Java Chip Frappe

Act Eight

What a way to start off the morning. If it wasn't enough that he woke up late, much later than usual but then to enter the house only to find no trace of Mordecai and Rigby? Ugh! This was not looking up for Benson. His usual 'midday headache' had begun early as well. That meant more Advil for sure.

He stepped through the eerily silent house, waiting to hear any sign of the two well-known slackers. It was only a matter of time before he figured out if they were up to any no good, which was always the case. He was going to find them and give them a good 'talking to', something they always needed.

Today was more important, actually the next eleven days, were more important than the last few weeks. Pops' birthday was right around the corner and Mr. Maellard wanted the place looking spiffy. And today the flowers Rye had ordered had finally come in. Benson was aware of the fact that Mordecai and Rigby had brought all the bags of soil and fertilizer from the landscaper's home yesterday afternoon, how she got them to cooperate was something he wasn't sure of but the job got done nonetheless.

Why question it?

Unless there was some reason why the two were on their best behavior.

There wasn't a reason to be hasty when jumping to assumptions, right? He would wait it out, for now. The truth behind the reason why they were working like real employees would come out soon enough. Oh and he'd be there to voice his opinion, there was no mistaking that.

The house remained quiet as he waltzed into the kitchen. He looked to the chairs, table then counters. No one. Hm, this was interesting. Where had those two numbskulls gone? They weren't working were they? No, not after being told only once? That was near impossible.

His eyes finally spotted something out of the ordinary. On the farthest counter, beside the refrigerator, sat a cardboard carrier meant for multiple cups of hot coffee. In the container sat two untouched cups, a suspicious sight. What the heck? When did anyone in this house or property go on coffee runs for anyone?

He moved toward the cardboard cargo-carrier with a single brow arched. This wasn't some kind of trick, was it? He wouldn't put it passed Rigby to somehow 'poison' one of the drinks. Dare he risk it?

"Oh, hello Benson!"

He flinched before jerking his head over his shoulder. The image of Pops skipping into the kitchen was a sign of relief. If Pops was safe and sound that meant his post as park manager was too, right?

"Hey Pops." He replied in a smooth tone.

"Isn't a glorious day out?" He clapped his hands together in delight while his smile grew.

"Yeah," Time for a subject change to get to the bottom of this situation. "Who got the coffee?" Benson asked, jerking his head in the direction of the carrier.

"Our lovely young lady friend of course." He said without hesitation.

Ah, Rye then. If Benson remembered correctly, she had a friend that worked at the Coffee Shop, that's where she must have gotten the coffee at a discounted rate. Whatever, coffee was coffee and if she was going to feed his employees for free then all the more power to her.

"Go ahead and have a cup," Pops giggled as he turned his back to his subordinate and prepared to exit the room. "She said everyone and anyone could help themselves!"

A nice enough gesture, why not take Rye up on her offer? Now left alone in the kitchen once again, Benson reached down to the cardboard carrier and plucked a single cup up. It was still warm to the touch, a sign that Rye had just arrived on the job. So he was surpassed in getting to work before the landscapist? Now there was a bad sign.

Nothing he could do about it now.

Only thing to do now was make sure those two slackers were actually working instead of playing. With his warm cup of coffee still in hand, his made his way to the backdoor. He extended his left arm and pushed it open. The sunlight hit his face, causing his body temperature to rise. Spring had defiantly come, that was for sure.

Moving one foot in front of the other, he stepped out into the park. Out of the corner of his eye he saw many bags of fertilizer standing against the back wall. There was also a single golf cart missing, that must mean Mordecai and Rigby were using it. He might as well check on them, he needed to make sure Rye was all right in any event.

He approached the last cart and took his seat. He placed his full coffee cup in the small cup holder and started the vehicle. Benson pulled out of the lot with perfection and ease before putting the car in drive. He sped off within seconds and headed north. His destination was the gazebo, where most of the landscaping was supposed to take place.

Before he had a chance to think twice about what he was going to say, or shout, when he saw Mordecai and Rigby slacking off, he was at his destination. Upon arriving, he saw the trio standing together just in front of the large gazebo. They stood with their backs facing south, backs facing him, while two large bags of soil and fertilizer at their sides. There was also the addition of three large cardboard boxes, which Benson assumed were the plants they had ordered from QVC.

He put on the brakes in silence and stepped out of the cart. He straightened out his back and lifted his hand to his mouth. "Mordecai, Rigby."

The two boys jumped at the call of their names and whirled around to face their boss. Rye did the same about two seconds later, notebook and pencil in hand. It was by this time that Benson noticed the two shovels on the ground. Were they actually working?

"Hey Benson," Mordecai was first to speak.

Rye lifted her hand to her head and pulled down the pair of glasses she had placed above her forehead and adjusted them on her nose. "Is something wrong?" She asked as her right brow arched.

Yes! The sight the mere thought of Mordecai and Rigby working without being asked was wrong! What the heck? He fought back the urge to speak his mind and composed himself. "I got in late," He began after clearing his throat. "I wanted to see what everyone was up to."

"Chillax," Rigby waved his paw back and forth. "We got this."

"What?" Benson felt his himself choke on his words.

"Yeah," Mordecai was quick to agree. "We're working hard, really. We want this done as soon as possible."

Okay now this was just getting strange. It wasn't a good feeling either, it was one of those 'instincts' that told him to beware. But was he going to punish his employees if they hadn't done anything wrong…yet. There was one way to find out for sure.

"Rye," Benson locked gazes with the only female. "Can I speak to you?"

Said woman moved her pencil to her ear for safekeeping and moved her notepad to her back jean pocket. She then approached the oldest male with a smile. "Sure."

Benson beckoned her further away from the two troublemakers. As soon as they were out of earshot, the gumball machine crossed his arms over his chest. "Have they given you any trouble?" He asked with a stern tone and face.

Rye hummed to herself for a moment, her eyes darting off in different directions. "No, not really."

What? Enough was enough! He was going to get down to the bottom of this strange situation if it killed him! This was just too strange. Either Rye was lying to his face or Mordecai and Rigby were planning something pure evil. There was no way he was going to let them get away with anything!

"I've never seen them so eager to work." He continued in a suspicious tone while his eyes never left hers.

A few stray giggles left the girl's lips. She then let her eyes bounce back in the direction of Mordecai and Rigby. Benson followed her actions and looked beyond her shoulders to see the two boys playing with their shovels. Using the heavy metal tools like swords, they poked and jabbed at one another. Mordecai moved left, Rigby moved right until, the raccoon's 'weapon' dug deep into the blue jay's underarm. The taller male released a lengthy howl before dropping to his back in defeat.

"So what is it?" Benson brought his attention back to Rye.

"A little bribery goes a long way."

Bribery? Wait, that's what this was about? She was promising them something if they worked their hardest? It was hardly the right way to motivate anyone, unprofessional to a fault.

Then again…

He looked back at the two boys to see them both back up on their feet. They then began to high five one another and make stupid, silly sounds at one another. True he had never tired that method of madness but was it really worth it? After all, getting a paycheck should be bribery enough! Damn boys. Now the only question was, what was she promising in return?

"Whatever your bribing them with better not cost the park money." Benson's eyes moved back to her.

"Oh it won't." She was quick to reassure him. "Its just a game night."

"Game night, huh?" He cocked a brow.

She flashed a smile at him before giving him a solid thumbs up. "There's only one condition."

Smiling and a thumbs up and yet she was threatening him? "What is it?" He groaned; this wasn't going to go well, he could feel it.

"That you come of course." Rye moved her arm downward while her cocky grin remained on her face. "I hear that you need to loosen up a bit."

Loosen up? What the heck was that supposed to mean? That wasn't sarcasm laced in her voice, was there? He couldn't know for sure, this girl was all new to him. She wasn't planning anything stupid, was she? Ugh, wouldn't that be terrible! But what evidence did he have to go on?

He'd at least give it the old college try.

"Fine."

"Cool." Rye began to turn away from Benson, her smile still stuck to her cheeks. "We'll discuss a date later, when some of this landscaping is out of the way."

Ah, that's what he liked to hear. Working to get this whole project finished before Pops' party was the only thing on his mind at the moment. He wanted to please his boss; perhaps then he'd at least give him the courtesy of remembering his name! Some respect would be nice.

He watched as Rye returned to Mordecai and Rigby. Her voice entered the air but he wasn't sure what she was saying. As long as she was telling them what to do, she could speak all day if she wanted.

That was that. Now it was time for him to begin on his usual chores. But first, he needed to put some much needed cream and sugar into his coffee cup. If he was going to restart the day right, he needed his coffee. He returned to his white golf cart and slipped inside. Pulling the cart out of park and into drive, he made his way back to the house.

The large home came into sight within moments. Ah, he could taste the coffee now. It had been awhile since he actually choked up the three bucks to buy some from the shop. The taste of homebrewed coffee did become stale after sometime. It was nice to have an occasional treat. If anyone working here deserved it, it was him.

Busting his ass everyday had to have some kind of reward.

He parked the white vehicle in its proper place and pulled his tired body out of it. He then grabbed his lukewarm drink and headed into the kitchen. Just a little cream, sugar and a quick trip in the microwave and he'd be ready to go! He approached the door and pushed it open with ease. As he began to enter the brightly lit kitchen the sound of running water caught him off guard. Was someone already in the kitchen?

He entered and looked to the right. Standing in front of the sink stood a young woman, an unfamiliar young woman. She stood taller than Rye but wore a shorter hairstyle. She held her hands beneath the running faucet, the sound of the creaking back door catching her attention and causing her to break her concentration. She jerked her head to her left shoulder and locked eyes with him. For such a quiet, awkward moment, his mind was screaming with questions. What the heck was she doing in the house?

She was a visitor to the park, he assumed.

"Excuse me," He began in a soft, professional tone. "You can't be in here."

She flinched after hearing him speak. She then moved her hand to the faucet head and switched off the running water. Shaking her hands of the excess water, she continued to stare at him as if he were out of place.

"Miss?"

Her eyebrows furrowed and her bottom lip pouted. "I have every right to be in here." She spoke in a strong and confident voice.

What? Was she mad? Okay this was one of 'those' situations where he had to be dealing with someone who wasn't one hundred percent there. She had to be in the same category as the guy who frequently hid in the mattresses by the stream and called himself a knight.

"No," He corrected the female in a calm tone. "I'm sorry, you're going to have to leave."

The woman's scowl deepened. "Who the heck are you?" She snorted, "You can't come in here and tell me what to do!"

He took a few steps toward the young lady, placing his cup on the counter in the process and moved his arms in the direction of the door. "Miss, you have to leave now."

"You act like I'm raiding the place!" She crossed her arms over her bust. "If I'm going to work here, I have every right to use the sink!"

"Work here?" Benson's brow arched in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"What part of my last sentence was confusing?"

Okay, enough was enough. He stepped toward the young woman and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. He applied a soft pressure and began to push her out the door he had just come in from. "Now please stay out of the ground keeper's house. Otherwise I'll have to call the authorities."

Her feet moved forward, much to her dismay and soon she was pressed against the doorway leading into the park. She jerked her chin over her shoulder and growled. "Go ahead!" She was quick to urge him on. "You can't force me out of here!"

With a single push, her body was moved out of the house. Benson slammed the door shut as fast as he could and locked the door. Now it was time to lock all the other doors and windows.

Ugh, when did this job come with psychos in the description? Waking up late, having to agree to a game night and now this crazed woman? This day just kept getting better.

Act End