Chapter 2: Pauline
"Yer late, Mario." The gruff voice brought the speeding bike to an immediate halt, and Mario nearly found himself flying off of the seat from his own intense momentum. He turned to see the foreman of the building, Mr. Spike. He was a sickeningly fat, hairy man, wearing a sleeveless T-shirt soaked with sweat-stains. A smoking cigar jutted from his mouth, and a dirty construction helmet sitting crookedly on his head. He was a completely deplorable man, and one had to wonder how he managed to maintain even a single friendship.
"I'm really sorry, sir. My alarm clock went off late." Mr. Spike looked Mario over for a few moments, taking a few puffs of his cigar.
"Lemme tell ya somethin', kid. I ain't a patient man. Der's thousands a' guys in New York who could do yer job. I dun care how many hammas ya can juggle. All's I know is, if ya wanna keep yer job, I'd be kissin' up plenny if I was ya." Mario hung his head a little.
"I understand, sir."
"Good. Now get ta work!" Mr. Spike gave Mario a hard smack on the back, and then treaded off to cause difficulties for another of his workers. Grumbling under his breath, Mario grabbed a yellow helmet out of his bike's basket, and strapped it on. He walked over to where a large wooden mallet, and a large collection of nails and boards lay. Mario set to work immediately, knowing that this time of day was the best. Before noon, the large skeleton of a skyscraper that rose into the sky behind him cast a shadow over his work area, supplying him with a much appreciated cover from the hot summer sun.
As you may have inferred from Mr. Spike's earlier comment, Mario was quite adept at weilding hammers. Just about anything you could think about doing with a hammer, Mario could do. For the most part, this was a useless talent, but one that Mario constantly refined, nonetheless.
Despite the opportune time of day, and the carpenter's incomprehensible skill with his tool, it was still back-breaking labor, and he was in much need of a break by one. Fortunately, one presented itself, in the form of the woman who lends her name to this chapter.
Mario knew she was nearby immediately when he heard the screeching of tires; Pauline was an absolutely terrible driver. However, Mario liked to think that the sound rather came from some man who had seen her on the sidewalk, and had screeched to a halt in awe of her beauty. That's right, the poor idealistic fool would think. Just because you have that Ferari doesn't mean I'm not better than you.
While perhaps not as much so as her adoring boyfriend enjoyed to think, Pauline was certainly a beautiful young woman, quite capable of turning the occasional head. Shimmering brown hair flowed down her neck to just below her shoulders, and contrasted with her milky-white skin. As she rounded the corner, Mario saw that she was wearing a very sightly red dress. A leather purse was draped over her arm, while her opposite hand held rested a black umbrella on her shoulder. Quizzically, her form was further shaded by a yellow sun hat, adorned with a bow.
As she approached, Mario dropped his mallet to the ground and headed towards her. The two shared a short kiss, and then Pauline looked down at him and smiled.
"Your lunch break is about now, isn't it? Where would you like to go?"
"Nowhere. I've gotta work through lunch today if I wanna keep this stupid job," Mario replied glumly as he sat down on a large, red, metal beam which sat askew next to the future building. Pauline sat next to him, frowning.
"Mario, not again."
"I know, I know... But don't worry, It'll be okay this time, I promise." The curiosity finally got to Mario. "What's with the sunhat?"
"Hm? What do you mean? It's hot out here!"
"So, why the umbrella?"
"Well, you never know when it might rain!" Pauline said with a small giggle. The two were interrupted suddenly by a loud, obnoxious voice above them. In true form, one of the construction workers two floors up actually thought that shouting at whatever girl crossed his eye might get him a date.
"Hey, good lookin'! How's 'bout you lose the midget, an' you an' me-" the man was cut off abruptley as a large, wooden mallet found itself striking him in the face, rendering the poor dope unconscious. The hammer fell and landed next to him. Mario looked up at the man with frustration, while Pauline showed a look of concern for a few moments, until Mario continued their conversation as though the whole situation had never happened.
"So, anything goin' on with you?" Pauline suddenly perked up.
"Have you heard the news lately?"
"Why? What's happening?"
"Some scientists just captured the most intellegent ape known to man. What was its name now? Don... Donkey... Donkey Kong! That was it! He understands when people talk to him and everything! And they've got him at the Bronx Zoo for the next week! We've got to go see him some time, Mario!"
"Hm. Donkey Kong, huh? Yeah, sounds interesting. When do you want to-"
"MARIO! I DUN HEAR ANY HAMMERIN' GOIN' ON OVA DER!" Mario suddenly jumped upright.
"Oh jeez, you better get outta here. I'll talk to you later, all right?" With that, and a kiss on the cheek, Mario sent Pauline on her way.