"No problem ladies… Here's the paperwork you're waiting for" Freddie said handing it to Sam "and you're looking at the new owner. I bought your house!"


Three's A Crowd

7. The Three C's

Melanie had been looking at the activity in the kitchen again and slowly turned back to Freddie and stared. Sam was stunned. Mouth open, unmoving. Freddie was still attempting to put the papers in Sam's hands.

Mr. White uniform and clip board interrupted the trio by asking Freddie to come into the kitchen. Freddie turned and followed him. Sam still hadn't moved a muscle.

"Sam, Sam!" Melanie said while nudging Sam's shoulder "Do you know what this means, Sam?"

Sam turned to her sister. Her mouth was still opened in shock. She shook her head 'no'.

"Why, it means we don't have to move! We can stay here, sis!" Melanie said while doing a happy dance.

At this, Sam regained some of her composure. "Yeah, but look who it is that's going to be living here with us! He didn't buy this house and expect to keep living in his apartment, you know…" Sam said.

Melanie was vigorously nodding her head; "I know! Isn't that neat!" She said.

Sam didn't respond to her sister. She did turn and head into the kitchen. Mr. White uniform and clip board was jotting down a note on the clip board and saying:

"…so we'll be bringing the same each month, and send the remainder in check to you at this address. Correct?"

Freddie was nodding "Yes, that's fine. Thanks." He said.

The two shook hands and the white coated delivery men left, nodding their goodbyes to Sam and Melanie. Melanie ran into the kitchen and grabbed Freddie by the shoulders:

"We don't have to move?" She asked.

"Nope." Freddie grinned.

Sam moved her sister and stood in front of Freddie. "How could you afford this Freddie? Don't we have to pay rent?" Sam asked.

"Let's go out to eat. We can discuss it all over dinner. My treat!" Freddie said.

Melanie took Freddie's arm and started toward the door. Sam shook her head, trying to clear it, and followed her sister… and their new landlord.


Carly and Tasha were standing outside. They were facing the front of a non descript door, of a equally non descript apartment. Carly knocked. After a moment, the door opened. Norm was standing in the entry, blinking his eyes. He looked like he had been taking a nap.

"Carly, how are you. It's been quite some time, over a year." Norm said.

Carly returned the greeting and stood aside and introduced Tasha to him. Norm invited the girls in and told them to please have a seat and make themselves at home. The apartment was spotless. This place would pass one of Mrs. Benson's Bright and Shiny tests with flying colors.

"Oh my" Tasha gushed "plastic covering on all the furniture and plastic runners on the most used parts of the floor. This is so neat!"

Norm beamed, after a few minutes of idle chit chat, Carly mentioned their shared hobby.

"Would you like to see the 'Triple C'?" Norm asked.

"The 'Triple C', what's that?" Tasha asked.

"Oh, follow me." Norm said, leading them down the hallway to a back bedroom. Inside the room were computers, huge monitors, video cameras and a desk with enough instrumentation piled on it that it resembled the space shuttle control panel.

"This is the 'Triple C', or Car Counting Command. I used to call it the 'Quad C' for Car Counting Command Center but I think 'Triple C' kind of rolls off the tongue better" Norm explained.

Carly stood in the doorway, rubbing her temples. If Sam could see this, she would never call Freddie a nub again. This guy would win all the prizes, take the cake and nail it to the wall. Tasha on the other hand was intrigued… In fact, intrigued may not be descriptive enough. She was in complete and total car counting lust. She whisked into the room mumbling things like 'car body discrimination data base', and 'automatic color and hue comparator', among other things Carly couldn't catch. Tasha ran her hands lovingly over the multitude of video cameras pointed through a window at the intersection of Interstate 90 and Interstate 5 that was directly below the window. Tasha gazed lovingly at a computer monitor as it showed the individual count of cars caught by the cameras and then automatically separated by year, make, model and color. Tasha stood in front of the desk and watched in awe as the count increased with remote views of Interstate 405 and State Highway's 18, 167, 509, 516, 518 and 599.

Without turning around, Tasha asked Norm something about the discrimination software. Norm answered.

"Sorry, Norm, could you come a bit closer, I couldn't quite hear you." Tasha replied.

Norm stepped closer to Tasha's back and answered again. Tasha reached behind her and took Norm's arms and wrapped them around her waist while continuing to ask questions. Norm's head ended up on Tasha's right shoulder.

At this point Carly cleared her throat and said "Well, maybe I had best be running along now… Norm, could you give Tasha a ride home?"

Without turning around, Tasha replied "Oh, I'll be fine. I'm sure, won't I Normy…"

Normy nodded his head while saying "yes fine, you'll be fine."

Carly smiled, backed out of the room, walked down the hallway and let herself out. 'Yes' Carly thought 'Tasha would be fine, just fine indeed.' She smiled all the way back to her car. She drove directly toward Bushnell Plaza, and her empty apartment, since Spencer was in Tacoma for a few days. Carly took out her cell, and dialed Gibby's number…

"Oh Gibby! (wheeze cough) I'll be at my apartment in about ten minutes and (cough cough wheeze) won't be breathing! Please come as fast as you can and save me! (wheeze cough wheeze) And while you're at it can you stop by the Groovy Smoothie's and pick up a mango strawberry banana blammo blast for me, please? (cough wheeze)".


As the three got to Freddie's car, he mentioned that his back seat was full of his stuff, and until he could get it cleaned out, and put away later this evening, the three of them would have to ride in the front seat of his car. Sam got to the front passenger door and got in, holding the door open for her sister. Melanie however continued around to the drivers' side with Freddie and got in from that side. This of course caused Sam to have to move all the way back over to the passenger door, with Mel in the middle, next to Freddie. Melanie began telling Freddie how wonderful it would be with them all living there; asking if he was going to move into what had been their Mother's room, which Freddie confirmed. Sam was a bit unnerved when she noticed that every time Mel spoke to Freddie she touched his arm or shoulder, and sometimes his thigh.

"And you know, if you ever need, well… anything, all you have to do is come get it! I mean our doors are only a couple feet apart. You know I just love surprises, anytime, night or day, anytime at all…" Melanie chirped.

Sam had been looking out the window, but at this last statement her head had snapped back around to stare at her sister. She could tell that things were going to be very different in her house from now on. Very different…


Please don't forget to check out my other wondrously fantastic story:

the forest for the trees…

If you like a story, you should always check out the authors favorites...

That's where the VERY BEST stuff hides!


The lass, her name was Sutton

For reviews, she was such a glutton

Her hair was obscene

She'd colored it green

Just so it matched

Her button!