CHAPTER 242: A Career In Retail

 

"...and in world news the French President, Charles DeGaulle, concluded his world tour by visiting French Polynesia, which belongs to France..."

Barbara and Jeremy were having their breakfasts whilst watching the morning news on TV.  There was the image of a grey haired DeGaulle walking around a tropical island, pointing at this and shaking hands with various local officials.  France had a few islands in their possession in the Pacific, with New Caledonia and Tahiti being the most promient.  Jeremy noted just how tall DeGaulle was as he seemed to tower over everyone else.

"How old is that guy?" asked Jeremy.  "My dad spoke about him when talking about World War 2 and he was already a general."

"Mid to late 70s, I think" Barbara replied.

"You're not sure?  I thought you were French!" 

"I'm FRENCH-CANADIAN with the emphasis on 'Canadian'.  He's not my president, although my Uncle Pierre would like him to be."

"...the President also witnessed the testing of France's latest atomic bomb at the Mururoa Atoll."

Both Jeremy and Barbara then saw a massive nuclear explosion on the TV screen and an image of DeGaulle, surrounded by military figures, wearing a radiation suit.

"Well...that's one way to end a world tour" mused Barbara.  "Anyway, time to get dressed..." she added.

"I'm really looking forward to today..." said Barbara, who hadn't stopped talking since they turned the TV off.  She was pumped up after breakfast and her morning run and ideas and thoughts were flowing from her.  Jeremy mostly nodded and said "yes".

"...I know we've taken a big risk in backing a new designer but Poppy is a really out there label and I think their latest collection is going to be a hit with the young and trendy crowd." she said.

"Are there that many young and trendy in this town?" asked Jeremy.

"Absolutely, Jeremy.  I keep my ear close to the ground and know the teenagers and student types in Sim City pretty well.  They're all crying out for those European style fashions and we're the only boutique in town supplying anything like that.  But there's risk with the Poppy collection:  It's slightly more expensive than most ready to wear items, there's no menswear range to go with it and...well...the more straight laced won't like it, especially that League of Decency."

"We'll see by the end of the week what the receipts are...speaking of which..." Jeremy replied, pointing to the small office he had in the next room.  He left the bedroom and went into the study whilst Barbara got dressed.

He got to work going over the accounts and was going to write up a financial statement for the month's business when he noticed that they had gone into the red with the new line of clothing.  Deep down he thought Barbara's fashion hunch was going to backfire:  After all, the hype of the mini skirt, the total look and the Mod culture was bound to burst at some point.  It might be different in Europe or Canada but America might about to lurch back the more conservative Eisenhower days; the time when he was a boy and young teenager and which had left an impression on him.

Barbara had finished getting dressed and entered the study.  When Jeremy looked in her direction he saw that she looked anything but conservative.  Her striking pink and lilac outfit and white boots were the height of the current fashion and she had leaned completely into the new trends and why not?  She was young and beautiful but was she the present, the future or already the past, he thought.

"There's my businessman...how's it looking?" she asked, sitting down in the study's more comfortable chair.

"Like we discussed...we've taken a risk.  We're slightly in the red this month." he said, matter of factly.

Barbara shrugged her shoulders.  "I still believe we'll have a hit on our hands.  But isn't risk part of running a small business?" she said.

"It is...but as I've always worked for large businesses a single shop is a bit out of my zone." Jeremy replied.  "I've always been the nervous one out of us so forgive me if I sound more pessimistic."

"You're also the brave one, Jeremy.  Be straight with me; are you happy co-owning the boutique with me and being an independent businessman?"

"Wow...that's...erm...a question!  It's hard to put into words...when I lost my job at Landgraab I felt relieved.  I thought about asking for my old job with J.J. Gotcha again but I wanted to try something different.  I know precious little about fashion and only slightly more about running a business but...yeah...it's been rewarding these last few weeks.  I like being with you all day, that's for sure."

"I love having you by my side" Barbara replied.  "I'm not just being hopelessly naive about the boutique...we've had good word of mouth, trade has been decent and we got that ringing endorsement from Jean Shrimpton herself!  I know you don't know who she is..."

"Some kind of English model, I think"

"Yeah, she's a huge name in fashion.  The first woman to wear a miniskirt in public!  What she wears people copy and she came to our little shop, bought some items and told people about us.  That's what inspired me to go further with the mod fashions.  We got free publicity that day.  If we succeed then that's great, if it fails then it was all part of the adventure."

"I love your infectious enthusiasm, Babs.  It's just that I've been thinking of a house move for us and...well...other things which will...erm...improve our lives going forwards...with the whole...you know...settling down thing and...uhm...making things official with room to expand our...unit...I was thinking next Spring..."

"Have you got a diamond ring to go with that speech?" joked Barbara.

"Oh no!  This isn't an official....I mean, I want to make it official but consider this a placeholder proposal for now..."

"It's time to go to work, Jeremy"

The two of them would typically arrive at the boutique at 8am, in time to give the place a polish and to restock and redress the mannequins.  Barbara gladly accepted the help of Jeremy in getting the shop ready because it was exhausting when she had to do it on her own and their one shop assistant, Toni, could only arrive at 10 minutes before opening time because of how far away she lived.

Jeremy was poking at his belly with his index finger and Barbara paused from polishing the counter top to find out what he was doing.

"What....may I ask...are you doing to yourself?" she asked.

"This suit is a terrible fit and my belly is overhanging my belt just slightly.  I think I've piled on the pounds." he replied.

"I have a better one in your style out the back...you can wear that if it would be more comfortable" she responded, trying to be helpful.

"I'll take you up on that.  Meanwhile have I got time to have a quick jog around the block to work this off?  I usually find a bit of exercise helps fight the flab."

"OK, Toni's due any minute now and if it gives you piece of mind then go for it."

As Jeremy went for his run, Barbara went to put some music on for the shop and prepared for the 9am opening.

No sooner had Toni arrived and the sign on the door flipped from "closed" to "open" than the first customers arrived.  One was a very familiar face:  Liberty Lee.

"Libs...how lovely to see you!  I thought you'd be down at Houston" said Barbara, greeting her friend and neighbour.

"I fly down there this evening.  My shift on the Gold team isn't until tomorrow." Liberty replied.

"I lose track; I know there's a spaceflight launch today but I can't remember which number Gemini it is"

"XI:  Conrad and Gordon.  We're still trying to get better at docking and spacewalks." said Liberty.  "But today I want something special!"

"Ooh, how special?" said Barbara, intrigued at what Liberty had in mind.

"Well, it's Gary's birthday in just over a week and he's invited me to Chez Llama, then on to dancing at the Kitten Club so I want something smart, swanky and up to the minute that would look great at both places and will make his jaw drop.  I need to find something today because I fly out to Houston tonight and won't be back until the day before our date, and I'm likely to be too tired to go clothes shopping then."

"I think I have just the thing..." said Barbara, with a smile on her face as she envisaged the perfect outfit for Liberty.

Meanwhile Jeremy had returned from his run, freshened up in the staff bathroom and changed into a better fitting suit.  He then wasted no time in getting back to work, which consisted of customer service.

In the boutique was a young, blonde woman who was dressed head to toe in pale pink, including a pale pink beret which she kept on whilst in the shop.  When she saw Jeremy holding a clipboard of items for sale she correctly deduced that he worked in the shop and made a bee line for him.

"Excuse me, do you work here?" she said in a bright, pleasant sounding voice.  

"I do...in fact, I co-own this store.  How may I help you?" he responded.

Jeremy noticed that she was very pretty, with prominent cheekbones, bright green eyes and full lips.  Her blonde hair was trendily cut so that when it reached the shoulders it curled outwards.  A pretty face always froze Jeremy in his tracks.

"My, I am in luck...the co-owner no less.  I'm looking to buy an outfit that will...what's the word?  'Dazzle', that's it.  I want to buy an outfit that will dazzle when I wear it."

"Would it be for any special occasion?" Jeremy asked.

"Erm...nothing specific...I just want to impress people with what I wear.  Be noticed...but only by the right kind of gentleman or lady"

"Something aspirational, perhaps?" said Jeremy.  The woman put a gentle hand on his arm and smiled enthusiastically.

"You put it perfectly, yes, 'something aspirational'.  I feel you understand me on this one.  So intuitive, tee-hee." she said, with a coquettish giggle.  This just made Jeremy tense up more.

"Well, madam..." he began.

"Oh do call me Sally, Mr?"

"Saint, Jeremy Saint"

"Saint by name, saint by nature perhaps?  Silly me.  I am in your capable hands."

"OK...Sally...let's look at what's in our range that would be ideal for you..." he said, nervously.

At various times since the boutique had opened, there was a little drama being played out in it.  Whether it was the Sneedleys denouncing the store which led to George Sneedley having a panic attack or a bunch of mean teenage girls picking on fellow teenager, Lulu Strang, there were these moments when it looked like things might turn nasty and today was no exception.

The problem occurred when Jeremy, Barbara and Toni were all on the other side of the boutique and three customers had a set to at the front.  Jeremy noticed some raised voices and turned to see where they were coming from when he saw three customers, two men and a woman, getting tense and angry.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!  You belong in prison you do!" said the woman, a lady of around 40 who had blonde hair and wore a green pants outfit.  She had directed her comments at an older, grey haired man whose fashion choices were a mixture of old and new.  Alongside the traditional button up vest and classic cut pants he wore his shirts sleeves slightly rolled up, with a white cravat and his hair was longer than most men his age...it was practically like the Rolling Stones.

"And what crime have I committed?" said the man, who had a mischievous and slightly leering expression on his face.

"You know!  Your poor wife...." replied the lady.

"Habeus corpus...produce the body, dear lady.  Maybe I can explain the matter over dinner this evening..."

"Ugh, no thank you.  You disgust me!" she responded in a huff.  "In fact, I will telephone the police right now..."

At this point the second of the two me intervened.  A large black gentleman with a neatly trimmed beard stepped in between the two squabbling customers.  

"Now, now.  There's no need for that and, besides, you've got no proof of any crime to accuse Mr Villareal of."

"I could have you arrested for making a false allegation in public, Miss." retorted Villareal.

"Jacques, I'd advise you to stay quiet as well.  This is not the time nor the place for a spat." said the black man.

Jeremy excused himself from Sally and went over to find out what was going on. 

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" he asked.

"Not anymore, sir." said the black man.  "I think everyone is going to go their way and cool down."

"Harumph..." said the lady, stomping off.

"I could have handled this, Eric" said Villareal.

"You were pouring petrol on the situation, Jacques.  Now play it cool for the moment.  Sorry, sir" Eric said, turning to Jeremy.  "sorry to have troubled you".

Jeremy and Eric walked away from Jacques Villareal and, in a soft voice, Eric informed Jeremy what was going on and Sally was nearby, hanging on every word.

"You see, that's Jacques Villareal.  He's a bigwig around town, owns a large estate out in Windenburg.  Well, back in '60 his wife went missing and no trace of her has ever been found so, naturally, folks around here think he must have bumped her off, catch my drift?"

"I did not know that.  Well, thank you Mr...."

"Lewis.  Eric Lewis, glad to know you.  You've got a fine establishment here and I hate to see a moment like that ruin the place."

"Thank you, Mr Lewis.  I will keep an eye out for any more potential trouble between those two" Jeremy replied.  Eric Lewis walked off to check out some clothing leaving Jeremy alone with Sally, who looked admiringly at him.

"You handled that very well.  I thought that man looked familiar!  If you ask me, he did it!" she said.

"Anyway, where were we?" said Jeremy, trying to change the subject.

"Something dazzling" Sally replied.

"Oh yes, now let me check my handy little clipboard here..."

"You check away...I like a man who's thorough..."

"Gulp"

"Ah yes, I see right here an outfit that might be right for you.  Do you like black or white or a mixture?" he said, regaining his composure.

"All of the above...don't let the pink fool you" she replied.

"Then here we go...it's the latest thing, it's from the hottest new designer in town:  Poppy.  It's a black and white patterned outfit...I believe inspired by World War One ship camouflage...or maybe a particular species of butterfly...erm, I'm not explaining it very well..." he stammered.  Once again, Sally put a soft hand on his arm.

"You're doing wonderfully..." she said.

He looked down at his clipboard again "It says here that it's inspired by the French Mod look with Pierre Carin flourishes and it's the Total Look:  The dress comes with complimentary stockings or tights, shoes, gloves and a pillbox hat.  I think it's called that because it resembles a WW2 pillbox."

Jeremy inwardly cursed himself for making military references when dealing with this woman.

Sally looked at the outfit up and down with a keen intensity.  "Yes...YES" she said out loud.  "I want to try it on...not all of it, just the dress and the hat"

"Certainly" said Jeremy, who then asked for her size before getting a dress and hat from the racks.

A few minutes later she emerged, looked at herself in the mirror and walked about the shop in glee.  "Oh, Jeremy, it's divine!  It certainly dazzles!"

"I'm glad you like it" he said, politely.

"I'll take it all!  The dress, the hat, the shoes...I'm a size 9.  And I'll have these absolutely adorable gloves and the tights as well.  Jeremy, you are a wonder!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you" he said, embarrassed.  He had to admit, though, that Sally looked amazing in that outfit.  "If you're satisfied I'll get those other items and ring you up at the till."

"You're so kind.  I'm buying this in expectation really, not for any special event.  I just want to look my best for...well, Mr Right...whoever he is."

"Looking your best is always a good thing in my opinion" he said, sheepishly, trying to find something complimentary to say to her without trying to flirt or encourage her flirtation with him.

"May I ask, are you a married man, Jeremy?"

"No...not yet.  I have a girlfriend...well, she's more than just my girlfriend.  She's my business partner, my best friend and my soul mate...." he said, turning to look where Barbara was, his face beaming with pride.

"...I just haven't gotten around to asking her to marry me, yet.  Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so personal at work.  You want these items, let's go to the till."

"Oh don't apologise, Jeremy.  You're a romantic at heart, I can see that.  Is that her, the strawberry blonde in that fabulous pink dress with the lilac circles?"

"Yes, that's her"

"Oh she's beautiful!  You lucky, lucky man.  I could tell, only the best for you.  Oh you must put a ring on her, Jeremy, make it official!" Sally gushed, her eyes fluttering in excitement.  "How wonderful it is to meet you...I just wished there were more men like you out there:  Kind, helpful and dedicated." she added with a sigh.

"I'm sure you'll find one...the outfit should help." he said, trying to find the appropriate words to say to her.

Across the shop Barbara and Liberty had found just the outfit for her date with Gary.

"This dress is amazing!" said Liberty.  "I want it!"

"OK, I agree...this season is all about colour and the bolder the better" said Barbara.

At the end of business Jeremy totalled up the receipts and gathered Barbara and Toni to announce the day's takings.

"We...made...a...profit!  A big one, actually.  Two men's 3 piece suits, high end so that's always good business and 3 complete outfits with accessories from the Poppy collection." he announced.

"I knew it!  I knew it would be popular!"  exclaimed Barbara.

"Well done, Barbara.  And Jeremy as well..." said Toni.  "Hang on, Barbara...you don't look well."

Toni had noticed that Barbara had suddenly developed a nasty rash and it covered her face and arms.

"That looks pretty bad." said Jeremy.  "Did you come into contact with anything?"

"I did go into the storeroom to open up a box of those Korean gloves...oh no, I remember feeling itchy after opening all those plastic bags...ow...OWWW...my skin stings!"

"Toni, can I leave you to lock up?  I'm getting Barbara back home immediately!"

Jeremy helped Barbara to their car and instructed her not to scratch the itchy parts of her body.  Then he drove back to Willow Creek as fast as was legally possible.  Once back home, he took her to the bed and unzipped her boots and took them off whilst she let down her hair and took out the large earrings she had been wearing.  

"Oh I feel tired and itchy..." she said, lying out on the bed.

"I'll phone the doctor" he said, heading out of the room and over to the telephone.

It turned out her skin had a reaction to the plastic packaging she handled in the stockroom and the doctor prescribed some lotion and tablets to treat the illness.  Barbara soon fell asleep and just as Jeremy was going to sit down in the lounge and watch some TV, his phone rang.

"Hello, Jeremy Saint here?" 

"Jeremy, are you free this evening?" it was Suzy Humphries' voice.  

"Erm...yes.  Barbara's not well and has gone to bed and I was just going to watch TV.  What's up?"

"Neil and I want to talk with you about something important...there have been developments in our little mystery..."

Suzy and Neil lived in the next neighbourhood along in Willow Creek and it didn't take long for Jeremy to get there.  When he got inside, he found them excited that he was there.

"So what's the latest development?" he asked.

"What do you know of Victor and Lily Feng?" Suzy asked.

"Practically nothing." Jeremy replied.

"Their names didn't come up when you worked at Landgraabs?" asked Neil.

Jeremy shook his head.  "No.  I don't remember them being mentioned by anyone.  What's going on?"

"I've been doing some more research into the secret workings of this city...I've covered the Landgraabs and now I've turned my attentions to the chapter in the book about the Fengs.  They too have a rags to riches story and somehow they're part of this Triangle of Power" said Suzy.

"Oh yes, that.  Landgraab, Feng and Goth." said Jeremy.

"No, not Goth.  They're not the third part." said Neil.

"Then who is?" asked Jeremy.

"That part we're not sure of.  It's not a family, it's more like an organisation." said Neil.

"This organisation seems to pop up in the lives of the Landgraabs and Fengs, giving them assistance and material benefits that greatly benefit them and propel them to vast wealth and power.  Now in your time at Landgraab did you ever hear anyone talk about 'The Visitors'?"  asked Suzy.

"I don't think so..." said Jeremy.

"Did you overhear any strange conversations, or see any documents that seemed more out of the ordinary than usual?" asked Neil.

"Well...there's that tree in Willow Creek.  The one that leads to a weird place we can't explain.  And there's the brainwashing machine in company headquarters.  Oh yes, and there was that time Nancy acted all hyper and paranoid after....Lily Feng was shot at!" Jeremy said, excitedly, when he remembered that last detail.

"Do you still maintain any contacts within the Landgraab Corporation?" asked Suzy.

"I've not spoken to anyone there since I was fired" Jeremy replied.

"I know it's a big ask but we really need to find out more of what's going on with Landgraab and the Fengs.  Could you dust off one or two of your old contacts and ask them to look into a little matter...."

CHAPTER 238: We Were There The Night That Happened

"You know I'm never going to get the hang of this game, Libs" said Summer, her mind getting as exhausted as her body.  The two young women had just done a calisthenics routine in their back garden and now Liberty had challenged her to a game of chess straight afterwards.  For Summer it seemed like a good idea at the time but now she was two pawns and a knight down and Liberty hadn't lost a piece.

"Be patient.  It's all about developing the mind..." said Liberty.

"I'm already aching from those exercises and now you want to give me a headache!" Summer replied.

"Feed the body, exercise the body...feed the mind, exercise the mind" said Liberty, emphatically.

"I need feeding that's for sure!  A bowl of natural yoghurt and peppermint tea isn't my idea of breakfast!"

"You need to keep your figure for the wedding!" said Liberty, tapping the chessboard.

"So you keep telling me..."

"...and Checkmate!  Well, Summer, thanks for the game but I've got a ton of things to do today so I'm going to shower, get dressed and get right on it."

Summer looked down at the chessboard and sighed.  Once, just once, would she like to beat Liberty at chess but it wasn't going to be today.

"Same with me...Travis and I are going to take a little trip to Tartosa" she said.  Liberty raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"The wedding capital of the State?  Very nice.  Have a great time." she said as she got up to go to the bathroom.

Summer stood up and stretched her arms and legs...she could hear some creaking from her tired muscles and bones and let out a sigh of exhaustion.  On top of all the stresses of wedding planning, she now had to deal with her housemate, who had turned into some kind of P.T. instructor.

"Well hellooooooooooo nurse!" came Travis' voice from behind Summer.  She turned around to see her fiance standing there, eyeing her up and down with approval.  At least none of this build up to the big day seemed to have a negative impact on him, she thought.

"I never get bored with the sight of you in skin tight clothing..." he added.

"Tsch, you have a one track mind, Travis Scott!" she replied.

"I only have eyes for you, darling.  Now, are we ready to head off to Tartosa?"

"I can't go dressed like this..." she said and, on sniffing her armpits "...or smelling like this either.  I need a shower first and then make myself look presentable."

"You could be wearing a potato sack and you'd still look presentable" said Travis.

"I think I can do a lot better than a potato sack...we'll leave in about an hour." she replied.

"An hour!  Sigh, alright, I'll twiddle my thumbs until then" he said, looking resigned to waiting that time.

Tartosa!  Wedding Capital of [state] and just 20 miles south of Sim City.  Secluded in a bay that gives the small town a Mediterranean style microclimate of its own, it was land once owned by the Landgraab brothers; Malcolm I and Gordon, but sold to Italian immigrants in the 1870s and they built a charming and beautiful town in the Italian style.  It wasn't until the 1920s that it gained a reputation of being a wedding destination.  The beautiful beaches and hills made for a splendid setting for weddings, hotels, guest houses and restaurants sprang up all catering for newlyweds but also tailors, dressmakers, bakers and florists all specialising in The Big Day.  Travis and Summer decided to head here for the day in order to finalise things for their own nuptials, looking to get flower arrangements and a wedding cake.

"Oh Travis, it's even more beautiful than I remember..." said Summer, gazing lovingly at her surroundings and then back at her fiancé. 

"Do you know, I've never been here" Travis replied "but I'm going to make up for lost time now" he said, holding her hands.

Summer was swept up in Travis' romanticism.  He didn't display that side of him often but when he did, he could charm her off her feet.  

"Sigh, much and all that I want to walk hand in hand with you along the beach we're here on business." she said.

"Very serious business" Travis replied.

"Indeed.  So, enough of this lah-di-dah...let's do what we came here to do"

They sampled cakes, took advice on flowers and browsed all the wedding paraphernalia shops in town.  They managed to order table decorations and embossed name cards for all the guests.  At one point Summer wanted to visit a bridal boutique in order to get some accessories for her gown but because she had to describe to the shop assistants what her dress was going to be like, she sent Travis away so the secret of it would be kept from him.

He strolled around the square and encountered two older ladies who were doing a spot of painting.  He was trying to work out what the painting was of when they turned to greet him.

"Do you like art?" said the lady holding a brush.  She was a negro woman who wore a green cardigan and white skirt.

"Mostly.  That's nice what you're doing there...groovy...but you're going to have to help me out here...what is it meant to be?" Travis replied.

"It's an abstract, it's more an impression, a mood than a literal representation" said the other lady, who Travis guessed was either mixed race or whose ancestry was Latin American or even Mediterranean.

"Oh yeah, I get it now.  I like it, especially the colours you've used" said Travis.

"Now a young, fashionably dressed man like yourself is usually in Tartosa to arrange a wedding..." said the woman in the green cardigan.

"Yep, I certainly am.  I'm with my fiancée but because she's in that bridal boutique I'm banned from finding out what her dress is going to be like."

"Aww, sweet.  You two sound like you're doing things the traditional way."

"That's us.  Well, that's Summer...my intended.  She's got it all planned.  My name's Travis, by the way."

"I'm Dominique, this is my better half Camille."

"By better half you mean?  Oh...I get it.  Well, that's groovy too."  said Travis, a little awkwardly because he wasn't used to meeting same sex couples, especially two women but he didn't want to sound judgemental.

"We live in Tartosa and love it" said Dominique.  "The irony being that in the wedding capital we can't get married ourselves"

Travis chuckled with the two women.  He was taken with their very openness about their relationship.

Summer soon came to join them and as Travis looked at her walking towards this little group he was once again taken aback by how beautiful she was.

"Wow...Travis...is that her?" said Camille.

"It certainly is" he said, beaming with pride.

"She is lovely!" said Dominique.

"Hello Travis...making new friends?" said Summer when she got to the group.

"Yeah, this is Dominique and Camille and they're locals around here." said Travis.

"Hi, I'm Summer and you're already getting to know Travis" 

"Yes, he's been telling me about your upcoming wedding.  I hope all went well at the boutique; it has an excellent reputation" said Dominique.

"Not that we ever visit it" added Camille.

"Oh really?  I suppose you're already mar..." began Summer but Travis quickly interrupted her before she could put her foot in it.

"...settled.  But they've been telling me all about how wonderful Tartosa is." 

"To answer your question, we're lesbians" said Camille.  Summer raised an eyebrow.

"Oh...ah...well..." said Summer, taken aback and trying to find something appropriate to say.

"And isn't it groovy, Summer?  And open about it as well." said Travis, trying to help his girlfriend.

"Well, why hide it anymore?" said Dominique.

"Which we've had to do for years now but with you kids showing us the way with the peace and love, we decided to stop hiding and be open about it." added Camille.

"Like the Beatles said, 'hey, you've got to hide your love away'...although in your case you're doing the opposite" said Travis.

"Well, I do love your painting" said Summer.  "Do you paint professionally?" 

"Semi-pro.  I've retired from regular work but I now paint mostly for enjoyment although I do exhibit my work in the local gallery here" said Dominique.

"Well, Travis, we must be getting along...I do love that painting though."

"Hey, how much would you sell it for?  It could be a wedding present" said Travis.

"For you, 50 Simoleons" said Dominique.  It'll be finished in a couple of days and you can either come back or I can sent it to you...are you from Sim City?"

"We are.  50, sure.  We'll sort out the details after Summer takes me to the next place on our itinerary!"

The ladies recommended a bar for Travis and Summer to check out once they had done their shopping and it was there that the young couple took stock of what they had achieved and what was still left to be done.

"Well, that's it...we're pretty much sorted" said Summer.  "And you've got the honeymoon destination arranged, Trav?"

"Oh...yes..." in reality, he had narrowed the possibilities down to three places but he hadn't told Summer that nothing had been booked for definite yet.

"Great.  Oh, Travis, I wish the wedding were tomorrow!" Summer said with a gleeful sigh.

"Steady on!  Let's enjoy these last 3 weeks before the big day"

"I suppose so..." 

They moved from the bar to a cosy seat that overlooked the bay and enjoyed a romantic break in the middle of their busy day.  Summer knew at some point they had to get back to Foundry Crescent in time for her to go to work and Travis had planned to meet up with Jeremy for a guy's night.

"What have you got planned with Jeremy?" Summer asked.

"There's a new sci-fi series on TV that's debuting tonight; we made plans to check it out" replied Travis.

"Would that be the new series of Llamaman?"

"That's not science fiction!" said Travis, rolling his eyes.

"I'll never get the appeal of those kinds of shows...anyway, we're here, a glass of sparkling wine inside us and the mood is very...romantic.  Don't you think?"

"Oh yes!  Picturesque...hey, Summer, are you snuggling in closer?"

"We should come here more often..." said Travis.

"Absolutely"

"Sigh, I've got to make a move to get to work now.  You take the car, I noticed there's a bus that goes from here right to the centre of the city so I'll catch that"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, you'll need to get the snacks and beers in before Jeremy's visit so you'll need the car more than me.  See you tonight...lover!"

After she left, Travis got another drink and found that the locals here were very outgoing...a woman at the bar started a conversation.

"I can spot a couple planning a wedding a mile off" she said.

"That obvious, eh?" replied Travis.

"When you've been here long enough you can spot the signs.  So, got everything planned?"

"Nearly everything.  Just got the honeymoon destination to sort out"

"Now that's important!  When are you getting married?"

"First week of October"

"Cutting it fine...do you have anywhere in mind?"

"Either Granite Falls or Sulani"

"Granite Falls will be cold and rainy at that time of year.  Sulani's more expensive; great if you have the budget"

"I know, I've seen the prices of hotels and rentals out there."

"Do you know there's the Villa Vigna that's for rent?  Very popular with honeymooners and I happen to know a scheduled booking has fallen through and the owner wants to rent it out asap.  I could give you the details if you're interested?"

"Count me in!  That sounds ideal!  My fiancé and I have kind of fallen in love with Tartosa..."

A trip to the other side of Tartosa, a conversation with the site manager and a deposit cheque laid down and Travis had secured the honeymoon destination.  Now it was the drive back to Foundry Cove and for his guys' night in with Jeremy.  This new show had better be good...

"What are you doing, Travis?  You never cook anything unless it's on the BBQ" said Liberty, emerging from her room and seeing Travis frantically at work mixing something up in a bowl.

"I'm making a salsa dip for when Jeremy comes around."

"Jeremy's coming around?" asked Liberty, for whom this was the first she'd heard about it.

"Yeah, we're going to watch that new sci-fi show on NBC.  Star Wagon or something like that"

"Oh that!  Oh can I watch too!  I've heard good things about it."

"You can be an honorary guy for the evening...now let's get the nachos and the beers and Jezza will be here soon."

Just then the doorbell rang and Travis went to answer it.  "Oh, Liberty...can you finish off that salsa?  It just needs a bit of Tabasco and it's done."

"Yes....sir!" she said, sarcastically.

Travis greeted Jeremy enthusiastically "Thanks for coming...so I've got the beers in and Liberty's just finishing off the snacks and in 10 minutes we'll see if this show's worth it or not."

"I saw the preview and it looks exciting" Jeremy replied.  The two men settled down on the couch, turned the TV on and got their first beers.

"There's been a lack of sci-fi on TV since they cancelled The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits" said Travis.

"Well, this show isn't an anthology series from what I hear.  It's kind of like Forbidden Planet with a spaceship crew solving alien problems each week." Jeremy replied.

"Ooh, it's about to start!" interrupted Travis.

"And now on NBC...we are proud to present a brand new action drama set in space:  Prepare to embark on a....Star Trek!"

"Captain's log....Stardate 1531.1....Our position, orbiting planet M-113.  Mr......SPOCK is in.....temporary command of.....the....Enterprise.....whilst Doctor......McCoy and.........myself beam down to the planet"

"That is a cool looking ship" said Travis.

"Yeah, and they have a teleportation device by the looks of it" Jeremy replied.

"Hey, is that William Shatner?  He's so dreamy!" said Liberty, who had brought the dips and chips over and sat down next to the guys on the couch.

"I'm.....Captain......James T. KIRK of the........Starshipenterprise....SPOCK!  You've GOT to get us......out of here!"

"I'm digging the uniforms" said Travis.

"Yes...the female one is particularly......comely" said Jeremy.

"Gotta get one for Summer....oh, and you'd look great in that uniform as well, Libs"

Liberty didn't say anything but instead raised her eyebrow, suspiciously.

"Captain's log......supplemental.......Something is.........killingmycrew!"

"So who's the guy with the pointy ears?" asked Liberty.

"That's the second in command, Mr Spock" said Jeremy.  

"He's an alien...Vulcanian, Vulcan?  Something like that" said Travis.

"Played by Leonard Nimmoy" added Jeremy.

"I thought it was Leonard Neemoy" interjected Travis.

"Lee-oh-narrrd Neeeeeeeemoy" joked Jeremy, taking a sip from his second beer.

"Len-arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd Nimmmmmoi!" added Travis, laughing.

"Tut, you boys" said Liberty.

"It's killing the Captain!  Shot it, Doctor!"

"No, Spock!  I won't! I won't shoot Nancy!"

"This isn't Nancy, it's the creature!  If it were Nancy could she take this?"  SLAP!

"Steady on, Spock!" cried out Liberty.

"They killed the creature, even though it was the last of its kind" mused Jeremy.

"Yeah, but it was rampaging, killing everyone.  They had to do it" said Travis.

"I know....but there might of been another way...."

"You're sounding like the characters on this show"

"That....was awesome" said Travis.

"Same time next week then?" asked Jeremy.

"For sure.  I'm not missing this show.  Cool spaceship, creepy monsters and hot, hot crewwomen!"

"I hear you, buddy.  How's the wedding planning going?" asked Jeremy.

"Smoothly...I even got the honeymoon sorted.  We're going to Tartosa!"

"Tartosa?  Great place.  Well done you."

"Anyway, must get going now...good to catch up, Travis, well done on the honeymoon and yeah, let's watch more Star Trek."

Yep, for Travis it had been a good day.  He'd remember September 8th, 1966 for a long time......

1986

"Parker!  Melody!  Come on...we'll be late for the movie!" Yelled Travis at his teenage children.

"Whoa, Dad, calm down...I'm here already" said his son, Parker.

"I do wish you wouldn't hide yourself in the same room I'm in:  It's creepy" said Travis.  "Now where's your sister?"

"I'm ready to go" said Summer, emerging from the master bedroom.

"And looking wonderful as ever" said Travis, beaming at his lovely wife.  They'd just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and for him, she was always his one true love after all these years.

"Where's Melody?" asked Summer.

"Still perming her hair and slapping on more make up" said Parker with a shrug.

"Melody darling..." said Summer, "it really is time to go"

"Hurumph...I know!" replied Melody from her bedroom in a testy manner.  "I'm doing something important here!"

Melody strutted from her bedroom, flapping her hands.  "My nails still haven't dried properly!"

"Well, we'd better get going...the movie starts in a half hour." said Travis, picking up the car keys from the counter top.

As they stepped outside and walked to the car, Melody asked "What movie are we going to see again?"

"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" replied Travis.

"Rad!" 

"Gnarly!"

"It'll be great!  I've taken you kids to see every Star Trek movie and we have every episode on VHS" said Travis, proudly.

"Your father is quite the Trekkie" said Summer.

"Trekker, Summer, it's Trekker, not Trekkie" corrected Travis.

"Did you know, kids, that your father and your Aunt Liberty and Uncle Jeremy watched the very first episode the night it was broadcast?  They've been die hard fans ever since."

"How many fake uncles and aunts do we have?" said Parker.  "I mean, there's Uncle Jeremy, Auntie Liberty, Auntie Julia...and the mysterious Auntie Suzy.  What happened to her?"

"We....don't like to talk about that" said Summer, her face suddenly becoming sullen.