It is one of those
impossibly slow days where absolutely nothing is happening in a
wealth-garnering sense. The weather is fairly nice, there are high
school football and volleyball games which everyone is attending, and
to top it off the week's releases are profoundly lackluster. Even the
random traffic passing by on the highway before the store is minimal.
As a result, Fernando has spent most of the day reading Fark and
ruing the fact that the new vanilla-walnut flavored coffee creamer he
procured about a week prior had not been the wisest of purchases.
The phone rings. Fernando
jumps at the call because, hey, maybe this means he will lessen the
deficit he will have incurred through having had the store open
today! He looks at the caller ID.
“Okay, what did I do
and to whom to deserve this?” Fernando asks aloud. No one is around
to answer, for even his Guardian Spiders have gone off to the Land of
the Unending Sleep. He sighs in resignation and meanders over to the
phone, picking it up on the fourth ring.
“Hello, Dominion of
Movies.”
“Hi, is this Fernando?”
It's a new person, neither Kevin nor the sultry lass from before.
This woman's voice is irrepressibly bubbly and chipper. It reminds
Fernando vaguely of hearing Tara Strong in...well, just about any
role she's ever voiced.
“This is he.”
“This is Nepal, calling
from Turtlefoot Enterprises! How are you?”
Yes, yes, obligatory
social niceties. “I'm well. Yourself?”
“I'm great! The weather
is pretty nice here, how is it for you?”
Now for the small talk.
Okay, not like there's much better to do. “Actually, it's been
fairly bad. Lots of clouds and rain. Frost in the morning. Typical
October weather, really.”
This does not dissuade
Nepal's cheer. “Oh, that must be good for business! It's nice now
that fall is here and summer is over! Kids are back in school, people
want to stay inside now and have everything fall into place!”
“Well, if there's not a
football game of the high school or professional variety, nor any
other kind of sporting event, nor any other kind of event. Then
things tend to fall into a different kind of place.”
“Oh, Fernando, I'm
sorry to hear that!”
“What will be will be.
One has minimal control over the choices others make in life.”
There's a brief moment of
silence, perhaps as Nepal mulls over how to turn the conversation
away from its headlong rush to the bottom of Bleakness Chasm and back
on track to Positive Land. Surprisingly, this does not happen; instead she
barges full-tilt into the sales part of her spiel. “Fernando, have
you reconsidered signing up with Turtlefoot and getting your movie
for much less than what you're paying now?”
“Sadly, I have not. The
stars have not yet aligned.”
Finally, her facade of
mirth cracks and allows a minute bit of frustration or disappointment
to seep into her vocal tone. “Oh, well, we'll be in touch then down
the road then. Have a good evening, Fernando!”
“And you as well.”
Nepal hangs up.
So continues the
Turtlefoot Saga.
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