I slowly woke up on a king-sized bed, it is very soft and plush. As I looked around, I was in our room. It had a dresser with my clothes, these wonderful nightstands painted by an artist. He had painted characters from popular gaming franchises on them. Adjacent to our room is our bathroom, small, yet efficient. We did not have a lot of money. I still needed to find a new job after getting fired.
Luckily, Lory still had a job. She works as a barber from home. We had invested in getting our hair salon, it is adjacent to our house. I rolled over and looked at Lory, I met her after she fell out of a strange portal. She claims to be from a different reality, but she cannot remember anything from there. I took her in, and soon after that, we fell in love. Now we have our home and we just live our life.
I got up and made my way to the bathroom, I looked into the mirror. My eyes were brown, yes, like they have always been. I freshened myself up and put on my bathrobe, along with my yellow crocs. Then I made my way to the kitchen. Lory loved fried eggs with bacon. She had a tough day yesterday with many customers, she deserved a little extra. While making her a fried egg, I also made some coffee for us. For the taste, I added salt and pepper to the fried eggs. I heard yawning behind me and looked at Lory. “Honey, your ear is standing the wrong way again.”
She walked over to me and I scratched her behind her left ear while putting it in the right way. She gave me a kiss and sat down at our dining table. We only had a small kitchen, but it had to do. I put down the fried egg and coffee while also giving her some utensils. I sat down, “Do you want the spoon?”
Lory chuckled, “I still don’t understand why you say that. And still, no, I don’t eat fried eggs with a spoon.”
I smiled at her, “And what are your plans for today?”
“I am free, it’s Friday, after all. Maybe I will watch some television, play some video games, or think up a new campaign for Dungeons and Dragons.”
I grinned, “That sounds like a fun day.”
She nodded, “What are your plans for today? You have that job interview today, right?”
“Yes, I do, and I am nervous. Ever since I have been laid off by those assholes, no other online news station requires my service. If I even get a response, it is just something like, you don’t fit in our team, before they have even met me!”
After we had finished our breakfast, I went to the bedroom and got some clothes. I wanted to look good for the job interview. “Lory!?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think a tuxedo is too much?”
“Yes!”
I sighed, “what about a blazer?”
Lory walked into the bedroom, “A blazer always looks good on you. You went in your bathrobe for your last interview.”
“Yes, I overslept, I had to hurry and forgot to dress. Not only was I one hour too late, I also showed up in a bathrobe.”
Lory giggled. I looked at her, “It’s not funny.”
She shrugged, “It is. At least you did not get declined because you have a tail. It is the reason I work from home.”
I nodded, “I understand, most people believe you when you say it is just genetics.”
Lory smiled, “Many people are gullible, even the doctors who did those medical tests on me. They declared me, human with a minor genetic flaw.”
I laughed, “genetic flaw my ass, you look perfect.” I grabbed a white shirt, and a black blazer from our dresser.
Lory handed me my jeans, “Thank you, Steve, it means a lot to me. You just accept me for who I am.”
I looked at her, “no, I love you for who you are.”
She smiled with a big grin while tilting her head in the most cute way she could. “I love you too.” I got dressed and Lory adjusted my blazer. “You look handsome today.”
I grabbed my sunglasses, “Yes or no?”
She put them on. “Yes, you look dashingly cool.”
“Great, thanks so much, Lory.” I gave her a kiss, “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, darling, but, don’t call the person who is interviewing you a wanker this time.”
I chuckled as I walked to the front door and Lory followed me, “He deserved that for how he spoke to the surrounding women when he spoke with me.” I grabbed the keys and gave Lory a kiss, “See you soon, darling.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She smiled, “See you soon, honey.”
I walked outside and looked at the small pond nearby, we lived near a small park. It had a playground, numerous trees, and a pond with a fence surrounding it. Something to do with a toddler who once fell in. He was fine. The pond is currently filled with frogs. I walked over to our car, an old gray SUV. I got in and adjusted the mirror in the car. After looking around, I started the car and started to drive, I would have more than enough time to get to my interview on time. The job interview is in their headquarters, but if they accept me, then I can write news articles from home.
Their name sucked, it is called New News. Like, seriously, where did their inspiration come from? Not that I mind, as long as they have a job for me. It did not take long for me to reach the parking space in front of their headquarters. It is not even a big building. I suppose it has to do with the online era we live in. As I walked closer to the building, I noticed it was just a house. From the outside, this house looks impressive. It has been built with walnut wood and has tan brick decorations. Small, octagon windows brighten up the house and have been added to the house in a mostly asymmetric way.
I knocked on the door, and after a few minutes an older lady opened the door. “Hello there, my name is Nora.” Gray, curly hair neatly coiffured to reveal a round, lived-in face. Glittering blue eyes, set dreadfully within her sockets.
“Hello, my name is Steve, I am here for the job interview.”
Nora nodded, “Alright, follow me.”
I followed the old lady into an office. It looked dull. They went with a white decor, white chairs, white table. Nora looked at me, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Yes, please, just black.”
Nora sat down and put down coffee for me. “I sent you my resume. I am glad you wanted to see me for an interview.”
Nora nodded, “Yes, your resume looks good. We would love to ask you some questions.”
“Sure, shoot.”
“Are you married?”
“I don’t see why that is relevant, but no. I do have a girlfriend.”
Nora smiled at me, “Do you think you can crank out two news articles per week?”
“It depends on the size of said news articles, but I don’t see how it would be a problem.”
Nora kept asking me questions about the job, which I truthfully answered. Nora leaned back, “You seem overqualified, why are you not working with a bigger company?”
“Well, I used to, but they laid me off, they needed to cut people, and they decided I was expendable.” Nora asked even more questions.
Eventually, she got up, “I think you would be suited for the job, we need to talk about it in our meeting, can we e-mail you next week?”
“Yes, I will keep an eye on my inbox.” I got up and stretched my hand. She shook it and opened the door for me. I smiled at her, “Thank you for everything, I hope to hear good news next week.”
As I walked outside, I pulled out my smartphone. I called Lory, “Hey darling, I am just done with the interview.”
“Great! How did it go?”
“I think it went well, they will probably hire me.”
“That is indeed good news.”
“Yeah, what do you say we celebrate? I am feeling good about this one.”
I heard Lory getting excited on the other end, “Sure, what do you have in mind?”
“We can visit the beach and have dinner tonight. We have some cash for that.”
“Are you asking me out on a date, Steve?”
I chuckled, “of course I am. I need to get something done in town, what do you say that we meet on the pirate coast near our home in, like, an hour?”
“Alright, I will be near our usual spot where we usually meet.”
“Alright, darling, I will see you in an hour near the shipwreck. Love you.”
“I love you too, Steve.” I hung up and walked over to my car and started it. Then I drove to town to visit the jeweler.
I walked inside to look at rings, engagement rings. I knew what kind Lory likes. Slowly I started looking for a golden engagement ring with a jade in it. She loves the green color. Saving up the money for two of these rings took a long time. Not to mention money for the wedding. We had talked about it, she wants a small wedding. My family abandoned me, and well, she is stranded here. She is now fully integrated into this life, and she does not seem to mind. It did not take me long to find a perfect engagement ring.
The jade is of a radiant cut and the size of a pea, it is in great condition. I am certain that Lory will love hers. Now, it is time to pay up and meet her at the beach.