Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2015 23:22:39 GMT
'WAAAAALLLLY!!!'
'WHAT, MOM?!'
'DID YOU TAKE FROU-FROU OUT FOR HER WALK YET?!'
'IN A MINUTE!' Geez, does she have to keep interrupting?! What, does she think this Rainbow Dash cosplay is going to sew itself?! Pacific Ponycon is only three months away, and I'm less than halfway done with it!
'SHE NEEDS TO GO RIGHT NOW, SHE'S STARTED SCRATCHIN' BY THE DOOR!' Ugh! When it's not one thing, it's the other. And there's still work afterwards, as well. Joy.
I make my way up the stairs and retrieve Frou-Frou's leash from its peg on the wall. Our little Pomeranian does seem eager to be let out, and for once doesn't make a fuss when I try to slip the collar around her neck; I guess the need to go Number Two makes the sacrifice worthwhile for her. Either way, it doesn't take more than a couple of minutes before we're stepping out the door.
'Wear your jacket, hon, it's chilly out.' My Mom is sitting in the living room, sorting through her e-mail inbox, and not even looking up at me. I guess she doesn't need to look at me to know I'm not wearing a jacket, though; mothers always know these things somehow.
'I'll be fine, Mom', I protest. 'I'm thick enough to survive a little wind.' That's one of the advantages of being overweight, at least for me; I feel the elements way less than I would otherwise. Still, my Mom seems about to put up a counter-argument in favor of me wearing a jacket, and I prepare to cave in to her wishes; when she talks again, however, it is to say something completely different.
'Wally...'
'What?'
'...there's an email here for you.'
'There is?!' That's weird; I haven't sent for anything or written to anyone lately.
Unless...
'Who's it from?!' I gasp, ignoring Frou-Frou's indignant whines. She can wait another minute or two.
'A place called Polo...Polio...'
'Pollomania?!' Please be it...please be it...please be it...
'Yeah, that's it. Polio Mania. Sounds dangerous. You ain't goin' to be comin' home sick or anything, are you?'
'Nah, Mom. It's Pollomania. It's Spanish for 'chicken'!' That's the kind of thing you learn when you work in fast food in Texas.
'So you're movin' to a new job?' I can tell Mom's about to freak out, so I quickly diffuse the situation with a kiss on the forehead.
'Look, it's a long story. I'll tell you all about it later.' The dog's urgency to go outside serves as a great excuse to slip quickly out the door – or as quickly as my girth will let me, anyway – before my Mom has any more questions.
It's not until me and Frou-Frou have been out for a few minutes that it finally sinks in: I have a contract again. To do what I like. And with the company being connected to a fast-food restaurant, I may even have a contract to do what I don't like but that helps me pay the bills. Which would mean leaving the golden-arched hellhole once and for all. And what's best of all – the place is all the way out in San Antonio, so I'd get to move out of my Mom's basement and be my own man again. All that's missing is for Chris to be here, but I haven't heard from that dude in over a year, and have no way to reach him; I guess I'm going it alone this time. Owl Man, back in the squared circle again, fighting evildoers and saving helpless ladies. Or, y'know, just punching some bad guys in the face. Either way, it's worth risking.
Isn't it amazing how quickly life can throw you for a loop? Ten minutes ago, I was working a dead-end job, living in my Mom's basement and looking forward to an event three months in the future; now, all of that has changed and an entirely new avenue has opened up in front of me. And all because I decided to take one risk a few weeks back.
With that said, I guess my Rainbow Dash outfit will have to wait. Right now, it's time to take the other costume out of the closet...