The Phantom Touch

Celebration

After signing a couple of papers for Calista and Matias, I hurried out of the store with hopes of finding Everett and telling him the good news. However, as I walked through the streets of Whisper Valley, I failed to catch him strolling along on patrol. I thought about heading to the police station to see if he was there, but I recalled Raid's need for a private conversation. I figured I didn't need barging in and disrupting his meeting to be added to the zombie leader's "Reasons to Dislike Delilah" list.

Still, I had a need to share my joy with someone and as a result, my feet led me to the Brew and Stew.

Though the April sun still stood strong above the mountainous horizon, we were approaching dinner time and the non vampire blue collar workers were filing into the restaurant with an eager twinkle in their eye. They stretched their weary muscles that hid beneath oil or dirt stained jumpsuits and overalls. They blinked the exhaustion from their eyes as they pulled up a seat at the bar and they ordered a cold beer to dull the aches of the day. Though, the large diner burst with feeders, mages, and werewolves, they were all too grateful for another end to a hard day to notice my presence. I hoped maybe at some point, I'd even be allowed to join their revelry now that I was going to be working too.

"Hey, Del," said Hen as she handed over a couple beers and a mug of coffee to a few workers that appeared to have been working on one of the town's farms based on all the dirt collected beneath their fingernails. "What can I get for you today?"

"Actually, I was hoping to see if Bungee was in." I pulled up one of the few stools that was left along the bar area and though my neighbor gave me a quick glance, he didn't do more than nudge his chair a little away from me before digging back into a very thick hamburger.

"Yeah," said the skilled hostess, who somehow managed to talk to me without so much as pausing in her work with dishing out meals to the hungry laborers. "He's working through the dinner shift tonight. Do you need him for long?"

"No, just a couple minutes. If that's okay."

"Of course it is!" She finished handing over all the plates waiting for her in the kitchen window and then stuck her head through so she could see into the back of the diner. "Hey Gee!" she called, her voice sharp and loud so that it cut through the rumble of voices in the restaurant. "You've got a visitor."

"If it's Raid, tell him I'll help at Killian's tonight after the shift!" hollered Bungee from some back corner in the kitchen. "I'm not bailing on you, Hen."

"I know you won't hon," she said with the pride of a mother. "But, it's not Raid, it's Del!"

With that there wasn't anymore shouted exchanges. Instead, Hen pulled herself out of the window and headed over to a waitress that had questions about one of her orders. As for Bungee, it only took him a few seconds to stop what he was doing and come out into the front of the diner.

"Hey Del, what a pleasant surprise!" He strode over to where I sat as he dried his hands upon his apron, which was stained with a variety of sauces and gravies. "Here to take up Hen on her offer for some part time work?"

"No," I said with a light laugh. "I really am here to see you. I wanted to let you know I got a job!" My smile stretched my lips as far as they could go and my eyes disappeared behind the rise of my cheeks. Which is why I didn't see Bungee as he lunged forward and wrapped me a hug that nearly knocked me off my stool.

Resting his chin on my shoulder, he said, "I'm so proud of you!" And then he released me like it had been no big deal. However, when our eyes met afterward, it was then that we both came face to face with the fact that he felt close enough to me to do that. Sure, it wasn't unusual for friends to hug and we were friends weren't we?

But, a hug involves so much of the body, so much contact, that every nerve in the skin can detect several sensations at once. Things invisible to the eye that may have indicated something more in the rather intimate gesture. Like how tight did he hold me? How long did he linger? Where did he place his hands? Something in the answers to those questions tipped the balance ever so slightly so that it didn't quite feel like a hug of a friend, but of someone who felt more affection than was typical of acquaintances.

Perhaps I was reading too much into it, but I couldn't just ignore all the feedback the sudden encounter had sizzling across my skin. It didn't help that Bungee watched me with a look of awe and fear. If he was nervous about my reaction, wouldn't that also indicate he had more intentions behind it than a friend would?

"Congratulations!"

We both bounced with surprise as a flurry of rainbow colored petals, ribbons, and sparkles drifted through the air. The whole restaurant applauded, though I doubted most of them even knew why Hen had sent a burst of magical confetti into the air in the first place. However, it did, at least, snap both Bungee and I out of our dilemma. And for that, I was grateful.

"Where's your job?" asked Hen as the mixture of glitter and flowers disappeared.

"I'll be working at The Undead Cuisine Kitchen," I said with a rise of my chin and a puff of my chest. "I'll be a daytime cashier there."

"Well, that's just great, Del," said Bungee, whose voice still rattled with some residual nerves. "I'm glad you finally found something and I do think that's a good fit for you."

"Thanks, I..." I paused as I turned around to face Bungee. There, over the zombie's shoulder, I spotted Everett looking in through the large storefront windows. My face lit with a bright red and I turned back to Hen who was procuring a slice of cake.

"Here," she said, "on the house in celebration of what will be a historic event!"

"H-historic?" I mumbled, my mouth salivating at the sight of the gooey chocolate frosting.

"Yeah, you're the first non-sponsored human to ever get a job here. It's definitely worthy of some notice."

"Right...right!" I exclaimed, recalling why I had turned to her in the first place. "I'll be right back, I just need to run out for a minute..." I turned back around as I popped off my seat, however, when I looked out to the road, Everett was gone. Noticing my gaze, Bungee followed my eyes, but turned towards me when he spotted the empty sidewalk.

"Everything okay, Del?" he asked, with concern pulling at his voice.

"Y-yeah," I said with a sigh. "Everything's fine. Nevermind, I can stay after all. Thanks so much for the cake, Hen." I slipped back onto my stool and shared a wide smile with my kind hostess.

That night I celebrated at the Brew and Stew, even earning myself a few congratulations from the various patrons at the restaurant. Bungee came by periodically to chat in between rushes and I even saw a couple of the Bodies since they decided to stop on by to wish me luck with my new job. It didn't take long for news like that to travel through a town as small as Whisper Valley. However, I still wished I could have shared my excitement with the man who had been there supporting my efforts from day one.

***

Del enjoys the shower of congratulations from the Whisper Valley townsfolk, but one of the people she wants to hear it from the most, seems to be rather elusive.  Will Del finally track Everett down and what might be keeping him busy?

Who's the first person you go to when you have happy news to share?  I always call up my husband, but my parents come immediately after him ;)