Title: One Year Anniversary

Author: Stress

First written: April 18, 2002-May 12, 2002

Edited and replaced: August 9, 2005

Summary: Part III of the Soul Mates Series; When Jack and Stress reach their first year anniversary, Stress tells a friend the story about how they almost didn't get together at all.

At the Bottle Alley Lodging House

Mushie sat outside the lodging house for over an hour waiting for Bookie to arrive. She didn't dare go back inside on the off chance that Bookie would enter the bunkroom without knowing what happened.

She kept pacing back and forth, absent-mindedly patting her brown hair, as she waited. Luckily, just when she thought she was going to explode, Mushie spied Bookie sauntering down the block towards the lodging house.

Bookie stopped about two feet away from Mushie when she noticed the look on her face, one of annoyance mixed with excitement. "Uh-oh. Whatsamattah Mushie?"

"Whatsamattah? I've just spent the last hour waiting out here for you and all ya can say is whatsamattah? Your plan is shot to hell, that's whatsamattah!" she screeched.

Bookie grabbed Mushie's arm and dragged her to the corner at the end of the block. If something got Mushie this hysterical, she didn't want the other girls in the lodging house to find out about it.

"O.K. Mushie, calm down. Now what exactly happened while I was out with Race today?" Bookie asked calmly. There was no use getting all worked up over this like Mushie was. Bookie was confident that she would be able to fix the situation -- she always did, after all.

Mushie took a deep breath and started spilling out everything she had overheard. "O.K., I was sitting in the bunkroom with Martini and Stripes. While I was reading a book that I ... um... found in the marketplace today, those two girls kept whispering back and forth. Then, outta nowhere, Grace comes running in with this huge smile on her face. She starts telling Martini and Stripes about hout how Stress dumped David today and now Grace is dating him. And then she says that Jack and Sarah broke up today and Sarah's now dating Snoddy. So the only two people who are single now are Jack and Stress. What if they decide to start dating now?" she wailed to Bookie as she finished her story.

Bookie let out the air she hadn't realized that she was holding in. "No problem Mushie. We just make sure that they don't see each other 'til we can come up with another plan," she said, sounding very sure that, no matter what, she would succeed.

"Well, that's gonna be kinda hard. Martini and Stripes and Grace got this scheme to get them together at Irving Hall tomorrow night. They figure that Jack and Stress will spend the entire night together alone and realize that they are in love and leave the Hall as a couple."

Bookie let out a laugh. "They'll never get Stress to go to Irving Hall. Ya gotta wear a dress to get into there if you're a girl."

"That's what you think. When I was waiting for ya out here I overheard there conversation through that open window over there. Stress already agreed to go," Mushie said as she pointed to an open window over the Bottle Alley Lodging House entrance sign.

Bookie swore under her breath. "Of course she would decide to get all girly and go to Irving Hall, now. Why not? Damn. Wait a second. I think I gotta good idea. See ya later, Mushie," she called as she began to run in the opposite direction in which she had come.

Mushie stared after her and shook her head. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear about any more of Bookie's ideas, plans, operations or schemes.

Back door at Irving Hall

Not even stopping to catch her breath, Bookie opened the back door to Irving Hall and snuck in. Without looking around to see if there was anyone else in the back area of the theatre, Bookie continued running until she ran smack dab into a tall figure with red hair wearing a tight pink dress. "Bookie, is that you? What are you doing here so late?" the woman asked in a heavy Swedish accent.

"Hiya Medda. Is Violet working tonight?" panted Bookie.

"Sure, sure. My favorite new performer is getting ready to go onstage. She's in dressing room B right now. Go right ahead," Medda told her as she wiggled her long, fuzzy, pink feather in Bookie's face.

Bookie batted the feather away as she turned to run towards dressing room B. When she arrived at the room, she pushed the door open and spied the room's only occupant -- a tall girl, around the age of 18, with shoulder length straight blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, wearing a lacey lavender dress, was sitting in front of a mirror, singing to herself while she absent-mindedly twirled her own feather in her right hand. "I'm so pretty, oh so pretty, I'm pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty!" She stopped and swiveled around to face Bookie as she saw her reflection in the mirror.

"Bookie, darling! You haven't stopped by to see me in ages," she cooed, her voice dripping saccharin sweetness.

Bookie rolled her eyes. "Ages, Violet, you just started performing here two weeks ago. But never mind that. I need a huge favor from you."

"Sure thing, doll. Anything for my biggest fan," Violet replied as she turned to face the mirror again.

"I was hoping that you'd say that. Tomorrow night one of me friends is gonna be stopping by this here joint. He just broke up with his girl and he's kinda depressed. He needs a beautiful girl like you to cheer him up. You're an actress, do ya think that you could, ya know, cozy up to him and pretend that ya like him so that he don't feel too bad now that his girl left him."

Violet smiled. "Sounds like fun to me. What does this fellow look like? I don't want to mix him up with another guy, ya know. Though I don't think that any other guy would mind -- I mean, I'm the best actress this side of the Hudson."

Bookie ignored the conceited comment and proceeded to answer Violet's question. "Well, he's kinda tall, thick brown hair, brown eyes. Some say he's cute, but he ain't me type. I prefer short, dark-haired Irishmen who smoke. Anyways, he always has to wear a red bandana around his neck. Sometimes I think that's what keeps his head connected to his shoulders."

Violet's smile continued to widen. "As long as he's cute, I don't think that I will mind at all."

"Thanks Violet. Now I need ya to start pawing all over him the second he walks in the door 'til the second that he leaves. I really don't want him to be alone for a minute," Bookie said. She then added to herself, "Ee wouldn't want Stress walking in the one minute that he's alone or else me plan ain't gonna work."

"Sure, no problem. I'm off tomorrow so I'll just stick around by the door and wait for your friend to come in."

"Good, well I'm have to go. I'll talk to you later, Violet, and thanks again!" Bookie turned to leave but halted when she heard Violet call her name.

"Bookie, wait. What's his name?"

Now it was Bookie's turn to smile. "Oh, it's Francis. Francis Sullivan."