"I'm sorry, Bean, but Ah can't let ya off tahnite!" Anton shook his head. "We'ze missin' two typesettahs already, an' you'ze da fastest one. Dis fever goin' round has got ev'ryone out sick, so we can't afford tah lose ya fer a date wid yer boyfriend." He paused momentarily. "Don't take no offense, now."

Bean shook her head. "None taken, Anton." she sighed and stared at the ground. "Race is gonna be so mad," she muttered to herself as she creaked open the ancient wooden door.

No sooner than she had stepped out into the blazing hot sun, Bean slammed into a tall, thin figure. "Mooch!" she exclaimed.

Mooch looked incredibly flustered and a bit confused. "Oh, um, hi, Bean!" she said nervously, her eyes darting this way and that.

"What are ya doin' in dis part a' town?" Bean asked cheerfully.

"Uhhh, ummm, nothing, really. Just wandering." she said carefully, her eyes still glancing around frantically.

"Really? Jack said dat you had tah take care a' sumthin."

"Umm, I did, and now I'm, uh, done, so I'm just wandering."

"Oh, okay," Bean looked at Mooch skeptically. "Well, I gotta go break da bad news tah Race dat I gotz tah woik tahnite. I'll see ya latah."

"Okay, Bean. Bye!" Mooch said as she rushed off.

~~~

"Whaddaya mean ya gotz tah woik?" Race glared at Bean with a mix of fury and agony blazing from his eyes.

Bean fiddled with the small silver chain dangling around her wrist. "I'ze sorry, babe, but Ah can't help it. Duty calls."

Race began to pace back and forth, kicking up the dust that had settled on the lodging house floor. "I really wanted tah spend time wid ya, B, but I guess youze too busy fer me now dat youze got a big important job now," he snapped at her with sarcasm flowing from his voice.

Bean reached out and caught Race by the shoulder of his faded, shopworn vest. She drew him towards her, until the tip of his smudged nose was less than an inch away from her forehead. Race could catch a whiff of a sugary scent emanating from her golden hair.
"Look, Race. Jus' because I gotz a job doesn't mean dat I don't wanna be wid ya. You'ze da most important t'ing in me life."

Race refused to make eye contact with her. "Is that so?"

Bean nodded.

Race didn't say anything for a moment. "Then quit."

Bean was bewildered. "Whaddaya mean? Quit what?"

"Your job. If I'm da most important t'ing in yer life, den prove it. Quit yer job."

Bean was irate. She grabbed Race's face by his jaw and pulled it towards hers. "Lookee here, mister. Dis job is da foist chance I got tah really make sumthin of myself. Two years ago I thot I'd nevah have an opportunity like dis. If you really loved me da way you said, you'd suppoaht me. Jus because I'ze actually doin' sumthin impoahtant, instead a' sellin papes fer da rest a' mah life, duddn't mean you gotz tah get all jealous an' crazy!"

Now it was Race's turn to get angry. "Oh, so I ain't doin' nuttin impoahtant? Is dat it Bean? Well if I'm such a good-fer-nuttin, why da hell are you wid me? Huh? Why?" He grabbed Bean by her collar as he screamed in her face.

Bean's expression softened. "Race, I'm sorry, I.I didn't mean it like dat."

Race pointed towards the door. "I t'ink you'd bettah go."

Bean looked at Race sheepishly and apologetically as she walked towards the door as if she were a prisoner on death row. Just as she was about to shut the door, Race called after her.

"And oh yeah, Bean?"

Bean looked back eagerly, with a hopeful smile on her face.

"We're t'rough."

Bean's face fell as she shut the door. She barely managed to take one step before she collapsed into tears.