by Scott Baron
“Shut up, Curtis, you’re not in Camview. Don’t make a scene,” Dorothy whispered.
“Don’t worry, I know,” he calmly replied.
Dorothy wasn’t so sure.
They had just received a basket of bread, which Curtis was happily munching on while he and Dorothy scanned the menu, when his attention was caught by a man coming back from the Indian-Thai fusion buffet that sat in hot chafing dishes near the bar. He stared in amazement at the enormous mountain of food piled on the man’s plate as he made his way back to his table.
“Hey, buddy,” Curtis said, a bit too loud, “when a buffet says ‘all you can eat’ it’s just an offer, not a challenge!”
“Are you trying to get us kicked out before we even eat?” Dorothy hissed, kicking him under the table as she shot him an icy glare.
“Come on,” he replied with a mischievous grin. “Am I that guy?”
Yes, he was that guy.
They walked down the street, still hungry, booted unceremoniously from the eatery, having only managed to nibble on bread.
They hadn’t even ordered.
“Okay, I’m sorry I ruined dinner, but—”
“The sign said ‘Employees Only,’ Curtis,” she shot back.
“Yeah, well, I’m employed.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, I was employed. Come on, it looked interesting. Besides…” He proudly held out a fistful of crumpled bills.
“Where did you get that?”
“Five-finger discount. Took it from the apron of that goon who threw us out. I tell ya, men in aprons. Sheesh.”
She shook her head in disappointment. “Bad Karma, Curtis.”
He chuckled lightheartedly.
“What? Are you going to come get me?” he joked.
She fixed him with a serious stare, only the slightest hint of amusement peeking through the corners of her eyes.
“Someday, Curtis. Someday,” she deadpanned.
He stopped laughing. “Hey, not cool, man.”
Dorothy let a tiny grin peek through and, after a pause, decided to finally let him off the hook.
“So how much do you have?”
“About eighty bucks, give or take.” He paused and sized up his friend. “You know, I’ve been meaning to mention it, you’ve changed a lot since you came back to Camview. You talk different. Less stilted and stiff. More slang. You seem to have found yourself a sense of humor too.”
“Well, I was stuck watching reality TV every night for days on end. I guess it must’ve rubbed off a bit.”
“Eww, not exactly the culture you want to absorb. But seriously, I don’t get it. How can a super-powered, millennia-old entity be so out of touch?”
“Told ya, observing is different than experiencing,” she replied. “But I’m working on it. I’ve been making an effort to pick up cultural references. Slang. Stuff to help me fit in. If I’m stuck here any length of time, blending in will be to my benefit.”
He studied her for a moment as they walked down the street. She had most certainly changed, and to his mind, it was definitely for the better.
“You said you have eighty dollars?” she asked. “Well, we might as well make the most of your wicked ways. I owe someone who helped me out when I first became trapped in this realm and would like to repay her kindness. This neighborhood looks familiar, and her place isn’t too far, I think. If we can find her building, I can slip it under her door.”
“But I’m hunnnngry,” whined Curtis.
Well, she does work in a diner. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to drop by. Besides, it would probably be the right thing to do to let her know I’m all right.
“Fine,” she said after a moment’s thought. “If I have my bearings right, she works in a diner just down the road a ways, I believe. We can grab a bus and stop there for some food. That way you can eat, and I can repay her favor. Win-win.”
“Works for me!” he said. Just knowing he’d soon be filling his belly, Curtis’s attitude took an immediate turn for the better. In fact, he seemed downright chipper.
Dorothy and Curtis hopped off the bus and walked the half-block to the next intersection. Dorothy’s sense of direction was on-target as the storefronts looked familiar to her.
“We go right up ahead,” she guided.
They rounded the corner and began walking the remaining blocks to the diner where Angela worked. It was pretty late, and the streets were quiet with just light traffic passing by. It was quiet enough, in fact, that Dorothy managed to unintentionally catch snippets of the conversation a pair of Goth girls across the street were having.
What she heard made her stop in her tracks.
“—and then, when we’d finished the diagram, Corvus lit the final candle and we said the incantation,” said the slight girl with dyed-black hair, who called herself Raven.
“Wait, you mean Daniel, right?” asked her friend, Strange Emily.
“Corvus. You’ve got to call him by his warlock name.”
The teen rolled her eyes.
“Fine. Corvus. So? Did it work?”
Raven smiled.
“The dark powers were with us. Corvus and I closed the circle and banished the spirit from our realm, straight to the Underworld.” Raven was gloating, looking downright pleased with herself, and not even her thick black makeup could conceal her happy grin.
“Whoa, that’s so cool!” chirped Emily. “So that old book you picked up from Dante’s Books was the real deal? Awesome!”
Dorothy’s ears had picked up the key points of the duo’s conversation, and it had most certainly captured her attention.
They know a way!
Her focus intensified on the pair as she darted across the street, ignoring traffic, oblivious to the cars narrowly missing her. Fortunately for her, traffic was light.
Still, it was all Curtis could do to keep up.
“Whoa, cars!” he chimed out in warning. “Hello? Hey, wait up!” he called as he scampered after her.
“I heard what you said!” Dorothy abruptly halted in front of the teenagers, blocking their path. The intensity of her gaze was more than a little unsettling.
“You have the power. I need you to use it on me.”
The teens stared, confused.
“You must kill me!” Dorothy continued. “Cross me to the other side at once!”
Curtis stepped in front of her, breaking her laser-focused gaze, which provided a small window for the two girls to sidestep the crazy woman in black and scurry away.
“Where are you going?” she blurted, surprised by their flight. “Wait! I need you to cross me back!”
“Don’t mind her!” Curtis called after them. “She’s just pulling your leg. Ha, what a joker, right?” He pulled his friend by the arm, dragging her away from the fleeing girls.
“Come on, you’re scaring the spooky kids, and I’m still hungry.”
She watched the black-garbed figures shrink in the distance.
“But they said—”
“Just kids talking out their ass.”
“But—”
“Oy, focus! Me. Belly. Food!” he said, turning her attention to the neon sign now visible a block ahead.
As she stepped into the diner, well rested, and entering via the front door this time, Dorothy felt an unusual sensation of warmth and relief flow over her.
Comfort.
Safety.
That’s strange, she mused. Why do I feel so at home here?
The restaurant was fairly empty, as it had grown late since Curtis had managed to get them thrown out of their original destination. He bounced from foot to foot, doing the pee-pee dance as he tugged on Dorothy’s sleeve while she scanned the mostly empty establishment.
“What?” she finally said, annoyed at his constant tugging.
“Sixteenth letter!” he replied.
“What? What are you talking about, Curtis?”
He stared at her a moment, waiting before finally giving up.
&n
bsp; “Where’s the can?” he inquired.
“The what?”
“The bathroom. I gotta go!”
Ah yes, she was well-acquainted with that particular room in this establishment.
Note to self: no coffee this time.
“It’s down that hall past the register.”
“Thanks!”
Curtis headed off toward the restrooms just as Angela emerged from the kitchen. He took her lightly by the arm, drawing her aside for a moment.
Angela listened to him, then looked over and saw Dorothy, a smile lighting up her face as she recognized the former stray she’d taken in off the street. Curtis said something else to her, then continued down the hall as Angela hurried over to greet the girl who thought she was Death.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said. “I was worried what could have happened to you.”
“I had some trouble,” Dorothy replied. “But it seems to be sorting itself out. Somewhat, anyway.” She reached into her pocket and removed a wad of bills. “Here,” she said, holding them out to Angela. “You took me in. You fed me. I owe you a debt for your kindness.”
“Oh, hell, I only made you some eggs, girl, and I should have thrown those pills out ages ago. Damn hazard they were.”
I shouldn’t have used them in her bathroom. That was an inconsiderate mistake on my part. One that could have caused her a lot of trouble.
“In any case, you helped me. Please take it, if not for putting me up, then at least for feeding me.”
Angela smiled, but didn’t take the money.
“You want to pay someone back? How about Randy over there?” She gestured to the man sitting alone in a far booth, picking at his food, engrossed a dog-eared paperback. “You were kind of rude to him that night, but he still bought you dinner.”
“That was him?”
“Uh-huh,” Angela said as she looked at him, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “He’s a good egg, that one. One of the few regulars I’d call a friend.”
“He seemed nice enough.”
Angie got a gleam in her eye and leaned toward Dorothy conspiratorially, looking over her shoulder to make sure Randy wasn’t watching.
“I probably shouldn’t say anything,” she began, “but you were the first woman he’s shown any interest in since he lost his wife. It’s been tough for the guy. Maybe go talk to him for a bit. He seemed to take a shine to you.”
“Um, I didn’t really talk with him much the other night,” Dorothy blurted.
“Well, I think you should go keep him company anyway.”
He was interested in me, looking like a raggedy popsicle, fresh off the street? Strange taste.
“Well, I would, but I’m here with a friend. He just went to the bathroom and should be back any time now.”
“Oh, that nice man? I almost forgot, he said to tell you, he said he had an emergency come up and would be back as soon as he could.”
“Wait, he left?”
“Headed right out the back door.”
Shit! Why is Curtis ditching me? Oh I am going to kick his ass when he gets back! she thought. If he gets back, she added with a tinge of worry.
The girl who thought she was Death came to the sudden realization that she may very well be on her own again.
“Look, you don’t have to talk to Randy. I didn’t mean to pressure you. I guess sometimes maybe I stick my nose in other people’s business a bit too much. Sit anywhere you like, hon, up to you. I’ve gotta finish up my side work, but I’ll come check on ya in a few. It’s really great to see that you’re all right.”
Angela stepped back behind the counter to pour a warm-up for the lone older woman, who was slowly chewing her way through a grilled cheese with a cup of tomato soup as she sat alone, the whole counter to herself.
Dorothy stood there a moment, scanning the establishment, pondering her next move.
Oh, hell, why not? she finally decided, and started walking across the restaurant.
“Hey, mind if I join you?” she asked over Randy’s shoulder as she approached his booth.
He stopped reading and looked up from his book. Now that she was in a better frame of mind than that first evening, Dorothy was able to give him a proper once-over.
She hadn’t paid much attention to him on their first encounter, but now that she had a moment to give him a proper look, she noted that he was a rather handsome man in his early thirties. He had a bit of scruff to his cheeks, which she found appealing for some reason, and was casually dressed but well groomed. The faded flannel he wore fit his broad shoulders well, the specks of paint that didn’t quite wash out only visible if you looked closely enough.
Strangely, she felt a momentary flash of an unfamiliar warm-tightness flush across her lower belly.
That was odd, she mused.
He put a two-dollar bill in the book to mark his place as he put it down, his face warming with a broad smile when recognition clicked and he realized who was talking to him.
Like a true gentleman, he rose and offered her a seat.
“Oh, it’s you! Please, sit, I’d be delighted for the company.”
“Thanks,” she said, slipping into the vinyl booth. Was this the booth I sat in before? she found herself wondering.
“Hey,” he said as he slid back to his seat, “I just have to ask. Um, you’re not having coffee again, are you?”
Dorothy chuckled. Ice officially broken.
“Yeah, sorry about that. It was my first cup. Kinda ran right through me.”
“Your first cup? What, you mean ever?”
She nodded her head.
“Hang on, are you some kind of Mormon or something? Wait, I know. Never talk about religion or politics on a first date.”
“Oh, is that what this is?”
“Let a boy have his fantasy, okay?”
She smiled at the man sitting across from her, and, strangely enough, found him rather charming. In the short time she’d known Curtis, he had always been the playful big brother to her, hitting her on the arm, giving her good-natured grief, and poking fun. This, however, felt different.
A good kind of different.
Flirting with a cute boy was a new thing for her, and much to her surprise, she found she quite liked it.
Hours had passed, but it felt like it had just been minutes, as Randy regaled her with stories of his ridiculous adventures. The pair had quickly become comfortable with each other, and the conversation flowed without any effort. For the most part, Randy had done the majority of the talking, as Dorothy was careful to heed Curtis’s advice.
Don’t introduce yourself as Death to everyone. Don’t freak people out. She repeated it to herself like a mantra, and so far, the man sitting across from her at the table seemed quite happy with her being there.
“So I woke up to the sound of sheep and this clanging bell,” he said. “I jumped out of my sleeping bag and go running out of my tent, buck-naked, and next thing you know, I find myself standing in the middle of a herd of sheep in nothing but my birthday suit, face-to-face with an eighty-year-old shepherd and her great-granddaughter.”
“Sounds like you gave them a good show,” Dorothy said with a laugh.
“I don’t know about that, but I sure hope that poor girl didn’t need too much therapy.”
“You must’ve had a wonderful time there,” she mused, staring into his eyes. Dorothy admired the passion with which he spoke.
“Yeah, that was a great trip,” he said. “But, there are so many places I still want to go. Galapagos, Vietnam, Easter Island, maybe Thailand. You ever been there?”
“Oh, yes. December 2004 stands out.”
“The killer tsunami? You were there for that? That’s crazy! What was it like?”
Oops.
“Later,” she said, quickly changing the topic. “First tell me more about Greece.”
“Greece. Right. Well, after the sheep fiasco, I met up with some Aussie backpackers, and we decided to hitchhike to Athens.”
Dodged that bullet, she thought.
“Well, you know how Aussies are, so there we were, standing on the side of the road…”
Randy continued with his stories, and as he did, Dorothy let her guard down further. She found herself, much to her surprise, simply relaxing on a nice evening out. Angela dropped by from time to time, and the three of them laughed at his ridiculous stories as the late hours passed.
Meanwhile, across the street in a shadowy doorway, Curtis watched his friend as she let her hair down a bit and enjoyed herself. He was tempted to head back in, but seeing her in such good spirits, he decided to hang back a while longer, smiling cheerfully, and quite pleased with himself.
It was well past midnight, though not yet approaching the time when it transitions from very late at night to very early in the morning.
Dorothy and Randy exited the diner, waving good night to Angela as they stepped out into the night, both feeling better than they had in a long time. As they paused outside the diner’s doors, they found themselves standing a little closer than new acquaintances normally would.
It was an unexpected situation for the boy with the broken heart and the girl who thought she was Death.
“So, uh, can I walk you home?” he asked.
“Um, that’s okay. I’ll be fine,” Dorothy answered, then followed quickly with, “Actually, I’m waiting for a friend.”
“A friend is meeting you at this hour?”
“Well, more like my roommate, and I’m kind of locked out of our place otherwise, so…”
“Oh, gotcha.”
They stood there silently for a moment, uncomfortable for the first time that evening as the seconds suddenly began to feel like minutes.
“So, am I going to see you again?” Randy suddenly blurted out. “Wait,” he said, “that sounded pathetic. What I meant to say was, when will I see you again? Can I take you to dinner sometime? A proper dinner, not like last time.”
Dorothy felt a little flutter in her chest and a flush in her cheeks.
It’s just the cold.
“I don’t really get out much…”
“Come one, live a little.”
She considered the offer a moment. He’s nice, but I need to stay focused. The only thing that matters is crossing back. I’ll just be polite and tell him I can’t.