show me up tah Janis: 🏃 Janis: byeeee Jimmy: 🎣 Janis: 😏 Janis: okay, you mighta appeased 🖋📜👻 Janis: can be 🤓 together Jimmy: me and him, me and you or you and him? Janis: can ask him how he feels about thirding if you wanna but Jimmy: only so much 👻💕 you can hack? Janis: only so much sharing I'm interested in Janis: which is none Jimmy: 😍😍😍 Janis: shh Jimmy: I'll meet you outside so there's no need to share with Pete Janis: alright Janis: [show up bitch] Jimmy: [when you come out as soon as you see her, excuse him everyone cos he's gonna be extra with the hello as per] Janis: [the 😍😍😍 are so real]

Trump attacks local leaders as he visits two cities grieving from mass shootings

https://wapo.st/2OLb3Qr

Trump attacks local leaders as he visits two cities grieving from mass shootings

By Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker, Jenna Johnson and Felicia Sonmez | Published August 07 at 8:43 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted August 7, 2019 9:50 PM |

EL PASO — On a day when President Trump vowed to tone down his rhetoric and help the country heal following two mass slayings, he did the opposite — lacing his visits Wednesday to El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, with a flurry of attacks on local leaders and memorializing his trips with grinning thumbs-up photos.

A traditional role for presidents has been to offer comfort and solace to all Americans at times of national tragedy, but the day provided a fresh testament to Trump’s limitations in striking notes of unity and empathy.

When Trump swooped into the grieving border city of El Paso to offer condolences following the massacre of Latinos allegedly by a white supremacist, some of the city’s elected leaders and thousands of its citizens declared the president unwelcome.

In his only public remarks during the trip, Trump lashed out at Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, both Democrats, over their characterization of his visit with hospital patients in Dayton.

“We had an amazing day,” Trump said in El Paso as he concluded his visit. “As you know, we left Ohio. The love, the respect for the office of the presidency.”

Trump also praised El Paso police officers and other first responders and shook their hands, telling one female officer, “I saw you on television the other day and you were fantastic.”

El Paso and Dayton were not merely the latest in the multiplying series of American mass shootings. The carnage in El Paso is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism, with parallels between a racist manifesto posted minutes before the shooting and the president’s own anti-immigration rhetoric.

This has thrust Trump into the center of a roiling political and societal debate, with some Democratic leaders saying the president has emboldened white supremacy and is a threat to the nation.

Former vice president Joe Biden, who is running to unseat Trump in 2020, said in a speech Wednesday, “We have a president with a toxic tongue who has publicly and unapologetically embraced a political strategy of hate, racism and division.”

Both in Dayton and El Paso, Trump kept almost entirely out of public view, a marked break with tradition, as presidents visiting grieving communities typically offer public condolences.

Trump avoided the Oregon district where the shooting in Dayton took place, and just a short drive from Miami Valley Hospital, which he did visit. Whaley said he would not have been welcome in the Oregon District, where scores of demonstrators congregated, holding anti-Trump signs and chanting, “Do something!” a call for stricter gun laws.

Brown and Whaley described the visit by the president and first lady Melania Trump in favorable terms.

“They were hurting. He was comforting. He did the right things. Melania did the right things,” Brown told reporters. “And it’s his job in part to comfort people. I’m glad he did it in those hospital rooms.”

Whaley added: “I think the victims and the first responders were grateful that the president of the United States came to Dayton.”

Both Brown and Whaley, however, were also sharply critical of Trump’s divisive rhetoric and Republican resistance to gun-control legislation.

Whaley later responded to Trump’s comments about her and Brown by calling him “a bully and a coward.” She said on CNN, “It’s fine that he wants to bully me and Senator Brown. We’re okay. We can take it.”

The traveling press corps was not allowed to observe Trump’s visit with three victims who remained hospitalized. It fell therefore to White House aide Dan Scavino to proclaim in a tweet that Trump “was treated like a Rock Star inside the hospital.”

Trump and the first lady also met with police officers, fire officials, trauma surgeons and nurses at the facility, which treated 23 victims of the shooting. The hospital invited victims who had already been released to come back and meet with the president and first lady.

“It was an authentic visit,” hospital president Mike Uhl said, praising Trump as “attentive, present and extremely accommodating.”

Trump offered his own affirmation on Twitter: “It was a warm & wonderful visit. Tremendous enthusiasm & even Love.”

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said journalists were kept out of the hospital visit because staff did not want it to devolve into “a photo op” and overwhelm the victims with media.

The White House, however, distributed its own photos of Trump smiling for pictures with first responders, along with a slickly produced video, helping make the president the center of attention.

Trump’s reception in El Paso was less hospitable, and not only because so many local leaders have said they believe his rhetoric inspired Saturday’s slayings at a shopping center near the U.S.-Mexico border. Although he won the state of Texas in the 2016 election, Trump captured just 25.7 percent of the vote in El Paso County, the worst performance recorded here by a major-party presidential candidate in at least two decades.

An ever-growing makeshift memorial has sprouted near the shooting scene that features piles of colorful flowers, a row of white crosses, a line of prayer candles, as well as messages to the president. “Mr. T, Respect our sorrow and grief. Do not ‘invade’ our city,” reads one note, a reference to Trump’s repeated warnings of a migrant “invasion” at the border.

Just before Trump arrived in El Paso — where he and the first lady met with first victims and their families at University Medical Center and with law enforcement personnel at an emergency operations center — several hundred people gathered in opposition to his visit.

Congregating under the hot midday sun in a baseball field for an “El Paso Strong” event, some held homemade signs. “Go home! You are NOT welcome here!” read one. “This was Trump-inspired terrorism,” read another. “Trump repent,” read a third.

At one point, the crowd chanted, “Send him back!” — a nod to the incendiary “Send her back!” chant about Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) at one of Trump’s campaign rallies last month.

“We feel like right now we should be in mourning, and we feel like we should be collecting our thoughts, we should be doing vigils and we should be gathering together as a community. We believe it is an insult that the president is coming here,” said one of the organizers, Jaime Candelaria, a 37-year-old singer and songwriter.

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.) said onstage, “In this moment, someone is visiting … I felt it was important that we come together and not focus on the visitor, but focus on El Paso.” She added, “We will not stop resisting the hate! Resisting the bigotry! Resisting the racism!”

In the crowd at the El Paso Strong event was Shawn Nixon, 20, a Walmart employee who was at work restocking the school supplies area when the gunman opened fire Saturday morning. At the sound of the shots, Nixon said he fell to the ground, pulling with him a young child who had been shopping with his mother.

“All I’m just asking for Donald Trump, for the president, to do is to say ‘sorry,’ ” Nixon said. “He created this crime. He created it because of his words. Every time that he’s on TV, that’s what he’s doing.”

During his flight home from El Paso, Trump attacked Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.), the twin brother of presidential candidate Julián Castro, tweeting that he “makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth.” The congressman has come under scrutiny for publicizing a list of San Antonio donors who have contributed to Trump and accusing them for “fueling a campaign of hate.”

On Saturday in El Paso, authorities said, a man opened fire inside a Walmart, killing 22 people and injuring 26 others. At 1:05 a.m. Sunday, a gunman killed nine people and injured 27 others outside a bar in Dayton, police said.

All week, Trump has zigzagged between two competing instincts: Unite and divide.

In the immediate aftermath of the shootings, Trump remained cloistered at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., issuing only short statements on Twitter. Back at the White House on Monday, the president delivered a scripted speech in which he preached harmony.

“Now is the time to set destructive partisanship aside — so destructive — and find the courage to answer hatred with unity, devotion and love,” Trump said, reading from Teleprompters.

The president did not heed his own advice, however. Late Tuesday night, he took to Twitter to attack Beto O’Rourke, the former El Paso congressman running for president who has said Trump bears some responsibility for the shooting there because of his demonization of Latino immigrants.

Trump tweeted: “Beto (phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage) O’Rourke, who is embarrassed by my last visit to the Great State of Texas, where I trounced him, and is now even more embarrassed by polling at 1% in the Democrat Primary, should respect the victims & law enforcement — & be quiet!”

Then, as he departed the White House on Wednesday morning en route to Ohio, Trump told reporters he would refrain from attacking his adversaries during the trip.

“I would like to stay out of the political fray,” the president said. Asked about his rhetoric, he said he thinks it “brings people together” and added, “I think we have toned it down.”

That detente lasted only a few minutes. Answering a reporter’s question about Biden, Trump pounced. “Joe is a pretty incompetent guy,” the president said. “Joe Biden has truly lost his fastball, that I can tell you.”

By the time the president had left Dayton, he was back on Twitter and sniping at Democrats, a tirade triggered by his consumption of cable television news aboard Air Force One.

“Watching Sleepy Joe Biden making a speech. Sooo Boring! The LameStream Media will die in the ratings and clicks with this guy,” the president wrote.

Then he lashed out at Brown and Whaley, falsely accusing them of “totally misrepresenting” the reception he received at Miami Valley Hospital. He alleged that their news conference immediately after the president’s visit “was a fraud.”

But neither Brown nor Whaley said Trump received a poor reception at the hospital.

When Whaley first saw Trump’s tweets criticizing her and Brown, she paused for a moment to read them on a cellphone and said, “I don’t — I mean, I’m really confused. We said he was treated, like, very well. So, I don’t know why they’re talking about ‘misrepresenting.’ ”

“Oh, well, you know,” the mayor added with a shrug. “He lives in his world of Twitter.”

Parker and Johnson reported from El Paso, and Rucker and Sonmez reported from Washington. Arelis R. Hernández in Dayton and Colby Itkowitz and John Wagner in Washington contributed to this report.

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chapter: 14/? summary: Dan’s body has been broken for as long as he can remember, and he’s long since learned to deal with it. Sort of. But when his symptoms force him to leave uni and move into a new flat with a stranger named Phil, he finds that ignoring the pain isn’t the way to make himself happy. word count: 2781 rating: mature warnings: chronic illness, chronic pain, medicine a/n: a huge thank you goes to @obsessivelymoody for beta reading this for me!

Ao3 link || read from beginning

There’s another note on the counter today.

It’s Wednesday. Phil had watched Dan call in sick yesterday. Had helped him write out the letter that’s now folded neatly and pinned to the fridge with a magnet shaped like Mario’s hat. The note is next to it, on a yellow sticky note, handwriting hidden away under Luigi’s hat.

Dan grabs it. Phil’s handwriting is sloppy, rushed.

Good luck today. I’ll order pizza for dinner tonight to celebrate for comfort.

He laughs, quiet and a little forced, before tucking the note into the pocket of his jeans and taking his letter off the fridge.

---

Sue’s smile is knowing when he knocks on her office door that afternoon.

“You’re not scheduled today, Dan,” she says. He watches as she sets her pen down, pushing aside whatever paperwork has been occupying her time.

He swallows.  “I know. I, uh, needed to talk to you.”

Sue’s gaze softens. A gentle smile curls at the corners of her mouth, and something in Dan’s chest clenches, his grip on the letter tightening. He wishes he could tear it up, toss it aside and promise to show up for whenever he’s scheduled next.

She motions to the chair across her desk. Dan swallows against the rush of stupid relief that he won’t need to put effort into standing as he waits for her response. He sits down, smiling to keep from wincing when his knees crack and the muscles at the base of his spine spasm.

He presses the letter onto the desk, the envelope crinkled from how tightly it has been clenched in my fist.

“It’s my two week notice,” he says, a whisper as something cracks in his chest.

Sue’s staring at him like the uni employee did when he announced he would be leaving. There’s something softer behind her eyes, a little more humanity in the way she hesitates before picking up his letter. But the crushing weight of I failed still settles upon Dan’s shoulders.

He’s tired of failing.

Dan swallows. There’s a lump in his throat now. He wants to bury himself in soft blankets and pretend this wasn’t inevitable.

That he hasn’t spent years postponing the day when he just couldn’t pretend anymore.

His eyes are watering when Sue finishes reading the letter, but she doesn’t mention it.

“Would you like regular shifts for these two weeks?” she asks.

He grips the armrests of the chair, not blinking because he knows if he does a tear will roll down his cheek. Words ache inside his chest, desperate pleas of no, I’d rather go home and pretend none of this ever happened, but thinking that feels more like failure than writing out his resignation did.

Sue stares. She lets him sit in silence for a moment before speaking. “Given the circumstances, we can write you off the schedule sooner, if that’s what would be best for you.”

Dan nods. His voice cracks when he mumbles: “I’d appreciate that, thank you.”

He’s halfway out the door when Sue calls his name one last time. She’s smoothing the folds from his letter, running her hands over creases in the page with her palms, and smiling in a way that reminds Dan vaguely of his nan.

“I hope everything works out for you,” she says, an unspoken goodbye.

He smiles. “Thank you,” he says.

The tears start falling somewhere between her office and the sweets aisle.

---

Dan ends up at Starbucks.

He can feel his tears smeared across his face and the swelling around his eyes. As the barista hands over his macchiato, he wonders if anyone was here when he stumbled in after his first day of work, but his mind can’t focus enough to distinguish their faces.

The girl’s voice is chipper, like she can’t tell he’s been crying, when she wishes him a good day.

Dan drops onto a chair, lets his weight sink onto the table. He wants to take a sip of his drink, try to wash away the lingering tightness of tears with the sweetness of caramel and bitterness of coffee. But the nerves in his palm around sting from the heat of his cup, and he can imagine the burn that would erupt in his mouth if he took a sip.

He takes out his phone instead, opens his conversation with Phil.

Dan: i did it

Phil doesn’t respond during the moments Dan stares at his name on the phone screen, so he leaves that conversation, and opens the last one he had with his mum instead. They don’t text often. The last message he sent is two words long and disinterested and follows a mere three messages before that.

He types out another one.

Dan: i quit my job

It takes a minute before his phone starts ringing, his mum’s contact photo lighting up the screen. He almost declines the call, already feeling the pressure of her questions clawing at his mind. But he swipes his thumb across the screen, drags the phone to his ear.

“Hi mum,” he mumbles.

“You quit your job?” she says. And then, an afterthought: “Hello.”

He hums, because it’s easier than saying yes.

“Why?”

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” he says.

“Entry level jobs aren’t about being a good fit, Daniel,” says his mum.

He swallows. Suddenly, the scalding heat of his coffee sounds more appealing than this conversation. “It just didn’t work out, okay?”

She falls silent.

Dan presses his forehead to the crook of his elbow. He drops his phone just long enough to pull his hood over his head, drown out the cafe. He feels twelve again, letting his mum down, listening to the unevenness of his own breathing and crying into his sleeve as he waits for her response.

“Are you going to see a–”

It’s familiar. Dan swallows back a whimper, knowing too well what comes next, but his mum never finishes her sentence.

“Doctors are useless,” he mumbles in response.

She hums, the distant kind lilted with an unspoken stop with the excuses, Daniel. He presses his face harder into his arm, until the bones of his arm ache.

“What about a–”

“I don’t need a bloody therapist.”

He hates that she goes quiet. Hates that he knows every word of this conversation, every undertone and unspoken word and the tight-lipped sorta worry probably written across her face right now.

“Okay,” she says after a moment, soft and doubtful. “Are you moving back home then?”

“No.”

“Dan–”

“I have enough saved for a few months rent,” he tells her. “And my flatmate he’s– We’re gonna try to figure something out.”

She sighs, so loud he can picture the rise and fall of her chest. “You can’t just leech off this boy, Daniel.”

His chest tightens. A tear rolls down his cheek. He almost hangs up the call right then.

“I’m not fucking leeching off him,” he spits instead, because he’s never been good at shutting up. “Besides, I bet you’d rather I leech of him than off you and dad, huh? Bet it’s been great to have your sick son so far away.”

“Daniel.”

If they were in the same room, his dad would be ranting and his mum would be staring and Dan would stomp off and slam his bedroom door.

But they’re not. And he’s not sixteen anymore. And he can say: “He’s my friend, mum, He wants to help me, if he can. And if not, well, I’ll call before I move back in, okay?”

“Dan–”

“I gotta go,” he says, and hangs up before she can say goodbye.

There’s a text notification when the call closes.

Phil: how are you feeling?

Phil: still up for pizza tonight?

Dan closes that conversation without answering, opens his too-empty one with Taylor instead.

Dan: you up to miss your afternoon lectures?

Taylor: always

---

By the time Dan reaches the campus, his bones are rattled from the bus ride and his cheeks feel stiff and sticky from tears. He buries himself in his hoodie, head lowered as he makes his way to Taylor’s dorm. It’s growing warm outside, too warm for all black and long sleeves.

He wonders, briefly, when that happened.

Probably while he was sitting in his pants in the dark lounge back at the flat.

Taylor meets him in the common area they used to share and never step into. Dan lets his gaze flit over the other people there, studying and socializing and having fun. He can’t even remember most of their names, doesn’t feel like he ever lived with them.

Perhaps he didn’t. Perhaps he’d only ever existed in their general vicinity.

They end up in Taylor’s room. Dan’s only been there a few times, on days when Taylor’s roommate was out and she’d barely been able to drag herself out of bed. When his body had been fine to sit at the foot of her too-thin mattress and play phone games until the press of the wall to his back grew too harsh.

It’s messier now, though. Taylor’s side of the room is littered in unfolded clothes, her laptop sitting crooked atop her bed. His eyes still burn and drift out of focus from having cried, but he can tell at a glance that she hasn’t showered, that she’s trying to drown in the oversized fabric of a jumper he’s never seen.

He should talk to her about it, should be there for her more than he has been lately.

But then she’s reaching forward, flattening a hand against his shoulder and pushing him towards her bed. He sits down by the pillow, legs folded beneath him, head falling against the wall.

“What happened?” she asks.

Dan stares at her. They never talk about it, about her problems, but when he opens his mouth it’s to say: “Tay.”

She frowns. “I don’t want to talk about it,” says Taylor. “You don’t get to ask me to miss class and then lecture me on anything, Dan.”

“Were you going to go?”

Her shoulders tighten. She looks like she wants to bury herself in her jumper and never come out, and Dan wishes he didn’t know the feeling so well.

“Doesn’t matter,” she answers. “What happened?”

Dan sighs, chest caving in, body sinking deeper against the wall. “I quit my job.” Taylor looks up, eyes a little wide but not surprised and, well, she did drive him home after he fainted. Dan squeezes his eyes shut against the memory, “And told my mum.”

“Oh,” breathes Taylor. “And what did Mrs. Howell have to say about that?”

He shrugs, even though it aches and he wants to curl forward, hug his legs to his chest and bury his face and the incessant drone of memories in his mind between his knees. Wants to hold on tight, cling to some useless form of comfort until his collarbones bruise from the press of his own legs and his nose feels like it might split under the pressure.

Dan stares at the ceiling, where something’s left a deep brown stain.

“She thinks I should see someone,” he whispers.

“Like a doctor?”

“Or a therapist.”

Taylor’s responding laugh is too bitter, and Dan wonders for a moment if she thinks his mum is right. But when he glances down at her, she has a hand pressed to her own chest, fingers caught in the wool of her jumper. She dips her head, covers her face with her hair just like Phil does.

Dan looks away at the thought and tries to sound like the very idea doesn’t shatter him when he says: “She thinks I’m leeching off Phil.”

“She what?”

He shrugs, hoping it’s dimly lit enough that Taylor can’t see that tears brim his eyes again. “I told her I’m not moving back to Wokingham, not right now at least,” he says, the words not ever hanging on the tip of his tongue. “And that my flatmate was willing to help and, well, yeah.”

Taylor huffs. “Does she have no concept of empathy or, I don’t know, people actually being willing to help others?”

“No.”

It’s a little harsh, he thinks. But Dan closes his eyes, sends silent tears rolling down his cheeks, and lets himself think of how Phil had sat with him in the bathroom after his shower, had brought him crisps and a softer towel and promised with such sincerity that Dan–

“I’m not, am I?” he chokes.

Taylor reaches over, her hand curling a little too tightly around his knee. “You’re not,” she says. “He cares about you. He’s a good person. And just because she doesn’t know how to deal with all of this, doesn’t mean nobody cares or that you’re taking advantage of your flatmate.”

Dan lowers his head again. He wishes he could laugh at the absurdity of it all, the angst he carries with him, but Taylor’s still clinging to his knee the way doubt clenches in his chest.

“He’s too good to be true, Tay,” says Dan.

“Last I checked, he didn’t have wings or a halo, so.” She shrugs. “You should let him help you. If he offers, and he doesn’t seem miserable, accepting willing help isn’t leeching.”

He nods.

“He cares about you,” says Taylor.

Dan doesn’t say anything, because denying it would be a lie, but agreeing feels weighted with things Taylor doesn’t know about. With soft touches and quiet stares and echos of home in Dan’s mind in the middle of the night after only weeks of living together.

“Did you tell him you came here?”

He shakes his head. Taylor sighs. She lunges forward, reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out his phone. He only realizes she’s unlocked it after a few moments of her not asking him for the passcode.

Then she throws it back at him, Phil’s now-answered messages lighting up the screen.

Phil: you okay? you’re not home.

Dan: sorry

Dan: went to see taylor

Dan: ill be home for pizza tho

He huffs out a laugh. “How did you get my texting so right?”

“All lowercase and no punctuation?” she says, a smile drawing at the corner of her mouth. “It’s not exactly difficult.”

“Shut up.”

She shakes her head, reaching forward to grab his wrist. “Nope,” she says. “You gotta deal with me for the drive back to your flat. You have a pizza date to get to, remember?”

Dan feels his cheeks go pink, but he does climb off the bed, because his shoulders feel lighter and uni dorms are miserable. He doesn’t miss them, he realizes. Doesn’t miss uni much at all, when the alternative is taking care of himself and playing video games and having a flatmate that cares.

“Hey Tay?”

She turns around, hand hovering at the door.

He reaches for his phone, opens their conversation, because they don’t talk about these things but–

Dan: if i need to accept phil’s willing help you should accept some help too

She blinks at the screen for a long moment before typing out her response.

Taylor: i have an appointment at the uni counsellor’s next week

---

Phil ordered his favourite pizza.

It’s sitting on the counter, still warm, when Dan gets there. Phil smiles at him from where he’s standing at the breakfast bar.

“You gonna change into something more comfortable?” he asks.

Dan’s  laugh is too loud, too happy for the day he’s had. “You trying to get me into my pants?”

Phil’s cheeks go bright red at that. He stumbles over words that never become coherent before giggling too, and shooing Dan away to his bedroom.

Dan actually ends up changing into a pair of joggers and no shirt. Phil, he realizes when he steps back into the lounge, is wearing his usual pyjamas and a shirt with Charmander on it. He’s sitting on one of the breakfast bar stools, still smiling even though his cheeks are still blazing red.

For a few moments, they don’t say a word. Phil grabs plates and brings the pizza box into the lounge as Dan settles onto the sofa. The blanket, he realizes, has been smoothed out over the cushions. The makeshift curtain was fixed a bit, straightened over the window. The whole flat is dimly lit.

Phil sits down next to him, their thighs brushing together. Dan’s fairly certain that they could both lean away, put some more inches between them, but he can’t bring himself to do so.

Touch, for once, doesn’t hurt. Not like this.

They eat in silence, too, and suddenly everything feels weighted. The closeness, the quiet, the setup.

And then Phil says: “I think you should meet my parents.”

Twitter.com/motorious_cafe

[CHANGING MY NAME TO: Mo (first name) Torious (last name)] i asked my parents if I could come up to westchester to have dinner with them, or to briefly stay while I looked for an apartment. They said no. It’s funny, Dr Tabar at Belkvue Hospital (Dr Mounir, intake), told me that I should cut off my relationship with my mother. The only reason my father asked me to attend her 80th birthday party, was to keep up appearances. Before the night was over, and after my speech (unmmmzm....I got you a car), he told me in no uncertain terms that I am no longer welcome in his house. I dove get it. His brother Ladipo Fayemi is a caseworker at HRA HASA, who never once intervened for me, and who nobody in that agency thought to refer my case to. Mr. McCoy, used to make fun of the name. No matter, I no longer want to be called that. I told them that since my father still continues to lie about not having received a copy of the doctored IRS Filings which Lucy Ostrofsky (acting in house counsel) had filed, directly ignoring my instructions, before I was forced out of the company and off the corporate bank account (it takes 3 members of management: myself, Richard McGinnis (Kurt Salmon Associates), President of Motorious Retail Stores (m&m/Mars Family: sponsor of Kyle Bush’s Toyota at NASXAR), patent holder, casino slot machine algorithms) and Philip Munger (who once, unbeknownst to me, withdrew $5,000 in cash from his personal Citibank account, and deposited it into my (the corporate) account, triggering FBI Money Laundering Red Flag: I have never even seen $5,000.00 in cash in one place in my entire life. I spent $500 to $10,000/month on my AMEX PLATINUM: and repaid it within 30 days. Beginning in 1992. Until I didn’t and went bankrupt for $60,000. Bottom line: I don’t trust the man, and he and I no longer have a relationship. All he and my mother have done is agree with the psychiatrists who keep diagnosing me with paranoid delusions that I run a company. All this, I believe, because the only company he ever ran, ended up in trouble with the IRS. I’m beginning to be really suspect about his book selling and his AIDS Charity for orphans in Africa. Before he kicked me out of the house, he asked me if I wanted to help him with his Foundation, and I said « no » I want German citizenship. A look at my brief work history shows I never stay in 1 place very long. What’s wrong with having wanted a change and to seek opportunities abroad? Science Advisers, led by Norman Heyman, Jean Robert Le Shufy, and Kevin DeVito (New Capital Horizons, the US arm of New Capital AG in Switzerland: COPE Holdings (XTERA DAX | NASDAQ) Zuggero, CEO | lent ICV, llc (Integrated Concepts Vehicles, llc, Flipboard.com/@ICV_llc, the first $137,000 after I had lent the corporation $60,000. MOTORIOUS MONEY GRID: says $100,000.00 loan am was made by Phil Munger on November 1, 1999. If that had been the case, why were none of the vendors at the show paid, and why did I receive a phone message on December 31, 1999 from Philip Munger: [email protected], the DAY AFTER I received a message from Wayne Irving of Spin Records that he had secured $25 Million from ING Barings? My only Full Time Employee: John Goodwin, who I met at Pump No 8 at the Mobil Gas Station in Rancho Palos Verdea, took a salary of $80,000.00 + benefits + expense reimbursement, where on July 2, 1999 he secured an LOI with the Make A Wish charity for a proposed October 31, 2000 Charity Rade at Texas Motor Speedway. He had 9 months to secure a deal with Ford to provide NASCAR vehicles for the event, which was supposed to commemorate 100 Years of Motorsports in America, and also commemorate both Ford and Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary. Moose returned saying that the sponsors (especially the protected sponsor, Coke, will not let the drivers out of their contests to drive the event) Autoweek Magazine, the same issue it quoted several drivers as wanting to participate, reported that My Apple Laptop « had ears ». Motor Trend Magazine wrote an article entitled « The Automotive Analyst », a « fictitious story about a Wall Street analyst having problems with his wife, while talking to his shrink. The concluding sentence: « Build The Car » My only contribution to Ford would have been when I called the $3 million monstrosity (Focus) built by John Colletti and Motor Trend: Ian Cartabiano has penned a sick Mis-Engined Ford Focus Rally Car, which was to have shared a platform with the Renault R5 (Nissan: where Doi had previously worked after NCIS). That, and the referral from Mark Stehrenberger to Scott Sharpe Racing, to [Ford Tuner: I ferget] , who wrote a proposal for tuning the 4.0 liter Jaguar V8 for the Motorious Show Stand, as a potential BMW M5 competitor. Of the $137,000.00 loan, $50,000 went to Mark Stehrenberger Design, who was to generate 3 proposals for the Deusenberg PHAETON: Mercedes Benz Ocean 4 door convertible concept...to. E build at the DRESDEN Factory in Germany), the other $50,000 went to Robert Marianich in Huntington Beach, who was to have converted his studio, and built a « clay resurfaced » proposal of the RIVOLUZIONW: 1999 LA Auto Show, next to Shelby Series One (I met Carroll at Jay Leno’s, where he asked me to contact his assistant, Pearlita Shelby, about helping him with production of the OLDSMOBILE AURORA Engined SERIES ONE: autopsia.wordpress.com, slated to return to INDYCAR, to replace the Honda unit, now that they created Touring Car. I wanted to get the rights to MG ROVER (BBC: BMW’s English Patient), known as Rover Sterling 825 in America (Acura Legend): ARCONA | After the misérable failure of Phoenix Holdings, which paid Queen Elizabeth the nominal sum of £10, and then before becoming the four most overpaid executives in the UK Auto Industry. I even went so far as to ask Lakshmi Mittal (Arcelor Mittal and Harris’s) if he would help me to purchase Land Rover from TATA. CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE (Hearst Publications: Vladimir Putin) April Fool’s | Toyota buys Oldsmobile Trademark for $5,000. FIAT acquire the right to the Oldsmobile Aurora Engine through my partnership with Carroll Shelby, Gets the Oldsmobile Dealerships (10 year warrante on the engine), Change the nage to Alfa Romeo, and modify the engine for use in US Alfa’s, like the GT-V8, Spider Véloce (Duetto V8: BMWfilms.com Béat the Devil). Unfortunately, John Goodwin went bankrupt, my ex-wife had a hidden camera in our bedroom vent (Waiting to Exhale, Bernadine’s Rage: 6624 Oceancrest Drive, RPV, CA, 90275). And all of our personal and my corporate accounts were closed on August 14, 2001, due to malfeasance on her part: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY [The Private Bank: Union Bank of California (Mitsubishi Sumitomo: KIRETSU): Peggy Fahnestock, Gloria Marquez: who refinanced my BMW Financial Loan from JP Morgan Chase, because it was higher interest rate than a similarly situated white nan, all other things being equal. The VENDETTA (redesigned Rivoluzione: 200 LA Auto Show, was in an accident THE FIRST DAY I DROVE IT. I didn’t even make it to the highway. There was at least $100,000? In customization (hand hammered and rolled Aluminum body parts riveted and bonded to the steel: Robin Officer, Captain Metal, Magic Mountain, CA (A Kiwi). who I believe, was interviewed on the Jay Leno show dresses in drag. By keeping all the receipts to every modification, the insurance company: GEICO, had to first restore the vehicle to its original condition, THEN, cover all the replacement customization which they did, before canceling my policy the sane day the lease on my 328i was repossed, with $5,000.00 worth of renderings and sketches by Ian Cartabiano, which actually appeared in Bimmer Magazine in 1998. My mother refuses to give me my birth certificate. Whats wrong with this picture? mo torious On Oct 14, 30 Heisei, at 2:25 AM, mo torious wrote: David Ebersman, Will you be the part time CFO on my private placement? except for the fact that Angel List is formerly Google, and I found it impossible to do due diligence on who people claimed to be. since I came from Wall Street, and have helped raise over $500 Million for companies during my career, even though it is many years later, I still know many of the same people. The first person who made a referral for me, was Paul Howard of HQH: Hambrecht & Quist Healthcare, in NYC, when he introduced me to his MIT Sloan School Claasmate, Douglas A Doi (founder of Doi Golf). I see his name on many research publication footnotes, such as the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE ARTICLE: The Beginning is the End of AIDS. The second referral came from Barney Hallibgby, who introduced me to Doug Casey at Gates Capital at 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY, who floats Government Bonds and Municipal Bonds for manufacturing, such as at the March Global Port, which was a former military base turned into a commercial port. As part of the 3Q/2001 earnings report, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal, William Clay Ford, III made two announcements: 1. We are no longer pursuing our aftermarket strategy. (usurped and mismanaged by Jacques Naaser) 2 We can no longer afford to spend 11.1% of sales, on Marketing/Advertising. Bad news for Ogilvy/Mather. Possible 11.1% increase in margins. William Clay Ford: Uber is losing hundreds of millions to billions every year. If All the risks are borne by the driver, why can’t they turn a profit? The following article on the same page of the WSJ, was that The Blackstone Group « was looking for its next big deal ». Instinct tells me to defer from inviting them, or Goldman Sachs or any of its clients (like Facebook and Twitter) to participate in this private placement. http://fortune.com/2012/02/01/meet-the-man-behind-the-facebook-ipo/ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B5gQoZEZn04 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O8PM_EybRdo https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/facebook-not-feeling-friendly-with-nasdaq/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/09/04/facebook-sets-another-new-low-nyt-rips-cfo-ebersman/ mo torious On Oct 13, 30 Heisei, at 10:56 PM, mo torious wrote: M_DriversLicense (@onyx_project) 2/6/28 H, 12:51 PM i-am-motorious.tumblr.com/post/129742049… ⁦‪@AngelList‬⁩ ⁦‪@UBSf1‬⁩ ⁦‪@UBS‬⁩ frontinalispartners.com ⁦‪@Ford‬⁩ @LapoElkann_LE ⁦‪@Zurich‬⁩ ⁦‪@CreditSuisse‬⁩ pic.twitter.com/2pZqP9LAin

It Wasn’t Meant to Be a Love Letter

This is for Kim, @hypnobyl , who is super great and a superb writer and it is their b-day!!!! I hope your time in Florida is super great yo!! 

May this silly little b-day fic brighten your day, just a lil :D

Also, thank you to @the-queen-of-the-light for betaing the first 3 sections, you da bae!! 

The complete story is below the cut, but you can also read this on AO3 

Cat doesn't hide her birthday, not really. She just doesn't find it professional to celebrate it on company time. There was far too much to do before worrying about her birthday.

However, nearly every CatCo employee receives a signed birthday card from their esteemed boss. Kara's got all of the birthdays right in front of her, in a calendar.

And Kara's looked, multiple times, but Cat's birthday isn't there. She's done digging on the internet, she's even looked at Cat's Wiki page and even there the date changes every few days.

Heck, maybe Cat's changing it because Kara just can't find the right date.

She's there, again, prepping a card for Cat to sign, when it really hits her. She's been Cat's assistant for well over a year and she still doesn't know Cat's birthday. Kara'd gotten a card on her arrival-to-Earth day, hand-picked by Cat, but she still doesn't know Cat's birthday!

Carter. Carter is her only option. Lois might know but… the things she would owe the woman.

Kara clicks her pen and pushes back from her desk. She knows Carter’s nanny. She can definitely get another evening with the boy. She snatches the card off her desk and waits as the last of the board members exit Cat’s office.

Cat doesn’t look too haggard and there’d been no yelling, but either way, signing the card will brighten her mood. It always does. It’s kind of cute really. Big, bad boss enjoying the little moments where she can brighten her ‘minion’s’ days.

She can’t really wipe the smile that the thought triggers off her face, so, instead, she just smiles all the wider and walks into Cat’s office. Cat gives her the signature eyebrow raise, but she just hands the card over.

“Here’s the card, is there anything else you need right now, Ms. Grant?” She bounces on her toes. She just can’t help it.

“No, not right now. Just make sure I have the layouts from advertising by four.” Her pen glides across the card, her usual flourish giving the whole process an air of elegance. She’s rather beautiful to watch. She holds out the card and Kara reaches to take it. “What has you so bouncy on this fine Wednesday, Sunny Danvers?”

Ah, whoops, but oh well. “Just a new project, Ms. Grant!” Her eyes trail to the card and really, Cat’s handwriting is magnificent.

Kim H. Nobyl

The name swirls under the printed ‘Happy Birthday’ with Cat’s own signature under that. And, oh, Cat is in a good mood; she’s used her extra fancy pen.

She doesn’t press for any more explanation, just waves Kara out the door. It’s for the best, Kara has lots to do now. She needs to call the nanny and arrange a day with Carter… and also figure out how to get Carter to tell her what Cat’s birthday is.

Well, food would work on her…

It’s about three months until she can finagle her own, Cat’s, and Carter’s schedule to where she and Carter have an afternoon alone. Cat thinks she’s running errands… technically it’s not a lie. Not really.

Cat just deserves something nice, she does! Cat's quite nice under her prickly exterior and her eyes are always so gentle. This will be good for her… it’s a white-lie, right? She’s heard from Alex that those aren’t bad.

Yeah, a white-lie.

Carter walks over to her when she waves. They’ve interacted before, just not a lot. He’s a smart kid and maybe she can convince him that her cause is worthy.

“Hi, Carter! I came instead of your nanny, sorry for the surprise, but I’m here to spend the afternoon with you!” She puts on her best smile but Carter just nods. That’s… well… kind of to be expected. He’s a shy kid.

“Okay then, the car’s right over here.” She leads him away from the school and he remains silent. “How were classes? Did you learn anything new today?”

She gets another shrug and a mumbled, “Plants follow sunshine.” Well… that’s something to work with, right? Better than nothing at least.

“Oh yeah!” She plops down in the backseat next to him and smiles at Raeni, the only driver she trusted to keep this mission secret. “It has something to do with water right?”

Carter turns toward her a little, his shoulders relaxing back and oh, he’s such a good kid. “Yeah, the cell walls use water pressure to grow toward the sun.”

No wonder Cat’s so enamored with him.

“Really?” There weren’t many plants on Krypton, but Earth science always fascinated her. Botany though… it’s not that plants are boring, but, how could she be interested in plants when there were birds around? “How does the plant know where the sun is?”

Carter lights up a little more and oh no, this boy, he’s truly his mother’s son. Adorable.

“Well, there are little receptors in the plant that take sunlight in and turn it into a chemical that…”

She’s fifteen wiki articles deep before Carter is satisfied with their explanations on botany. It’s nearly five in the evening and Kara’s stomach is being rude at the moment. Honestly, if it could just calm down, that’d be great.

Carter laughs and ouch, ouch, but he takes her hand and leads her to the kitchen so all’s forgiven pretty quickly. Quicker when she realizes that Carter’s pulling take-out menus from the drawer he’s just opened.

“Pizza or Chinese?” He glances up and golly, this kid’s a keeper.

“Both?” She shrugs and Carter rolls his eyes. That’s far too much like his mother, and gosh, he’s got Cat’s eyes too. Gorgeous.

“You’re calling it in then.” And that same bargaining that quickly turns to commands… he’s learned from the best.

She reaches for her phone and Carter points to the circled items on both menus. The line clicks through to-

“Hello, this is National Pizza, what can I do for you?” and she nods to Carter before replying.

“Hi, I’m ordering for delivery to the Grant residency.” Carter trundles off as the woman on the other side of the line forgoes her ‘we don’t deliver speech’ in favor of the 200 percent tip Cat always sends back.

She hears the soft ‘shhh’ of water running and good, she doesn’t even have to convince him of a shower. That’s always nice. Now, for the best potstickers in the whole city…

“So, how’d you convince Nan to take the day off? And why did you?” Carter’s got half a slice of pizza shoved into his mouth and it’s the first truly disgusting thing Kara’s seen from him.

She coughs, because, uh, why would he think that? Her eyes must say her question well enough because this… what is he? 12? 13? 47? year-old rolls his eyes again and Kara’s pretty sure he thinks she’s dumb.

“Nan never takes off unless mom asks her to or it’s her kids’ birthdays.” Yeah, he definitely thinks she’s dumb, ouch. He crams another slice of pizza into his mouth, and she must wince because he grins at her and, ew, ew that makes it so much worse, ew.

“Uhm, ew, and well…” He’s probably going to find it out anyway. Plus, how is she going to get him to not tell his mother about Kara being here? “Okay, so, y’know your mom, right?”

O-kay, that’s definitely Cat Grant’s child. Wow, and she thought she had laser vision.

“Okay, yeah, so, anyway. I can’t find her birthday.” His look darkens and she backtracks, raising her hands to placate him. “Not her birth year! Just the day! See, well, she gives cards to all her employees, and it’s actually really sweet. Even though she pretends to be mean, she’s really not. But the point is, she even got me a card! And usually I get the card for people and take it for her to sign, but she got me one on her own which is really nice, especially since I hadn’t even been her employee for very long so I wanted to get her a card or maybe like, a little gift or something to show my appreciation because she can be hard to work for but she’s also really great and kind and inspiring so I wanted to, y’know, get her a birthday card like she did for me….”

Carter’s just looking at her. That’s the same stare that Cat gives her. Oh, it’s just as disquieting. Why are Grants like this?

“So, I need her birthday for that… which is why I wanted to talk with you… not that! Not that the rest of our day wasn’t nice! I’m not trying to use you to get to your mom! Or… oh no, that’s kind of exactly what I’m doing. Oh no, that’s terrible, I’m so sorry. I can try to find her birthday elsewhere, I just wanted to get the date right.” Oh she’d royally messed up, oh golly, he’d probably kick her out and-

“It’s April 24th.”

Oh? “Oh? Oh. Oh, okay.” She blinks and he looks like he’s holding back laughter and that’s just what she needs, fantastic, a 13-year-old laughing at her. Alex will never let her live this down. And- “Shit, that’s next week.” Oh crap, golly -darn “I mean, crud! I meant crud! Don’t curse, it’s really rude!”

Carter laughs, head back and, grand, now he really is laughing at her. But Kara can't help her own laugh. This 13-year-old with far too much sass, goodness.

She has seven days to decide what to get for Cat. She takes six of those seven.

It's… difficult. There's nothing she can get for Cat that Cat can't just go out and buy. So, she makes something instead.

Maybe it's dumb but… well, it just sort of fits Cat because Cat loves what she does and loves what she's built so? Kara can't help but agree; Cat's done amazing things and she's an amazing person.

But the small, wrapped present in her hands feels so, so underwhelming. The card's fine, a basic Happy Birthday with Kara's signature and a small note wishing Cat a nice day. She's just nervous because Cat might get angry?

Or hate it?

But she still leaves the card and wrapped canvas on Cat's desk while she's at a meeting. She keeps it discrete, of course, no need to draw attention to something Cat wants kept on the down-low. It wouldn't be professional at all if she went about making a scene.

She places the package in the middle of Cat's deck. But no, it's not that important. Not that Cat isn't important, just that the present isn't that important. So maybe to the side a little… yes, just beside the layouts for the opening of the new high school next week.

Golly, why the butterflies? It's just a small painting. A painting of CatCo at high noon, the sun shining over the multitude of glass windows and CatCo is beautiful and powerful, just like it's creator. So the painting fits, yeah.

But it isn't as realistic as some of the paintings Cat could go out and buy… but, no. No, it's a nice painting, it really is and Kara shouldn't be doubting herself like this. She should trust Cat. Trust that Cat might just appreciate the thought?

Yeah. Yeah and maybe find something to eat because her stomach really needs to settle.

“No, Brian, I’m not following another one of your ponzi schemes. Now out with you.”

Welp, there she is. Kara scuttles back to her desk, standing to see if Cat needs anything. She gets a distracted wave as Cat answers a call on her cell. She won’t need anything for a while then…

Oh, except the edited version of Snapper’s newest updates! Woops, should have gotten that earlier.

Cat makes it to her desk and flops in her chair, ah, the phone call isn’t a pleasant one. Not that Kara would ever eavesdrop, just, if it’s Carter, Cat’s always so light in her movements. She should get Cat some water.

Cat’s fingers ghost over the layouts and skip to the letter, sitting on the covered canvas.

Oh golly.

Cat finishes her phone call and Kara can’t move now. She doesn’t want to attract attention. Oh golly, those butterflies are back. She can’t help but watch though, Cat’s curious look is… cute, really.

Oh golly, Cat’s cute. Oh but no, she’s not just cute, she’s gorgeous.

Oh no.

No. No.

Her fingers peel back the envelope and oh, she’s so graceful and her eyes flick over Kara’s handwriting and a tiny, soft- oh gosh, so soft- smile spreads over her face and her lips are so-

No.

No, Rao, no.

Her hands cover the canvas and oh gods above, the ocean is pounding around the building. There’s definitely got to be a problem with the cooling system. That can’t be a sound a heart can make.

The paper slips off the canvas and her lips part and all the air rushes from the room. Her eyes rove over the painting, the strokes in fine grey and gold, and her smile can’t be kept tamped down. Though the muscles twitching in her cheeks show how hard she’s trying and those green, green eyes that can swallow space and time and -

Oh shit.

Cat looks up at her and blinks and Kara breathes in so sharply she’s pretty sure Winn hears her. She swallows but those eyes are still staring at her and her mouth is moving and…

Thank you.

Oh.

Oh, all the weight of the world dropping from her shoulders couldn’t make her feel like this. Golly, the butterflies are gone and there’s just tingling through her whole system. She tries to squelch her smile, especially when Winn asks what’s going on but…

Golly, wa-pow, indeed.

You can also find this on AO3

The Best of the PCT Continues

The countdown continues with Rees’ Numbers 8 and 7.  See Howard’s in yesterday’s post.

By Rees Hughes

NUMBER 8.  THE MAGICAL EVENING AT DRAKESBAD, July 9, 2010

 There are certain magical days on the Pacific Crest Trail that stand tall; days that rise above that broad forest of glorious days.   These are the days that your memory immediately races to when you reflect on your life on the trail.  There was the day we guessed our way around snow-covered Mt. Adams ending on a ridge with a commanding view of Mt. Rainier and a solstice sunset; the day we swam our way down Falls Creek marveling at the granite walls above Grace Meadows only to while away an afternoon in the soft, lush grass basking in the warm sun near Wilmer Lake; or the day we walked south from Cook and Green Pass past Kangaroo Springs to Lower Devils Peak with its ringside seat to the conflagration raging across the Klamath River Valley.  Every hiker has their transcendent days.

Such days do not always represent a confluence of everything wonderful.  It is their enchanted quality, what English writer Nan Fairbrother calls “exquisite moments,” that sets them apart.  Besides, time seems to blur the difficult and brighten the best experiences of these stellar days.  Such was the case this particular day.

The day dawned with vestiges of the tumultuous evening resting on the peaks above Lower Twin Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We tried to shake off as much moisture as possible but there was no alternative but to pack the tents wet again.  Dr. Howard tended to Don and Eli’s ailing feet.  Wet boots and long days had chaffed their feet raw with blisters compounding their discomfort.  There were unspoken thoughts of an early exit from the trail as it is no fun when each step hurts.  Perhaps a short day will improve spirits.

Speed bumps of late season snow gave way to long stretches of snow sheltered by the dense tree canopy.  I always find these situations wearing if not exhausting.  Climbing up and down the steep edges of the snow banks; picking your path around downed trees; add in a couple of postholes.   We carefully crossed several creeks swollen by the melt water and preceding night’s rainfall.  About midday we reached the crest of a line of basalt cliffs that comprise Flatiron Ridge high above the Warner Valley and, more importantly, Drakesbad.

Drakesbad, initially established clear back in 1900 as a guest ranch, remains a rustic refuge accessible via a corrugated unpaved road seventeen miles in from Chester (which is pretty remote itself) or on foot.  There are only nineteen units at Drakesbad some of which still rely on kerosene lamps.  However, the price for a night rivals the cost of a month on the PCT.  Yet, during much of the summer, accommodations have been reserved for years.  It really is a Northern California Shangri-la.

As we made the long traverse down, we could see the steam rising from the hot spring pool set out in a broad meadow.  The siren song of happy voices pulled us forward.  Our own chatter focused on the possibility of reserving a space for dinner.

We set up our tents in the Park Service’s Warner Valley Campground, hung a line and did our best to give the high mountain sun a chance to dry out our saturated gear.  Howard and I were nominated to walk the half mile to Drakesbad to ask about a table for four in the well ventilated section.  We donned clean tee-shirts and tried to sponge away the most offensive trail musk.

As we stepped into the closed space of the dining room, even our deadened noses became aware of the aroma that accompanied us.  The colorful tablecloths festooned the light wood of the dining room.  The room was set for dinner.  Salad forks.  Second spoons.  Wine glasses.  The ambiance was simple but elegant.   The realization that we didn’t fit here made us yearn for the opportunity that much more.

A tall woman brusquely emerged from what appeared to be the kitchen.  She had the air of a person with a long list of urgent tasks and little time for hiker trash.  Our first efforts to turn on the charm bounced off her and fell impotently to the floor.

We continued, “Any chance, any chance at all, that there might be a way to handle four more this evening?”  We weren’t above inserting a hint of desperation in our request.

“The Ranch is full and we usually only have enough food for our paying guests,” she replied without a hint of sympathy.  There was a pause as she saw our crestfallen faces.  “I will check with the chef and see if there is likely to be extra food.”   Perhaps it was her Germanic accent that underscored the futility of our quest.   Perhaps it was that she didn’t seem to be heading off to ask anyone anything.

We turned to go, tails between our legs.  Don and Eli will be so disappointed.  We had hoped this would be an antidote for their blistered feet and bruised morale.

With one foot out the door, Howard asked if it might be possible to use the phone for a quick call home as our cell phones had not been working along this stretch of the PCT.

It was if Howard had uttered a magic incantation that had propelled us into a parallel universe.  We were Dorothy trying to get into Oz.  “Why didn’t you say you were on the Crest Trail,” Billie Fiebiger exclaimed.  “We always have enough food for PCT hikers.”  In fact, Billie gave us the key to the city.  “Use the showers (please) and the pool.  Make yourselves at home.  Come back at 7 p.m. although you may not be seated until later.”  Still shaking our heads at our good fortune and this rather mysterious turn of events, we hurried back to tell Don and Eli the news before the spell was broken.

As the four of us returned the dark clouds that had dogged us the past several days were building quickly.  But, the warm showers and the hydrothermal pool kept us occupied until the rumble of thunder became more aggressive. Within minutes the remaining blue patches of sky vanished.  Lightning forced us reluctantly to vacate the pool.  The hail drove us for cover under the eaves of the bathhouse.   The gusting winds pushed tentacles of rain toward even the most protected corners.

Valiant employees raced down the trail to the pool in an electric cart to rescue the castaways three per trip.  The meadow had been transformed into a Sargasso Sea and the pyrotechnics kept us all jumpy.  Eventually we were deposited in the Lodge where we were to wait until dinner.

The photo albums and memorabilia in the Lodge deepened our appreciation for just what a special place Drakesbad is.  For two generations the Sifford family had built and tended this Guest Ranch.  For over 60 years they reclaimed the facility after each harsh winter for its four months of annual operation.  It had to be a labor of love.  The facility was incorporated into the National Park in 1958.  For the past 19 years, Ed and Billie Fiebiger have served as the hosts, caretakers, and stewards of Drakesbad.

Ed, in his chef’s apron, called us for dinner.  We crossed to the dining hall and were promptly seated.  There were several choices of entrees.  Or, Ed suggested, “Try them all!”  Heaping plates were brought to each of us.  The folks at the adjacent table took a special interest in our story.  One of their group had come annually for nearly fifty years.  Another from their table was sent back to their cabin and instructed to return with some of their wine stash to be shared with us.  “White or red?”  “No”, she instructed her husband, “bring one of each.”  We were peppered with questions and asked quite a few of our own.  We soaked up the attention that comes with being minor celebrities.

Ed pulled up a chair.  He had a bigger than life quality and exuded a warmth that permeated the hospitality of this magical place.

My cynical side wanted to peer around to make sure that we were not being fattened up by some wicked witch.  But, Drakesbad is a place that replenishes your faith in the generosity of the human spirit.  Distrust, doubt, and skepticism have no place here.

And, there was desert too.  In fact, there were three kinds.  “Try them all!”

It was tempting to linger much longer than we did.  I confess that it was all I could to restrain myself from asking if they served breakfast too.

Eventually we said reluctant goodbyes and enthusiastic thank yous.  The rain had stopped by the time we walked back toward our campsite.  If we weren’t walking down the road with our arms around each other, singing and talking loudly, then it felt like there was that sense of conviviality. 

The storm had spread our clothes across our campsite and sent cascades of water around our tents.   But there was nothing capable of dampening our spirits on this magical day.

NUMBER 7.  Harvesting pine nuts south of Walker Pass, May 10, 2011

I wanted to include a representative small moment that happens along the trail.  These are times when you slow down, stop, and absorb the nature that surrounds you.  These are the countless quiet, gentle experiences that occur, if you let them. I like to consider these my Mary Oliver moments.

When I section-hiked the PCT from Tehachapi to Walker Pass several Mays ago, as we neared the northern end of that trip we took a lunch break one day under a grove of piñon pines.  As we reached into our pack for our usual lunch of cheese, rye crackers, and salami, we began to notice that the forest floor was littered with pine nuts.  While some had become food for rodents, squirrels, and other foraging animals since dropping to the ground the prior autumn, most were so very edible.  Soon we were each on our hands and knees collecting cones and harvesting their delectable contents. I ate my fill and packed an empty bag with more nuts that I brought home with me when I left the trail.  It helped me understand the important role that pine nuts could play in the diet of Native Peoples. One pound of these nuts can contain up to 3,000 calories.

Another one of these small moments took place on the sandy bank of the McCloud River in Northern California on a section of the trail that most thru-hikers treat as an unfortunate 83 miles necessary to get from spectacular Burney Falls to Castle Crags and the beginning of the more dramatic Trinity Alps.  I was hiking with my friend, Bruce Johnston.  We had made excellent time from Deer Creek and decided to stop in the early afternoon and enjoy easy access to the McCloud River from the Ah-Di-Na Campground, located on the site of a former Wintu village and eventually a lavish resort owned by newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst (the family still owns an estate, Wyntoon, ten miles upstream).  By the late 1950s the Hearst family had razed the resort buildings and in 1965 the Forest Service had acquired the property.  The one constant throughout was the beautiful McCloud River.  Bruce and I set up camp and retreated to the edge of the river where we could lie flat on a sandy bar. There was just enough wind to avoid the mosquitoes that had been feasting on us in camp.  For the next two hours we watched the evolution of the evening sky, the dance of the bugs, birds, and trout, the breeze in the trees.  All of this accompanied by the soundtrack of the McCloud River.  In a trail culture where it is all about perpetually moving forward, there is much to be said for slowing down. “We are Nature,” Walt Whitman says, “long have we been absent, but now we return.”  Being more mindful has been an important life lesson for me.

New York City Restaurants Continue To Get Creative As They Face A Potential Indoor Dining Shutdown

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/new-york-city-restaurants-continue-to-get-creative-as-they-face-a-potential-indoor-dining-shutdown/

New York City Restaurants Continue To Get Creative As They Face A Potential Indoor Dining Shutdown

Lil’ Sweet Chick introduced breakfast service for the first time in October.

Restaurants throughout the country are bracing themselves for a rough winter as concerns for public health and safety could lead to further restrictions on an industry that’s already been hard hit since March.

Operators in New York City, where restaurants can currently seat guests at 25% capacity indoors with a 10 p.m. curfew on dine-in service, fear they will have to close their interior spaces again.

An end to indoor dining grows more likely each day. There has been a rise in Covid-19 infections nationwide, with a daily average of over 190,000 new cases reported to the CDC. In the Big Apple alone, confirmed cases have totaled over 14,000 over the last seven days, according to data from NYC Health as of 10 a.m. on December 7.

Elected city and state officials have already called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to declare New York City an orange zone—a designation that would force restaurants to halt indoor dining and transition back to only offering takeout, delivery and outdoor seating. 

But dropping temperatures and a potential indoor dining shutdown haven’t stopped New York City restaurants from making the most of what they have and adapting in creative ways.

Sweet Chick rebranded all of its locations, including this one in New York City’s Lower East Side, … [] to Lil’ Sweet Chick.

John Seymour, founder, and Kyle Martin, COO, had to let go of all of their employees and close their Sweet Chick locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens in March. When thinking about ways to adjust their operations upon reopening, the restaurateurs decided it was time to try something they had considered even prior to the pandemic—a shift from full service to quick service.

Their concept opened back up in May with a lot of the original staff members and a new moniker: Lil’ Sweet Chick. All of the locations have rebranded and switched to a quick-service model with a new menu focused on more grab-and-go-friendly items such as fried chicken sandwiches.

Customers can order breakfast items such as buttermilk biscuit sandwiches at Lil’ Sweet Chick every … [] day from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Seymour and Martin then set their sights on launching a breakfast menu for the first time but only if they could come up with biscuits that were up to their standards. “We started with the fried chicken sandwiches, really went full force with those, and then always wanted to do more of a breakfast program,” Martin says. “We took a while to get the biscuits right.”

In October, Seymour and Martin debuted breakfast service at all Lil’ Sweet Chick locations. Every day, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., New Yorkers can order savory items such as buttermilk biscuit sandwiches, chicken and waffles, and hash browns. For a sweet start to the day, there are options like the Blueberry Muffin Waffle, a Belgian waffle topped with cinnamon crumble, blueberries and lemon glaze.

The Blueberry Muffin Waffle is a Belgian waffle topped with cinnamon crumble, blueberries and lemon … [] glaze.

According to Martin, a few breakfast items that have been most popular among customers are the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Buttermilk Biscuit (a biscuit version of the classic New York bodega breakfast sandwich with thick bacon, egg, cheddar cheese and a side of housemade tomato jam) and the vegetarian-friendly Impossible Sausage, Egg and Cheese Buttermilk Biscuit.

When looking at Lil’ Sweet Chick’s operations for the near future, Martin says he and Seymour are just focusing on “hopefully getting through the winter.” They anticipate business will get slower during the colder weather months and plan on “using that time to come up with new ideas and new dishes” for the spring, according to the COO.

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao in Flushing has adapted its operations and is experimenting with new menu … [] items.

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao in Flushing has also been experimenting with its operations and menu. After closing its doors for less than three weeks during the pandemic, the restaurant, well known for its xiao long bao (soup dumplings), reopened and started selling frozen products for customers to make at home.

The dining spot also implemented “safety protocols including booking nearby hotels and shuttle cars for staff, installing hand sanitizer stations, and creating contactless order and payment systems,” Eddie Zheng, general manager, said in a release.

The new pan-fried cheese and shrimp dumplings at Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

In addition to releasing new bites such as pan-fried cheese and shrimp dumplings, Nan Xiang launched a limited-time xiao long bao set—the Three Treasures XLB—last month during a one-year anniversary celebration of its new location. The restaurant is hoping the special will draw in diners looking for “Instagram-worthy” dishes to post on social media.

The new soup dumplings have skins with colorful swirls inspired by watercolors. Each color corresponds with a particular filling that contains a Chinese delicacy: green (braised abalone); black (spiny sea cucumber); and red (Chinese-style dry-cured and smoked ham).

The Three Treasures XLB contains delicacies: braised abalone (green), spiny sea cucumber (black) and … [] Chinese-style dry-cured and smoked ham (red).

Nan Xiang plans on seeing how popular these eye-catching soup dumplings are with its customers and possibly introducing different versions with new luxury ingredients in the future.

Huertas experimented with selling wines at retail price. At a recent sale, $5 from every bottle sold … [] supported the Georgia Fund.

The end of indoor dining in New York City is highly likely, according to Jonah Miller, chef and owner of Huertas, an East Village spot for Basque-influenced cuisine. In preparation, he has invested in outfitting his outdoor space with heaters to keep diners warm. But given the expected decrease in foot traffic during the colder weather months, Miller also has another strategy: trimming down the restaurant’s existing inventory.

Recently, Huertas held its own wine sale, featuring bottles from its back room at retail price. $5 from every bottle sold supported the Georgia Fund from Dine for Democracy for the upcoming Senate runoffs in January.

Miller is also collaborating with Table 22 to create subscriptions for curated goodies from Huertas at varying membership levels. These subscriptions are monthly and can be gifted to others in three-month or six-month allotments.

Conservas are tinned seafoods commonly enjoyed in Spain and Portugal.

The Conserva Club tier, priced at $30 per month, is available locally for pickup and delivery and nationwide with free shipping. It includes two conservas (tinned seafood), two accompaniments such as chips or crackers, and an exclusive monthly at-home recipe from Miller.

There are also one-time gift bundles from Huertas through Table 22, such as the Vermouth & Conservas Bundle, priced at $50. It features a bottle of housemade vermouth, three conservas, hot sauce and herb salt. This package can be picked up or delivered for free in New York City, or shipped nationwide for an additional $10.

UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 7: Plates marked with the names and stories of restaurant workers who have … [] either been laid off or are in fear of losing their jobs lay across the East Lawn of the Capitol as part of a demonstration to urge Congress to pass the RESTAURANTS Act in Washington on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The creative efforts New York City operators are putting in to keep their restaurants going and their staff employed are commendable; however, in the face of further restrictions as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, additional federal support is ultimately what many restaurants in the city and throughout the country need to sustain themselves.

The outlook for restaurants is more dire than ever. 17% of restaurants, which accounts for more than 110,000 eateries, across the U.S. have closed completely as the industry continues to struggle with an “economic free fall as a result of mandated closures and capacity limits due to the coronavirus pandemic,” according to a letter sent to Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and Chuck Schumer from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) on December 7.

The letter lists other results from the nationwide survey the trade association recently conducted among its members. Roughly one in every six restaurants have shuttered its doors over the past nine months, and a vast majority of these establishments had been considered fixtures within their communities. Less than half of the owners of these closed businesses expect to stay involved in hospitality in any form in the coming months or years.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 07: A man walks past shuttered outdoor restaurant seating … [] decorated with American flags on the first day of new stay-at-home orders on December 7, 2020 in West Hollywood, California. Under state order, 33 million residents of California have entered into regional shutdowns in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus as ICU capacity has dipped below 15 percent in most regions of the state. Barbershops, hair and nail salons, museums, zoos, movies theaters are closed while restaurants are open for takeout or delivery only. In Los Angeles County, outdoor dining was shuttered nearly two weeks ago amid a surge of coronavirus cases there. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

“Efforts in Washington to find the ‘perfect’ solution are laudable, but the lack of progress in the meantime has led too many operators to give up on the government and close down for good,” Sean Kennedy, NRA executive vice president of public affairs, wrote in the letter.

Talks over the passage of the RESTAURANTS Act, a relief bill from Congress, continue to stall—leaving operators are unsure if they can survive through the winter.

As Kennedy put it in the NRA’s letter to Congress, “the restaurant industry simply cannot wait for relief any longer.”

More from Dining in Perfectirishgifts

School bus drivers worry about safety as first day of classes nears

With school starting in less than a week, Lisa deMolitor knows she will be driving her usual route in Shelburne County -- but she still isn't sure what that will look like.

"I worry about my pre-primary and primaries that have never been on a bus, they're the ones that they may be crying that first day, and I'm going to help transition them from mommy's arms to the school," deMolitor said. "They're going to be nervous and I want to be able to put them all at ease, but I don't have the answers."

The Nova Scotia government has outlined guidelines for school bus providers, including National Passenger Services in Dartmouth, one of three that services schools in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

"Every student has to wear a mask as well as the driver whenever they're on the bus or getting on or off," said Darryl Amirault of National Passenger Services. "Anything more than that, we don't want the students to see, we don't want to create any anxiety for them, so we're keeping it as low key as well possibly can."

That includes multiple cleanings a day, before and after students are picked up in the morning and dropped off in the afternoon.

"The backs of seats are very common for kids to be grabbing onto so we'll be washing all those down, spraying them with disinfectant," Amirault said.

But deMolitor, who doesn't work for National Passenger Services, says she has many concerns.

"It's not consistent across the province," she said. "I talk to other bus drivers and other people in the education system across the province, it's different, how long I get to clean my bus versus how long they get. We all have the same bus, the same size and the same structure, we need the same amount of time."

Nan McFadgen is the president CUPE Nova Scotia and she has concerns because bus drivers already have a difficult job – and now it's going to be even more challenging.

"There's not going to be physical distancing on the bus," McFadgen said. "There's no PlexiGlas in the back of the driver; we're told that's something that can't be done, although we understand in other provinces it is being done."

Outside of Halifax, buses are run by the local centres for education, and drivers like Demolitor belong to the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

"We've been trying to get answers to government for four months now and I still can't stand here and give you a complete picture of what our staff, including our bus drivers can expect, because we don't know," McFadgen said.

With the first big test less than a week away, time is running out for drivers to get answers.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3hVFltB