Valerie Parker rolled over in her bed. She slowly opened her eyes till they were open far enough to let a little light peak through. She looked at her antique clock on her nightstand. 8:00. She sighed and rolled back over and closed her eyes again.
"Its only eight. I'll sleep a while longer." She promised herself. All she had to do today was park her butt in front of the tv. Though suddenly she got an nagging feeling in her stomach that something was gonna happen to change that. It was her day off. Every time she had a day off all hell broke loose. Why should today be any different? She hoped it would be, though, she hadnt had a day to herself for a long time. Valerie, or Val as she was called by close friends, worked at a clothing store in the valley. They sold all kind of mod hipster type clothes. It was the current hippie hot spot of the moment. She had had the job for a while now. She had been hoping to get something different by the time she became 21. She was now 22.
Valerie was distracted from her light slumber by the insistant ringing of her phone. she groaned and got up. The phone was in the living room. Valerie decided it would be a better place to have it than the bedroom. It reduced the chances of answering it and going back to sleep forgetting what the call was all about.
"Hello?" She asked, grouchiness evident in her voice. She had hoped to sleep in till noon today. Fat chance of that happening now. Since she was up now it was more evident that she would remain awake.
"Val! Thank god I reached you." The voice on the other end said.
"You are so lucky." Valerie sighed. "Chris is this you?"
"Yeah its me." Chris said. Chris Johnson was one of Valeries long time friends. "I'm stuck in the middle of a mightmare."
"Me too. The phone rang." Valerie said. She rubbed her eyes. "Whats this nightmare you're in?"
"I been called into work." Chris said.
"Work? Arent you on leave?" Valerie asked.
"For another week but they are short handed at work so they need me today." Chris said. "I said I would go in, trouble is I need a baby sitter for Tommy." She explained. Tommy was Chris's brand new baby.
"Tommy? Oh no, that kid hates me." Valerie said. "Remember what happened the first time I agreed to baby sit it when you went to the store?"
"I do. Tommy, I'm sure, didnt poo on your new sweater on purpose." Chris said.
"Easy for you to say!" Valerie said. "I got that brand new at the thrift shift."
"Isnt that an oxymoron? New at the thift shop?" Chris asked. Valerie could hear her playing with the baby on the other end.
"The boy will make a great fashion critic." Valerie said. "I could never get it clean again."
"I need to ask you a favor." Chris asked.
"Let me guess, you want me to watch your little boy for awhile?" Valerie asked.
"OH no, I would never do that to you."
"Funny I almost expected it." Valerie sighed.
"I just need to take him to day care." She said. "Thats all."
"Thats all?" Valerie said. "Its deceptively simple."
"It is simple." Chris said. "Come on, yes or no?"
"Why can't Andy take him?" Valerie asked.
"I can't do it, I already promised. You are my only hope..." Chris pleaded. There was a slight begging sound in her voice.
"All right. I'll drop the little brat off at day care." Valerie said flustered. "What the hell, I only have laundry to do."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She heard Chris exult on the other end of the phone.
"Knock it off. You're a little too excited for this hour in the morning." Valerie said. "Let me get dressed. I'll be there soon."
"We'll be waiting." Chris said and hung up. Valerie put the phone back on its cradle and sighed.
"Great. A nice day of unmitigated loafin down the tubes." She signed. Oh well, she promised. She might as well get ready to go.
Minutes after Chris called, Valerie had pulled on a pair of flaired pants and a shirt. She ran a comb through her hair and sprayed a little deoderant on. No good smelling like you slept in a barn all night. She grabbed a light jacket and her bag of laundry. It been sitting there a day or so. the outfit she had on was actually something she wore yesterday. Thankfully it wasnt that dirty. No one would notice, she decided.
She ran down the stairs of the apartment she lived in. She turned and almost ran into a tall man. She backed up. He was about 6'1 more or less. He had dark hair. Some of it ran into his eyes which seemed to be a dark brown at first. The rest of his hair was kept under a dark green hat. She stood there an extra beat looking at him. He looked back at her.
"Watch where youre going!" She huffed at him as she passed him with the bag. "Jerk!" She muttered.
"Me?" He said. A strange twang affected his words. Southern? Western? "What about you? I didnt run out of there like a bat out of hell!"
"Yeah, whatever." Valerie said trying to balance her unwieldy bag while she tried to open the trunk on her nova.
"Want me to hold that?" He said taking the bag with one hand.
"No, wait." Valerie said holding out her hand.
"Its the least I can..." He started to say. He stopped with the bag ripped open on the bottom. Some of the clothes spilled out the bottom. Some blew out the bottom and drifted down the street. "..do." He said looking after it.
"My stuff!" Valerie yelled. She ran out after the few garments that escaped the bag. The man put the bag into the car and ran after her. "IF you let me tell you, I would have told you that the bag was old."
"Let me get those things." He called out.
"No thanks, you helped enough TEX." Valerie said picking her clothes out of a steel grate. She was lucky enough that all the clothers were caught on a subway grate.
"Well I'm sorry." He said. "I will pay you for that bag." He offered.
"Not necessary. I can get another one." Valerie said throwing him a look.
"At least let me tell you who I am." He said.
Valerie looked at him. "Why is that even necessary? I'm not even sure I want to remember that I bumped into you."
"You got a great attitude there." He said.
"I love my attitude." She said. "I have to go, so why don't you just get lost?"
He slowly nodded. "You know I'd LOVE to meet whoever it was that screwed you up." He turned and walked away.
"Jerk." She muttered.
"Have a nice day." He called back.
"I will!" She said. She grunted and stomped her foot. "Moron. Ok where was I? Oh, picking up the super brat."
Chris and Andys place
"Heres his favorite blanket." Chris said putting a blanket on a chair. "And I think they will have enough diapers at the day care center don't you think?" She asked Valerie.
"I suppose so." Valerie said looking at Tommy. "They'd be a pretty crappy day care center if they didnt."
"True." Chris said. Tommy started to cry. "Tommy needs to be burped. Can you do that?"
"Burped?" Valerie asked. "Me burp him?"
"Please? I am so busy. I have to get dressed for work yet." Chris said.
"Okay." Valerie said. She picked up the baby. "Now no funny stuff." She said to him. The baby smiled at her. She looked at it. "Its a cute little..." Tommy made a "whorf" sound. Before she knew it, Valeries face was covered with strained peas. "...demon."
Chris came in and looked at Valerie. Her face had green goop all over it. "oops."
Valerie sighed.
"You know downtown they charge fifty bucks for that at the spa." Chris said.
"I guess I should be glad for the freebee." Valerie cracked. "Are you sure a day care center is what you need? I know where we can find an exorcist."
"We gotta go." Chris said. "Wash your face quickly."
"Easy for you to say. Some of this stuff is hardening on it." Valerie said. She gave Chris the baby and went into the bathroom.
"Whats this guy you met?" Chris said as Valerie sought out the soap.
"The one I bumped into? The one with the sideburns and the texas accent?" She yelled from the bathroom.
"Right." Chris said. "Was he cute?"
"Cute? He was a jerk." Valerie said. Chris laughed from the living room. "What?"
"Remember Sam?" Chris asked.
"Do I ever. Longest two years of my life." Valerie said.
"You thought he was a jerk too at first." Chris said.
"But that was different." Valerie said. "I'd be completely happy if...
"...I never saw this guy again!" Chris finished for her. "Funny how history repeats itself. Does he have a name?"
"I didnt ask I was in a hurry to get here." Valerie said.
"Oh ok." Chris said. "Maybe you'll meet up again."
"I don't know." Valerie said coming out of the bathroom. She dried her face with a towel. "Did I get it all?"
"I think so."
"Are we ready?" Valerie asked.
"We are." Chris said. "Tommy, its time to go off with Auntie Valerie. Yes it is, yes it is!"
"Oh god." Valerie said. "I can't stand that."
Chris looked up at her with a little smile. "You will some day."
"It'll be a long time before I have a kid." Valerie said. "Trust me."
"Think you'll see that guy again?" Chris asked.
"We live in a huge city. Who knows." Valerie said.
They went outside to where Valerie parked her car. Chris didn't have a car, she rode her bike to work. Chris placed a car seat in the back of Valeries' car.
"Now the day care closes at five but I think I'll be able to pick him up by then. If I get in a jam at work I'll try to call your home." Chris said buckling Tommy into the car seat. "Are you only doing laundry?"
"No." Valerie said. "Im gonna have tea with the Queen of England. You KNOW how she hates about people being late." She said with a wave of her hand. "I'm gonna be active in doing nothing."
"Good, then you'll be here." Chris said. "Are you sure this jalopy will get you to day care?"
"Jalopy?" Valerie said deeply hurt. "I've had this since I was fifteen."
"I know. I think I saw Fred Flintstone toddle around in it."
"Don't be a...you know." Valerie said editing her comment in front of the baby. "The baby will be safe."
"Okay, I trust you." Chris leaned over and kissed Tommy. "Mommys gonna miss you, yes she is." She rose and looked at Valerie who had a gag me look on her face. "I can stay here and do this all day."
"Oh, hurl." Valerie cracked. "You're gonna be late."
"Ok. Bye sweetheart."
"Goodbye mommy." Valerie laughed.
"You too." Chris said. She grabbed her bike and hopped on it. After wobbling for a second she was off down the road.
"Ok, Damian." Valerie said getting into the car. "No more barfing tricks and we'll get along just fine."
The baby looked at her. Tommy gurgled and smiled.
"We're understood then?" Valerie grinned. "Lets go."
Ocean Parkway
The car sputtered and coughed. Valerie tried her best not to curse at the engine of the car, but since the baby was in the backseat, she decided not to chance him hearing anything that can be repeated later.
She finally gave up and pulled over.
"Okay," She said looking at the gauges on the dashboard. "Not bad. Not bad yet." She said. She got out of the car. "That day care center can't be far from here." She said to herself. "Come on, Tommy." She said unbuckling him from the car seat. "We're going walksies."
She stood up and looked around, holding the baby close to her chest. "Ok, now she said on Ocean Parkway. Two blocks and to the left." Valerie said remembering her friends hurried instructions. "I don't even know how far to go. Ohh." She moaned. She looked the baby. "I don't suppose you listened to the directions, did you?" The baby looked at her and laughed. "Me neither."
Valerie turned as she heard a car pull up behind her. It was a red car. It had something printed on the side but not something she could really read from where she was. There was no top to the car. She thought she could see someone with a hat.
"Oh no." She muttered as the man got out of the car. He walked on over to her. "Not you again."
"Yeah, me again. Helping a damsel in distress with her baby." He said. "Is that yours? You are quick, I only saw you half an hour ago."
"Ok this is not my baby first of all. Second, I am doing a favor for a friend. Third...well I don't have one. You seem to pop up everywhere."
"I know. I get the feeling though, you missed my name last time." He said.
"I didn't ask." Valerie said. "Who are you anyway?"
"Mike Nesmith." Mike said. "I saw you looking helpless here..."
"I am not helpless." Valerie said.
"Okay. I thought I would stop and see if I could make up for that laundry bag incident." He said. "So, can I? Or are you just content to bite my head off again?"
Valerie stood there and thought.
"Well?"
"Give me a minute."
