continuing ds_aprilfools
Movie Popcorn, FKV, 295 words.
"Wow." Ray stared.
Benny glared.
"What?" Kowalski looked up from the file he was reviewing and started to laugh, turning it into an unconvincing coughing fit as the glare shifted to encompass him as well.
Benny was covered in popcorn. Covered in it. White puffs in his hair. Smaller flecks peeking out from every flap, fold and strap of his uniform. Worse, the red coat looked wet--and judging by the overwhelming, buttery smell, it wasn't water. Diefenbaker slunk around his legs and into the apartment, disappearing behind the sofa.
Benny closed the door and placed his remarkably unstained hat on its peg. Then he stalked to the bathroom. Ray trailed after, fascinated by the catastrophic failure of Benny's supernatural tidiness.
Kowalski was still snickering to himself in the front room, which left Ray to ask the obvious question. "What happened?"
"An unlikely confluence of events." Whoa, that was a bit short.
"Unlikely-unlikely or unlikely-even-for-you-unlikely."
"Diefenbaker, a popcorn cart and a winch featured prominently. I'd really rather not talk about it." He peeled out of the uniform jacket, eying it with disgust before draping it across the counter over the belt.
Ray heard Kowalski repeat "winch" to himself and some more muffled snickering. God, it was like living with a twelve year old.
The collar of Benny's shirt had semi-transparent blotches where the grease had soaked in, and the splotches were growing as he watched--that shirt was beyond saving. Ray's dry cleaners had worked some miracles over the years, though, so it wouldn't hurt to call about the jacket. Maybe they could get fake butter out of wool. Benny turned on the water, then asked, "Do you mind?"
Ray put his hands up, palms forward. "I'm going, I'm going."
He backed out slowly and closed the door between them.
"Wow." Ray stared.
Benny glared.
"What?" Kowalski looked up from the file he was reviewing and started to laugh, turning it into an unconvincing coughing fit as the glare shifted to encompass him as well.
Benny was covered in popcorn. Covered in it. White puffs in his hair. Smaller flecks peeking out from every flap, fold and strap of his uniform. Worse, the red coat looked wet--and judging by the overwhelming, buttery smell, it wasn't water. Diefenbaker slunk around his legs and into the apartment, disappearing behind the sofa.
Benny closed the door and placed his remarkably unstained hat on its peg. Then he stalked to the bathroom. Ray trailed after, fascinated by the catastrophic failure of Benny's supernatural tidiness.
Kowalski was still snickering to himself in the front room, which left Ray to ask the obvious question. "What happened?"
"An unlikely confluence of events." Whoa, that was a bit short.
"Unlikely-unlikely or unlikely-even-for-you-unlikely."
"Diefenbaker, a popcorn cart and a winch featured prominently. I'd really rather not talk about it." He peeled out of the uniform jacket, eying it with disgust before draping it across the counter over the belt.
Ray heard Kowalski repeat "winch" to himself and some more muffled snickering. God, it was like living with a twelve year old.
The collar of Benny's shirt had semi-transparent blotches where the grease had soaked in, and the splotches were growing as he watched--that shirt was beyond saving. Ray's dry cleaners had worked some miracles over the years, though, so it wouldn't hurt to call about the jacket. Maybe they could get fake butter out of wool. Benny turned on the water, then asked, "Do you mind?"
Ray put his hands up, palms forward. "I'm going, I'm going."
He backed out slowly and closed the door between them.