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Experiment: Let's write a (TB) story!

#261
One day, Petey the Fire Hydrant prayed to God in His Infinite Wisdom.

"Dear God, in Your Infinite Wisdom," Petey began, in his red fire hydrant voice, "please set me free, so that I might wander the Earth, and set right that which has grown stale and repugnant in society."

God, in His Infinite Wisdom, saw fit to affect Petey's brave little red life, and with a flash of lightning, Petey was ripped from his moorings, and little arms and legs grew from him. Never mind the damage to the City's Water Main, as neither God nor Petey are taxpayers, and it simply is not relavent to this story, but try telling that to Old Man Crabmeister, who ended up beating several Ukranians just for spite.

Petey wandered the land, amazing crowds of bored teenagers with card tricks and balloon animals, and for a few minutes, he worked on the cure for cancer, and luckily, he was a quick study, because it worked.

From that moment on, no one was ever sick, or suffered again. Televangalists ran out of things to pray for, and the Lord Our God awarded each of them with a shiny new Cadillac, made from the souls of unbelievers.

For a time, water ran uphill, and feckless monks appeared on game shows, spouting a rich mandala of urban myth and spontaneous chimp sounds. Several of them ran for Congress, but were beaten by a gang of thieves and drug addicts so redolant, as to create splashguards from day old bread.

And that's why we have Library Cards.
 
#262
Both were flabbergasted by what they just heard. Topolino spoke wonderful words, proving his intelligence. "Gut, eh good", Dr,. Mensch stumbled. "As we are the only three living creatures in this room, it must have been your mouse who spoke these amazing words". "I must admit he is gifted", Rosie said. "I've seen him reading as well". Without noticing themselves, they referred to the mouse as him instead of the more usual it. This automatically happens if people deal with an intelligent lifeform.
 
#263
As Rose opened her wallet, she asked Dr. Mensch how much she owed him.

"Oh, I cannot take any money from you, my dear; I am just so happy that your little friend is well. I am also pleased to inform you that this was the first use of my small animal MRI machine, and it performed splendidly." said Dr. Mensch.

"Oh, please, Doctor; don't do that. You have a business to run, and if you did this with everyone, you'd make no money. Besides, your ad in the phone book specifically lists mouse tune-ups for $49.99. I think that's a cute ad, who thought of it?" Rose replied with a smile.

"My daughter, Sarah. She's 10 years old, and all of a sudden she wants to be involved in her daddy's business. She almost demanded to come here to work as my assistant, but I told her it will take years of schooling before she can do this. She's a wonderful little girl, but she has a very forceful personality, even at this young age. So, we reached a compromise, at least for now - I let her write the ad you saw in the phone book. I thought it silly at first, but you and several others have indicated how different and, what word did you use - cute? So, to keep peace with my daughter and my wife, I Acquiesced."

"That's very sweet of you, Doctor, but please accept this." Rose tried to hand him a one hundred dollar bill.

"This is very kind of you, Rose, and although I am very grateful, I cannot accept your money." Dr. Mensch then gave Rose a look that a father would give a beloved daughter, but in it she could tell that he would not take any compensation for his services.

Rose returned his look with one of gratitude.

Mousey hopped back into Rose's handbag, and just as she was getting up, the Doctor asked her again: "Did you know the owner of poor Rex who passed away?"

"No, no. I didn't know the owner, but the first night I was here, I had an encounter with Rex on the street, and for a moment...I thought he was going to kill me." Rose answered, now shaking slightly as she remembered that night.

"Hmm, I see." answered the Doctor with a look on his face that was a mixture of both knowing and puzzlement.

"Very well. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I do hope that we meet again. Take care of your little friend, and also take care of your other friend, your human friend; the one that's having a problem with drinking."

Rose was shocked. She didn't know what to say, so she just said, "Goodbye, Doctor Mensch, and thank you very much for all that you've done. I am deeply indebted to you."

Rose turned, left the office, had a few brief words with the receptionist, and then left the building.

Rose was walking down the street heading back to the apartment in a half trance-like state; how did Dr. Mensch know about Svelty's drinking problem? How did he know about Svelty? Just then, Rose came back to reality, and realized she was only a few doors down from Charlie's, the bar Svelty had brought her to the first night she arrived in town.

But Charlie's bar was not there. The building was still there, but in its place was a Chinese take-out restaurant. And it looked as though it had been there for years.

Rose and Svelty would have a talk when she returned.
 
#264
Things were changing. The colour of the pavement, was it different? Or was it the sunlight which made them appear brighter? Suddenly Rose wasn't feeling comfortable, she shivered all over her body. "Prrip, zzt, prrip, zzt", came from her cell phone. She took it from her pocket and began reading...
 
#265
And just then, her phone's battery went dead.

Don't they always just when you need them?

This time, it was Svelty who heard the jangling of keys in the front door. She was awake, but was a complete mess.

"It's 9:30 - where did you go so early that you're already coming back?," asked Svelty.

"I took Topolino to the Doctor; don't you remember, Ms. 80 Proof?"
replied Rose.

"So how is the little rat?"

"HE'S NOT A LITTLE RAT, AND HE'S FINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Rose replied in a raised voice.

Svelty was taken back by Rose's stern reply.

"I'm sorry, Rosie. I didn't mean it in a bad way; I was only joking. I'm so confused; I don't know what's been going on lately," said Svelty in a voice seeking pity.

"I sorry too, for raising my voice, Svelty, but look at yourself; you have a drinking problem, sweetie," said Rose very softly.

Svelty just pulled the covers over her head, and didn't say anything, which was unusual for this thin, good-looking Swede. Most of the time, people couldn't get her to shut up.

"Come on, Ms. Gran Marnier, I'll make you some breakfast; you finished the whole bottle, did you know that?" said Rose.

Svelty looked as if she were going to get mad at Rose's rather blunt sobriquet, but just got up and went to the bathroom to get herself together. By the time she returned, Rose had breakfast on the table. An everything bagel with cream cheese and coffee for Rose - dry whole wheat toast and tea for Svelty.

"I wanted some eggs," said Svelty, being careful not to sound ungrateful.

"Svelty, old girl, you drank almost half a bottle of booze last night; the last thing we need is you puking up eggs all over the place. Eat your dry toast, and be glad of it!" Rose said in a drill-sergeant-like, yet motherly tone.

"Ok, ok." replied Svelty.

"I know your head isn't the clearest at the moment, but I have to ask you a few questions. Don't you remember anything of the last three weeks? Don't you remember meeting me shortly after I got off the train, and telling me about the Blue Tower? Don't you remember going to Charlie's, and then going home with Dale, and then not coming home for almost three weeks?" asked Rose.

Svelty replied, "Um, no, err, yes, I mean...."

Svelty had a look of total confusion on her face, but continued: "I do remember bits of things here and there, but it seems like a slide show in my mind, like a dream."

Rose knew not to press her anymore right now, but Rose was making a list in her head. In the past three weeks:

1.) I arrived cross country after sleeping almost four days to find a tower, which I could never get close to.
2.) My old friend finds me just when I think I'm losing my mind, takes me to a bar, leaves with the bartender, and remembers very little. Now the bar and the tower are gone. And they seem as though they were never there in the first place.
3.) A dog who I'm sure was going to kill me is now dead, and I find this out only because I took a sick mouse to a vet, who just happened to be the dog's vet as well.
4.) The mouse, that was sick is now healthy as a horse. And the mouse came from the bar, which doesn't exist anymore.

Rose was not a seamstress, but she was beginning to knit all this together.
 
#266
The day passed uneventfully, with Svelty just hanging around watching TV, going online, then back to watching TV. She wasn't really interested in any of it; she had a hangover.

Rose wanted to talk to her about her drinking, but she knew her old friend, who could be thick-headed at times. Sometimes it's better to leave people alone with their problems until they're ready to face them, but then again sometimes it's not. If you get that particular type of narcissist who won't admit they have a problem in the first place, you're fighting an uphill battle on an icy slope, Rose thought to herself. I'll leave it alone for now.

Rose would leave the issue alone for now, but couldn't leave it alone for long. Rose was stubborn herself. She had a plan.

"Svelty, sveetie, how's about I take you out to dinner later on? Nothing too fancy, just something here in the neighborhood. How does that sound?"

Svelty once again was laconic with her answer, "OK."

"OK. You pick the place. We're getting low on milk and a few other things. I'm going to go food shopping; I should be back in an hour or two," said Rose.

"OK," said Svelty.

Topolino asked if he could come along with Rose, and Rose said yes. There was almost nothing Rose could refuse the little mouse; so fond of him had she become.

It was just about six o'clock when Rose and mousey got back from shopping. Rose had four big bags with her.

"What's all this? You said you were going to get milk and a few other things. What did you buy?" asked Svelty.

"Oh, you know me; I can't resist a sale when I see one. Plus mousey conned me into getting some cheese for him," Rose answered.

"He didn't con you into buying him anything; he probably just asked you for a small package of cheddar, and you bought him the most expensive cheese in the shop, didn't you, Rosie? You ain't nuttin but a softy, you know that?" Svelty smiled through her accusation.

"Come on, Svelty, get dressed!" commanded Rose.

And with that, Svelty flew off the couch. Rose could hear the shower running within a few seconds, and within ten minutes, Svelty was standing there fully dressed save for shoes and wet hair.

"I'm ready, babe." Svelty said as she put on her shoes.

The two left the apartment, and headed out into the fledgling night.

"So where are we going to go eat?", asked Rose.

"You like Chinese, and I like Chinese, so I thought we'd go to The Great Wall. The food is great, and it has really nice atmosphere. It's also only a few blocks away on Queens Boulevard," said Svelty.

"Sounds good to me," answered Rose.

They went inside. The restaurant was nicely decorated, and was almost full. The receptionist held up two fingers to the girls, and they both nodded yes. She then escorted them to the far side of the restaurant and showed them a very nice table in the corner. Sitting at the table next to them was a woman, and a young girl. Rose and Svelty were both looking at the menus and didn't notice when the third occupant of the table next to them returned.

"How are you, Rose, my dear? And this must be your friend Svetlana, no?" It was Doctor Mensch!

Rose sat there with a look of surprise. All she could say was, "How are you, Doctor Mensch?"

"Oh, I am fine. This is my wife, Darrah, and my daughter, Sarah."

Rose replied, "Pleased to meet you," as she looked at both of them for a second. Darrah and Sarah both nodded back with a hello and a smile.

"This must be your friend, Svetlana. She must have brought you here, as I am sure she is a woman who knows her restaurants, and this is the best Chinese restaurant in the area. I am also certain she is a woman who knows the dangers in too much wine."

"Svelty's eyes could not have opened any wider. She just sat there and nodded yes to Dr. Mensch in silence. Doctor Mensch's stare to Svelty was firm, but kind, and she could sense that.

"Well, if you will please excuse us, we have to be going. It's a school night, and Sarah has some homework to do, and I have some paperwork from the office to finish." Doctor Mensch, his wife and daughter all got up and headed towards the front door.

"How did he know my name? Did you tell him my name?", asked Svelty in a voice only slightly above a whisper.

"And how did he know that I drink too..."

Just then, Doctor Mensch returned alone.

"Excuse me again; I have forgotten my hat," said Doctor Mensch.

And with kindness in his eyes, Doctor Mensch looked directly at Svelty and said, "I will say a prayer for your brother in Afghanistan. Good night."

And the good Doctor left.
 
#267
Svelty and Rose both sat looking at each other not knowing what to say after Dr. Mensch's Twilight Zone-like statement.

Then Rose said something: "I'm so proud of you, Svetlana; you admitted it."

"I admitted what?" asked Svelty.

"That you drink too much," replied Rose.

"I did? I mean, I did?" said Svelty. She continued in a low, almost broken voice used by those who have been pushed into the corner of the truth. "Yes, I did say that, and yes, I do drink too much." Svelty just looked at her fingernails as she said this.

Just then, the waitress came over, and asked if she could take their drink orders.

"I'll have a large Coke with no ice", said Rose, "And you, Miss?" the waitress looked at Svelty.

"I'll have a large Coke with ice", replied Svelty.

"You ready to order food now?" the waitress continued.

Svelty looked at Rose, "I'm ready if you are."

"Yup," said Rose. "I'll have the house special mei fun."

"I'll have General Tsao's chicken," was Svelty's reply.

"It comes with soup; you two want soup?"

"Wonton," said Rose. Svelty nodded in agreement.

"Ok, two wonton soup." and with that, the waitress was gone.

Rose then began, "Svelty, sveetie, I am so happy that you admitted what you just did. I could tell the first night I got into town that you were drinking too much when you ordered that triple Stoli vodka, and gave that lame excuse that ordering a triple saves you from having to look for the bartender later on."

Svelty laughed. "I actually said that?"

"Yup," answered Rose.

"Yeah, that does sound like something dumb that I would say, doesn't it?"

Rose looked everywhere but at Svelty before she exploded into laughter. Both girls then began laughing like teenagers. Their laughter was so infectious, that some of the people at the nearby tables started laughing too.

"Two wonton soup." Before the girls could reign in the horses of mirth, their soup was in front of them.

"Now shut up and eat your soup before I slap you, beeotch! said Rose still trying to control her laughter.

This was the wrong thing to say to "Svelty The Embarrassing One." Before she could pick up her spoon, she began her inhale-only-type laugh, which again started Rose laughing.

Before they once again got their forest fire of laughter under control, about five tables near them were also laughing.

They wiped the tears of Jove from their eyes, and began eating, each doing their best to avoid the others gaze for fear of starting a scene once again.

What had started as mysterious and serious had smoothly moved over the switch to a happy time.

They would talk more of the serious things later, after they had eaten.
 
#269
...BoB thought. Then he was distracted by a strange noise coming from his computer system. He just saw the monitor turn dark, while the fans and drives became quiet. :eek: Panic ruled for a moment as BoB wasn't able to follow the creatures in his game anymore. He grabbed his phone to call a nearby computer specialist, but realised that it was night. "Tomorrow, first thing tomorrow", he thought. He went asleep, after having set the alarm to 8 sharp, in order to go to the computer shop as early as possible.
 
#270
His computer turned on by itself in the middle of the night, the volume so loud the neighbors could hear. It was playing nothing but BBW porn...

He tried to turn it off but couldn't. In a last ditch effort he smashed it with his '62 P bass.

He killed his computer an his beloved bass. And for what? He could never erase the image of that FUPA...
 
#271
Dreams can be as real as a woman without a volume control. BoB awoke and wiped almost half a pint of sweat frome his forehead. On his way to the fridge he saw his bass and thought he would never hurt his little baby, never ever. He took some left over salad and a glass of chianti from an already opened bottle. "I eat too much, I drink too much, I sit too much. What else can I do too much?", he thought. Instead of drinking from the glass, he drank from the bottle. He didn't notice. After a visit to the toilet, he tried to fall asleep again.
 
#273
Thanksgiving had passed quietly. The two girls staying home and having a small dinner at Svelty's apartment. Svelty had gone home to see her family a few weeks earlier for a short visit, but the memory was still a little foggy to her. She did have her airline tickets as proof, but she also wasn't sure what was true history, as her drinking and the mysterious effects of the tower were overlapping blurs.

Svelty hadn't stopped drinking completely, though Rose was grateful for any amount she cut back. Svelty also admitted she had a problem, and admitting one has a problem is half the battle.

The girls could now focus on Christmas, and all the joy the season would bring. Rose particularly liked the way many houses were decorated with Christmas lights.

She loved turning off all the lights in the apartment, and just letting the soft light from the surrounding decorations seep in and bathe the room in that special, once-a-year ambiance. The blinking lights were the most soothing of all, almost putting her to sleep sometimes. It was a great way to watch TV or listen to the radio. Svelty liked it too, and mousey seemed to like it as well.

It was time for Rose to examine her latest purchase: a new handbag. She had just removed all the various tags, and was admiring it, when Topolino came along and began to look at and sniff about it. It was open, and he climbed in to check out every secret it might hold.

He looked up at Rose and said, "This one doesn't have the soft, sleeping place like the other one."

He was referring to the velvet-lined pocket in Rose's other handbag, the one he had known since she had taken him out of the bar weeks before.

No, it didn't have a velvet-lined pocket like the old bag, but it did have something else.

"Look here, honey, this one has a pocket on each end; you can sit in here and be my navigator when we travel."

"What's a navigator?", asked mousey.

"A navigator is someone who tells another person where they are now, and where they're going. You can sit in one of these pockets, and tell me where we are, and which way I should go next; you can be my navigator. It's a very important job; wouldn't you like to do this?"

Mousey smiled; he liked the thought that Rose would give him such an important job. He felt important, and he felt needed. He also felt happy. It seemed to Rose as though the thought of
the loss of his mother was beginning to be replaced by the feeling of being needed, and the feeling of being needed is usually not far away from the feeling of being loved.

She was glad of this.
 
#274
Topolino, a.k.a., Mousey was getting healthier everyday.

When Rose first took him home, he was barely two inches in length, now he was almost two and a half inches long excluding the tail, and his girth had increased as well.

He was also getting smarter. Sitting next to Rose while she was online one day, he asked her what she was doing. She told him she was surfing the web, and this meant that she was going to different websites to look at things she liked or needed.

This fascinated him. He was already well on his way to reading, as Sesame Street was his favorite TV show, and he seemed to retain every lesson he saw. Although it took him a little time to sound out the letters, he could read rather well. Rose had showed him how to use the computer, and he found it very funny that the thing people would use to point the arrows here and there on the screen was called a mouse!

It was something to see this mouse use the mouse. He would carefully nudge the inanimate mouse into position watching the computer screen, and then when it looked as though it was lined up correctly, he would jump on the left side of the mouse, and up would pop the website he was interested in.

After he had researched mice, and rats, and cats, he began researching - you guessed it: CHEESE!

He was fascinated at the variety of cheeses that existed, and sometimes asked Rose if a certain type was available in their area; not that he was suggesting that he wanted her to buy him some.

He was a good little mouse, who had delivered on every promise he made the night Rose took him out of the bar, and saved his life. If he asked for something every once in a while, Rose would get it for him, as he didn't ask for much, and what he asked for Rose couldn't refuse.

As a mouse, he was interested in almost all kinds of food: cheese, chocolate, crackers, nuts, potatoes, berries, and particularly strawberries. Strawberries were something he really liked since Svelty had given him a small piece of one recently. She would give him a half of a half of a strawberry whenever she bought some home. Svelty and Mousey were becoming good friends too.

One evening, while Rose was watching TV, and Mousey was online looking up strawberries, Rose had an idea.

"Hey guys: how about we go and see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center tomorrow?"

She looked at Mousey, who rolled over with excitement, something he usually did when he was over-happy.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said to Topolino.

"Svelt, how about you?", Rose yelled into the other room.

"Yeah, yeah; I guess so," replied Svelty as she entered the living room with a long face.

"What's the matter, Svelt? You usually like going to the city this time of year, especially to see the tree. What's up?" asked Rose.

"It's my sapphire earrings, the ones that match my eyes; I can only find one of them. I had the two of them the other day, but now one is missing, and they were expensive. And I've been on my hands and knees looking for an hour," Svelty said.

"Stop looking right now; sometimes the more you look for something, the more it hides from you. Come on and let's watch TV. I'm sure it will turn up," said Rose.

So Rose and Svelty sat down on the couch and watched some show with people dancing. Neither of them were very interested in it, and at the next commercial, Rose switched to the program guide, and started searching for something they'd both like.

Then Svelty asked, "What time did you want to go to the city tomorrow?"

Just as Rose was about to answer, Mousy appeared on the end table next to Svelty. Rose regained her thoughts, and replied, "Oh, maybe a quarter past a sapphire earring tomorrow morning."

Svelty looked at Rose with a big question mark on her face, and just as she was going to say something, Rose pointed to the end table at Svelty's right. There was Mousey with the missing earring in front of him.

Svelty's eyes opened as wide as they could, and she just shouted, "OH, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME, MOUSEY! OH, HONEY, THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Topolino said, "It was right at the edge of the rug."

Svelty had a blue rug almost the same color as the earring in her bedroom; no wonder she couldn't find it.

Rose smiled at Mousey, and Mousey rolled over.

"I think I know someone who'd like a half of a half of a strawberry, don't you, Rosie?" Svelty asked as she winked at Rose.

Topolino rolled over once again.

As Svelty was going towards the kitchen, she noticed that Mousey had been looking at strawberries on the computer. She especially noticed the last link he had been looking at.

"I like this song; it sounds nice," said Mousey.

The Brothers Johnson (Strawberry Letter # 23) - YouTube

Svelty clicked on it, and within a few seconds, she exclaimed, "OH, MAN, I HAVEN'T HEARD THIS ONE IN YEARS! THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES!"

Within the next 30 seconds, Svelty and Rose were both dancing to the music almost involuntarily.

Who could not move when they hear a song like this?

When the song was over, Svelty replayed it another six or seven times. As much as Rose liked the song, she knew she had to stop Svelty, otherwise she would play that song all night.

"OK, OK! Svelty: kitchen, get strawberries, and any other snacks you guys might like. In a half hour, we all go to bed; I don't want anyone waking up tomorrow and saying they're tired." Rose could be a little overbearing and pushy at times, but this was the perfect counterbalance to Svelty's flakiness. This is why these two always got along so well.

The sleeping arrangement had changed, now with Svelty back in her bedroom, and Rose sleeping on the couch in the living room. As Svelty headed toward the bedroom, she turned to Rose, and said, "You know, girl: this mouse got the funk!"

She closed the door.

This was Rose's favorite time of the day; lying in bed and listening to the radio before falling asleep. And to add to the mood, it had started to drizzle. The rhythmatic pinging of the gentle rain on the windows beckoning sleep all the more.

As she was lying there, Mousey climbed up onto the coffee table near the couch, and said to Rose, "I found a good song to go to sleep to. Do you want me to play it for you?"

Rose said, "Yes, yes, I'd love to hear the song you found for me."

It took Mousey a moment to manipulate the computer mouse, and get to where he wanted it, but he was getting better and faster at it all the time.

Then, the song began to play:
Maysa Leak - Rain Drops (video) - YouTube

Rose was asleep halfway into the song.

Mousey was becoming a real soft jazz rodent.

Tomorrow: the city.
 
#275
Tu-see, tu-see, tu-see, tu-see, tu-see, tu-...

Rose awoke to her alarm; it was 8 O'clock.

A mouse at a drive-in theater.

A mouse at a drive-in theater was the first thing she saw when she rolled over. She laughed to herself.

Toplino was already up and watching a children's reading show on TV, but as the TV had a 48 inch screen, when one looked at the little mouse watching it, it did look like a mouse at a drive-in theater. Rose thought to herself that she'll go and buy Mousey a smaller TV, so he'd be better able to watch it.

He was advancing pretty fast; his reading ability was about that of a second grader. On today's show, they were teaching how the letters PH can make the sound of the letter F.

"Morning, Mousey," said Rose. Topolino quickly looked at Rose, but didn't say anything, so engrossed in the program was he.

Rose hopped into the shower before she even tried to wake up Svelty. She had learned from being her roommate in college that Svelty had almost to be threatened to get up in the morning; she knew if she had knocked on her door to get her up it would have been a waste of time. Why do it twice?

Surprise of surprises. When Rose got out of the shower she couldn't believe what she saw: the table set and ready for breakfast! Svelty had gotten up on her own, and set the table, and started the coffee.

"You want OJ, Rosie?", asked Ms. Svetlana.

"Yes, thank you very much. This is an unexpected pleasure, you up and having the table set; what's the occasion?", asked Rose.

"No occasion; I'm just trying and change some of my bad habits, like smoking, drinking too much, and procrastinating," answered the pretty blue-eyed blonde.

Rose didn't say anything, she just gave Svelty a thumbs up.

What to have for breakfast? Rose had eggs yesterday, so today she'd have a couple of English muffins.

"Svelty, what are you going to have?"

Svelty gave Rose a quick look, and then turned away, her body slowly rocking from suppressed laughter.

Rose looked over at the stove, and saw a small pot with a small flame under it.

"OH, NO! COME ON, SVELTY! YOU"RE NOT GOING TO EAT THAT GARBAGE AGAIN FOR BREAKFAST, ARE YOU?"

"I like it," said Svelty, almost bursting into laughter again.

Ravioli in a can, that's what Svelty was having for breakfast. It was the fifth time in about three weeks that this dog food in tomato sauce, as Rose called it, would be Svelty's first meal of the day.

"Yuck, that stuff is so disgusting! And you don't even buy the brand name; you buy the horrible store-brand version of that garbage. How much was that, $.98 a can?", asked Rose.

"$.88," answered Svelty, trying to hold back a chuckle.

Rose just shook her head, and said, "Whatever."

The three of them ate breakfast, then Rose ordered Svelty into the shower. Svelty stood up quickly, and did some exaggerated high steps as if she were imitating a cartoon character that couldn't get traction, and then shot into the bathroom. She emerged five minutes later. One thing no one could ever accuse Svelty of was taking too long in the shower. She never did.

OK, everyone was dressed and ready to go.

Rose got her new handbag and Mousey jumped in. Rose had cut a hole inside the bag at each end so Mousey could get in and out of the exterior pockets easily.

He was going to be the navigator, and he was sure he was up to the job, as his reading was very good, and he knew his numbers.

They left the apartment, and headed for the F train a few blocks away. Within 20 minutes they were in the city. They didn't go straight to the tree; Rose thought they would take the train to 14th street, and window shop as they slowly walked uptown to Rockefeller Center to see the tree.

They had gotten to the city just before 11 O'clock, but it was now almost 3pm, and they were only at 34th street. Where had the time gone?

"Let's get a move on; Rockefeller Center gets extra crowded this time of year after 4 O'clock," said Rose, so they just walked directly to the tree. Mousey had been doing very good at his job of navigating, calling out the streets just before they got to them. Only Rose could hear him, but every so often she would tell him what a good navigator he was.

5th Avenue and 49th Street. Here they were. And there it was.

The Tree!
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It took the girls a few moments to find an empty spot along the rail to be able to get an unobstructed view of the tree, but it was worth the wait. Here they were: Christmas in New York. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, the people skating in the rink in front of the tree, and yes, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, sold by street vendors. Topolino couldn't take his eyes off the tree; he had seen other trees on the computer, but none as beautiful and decorated as this one. The girls and Mousey lingered there for about 20 minutes, then Svelty suggested going somewhere for a drink. Rose gave her that look, but Svelty replied, "I mean let's go somewhere for a soda; I don't mean alcohol." Somehow, Rose could tell she was telling the truth.

They found a nice little bar on 53rd street just off 3rd Avenue, and went in. There was plenty of space at the bar, as the after work crowd hadn't yet arrived, so they sat down and ordered two Cokes, and a small quesadilla platter to munch on, since they had forgotten to eat lunch. They were talking, sipping on their sodas, and eating the food, when a little pink nose stuck out of one of the end pockets on Rose's handbag. The smell was too much for Mousey, so Rose gave him some of the cheese, but made sure it was cool enough for him to eat. After half an hour, they figured it was time to start heading back home.

Rose excused herself to use the restroom just as Svelty's phone began to ring.

"You go first, and I'll go when you come back; let me take this call first," said Svelty.

Rose was just drying her hands when she heard a commotion in the restaurant. She heard someone saying, "Get her on a chair!"

Rose darted from the restroom to find five or six people surrounding Svelty. She had fallen of her stool, and appeared to be just waking up. She was sitting in a chair at a table.

"WHAT HAPPENED?," screamed Rose.

One of the busboys said, "She was just talking on her phone, and then she passed out and fell off the stool."

Rose went over to Svelty, who was still having trouble focusing her eyes.

"Svelty! Svelty! It's Rose, what happened?"

Svelty took a few seconds, and then, summoning all her strength managed to get out two sentences.

"It was my mom; my brother was wounded in Afghanistan. They don't think he's going to make it."
 
#276
...back in time for Christmas."

"Well we'll have to sent his gifts to him overseas." Rose replied. "It's really too bad... why did you fall off the stool though?"

Svelty looked down, an ashamed look in her eyes.

"I ordered 7 shots of tequila when you walked away. I still have 2 left, want one?"

Rose stood up, an angry look shot across her eyes.

"What am I going to do with you? Sometimes I wish I could just
 
#280
...without alcohol of course. Puppy brain juice originally started as pupil's bran juice, a drink made from rye seeds by poor students. If the bran was mixed with the right amount of water and suger and left for a few weeks at just above room temperature, it produced consumable alcohol. As soon as it was commercialized, people started to call it "puppy brain juice". "Well, you didn't say a word for the last two hours", Rose said. "Are you angry with me, or simply too drunk to speak English?" Topolino drew Rose's attention: "I'm thirsty too". So she bought him a...
 

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