"She going to study at our campus?"
PJ was a perfect mirror of Max himself when he had heard the news. Max laughed and nodded while leaning against a big red Cadillac his poor friend worked with. However Max just needed to talk to PJ about this, about Roxanne. So what better time than while he worked? The afteroon was hot and the heat from the concrete made this car park hot like an oven. It was quite fun to see PJ in a blue overall with oil and dirt on his face tough. And if Max thought his job at House of Mouse was bad, to work at Pete's car shop must be then thousands times worse. Max looked up at the gigantic turning sculpture of Pete's face that shaded the sun at the moment. Nostalgia hit him again… how many times hadn't that thing got knocked off during their childhood? To many
"Talk to me Max, it's not a joke?", PJ continued and slammed the hood shut.
"No", Max shook his head. "Awesome isn't?"
"You need to tell me what happened yesterday?" PJ smiled and wiped of all the grease of his gloved hands.
"Nothing, we just talked, like talked, it was great to actually try to know her again after…"
Max saw how PJ got a little paler and quick as lightning the bigger boy began to polish the tail lights on the car. That expression on PJ's face was something Max recognized anytime, Pete…
"Well, well, Goof boy if you're not going to buy a car, let PJ go back to his work", the rumbling sound of Pete's voice chilled Max to the core sometimes.
He just turned around and gave the even bigger man a great smile. "Hi, Pete, long time no see"
"Can't you two leave each other alone? Not even during working hours?", Pete rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
That gesture should do anyone uncomfortable, but Max knew Pete barked louder than he bit. Pete was al bout hard words but he never acted on them. Max shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.
"I'm sorry dad, it won't happen again", PJ mumbled.
Pete exhaled loudly and shook his head. His small eyes eyed them an unconfutable long time. Gladly a customer needed his help before he could say something more and Max sighed in relief. They both watched Pete's smilingself trying to sell another wreck for too much money. It was a wonder that none had shut this shop down for good. Not that Max hoped that would happen per se… but sometimes he wished karma could hit Pete.
"Have you talked with your dad about, yeah, everything?" Max said and glanced at PJ who shook his head. "Come on PJ, when will you talk to him and just tell him to back of?"
"He would never listen to me, he ignores me except if I do something wrong or I am dying… you remember…"
"Yeah to well…", Max laughed and pontied at him. "The yolk on you!"
"Max, I still can't eat or even smell eggs and fudge bars, stop", PJ said it quite serious but when they got eye contact they began to laugh.
They had been eleven years old and Max had tried to teach PJ math, in a not so pedagogic way. And when they thought PJ had flunked the math test. Max had helped his friend to make a list of stupid stuff he wanted to do before he died, or got grounded for a lifetime. It had been a waterproof plan to ditch school for a day and do everything on the list. But Max gave PJ a fake disease which apparently looked like a real deadly disease and Pete had called the ambulance and had been worried like crazy. Jolly good times.
"Well I need to go…" Max raised an eyebrow and eyed PJ who continued to work on the car.
"Well you have to tell me more about Roxanne later, maybe at Bobby's party tonight?" PJ laughed a bit.
"Yeah of course!", Max nodded and turned around to leave the carpark . "See you there!"
"MAXIE!"
That could not be real… Max took a deep breath and bit his lip. He could see his father waving at him at the parking lot, happier than ever. What now? Max had not time for this. He shoved his hand into his pockets and slowly began to walk up to his dad. Goofy greeted him with a hug and Max answered it.
"What do you want dad?", Max said and tried to give Goofy a genuine smile.
"We need to hurry up to House of Mouse if we gonna have time to eat before the movie?" Goofy said and began to push Max into their yellow car.
Wait, when had he promised dad something like that? Then, when Goofy slammed the passenger door he remembered. Yesterday, when he had got home after Roxanne… oh no. Max trailed a hand over his face, why did his own brain do things like this?
"Ohboy I'm so glad we finally have a chance to hang out", Goofy laughed and with a lot of effort he tried to fasten his seat belt, everything ended up with the old man hitting his own head in the steering wheel.
"Yeah, dad…" Max was about to tell him, but he couldn't bear to make him disappointed again. "It's gonna be, fun"

An hour later they sat in one of the booths at House of Mouse. The evening vent exactly as Max had predicted. Everyone in the staff had talked to them. Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Clarabell and even Horace Horsecollar had left his control room to see them. And everyone asked the same questions: How was collage? When will you return home? Glad to see you talking to us again!
Max had just smiled and answered the question as good as he could. Goofy was his old clumsy self and Max felt a little embarrassed when everyone looking at them. He loved his dad but he was too much of a goof to handle. The minutes crept by and Max got more and more annoyed over this each second that passed. In a deep sigh he pushed his lasagna around on the plate, he wasn't even hungry anymore. He glanced at his dad who still had a conversation with Mickey. So much about hanging out, dad…
"I need to go and introduce another movie, have fun!", Mickey nodded and was ready to walk up on the stage.
"Oh gosh I really missed this place", Goofy laughed.
"So much fun", Max mumbled.
"Hey what's wrong?", Goofy said and tilted his head a bit. "You seems off"
"Nothing really", Max sighed.
Max thought about when he and Roxanne have had a date here. Everyone had tried to "help" them. Even Mickey and his hint's when they had played "Kiss the girl". It had been a total chaos and Max had of course got angry and told everyone to stay put and calm down. But on the other hand, Goofy had steped in and told everyone to back off. Al in al everything had ended well, thanks to his dad. Yet again he knew his dad always meant well but… sometimes... ugh.
"I remember when I worked here as a waitress and you and Roxanne had one your first date here", Goofy chuckled.
"I just thought about that too", Max said and shrugged.
"Yeah, back then…"
But he got interrupted when Mickey walked upon the stage and everyone began to cheer. The mouse waved at the crowd and grabbed the microphone.
"Haha hi everyone, hope you have a fun night! Before we start the show I just want everyone to greet our beloved Goofy, our old waitress!",
Max got blended by the headlights and the heat made him sweat. Oh no, his worst nightmares just came true. He tried to melt into the chair while Goofy laughed and waved at everyone who cheered on them. Max didn't want this attention.
"Gawsh thanks Mickey!" ,Goofy shouted.
"Why don't you two come up here on the stage? I think everyone is eager to hear what the Goof family is up to, and I know Goofy want to announce something",Mickey applauded and the cheering got even louder.
Max felt how his cheeks burned, why had he agreed to this? WHY! Goofy grabbed Max by the wrist and pushed his son in front of him. His heart thumped fast and every customer looked at them now. Al they eyes on them…. Made Max forget to breath.
"Dad, I really don't want to", Max tried to squirm away, it was a different thing during X-games, this was just too much, his stage fright couldn't handle this. He was surtan Goofy would do something upon stage that would embaressing him.
"Come on!", Goofy chuckled.
"No please!", Max said and pushed his heels into the carpet. "I don't want…"
"It'll be fun"
"This is embarrassing…", but Goofy didn't listen to Max, instead he kept pushing. "Dad stop!"
Max yelling made everyone go quite. The room got thick of expectation and curiosity, what would happened next? Max just glared at Goofy who looked confused back at him. His cheeks got even redder and his heart beat hard against his chest. he really didn't wanna do this, not here, not now. But Goofy gave him no chioce.
"This is the kind of thing that makes me want to be away from you!", Max couldn't handle himself, he felt how bad this was but he could not control his emotions.
"But Max…."
"NO how many times have I tried to tell you, I need space and this is not helping at all!", Max flung out with his arms. "I love you but please stop be such a goof and draw so much attention to yourself! I'm off…"
Before anything else happened Max walked out from the restaurant. Daisy tried to catch him up at the reception desk but he just ignored her. As soon as he walked through the entrance door he slammed his skateboard down to the ground. He kicked hard and soon he was skating down the hill. The speed made Max quiver into the bare bone and made his eyes watering, well it was just the wind nothing else who could made him tearyeyed. When Max looked back at the restaurant it was far off in the distance. He could barely see Mickey, Daisy and Donald who stood outside and watched him travel down the hill away from the disaster. The shivering combined with every mixed up emotions in his head made it hard to focus on the road. Why had he yelled at his dad like that? Goofy had not done anything at all… except being himself. Why was Max so hard on him? He didn't even know. He had panicked about the stage and Goofy had been in the hit zone. Why was everything a mess right now? Max sighed, what had he done?

Yeah I got "Goof troop" and "House of Mouse" into this mix aswell... hope you liked it!