The Place to Be

“Can you do something about the fish smell? It's not very appetizing.”

“Oh, I don't think it's that bad. They were only here for about ten days.”

“Ten days was ten days too many. And what's up with the AC? There's hot air coming out.”

“That? That's just some fumes. It's from a couple of weeks ago. Washington…you know, lots of hot air.”

“Uh-huh. Boy, I missed this place.”

“How long has it been?”

“Too long.”

“Records say September 26 of last year.”

“Yeah, whatever. It's good to be back, though.”

“Actually, says here you shared it on the 27th and again on the 29th.”

“I don't count those. You share it, it's not yours.”

“If you say so. Well, it's yours for now.”

“About time. You gonna do something about all this green fur? It's clinging to the carpet, to the chairs. Ick.”

“That's not our responsibility.”

“Since when?”

“You have been out of here a while, haven't you? 'It is the occupant's responsibility to maintain sole residency. Failure to do so…'”

“'Failure to do so will result in sudden eviction.' Don't think I don't remember.”

“Well, you should remember then that the green fur is your problem.”

“Yeech. It's stuck to everything. What did they use? Krazy Glue?”

“I think it was the Champagne. It settled in and formed adhesive properties over the winter.”

“Amazing to think they got to keep this place all winter. They didn't move in until the end of September.”

“You know the rules. Whoever has it at the end of the season gets to keep it…”

“Yeah, I remember the rules.”

“It's not like you didn't spend all of last summer here.”

“No need to remind me.”

“Just wanted to be clear. Staying here is temporary, you know. It's not something you're entitled to.”

“I said I know!”

“No need to snap.”

“Sorry about that. It's just rough looking around and thinking back on everything I missed about this place.”

“Why don't you go ahead and unpack your stuff — that is if you're serious about staying.”

“Oh, I am. I got some great new pieces since you last saw me. Get a load of these…”

“Whoa, those are beauties! How many you got there?”

“Ten. Got 'em all in just seven innings.”

“Impressive.”

“There's more where they came from. They're expensive, but they're gonna be worth it.”

“Those look familiar.”

“These four? I got 'em from that same place I've been going the last few years. Just picked 'em up Friday night.”

“Is that one of each? If it is, we have special parking for cycles.”

“Looks like it, doesn't it? Nah, not quite. That would have been sweet. These four are just fine. They're probably the biggest reason I got back here when I did.”

“You do have some nice pieces. Say, that save looks untouched.”

“The guy who makes them is impeccable. I have to admit I'm surprised about the work he's doing.”

“I'll let you finish unpacking. Boy, it would be a shame if you couldn't set all this stuff up. You seemed so at home here last summer. And the whole year before that.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, good luck sticking around. The old joint wasn't the same without you.”

“Tell me about it.”