Joneses – 1.6 Please Be There

Lester was quite used to spending his nights alone; his mother worked third shift. In the rare times he was feeling nostalgic, he missed her and wished she was around more often. But, most of the time, he found other ways to fill his time. Within the past few weeks, he had taken to having dinner at the park around the corner. There were always people and food there, but when he discovered that a certain someone occasionally hung out there it was a wrap. He always had to be at that park.

The next evening, Lester found himself running down the street and around the corner chanting a wish over and over again.

Please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there please be there…

He chanted this all the way to the pathway of the park. Before he turned the corner, he repeated it a few more times for good measure before he went in.

She’s there! WOOT! Ok…act natural…

There was Shea Aldrich, the girl of his dreams. Or, perhaps simply the girl in his dreams. She was standing there as if she were waiting for someone. Naturally, he thought she was waiting for him. He slowed his pace and waltzed over to her table.

“Hello, my kitten,” he said.

“Don’t call me that,” she said flatly.

“Still playing hard to get, huh? That’s ok. I’ve only got my entire life to wait for you.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down to eat her baked potato. He joined her with his plate of fish tacos from home. Just as they sat down, Hugo walked up to them.

“Hey, Les,” he said.

“Hugo…”

“Gunther said he’d like to give you another chance. He’ll be in touch.”

Things were beginning to look up for Lester. “Well it’s about time he recognized how valuable I am!”