| General Fiction posted November 8, 2024 |
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1,600 words. Let's meet John and Christina.
Turn Right at the Moon ~ Part 4
by papa55mike
John Morgan gently glides into the Outlaw with his square jaw set and perfect posture. His slick black hair wouldn't move in a tornado. John's dark brown eyes fall on Pat and Glenda, saying, "Good evening, ladies."
They answer in unison, "Good evening, John."
He slides behind the counter, and Glenda, her curiosity piqued, asks, "How tall are you, John?"
"I'm six feet nine inches tall." He studies them for a moment.
Pat says, "I told you Jimmy was taller than him. Pay up!"
"Why couldn't you lie and say you were taller?" Glenda hands the fifty to a quietly laughing Pat.
"I am sorry for your loss, Glenda. But I do not lie."
Glenda shakes her head, saying, "A man with integrity. I thought they were all gone."
John looks at her, smiling, "Apparently not."
Pat giggles, "He put you in your place, Glenda."
"I meant no disrespect, Glenda. My apologies."
"You are so polite, John. Thank you."
Pat yells, "Come on, Glenda, I'll buy the first drink."
"With my money. At least I'll get something out of it. Good night, John." They both turn to the door and, true to their character, exit the building with their noses in the air.
John chuckles and says, "They are two of a kind. But I have no idea what species."
He begins the nightly duties with his mind on the Friday night ahead. They will pack the Outlaw from the mines at supper time. Many will drink their fill tonight before returning to the Moon. Things might get rowdy later.
John finishes the tasks, slips back into the kitchen, turns on a stove, and sets up a small cot stored there. Walking back to the counter, he sees three cruisers using a credit card at the pump. That's when the side door opens, and a lovely young woman walks in. Her tall, slender body and dark features match John's except for the stunning sky-blue eyes. She wraps her arms around his neck, then kisses his cheek, saying, "Hello, Father."
"Good evening, Christina. How was school today?"
"Boring."
"I know their curriculum is not up to your level, but just one more year there, and then I can get you in that accelerated school on the Moon. After all, you're only thirteen."
"Yeah, but being a foot taller and so much smarter than everybody else is hard."
"Don't you have any friends?"
"Only you, Father. The other girls act afraid of me. Did you have many friends at my age?"
"No, I was always the tall freak until basketball season. That never worked out, either. My first best friend was your Mother."
"Do you think you two will get back together?"
"The door to our home is always open, and forgiveness awaits her. I don't care what she's done. I think you need her at this time in your life. Not everything can come from a Father. There are too many questions I can't answer."
"What can Mother teach me? She only knows how to be a drunken whore."
"Please don't say that about your Mother. She was a beautiful soul for a long time and brought you into my life, but her demons finally caught her."
"Yeah, I see those demons five nights a week. Last Thursday, one of her "friends" tried to corner me in the kitchen. I could see the lust in Tony's eyes. Mother saw what he was doing and decked him with a chair. We dragged him out in the hall and left him. I haven't seen him since."
"I'll have to talk to her about that. If she can't protect you, we're going back to court."
"I can protect myself, Father. A little closer, and I would've kneed him hard in the crotch!"
"That's my girl, but it's not the point. Why don't you cook us some supper?"
"Do you want anything special?"
"Surprise me, Christina."
"Will do, Father." She's an excellent cook and loves the Outlaw's kitchen.
Ten minutes later, the store is full of delightful smells. A customer named Barry asks, "Cooking supper, John?"
"A little something I threw together. It should be ready shortly."
"Well, I suppose that's you singing, too."
"I am working on my puppeteer skills, Barry."
Suddenly, Christina pops out of the kitchen with two plates full of food.
"Well, that's a beautiful puppet, John. It cooks, too."
John wipes his eyes and says, "Barry, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Christina."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady. The food smells amazing."
"Would you like me to make you a plate?"
"No, I'm heading home to eat my wife's cooking. What is that anyway?"
"A Chili-cheeseburger with onion rings on top and Cajun fries."
"My mouth is watering, sweetie. I'll get my wife to cook that for me. It's been a pleasure to meet you, Christina."
"Likewise, Mr. Barry."
Barry bounces out the door, almost giggling.
"Did I get you in trouble, Father?"
"I don't know, Christina. Barry is one of those lecherous old fools who chase Pat around. I don't think he would say anything. It may be time they found out."
"Will they fire you?"
"It's possible, but I'm not worrying about that now." John picks up his burger. "This does smell amazing."
~
~
The next day, after the morning shenanigans, Barry comes to the register to pay for his breakfast. "Well, Pat, I see you have a night cook."
"No, we don't, Barry. What are you talking about?"
"You should watch your security tape from last night, Pat."
"I will, Barry, but you won't tell me?"
"No. See you tomorrow."
Glenda walks behind Pat and asks, "What's that all about?"
"Barry says we have a cook at night, and I should watch the tape."
"Well, I always knew he was nuts."
"There's only one way to find out, Glenda."
They both walk back to the mainframe, and Pat opens the file for John's shift. She scans until about seven o'clock and says, "There's Barry talking to John with his evil smile." Suddenly, Christina appears on the screen, bringing two plates of food to the front counter. Pat asks, "Who the crap is that?"
Glenda studies the screen and says, "That's Sharon's daughter, Christina."
"Who?"
"You remember that barfly we ran into at Sam's? She's always drunker than a skunk - trying to pick up any young guy she can. Her daughter usually hides in the corner doing homework or on her iPhone."
"But what's she doing here?"
Glenda gasps and says, "They say Sharon was married to a good guy and horribly dumped him. I'll bet she was married to John."
"Oooh," Pat exclaims. "When does John work again?"
"Tomorrow night," Glenda answers.
"I'll leave John a message to come in an hour early. We need to talk."
"You can't fire him, Pat. He's the best worker we have."
"I'm not sure what to do, Glenda."
~
~
The ride on the shuttle bus from Earth feels like a movie that John has seen before. They seem trapped in a repeating cycle. The explosion happens every time he gets them settled in a good routine. He dreads shattering Christina's life again and knows she'll blame herself.
Hopefully, he has a secret weapon with him. John wraps his hand around Christina's and smiles at his daughter. Her face is radiant.
Pat stands at the register, chatting with her heartthrob, Frank Dallas. Her eyes are full of dreams until she hears the side door open and close. "Excuse me, Frank, but I have to talk to John."
He sees her face turn sullen, and Frank says, "This must be serious."
"Maybe, don't you leave? I still have plans for you." Pat walks away slowly while Frank takes in the view.
John and Christina walk towards Pat with big smiles, and John says, "Good evening, Pat. I want you to meet my daughter, Christina."
Christina reaches out her hand to Pat, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Pat."
Pat smiles at the elegant creature before her. "The pleasure is all mine, darling."
Before Pat can say another word, John says, "I want to apologize for not telling you upfront about Christina staying here with me when I work weekends. The only time she's here is if I work on Friday and Saturday nights. I have no other place she can stay. Christina goes back to her Mother on Sunday afternoons for school even though it's still my time to have her."
Pat's smile disappears. "I've thought long and hard about this, John. If I report this to the owner, he'll fire you." Her smile slowly returns, and Pat asks Christina, "Darling, how would you like to be our new weekend cook?"
That radiant smile erupts on Christina's face again. "Yes, ma'am!"
"It will be on one condition: your grades must stay the same and not drop."
"I'm a straight-A student, Miss Pat. My grades never drop."
"Your salary will be the same as your Father's, to start with. If all goes well, I'll raise it to Glenda's."
"You are amazing, Miss Pat," Christina wraps her arms around Pat's neck and whispers in her ear. "Thank you."
A stunned John shakes his head.
Pat yells, "Come on, Frank, you're buying my dinner!" Pat glances back at John and Christina. "You two start working together on Friday night."
Frank steps around the corner with a big smile, saying, "Gladly, my love." He wraps his arm around Pat's waist and says, "Sweetie, I always knew you were a big softy."
"For that comment, you're buying me a huge steak!"
One more character to meet, and her name is Gladys. We'll start having fun after that!
Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
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and 2 member cents. Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
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