Greetings, beloved readers.
In our last installment, Angel thought about her lovelife as she drove to Jeff's. That was about it. OH, right, yes, she also put gas in her car.
Today: Chris overcooks his bagel. Enjoy!
Chapter 67: Continental Breakfast
Chris rubbed his eyes and waited for the hotel to relinquish his bagel. [I assume that I meant “hotel toaster” or something like that. Either that or this hotel has some weird ideas about key deposits.] He hadn’t slept particularly well after discovering the identity of Barry’s bedmate. Justina had kept him awake for a bit by asking him questions and trying to figure out the best plan of action, but after a while, she had fallen into a sound sleep. He, on the other hand, lay awake for what seemed like hours, turning the problem over and over in his head.
It wasn’t his business, really. Dustin wasn’t his friend—far from it—and it wasn’t his place to drop this kind of a bomb on him. Plus, maybe Dustin knew about it already. Maybe his marriage had already crumbled and Chris was just the last to know.
“Looks like your bagel’s almost on fire, there, Chris,” a voice behind him said. It was Dustin, of course. [of course! Looks like I recognized contrivance even as I wrote this! Didn’t stop me from writing it, though]
“Uhh … thanks. Yeah. I, uh, prefer them well-done,” he said, scooting the blackened bread onto a plate.
“Hey, to each his own, huh?” Dustin laughed.
“Yeah.” Chris couldn’t make eye contact with him.
“Well, enjoy.”
“Yep.”
“Chris?”
“Yeah?” He finally looked at Dustin, managing what he hoped was a friendly smile.
“I think she’s okay.”
“Uh … what?” What did that mean? Maybe Dustin knew about Barry and Alex and was fine with it. Maybe it was like a kink or something?
“Angel. You asked me to look after her. I think she’s okay.”
“Oh. Oh. Right. Angel … Yeah. Thanks, Dustin. I appreciate it. I haven’t really spoken to her since … I … uh … you using the toaster?”
“Thanks.”
“Is she … with Jeff?” Chris meant to drop it and walk away, but couldn’t.
“I don’t know, really. But she seems fine.”
“Right, yeah. None of my business anyway I guess.”
“I understand wanting to know, man.”
“Yeah.” Chris spread cream cheese on his blackened bagel.
Dustin’s phone rang. “Scuse me. Hey, sweetie. How’s your sister doing? Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. Tonight too? Well, whatever she needs. I hope I get to see you one of these nights, though, darlin’. Okay. I’ll call you later. Love you.”
Chris swallowed hard. “Catch you later, man,” he said, wrapping his bagel in a napkin. He wasn’t particularly hungry anymore. [was he really going to eat that burnt bagel in the first place?]
NOTES:
1) I think we should commend Chris for the fact that his immediate reaction to Dustin’s “she’s okay” was NOT Angel. Somehow, a character managed to think about someone other than her. Amazing. This is, however, counteracted by the fact that his anxiety about Dustin’s wife cheating on him was immediately dissolved by the mention of Her Blondness.
2) Man, I remember those toasters in the college cafeteria ... your bread either never got toasted or it got stuck behind someone else's bagel and caught on fire. Good times. There are lots of things I miss about college, but the cafeteria is not one of them.
COMING UP NEXT:
Angel shows up at the Armsocks Abode. Should someone cue the "bow chicka wow wow" music, or will Rick Steiner get there before she compromises her "morals"? Tune in next time for ...
Chapter 68 - Angel Arrives
