Thanks to showtunediva (Don't worry, you'll get your answer soon) and Subuku no Jess for reviewing!
On the 23rd day of the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence.
And this terrifying enemy surfaced, as such terrifying enemies do, in the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places.
It was another day at Mr. Mushnik's flower shop, devoid of customers. But then again, when hasn't the flower shop been devoid of customers?
Helen sighed and brushed her short messy brown hair out of her green eyes, as she thought, Just another ordinary day on Skid Row.
She was busy watering the flowers, while Mr. Mushnik was standing at the counter, reading the newspaper when they both heard a resounding crash come from downstairs.
"Seymour, what's going on down there?" Mr. Mushnik called down into the basement.
"Very little, Mr. Mushnik!" She heard her little brother call out.
Mr. Mushnik went back to reading the newspaper. Helen was considering going downstairs to check on her brother, before she saw her friend, Audrey, come out of her apartment and walk across the street to the shop.
Once she came in, Helen smirked, as she commented, "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."
"Um, good morning, Helen, Mr. Mushnik," Audrey said, as she made her way to the back room.
"What morning?" Mushnik said. "It's almost closing time! Not that we had a customer." There was another crash from downstairs and Mushnik called out, "Seymour, what in the name of God is going on down there?" When there was no response, Mushnik said, "Helen, Audrey, would you two go downstairs and see what he's-" But then, Mushnik saw Audrey examining her face in a compact mirror. And Helen noticed what looked to be a black eye on Audrey's face. "Audrey, where'd you get that shiner?" Mushnik said, beating Helen to the question.
"Uh, shiner?" Audrey said, putting her compact mirror away and walking away.
"Don't play dumb, Audrey," Helen said. "You know what Mr. Mushnik's talking about."
"Audrey, that greasy boyfriend of yours been beating up on you again?" asked Mushnik. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but I'm beginning to think maybe he's not such a nice guy."
Just then, her brother came upstairs, carrying a box full of pots, but he ended up tripping on the stairs and falling over, causing most of the pots to shatter.
"Seymour, look what you've done to the inventory!" Mushnik said.
Audrey rushed over to help Seymour clean up the mess, as she said, "Don't yell at Seymour, Mr. Mushnik."
As she knelt down, Helen noticed Seymour smile and blush, as he said, "Hi, Audrey. You look radiant today." He then noticed her black eye and asked, "Is that new eye make-up?"
Sensing the need to change the subject, Audrey said, "Uh, I'll help him clean it up before any of the customers get here."
As she went out back, Mushnik said, "That should give you plenty of time. Oh, God, what an existence I've got. Misfit employees, bums on the sidewalk, business is lousy. My life is a living hell!" But then, he shouted, "Hey, you! Urchins!" He knocked on the window, and three girls, who Helen recognized as Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronette, and had just been hanging out in front of the shop, turned and walked away, as he yelled, "Shoo, shoo, shoo! Move, move! Move, get away! No loitering!"
He then walked outside, just to make sure the girls were leaving and Helen opened the door a little to listen to Mushnik and the girls.
She heard Mushnik call out, "So? How do you tend to better yourselves?"
"Better ourselves?" Crystal said, sounding amused. "You heard what he said, 'better ourselves?' Mister, when you're from Skid Row, ain't no such thing!"