by T J Vertigo
"Ya know, I don't know." Jodie said with a frown, then looked to Cayden.
"I don't know either." She said, turning on the television.
"Don't you care?" Jodie asked with an incredulous look.
Cayden shrugged. "I like Brooke, not her money or her siblings."
Butch's mouth fell open. "Oh honey, I know everything there is to know before anything happens. What if they have a serial killer in the family? What if they're drunks? What if her sister is cuter than she is?"
Cayden rolled her eyes, and continued to watch TV, having no interest in the conversation.
"Jodie, teach her the rules." Butch said, hefting Anna Nicole to the other arm with another sound of pain. "Well, thanks for the food, I hope she likes it. Cayden, you have a great time on the date and remember, safety first!"
The shopkeeper grunted and waved.
"She's a wonderful conversationalist when she's in a mood." Butch commented. "Ok Jo, thanks for the food, I hope she eats it."
"She should, she really needs to lose weight." She watched as he left the shop and laughed once he did. His florescent green shorts riding deeply into his butt. "Did you see that?"
"I try hard not to look. You now it wouldn't kill him to wear drawers, what if he has a wet fart?" Cayden wondered.
Jodie scrunched up her face in disgust. "Oh Cayden, that's pure grossicity."
"But what if? He should have a big ole wet greenie, that would teach him a lesson."
"Cayden, you're grossing me out!" she squirmed around with the willies.
The shop keeper laughed. "Good, its payback for telling Butch all about my date.
"Oh please, who's he gonna tell? By the next time he comes in here, Anna Nicole will have done something brilliant and he'll forget all about the date."
"You better hope so. While I was out, I saw this really cool sale on navy blue culottes. You may want to run out and get several pair."
"Dry up." Jodie said, smacking Cayden on the shoulder. "Am I ever sorry I brought that up." She chuckled. "So, speaking of, are you going to wear the tank top?"
"Nope, I was thinking about wearing shorts though. If I wear that tank I'll feel naked. Probably a plain old T shirt."
"The cut-offs?" Jodie asked in excitement.
"Maybe." The shop keeper shrugged. "You think I should? They're kind of ratty."
"Oh definitely. Wear them." Jo insisted.
"Alright. I just wish I knew what Brooke was wearing, I'll be kind of casual and I don't want her to be uncomfortable."
"Trust me, the cut-offs are fine. If you're so worried, call Brooke and tell her to dress casual." The waitress suggested.
"Hmm. Maybe I will. You think I should? I mean, I'll see her tomorrow and all."
"Don't worry, I think she'd love to hear from you. She's probably wondering what to wear anyway."
"Cool, then maybe I will."
Jodie smiled happily.
PART 22
C AYDEN STOPPED FOR a chicken cutlet hero on her way home, she knew Wade wouldn't be home for dinner and planned on eating in the living room in front of the TV. Cayden liked eating over the coffee table much better than on the floor in her room, and she took advantage of it when she could. She was glad Wade would be out, she didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. This usually happened when she was nervous, or something was bothering her, and in this case, it was both. Cayden wasn't much of a phone person, and she was planning on calling Brooke. She wasn't sure that she could. She didn't know what to say, and was afraid she'd get Brooke's mother again. For now, Cayden wanted to forget about the phone call, and eat in peace. She was looking forward to the Pet Psychic to help her zone out. She wasn't sure the woman was legit, but she was bound to get absorbed quickly.
* * *
Brooke was hiding in her room, escaping her parents and their sudden need to play Trivial Pursuit. Brooke ran quickly when the evil blue box appeared. She hated playing that game with her parents. Her mother hardly knew any answers and, her father knew them all and was quite smug about it, which left Harriet pouting and insisting on a 2 pie-piece handicap. Brooke was usually the determining vote on whether her mother got away with it or not, and she always gave in, receiving a scowl from her father. She was certain he made up all of her questions after that. Even in her room, she could feel her mother pouting already.
* * *
La La stood with his back legs on the couch, and his front paws on Cayden's leg, kneading it, digging his nails into her as he inhaled the aroma of cutlet. The shop keeper felt guilty as she bit into the sandwich, knowing the orgasmic bliss that just one little piece of chicken would invoke in the cat. He was purring like a motorboat, and would have made several loaves of bread had their been dough on her leg. "Quit making biscuits out of my skin and you'll get some chicken." La La Bird's nails continued to dig into her bare leg. She shooed him off, and he ran around to her other leg to repeat the process. "Okay fatty fatty two by four, here." She tore off a piece of chicken and tossed it across the room. She couldn't help but laugh out loud watching his fat ass sway as he ran for it. Staring back at the TV, she sighed. "Sonya thinks she can talk to animals La La, wanna go and chat with the woman?" The cat burped. "No really. I bet you have a dirty mouth, we can go to the show, and you can swear a blue streak. That'll teach her. You can tell her about that time you jumped into the bath with Daddy and landed on his wing-ding." She snickered at the memory of Wade running through the house, naked and wet, screaming about how it was mauled. "Yeah, I'd like to see her work that into a reading." Cayden looked back at the TV and got reabsorbed by the show as she finished her dinner, La La standing vigil over every bite.
* * *
Back at the Hewitt house, the game was well under way and Brooke thought it safe to go get a drink. As she passed her parents, she noticed her father gloating, and her mother pouting. "Why do you insist on playing that game? What's wrong with checkers or Poker?" She asked from the kitchen.
"I like the game." Bert replied as he moved his piece. "Ooo, history! Go on Harriet, ask me."
"I don't like this game," she complained, "Brooke's right, let's play checkers."
Brooke snickered and hung around the table to watch them play. Of course her father got his question right. She stifled a chuckle as her mother landed on geography.
"The capitol of what?" Harriet asked, perplexed. "That's not a country."
The phone rang and Brooke reached for it absently, enjoying her parents. "Hello."
"Hey." Brooke almost choked on her water. "Cayden!"
"Yeah," The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad its you, and not your mom."
"Is that Cayden dear? Ask her if there's an Uzbekistan."
Cayden snickered. "Uzbekistan?"
"Yeah, they're playing Trivial Pursuit and mom is sure dad's making up countries."
"And if its real..." Harriet added, "What's the capitol?"
"Harriet! That's cheating!" Bert protested.
"Sounds like fun." Cayden joked.
"Oh yeah, a regular blast." Brooke agreed with a giggle.
"Well?" Harriet asked Brooke.
"Mom, leave Cayden alone."
"Yes Harriet, leave her alone." Bert smiled, knowing his wife had no idea.
"No, it's alright. Uzbekistan is a country."
"Yeah?" Brooke asked. "So what's the capitol?" She dared.
"Tashkent."
Brooke took the phone away from her ear and stared at it.
"Well, what did she say?" Mrs. Hewitt wondered.
"It's real." Brooke said still surprised. "Tashkent is the capitol."
"That's not fair!" Bert complained.
"Thank you Cayden, darling." Harriet said with a grin as she added a little triangle to her pie.
"She's right?" Brooke asked wide-eyed.
"I watch the Travel Channel alot." Cayden explained.
"You must." Brooke said, proud that Cayden knew the capitol of Uzbekistan. "What else do you know?" she asked
playfully.
Cayden snickered. "The women in Tashkent have long hair and they wear it in skinny braids, they have really cool palaces, they're Muslims...."
"No shit! You know this stuff for real?"
"Yep. It was on one day, I watched it and it stuck with me." Cayden shrugged.
"Cool!" Brooke smiled. Cayden was smart, she was probably great at Trivial Pursuit too. She shivered thinking of a game with her parents and Cayden and changed the subject in her head. "So what's up?"
"Oh, nothing really, just that, I was wondering, um, what time are you going to get to the shop tomorrow?"
"I get out of work at 5, I may come straight to you, I may run home and change, it all depends. What are you wearing by the way?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. Casual. Are you wearing shorts or jeans? She asked shyly.
"Jeans. I don't know what kind of top yet, maybe a tank top if it's still Africa hot. I couldn't wear that to work though, no matter how hot it is. You're lucky, you can wear whatever you want." Brooke pouted.
"I guess, but I usually don't wear anything too skimpy, I hate when they stare at my boobs."
"You can't really blame them Cayden." Brooke blurted out before she could stop herself.
Cayden blushed and chuckled. "Its not so bad when you say it."
Brooke gathered herself after that embarrassing moment. "So, anyway, now you know what I'm going to wear, what can I look forward to?"
"I don't know. Jodie tells me to wear shorts, but I may go for jeans too. Jo is trying to instigate something.
"Shorts wouldn't be so bad." Brooke said with a sly grin.
"Hmm. Only if you wear them too."
"Okay, deal."
"Brooke, dear, ask Cayden when they took down the Berlin Wall. "
"Mom!"
"1989." Cayden chuckled.
Brooke laughed. "1989, now leave her alone."
"Honey, why don't you invite Cayden over to play with us one evening?"
"Cayden is not coming here to play games with you, now shoo!" Brooke waved her hand at her mother. "Cayden, you really know your stuff."
"I'm a TV junkie, stuff sticks with me. I have an endless fount of useless bullshit."
"I see." Brooke smiled. "I like that you're smart. When I can get you to talk it should be interesting."
"Yeah, well." Cayden blushed.
Brooke sensed the tall woman's discomfort. "Okay, so I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yep, tomorrow."
* * *
Cayden hung up the phone and sighed. It wasn't so bad talking to Brooke at all. It was kinda fun actually, and she wondered how it would be if they were face to face. She thought about their deal to wear shorts. I wonder what kind of shorts she's going to wear... I hope they're not tight, and short. I'll go crazy. I bet they will be. She'll definitely do that to me on purpose, to torture me. Well touche. I'll wear my cut offs and my black tank top and play just as dirty. That tank top is relentless....
* * *
Cayden didn't sleep as well as she wanted to. She woke up a few time during the night and was harassed by the BowFlex commercial each time. She began having dreams about the machine, and of course, Brooke was featured prominently. Half dressed and sweaty, the blonde stood over Cayden, forcing her to do reps... the tease of Brooke's musky, shiny body, inches away. Cayden awoke in the morning, sleepy, and horny, and from the second she opened her eyes, began counting down the hours until 6.
It was already hot and humid as Cayden exited the subway, another New York City summer day. She threw caution to the wind and joined the line of impatient, well dressed people in Starbucks and ordered herself a grande cup of something with 5 names. It sounded interesting, and tasted pretty good. There was enough caffeine and sugar in it to wake a small army, and it was just what she needed.
The shopkeeper turned on the air conditioner and waited for it to cool off in the store. While she stood in the silence, and sipped her trendy coffee she thought back to her dreams. She got a little nervous. If Brooke could arouse her that much in a dream, what could she do in short, tight shorts, standing in front of her? Cayden closed her eyes and mentally braced herself. The less she thought about the subject, the better she would be. Besides, the concoction she was drinking began kicking in and she was ready to start the day.
* * *
Bev waited for Brooke to get in and when she did she jumped in front of her. "Well? Today's the big day? Are you alright?"
"Depends, if you mean did I sleep last night, not really. If you mean did I dream about her last night, yes."
"Judging from the look on your face, those dreams are getting better and better."
"You ain't kidding. It's a wonder I can look her in the eye at all." Brooke said with a blush. "She called last night."
"Really? What happened?" Bev asked with a big smile
"It was great." Brooke recalled with a grin. "She surprised me. There's a lot of brains in that sexy head. I like her even more now."
"That's just wonderful! She's smart and she's pretty."
"Tell me about it. Just knowing she can carry on a decent conversation about anything in general excites me. I like that I can learn from her, however trivial the things may be, like the capitol of Uzbekistan." Brooke grinned.
"I'm not even going to ask." Bev said with a confused look. "I'm just glad that you discovered another side of Cayden, and that it makes you happy."
"Very happy. After Grant, you have no idea how refreshing that is."
* * *
Cayden was fairly busy at work, the idle chatter with the customers kept her occupied until she noticed the time. Her belly knotted up and she made a silly face. Ugh. I just got horny and sick at the same time. Where the hell was Jo all day? Didn't she know I could have used her silliness? Cayden took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Ahhh, much better. Now it's time for Trading Spaces. She concentrated on the television, her belly slowly righted itself and she smiled. The bell above the door jingled and she glanced up, knowing it was just a little too early for Brooke. She became panicked, then slid down in her chair. Jesus H Christ, why today?
"ANGEL SWEETHEART! My wonderful Cayden!" Mrs. Ida Friedman did a rapid two-step towards the counter.
"Hello, Ida. What brings you here on such a brutal day?"
"It's the fifteenth, Dumpling! I told you I'd be here to pay for the indestructible cat toys! An old woman I may be, but I always keep my word. You could drop dead waiting for some people but NOT ME!" She shouted the last two words, jumped up and down, then twirled in glee, knocking her bright green hat askew.
Cayden swallowed hard and looked at the clock. 5:30. Ida was in a talkative mood, which meant she'd never leave before Brooke arrived. Fantastic. That'll be twice Brooke has to be subjected to Ida.
"How do you like my hat darling?" Ida leaned forward and whispered, suddenly adopting a British accent. "I had to buy it." She took several deep breaths, wiped the corners of her eyes with her pinkies, lifted one foot, then continued. "I'll tell you why." Ida seemed to be composing herself, she closed her eyes then talked slowly and calmly. "I went to the new Supercuts, there was a coupon in the Marketeer, so I cut it out and took it with me and asked for a trim for $9.99. WELL!" she suddenly shouted, making Cayden jump. "This is what they call a TRIM!" She tore the hat off, then hit herself in the head with it several times.
Cayden blinked rapidly, trying hard not to crack a grin. Even if Ida had a good haircut, the hat head, combined with a healthy dose of static made her look hilarious.
"How can I walk around like this?" She waved the hat around in circles over her head, pretended to cry, feigned chest pains, the threw herself onto a chair. "ANGEL!"
"IDA!"
"Do you recall my Olive Oil had that urinary tract infection, OH it was so horrible, the PAIN she was in! SO! I started to use cranberry powder I got from the herbalist, darling you know all doctors are evil, don't give them a penny of your money, I'll give you my herbalists card, well anyway..." I
da stood up and licked her lips a few times, "Wouldn't you know her PH is fine!" She laughed loudly. "Those doctors didn't know what they were talking about with their pills and their tests. They're devils and only want a poor old woman's money, if I let them they'd milk me dry, AND THEN WHERE WOULD I BE?" Ida stomped her golash covered feet and stuck out her chin. "NO MORE! Doctors are the devils darling." she said with a chuckle.
Cayden watched as Ida primped the big flower on her hat before taking pains at putting it on her head properly. The eccentric old woman clapped her hands together, looked up at the ceiling and wailed.
"OH I LOVE MY BABIES MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF!" Ida began sobbing uncontrollably.
* * *
Brooke worked distractedly for most of the day, excited and unable to sit still. She couldn't even finish a decent game of solitaire on her computer. Her decision to forego lunch was catching up to her and she was starting to feel hungry. She peeked her head over the cubicle and watched Bev pick at some chips with longing. "I'm hungry." She announced.
Bev handed Brooke the bag of chips and laughed. "First you're too nervous to eat and now your hungry. Typical."
"Hey, I'm allowed." Brooke said with a giggle as she crunched some chips. "Mmm, these are good."
Bev nodded. "They're my favorite, chips are comfort food."
"Yeah, when you can't get to the meatloaf and mashed potatoes." Brooke inhaled some more chips then suddenly stopped chewing. "Oh my god! These are barbecue!"
"Mesquite Barbecue." Bev corrected.
"My breath!"
"Oh, brush those teeth and you'll be fine."
"What if I burp or something?"
Bev laughed. "Calm down honey."
Brooke blew on her hand and smelled her breath. "Ew, great. Do you have any Listerine?"
"Just eat the chips and relax." Bev said with a soft smile.
Brooke groaned. "Its too late now anyway." She stuffed more chips in her mouth.
"Look, its 4, one more hour!" Bev announced happily.
