Chapter 31

Final Preparations

First off, I uploaded this one too soon. This one is pretty much filler to get to the chapter, which, and I don't think I'm spoiling anything here, is going to be the funeral. I wanted to have something before it instead of jumping right to it, so I went ahead and did this, but I played stupid and rushed through it. So, I did some work on the first half of it and went through it one last time, cleaning up a few mistakes and fleshing it out a little more, but for the most part, it's the same story. I know there's been a few like this along the way and I apologize. So, with that being said, I hope you enjoy it; if not, I completely understand. Also, drop me a review to let me know if you hated this, thought it was just ok, or genuinely liked it. Thanks for reading.

The following morning, Sally really didn't want to get up. In fact, she wished she could just sleep through that day or have someone else do it. But reluctantly, she sat up on the side of the couch and after waiting a minute so she could 'wake up', she began her day. After a shower and a change, she grabbed a piece of fruit of the bowl on the counter and a cup of coffee. It was quick, easy and there was little clean-up.

When she called to confirm her appointment, they told her that she'd need to get his suit and a copy of his death certificate before coming in. The problem with that was, she had neither of those. She had spent the past few days grieving. She hoped that she could just go there, hammer out the details and gather anything she needed afterward or at the very least the following day.

Sally shut the engine off and walked up to the door to Cream and Tails' house and knocked. "Hey Sally." Cream said when she opened the door, Tails standing right behind her. "Hi. Ready?" Sally asked. Cream nodded and turned around. "I'll see you later." She said to Tails, giving him a small kiss. He returned it, but Sally could clearly see him blushing through the bright orange fur on his face. He wasn't big on public displays of affection, but Cream had managed to get him to break out of his shell over time. There was something special about her which made the two of them a perfect fit. His lab was their source of income; some of his projects were government contracts as well as contracts with G.U.N. helping to improve their armor and electronics. She spent a lot of time with him down there and on several occasions, had actually assisted him with more than one project he was working on, thus allowing them to spend more time in the lab as well as out of it. Cream walked out to Sally's car and climbed in. "Thanks for coming with me." Sally said, setting her purse in the middle seat. "Don't worry about it. Just happy to help." The rabbit said, reaching behind her and grabbing the buckle for her seatbelt.

They were late. They had to drive around for fifteen minutes until Cream finally spotted the funeral parlor. When they pulled up to the funeral home, Sally was feeling a bit nervous but she sucked it up and went inside. The inside of the funeral home was beautiful. The walls were dark stained wood, or at least a something that closely resembled wood. There were two large windows, both covered in dark tint to keep the sun out yet letting in just the right amount of light. Sconce lights on the wall faced toward the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft white light and hanging behind the reception desk, a large painting of a meadow hung on the wall. Cream sat down in a chair along the wall next to a large bookcase while Sally walked up to the front desk.

"Good morning." The receptionist said. "Hi." Sally said, trying to sound cheerful when that was the last feeling she had. "My name is Sally Acorn and I have a 10:30 appointment."

The receptionist, an older woman typed her name into the keyboard in front of her. "Let's see... ah, yes. Mrs. Acorn. Have a seat I'll let Mr. Roberts know you're here." She said. "Thank you." Sally said and took a few steps back and sat next to Cream who was reading a book. Sally was glad she had came along with her, but the guilt of relying on Cream yet again began to eat at her. God, Sally thought as she reached for a magazine on a table to try to take her mind off pf it. Did I really need to bring her along with me again? She thought as she mindlessly thumbed through the magazine. She's got to be getting tired of dealing with me; Tails too. They've done more than enough for me. She absent-mindedly flipped the page, not really reading the magazine, which was one of those mindless celebrity gossip magazines. Maybe I should-

"Sally." A voice said. Sally's head jerked up from the magazine. She looked at Cream, who had her hand on her shoulder, a look of worry on her face that was slowly beginning to fade. "You ok?" Cream asked. Sally tossed the magazine back on the table. "Sorry." She said quietly. "Got lost in thought."

"Mrs. Acorn?" Another voice said from Sally's left. She turned her head and saw a man in a nice suit standing in a doorway, a similar look on his face; he walked out from the doorway and over to where Cream and Sally were. "Hi. My name is David Roberts, but you can call me David." He said, extending his hand. Sally stood up and tried to shake off the embarrassment. "Hi." She said, shaking his hand. He extended his hand to Cream and they shook hands as well. "Cream." The rabbit said.

"This way please." David said, gesturing over toward the door he had just came out of. Sally and Cream walked toward it and walked in; he followed right behind him. Sally and Cream squinted when they walked into his office. It had the same walls and lighting as the reception area, except the windows in here weren't tinted, letting in far more light. On the wall behind his desk hung various pictures, and what were either diplomas or degrees. His desk had the standard computer/family pictures/kick-knacks; nothing too special, save for one of those 'One a day' calendars.

"I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances." He said, grabbing the computer's mouse and moving it around on the desk. Then he reached into a drawer and pulled out a binder and laid it on the desk. "Now, do you have the deceased's DC?" He asked.

"I'm sorry?" Sally asked, unsure on what he meant. "Death certificate." He said. "Ah. No, I haven't picked it up yet. I can get it today." She said. He nodded. "If you can." David said, clicking the mouse and dragging it around on the desk again. Sally breathed a sigh of relief inside. "For right now, I'm going to ask you a few simple questions, get the basics out of the way, and then we can worry about that later." He said, clicking the mouse once more. "What is the deceased's name?" He asked Sally.

"Sonic." She replied. He started to type, but stopped and looked up at her. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open just slightly. "No... the Sonic?"

Sally nodded. He leaned back in his chair and let out a breath that seemed like it had been held forever. He shook his head, almost as if he was trying to shake off a bad dream. "I'm sorry." He said to Sally, who nodded her thanks. She thought. "God." David said. He shook his head again, trying to escape that dream once again. "I'm sorry." Sally wasn't expecting that reaction out of him when she mentioned his name. Sure, he was recognized as a hero to Mobius and had been thanked and appreciated as one who had done the things he had done, but it had been so long since the war had ended, his celebrity had all but faded. The only one's that took the time to thank him for what he had done were the one's who were still around that had lived through it, but that was only when he went out in public. He tended to shy away from the public eye, preferring to stay at home and even when he did go out, it was in remote places such as the country side with Sally or his friends. He preferred to stay away from large crowds, which made him nervous, although when he had no choice he could suck it up.

Sally nodded. "Thank you."

"What is his last name?" He asked, coming back to reality. "Acorn." She said with a hint of pride in her voice. He typed it into the computer.

He asked a few more general questions about Sonic then turned his attention to the binder on the desk. "I'll get the rest of that later." He said, grabbing the binder. On the front of it were the words 'Casket list.'

"Let's start with the casket." David said, handing Sally the binder. She laid it down in front of her on the desk and opened it, revealing three sections. "This first section here," David said, pointing at the first page, "are the basic line of caskets we offer." Most of the caskets pictured ranged anywhere from $800-$1200.

She flipped through that first section slowly, but not paying attention to it as David rattled off a few `strong points', which in reality were just BS terms. She already decided he wasn't going to have a cheap funeral. The next section was far nicer. The caskets from the first section were just plain, metal caskets, or covered in a cheap wood grain pattern to give them a nicer appearance; the insides covered in simple white cloth. But this second section was a lot nicer. Some had designs on the outside and even the most basic ones were darker colors with gold and chrome painted handles and hinges unlike the first section, which were just the basic seven colors and black painted handles.

These also came with silk liners and pillows, which could be engraved with the deceased's initials and added for a small fee. These were a little pricier than that first section: $1400-$2100. The third section, with a going rate of $3000-5000 was obviously the most expensive and were there to cater to the rich crowd that wanted to go out with style. There was even a 'Destroyer' themed casket, licensed by the band of the same name. She paid no attention any from the final section, save for the 'Destroyer' casket, which doubled as a beer cooler, had the band members autographs etched under their faces. It cost $20,000 and was made for 'the diehard Destroyer fan'.

She turned back to the more reasonable middle tier, and gave them another look over. "I'll take that one." She said after a minute. The one she chose was, fittingly, cobalt blue with faux gold handles; it cost $1700, not cheap, but not expensive compared to some of the others. David looked at the serial number above the picture and typed it into the computer, adding it to the order.

"Would you like to have a wake, church and gravesite service? We can offer you all three or you can choose any of the three. Our chapel holds groups of 50, or if you have a larger group, we can arrange to have services moved to another church if you wish." He said.

"The wake I'd like to have at the house after the service so the church and gravesite service will be fine." He typed that into the computer. "Will you be using our chapel?" He asked. Sally nodded that she would. "And will you be providing your own floral arrangements, or would you like us to handle that for you?" He asked. She said she'd handle that herself, and he confirmed her choice. "Okay- oop, almost forgot." He quickly moved the mouse around on the desk, clicking it a few times. "Would you like an open or closed service?"

"I don't know." She said after a short pause; she could feel the tears beginning to surface and her gaze lowered to the floor. Cream reached over and put a hand on Sally reassuring her that she wasn't alone in that moment.

There was a long pause as she mulled that thought around in her head. Could she handle it? Was that really how she wanted to remember him, lying in a box? What would Sonic want?

"Open." She said suddenly as if it was some grand revelation that hit her like a sack of bricks. David nodded and made the entry. "The last item is the obituary. Do you have one ready?" He asked. Sally shook her head. "I can bring one in tomorrow." She said. "That'll be fine." David said, clicking the mouse again. "Okay, all together, it's going to cost $5835."

Sally nodded. "I'll have the check ready by the end of the day." She said. In her head, she went through what she knew she had in their joint account and subtracted the cost of his service, which after deductions cut it in half. David nodded. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?" He asked. "No, thank you." Sally said, standing up and extending her hand.

Sally pulled the car up next to the curb and Cream climbed out. "Thanks for coming." Sally told her. Cream smiled. "No problem." She said. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me. See you later." She said, turning around and heading to the front door. Sally reached down and put the car back into gear and started to pull out onto the road, but stopped as she remembered the envelope for Tails and Cream.

"Cream!" Sally called out through the open passenger side window. Cream turned around and headed back to the car. "Yes?"

Sally reached down on the floor and grabbed her purse and rifled through it. "Where is it?" She whispered to herself as she dug through her purse. Mental note: clean this thing out. She thought as she dug straight to the bottom. "There you are." She said, grabbing onto the envelope and pulling it to the surface like treasure from a sunken ship. It had turned over and had been pinned underneath her wallet.

"I almost forgot," Sally said, handing the letter to Cream. "I found this in a box of his things." Cream took it and looked it over, then gave Sally a nod. "I'll see you later. Drive safe." She said and turned toward the house and went inside.

Even though she really hadn't done much at all that day, she felt exhausted. In fact, the last three days, she'd been feeling rather tired, but today was the first time it had hit this hard.

She chalked it up to all he running around she'd been doing that day and reached for her purse to get her keys, when all of a sudden her stomach lurched violently and everything started making it's way back out quickly. She scrambled for the door handle and was lucky enough to get it open before everything came up followed by a few dry heaves which were pretty violent; when that passed, she pulled her head back inside and reached for her purse again, this time to grab a few tissues she kept on hand for emergencies. "That was fun." She said, wiping her mouth and balling up the tissue, tossing it in the backseat.

She stopped by a convenience store and picked up a small lemon-lime soda and a sandwich. She guessed she had gotten sick from not eating much that day or the day before. Sally sat in the car and ate her lunch and when she was done she tossed them in the back, making a mental note to clean the car out later.

She headed over to the florist shop to pick up the flowers for the service. Most of what the shop offered was expensive and she really didn't feel like driving around more than she had to, so she settled on a bouquet of flowers, six roses, three red and three pink with a single white lily in the center. She wanted to get a wreath, but even the cheapest started at $90 bucks and she wasn't willing to pay that much for some flowers on a wire frame.

With that out of the way, her next stop was the bank. It was Wednesday and she was dreading the wait in line. She pulled up to the bank and like usual, had to drive around the block about three times until a space opened up. Naturally, she had to park on the corner and the farthest possible space from the building. She walked up to the front door, hoping the lines would be short. "Damn." She muttered when she saw what it was like inside. Unfortunately, it was just after lunch and there was only one teller on duty for ten people. Sally sighed and walked in and got in line.

After a few minutes of standing, another teller came out from one of the back rooms to relieve some of the pressure on the current teller and she breathed a sigh of relief as she moved over to the new line. Thank God. She thought. The new line moved swiftly, unlike the other one, where people kept asking stupid questions like, "Can I use my card in any ATM?"

Once she reached the counter, all she had to do was fill out a withdrawal slip for the amount she wanted, hand that to the teller along with her I.D. and bank card, get the O.K. from the manager, wait for them to get the amount she needed and she was done. Sally requested $6000, which once approved, the clerk brought out and counted to make sure it was all there, put it in a large, unmarked manila envelope along with a receipt and she was out of there.

She got back in the car and her stomach was still acting up and the fact she still had to trudge through the mall and pick up a suit didn't do well for her stomach or her aching feet. But if she got that done today, she had nothing to do tomorrow which made the end reward that much sweeter. She put the car in gear and as she started to pull onto the road and again, her stomach began to act up. She knew what was coming and reached for the door handle, but before she could open it, the sandwich and soda she had earlier came back up, splashing on the inside of the door and reflecting back on her. The first burst passed and she leaned back in the seat, regaining her breath. She managed to squeak out a "Oh, Shi-" before another wave hit her, this time emptying everything, followed by another series of dry heaving.

It passed in a minute and she leaned back in the seat, catching her breath. Sally grabbed a few more tissues and wiped her mouth, tossing them in the backseat. "Shit." She muttered, looking over at the mess she had to clean up now. Some of it splashed on her left side, soaking her in a warm, sticky mess which was rapidly cooling. The bulk of it had missed her, but now covered the window and had made it's way down the inside of the door and now rested between that half inch space between the seat and bottom of the door frame. The smell was getting more and more intense by the second, which made her stomach even worse. She rolled the windows down and headed for home as fast as she could.

She pulled into the driveway, glad she didn't have to wear the clothes she had on much longer. Even with the windows down, the smell was still powerful. She shut the engine off and got out, leaving the drivers side door open and went up to the house and walked through the front door. Checking quickly to make sure there wasn't any vomit on it, she set her purse down on the desk and pushed the door closed behind her. She immediately began to strip off her shirt and pants, which were now cold and sticky; luckily for her stomach the smell had subsided a little. She cracked the door open just enough where she could get an arm out and tossed them outside on the porch. "I'll get you later." She said as she went to change.

She wanted to jump in the shower, but she still had to deal with the inside of the car. With that in mind, she threw on the clothes she had worn yesterday then went into the kitchen to grab a bucket and a bottle of cleaner to deal with the mess in the car.

A short time later

"Why can't they make a pill that makes you feel like this all the time?" Sally asked herself as she draped the towel over the shower curtain to dry. Finally dry and feeling clean once again, she walked straight to her bedroom and changed into a clean shirt and pants. Dragging the pair of shoes she wore indoors out from underneath the bed with a foot, she sat down on the bed and pulled them on.

"Mmm." She moaned as another small wave of nausea passed over her. She stood up and went back into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet looking for something she could take for it like pink bismuth or those little chalky peppermint tablets. "Damn." She muttered as she closed the cabinet. Of course I wouldn't have anything like that. That would make things easier. She dreaded the fact that if she kept feeling sick, she'd have to get back in the car and drive into town and get something for her stomach which she didn't want to do. One, she didn't feel like driving unless she absolutely had to and two, she didn't want to take the chance of reupholstering the inside of the car again.

Her feet were killing her and she wanted to sit down, but still had to get the money from the bank out of the car along with the clothes off the porch and toss them in the washer. She sighed and dragged herself outside, going to the car and getting that stuff, then picking up the soiled clothes off the porch and taking them inside the house.

*Hulp* She grunted as she suppressed the urge to puke again, the smell causing her stomach to lurch slightly as she rushed them back to the washer, tossed them in, started the washer and shut the lid. Grabbing the soap, she measured a cupful and opened the lid quickly and tossed that in. What else is gonna happen today? She thought as she headed back to the living room.

She had laid the cash over on the desk beside the front door and grabbed them, then went over to the couch and sat down. Grabbing the remote, she turned the TV on and flipped through the list until she came upon the 'Easy Listening' music channel that came with the satellite package. She had over 150 channels she could watch, but her favorites were the 30 music channels that came with it. Oh, she watched other things, but most of the time, the satellite's channel line up was re-runs.

The sounds of smooth jazz pumped through the TV's speakers and she set the remote down on the coffee table and turned her attention to the two envelopes she had gotten from the car. At least those didn't get any of that. She thought as she looked them over. Taking the envelope from the bank, she opened it and took the cash out and counted it; six thousand on the dot. They had never shortchanged her, but she still did a count every time, even though they did one right in front of her, then checked the receipt. 'Thank you for your business. Your account balance is $8,902.24.' Once she was satisfied that it was all there, she put it back in the envelope and put it on the coffee table.

Luckily for her, she still had a good amount saved up, but she knew it wouldn't last forever. Luckily, the house was paid off which took a load off of her financially. The only bill she had to worry about was the electric, which was usually low anyway and propane for the heater and hot water tank. Besides general upkeep on the house, gas for the car and buying food, she really had no expenses.

Income on the other hand was a problem. She and Sonic used her inheritance from her parents for the house and they had been living off his book royalties. Unfortunately, they had begun to come farther and farther apart; the last check had been half the amount they usually were. She went through her purse looking for her phone and saw the envelopes that Sonic had left for Shadow and Knuckles. "I completely forgot about you guys."

She took them out of her purse and laid them on the table. When she leaned back, another wave of nausea washed over her, although it was light and very brief. Maybe I should go and get something for my stomach.

Logic dictated that everything she had in her stomach had come back up by now and having another incident like she had had earlier wasn't very likely. Even if it did happen, it would've most likely been dry heaving at the most so she decided to go ahead and take the risk. Can't leave you here by yourself, now can I? She thought, reaching over and grabbing the envelope of cash.

A Short Time Later

"Mmm." Sally moaned lightly, her hand on her stomach as she stood in the health products isle. Even though everything in the convenience store was marked up twice as much as it would've been in a regular store, she didn't want to drive further than she had to; if it meant relief, she was willing to pay a little more. Looking at the products available, there were several choices. She grabbed a bottle of pink bismuth along with a couple rolls of those chalky antacid tablets, which she could take in case her stomach decided to act up between doses.

She also grabbed a few things she saw she needed, aspirin, fresh box of band-aids and toothpaste and took them to the counter. "$16.68" The clerk said. Jeez. Just for all that? She thought as she pulled her credit card out of her purse and swiped it through the machine. There was a short wait while everything was processed, and once it went through, the clerk bagged everything up for her. She already had the bottle open and took a swig, followed by a couple of the antacid tablets before she started the car.

By the time she got home, she had already finished off half the bottle but at least her stomach had settled down, which was a relief. It was already dark and getting cold when she pulled in to the driveway; when she got out of the car, she could see her breath. Gonna be cold tonight. She thought as she went inside. *whew* She shivered when she stepped inside. It was just as cold inside as it was outside. Sally locked the door and kicked the heater on. A few minutes later, warm air began to blow from the air vents.

There was a slight burnt smell coming out of the vents, but that always happened the first time the heater was turned on. It was the very first winter they had lived there and when Sonic turned the heater on for the first time and she smelled that burning smell, it scared her; she thought the heater had caught on fire. Sonic told her not to worry, but she insisted he call the repair guy to come out and have a look at it. "I don't know why you're worrying." He said as he picked up the phone, business card from the company in hand. "It's gone and I'm pretty sure if something was wrong, the house would be on fire right now or something." He argued.

"I don't care. Call them." She said, keeping an eye on the air vents. "I still smell something." She said. "Yeah, yeah." Sonic said under his breath as he dialed. The next day when the guy came out, he inspected it like normal. "It's just fine, folks." He said, putting the cover back on the unit. "Every new unit has that funny smell the first time they're activated." He put the final few screws in place, tightening them with a small power drill. "That's just the oil evaporating off some of the internal parts. Nothing to worry about. If the unit's heater isn't used for a certain amount of time, you're gonna get that smell." He said. That little visit cost them $250 bucks.

That's better. She thought as heat began to pump through the house. She set her purse down on the coffee table, then got the pillow and blanket she had been sleeping under and laid them on the couch.

That couch had been her temporary bed since she had come back. She couldn't bring herself to sleep in the bed, so the couch was the next best thing, besides getting a motel room; luckily, the couch was comfortable. Spreading the blanket out over the cushions, she laid the pillow at one end and turned the TV on, then turned the lights out and laid down. That's the good stuff. She though as she fully stretched out, her body relaxing for the first time that day. She was out within a few minutes.

The Next Day

"Thank you." The clerk said handing Sally her receipt. Sally stuck it in her pocket and grabbed the suit by the hangar sticking out of the top of the protective black plastic that covered the suit and draped it over her shoulder. The one she picked out was nice, black jacket and slacks with white undershirt and black tie. Coincidently, it bared a striking resemblance to the suit they had gotten married in, except the one she bought was straight black with no design and came with a black tie instead of a red one.

Once she was back out at the car, she laid it out on the backseat then went around and climbed in on the drivers' side. Once she was inside, she relished in the silence of the car. The mall had been unusually packed for a Tuesday, which made navigating through the crowd a headache. After taking a moment to rest, she pulled her phone out of her purse, papers and a few loose coins spilling out on the passenger seat. Really need to clean this thing out. She thought, making a mental note to clean it out later. Now the last stop was the funeral parlor to drop everything off. She had his suit in the backseat, his death certificate she had picked up from the coroner's office, the cash in her purse and the obituary for him in her purse; she had managed to write it out in less than ten minutes earlier that morning. She did argue with herself about including his real name in it, Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog. He hated the name and had been teased about it as a child, but it was a part of him and she included it.

After a short drive, she pulled up in front of the funeral home and went inside and up to the front desk. "Good afternoon." The woman said when she saw Sally walk in. "Hello. Is Mr. Roberts in today?" She asked. The woman looked at a paper off to the side of the computer. "Yes, but he's in a meeting with a client right now. What did you need to see him about?" She asked. "I had an appointment with him yesterday and I was supposed to drop something off for him."

The woman nodded. "Okay. Have a seat and I'll let him know you're here. What's your name?"

"Sally Acorn."

She nodded and Sally went to the chairs along the wall where she had sat yesterday and waited. The receptionist reached over and pushed a button on an intercom on her desk. "Mr. Roberts, there's a Sally Acorn here to see you. Says she has something to give to you." She released the button.

"Ah, yes." His voice came over the speaker. "I'll be with her shortly."

She pushed the button again. "Yes sir. I'll let her know."

"Mr. Roberts will be with you shortly." She said. Sally nodded and reached over for a magazine.

"All right. Let me know if there's anything else you need." Sally looked up and saw David holding the door to his office open for a couple as they walked out. The woman's eyes were red and puffy, a tissue in her hand. The guy, Sally assumed her boyfriend since she didn't see a ring on either of their hands, had his arm around her for comfort and support. "Drive safe." David said to them. The guy nodded his thanks as they walked out the front door.

"Sally." He said, noticing her sitting off to the side. She stood up and walked over. "Hi." She said. "Come in, come in." He said, holding the door open for her as she walked through the doorway. She sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"What was it you wanted to see me about?"

She reached into her purse and pulled out Sonic's death certificate and the obituary she'd written about him. "I'm just here to drop off what you asked for yesterday." She said, setting them on the desk. "Ah, yes." He said, grabbing all of it. He took hold of the mouse and moved it around on the desk, clicked it a couple of times, then started typing on the keyboard. "Acorn, was it?" He asked. "Mm-mm." Sally nodded.

He took the death certificate but didn't open it. "Can I get a copy of your husband's certificate for our records?" He asked. "Of course." Sally nodded. "But why?" She asked.

He opened the envelope and took it out. "We need a copy for our records, but we're required by law to ask permission from the family. Privacy matters and all that." He said. David laid the document on the desk and counted off a long sequence of letters and numbers. "497B-81CW-77A3." He typed them in and put the document back in the envelope, which he handed back to Sally. "This way, if the one we have on file is lost, we can use that to get another copy ourselves instead of contacting the family."

Sally nodded. "Did you bring a check or cash?" He asked. "Cash." She replied, opening her purse and pulling out the roll of bills, which she handed to him. He set them on the desk and clicked the mouse once more. Typing an amount into a calculator on his desk, he counted the cash she had given him, typed that into the calculator then wrote a number down on a slip of paper. "Hand that to Mary before you leave and she'll give you your change." David said. "You brought an obituary as well?" He asked. She nodded and passed that to him as well. "This should be in tomorrow's paper. Did you bring a suit?"

"Yes. It's in my car." She said. "All right, that takes care of what I needed..." He trailed off, clicking the mouse yet again. "Now that that's out of the way, let's see what we have available in terms of service times." He said. He looked the computer screen over. "We can do Thursday at ten a.m., Friday at noon and Saturday at eleven." He said.

"Friday is just fine." She said; he nodded and typed that in as well. "Okay." He said. "Besides his suit, that should do it. You said you brought it with you, right?" He asked. "Mm-mm." Sally nodded. "I'll run out and get it." She grabbed what she brought in off his desk and went out of the office and out to her car and grabbed it, along with a pair of underwear, socks and his shoes and brought them back inside the office. "Thank you." David said, standing up when he saw her re-enter his office. "Is there anything else you'll be needing today?" He asked. Sally shook her head no. "No. Thank you." She said.

"Thank you Mrs. Acorn. Have a nice day." He said and sat back down at his desk. She closed the door to his office and went back to the reception desk, the slip of paper he had written out to her in hand. "He said to give this to you." Sally said, handing her the slip of paper. She looked at it and turned around in her chair. When she turned back around, she handed Sally her change, $165.00. Sally thanked her, stuck the money in her purse and walked out to her car, the air cold as the day went on. As she opened the door to climb in, she felt a familiar feeling begin to creep up on her. Better leave the windows down.

And so ends this chapter. Thanks for reading.