A Fleeting Glimpse

Please do not distribute in printed format

A Fleeting Glimpse
by Jason Rodencal

The small town of Airsdale was one of the last traces of small town america left in the country. The town barber, general store, and a two-man sheriff office could all be found in the town that still was comprised of buildings left over from the 1920's. The inhabitant stubbornly held onto these ideals and quickly and effectively drove out anything, or anyone, that the general consensus felt didn't belong, including other residents. Their efforts worked on all but one individual; A lone person they considered to be an abomination to humanity. He wasn't a notorious criminal, far from it in fact with a clean record. Nor a wanderer from the road. He was just a simple genetic experiment set free in a world that gave him that freedom with too many strings attached.

Meph Whitestripe, which wasn't even his real name, (To be truthful, he really never was given a official name. Meph was just what the scientists called him.), had a long time ago learned to live with the anger and humiliation of being a human/skunk genetic fusing in an intolerant society. The only morph, a generic term his type was called, not to be adopted from the massive "Avatech Inc." projects when they were federally banned, Meph spent 14 years living in an orphanage that neither wanted, nor helped him in any way, shape or form. He was constantly suffering from the physical and mental abuse from the other children that teased and beat him up and even from the nuns themselves as they viewed him in their eyes as less than worthy of love and understanding. Meph spent every meal sitting by himself at a small table in the back of the dining room, given the leftovers of the meals after all the other children had been served. Playtime was spent alone in a corner. None of the other children played any games with him or even to be near them or the toys. He spent most nights crying himself to sleep, wondering why he was hated so. Schooling was the worst, though. Substandard materials were all that he given to use as he sat in the farthest corner from the blackboard. Meph, though, strove to succeed, studying long and hard every night with books that even the faintest breeze threatened to disintegrate. He wanted to show them all that he was just as good, no, better than the rest. Still, his efforts fell onto deaf ears and blind eyes as every attempt at recognition was crushed by hatred and contempt.14 years of pain made him a sad and withdrawn person. He cared neither if he lived or died the next day in those long and bitter years.

It was not until Christmas in the year of his 16 birthday that Meph was given a helping hand. Meph had taken his usual seat alone in the back of the dining room on Christmas morning, watching the other children receive gifts as tears filled his eyes and slowly fell down his furry cheeks like the many years before. Only on two occasions had a gift ever found it's way into his hands: One, a small action figure that he carried in his pockets no matter where he went (in fear that it may have been stolen by someone else) and two, a small tin of chocolates long since eaten. Meph kept the tin and used it to hold what he called his "dreams," little scraps of paper from magazines and newspapers of the world he desperately wanted to see. Meph had risen from his seat and was about to walk out of the room even though it was against the rules. He had had enough humiliation and couldn't watch the smiles and hear the laughter any longer without just breaking down . As Meph approached the door, one of the nuns stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder, not the usual sting of a ruler. Meph turned in complete surprise toward her. It was the newest member of the orphanage, Sister Julia, the only person who had ever treated him with kindness in his life.

"Why do you leave before it is time?" she asked him.

"I don't need this pain anymore. I don't need anything anymore, not this place and its demons. No more..." he replied bitterly as the tears began to flow harder.

"I understand, my son. I just wanted you to have this. It came with your name on it just this morning," Sister Julia said as she handed him a small envelope. Meph took the envelope with a shaking hand and broke the seal with the tip of a claw. Inside was a check for two thousand dollars made out to him.

"I-I can't take this... not from you," he finally stammered out as the shock of the amount began to wear off.

"It's isn't from me. It's from an anonymous donor who wanted you to spend it anyway that would make you happy," she said with a tone of voice that told Meph that it was truly from her.

Meph tightly hugged Sister Julia and whispered into her ear, "Thank you..." with the first tears of joy he had cried in years.

That New-Year, Meph left the orphanage front doors for the last time. Only Sister Julia saw him off and wished him well. It was with a stroke of luck that he fell into an apartment in Airsdale and Meph was excited to just immediately move in with his few meager possessions. It was with even more luck that he found a bank that would open up an account for depositing the check, his livelihood until opportunity came his way. Two long months of blatant lies, cold shoulders, and/or "I don't hire your type" for every job inquiry took it's toll on the account, especially after spending a large portion of it to make the apartment livable and to give himself a decent amount of clothes. By the end of the second month, there was only enough left to stay in the apartment three, possibly four more months if things didn't improve.

It was a cold day in March when Meph was walking down Main Street, worrying about his financial woes, he saw that the town's old diner was covered in banners of every type and color. He had tried applying there before and was given a lame excuse about health codes as to why he couldn't be hired, yet he was drawn closer by all the dancing signs . As he crossed the street, and watched out of the corner of his eye people counter-cross at the same time, Meph could just begin to make out the words. "Under new management," "Grand opening," were all there, but what really caught his attention was, "Help wanted" displayed in the corner of a window. Meph decided to take a chance and entered.

The diner had been totally redone on the inside to resemble the old 1950's style diners, right down to the jukebox in the corner and the color scheme of pail blues and pinks. Meph also quickly noticed that he was the only person in the entire dining room.

"Hello?" he called out.

"I'll be right out in a moment," came a heavily accented reply from inside of the kitchen.

Meph walked to a seat at the counter and unconsciously wrapped his tail around the metal pole as he often did to get it out of the way of others. He picked up a menu from a nearby holder and was reading over it when a heavyset man came out of the kitchen.

"Ah! My first customer and it's a very special one indeed!" the man said with the accent as he got his first glimpses of Meph sitting at the counter, "Welcome to Ricky's! What can I get for you?"

"Um...I guess I'd like a super-burger and a glass of milk," Meph said as he put away the menu, "And I'd also like to inquire about the help-wanted sign out front."

"You're seeking employment? Well, I can use employees. What are you willing to do?"

"At this point, anything."

"Hmm.. let's see here. I can't use you as a cook, the state health laws are outrageous on that point, and I already have enough servers. I do need a busboy and dishwasher. Would you be interested?"

"Would I?? I'll take it!" Meph just about screamed out of excitement at the first real opportunity of actually getting a job.

"You can fill out the paper work as I go get your order," the man said with a smile as he pulled out a stack of forms and handed them to Meph. In a blaze of inhuman speed, Meph finished all of the stack long before the man returned and awaited his return with nervous energy that sent the tip of his tail into a twitching spasm. "You're already done??" was all the man could say as he saw the finished forms just sitting there, "I was only gone for a few minutes!"

As Meph sat there and ate his burger, the man looked over the application with a close eye. "I see no reason why I can't hire you. Welcome aboard, Mr. Whitestripe."

Meph almost choked on a bite of meat when he heard that last sentence. "Thank-you!! Thank-you!!" he kept repeating over and over as he shook the man's hand, "Thank-you so very much, Mr....?"

"Sergio, but you can call me Ilari. I insist it will all of my employees."

Two years slowly passed . Employees came and went for different reasons, many not of their own choice. Ilari was a tolerant man except when it came to work and prejudice and most of the people from the town outright expressed their hatred for Meph, right in Ilari's face on many occasions. It always seemed to be the same reason: He's not human. Ilari just laughed at that reason and usually said that Meph was more human than his accuser would ever be. Meph and Ilari had become good friends in that long time and it pained Ilari that he couldn't do more for Meph. Ilari couldn't give him a promotion from being the busboy and dishwasher to any other position, even though he deserved it many times over out of the extra lengths that Meph went to do his job. The health laws already required Meph to wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves (in which he had to cut holes in the fingers for his claws to stick out so that they would fit), and pants just to even wash dirty dishes and stack them for use. The list of rules was a vicious cycle for him to even be anywhere in the kitchen; The idea of cook was just out of the question. As for a server or host, almost no one would even allow themselves to be waited on by Meph and Ilari knew that his business would go to nonexistent when the word got out that Meph was a waiter. He couldn't allow his and Meph's only means of finance to just end like that. Meph had always wondered if it was some cruel joke that the town thought that he was only good for the undesirable jobs most "decent people" wouldn't be caught dead doing.

Ilari did as much as he could for Meph with the few options available to them. Meph worked full time with the benefits that it brought and had just recently received a raise that put him at the $7.50/hour rate for wages. Still, it was becoming harder and harder to give Meph the recognition he deserved without bringing the attention of unwanted eyes down onto them. Meph naturally kept his muzzle shut about his paycheck and working hours to the other employees, for they were of the type that would turn the town against the diner. The few times that Meph did talk to any of them, the conversation usually ended in dark cloud of anger and Meph knew if they found out what he took home compared to their miserable, but deserved, little minimum wage for only a handful of hours a week check, all hell would break loose. The newest cook, John, even went as far to try and show him up in front of Ilari on more than one occasion for the stupidest little things that had no real reason to have even been brought up. It only took a little common sense and logic to put an end to the farce each and every time and, yet, that only seemed to encourage him. Meph knew that he wouldn't last long, two weeks at most between the stupidity and his constant screw-ups of his own with meal orders and four grease fires in just the first two days.

Today was no new exception for Meph and his little unwanted personal wars against them.

"Hey, Stinky!" which was their collective name for him, especially when Ilari wasn't around, "Where are those clean bowls I told you to get me?" yelled John in lew of fighting his latest grease fire on the stove. A collective giggle came from the few patrons in the diner and the two other employees on duty at the calling of Meph, "Stinky."

Without bothering to look up from the table he was cleaning, Meph replied, "In the holder next to you like they have been for the past twenty minutes." Meph could hear the angry grumbling even over the sounds of the kitchen with his sensitive ears and that brought a smile to his muzzle.

"Listen here, furball. Don't you get smart with me!"

"I wasn't trying to. You asked a question and I answered it."

John raised a knife and was about to let loose with a stream of colorful expletives just as Ilari stepped out of the office door. He just froze in place with his mouth stuck open from the look that Ilari gave him.

"I just don't believe you're going to work out. I've had too many complaints about you and I can't afford to keep losing food to blazes that could have been easily avoided. Today will be you last shift and you can pick up your paycheck tomorrow," Ilari told the cook with what looked to be a disappointed look on his face.

"What?? You're firing me?!?" John turned toward Meph, anger blazing in his eyes, "I bet this is your doing!!"

Meph didn't say anything in return, but the cook continued to rant on until he threw down his apron and stormed out. As he passed Meph he quietly said, "This isn't over. You'll pay for this!"

Meph watched him leave with a worried look and just stared at the door for a few moments longer, not sure of what to make of the threat. The sound of someone calling his name snapped him back into reality.

"Meph? Meph?? When you're done there, I want to see you for a few minutes in my office," Ilari stated as he put up a "help wanted" sign in the window. Meph could tell by the way Ilari had said those words, he wasn't probably like the next batch. He quickly finished cleaning the table he was at and put down the dish bin next to the washer before knocking on the office door.

"What's up?" Meph asked as stood next to Ilari's desk.

"You are. I'm not sure how to say this, but you seem to be, um, preoccupied lately. Is there something wrong? Are you not happy working here?"

"No, no! The job's fine. If it wasn't for you, I'd be on the street."

"Something's not right then. You just aren't working with the usual enthusiasm that you have. Over two years of watching your body language has taught me a few things and how low your tail's been hanging for the past few days tells me that something's got you down."

"It's just that I'm lonely and I have been for 18 years. You're the only person I can call a friend and I appreciate that. It's just...."

"Ah! I think I know what you mean," Ilari said with a grin, "Maybe I can help, get you a nice mail-order bride or even possible find one just like you."

Meph's eyes just popped wide open in disbelief that Ilari had just said what he said. "You can't be serious?!?"

"And why not? Sometimes happiness has to be bought."

"No. Would you just want to be forced onto someone like me?"

"Well, no. I never considered you to be my type."

Meph wasn't quite sure of how to respond to that comeback. "You are just impossible..." he groaned.

"Now, just get that tail of yours back out there and at least look like you're earning what I pay you. And try to cheer up, hmm?"

"I'll try..."

"That's all I ask."

Meph finished the rest of his shift thinking over and over on the entire conversation. He came to the conclusion that Ilari was right; Sometimes happiness can't be so easily found. Walking down the street under the electric lamps, he wondered what was holding him here in this town. He had more than enough saved away to move to some town or city that had a morph population of more than one. And then do what, be stuck in some Godforsaken job at minimum wage without anyone, especially a friend like Ilari? And that was probably if he was lucky. Meph had read many news stories on the 85% unemployment rate of morphs nationwide and it scared him, especially since he was a skunk, the lowly "untouchables" of society. For no other species was it harder to live than them, considered to be the lowest of the low. Sometimes a passer-through would stop in the diner just to see him because of how rare skunk-morphs were. They were usually a good lot and left a generous tip after specifically asking for him to wait on them. Meph liked the attention, it made him feel special at least for a little while. But, it had been a good while since the last one. Maybe the thrill was gone, maybe it was time to face the fact that he would be alone in this uncaring town. Two years of watching happy couples gave him a heavy heart that only grew heavier every day he was alone. Meph walked into his apartment with that thought on his mind and sat staring out a window until he fell asleep.

The sound of his alarm clock jolted him out of a deep sleep. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep on the couch until he tried to turn off the clock but couldn't find it. With a look on his face that could have frightened the living dead, Meph stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the light. He was rewarded with the sight of himself with his fur disheveled in a giant Einstein hairdo with legs. The reflection even startled himself. With a growl, he stepped into the shower and just let the stream of water mat his fur down before washing it clean. Meph had a long time ago pledged himself to never give any credence to the name of "stinky" by letting his personal hygiene slip. Though, he would always have an underlying tinge of musk about him, but that couldn't be helped being half skunk.

Showering and dressing always took a long time, at least 45 minutes to an hour every day. Things were no different today for Meph as he looked out a window down at the early morning commuters. "Another day..." he thought as he picked up a pair of pants and threaded his tail through the tail-hole in the seat and pulled them up. Meph really hated having to wear long pants and shirts every day at work, they just rubbed his fur the wrong way until he felt as if ants were crawling all over his body. With a sigh, he finished getting dressed and walked out of his apartment to face the new day.

Meph stopped at the top of the stairs to his building and sniffed the air. Rain was coming and it almost seemed appropriate to his mood. Meph put his hands in his pockets and continued on his way.

A quick stop at the general store for some breakfast bars was the only detour he took on his walk to work. For some reason, Meph noticed that it almost seem that not a many people avoided him on the sidewalk and it made him wonder. As usual, Meph arrived a few minutes early for work and waited on the front steps, eating a breakfast bar and watching his breath condense into little wisps that drifted off into oblivion. It was unusually cold that morning, cold enough to make Meph actually happy for once to have a fur coat. Eventually, Ilari showed up and opened the diner.

"Morning, Meph," Ilari said as he fumbled with his keys.

"Good morning."

"Have you had any thoughts on what we talked about?" asked Ilari as the two walked into the kitchen.

"Quite a few, actually. And I don't like any of the answers I kept coming up with," answered Meph as he pulled on the familiar gloves and apron.

"I just don't understand why this town has to be so cruel. What did you ever do to it?"

"I was born... plain and simple."

Ilari just shook his head as he entered his office and Meph pulled out a pail and mop to scrub down the dining room floor before opening.

The day was fairly uneventful with the absence of the old cook, John, and his taunts. The other two on duty wouldn't even dare to step out of line because of the close eye Ilari was keeping on them. The lack of customers actually even allowed Meph a few minutes to just sit down at the counter and rest. As he sat there and looked out the front windows, she walked in...

Meph had never really looked at the women in the town with a curious eye, yet something about her captured his attention. She had a face that could haunt a man's memory for days with shoulder-length black hair and striking deep green eyes. She noticed that Meph was watching her. Meph quickly looked away and felt his ears burning with embarrassment as he disappeared into the safety of the kitchen. Ilari had seen the whole sight and just smiled.

"What's wrong with you, a beautiful woman looks your way and you just act as if you didn't notice?" he asked with a pat on Meph's back.

"I-I don't know... I've never seen her before. She's just simply unbelievable," Meph nervously stammered out.

"And she wants you to serve her," one of the two waiters said with a look of disbelief as he poked his head into the kitchen.

"What?!?" Meph yelled.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ilari said as he pushed Meph toward the door.

"Wait! Just hold on a moment! At least let me take these damn gloves off!" howled Meph as he was unceremoniously shoved out the kitchen door.

The commotion caught the woman's attention and Meph felt his ears burning again as she watched him with a little smile. Meph tried to calm himself down the best he could as he took off his gloves and apron and borrowed one of the waiter's order pads and a pencil. He walked cool, calm, and collected, but his tail broadcasted his true emotions as the tip twitched at a pace only seen when he was really nervous. Meph tried to collect his scattered thoughts as he stopped in front of her table.

"M-my name is Meph, how can I help you today?" he finally found the courage to say.

The woman looked up at him and flashed another smile. "I'd like a tuna sandwich and a coke." Her voice was light and sweet, no hidden malice to be found anywhere in it. Meph felt a chill run up his spine with each word she said.

"It... it will be a few minutes." It was all Meph could do to keep from just panicking as he filled the order. With a weak smile, he put down the glass of coke and her food and then asked, "Will there be anything else you need?"

"Not right now," she answered.

Meph walked back into the kitchen and let out a whimper at the knot that had taken up residence in his stomach. "I think I don't know what to think..."

"Fortune has smiled on you today," Ilari told him.

Meph looked out of the kitchen at the woman and sighed. "And I'll probably never see her again..."

"Don't be so negative... She may be the answer you've been searching for."

"A normal person in this town, wanting to be with me, a despised skunk morph? It's too good to be true," Meph said as he left the kitchen to check up on his customer.

She just asked for the check as he approached the table. As the woman paid at the front register, Meph slowly pulled back on the gloves and apron and grabbed a nearby dishbin. As he began to clean off the table he had only just waited on, Meph found under the coke glass a folded bundle of bills. She had left him a ten-dollar tip and a folded piece of paper. Meph's heart skipped a beat at the size of the tip and his brain franticly wonder what the paper could be. He unfolded it to find a hand-written note saying:

Thanks for the wonderful lunch.
Call me sometime 555-9909

Allicia

Meph almost choked after reading it. Never could he have imagined this day coming true but in his dreams. He just hovered over the table with the note in his hand until someone call out for his attention, "Hey, stripes! The dinner crowd’s about to hit, get ready!"

Meph didn't mind the nickname "stripes" that much, it fit him more so than "stinky." The warning, though, did snap him back to reality and he quickly finished clearing and cleaning the table to prepare for the rush of incoming people.

Meph kept quiet about the note until the end of his shift when he showed Ilari. "I just don't know what to make of it. Can this offer be real? Have I found someone that will actually be with me??" Meph asked excitedly.

"Maybe you should take this chance. It may be the road to happiness you've been missing all these years."

"I think you're right. I will call her!"

"Just be careful, I don't want to see you get hurt," Ilari said with a concerned look.

"I will..." Meph replied as he started to walk out of the office.

Meph flew home as fast as his legs could take him. Just the idea of even talking to Allicia again excited him to no ends. Meph burst into his apartment out of breath and quickly worked to get himself out of his work clothes. He pulled on his favorite pair of shorts and sat down on the couch, next to the phone. And that was all he did, sit next to it. Meph couldn't find the strength to pick up the receiver and dial the number. If he had sweat gland instead of musk, rivers would have appeared on his forehead. "It's just a stupid number, why can't I dial it??" he thought to himself. Meph knew he was only trying to kid himself, it was more than a phone number; It was his first true possibility for happiness. That was what was holding him back. "It's now or never..." he said as he dialed each digit with a claw tip.

In the back of his mind, Meph almost hoped that no one answered on the other end. He was about to hang up after five rings when someone picked up.

"Hello?" a voice asked.

"May I please speak to Allicia?"

"Speaking."

"Um, this is Meph... from the diner, your waiter..." he nervously stated.

"Meph from the diner? Oh! Oh, the morph! I didn't expect a call so soon! Actually, I almost believed you'd wouldn't call."

"I almost didn't... I still can't believe that I did."

"I'm glad that you decided to."

That sentence made Meph actually grip the couch with his open hand in shock/surprise, his claws going through the fabric. "Y-you are??"

"Yes, I am."

"But, of all the people, why me?" Meph almost slapped himself as he realized what he had just said out loud. "That's it... I just blew it...." he thought.

"Why you? I've been sort of a secret admirer of yours for a long time. From all that I've see of you, you're quiet, considerate, and unusual."

Meph almost dropped the receiver in shock. A secret admirer? It couldn't be. "Thank-you..." With that, he felt ready to go for the million-dollar question, "Maybe you... you would like to get together and have dinner sometime?"

"I'd love to. My place, 8 pm tomorrow?"

"I'll be there!"

Meph hung up the phone after getting Allicia's address. It was then that he noticed that he had put his claws through the couch cushion. "Oh, bother..." he mumbled as he picked up loose pieces of foam stuffing from off of the floor and his hand. His mind was racing a mile a minute, not wanting to believe that he actually had a date. Him! The lowly skunk came out on top for once! With the determination of a madman, Meph spent the rest of the night writing a list of things he had to do and get to make tomorrow night a success.

The morning came and it seemed just a little bit brighter. He had the weekend off and then he saw his list from last night. Allicia! The woman of his prayers and he was seeing her tonight! Meph could hardly contain his excitement as he spent an extra long time in the shower and grooming himself till there wasn't a stray hair anywhere on his body. The rest of the day was taken up by his wanderings around the entire town, picking up a flower arrangement here, dry cleaning there, this and that elsewhere. He just wished that he was old enough to have been able to pick up a nice bottle of wine for dinner. He felt that it would have made things just that bit more special. Time seemed to have been stuck in a time warp for Meph as he patiently awaited 8 to roll around. For over two hours, he sat on his couch dressed in his best clothes and tried to come up with at least one into line that didn't sound so corny and/or cliche. Finally, it was time to go.

Allicia lived in a townhouse complex on the far side of town from him and so, it took a good while to walk there. It was times like these that Meph really wished he could afford a car as the people he walked by stared at him and the assortment of items he was carrying. Nothing though could have brought down his feelings as he came in sight of her complex.

Meph walked up the steps to the doorway and stood with his hand hovering over the door for a few tense moments as he considered just what he was about to do. He never got the chance to even think about backing out as the door suddenly swung open before him. The sudden motion startled Meph as he jumped back a foot.

There stood Allicia in a beautiful dark blue dinner dress, "Come on in, dinner's almost ready."

Meph stood in the door jam for a moment. His nose picked up an odd scent for a moment from her. It was almost a tinge of anxiety, almost fear hung about her. He wasn't sure of what to make of it as he cautiously entered and closed the door behind him. Meph began to walk down the hallway to the kitchen when something hit him from behind on the neck. He dropped to the floor as the flowers flew everywhere.

"You freak!! I told you would pay!" came from behind along with a powerful kick. Blow after blow forced Meph into a fetal position as he tried to protect himself with his arms and legs. "Did you really think a Goddamn animal like you could ever find a real woman?!? You don't deserve shit; Letter for all a beautiful woman like her!!" Meph recognized the voice as John's as a blow meant for his head reflected off of the forearm with an audible snap and a bolt of pain. The kicks his body was feeling, though, were nowhere near as damaging as each word was. Meph looked up toward the doorway to see Allicia just standing there, a blank look of shock and fear covering her face. She made absolutely no motions towards or away from Meph as he just closed his eyes from pain of his heart breaking. Blackness was a welcomed release from the suffering as his body could no longer take the punishment inflicted upon it. The last thing he felt was the sensation of being dragged off and thrown onto cold hard cement.

A passing sheriff vehicle noticed something lying in a pile in an alley as he turned around a corner. "Hey Taylor, there's something odd down by 39 northwest. I'm going to check it out."

"Roger, Sheriff. Do you need any help?" came across the radio.

"Don't think so." Sheriff Davis turned on the car's spotlight and pointed it at the pile. "Mother of God..." he said as soon as he realized it was a person in a puddle of what looked to be blood. The sheriff quickly went over and turned Meph over onto his back. "Taylor, call the county ambulance. It's the resident furball. He looks like someone went over him real good with a baseball bat." He leaned closer when he realized that Meph was softly saying something: "Why, Allicia..... why.....?"

Meph spent the rest of the week in the hospital recovering from the savage attack. He appeared on monday at the diner in a full arm cast, knee brace and a swollen jaw.

"Meph?!? What the hell do you think you are doing here???" yelled Ilari when he saw Meph walk through the door that morning.

"Going to work..."

"No you're not! I can't let you work in the shape you're in!"

"I don't have a choice.... I don't have any money left... The hospital took almost everything I had..." Meph said choking back a sob.

"Gods... what happened? Sit down here."

Meph told Ilari everything that happened those two nights Ilari, for once, was left completely speechless. "I heard the rumors all over town, but I couldn't believe them. Why aren't you pressing charges??"

"And for what? To give him a slap on the wrist and a 'Don't don it again?' You know that's all he'll get around here."

"I know... and that's what's truly sad."

Meph spent the day slowly and painfully doing his duties. About lunchtime, a group of young punks came in and snickered at him behind his back as they hovered over their cokes. As they watched on, Meph was pushing a cart of dishes when he hit a wet spot on the floor with his bad leg. The knee instantly buckled and sent him down along with the cart. Dishes shattered all around him as a shot of pain covered his entire body. As Meph laid there, the punks began to laugh loudly at him. That was the last straw Meph could take; He just completely broke down right where he laid. Ilari heard the commotion and immediately came out to investigate. He was horrified at the sight of his friend on the ground and the laughter filling the diner.

"All of you, get out NOW!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. As the punks left with a few curses and more laughter, Ilari turned his attention back to Meph, "Are you alright? Is anything hurt? It's alright, Meph... let me help you up."

Ilari helped Meph to get back on his feet and over to a booth. Meph almost immediately just curled up on the back edge of the seat and the wall, his head hanging low.

"Go home, Meph. I'm putting you on paid vacation. You need to rest up and get well." Meph was about to dispute when Ilari interjected, "That's a direct order."

Slowly, Meph limped his way home. He could hear the entire town buzzing about the attack with each group of people he passed that tried to act casual about their gossiping as he walked by. With a deep sigh, Meph finally made it to his apartment and fought with the door to let him in. He didn't bother to turn on any lights and just laid down on the couch with a groan of pain. As he laid there, he noticed a small square of white on the floor in front of the door. With another groan, Meph forced himself up and carefully picked up what appeared to be a letter. With a pop coming from his shoulder, he turned on a light and read it.

                                   Meph,
                                                I didn't want you to be hurt like that, but I had no choice.
                                                John said he would kill me if I didn't help and I truly believed he would.
                                                All those words I said over the phone, I meant with all of my heart.
                                                I left him this morning and will gladly be your witness to have him arrested.
                                                I want to meet with you to say that I'm sorry, for everything.
                                                Please, forgive me,

Allicia

Meph clenched his fist as a growl of anger escaped his throat. He threw the crumpled letter on the ground as he walked over to the window. Forgiveness? How could he just turn the other way after what she did to him? To have set him up and did nothing as he laid there, helpless. Meph leaned against the window with his good arm. Why should he accept her apology? This was a pain that had destroyed two years of healing in only two minutes. With a whimper, Meph laid down on his bed and stayed there, not wanting to deal with anything or anyone anymore.

For two days, it remained that way. The only time he left his bed was for food or to use the bathroom. Not showering in over three days was beginning to show as the bed took on a strong musky smell that was starting to permeate throughout the room. Meph's nose was immune to his own smell and so he didn't care one bit. As he laid there, dull eyed and lifeless, the phone rang. Meph just ignored it as it rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, etc... Out of frustration, he left his bed and picked up the receiver without saying a word.

"Meph? Please don't hang up.... I want to say I'm sorry and to see you..."

Just the sound of Allicia's voice brought back all the pain of last week to Meph. He quietly put the receiver down without even acknowledging that he had heard what she said. Then the tears began to softly fall... Somewhere else in town, a young woman also cried, not from being rejected, but because she knew that she had deserved being shut out like that.

Over time, the wounds healed on the outside, but the inside was still hurting. Meph returned to his duties and began the slow process of rebuilding everything over again. The bills had left him with nothing but an empty account and the cast left him with an arm that would never work as well as it did. Meph had lost a lot of flexibility at the elbow from the damage caused and it ached with every little bump or jolt. Though, just working again helped him to forget about it and her...

"Meph?"

Meph thought it was just a cruel joke that he could still hear her voice in his head everyday.

"Meph?"

No, that was definitely coming from behind him. Meph turned around to see Allicia stand there before him. His muzzle involuntarily wrinkled into a snarl when he realized who it was. "What do you want?" he spat out.

"I just wanted to give you this," Allicia said as she handed him an envelope.

Meph opened it to reveal a check. The sight of it only infuriated him even more, "Do you really think that you can buy my forgiveness?!?! I don't want your money and I don't want to ever see you again!!" Meph practically threw the check back in he face.

"Meph... I only wanted to help you." Allicia ran out of the diner crying.

Meph slammed a fist down on the counter without looking. It landed on a dirty plate that shattered under the impact. He was torn inside, did she really want to help him or was she just looking to calm her conscience of what she had done to him?

"She's come in everyday, looking for you." Ilari stated as Meph looked down at the plate he just destroyed. "I think she may actually be sorry for everything. If you decide to leave because your arm's acting up, I'll understand."

Meph looked at Ilari with a puzzled looked for a second until he realized what Ilari meant. Meph took off his apron and gloves, ran out of the diner and scanned the street for any signs of Allicia. She hadn't gotten very far, only to the first set of stair where she sat with her head in her hands. He walked up to her with a concerned look on his face.

"Why did you do it, Allicia?"

Allicia looked up with bloodshot eyes, "I didn't want to... I-I love you..." her voice weakly said.

Meph was taken aback by the statement. He didn't know what to say. Meph had always been told that actions spoke louder than words, so he bent down and hugged her tightly. Allicia buried her face in his neck fir as she returned the motion. It was there that Meph saw a fleeting glimpse of love still alive in his own heart. A glimpse that quickly blossomed as they walked together back to his apartment to finish the dinner they never did have.