Now as he glanced back at the comic strips, the memory vanished and he returned to the latest edition of Caroline in the City. He laughed at the punchline but it was not quite as funny as the one that had brought him and Daphne together. It was ridiculous perhaps, feeling sentimental over a comic strip, but when it came to Daphne, sentiment was everything.
His eyes scanned the other comics. Some of them were classics and some were unfamiliar to him. The classics brought back childhood memories. Beetle Bailey, Peanuts and even The Family Circus. He smiled at the unique way that the comic strip represented family life. And of course Peanuts, with its clever messages that not only appealed to children but adults as well. That Charles Schulz certainly was a genius.
There was something new about that day's comic section, however. Something that he hadn't noticed until that moment. Carefully situated across from Peanuts and Caroline in the City was a large box outlined in bold black ink. It was some sort of advertisement. And when he looked closer he could hardly believe his good fortune. The scripted words jumped out at him, advertising something known as the Emerald City Comicon to be held the following Saturday at the Washington State Convention Center. At first glance, Niles rolled his eyes. A convention for comic strips? Dear God, what was the world coming to? But then a list of names caught his eye.
Scheduled to attend are cast members from the iconic television series 'Star Trek', Mia Prescott, author of the blockbuster Children's book 'Pandas in the Parlor' and the classic Children's television show 'Flora's Flowers', and Caroline Duffy, creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip 'Caroline in the City'.
Niles' heart beat wildly at what this could mean. He wasn't one to believe in fate, but this was a sign if ever there were a sign. He had no idea what Comic Con was, but his hearts sang at the thought of attending. How wonderful it would be to take Daphne and introduce her to the woman who had, through her wonderful comic strip, made him the happiest man alive.
Suddenly he knew what he had to do. He rose from the table and quickly cleared the breakfast dishes, casually tossing them into the sink. He could wash them later, but now he had a pressing errand to take care of. The morning newspaper lay forgotten on the table, its sections scattered about, but Niles was already heading to his car in search of the one thing that he hoped would show Daphne just how much he loved her.
(Later that afternoon)
Niles held the small rectangular envelope in his hand as though it was a treasure. And it was. He could not keep the smile from his face, nor could he slow the beating of his heart. Luck or fate, as he liked to call it was on his side that morning as he took his chances and braved the downtown traffic en route to the box office.
To his horror, he encountered a line almost a mile long and he was glad that he'd arrived when he did, because only minutes later, the line behind him was almost as long as the line in front of him. And it was moving at a snail's pace. When he finally reached the ticket booth, he pulled out his credit card and placed his order. The attendant smiled and shook her head as she glanced at the computer screen, pushing buttons at a rapid fire pace. This caused him to experience a mile panic attack and he fought to keep his breathing steady. But then she took his credit card causing him to experience a mild panic attack. But then she pushed another button, producing two small rectangular strips of paper, which she placed into an envelope and handed to Niles.
"This is your lucky day, Mister! These are the last two tickets, I've got. Those people behind ya ain't gonna be too happy, so you'd best be keeping those in a safe place!"
Niles grimaced at the attendant's poor grammar but then he realized what a blessing she had been. He smiled sincerely, wishing that he could reach through the tiny slot to shake her hand. "Thank you, Thank you!" He said, slipping a few dollars under the tiny slot.
She looked up in surprise. "Sir, you already paid with that fancy credit card of yours, don't you remember?"
He was put off by her assumption that he was forgetful and it was hard to hide his annoyance. "Well of course I remember! The cash is for you! It's a tip!"
Her expression changed and he thought that he saw the beginning of a smile. "Oh, well, that's nice of you, Mister, but I can't take it. We ain't allowed to take tips." She shoved the bills back through the tiny slot, but he placed his hand over the opening to stop her.
"Please, take them. I insist."
And then she smiled; a genuine smile. "Well, all right. As long as my boss don't see me, I guess it will be okay. Thanks, Mister. You're all right!"
"You're quite welcome. You have no idea how much this means to me." Judging by the look on her face, he was certain that she had no idea what he meant, but she smiled just the same. He placed the envelope securely into the inside pocket of his coat and began to walk across the cement walkway that led to the adjacent parking lot.
Miraculously the line had grown even longer in the short time that he'd made his purchase and within seconds he could hear the shouts of protest among the patrons. Curious, he stopped in his tracks and turned around just in the nick of time to see the ticket booth attendant place a bright orange sign in the window that read SOLD OUT. He couldn't help but grin to himself. This was indeed his lucky day.
