"Aw come on Chris, you promised you would go with me to the monster movie madness film festival." Dan begged his much taller friend.

Chris sighed, "I'm sorry Dan, but Elise needs me right now."

Dan walked in front of Chris, "You've become a much different person you know that. It's like I don't know you anymore."

Chris picked up the stubby man and put him on the side, "Dan, the baby is coming any day know and I need to be with my wife."

"This kid is ruining my life." Dan grumbled.

"How?"

"It's taking you away from me! Now you're going to be a father and gonna be all mushy-gushy." Dan yelled throwing his hands in the air.

"I don't appreciate you calling my child an 'it'." Chris took out his keys from his pocket.

"Well do you know the gender?" Dan asked.

"No. Elise and I want to be surprised. Look Dan, I'll see you tomorrow." And with that Chris closed the door in Dan's face.

Dan walked out to the street clenching his fist,

"BABY!"

~.~

Being nine months pregnant gave Elise strange cravings, "Chris, honey?"

Chris poked his head out of the kitchen, "Yeah babe?"

"I want pickles with whip cream." She asked nicely.

Chris sighed, "We don't have whip cream. What else-"

"You don't love me anymore," Elise started to cry; "I need whip cream."

Chris ran up to her, "I'll go get some whip cream babe." Chris quickly put on his shoes, "See? I'm going." He walked out the door.

He noticed Dan sitting on the curb, "Dan?"

The short man turned around, "Chris! Finally you're out, now let's go." He pulled Chris to the car.

Chris turned on the car and pulled out of the driveway. Dan sat in the passenger seat and turned around, "Hey, where's the car seat?"

"What?"

"The car seat I got for the kid." Dan crossed his arms.

"Dan you got that car seat from the city dump. And it said 'Poop Master' on the side." Chris said.

Dan scoffed, "It was in gold!"

Chris decided to stay quiet since there was no point in fighting with his stubborn friend. Dan looked out the window as they passed the movie theater,

"Uh Chris? I know you can be really stupid sometimes but you just passed the movies."

"Dan I told you, we are not going today." Chris concentrated on not trying to blow up in Dan's face again.

Two years ago Dan tried to do an experiment on Chris's house to prove to a home realtor that houses can cost less if they have leaky sinks; Dan flooded their house completely. Chris and Elise left to stay with Elise's parents while the insurance fixed their house. Chris told Dan off when Dan called Chris to go to the movies with him. The two friends didn't speak for months until Chris bailed Dan out of jail for robbing cat food for Mr. Mumbles.

Chris parked the car in front of the market, "Stay here. I'll be back."

Dan watched as Chris walked inside the store. "What kind of idiot is Chris? He left the keys in the car." Dan eyed the keys that dangled I front of him; they tempted him.

~.~

Chris walked out of the store and noticed a crowd of people around his car. He checked his pockets for his keys and grumbled, "Shit."

As he walked to his car he heard heavy metal music blasting through the windows and the crowd yelling at Dan who paid no attention to them. Chris pushed his way through the crowd and saw Dan playing air guitar in his car. A police officer walked up to Chris and pointed to a sign that read, 'No Loud Music in Parking Lot.'

"Just give me the ticket." Chris said angrily as the police officer wrote the ticket down.

"Rules are rules, sir. Maybe you should follow them." He gave him the ticket and walked away, "Next time read the sign."

"You read the sign." Chris whispered.

"Hey hippie!" An elderly woman yelled.

Chris turned around, "Yes ma'am I'm sorry, I'll turn it off."

"I live right behind the store and the music woke me up from my nap." She snapped. She along with the angry crowd walked away.

Chris looked at the ticket, sighed and got in the car. He turned off the music.

"Hey I was listening to that." Dan said with his mouth full.

Chris noticed a sandwich in Dan's hand, "Where did you get that?"

Dan took another bite of his sandwich, "My pants. Where else?"

Chris wanted to yell at Dan but decided to keep quiet; his wife was waiting.