"Bits! Bits! Bits! Bits!"
I watched Steven with a small smile on my face as he harassed the workers of the fry stand he had taken me to. I decided not to order anything as I was still eating my donut, with Steven ordering… well, I think that was made rather obvious, wouldn't you agree?
"Okay, Okay, Steven," The young boy with blonde hair behind the counter said with exasperation. "You'll get your bits, just give me a second to get them."
"Thanks, Peedee!" Steven called after the boy as he disappeared into the kitchen. Reaching into his pockets shortly afterwards, Steven's face suddenly morphed into a nervous smile as he turned to me and said:
"Hey… you wouldn't mind, uh-"
"Paying again?" I said with a grin. "Don't worry, I've got you covered."
"Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I'll pay you back soon, I promise."
I brushed his comment off with the wave of my hand. "I appreciate the sentiment, Steven, but that won't really be necessary. I actually have a lot of excess money to burn, so I should actually thank you for helping me find ways to spend it." I said kindly. At least, I hope it sounded kind.
"If you say so." Steven said whilst smiling at me.
"Alright, here's your bits." Peedee said politely as he came back to the counter with a carrier of what appeared to be pieces of excess fries.
"Thank you!" Steven said as he reached up to grab his food. Simultaneously, I reached into my wallet and forked over the necessary currency for the item of purchase. With the bits bought, Steven and I made our way over to one of the several picnic style tables outside of the fry stand.
"So," Steven began as he and I started to sit down. "What brings you here to Beach City? Are you a tourist or are you planning on moving here?"
A very legitimate question. Yet do I answer it without giving away too much information… No. I should be open and honest. I came here to start a new life, the least I can do is be polite and oblige Steven's question.
"I'm actually planning on moving here. I bought a house here online recently, all I need to do is move in."
"Awesome!" Steven said excitedly "You're gonna love it here, I'm sure of it!"
"I hope so, Steven."
"Now, what about the reason you moved here? Anything specific?" Steven asked.
"… Eh, I just became tired of stagnating at the orphanage. I figured 'I'm eighteen, I finished with high school, and I don't have much time left: Why not strike it out on my own and see what happens?'"
"I see. Wait, orphanage!?" Steven said, apparently flabbergasted. "You mean… you don't have a family?" He continued on sadly.
"That is, unfortunately, the case." I said, unfeeling. I've gotten so used to telling this story that I've become rather numb to the feelings that crop up while telling it.
"I'm so sorry…" Steven said whilst peering at the ground.
"Don't be. Sometimes in life we get dealt the worst of hands, the trick is to figure out how to make the best of that hand so we still have a good time playing it, even if we lose."
Steven slowly looked up to me, his frown slowly turning into a smile.
"You seem really smart, you know that?" He said.
I laughed for a while before saying:
"I'm not smart. I just use common sense more often than most people, despite how much of a jerk that line makes me sound like."
Both Steven and I had a good laugh about that one. Though, since I brought up common sense that reminded me: I still needed to look for a job.
"Say Steven, I have a question for you: Do you know any place that's hiring around here?" I asked.
Steven gasped for some reason, and looked at me with his starry eyes once again.
"You're looking for a job? This must be fate!" Steven declared.
"Fate? How so?" I said with a chuckle.
"My dad told me recently that he's looking for somebody to run his carwash with! Are you interested?" Steven said, the look on his face rather pleading.
A carwash, huh? Well, it may not be the most prestigious of jobs, but I neither: A.) Had a degree of any sort, so I couldn't do much better and B.) I always had my nest egg to fall back on if anything happened while I was working.
"I am interested." I said to Steven, smiling.
"Alright! Follow me, let's go tell my dad!"
I suppose I didn't really have a choice in the matter, as Steven grabbed me by the arm and dragged my down the main street until we arrived at a dilapidated little carwash, entitled on a neon sign: 'It's A Wash'.
Out in front of the establishment was a rather colorful van and what appeared to be a man rummaging in the back of it. That must have been Steven's father, as when we were in proximity of him, Steven called out:
"Dad!"
And so, the man stopped rummaging and revealed himself. He wore a white tank top and jean shorts, had a balding head (Though he did admittedly have some rocking hair growing out of the back of his head), and a ridiculously bad farmers burn.
"Heya, Stu-ball! Who have you got here?" Steven's father asked with a grand smile.
"Why don't you tell him?" Steven said, looking upwards at me.
Guess I didn't have much of a choice, now didn't I?
"My name is Sam Garrison." I began, reaching out for the father's hand. Luckily, he reciprocated my handshake.
"Nice to meet ya, Sam! I'm Greg Universe!"
"Tell him why you came here!" Steven said excitedly.
"Okay, hold your horses." I said with a laugh. "To clarify why Steven is so excited, I just rolled into town and I'm looking for work. I've heard from your son that you're hiring."
"Really? That's fantastic!" Greg stated. "Why don't you take a look around the place and see if it meets your standards. I'll be waiting!"
"Thanks. I'll be back in a few." I said with a wave of my hand.
There wasn't much to say about the place. It was a regular carwash with both an automatic wash and a self-wash with some signs of wear here and there. I was about to go back to Greg and Steven when I noticed something in the back of Greg's van. Something I had been searching for, for quite some time.
"No way…" I whispered as I walked toward the van. Reaching into the box it was located in, I opened its cover and marveled at its authenticity.
"Hey, Sam, what do you have there?" Greg questioned.
"You have an original copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?" I asked Greg in wonder.
The man I was asking chuckled when I finished my question.
"What, that old thing? It's beat to heck!" Greg said with a smile.
It indeed was. At least, the booklet holding the record was. The record itself seemed to be in near perfect.
"Still, At least you have a copy. I have pretty much every other record by the Fab Four: Revolver, Rubber Soul, Abby Road, Let it be. But I could never find this one."
"… Do you want to take it?" Greg questioned, still smiling.
I turned to him with unprecedented speed.
"Are you serious?"
"Sure! Think of it as a 'Welcome to Beach City/you're hired' gift."
"Wait, you're hiring me? But we've only just met."
"True, but I do know that you're a decent guy because my son likes you, and you have a good taste in music. As long as you can promise me you'll put forth a good effort, I think we'll get along just fine!"
I looked to Greg for a long time before I smiled and said:
"Thank you. So much. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"Aw, you don't need to pay me back-"
"I noticed by the mattress in your van that you're without a home?" I Interrupted Greg.
"Oh, uh… Yeah, sorta. But I'm getting along just fine-"
"Come live with me." I said abruptly.
"… What?" Steven and Greg said simultaneously, the former smiling and the latter blank faced.
"Come live with me. I just bought a house that's a few blocks from here and there's a spare room that's needing to be filled." I said, smiling giddily.
"A-a-are you sure, man? I mean, you only just met me." Greg questioned.
"I said the same thing a few seconds ago, remember? Yet you gave me a job and one of the greatest records of all time without a second thought."
Greg looked as if emotions were about to overtake him, when suddenly he wrapped me in a bone crushing bear hug. He sniffled as he said.
"Thank you, man"
"Don't… mention… it." I managed to wheeze out before he let go of me.
"Yeah! Now we can be a family!" Steven exclaimed.
"Family? I think you might be going a couple steps too fast." I said, chuckling nervously.
However, looking back on things now, I never realized how right Steven would come to be.
Good Morrow, people of Fanfiction! Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rough around the edges, I just wanted to get it out there. With that being said, please leave your reviews and tell me what you think/what I can improve.