Episode 3: Taking Care of Business

The Nicki Minaj slept peacefully on a park bench until she was awoken by loud and energetic children.

And yet again, Emanuel was fishing. He managed to catch a few small one’s, some minnows ya know, he was sure they’d go for at least a small price if he sold them.

“So we meet again,” a familiar person approached Emanuel.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Emanuel questioned.

They found a nice secluded room. Alone and behind closed doors they…

Danced. Emanuel found he really enjoyed starting his mornings out this way. As soon as he went to the park he headed for the sound speakers and let loose. Amilee seemed to enjoy doing the same.

Get down with your bad self Emanuel, get down.

Sleeping in the middle of the day was seriously going to have to stop once Emanuel started work, but it had been three days since he applied for the job and still hadn’t started.

When he awoke, the thought of work made him feel tense. He was an ambitious guy and was looking forward to moving on up, but he couldn’t do that just goofing around all the time.

He didn’t feel much like going out, but instead he gave Amilee a quick call and it lightened his mood.

It was a good thing he was no longer feeling so tense, or else he wouldn’t have been so happy with visitors; visitors like Grace, who just so happily stopped by and knocked on his door, confident as always.

“Come in, come in, have a seat,” Emanuel invited her.

“So what do you think of my place?”

Grace exaggerated, “Well, I guess it’s pretty spacious.”

“Right, I agree, best view in all of Oasis Springs for a pretty woman like yourself, that’s why I had my bed moved outdoors,” Emanuel continued.

Grace smiled, “Are you trying to flirt with me Emanuel?”

*Insert another joke here almost as equally as bad or worse than Emanuel’s llama joke so he can try to avoid the question joke.*

“You know I kind of thought this when I first met you, but you’re a bit of a dork, but it’s cute, so I forgive you.”

Emanuel laughed, “Are you trying to flirt with me now?”

 He learned a lot about Grace pretty quickly. She was a woman very confident about who she was. Time passed by too quickly for them as they were talking. Even though this was only the second time he met Grace, she had become his closest friend in Oasis Springs.

“Just so my mother and sister don’t worry about me all on my own and lonesome out here, let’s take a picture to send to them,” Emanuel suggested.

“Sure Emanuel, it’s not at all because you wanted a picture of my beautiful face,” Grace teased.

“Hey by the way, when did that apple tree get there?”

Emanuel’s first day of work started in the morning. He said goodbye to Grace and tucked himself in a little early.

And he woke up too early too, smelling absolutely terrible at that. Could his dad not have gone ahead and built an outdoor shower as well?

As he didn’t want to take a shower too soon before work, Emanuel headed over to the gym and started practicing some lines for a bit, warming up for the big day, and began to feel a bit more charismatic. He was sure that and the inspired mood his shower left him in would prove to leave a good impression.

Wouldn’t you know it, when Emanuel got out of his shower Amilee was also there, as always, and he had the urge to sit down and share his dreams with her… just for a bit.

And they even got a little bit flirty, just to see how it went, yet despite his best try, their friendship still stayed at a friendly level.

But alas, good things never last. Emanuel realized it was time to leave for work. He crossed his fingers. Let’s hope he doesn’t mess this up!

Episode 2: Mr. Charisma

Emanuel still hadn’t quite gotten in the swing of things and still fell asleep on the regular during the afternoon.

He woke up in the middle of the night in a goofy, playful mood. Yet what was one to do to keep themselves entertained on an almost empty lot, at three o’clock in the morning?

He headed down to the park, hoping to play around on the kids playground equipment, only to see that adults were not allowed on the rocket ship unless they were accompanying a child. Drats. There went that plan, now what was he to do?

Dance of course. He was born with two left feet, clumsiest person everyone swore to have ever met, but that never took the joy out of dancing for him. When he heard a good song playing, no matter from how far away, he always had the urge to bust a move or two.

The other night owls seemed to find it pretty entertaining, and the goofball Emanuel got a few good chuckles out of them. He recalled what he had been told when he was hired for his new job, he needed charisma.

He remembered that the twenty four hour gym in the area had a wall lined with mirrors. Perhaps he could go there when it wasn’t so busy and rehearse a few lines or two.

Or… perhaps he’d be better off just working out when at the gym, he felt a little silly talking to himself like that, especially after a few other residents started arriving.A pretty young lady caught his eye and he immediately headed to a treadmill nearby and started “working out,” like that’s what he had been doing all along.

“Hello,” he waved and introduced himself awkwardly.

Although he’d had a few conversations with others around town before, he and Amilee got along really well. They talked about a lot, like her love for the outdoors for instance.

Yet in the middle of the conversation, she just got up and left! Emanuel felt a bit irritated about this, or perhaps it was just his stomach growling again that he was finding annoying. He had already spent so much money making hot dogs at the park last time, and wouldn’t you know it, he accidentally left them in his bag and they spoiled. He figured it never hurt to head back over and maybe make another batch. And save them this time.

So this is where you went. Emanuel caught sight of Amilee as she was jogging around the park and waved her over.

Emanuel wasn’t really expecting to see her there; jogging around after just leaving the gym of all things.

“I have a lot of brothers,” Amilee explained. “Total meat heads, they rubbed off on me a bit but I don’t mind. They raised me to exercise and bro bump, but I meet a lot of cool people who do the same.”

Just like last time they met, conversation between the two was unhitched and the whole time they talked, he felt as though he was exuding charisma. Oh yeah Emanuel, you Mr. Charismatic you.

Amilee was feeling a little uncomfortable and tired after exercising for so long and waved goodbye to Emanuel. It was about time he headed home too. He was so tired of eating cereal, there was no way he was letting his food spoil this time.

On his way home Emanuel purchased a pack of seeds from the store. Apple seeds, of course.

He dug his plot and planted the seeds carefully. He wiped his brow. Lets see if this land could bear some fruit after all.

Emanuel looked at his phone. He still had a bit of time before he needed to get some sleep. Perhaps this would be the perfect time to tune up his music skills somewhere.

Emanuel cringed in embarrassment as he filled the nightclub with absolutely horrid music. But hey, the piano was never his forte anyways.

When he was finished, he felt as though the only thing that could settle his nerves was a nice drink and he found a spot at the bar beside the other patrons.

“You know if you take a picture it will last longer,” the woman next to Emanuel said. “I’m Grace, by the way.”

“You know Grace, I was actually just thinking, have you ever heard the joke about-.”

*Insert Emanuel telling a really ridiculous joke about llamas here.*

Sure he’s a dork Grace, but he’s kind of a cute one, right?

Episode 1: About a Good Ole Boy

You might think Emanuel Swanson was a young man who grew up lacking. He lived a quiet and simple rural life with his mother and father and one younger sister. There were many farms in his small town, yet as a child Emanuel always believed his father owned the finest one.

To call it a farm was almost blasphemy, it was a thriving orchard, pluck ripe with the tastiest apples one could sink their teeth into. The whole town agreed, his family sold their produce to the local markets but took the most joy out of operating their own stand on the side of the rode and watching their customers’ faces light up when they took that first crisp bite. After having been open for so many years, his father built a great deal of respect that way.

Emanuel’s father was a stern man but he was a faithful and dedicated one, he treated his wife like she was his world and taught Emanuel and his sister how coveting without hard work would get them nowhere in life.

With this lesson in mind, the state of his parent’s wealth was of no concern to Emanuel as long as he earned his place beside them.

That was until his father died; by laughter no less, happily chuckled his way to a stroke one day while fishing with buddies.

After the initial grief, the family feared for the orchard. What would it be without the head of the household to run it?

Emanuel was given a choice, step up and fill his father’s shoes or work hard and carve a new way of life for his mother and sister.

His mother smiled in understanding when Emanuel chose the latter. His father’s place was never one Emanuel could take.

His mother slipped an envelope into his hands. “These are land rights your father has been holding onto for the past two years dear. He knew he wasn’t in the greatest of health, he bought you a large plot of land closer to the city.”

She kissed him on the cheek, “Go, it’s time to start your own legacy.”

The sun was just rising when the taxi delivered Emanuel at his destination.

He wondered just what kind of legacy he was going to build here. Perhaps someday he would have a son, much like himself, that would one day inherit this land from him. He wanted his children to have a good future.

Emanuel never considered himself much of a looker, but he wasn’t a gangly looking fellow either. Just a good ole country boy, that’s what he was. His bright eyes looked over the land that his father had left for him. What was the life he had envisioned Emanuel having? The land seemed too dry for an orchard, but perhaps that was possible. He kicked up some dust. Well, he was sure his father would have been able to do it. He sighed and grabbed the duffle bag he had sat down; time to start the “tedious” task of unpacking.

That “tedious” task was more of a joke, as Emanuel didn’t have much to his name. During some visits, his father must have built himself an outdoor latrine. There was also a working fridge, of course un-stocked, and a dinky sink. Beside the structure was a tiny cot for sleep. No shelter overhead. No big deal to Emanuel, he had been camping plenty. As long as it didn’t rain, but it seemed like it didn’t do that much here. He unpacked his few clothes, an outfit for every possible occasion, and his linens.

“I can’t live like this for long,” he thought, rubbing the back of his neck. He pulled out his phone and began scanning through help wanted ads. There had to be something he could do to make money. He finally found one. It was kind of an embarrassing hobby when he was younger, but Emanuel was actually quite the violinist. Yeah, he was a bit out of practice, but he knew the basics of music making, his scales and such. Enough to be an amateur entertainer he figured, so he called for the position.

“We need someone who has charisma,” the company told him.

“Oh yes I understand,” Emanuel told the man, “I’m very charismatic!”

Oh that was such a lie, but Emanuel got the job!

“I really don’t know how to deal with city people,” Emanuel thought after hanging up with the quick witted businessman, “it would probably be a good idea to go out and socialize a bit.”

Now he knew it wasn’t quite the time to stop by the bar for a drink, not by city standards at least, but Emanuel’s father told him it was never too early for a good glass of juice. And Emanuel always found bars to be bustling with conversation.

It didn’t take long after taking a seat at Rattlesnake Juice for the locals and the bartender to include Emanuel in their humorous banter, but Emanuel mainly sat quietly and listened, laughing along with their jokes.
There was only one woman in the bar; she sat alone, a confident look on her face but nobody to talk to.

“Is this seat taken?” Emanuel asked her. She shook her head no and he sat down beside her.

They proceeded to talk about Emanuel’s recent move. They chatted about their day, their interests. Emanuel found people warmed up easier when complimented.

“Thank you,” she replied genuinely when he did so, “my husband always says that too.”

“Oops, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be offensive or anything,” Emanuel apologized.

“No it’s fine, Eddie and I are happily married, no reason for me to turn down a kind hearted compliment.”

Not too far into the conversation Emanuel felt himself growing tired. He excused himself, he needed to get home and get some rest. His trip must have exhausted him.

When he awoke it was still early in the afternoon and he was kind of getting hungry, he could eat cold cereal from his fridge again, though he remembered seeing some grills down by the park when he arrived. Hot dogs, those sounded much more appetizing.

After purchasing some hotdogs, he made his way over to the park, bee lining straight for a grill, his stomach growling in annoyance. He lit one up and smoke filled the air, causing Emanuel to remember just how bad he was at cooking in the first place, he was always too clumsy for it. His mother made the best dinners, how was he going to survive without her?

In the end, however, his food turned out just fine, and he had enough to spare for leftovers. As he sat and ate by his lonesome, he surveyed some of the town’s residents.

He took note of just how odd these people were. Is that person looking super uncomfortable over there Nicki Minaj? Is that Darth Vader playing in a spaceship? Perhaps that could be her next music video…

Seeing all these people having so much fun was making Emanuel feel left out. He saw that there were some fishing signs posted around the area, perhaps he could run home, grab his rod and cast a few.

As Emanuel stood by the quiet waters it brought back memories of his father. Of all the ways to go, a good laugh while fishing wasn’t too bad of one. He watched the minnows swimming around the bob in the water, too small to latch hold of the prize. Was he just a minnow too, going after more than he could chew?

He felt a tug on the line, jerking him from his thoughts. Was this the big one?

Oh well, not this time, but maybe another day…