orangetoughguy | log post II

You coulda been able to do it. If we were back home, today would have worked.

[In a snowy region, in a setting they could live together....okay, you know what? Dimick can be a kid himself sometimes.]

All the dumb luck, huh?

[Sigh. The cereal makes Freddy's breath smell sweet.]

Luck my ass. [Says the kid as he munches down more Lucky Charms.] We'll play another game. We can play street hockey.

[Note the sound of more confidence in his voice when he suggests that.]

We could I guess. [Though, Mr. Orange wouldn't you know that the old man has never done it in inline skates, roller-skates was how you'd do it in the streets when he was a kid.

Larry opens a paw, it's an unspoken request for some Freddy snacks.]

Won't be the same.

I could push you into a tub of cold water if you really want that just-crashed-through-the-ice effect.

[He's kidding, obviously. And then he dumps a pile of Lucky Charms in that paw.]

Smart ass.

[Though he's laughing at the mental picture.]

That what you want to do then? We could play football or ball. [Whatever happened to that car window they broke? Obviously they got away with it. Say though, how would a cop handle that situation. Is it a crime?

Larry pops a few of the marshmallows into his mouth. Yeah, he's eating them first.]

[Yes it's a crime. No he doesn't feel guilty about it one bit.]

Wanna go to an arcade? [He plucks a horseshoe from that paw.]

[Heeey. Doesn't he have the whole box right there? Larry takes another marshmallow and puts it on his tongue before eating. It's already melting.]

What's there?

[That is worth looking at he means. For both of them.]

[Indeed he does, but the paw was closer. Crunch crunch.]

Games. [Spoken with a tone of 'What else?'] And prizes. You can show off that pitching arm.

[One could say that Larry's got Freddy eating out of his hand. Here, he'll even sift through with a finger to see if any had moved to the bottom.]

Okay. I got nothin' else to do today.

[Shrug. If it's really so bad then he could always meet up with the kid later.]

Cool. [That might've been too enthusiastic but the kid can't help it. Lawrence Dimick at a classic arcade? Watching spaceships blast aliens or throwing baseballs at milk bottles? This'll be good.]

Lemme throw a jacket on.

[He shovels the last of his own handful into his mouth before giving Larry the cereal box to put it away. Er, please?]

[He's not going to comment on the energy level, Larry's got an idea of just how much this pleases the kid. That's part of the reason of saying yes. And hey, he kinda wants to spend the day together, at least some of it.]

Sure, sure.

[The old man will get his own when he's done with his handful....in a bite and a half. And seeing as he's left with the box then, yep. He'll put that away too.]

Do we need to get change?

[To smaller coinage. Crazy ol' world that this is. Today, Freddy will be the leader of the jaunt.]

Yep but I got a jar, so.

[The kid waves a flapping hand, leaving the cereal to be the old man's concern and the change to be his own. Nothing doing. When he comes back down it's with jacket and ball cap--an Iron Man deflecting bullets ball cap. The whole get up makes Freddy look younger than he really is.]

I got enough. Besides if you're any good you can buy yourself more play stubs.

[Spoken like a true arcade connoisseur.]

[Meaning he's probably been hoping this day would come, or Larry had caught him in a restock period if there's a jar waiting to be spent.

Coat on, Larry takes a look at his company.]

Am I over dressed?

[Because Dimick is wearing jeans and a button down with the sleeves rolled to show his forearm and the wildcat. He could change out to the tee underneath. See, Freddy? You're calling the shots. How should the old man dress to play the games?]

[These paws are patting and smoothing over what the old man has on.]

Naw, you're fine. Let's go.

[As for whether or not he'd been waiting for this day, well it's not like he's never been to the place before. He's just been waiting to go with Larry.]

[And away they go. Larry's got the door, and the keys. Freddy can man the jar.]

I'm tryin' to think of the last time I been to an arcade. I mean, outside of walkin' through one to get to the slots on the other side or somethin'.

I bet they don't have pinball machines in em anymore. I always thought those were a kick.

[He's not taking the whole jar come on now. He's just taking a nice pouch carrying a quarter of that jar's worth yep.]

Please any good arcade's gonna have fuckin' pinballs cause pinballs are cool. An arcade without one doesn't know its roots.

[Out the door they go, into the cooler but not snowy weather.]

[That's way more than it would take for laundry or parking meters.]

'Scuse me, Mr. Expert. They don't put em in pizza parlors anymore. How's a guy supposed to know?

[Larry turns up his collar against the chill. It's cold, but it ain't that cold.]

So what kinda pinball machine is there? Rocky and Bullwinkle? Turtles?

I gotta take you to the right parlor. [He shakes his head but smiles at Larry, brim of his cap pinched down a little more.]

Bladerunner, Tron, Terminator, Nightmare on Elm Street. [To name a few more.] I bet they got an Elvis one somewhere.

You foolin'? [About the Elvis? Because that's serious business, okay. The rest sound entertaining.] Well, I gotta see when we get there. [One thing is for sure, it's easier and more pleasant getting from point A to point B without the snow.]

Do you know what you wanna play already?

Nope. I mean they make KISS pinball machines so why not?

[Er, he's not implying KISS is on the same level as Elvis of course...just the merchandising and stuff. Yeah. As for what he wants to play?]

Tron, they gotta have it cause I've seen the machine. [It looks a whole lot more modernized though but the kid owes that to an updated frame.] And that game where you try to fish with magnets. I'd do way better with that than real fishing.

[As Larry would know.]

[On they stroll like two street dogs.]

They could make anythin' then. [Larry won't ask but he'll wonder about a Lone Ranger machine.]

Next time you need to pretend the fish are magnets. [Arm bump.] You gotta let me give that one a try.

[He may not know what else he'll do the whole time, but watching and giving a few things a try...

I got a whole bunch of coins right here so if you got the time I think we're pretty much set.

[Maybe they're like a black bear roaming through the neighborhood with a street dog trotting right next to him.]

You can win tickets to trade for other crap or win a huge dog dressed as a banana. [Don't ask him what it is cause Freddy don't know.]

I got time enough. [Leaving a loophole if one is needed. If.] You? [Though with that hat Larry's near certain that Freddy doesn't need to get down and dirty for work. It's got Iron Man after all.]

That were you got the hat? [He flicks a finger against the bill. The old man isn't going to even process the dog dressed as a banana.]

I got lots of time.

[He's had this whole week off if the bear couldn't tell. Why he's had the week off Freddy may not have explained completely yet but that's because Saya's sworn him to secrecy.]

Naw I picked this up at a thrift store. Pretty cool for a couple of oranges huh? Somethin' like four dollars. [He tilts it back into place after the flicking fff.]

[Mighty hard to fix up cars in the dead of winter, at least ones that aren't on the road. Must be slow. Also, Freddy puts up a good front, in case if he didn't know. The old man, on the other hand had a few days off but back to the grindstone.]

It looks like new.

[It looks good for a comic book cap say those brown eyes, even when Larry is shaking his head.]

You should get a Brewers one.

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