Disclaimer: I don't own anything that the mainstream RFR fan would recognize. That's a downer for you...I'm going to go cry now...j/k...heh.
The Smell of Success
An hour later, the show had ended.
"Ah the smell of successful radio. Delicious." Ray said as he stretched and scratched himself in true male fashion.
"Ah the smell of Ray. Aaaah! The smell of Ray!" Lily joked as she packed up her guitar. "I've got to help my mom with the garage. We're cleaning it out today. Woo-hoo."
"Why don't you just take a bulldozer and scoop all of the unnecessary crap out?" Ray asked.
"Well I suggested burning everything, but mum was not amused."
"Oh. Well in that case, it sucks to be you."
"I know, but hey, you do what you can on the home front. Hey do you guys want to come help? My mom will make her awesome chocolate chip cookies." She said as tantalizingly as she could.
"No...that's ok, though I do love your mom's cookies. Can I just go and have cookies and not help out?"
"Ah, no. Thanks for trying."
The next day, the fabulous foursome decided to check out the local flea market. It was a large warehouse looking place with endless rows of tables filled with objects just waiting to be sold.
"It smells like old tea bags in here." Lily said in a quiet, yet equally disdainful tone.
"Lily, it's not that bad," Robbie said comforting her as much as he could.
"Right. Do you have two old fogies staring at your boobs right now? Didn't think so."
"Good point." He said as he followed her over to the table with old musical goods. Everything, it seemed was laced in a fine layer of dust. "Oh my God, check out this guitar strap! Its perfect!"
"Your old one will be so heartbroken, the wedding being canceled and all." Lily rolls her eyes and takes it to the checkout lady.
"Hello, sweetie! My aren't you a pretty one! What's that you've got there?" the lady named Elouise said. Her eyes were magnified to the size of silver dollars by her extremely thick-lensed glasses.
"This guitar strap is really nice, how much is it being sold for?"
"Oh, ah..." Elouise took a look at it, scrutinizing it. "I'll take three dollars for it."
Lily's face lights up instantly. She handed her the money and joined Travis who was browsing the comic book section scrupulously. Suddenly something caught his eye. It was a manga comic that he'd never seen before. 'Hm, this looks interesting.' He makes his way over to Elouise and asks the price.
"Oh the owner of the book asked me to grant him a special favor. This book is only a quarter, but with the purchase of the book, you handsome little devil, you must take this box of items. I have no idea what all is in here, but you have fun, tiger!" She chimed as she rubbed his already messy blonde spikes further out of place. He calmly, though inwardly thoroughly disgusted, presented his quarter's pay and box in arm he was off on his less than merry way. Robbie walked up to him hurriedly.
"Can we please go now? The same group of old ladies keep smiling and giggling at me as I walk by..."
"Robbie, girls do that at school all the time."
"Yeah, but the girls at school aren't octogenarians are they?"
"I see your point. Nice usage of vocabulary, by the way. Well I'm ready to go."
"Are you two ready to go?"
"Yes!!!" Robbie said, a little two enthusiastically.
"Let's book it then...wait, where's Ray?" Lily said as she scanned the place for her less than sane compadre. It turns out he was sifting through the used clothes, with a ridiculously huge top hat on and an equally ridiculous flower to match.
"Hey Lily, what do you think? He said modeling his 'outfit'. "Sexy, no?"
"No. Come on, Bozo, let's get out of here." She said laughing at his costume.
"All right, all right." He said defeatedly as he placed the hat and faux flower on the table from whence they came. They decided to get some milkshakes at Mickey's Disks. It was their usual hangout other than the warehouse/radio station. They often though of it as 'Central Perk' from Friends. They had their couch that they always seemed to get, just like the Friends crew. Lily had her guitar in Travis's car and Mickey the owner of the place allowed her to play there. He liked it because he didn't have to pay for extra entertainment of the other people there.
Travis set his box, which had been nicknamed the "Box o' Nada" by Ray, on a countertop near the cd selection. Mickey noticed them and walked over to say 'hi!' Mickey was a stout middle aged man. Kind of like an uncle to the group. He knew about their involvement in RFR, and t help them gain more listeners, he broadcast their show everyday in the shop. He also sponsored their warehouse parties, and gave Lily a steady gig on Fridays during Amateur night.
"Hey guys," Mickey said in an overly jolly manner.
"Hey Mickey. What's up?" Robbie asked quizzically.
"Ah, you know how last year you boys said-"
"Hey, have some respect Mickey, Lily's standing right...hey...where's Lily?"
In hearing her name, she looked up from her spot on the group's couch and waved as she tuned her guitar.
"Oh..." Ray said, defeated at his attempt to get her a ticket on the guilt trip express. "So what were you saying before I so rudely interrupted you?"
"Heh, ah, now remember last year when you three endearing young charms said you'd help me out with inventory?"
"Oh I know where this is going." Robbie said under his breath. "No...er...I was on the moon...um, dead at the time..."
"Right. So are you in or out guys? Don't forget all of the fabulous pay and all the free air you can breathe."
Ray, Robbie and Travis exchanged glances.
"I have to...um, de-louse my ferret, Persnickety Joe...every day for all eternity...so that kind of rules out the next week. Sorry buddy." Ray fabricated.
"My fireplace is...on fire, and I have to monitor it. Profusely...for the next week and a half." Travis said less than truthfully.
"And I have to wash my hair. A lot." Robbie said.
"In my day, we could at least come up with decent excuses to get out of things. I'll keep it open for you just in case, fellas." Mickey said as he walked off to clean out the coffee filters. He hadn't changed them in a year or so, naturally he decided that it was the opportune time.
"Whew, talk about dodging a bullet, that was close. Travis, why did you buy the box o' nada, exactly? There can't be much of anything but junk in there."
"Au contrare, mon frere. This box is filed with undiscovered treasures. Just look at this." He pulls out an atrocious crochet wall hanging adorned with faded multicolored plastic cats. Robbie had to try harder than usual to keep a straight face, which he failed at miserably.
"Ok buddy, whatever you say, keep your booty which coincidentally smells like booty, happy sailing, matie! Arrr!"
"Oh hey Robbie, check this out." He says as he hides what he'd found until Robbie got close enough to see it. At the opportune time he pulls out a ratty, disgusting piece of fake hair. It looked like it had something the cat threw up, dragged in, ran over, dropped off a cliff, and ran over again. He waves it in his face. Naturally, Robbie freaks out and tries to run from Travis's cruel and unusual scare tactics. Instead of plotting his steps carefully, he plotted a step directly into Lily's amp. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper. Completely enraged, she just looked up at the two and stormed off. But before she did, she narrowed her eyes. "You two are paying for that," she seemed to say.
"Ah Mickey, is that inventory job still open?" Robbie said as he apologetically glanced at Lily.