All usual disclaimers apply.

A slip of the mouth

Around 5. 20, Carla was starting to get anxious. Where was he? What if he was sick, or dead? Calm down, he probably didn't remember, that's all. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow. Despite trying to keep a positive view, Carla couldn't stop worrying. But he always remember, she thought, and with a heavy sigh, she started to get ready to leave. She would go off her shift soon, and she couldn't stand around waiting in vain for much longer.

Then, finally, Goofy entered the diner. He looked, well, goofy, and Carla suddenly felt very much aware of the sorry state of her own appearance. Her uniform was stained from the dressing she'd spilt on it, and her hair was greasy from all the fumes from the grill.

In her eyes Goofy looked as great as ever, with his crooked smile, sparkling eyes, and adorable little hat.

"Hiya, Carla", he said.

"Hi there, Goofy."

"I forgot to pay for my meal when I left after lunch", he said

"I know." She smiled at him, and added; "I was waiting for you to show up."

"You were waiting…for me?" He looked at her, an almost longing gleam in his eyes.

Carla realised that she had made a slip, and blushed. Damn, why can't I think before I open my big fat mouth? She didn't say that out loud however, but settled for a "Umm, yeah…I guess I did, that is to say…" She was starting to ramble, but Goofy saved her by saying; "Anyway, here's the money that I owe." He took some scrunched up bills from his vest pocket, and handed them over to Carla. She smiled, a sense of relief washing over her. He doesn't know…

"I guess that's it?"

"Yeah, that covers both the meal and the tip", Carla replied, in a businesslike fashion.

Goofy suddenly looked very strange, like if he was engaged in an internal battle with himself, but after a few seconds, he smiled and bid her good bye.

She watched him leave the diner and disappear around the corner, while wondering if she would ever dare to tell him how she felt.

§§§

Goofy worked hard trying to contain his composure as he left the diner. He had been on the verge of asking Carla out, but he had lost his courage when she had dismissed him so calmly. When she said that she had been waiting for me, I could have sworn that she was happy to see me…But I guess that I only imagined it.

In that reflective mood he arrived at his humble abode. His house was old and in desperate need of repair, but it was his home, and he loved it.

As he crossed the front yard he heard someone calling his name angrily from behind. He turned around and saw one of his neighbours, Mr Figgis. His customary frown was set even deeper than usual, and Goofy knew why, even before he threw that accusative glance at the car that was currently parked in front of Goofy's house.

"Get rid of that piece of junk! Your yard makes the rest of the neighbourhood look bad, and I for one am fed up with it."

Goofy smiled weakly and said "Gawrsh, I had no intention of bein' a menace to society when I drove over that broken bottle outside your house, I just didn't see it."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Mr Figgis said with a hint of nervousness in his otherwise aggressive voice.

"Gee, it's just that I had to park my car somewhere where it wouldn't be in the way while I'm waitin' for the auto shop to take it in for repairs."

"Umm, uh…well be quick about it then!" With that less than eloquent reply, mr Figgis stormed off to his own house. Goofy sighed with relief, and continued his walk to the front door. He put his key in the lock, opened the door, and was greeted with the urgent ringing of the telephone.

"Uh, hello?…Oh, hi there Mickey, didn't expect to hear from ya today…sure…a-ha, that's right…a-hyuk!…I'll see ya and Donald tomorrow then. G'bye." He put the receiver down on its hook, and smiled to himself. Gee, the old gang back together again; this'll be lots of fun.

In much better spirits than he'd been just minutes before, he made himself dinner. Nothing fancy, just some macaroni and cheese, but as he was eating it, he felt happier than he had been in a long time. The thought of a day out with Mickey and Donald made all confused thoughts about Carla, along with the worries about his job, disappear momentarily.

§§§

Carla's night was very different from Goofy's. The moment she lost sight of him as he rounded the corner, she practically ran to the backroom of Joes where she grabbed her coat and knapsack, and started out the door. She ran the whole way to the small apartment where she lived, and went straight to the bathroom. Inside, she quickly took off her clothes and got into the shower. For a minute she just stood there, the warm and cleansing water falling down on her face, but she was soon done with that small luxury. Instead, she swiftly washed her hair and body, got out of the shower and dried herself off with a towel. She then draped it around herself, and walked to the combined bed- and living room where she ripped out a few items of clothing from the closet.

As she was getting dressed, her thoughts couldn't help but wander back to the conversation she'd had with Goofy earlier in the evening. Why did he look at me in such a peculiar way? If I didn't now better, I'd almost say that he was…hurt? But wouldn't that mean that he feels something for me? She might have been on to something there, but her train of thought was interrupted by a shrill noise from the neighbours upstairs. She awoke from her trance, and cast a quick glance at her wristwatch, only to realize that she was in great danger of being late.

"Damn!" she loudly exclaimed, and threw on the rest of her clothes. On her way out of the apartment, she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl while longing for a real dinner. I hate apples, she thought as he locked the door.

Once again she made a run for it, but this time only to the bus stop one block away. Bus number 13 was just about to leave, but Lady Luck must have been smiling at her, because a senior citizen who was attempting to cross the street blocked its way. Carla almost cried out of joy, but instead settled for some internal taunting. Yes, I made it! In your face, cruel world!

Her happy mood lasted the entire ride, and even as far as to the corridors of the local college, but as her feet brought her to the part of the building that was reserved for those who were trying to get their college diploma through night school, she suddenly remembered something important.

No, it can't be…Please, please, please let them be inside my bag. She took off the knapsack, opened it, and poured out its contents on a table. But it was to no avail, because she was soon made aware of that her books weren't there. Great, just great.

Her lack of literature brought on the wrath of the teacher, but other than that, class wasn't a total failure. As a matter of fact, she did rather well.

Four hours later class was over, and she was getting ready to leave along with the other students, when the teacher, Mr Cooper, indicated that he wanted to talk to her.

"Ms Gardiner, can you stay for a minute?"

"Of course. Is something wrong? I know that I didn't bring my books today, but…"

"It's nothing like that. I just need to talk with you about your aspirations."

"Why? Is it that impossible?" She said this with a desperation that made him choose his words more carefully as he replied.

"No, it's not that bad". He gave her a reassuring smile and continued. "I just wanted to warn you".

She gasped in horror, and he hurriedly explained his intentions. "In the beginning of this term, I had no doubt that you'd manage to reach your goal, but this last month, I have noticed a dangerous slip in the quality of your work."

He looked her straight in the eyes with that, and she blushed, much to her own embarrassment. "If you don't change this unfortunate trend, I'm afraid that your grades just won't cut it."

Carla was dumbstruck. What if she failed? Where would that leave her? After a moment, she managed to regain her composure. "Thanks for the heads up, Mr Cooper. I'll work harder in the future, don't you worry about that."

He smiled reassuringly at her and gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I'm glad to hear that, because I'd hate to see you fail." He smiled once again, and bid her good bye. "See you on Monday. I'm looking forward to reading your next assignment."

Carla was still a little shell shocked, so it wasn't until he had left the room completely that she managed a weak good bye.

-

It was late when she got back home, so all she had time for was to grab a yoghurt from the fridge, gulp it down, and get ready for bed. Even though she was exhausted it took her a long time to get to sleep, because her mind was reeling. Not only about her teacher's words of warning, but also because of Goofy and his odd behaviour.

§§§

A/N: Well, that was chapter 2 of this "great" epic. My initial plan was to post the whole thing once it's finished, but I need the feedback, and therefore it has to be done this way. If some kind soul is willing to beta it for me, I would be forever in his/her debt.