Episode 2 - Éclair

“Sorry about the closet. I’ll move my stuff later.”

“No, you’re fine. I don’t mind sharing space. By the way, I don’t mind sharing clothes either, if you ever want to borrow anything I’ve got. Just ask, K?”

“You’re sweet. So I noticed you got home pretty late last night. Out late with anyone cute? Anyone I might know?” she asked, with a suggestive raise of the eyebrows.

“Oh, no. I had to work late. Did I bother you when I came back in?”

“Not at all. In fact, I had just gotten in myself, not much before you. Though I was out with someone.”

“Oh.” Though she wasn’t particularly curious, her roommate continued.

“Yep, his name is Christian. He’s the whole package. You know, the whole tall, dark and hansom look. Plus, he’s just got this cool demeanor about him like he don’t care what people think. Heh, call me crazy, but I guess I’m just a sucker for a James Dean in ripped Jeans.”

While she fancied over her enamor for this rebel, her roommate found cause to wonder about her. She had met Christian during the summer job fair, and he had made quite a different impression on her. She took him for a sweet, albeit, strange fellow, who’s company could be more likened to that of a twelve-year old who well-meaningly flirts with the older girls. She didn’t think the ripped pants would fit quite well with the prescription look he already had going. 

“Hey, Jen?”

“Uh, actually, call me Lowe. It’s what all my girlfriends called me back home. It’s my last name.”

“Oh. Sure. But, about this guy. Are you sure about him?”

“Oh yeah. I’m surer than sure. We’re going out again this weekend. Hey, we could double date. You haven’t told me, is there a beau in your life?”

“Hah, me? No. Just work and school. Although...”

“What?”

“Well this guy came into work last night. He was kinda cute. I don’t know if he was interested at all or anything like that, but he kinda had something about him.”

“Did you say anything to him?”

--

“Hi, how are you doing tonight?”

“Great. And you?”

“Good. What can I get for you tonight?”

“I don’t know. Not really sure of what I might like.” Rhett did know, and was sure of what he liked. He didn’t like anything but the regular coffee, and thought that iced mochas and carmel frappuccinos were like turning cereal into candy bars. Besides, when he was here earlier, the éclairs had caught his attention.

“What do you have here that might be good?”

“Well I don’t know the whole menu yet. I just started working here this summer. But the milkshakes here are better than most people’s.”

“Well it’d probably bring me to the yard.”

“What?”

“Uh, nothing. I just asked if we could pay with a card.” Rhett didn’t know what just  happened. 

“Actually, no. Sorry. Usually you can, but we’ve been having problems with the machine, so we’re asking for cash tonight, if you have it.”

Rhett was caught off guard. He suspected he only had a dollar on him.
“Oh, shoot. Well, in that case, I’ll just take this then,” he said, grabbing, incidentally, a cereal bar. “You know you’re in college when you can’t afford the milk or spoon.” He’d hoped she’d laughed, or at least thought he was funny, but didn’t look to see her reaction. 

He had just enough to pay her, and put the couple dimes change he got back on the counter for another customer to later use. He went and found a table by himself, and figured his evening was going to become a lame prelude to his upcoming semester at CU. Just as he finished his cereal bar, however, which was only a few bites, the girl walked over to his table, delivering an ice-cream sandwich on a small tray. 

“Here you go. Compliments of the house. Of everything here, it’s my favorite. I’m just sorry that our machine doesn’t work, cause I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here for the breakfast bar.”

Rhett smiled. “No. You’re right. Came for the salad bar.” Rhett gave her a smile to show he was kidding. “But you’ve definitely made my night with this.”

Thankfully, she didn’t misplace his humor for sarcasm. “Well, to be honest, frankly, I don’t give a free sandwich to just anyone. But you’ve caught me on a good night.”

“Well, I am glad. I’m Rhett.”

He reached his hand out to shake hers.

“Claire,” she responded, making herself comfortable against the table, still standing, but putting the tray completely at her side. 

“That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you. My mom gave it to me.” She caught herself embarrassed at saying that, so she turned and said, “Rhett. That’s a name I’ve never heard before. Is it after a relative of yours?”

“No. My name full name is Rhett Butler. You know, like ‘Gone with the Wind’?”

Claire looked at him, genuinely unaware of what he was talking about. 

“Well Rhett is a character in that movie. Played by Clark Gable.”

“Oh, Clark Gable. Like in ‘Test Pilot’?”

Rhett was relieved. For the first time in his life, he was going to be known for ‘Test Pilot’ instead of ‘Gone with the Wind’. 

“I love that movie. Used to watch it with my grandma when I was little. We used to joke that it was the original ‘Top Gun’.”

“Hmm. I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well, it’s basically the same story. He’s a pilot, and he falls in love with this girl. Plus, his best friend, who flies with him, dies during a malfunction in one of the test runs, and Jim (Gable) feels responsible. It was nominated for best picture.”

“Huh. I’ll have to check it out sometime.”

“Sorry. I was rambling. I think I need to head back to work. Hope you enjoy your ice-cream.”

She leaned off the table and grabbed his finished cereal bar wrapper from the table and went back to the front, throwing it away in the bin in front of the counter. Rhett thanked her as she walked away. After finishing his third ice-cream sandwich of the day, he set back for his room, where he was going to finish fixing the closet and settling in.

Claire made sure to look up at him as he left. When he was gone, the night went back to feeling like work. Just before locking up, however, at around half-past midnight, while she and Tony were wiping down the tables, the radio station played Kelis. The song was Milkshake, and Claire just smiled, and laughed to herself. 

Episode 1 - Test Pilot

On the campus of a local University in California walks a young man trying to find his way...

“Excuse me. Could you tell me how to find the Campus Housing help desk?”

“Why, you’ve already found it, friend. You see, here at CU, we can help you with anything you need at any table on campus.”

“Great. Well I’m looking for my housing assignment.”

“Your name?”

“Rhett Butler.”

“You’re kidding! Rhett Butler? No way, I’m a huge ‘Gone with the Wind’ fan! Ha, well how do you like that?”

“Ha, yeah. You don’t say. Great. But, really, I just need to know my housing assignment.”

“Well I’ve got your keycard right here. I could tell you what your room number is, but, heh, frankly, you probably don’t give a ‘hoot’. Haha, am I right?”

Rhett thought he was a bit over-proud of that one. 

“Yeah, ha. Haven’t heard that one before.”

Actually, Rhett had heard that before, quite regularly since the doctor first delivered him from the womb. The doctor asked what the boy was to be named, and after she told him, he replied, ‘Gee, ma’am. You must not give a darn what you name your son. Eh heh heh.’ The doctor had had the same over-proud laugh.

Rhett left his stuff in his car until he could find his room assignment. He felt silly walking around without knowing where he was going, but it was the first time he had seen the campus, so he really didn’t mind looking around. He passed by the grass courtyard, seeing more help tables and other students lying on blankets and reading. Rhett wondered what they were reading, since school didn’t start for another week. After passing what was obviously a library, Rhett found a coffee shop, which happened to sell his favorite brand of ice-cream sandwiches. He bought one for a reasonable price and enjoyed it for the remainder of his walk. Finishing it, he threw the wrapper in a trash bin just outside a building that looked to be where he’d be living. Student’s were coming in and out with boxes and small furniture, so as he went in his keycard proved, so far, unnecessary. He walked in and looked around aimlessly. He sort of just stood there until he became just like a sibling who stood in the middle of the lobby, helping no one and getting in the way. The sound of a ping pong table broke this unattractive trance, but as he turned to check it out, he bumped into a student, knocking off his glasses, and dropping his own keycard.  

“Oh, I’m so sorry. You were just sort of standing there. I should have went around you.”

“Whoa. Sorry, buddy. Here are your glasses.”

“Oh, man. Thanks. Can’t walk with ‘em, can’t see without ‘em,” he said, chuckling.

“Right.” Rhett suggested in his own mind that this guy was a dweeb.

“Oh, hey! You have a Blue keycard! Your keycard is blue!”

“Hey. So it is. Wow. Thanks man. You saved my life. I kept using it for all the red doors.”

“No, silly. A blue keycard means your in hall “B”. That’s right over there. That’s where I am.”

“Great.”

“Yeah. It sure is. Hah. Well let me take you there, come on.”

Rhett grabbed his keycard from the dweeb, and said, “Hey thanks, but I’ve got it from here. Besides I have to go do something else first. But thanks. Sorry about you bumping into me.”

Rhett figured it was worth grabbing his bag about this time, and headed out to his car, which was parked closer than he realized, then headed toward hall “B”. Seeing a hallway full of doors, he prepared himself to look stupid scanning every door til his “keycard” opened one of them, since the student at the desk was of no help, despite his impressive self-advertisement. Thankfully, there were names on the door, saving him of this process. He found his room, and plopped his bag on the bed. 

“Hey. What are you doing? That’s my bed.” His roommate was standing on the other side of the room, organizing stuff from his bag on the other bed.

“Oh, my bad. Saw you on the other side there, just kinda assumed...”

“You know what they say about assuming.”

“Yeah, I do.” Rhett then realized that his roommate looked exactly like the dweeb in the hall, though in a different shirt and without the glasses. “Hey, didn’t we just bump into each other about five minutes ago? Did someone else make you drop your glasses, lol?”

“Glasses? Oh yeah, glasses. Sure. Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Ok. Was that not you in the hall? It’s just that I could have sworn you bumped into me.”

“Oh, yeah. I must have done that. Sorry. When it comes to remembering people’s faces, frankly, I don’t give a crap.”

“Well, I guess we’re roommates. Name’s Rhett.”

“Like Butler? Yeah, ‘Gone with the Wind’, right? So you know what I mean.”

Rhett kinda shrugged his eyes and grabbed his bag. He would have made himself more comfortable, but his roommate was taking up his side of the room organizing his clothes into what seemed like “ripped” and “goes with anything”. He grabbed his computer from his bag, and put it in a case, and, before heading out, thought to ask, “Hey, so, what should I call you?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Well I was kinda hoping when I told you my name, you’d tell me yours, so things wouldn’t get awkward.” 

“Christian.”

“Sweet. Well, my number’s on the desk. I’ll write it down for you. I’m heading out.” 

Rhett wrote his cell phone number down, and put it on the desk that didn’t have any stuff on it. In fact there was absolutely nothing on the side nearest the door. Christian was taking up all the space on what he himself designated “Rhett’s side”. Christian looked at the note and then went back to his “organizing”.

Back at the coffee shop, Rhett sat down with his computer and checked his email. He had a note from his mom that read:

Hey sweetie,

Hope you’re enjoying college. Miss you already. Your brother wants to know if you’ve met any pretty girls yet. Don’t get too distracted over there. Well we all love you. Hope your making lots of friends. Write back whenever you aren’t busy, but don’t feel like you’re obligated. Just enjoy yourself. Take care, honey.

Mom

Rhett smiled, and took a sip of his coffee. He then logged on to his blogging site, but before writing, stopped to ponder. Outside the window he could watch people walk by. He started to turn back to his computer, but saw a girl walking by that absolutely grabbed his attention. He watched her walk up to the coffee shop. She didn’t come in, but only held the door open and stepped in enough to shout to the manager.

“Hey, Tony, I’m headed to the gym. I’ll be back for seven, ok?”

“Don’t forget you’re covering for Luke tonight. Closing.”

“I know. I’ll see you then. Thanks, Tony.”

With that she left, and Rhett watched her through the window as she put her headphones in, and started jogging around the corner. Rhett smiled and began to write. Just as he started he got a text message from Christian. hey. it’s Christian. i think i broke d closet. c u when u get bck. v

Rhett figured the “v” was supposed to be a peace sign. After he finished blogging, he decided to head back to the room. He looked at the clock and saw that he had four hours until the little hand got to the seven. 

When that happened, he figured he’d be up for another cup of coffee and an ice-cream sandwich.