Another Snippet featuring three of my favorite characters, Samaria, Ricardo, and TJ! Enjoy!
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Warning: This Snippet contains mild language!
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“I can’t believe this,” he muttered and gave the machine a small kick. The owner of the machine, ordering something from a nearby fruit shack, shook his fist our way and shouted something undoubtedly obscene in nature. TJ waved his “sincere” apologies and the owner got back to his previous business, although he did cast another grouchy glance back at us.
TJ, however, muttered, “If he’s so concerned, he should fix this piece of sh–.”
“TJ!” I scolded and looked down at Ricardo, who I held by the hand. “Language.”
“Oh, please Maria. Tha language ya spit out at times. It’ll put tha worst sailors tuh shame.”
“But I don’t do it in front of Ricardo. You’re his uncle, so that means ya should know bettah. Just think what Beijing would say if he found out–”
He fanned a hand at me. “Oh, oh, oh. I get tha picture. Sheesh!”
He looked off somewhere scratching at his stubbled chin.
“Hey, you know this bay reminds me a lot of the ones back in Sydney.” He turned to look back at me and started some. “What?”
“You know what. You’re not taking me seriously.”
“I am taking ya seriously. Why wouldn’t I take ya seriously when I know ya will just pummel me if I’m not.”
I sniffed in satisfaction, and with a smirk replied, “Ya got that right mi hermano.”
“My point proven.”
At that moment, Ricardo tugged my hand.
“¿Funcionó la máquina?” He asked.
He had asked did the machine work.
“Lo siento, sobrino. Tendremos que ir a otro lugar…” I replied. ‘Sorry, nephew. We’ll have to go somewhere else.”
“Oh…” From his face I could tell that was a big letdown to hear.
“Don’t worry buddy, we’ll get ya somethin’.” TJ told him and ruffled his hair.
“Finally ready to go to that food bazaar?” I asked with a sly grin. “I mean, you have tried every other rinky-dink food supply bin here.”
“No, I ‘ave not!”
“Uh, yeah ya have.”
“We haven’t tried that one over on, uh…” He rubbed his chin, no doubt thinking over the last few hours we spent raiding ran-down vending machines. “Hm, I think we have.”
“Mm, humph… So, let’s get goin’ then. Ricardo hasn’t eaten since this mornin’.”
“Ain’t muh fault the lad hasn’t ate anythin’,” he muttered.
I casted him a dark side glance. “Don’t give me that look. It’s true.”
“Whatevah.”
On our way to the “food bazaar” I took a moment to point out something to TJ.
“You know, you’re lookin’ pretty ridiculous in shorts,” I told him. “I mean look at those knobby knees of yours.”
“’Twasn’t my idea so I’m not worried about it. And we’re supposed to be undercover, remembah?”
“Oh, yeah? Then why are your ears red?”
He released a patient sigh. “No, they aren’t.”
I grinned and asked Ricardo, “¿Crees que TJ se ve ridículo en pantalones cortos?” ‘Do you think TJ looks ridiculous in shorts?’
Ricardo took one look and nodded. “Yep.”
I looked to TJ wearing the smuggest look I could wear. As I had planned, his ears were completely red, even the lobes, and he even had a little flush going.
“Doesn’t mean a thing dammit,” he grumbled and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
I snickered but didn’t press further.
~***~
TJ took his revenge out on me by making me pay for lunch. I didn’t mind. I had owed him that embarrassment anyway.
I watched as mustard looking sauce oozed from Ricardo’s burger as he bit into it. He chewed gratefully, cheeks so round I was sure they might just pop. He looked quite comical, because the burger was easily five times larger than any that came in your average happy meal. The irony– the monstrous burger, along with a pail of fries and a bucket of an unnamed fizzy drink, was as small of a meal as they got.
“Is it that good?” I asked Ricardo.
He swallowed before answering with, “Si, uh, I mean, yes.”
I nodded and took up the drink I had ordered. It was a pretty nice time to be at the wharf of Juräcra. Usually it was always rush hour, sailors, crying merchants, and customers all trying to get somewhere. Now, there weren’t many people around and you could actually hear the dreeds* up above. I took a sip of my drink, closed my eyes, and took in a breath of heavy sea air. Yep, this part of Juräcra reminded me of Earth in many ways.
I heard a pop, pop, pop! and looked to see what the cause of the noise was. Suddenly a purplish tentacle swiped up my nearly empty cup away and replaced it with another filled one. I heard the popping noise as the bar tender un… well tentacled my drink and, frowned seeing the slime that was left behind on both the cup and counter. But then Juräcra definitely had its differences.
“You want that?” TJ asked pointing at my newly replaced cup.
I wrinkled my nose and slid it his way. He simply plucked a straw in and began slurping away. I grimaced but then grinned at a thought.
“How do you know there wasn’t squid slime on the straw?” I asked. I expected some kind of reaction from him, but he only shrugged his shoulders. Rolling my eyes, I returned my attention to Ricardo.
“Whatchya wanna do next, eh?” I asked him. He was nearly halfway finished with his enormous burger, which surprised me because I thought he wouldn’t make it past quarter way.
“I don’t know,” he said. He placed his burger down and picked up a fry to begin nibbling on it. Swinging his legs, he began to hum a song.
“Oh! ¿Podemos ir a la playa?” he asked perking suddenly. ‘Can we go to the beach?
“Well…” I began, “I would say yes, but this entire planet is covered by water.”
His face scrunched as he tried to understand my English words, so I translated in Spanish.
When his jaw dropped, I burst out into a laugh.
~***~
* Dreeds of Juräcra are like seagulls of Earth, except, well they’re ugly like vultures.
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