Chapter 21 #2
“Guys? Guys!” Japheth said, coming to a ceremonious stop with hands outstretched in the air at a corner where the crossing guard eyed them with concealed interest. It may have been that she momentarily mistook Rebekkah for Jim Carrey…
or Anne Heche. Small town celebrity sightings were rare but not unheard of in the Land O’Lakes region.
Japheth bent over and blew the crossing guard’s whistle. Before she could reprimand him, he lifted his chin like a town crier, “I’d like to make an announcement. I think I might finally quit my job at Saddles ‘n’ Spurs! I was saving up for a car… but now I HAVE A CAR!”
“That’s right! Do it, do it, do it!” Ronald chanted.
“Quit! Quit! Quit!” Rebekkah joined in.
“I’m doing it!” Japheth exclaimed as he dialled into work.
“Hello Diane? It’s Japheth. I’d like to thank you for my illustrious career with Saddles ‘n’ Spurs.
You’ve been extremely generous with opportunities to escalate through the ranks from bus boy to dishwasher to fry guy.
And of course, finally trusting me enough after seven years to don the Madonna mic and take orders at the drive thru.
I can’t thank you enough. But I have bittersweet news today–I’m almost famous now and this is my swan song.
I’m resigning. I’ll bike by to turn in my uniform as soon as it’s washed, ironed and folded. Thank you. You have a good day too.”
“Just to confirm, does this mean no more free nugget dinners?” Ronald asked gravely, and then catching himself, corrected course, “No, it’s good! Really! I’m happy for you.”
“I’m officially retired from the 9 to 5 and the 3 ‘til late! I’m semi-retired, baby!” Japheth let out a celebratory howl and threw his hands in the air.
“Good for you, bud,” the crossing guard nodded her approval. “Happy semi-retirement.”
“Trinity? Is this what making it feels like?” Rebekkah asked, eyes glossy with the kind of fascination in fame that impels one to buy tabloids at the check-out counter. “Is our life perfect right now or what?”
From behind them came footsteps running–two sets hitting the sidewalk hard, urgent as alarms. “No running! Sidewalks are for walking!” the crossing guard waved one hand above her head and blew her whistle with the other.
“You guys aren’t with her?!” Carrington called, ignoring the safety briefing from the crossing guard. They ran up, looked at Trinity and scanned the block around them, breathing heavily and blazer flaring like a cape behind them.
“They aren’t with her!” Suwarna echoed, heels skittering, bun unspooling as she arrived on the scene a moment later.
“Carrington? Suwarna?!” Ronald asked, his voice catching the pitch of their panic. “What’s going on?”
“Why aren’t you at the station?” Rebekkah asked in confusion. It was strange seeing them outside of WWJD and strange to see them running. They were both more of the prance and pose variety.
“There is no station!” Suwarna yelped, her eyes wide. “There was a fire!”
“What!?” Japheth gulped, the word breaking in his throat as it bubbled up.
“But I just quit my job at Saddles ‘n’ Spurs! How am I gonna pay my cell phone bill? How am I gonna pay my rent? Do I need to come out of semi-retirement? Are we still going to have a show? How will people listen to the Trinity Radio Hour?”
“And we can’t find Emma-Lou!” Carrington said, grabbing a bus stop pole and leaning over, taking big gulps of air.
“What do you mean you can’t find her?” Rebekkah said, her head suddenly feeling light and foggy.
“She went up to her office with Rino when you three left,” Suwarna said, words clipped with the urgency of sharing everything she knew.
“They were up there for a while. It sounded like they were arguing, something about needing to follow through on your promises, that the whole town was going to know…”
“Arguing?” Japheth blurted, “how do you know?”
“The intercom, Japheth!” Rebekkah filled in the blanks, turning to him as the realization jolted through. “Suwarna listens to everything that happens in WWJD, including in Emma-Lou’s office!”
“For her safety,” Suwarna added earnestly.
“Obviously,” Carrington said, a little wild around the eyes from replaying the shocking events.
“That’s when Rino left. I was at my desk in the lobby and was going to say goodbye, but he was on the phone and was walking fast. He didn’t look happy but you know he often looks like that.
Kind of that sexy scowl? Emma-Lou flew out of the elevator a few moments later and ran after him.
But I dropped an earring and bent down to get it… ”
“And then?” Rebekkah pressed, hands clenched into a tenuous prayer pose.
“And when I found the earring and was back in my seat at my desk, they were both gone,” Carrington said, voice tightening.
“I didn’t think it was anything to worry about.
I thought it was just more pressure tactics from the Ferraris and that we’d handle it or rather that you three were already handling it, with your lawyer. ”