Chapter 4: Hanging with Arthur and Buster
George wakes up another morning but is still lying in his bed and doesn't have the will to get up. Fortunately today is his day off. George gets up to use the bathroom but when he's done he goes right back still not feeling up to doing much anything. He lays in bed for a couple hours. While in bed, he thinks about the bad times he's had in his life, like the times Binky bullied him in school and how he's let Binky Barnes push him around and walk all over him. He even gets this crazy imagination of himself, as an 8-year-old, lying horizontally on his stomach and Binky walking on him, stepping one of his feet on George's back as he walks on him, treating him like he's a mat. Binky also laughs in this imagination.
"Matt," George then says to himself in his mind, "that's what my parents should have named me: 'Matt Lundgren.' 'Cause I've been walked all over in my life."
George also thinks back on other horrible times in his life, like when Francine Frensky was hard on him, like the time he didn't win the relay race and Francine yelled at him. Or when he was bullied for having a bloody nose, although Francine ended up losing her lunch after that. He also thinks about the times when the Tough Customers, including Binky, bullied him. George even remembers the time he was forgotten and felt like no one noticed him or cared for him. George is pretty much dwelling on much of the hard times in his life, even thinking about other times besides losing the relay race, when he has failed his family and friends and sometimes got fussed at about them. His parents love him, but sometimes even they were hard on him and lost their patience with him, although they were sorry about it, but George still thinks about it and it hurts him. He is also dwelling on the time he tried playing baseball and just kept failing, or the time he tried playing music when Koko Taylor and Taj Mahal came, or when he tried to fix Vicita Molina's house but she thought he was trying to ruin it.
Of course, George does have good memories that he could think about, like the time he befriended Carl, the kid with Asperger's Syndrome, or the time he walked from Crown City to Elwood City, or the time he recited his poem at the Elwood City Library without Wally, and all the awards he's won. George knows he has these memories but he chooses to think about the bad times in his life and the good times don't mean much to him right now. One big failure George remembers and regrets is when he was in high school, he struck out at baseball, causing a third out for his team and failing to catch a fly ball. After the game was over, most of his teammates yelled at him and gave him a hard time. Some of his teammates were in Mr. Ratburn's class with him and Francine was one of them.
After spending quite some time entertaining negative thoughts and memories, even imagining worse versions of what's really happened in his life, things that could have happened but didn't, tears fall out of his eyes. George even wonders why he was born at all and wonders if others are better off without him. And he's been doing this for some time.
Later George's cell phone rings. He picks it up and sees Arthur's name on his caller I.D. At first he's reluctant to answer his mobile device. Then when he almost misses the call, he answers.
George doesn't want Arthur to know what's wrong with him so he tries to talk like everything's okay.
"Hey, Arthur," George begins.
"Hey, George," answers Arthur. "How are you today?"
George lyingly tells Arthur, "I'm fine. How are you and Buster doing?"
"Oh, Buster's just being his usual self," says Arthur, and then Buster's "Hey!" can be heard in the background. Arthur continues, "But other than that, we're all right here."
"Uh huh," says George.
"Hey," Arthur says, "Buster and I were wondering if you'd like to come over today."
George is silent on hearing this invitation.
"George?" asks Arthur, "are you there?"
George feel a little reluctant to go and hang out with much anybody.
Not wishing to leave Arthur hanging, or to sound mean, he answers, "Uh sure, I'll come over. When should I come?"
"Arthur says, "Come by in an hour."
"Okay," says George," I'll be over. See you then."
And George hangs up.
George doesn't really want to hang out with Arthur and Buster but is going to go anyway. So George brushes his teeth and gets himself out of his pajamas and dressed into regular clothing. Then George goes into the kitchen and though he doesn't feel hungry, he grabs a piece of bread and nibbles on that. Then he lies on his couch for some time thinking about his time with Arthur and Buster and wondering if he should really go or not.
A few minutes before it's time for him to leave out, he goes back to his room and grabs his dummy, Wally, and starts talking to him.
"Wally," George begins, "Arthur and Buster want me to come over but I'm just not sure I feel like it."
Then George pretends Wally is saying to him, "Oh come on George, those are your friends, they like you and they want you to come over and hang with them, otherwise they wouldn't have called you and asked you to do that."
"True," says George, "but what if I don't enjoy myself? What if I just get in their way? What if I say or do something wrong and overstay my welcome and they don't want me?"
"Don't be ridiculous, George," says Wally, "I'm sure you'll have a good time."
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," says George.
"Oh come on George," says Wally, "just go!"
"I think I'll call Arthur and Buster and tell them I can't come," says George as he carries Wally in one hand and reaches for his cell phone with his other hand.
"George," says Wally, "if you're really my friend and if you're really Arthur and Buster's friend, you will not pick up that phone and cancel on Arthur and Buster and you will go hang out with them. They are your friends and they really care about you."
George has his mobile device in his hand but hesitates to call Arthur and he is silent.
Wally goes on to say and insists, "Come on, George, please just go see your friends. They're waiting for you. Besides, you can't stay isolated from your fiends."
"Oh fine," says George, "I'll go!"
"That's the spirit!" says Wally.
"Wally," says George, "I honestly don't know why I let you talk me into this."
"Actually George," replies Wally, "you talked yourself into it, you were just using me to do so."
"Don't make me throw you in a wood chipper, Wally," says George, "or use you as firewood."
"Now that's no way to talk to me!" says Wally.
"Look," says George, "I'm going okay, and I take that back! Sheesh!"
"And lose the attitude will ya," says Wally.
"Don't push it, Wally!" says George.
George puts his phone in his pocket and also puts Wally down and then grabs his coat, puts on his shoes and steps out of his apartment.
After walking down the stairs outside his apartment door, he gets in his car and drives to Arthur and Buster's place in another apartment complex.
Arthur and Buster also live in an upstairs apartment and they too have a one-bedroom apartment, so they share a bedroom. Of course they sleep in separate beds!
George goes up to Arthur and Buster's apartment and knocks on their door. Arthur opens the door.
"Hey George!" says Arthur.
"Hi, George," Buster shouts from across the room.
George puts on a fake smile and says, "Hi Arthur, hi Buster!"
"Come on in," says Arthur.
George steps right on in.
"How are ya, George?" Buster asks.
"Fine," George lies. "Just fine."
"Have a seat," says Arthur, "we're making some sandwiches."
"Okay," says George.
George takes off his coat and hands it to Arthur, sits on the living-room couch and watches Arthur and Buster's T.V. Arthur and Buster go into the kitchen to make some sub sandwiches. They make turkey, ham, and swiss cheese sandwiches. They also put on a plate some lettuce, sliced tomatoes, pickles, red onions, banana peppers, black olives, and jalapenos. They also get out the mayonase and mustard, which Buster goes ahead and puts on his sandwich. Buster also adds three layers of bologna, some peanut butter, nacho cheese, and pizza sauce on his share of the sandwich!
Not failing to notice this, Arthur tells Buster, "Man Buster, after 20 years of being friends with you I still can't see how you can do that."
"Well excuse me for having such strong taste buds, such as strong stomach, and such a strong appetite!" Buster jokingly replies to Arthur.
Arthur, a little disgusted but undaunted, chuckles a little. He punches Buster on the shoulder and Buster returns one to Arthur and they laugh.
"We're 22 years old," says Buster to Arthur, "and yet we still act like kids!"
"I know, right?" says Arthur.
They laugh again.
"But we're more mature than before," says Arthur.
"Yep," says Buster, "we sure are, although I'm the more mature one around here!"
"What?" says Arthur, "Buster you may be older than me by a month and ten days but you're not…"
"Just kidding, Arthur!" says Buster, I know you are the more mature one here. Besides, can't you take a joke?"
"Of course I can," Arthur says with a smile.
Buster and Arthur punch each other's shoulders and laugh again as they continue preparing lunch.
In the living-room, George's head is turned toward the sound of Arthur and Buster's voices and he hears them. He does giggle just a little but then looks down and sighs remembering he's still feeling the blues. Then he returns his face to the T.V.
"Hey George," calls Arthur, "what would you like to drink? We got orange soda, grape soda…"
"I'll just have water," George interrupts.
"Bottled or tap?" asks Buster.
"Oh my goodness," George says to himself under his breath, "seriously?"
George then says aloud, "Very funny guys, very funny! Surprise me."
"Let's give him bottled," says Buster.
"I would say so too," says Arthur. Then he asks George, do want it cold or at room-temperature?"
"I'll take it room-temperature," says George.
"Okay," says Arthur.
Buster brings a room-temperature water bottle to George.
"Here you go George," says Buster.
"Thanks," replies George.
Buster returns to the kitchen to help Arthur bring out the food. Buster brings a plate of the vegetables for the sandwiches and Arthur brings out a bag of Ruffles Potato Chips and a bag of Doritos and they put them on the coffee table. Then they go back into the kitchen to bring out the sandwiches and the mustard and mayonnaise and a knife to spread the mayonnaise. Buster brings out his sandwich and brings Georges to him and Arthur brings his sandwich and carries the mustard and mayonnaise in his arms. After putting their food on the table, Buster and Arthur get their sodas out of the fridge, Arthur getting orange, Buster getting grape. George decides to wait for his friends to come back before he eats. George sits on the left side of the couch and Arthur sits in the middle to try to cut down George's chances of seeing, and being grossed out by, Buster's sand-strosity! But George probably wouldn't have cared.
Arthur puts lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and banana peppers and mayonnaise in his sandwich, but doesn't include pickles because he still hates them or the jalapenos. Buster puts all the vegetables in his sandwich but George just eats his sandwich plain. He also grabs a few potato chips and Doritos. Arthur and Buster and George eat their lunch and watch T.V. but George doesn't finish his sandwich due to his lack of appetite and leave his unfinished half on his plate.
"Hey George," says Arthur, "aren't you going to finish that?"
"If you don't," says Buster, "I will."
George once again hesitates to answer at the moment.
"George?" goes Arthur.
"Oh," says George, "Sorry. I guess I'm not feeling too hungry right now. Will it be all right if I finished it later?"
"Uh, sure," says Arthur, "if you want to."
"Here," says Buster, "I'll wrap it up for you."
"Oh that's okay," says George, "I might eat a little more of it a little later."
"You're sure," asks Buster, "I was gonna go back and make myself another sandwich anyway."
"Know what?" says George, "just go ahead and wrap it up, or finish it for me."
"Okay," says Buster.
Buster takes George's plate to the kitchen but doesn't eat it, he wraps it in plastic film instead and makes himself another sandwich.
"George," calls Buster," want me to put it in the refrigerator or do you want me to bring it back out to you?"
"Leave it in the fridge," says George.
"Okay," says Buster.
And that's just what Buster does, and then makes himself another monster sandwich just like the one before. Even though Buster is full-grown, his metabolism hasn't slowed down. It's a wonder he's still not fat despite not growing any taller and eating as much as he does!
Soon Arthur and Buster are finished with lunch.
"Wanna play a video game with us?" asks Arthur.
"It's a 4-player game," says Buster, "so all three of us can play."
"I'll just watch," says George.
"You sure?" asks Arthur.
"Mm-hmm," nods George.
"Suit yourself," says Buster.
So Arthur and Buster sit on the floor and play one of their video games. George just lays horizontally across the couch and watches. And he listens to Arthur and Buster as they play.
After about an hour after lunch passes, George wants to leave.
"Hey guys?" says George.
"Yeah, George," asks Arthur pausing the game and turning around.
Buster turns around too.
"I'm gonna go back home now," says George as he stands up.
"Already?" asks Buster.
"Don't you want to stay a little while longer?" asks Arthur.
"Yeah, George," says Buster, "you can stay as long as you want. We wanted to spend the day with you."
"Thanks," says George, "but I just feel like going home now."
"Um," says Arthur, "Okay. If that's what you want."
"George puts his shoes back on, puts his coat back on and walks to the door.
"Thanks for having me over guys," George says.
"No problem," says Buster.
"You're welcome," says Arthur.
But just as George is opening the door to leave, Buster says "Wait, you forgot your sandwich."
Buster goes to the refrigerator and gets George's sandwich out and hands it over to him.
"Here you go," says Buster.
"Thanks," says George, "bye."
"Bye," says Arthur and Buster.
George opens the door wider and exits Arthur and Buster's apartment. Arthur and Buster go back to their video game.
A/N I admit the part about George thinking others were better off without him sort of came from the part of that Fairly Odd Parents fanfic "You Saved Me." Also, the word "sand-strosity," I just made that up. It kind of comes from the word "monstrosity," and another word I made up when I saw giant frozen broccoli we ordered from Safeway, and I called it "broc-strosity." I think that also came from what the mayor of Townsville said in that cartoon "Power Puff Girls," when the girls used a giant robot to fight off a monster, destroying the city in the process and said the word "bostrosity." So strosity, at least to me, can mean, something bigger than usual or bigger than expected, or something unusual or perhaps bizarre.
Please be patient, I have to make a few more things happen before I can get to the really good parts. I think I have a few to several more chapters to go so I'm not quite done with this story.