Work Text:
[ January 2nd 1974. ]
Alcohol, how did such an unfeeling object get so tangled in her life, in her marriage and her future. How was she drinking it even now? Just to forget that 'he' was drinking it as well? Why was she sinking deeper into the stool seats of the bar? Depending and grasping deeper into the drink in hand, fingerprints forever marking the glass, anger filling into it, pushing her to the desire of crushing the glass— it could be so easy— just to break it, break everything and break herself. It all just needed a little push, a little motivation to turn more like him, to drink more and have everything around her destroyed.
Her eyes continued to blankly stare at the stale liquid, looking for meaning in it— for an answer. What made it so special? Better than her? More fun to be with? As much as she stared and gripped onto it with her frown showing nothing but hate, she couldn't resist to take another sip, and another, and maybe a few more.
A fucking hypocrite— that's what she thought of herself at the moment, as the bartender slight stares judged the well dressed wife and her obsession with just not letting the drink go— she could feel judged by him and by everyone.
A mother-fucking-hypocrite, for depending on the drink that was currently breaking her marriage and happiness. . she had to just think, why in the hell was she even there?—
“ Hi ! You must be Mrs. Krank— ”
A voice exclaimed, immediately breaking the thoughts and silence Linda had made for herself. She didn't yelp from the surprise, but her body tensed, grasping tighter onto the drink until a crack was heard— one that the two of them noticed. Linda did not care for it— it wasn't spilling, but the noise of the crack did alarm the visitor.
“ Oh god, are you alright ?! I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. ” The visitor got closer to her, just to inspect the drink, the wife finally getting a better look at.. her? Wearing a tucked in shirt, and long trousers, the woman's hair was laid back and a mess. The volume in her arms, her smell of smoke and fuel, and the mess of her outfit: this woman clearly didn’t work in an office. She was also way taller than her, not to the point of it being intimidating, but the half-drunken annoyance of having to be looked down upon was beginning to boil. However, the woman's worried gesture was, even if tense, still warmer than whatever the rest of the staff in the bar had to offer— it felt friendly.
“ It's alright. ” She reassures. “ I didn't cut myself. ”
“ Oh, oh that's good. I just recognised you and I couldn't contain my excitement to talk to you. ” The woman was trying to make excuses, which Linda did not need in any regard. Any person who interrupts her very intrusive and destructive thoughts is easily welcomed to even slap her— an exaggeration but something she one day sees coming.
“ You must be Linda Kranken ! ” She continues— sparking the attention of the ginger.
“ Oh— yes, yes I am. And you are ? ”
“ I work with your husband— I am the lead engineer, I do the lighting and staging but mostly I work with the robots ” She exclaimed, her smile showing. “ Basically I will help in creating some kid's trauma. ” She joked, and from that she got Linda to cough a chuckle, covering it with her hand.
“ You do know I meant your name right ? ”
“ Isn't the fact that I am designing animatronics more interesting ? Do you know the amount of code and input there is in robotics ? A lot ! And not to mention how freaky and creepy Jack and Felix want to make them ! Tell me why are we making a clown? Aren't children scared as shit of them— ” The joking monologue of the woman got Linda just to tilt a brow, still smiling. There was just something so stupidly charming about a dumbass who wouldn't drop a joke, but finally after getting the wife's stare for long enough, the engineer dropped the act. “ Susan, Susan Woodings. ”
“ Finally, I thought you would never shut up. ” Scooting the stool to one side, Susan lets herself sit just aside from the other, exchanging smiles to each other.
“ If you wanted me to shut up, you could have just said so. ”
“ You work with my husband, I don't expect you to be the ‘listening’ kind. ”
Now Susan is the one now to tilt a brow. “ Is that a compliment or an insult ? ”
Linda shrugs. “Take it as you want.”
“ I see, well, talking about the boss: I recognised your face from one of Felix's framed pictures. ” As she explains, two of her fingers tap on the counter of the bar, a beer not taking long to be given..
The words shocked the wife, Felix, who had recently lacked the attention and affection of a normal human being— had pictures of her in his office? “ Wait, really ? ” She asks in disbelief, maybe. . maybe she had thought wrong—
“ Yeah, he never really talks about his private life, so I was actually guessing you were the woman in the picture. ” Susan informs, not knowing that said information, again brought Linda staring down to her drink— again an empty feeling filling her. “It would have been embarrassing if you weren’t”
“ He doesn't talk about me ? ” She asks, Susan, as if slapped by everyone in the room, now understood the situation, still she didn’t show regret, just taking a sip of her drink. The engineer saw nothing in telling the other a lie, so her honesty continued.
“ Not really, but, once he did say you are the influence for his project. ”
Even with the other trying to somewhat boost up the spirits of the hopeless wife, Linda could just roll her eyes in annoyance. How many times had she heard that stupid excuse? At this point she believed that her husband was simply enjoying overworking himself to death, that for him it was better than to deal with his own wife. He always loved his projects more than her, that had to be a fact.
“ But— hey. . let's stop talking about work. ” Susan quickly stated, excited, her smile and the phrase being enough to make the eyes of the ginger now look at the brunette's. “ Tell me about you. ”
[ . . . ]
As the night continues, and their talk develops from stories from work to stories from simple mundane things of life, Linda's expressions become more and more lightened. There is no need for alcohol, she even forgets about the unfinished half pint still just beside her. Susan just pulls her out of the trance, out of the thought and into an environment of friendly comfort, one where the insults are just for comedy, and the understanding is just from honesty.
She gets to have a conversation, an actual conversation with another human being, it's not a simple dead chatter of continuous questions regarding “how are you?”, “what do you want to eat" and “you going to bed?” which repeated onto her life so many times, she was telling of everything. No matter if she felt the stories were boring, the smile and enthusiasm of the brunette made all the words and tales roll out of her tongue with no filter. Susan smirked when Linda got excited or nostalgic, she laughed when she told a joke, she showed empathy when the tales got a bit darker, and all of those expressions were just so beautiful. There was something just young about it, so fresh and new. Susan was a break from monotony.
Linda just had to wonder, how unhappy was her marriage that a conversation with a stranger had already become the wildest thing she had done in the last few months?
As they continued talking, the day began to come to a close, and although the ginger was sure that no one would be waiting for her to come back, she had yet to ask if the other had the same freedom.
“ —so basically, I ruined the school's science fair, the children went home, all of them crying. God, I shouldn't have laughed as much as I did, I was a teacher for christ's sake ! '' Susan continued to tell, laughing to her heart's content at the end of the story, the laugh quickly sticking to Linda as well.
“ And you got a job in a children themed restaurant ? ” Linda questioned, still not calming her chuckling.
“ Listen, if I’m being honest. . ” Now she laid her hands on the table. “ I don't have to work that much with children. ”
Linda crooked an eyebrow.. “ Still. . ”
“ Yeah— Still ! I am getting better at dealing with kids. That's why I am so excited to work with—”
“ Susan ! ” Someone shouted from a few metres beyond the bar. Getting the attention of both women.
“ We are going now, you coming ? ”
“ Nah. I'll catch you guys later. ” Linda, with the realisation that the brunette had come accompanied with, felt her shame grow. She had stolen her attention entirely and without knowing, probably stolen her night.
The embarrassment soon turned to regret. The very familiar criticism and insecurities of herself boiling yet again. Linda had yet to know what had always driven her husband to drinking, and with the vulnerability of alcohol going through her system, lies of the ‘reason’ being herself and her co-dependence on his presence were again being brought up to her. She just had to expect this fear which tore them apart to tore her and Susan as well. “ Oh I'm so sorry, I talked with you so much— ”
“ I just came with them to celebrate a late new year, it wasn't important, and plus, I'm pretty sure they are all a drunken mess anyways. " Grabbing the drink yet again, she took a small sip before glaring at the group she had left behind. The men were grabbing onto the tables for dear life as they walked, she couldn’t help but laugh at her own very possible intuition.
“ But wouldn't you want to go back and be with them? ”
“ Hey ” She catches the other gaze with her smile. “ I am enjoying talking to you, not to mention I have to deal with them even at work. ”
At the feeling of the warming contact and words, Linda couldn't hold herself from staring into the other's eyes, there was such a gentle understanding in them. Without noticing her hand was now involuntary holding onto the other's a smile yet again grew on her.
The two of them stayed like that for a while, smiling, not minding their drinks anymore, as they both knew that soon the night would need to end. Neither of them had a need to get drunk, the alcohol in their system was just enough for the laughs to become easier and for embarrassing stories to become nothing more than anecdotes. They made the night simple, and for once, Linda loved the simplicity of it all.
[ . . . ]
When they finally decided to walk out of the bar, they did so together. Not intentionally, as the two of them shared the same pathway to each apartment, but it was a coincidence that neither of them bore in mind.
It was late and the company was more than needed in the silence of the night, however, it was bound to happen that conversations spurred with even a tiny bit of alcohol, would get the ginger a lot more sentimental than usual—carefree but still sentimental.
So as they walked and chuckled about absolutely nothing, Linda's memories came to what awaited her.
“ I bet he didn't turn on the lights. . ” She muttered, thinking out loud, not realising or really caring for the closeness that the two women now had side by side. She could easily lay her head on the other's arm.
Susan however, did not catch up to whatever she said. “ Huh ? ”
“ Oh, nothing. It doesn't really matter. . ”
No comments could really be said from that, and even if the monotonous silent words of nothing that the ginger was giving to herself did worry Susan, she knew there was nothing to do. Other than changing the topic. . distractions. . other images, other sounds. Sounds.
A song, so annoyingly stuck in her head that when it left her lips it did so almost all from just memory alone, however, it was nothing more than syllables of gibberish and humming. The song itself was nothing, something the team was working on but most surely wouldn't really put out— a song about shadows and cars— there really was no meaning behind that but god was it catchy. At least if not distracting enough for the two of them, it would be for herself. That's when an idea finally made it to that brilliant head of hers.
“ Huh. Well- do you want to know what matters ? ” From the tone and wide dumb smile covering Susan's lips, Linda immediately was expecting a corny joke, still she just rolled her eyes and shrugged.
“ What ? ”
Stopping her walk, the brunette takes centre stage in standing in front of the other. Now both of them were standing still one in front of the other, the tallest placed her hand forward, swiftly pointing it up as feet now moved slowly, one after the other. This left her only audience of one extremely confused. It made matters worse when at the end of the “act”, she had her hand stretched out to the other. The visible amount of questions Linda had in her eyes made the performance come to an awkward stop— and a long silence, Susan was clearly disappointed. It was a brilliant idea on thought, maybe not in execution.
“ I'm trying to invite you to dance. ” Susan sighed.
“ Oh ! Is that what it was ? I thought you were just walking in circles. ” She chuckles, feeling second hand embarrassment, her words only helped to hurt the self esteem of the engineer.
“ I am taking lessons believe it or not. ” Susan scoffs, soon her hand finally gets picked up by a smaller one, her gaze changing to that of surprise as their distance closes.
“ Your footwork is all wrong, it is very rigid and simple. ” In demonstration, Linda took one step to a side, her movement being followed by her. The humming returned to the half drunken genius who by glue and effort was being helped to put her pieces of feet and hands where they belonged in the choreography. In all the steps, Susan made sure to learn, to use the advice of this new master of hers and hopefully remember it even later when her head became a little clearer.
“ You didn't tell me you were a dancer. ” Susan chuckled, looking down to her and away from her feet.
“ We just met. ” It was a fact, even when it felt like a lot more time had happened.
“ Still. ” The two of them looked at each other in slight seriousness before chuckling to themselves, there was no one around to watch whatever they decided to do in the middle of the pavement. There was nothing or no one to stop them, so still holding onto each other's hands, they carried on. As time went, whatever focus and precision was put into the dance, it faded for something less contrived, something more relaxed, just swaying their feet from left to right. They were making up the music as they went, humming random melodies the bar jukebox had stuck in their head. The tiredness got them, the melancholy of the moment affecting Linda the most, who just gave up onto the arms of the other, not in embrace, but just to lean, enough to feel her close. As a reaction Susan tensed, not knowing how to properly respond to the closeness, all she knew is that she was a bit intoxicated, and possibly tired.
“ Linda ? ”
To her call she got no response, as the ginger had let go of long fingers and instead let her hands fall to the side, a sigh leaving as she let her exhaustion be their shared weight. Susan, not being able to read or understand anything, just let the other rest on her, not minding it, arms wrap the slimmer body, supporting her even more, warming and covering her friend.
There was nothing to talk about.
And they didn't need to say anything.
[ . . . ]
And it would be like this during the next few months, as random meetings in the bar turned into planned get outs. While the men in the office shouted out of frustration and stress, the engineer laid herself back onto the tables of coffee cups and diagrams, with phone in hand talking calmly to Linda. It was her happy time, to be able to get out of unorganised environments and men, just to focus on one person, who even if a disaster of emotions herself— it was a manageable disaster which just needed a bit of attention and care. It was nice for Susan to talk to Linda, it wasn't forced or weird, all of it just. . came out, all the words and phrases. There was no need for build up or preparation, and for that reason, the brunette could just look forward to their next chats.
[ May 7th 1974 ]
Now more than ever, everything had to be ready, with the restaurant scheduled to open in a month's time, there was no time to slack, and with Susan putting her all, she had the complete right to ask:
Where was everyone else?
More importantly, where were the two founders ? The men who were supposed to oversee all of the movement and installation inside the restaurant and specifically the staff. Even if she was close to them, she wasn't a manager or a careers director, she couldn't guide the new employees or conduct the interviews for the coming weeks.
Felix and Jack had been missing for a few days, with no knowledge of their state, Susan had to take it into her own hands to search for answers. That was why she was upset at that time— her face showing a tensed frown that just lowered the more she thought about the situation.
Instead of working or having lunch— she was basically power walking to the house of a drunken bastard who could hardly look at papers without the need of refilling his glass.
Finally, having reached Linda's and Felix's address, she knocked on the door, and stood there, taping her feet.
She knocked again after five minutes.
And again.
And again.
And again.
In the fifth and now 30th minute she was about to give up, when finally, the door just slightly opened inwards. Nothing but a glimpse of the entrance is seen by the outsider, who in sight doesn't even have Felix— yet she knows it's him who opened the door, as the air is filled with a familiar toxicity.
“ Felix, what the fuck makes you think I'm your personal wake up alarm. ” She states, no filters put— she never was a person to sweeten her words. “ You have to go to work. Now. I am not doing your shift as well, Kranken ! '' From her voice there is just anger and frustration, after all, she had to manage most of the organising for the last few days, something she never signed up for.
As she awaited a response, there were nothing but slow breaths coming from the inside of the house. . he was trying not to be loud with his staggered exhaling, it seemed as though he was bracing himself for something...
“ I'm.. sorry, I'll.. go back next week... you... don't have to be there... just close it and halt everything.. ” He mutters under his breath. But even in that broken state of his, Susan's expression did not relax anymore, it just worsen.
“ What the fuck do you mean close?! You do know that will put us missing the deadline right? We have been working on this for months! Felix, you have to get out of your ass and pull your shit together ok? ” Her shouting was now more prominent, her voice not rising to the point of neighbours hearing, but enough to make Felix flinch. Her shouting and anger fuelled the tension, the anger, the frustration the two of them had. “ If we stay closed we will miss the date and your restaurant will breach the contract ! We cannot clos—”
“ Then we fucking miss it ! ” Felix shouted, interrupting Susan, making the following silence ever more tense and long, very long. Susan had seen Felix angry, she had heard him scream, but this. . this was different. He felt. . different.
“ Listen... it's going to be alright.. I'll talk to the contractors I just— don't feel well. ” He lies, voice calmer as the door closes just a bit more, making the wall between them thicker, her voice quieter. “ Please, I.. I need to rest. ”
Susan couldn't buy it. She didn't want to, but. . she saw no other option, even Felix wasn't that dense to ruin his life long project. There had to be a genuine excuse for his missing status. . so leaving that topic to be- she just sighed, and moved away from the porch, her gaze not leaving the still somewhat opened door.
“ Alright. . next week then. ” Looking to the streets now, she placed both her hands inside the pockets of her jacket. “ Say hi to Linda for me, alright ? ” At least if she leaves, sje could do it on a positive note.
“ Linda left me. ” He muttered, loud enough for Susan to hear. Again there was silence. . eyes widening as the words finally processed. There was now no excuse for her anger, she was just so frustrated that questioning the why of his state never came as a thought.
“ Oh. Oh my god Felix. . I'm so. . —” She said, trying to reach for the door.
“ I just need some rest. ” And with that said, he finally shut the entrance, not any air or word came inside. Susan was now cursing a hundred swears into her brain, not believing how cruel she had been to him. Felix was not that horrible of a man, yes he was a mess in every sense of the word, but sometimes, the world needed to cut him some slack, he clearly didn't deserve her anger, not any longer.
Stepping out of the porch and into the sidewalk, Susan's hands hide inside of her side pockets, a breath and question coming to her head— what now?
Even with the bluntness of her personality, she couldn't barge into the private matters of Felix and Linda, not yet at least, not to mention the fact that just last week they were still married— the wounds were too fresh, so asking or talking to Linda was out of the question. .
She could close the office like the founder had asked, but maybe Jack's voice needed also to be heard.
With her mind set— she knew who to talk next, Jack maybe had better and more positive reasons as to be unresponsive. Perhaps visiting the always warming Walten family would brighten the negativity of the day.
[ . . . ]
Things just became more awkward in the anticipation for the opening— everyone had eyes on Felix, and even when Susan was there to help him, she would rather not. His desperation for attention and acceptance drove him to a point where he was abnormally nice, letting staff choose longer paid holidays for after the opening, and promising raises as well as promotions. Trying so hard just not to be hated. And Susan didn't hate him— not as much as Jack anyways.
The tension of them had reached a point where they wouldn't even talk or see each other in the same shifts. Planning and organising became harder, and luckily nothing was torn to pieces. But as working became a place of silent planning and stares, Susan reconnected with Linda yet again.
Their first time after her split up with Felix, was one of silence, Susan wouldn't dare to speak a word, just to not make matters about her. But Linda stood for silence as well, with nothing to be said, nothing other than whatever the engineer already knew. . but luckily that didn't make their reunions awkward. The silence and known phrases of greetings had no bear of damage to their friendship, even more, it deepened it. During the next few weeks it would be like that, even with short conversations about their stresses and individual plans, the weight of past events was still too heavy for them to act as if nothing happened. Linda began opening more, about her past with Felix, about the nights drinking, the nights ignoring, the fights, and the shouting. The brunette's perspective on her boss only changed for the worst, as she began understanding Linda more and Felix less.
So Susan, trying to bring, even if just a bit, of colour into her friend's life, would help her in more ways than one. When she had to move into her new apartment, when she had to try and expand her social circle, when she simply just needed someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't hold a grudge or talk to her in just pure honesty. Susan wanted to be there because unlike her ex-husband, Linda didn't make things difficult. It was an added bonus that after helping her with packing or shopping, they could have some fun with each other, talking, drinking, and laughing.
The women also became more attentive to smiles and gazes, to touches and sighs, they were learning and discovering new things about the other, new things to ask and question themselves about, new things to simply appreciate with the passing of the seconds. Susan was more appreciative of the new smiles she was bringing to Linda's lips.
[ June 23rd 1974 ]
Scratching noises erupted both their ears, heavy panting noises coming from Susan's efforts to push the box further down the hallway. A sigh of relief finally came from the engineer as the box had reached its desired stop, just in front of the apartment door.
Susan looked up to see the interior of it, boxes still decorating the various open rooms, half open to reveal the insides of used clothes and old furniture. Finally, Susan laid her eyes on Linda, who got out from one of the rooms, made her way to the busy living room.
“ Where do you want this? ” She asked, groaning again at bruised hands.
“Just leave it over there. ” Linda responded, waving off at the entrance, her tone very much uncaring of what ‘over there’ meant for the engineer. Susan, doing just as told, placed the box somewhere on the entrance. Her hand moved from the box to the entrance door, closing it behind her.
When she was done, her gaze went up again, meeting with nothing but the vast blankness of the apartment, adorned with only brown squares.
As her gaze and step wandered through the rooms, she just had to wonder if all the rooms were becoming smaller and smaller the more time she spent on them.
She spent her time strolling through the rooms and boxes, looking for any kind of progress, any kind of new objects that made the small flat feel like an actual house and not a warehouse. As she looks around, those objects come close to none— some boxes showing attempts of opening with scratches and almost torn lids, but none of them actually showing their insides yet. As Susan walked to the centre of the living room, the boiling of water just overheard.
“ You wanted coffee or tea ? ” Asks Linda from the kitchen, popping her head out of the door frame just enough for her visitor to see.
“ Coffee. ” Resting her head against the sofa, Susan would just try and concentrate her gaze on anything— anything that wasn't the elephant in the room of ‘why didn't you unpack anything yet?’ question. She gazed up to have a better idea of thoughts and words. In contrast to the past, now with Linda she had to put the extra effort in, even if against her nature. The very comfort of the ginger and her happiness was something the engineer was evermore keen of keeping up.
“ I'm still amazed you managed to find this place you know.. wasn't it like— horribly expensive? ” She asks, finally breaking the silence, eyes meeting Linda's figure as from the kitchen she entered with two mugs, sitting just next to Susan.
“ I got a loan. ”
As Susan accepted her own mug from smaller hands, her expression couldn't hold its surprise.
“ Wow... how?— ”
“ I just lied to them about the marital status. ” She chuckled, the other joined. Even when Linda surely wasn't always straight to the rules person, her ‘evil’ actions would always amuse Susan. Who, resting her head better against the sofa, and the comforts of the peace of the moment, just relaxed her laugh into a simple smile.
“ Wow, Miss Thompson, liar entrepreneur. ” Taking the drink to her lips, Linda's chuckling soon calmed too, gaze lowering to the floor. Her gut soon suffocated her in the guilt of the situation— of course she would depend on her husband even after divorce. . . strange how she thought otherwise.
“ How is your job anyways ? Did they give you a break. ” Just like always, Susan manages to wake her up from the intrusive thoughts of self doubt and destruction. It was with casual questions and actions, the uncaring causality and friendliness to it brought Linda a bit better, if even if just for a little time.
“ It's going well. ” She responded, her cup now being held with both hands as she leaned forward. “ And no. . They didn't, sadly just before the summer that's when they need librarians the most apparently. ”
“ But, you are going to take a break right ? ” Susan scolds, leaning forward just like Linda, their distance closing.
“ Of course I will. ” Not noticing how close they were now, Linda sinks her gaze into the cup. “ I am exhausted. ”
“ Hm. . good. . you deserve to rest. ” Looking onto her own cup as well, a comfortable silence followed one that neither of them saw needed to break it.
Linda gazed away from the cup and to her visitor. There was something just so trancing about Susan, it may be her looks that put in defiance any feminine stereotype, but play to them so well. Shaped like a fighter, but with the looks of an assistant, so normal yet so interesting. Her tucked sleeves not doing any favours in making her look less interesting. And for Linda, a woman who had devalued her taste for the sake of men and their world, it was a nice look. . one that intrigued her and had her thoughts railing. There was something that needed to be said, from the two of them, multiple things, their lives nothing but a mess where simple appreciations of beauty wouldn't fit. The engineer held all of her hopes down for that reason, staring down even at that minute. Lips would part just slightly, eyes would divert from each other to the warmth of their own hands, breaths halt, with no a word muttered.
Susan herself, with iron casts pressing on her shoulders with the guilt of being there and— doing nothing— now gazed away from her cup and to her friend. Linda was a lady in all regards, she was careful and mindful, she was rough in personality, but so delicate in her touches. Every wall even after crumbling around her, would never absolutely get the newly divorced down. She was to be admired for the mere ability to keep fixing those walls up, after the wreckage of her life, after the destruction of her peace and happiness. There was respect for someone like that. Linda struggled, yes, the unopened boxes and the silence giving strength to her weakness of the past pains, but still, Susan couldn't imagine someone stronger than her. But even then, she couldn't imagine someone as beautiful. Refined ginger hair, carefully cared skin, a feminine yet not too fancy attire— god— Susan could only curse herself for falling for all the women who looked like the typical nuclear wife. Susan was too much of a classic in that regard. . and seriously could just dream of beating Felix for not appreciating his wife enough.
Their exchanging stares finally awoke the two, and they were yet again forced into speech.
“ I imagine you haven't heard from Jack. ”
“ No. ” Susan confirmed, laying her glass on the table in front of her. “ And if we don't find him in a few weeks then. . . ”
A shorter, yet worse, silence followed. Susan's expression now changed to a shift of doubt, lip biting, not even wanting to finish the sentence, Linda not letting her.
“ You will find him. ” The other reassured, comforting in the smallest of ways, she tried to get closer, to touch her, to warm her up, away from the coldness of doubt and fear. With a hand on her shoulder, Susan ups her gaze.
“ He is too kind. . He does not deserve any of this. ” Susan said, even trying to remember the last time she spoke to Jack, it was probably his tendency to look like a sleep deprived demon of hell. His chats were nothing but just Rosemary's new recipes, mundane thing, or.. well anything that didn't have to do with his job or his children. Every time those topics came into the conversation, either by someone ignorant to the situation or someone who just forgot the traumas of the founder, there was a blank stare from him. He usually didn't say a thing and after a few seconds would find his way out of the conversation. The same man who had filled her heart with inspiration and creativity to make characters of comedy, became nothing but a walking suit, that smile of his never again bearing any feeling behind it. In Susan's eyes, Jack had disappeared a long time ago.
“ Nobody does. ” She continued, her eyes interlocking with Linda's, her eyes even if not empty, like those of the dead man, did not bear that same light of the first time they met under the light of dark streets and silly dances. Susan still does not look away, lips not able to restrain her thoughts any longer. “ You did not deserve what Felix did to you. ”
Linda flinched at the mention of his name, her heart sinking once again. “ Can we not — ”
“ He was a piece of shit, Linda ! You are allowed to say it ! You should say it ! ” Susan still looks at her friend, while the other's grasp of the cup is getting firmer, her tension rising. That tension formed into a negative feeling Linda would try her hardest to suppress.
“ You are not allowed to talk about this. You were not there. ”
“ Am I wrong though ? ”
“ . . . ”
Silence, something yet if ambiguous made the answer just obvious. Susan sighed, her sight just straightforward, almost wishing her judgemental stare was direct to the face of the as she thought “drunk idiot”.
“ You deserve better, fuck, you deserve anything but Felix ! A rat would be better and more loyal than him. He is just the lowest of people. You need to get that in your head Linda and be proud that you left him, because that's the best thing anyone — ” Not caring for the language or volume in her voice, she would not think much of her words, or even if to stop them. Linda needed to hear this, to move on and be alive again, to be better and just forget about that waste of a man.
Her exclaims were as loud as bells in the mind of Linda, and Susan continued until she heard sobbing.
“ Hey. . ” She turned to see her, not being able as the ginger made quick work just to wipe her face, leaving it all red in the process.
“ Sor-sorry . . I. . I don't know what's wrong with me, I just— you're right ! I shouldn't be like this, I should be proud but. . — / ugh / sorry just I didn't mean to- sorry. . ” Any and all speech she would try to get out was constipated, her face all red from the emotion, eyes watery, and even if tears have not fallen, it was only a matter of time. Susan found it hard to not see this as her fault, realising a little too late of the consequences bringing his name had on the newly divorced.
“ No, Linda, I'm. . I'm so sorry, let's just not speak about him— ”
“ No- No! You are right! He was a piece of shit and I left him and he made me do it! I- I didn't want to but I did. I didn't know what else to do. ” Finally tears begin to break free, as she tries her hardest to continue to wipe them away, or even harder, to hold them inside. Overwhelmed, she knew how hard she wanted the tears to stop for him, how she just wanted to smile and get those feelings away, but the wound was too fresh to forget. “ He.. he... ” The knot in her throat was now impossible to ignore, and as Susan continued to look at her, her hand would not reach for Linda's, and as her body got closer, and Linda finally let go of the mug, Susan just tried to put an arm on her shoulder.
The weird gesture found itself turning into a hug as the awkwardness of Susan would disappear against Linda's need for the touch. A hug of just one arm, soon turning into a full embrace, as Linda sunk her face on the engineer's chest, arms taking on her torso and surrounding it. Susan soon gave in too. Sobbing turned to crying and the hug just turned tighter as it did. The engineer did not mind her shirt getting more and more wet with each minute the two shared together. Soon they were so tight together, Linda could just find comfort in the calm beating heart of her friend, just as Susan realised the softness of the ginger hair.
When the hug came to an end, and the women parted away from each other, it was their gaze a distance which remained. Locked to each other, Linda's hand making the slightest contact against the cheek of the brunette, moving strands of hairs away. The hand of the brunette raising as well to brush the tears away. No one could guess when it was that their eyes diverted to each other's lips, Susan herself looking both at Linda's eyes and then at her mouth yet again. The brushing of her hand against the ginger hair, and the feeling of smaller hands reaching for her own neck, all just becoming harder to exhale. However, at the bare brush of their lips, Linda sighed, her head tilting downwards, not allowing the kiss to happen.
“ What ? — ”
“ I. . I can't. I'm not— ”
There was silence before the confusion in Susan led her to different conclusions the usual one, which ended relationships before they began, occurring to her. Susan could not help to show disappointment “ Oh. ” Susan's tense expression soon calmed at the misunderstood realisation. “ Sorry, I should have asked— ” Knowing there was a misunderstanding, Linda snapped her stare towards Susan again, surprising the engineer yet again.
“ No ! I mean. I am, yes, I am ! ”
“ You . . you are ? ”
“ Yes ! “
Susan tilted a brow.
“ I am . . You know!” Linda's face was now extremely red, blushing as she tried to use hand gestures to explain herself, a chaotic amalgamation of movements which just led to Susan's coughing a laugh, and Linda covering her face.
“ Then, would you go out with me ? ”
Little by little, the ginger began to compose herself again. “ Not, yet. ”
“ Too soon ? ” Susan asks, more worried than before.
Linda nods.
“ You are the first person who treated me with respect, with love and you are different. . in a good way, a warming and pleasing way. ”
“ Continue boosting my ego please. ” Susan replies, her hair tossed to a side as her wide smile provokes a hit at the shoulder from the other, “ ow . ” She continued to chuckle.
Susan and Linda however continue to smile. The ginger takes it as a first step to hold again the other's hand.
“ Give me time. . and we can go out, anywhere and everywhere. ” Linda's smile returned even if just briefly, however even if small, it felt different to see it. It was more hopeful, more excited and alive.
“ Obviously remembering I have the budget of someone who works with fast food. Susan retorts, her own smile even if not as excited as that of Linda, still gentle and warm. The eyes of the ginger, so bright with life, with a hope and happiness Susan had not seen yet. Even under the strongest of night lights. Linda was shining. A hand raises to brush away the ginger hair, as Susan exclaims, “ You are so beautiful, Linda Thompson. ”
[ June 30th 1974 ]
“ Alright, that's the last of them ” Chris exclaims, finally closing the door behind him with lock and key. A long exhale leaving as he finished. Well, as they both finished. “ I swear that bin will explode one day. ” They were still in the Bon's Burger restaurant, the birthday party had not been an absolute failure, and that was good. The children were happy and the parents would hopefully soon spread the word of the good service around. If that wasn't a success, Chris wouldn't know what to call one. As the remaining two workers, he and Susan had to take care of the main showroom, cleaning a few bits out and cleaning the floor. Chris was about to start to get going. Chris, hoping to turn off the stage lights, reached for the light panel resting side from the stage’s curtains, but Susan, who at the moment was fixing one of the pipes securing a table (which a kid had taken care the liberty in screwing out and using as a ‘sword’), stopped him.
“ Wait, before you do that, can you help me move Bon? ” She said, picking herself up from the floor, and walking to her co-worker. Even if confused at her request, he didn't have much time to question the engineer as the two of them would grab onto the animatronic, Susan from its legs and Chris from its armpits. Struggling — with groans and air puffs leaving them as the heavy metal just made their feet sink to the floor. They had to drop it after moving it just a few steps. They attempted to get a hold of him multiple times, but the effort it took was too much. The two of them finally gave up.
“ Is. . is he heavier or is it just me? ” Chris pants, trying to catch his breath.
“ Looks like. ” Susan needed to stretch her arms after that much effort. “ Not only that, he has been weird all night, I think his arm is . . broken ? ” Finally giving a sigh of relief as her muscles relaxed. She rested a hand behind her neck. “ Let's just leave it there, I'll take care of him with a storage trolley. ”
It usually wasn't this difficult to move him around, even Felix would sometimes help to move some of the animatronics, even if that meant breaking his neck. Chris, still to catch his breath, made his way to one of the tables, letting his body rest in one of the audience's chairs.
“ Why. . why do you need to move him ? ”
“ Didn't I just tell you? One of his arms is broken. ”
“ His arm is broken ? ”
“ During the performance his right arm was very rigid, as if something was blocking it from the inside. ” She explains, now looking with more attention at the robot. Usually people would feel very threatened standing this close to a 7 feet blue robot bunny, but she was used to him and didn't even flinch when trying to forcibly move his appendage. Chris gazed at her attempts to move the arm in a somewhat shock.
“ Hey! Be careful. What if you break it even more? ”
Susan did not even respond to that, just glancing for a few seconds in his direction, her frown already being enough response. As if she dared to break her own work. Chris, backed away his words and watched in silence, the engineer would continue to push the arm up and down. The appendage, although not in the worst of shapes, took more effort to be lifted and be brought down. Just as she suspected. Finally letting the animatronic go, she began to walk to her office, Chris following suit.
“ You can go home, I'll take care of Bon and close the restaurant.” She says, leaving the door of her office opened. Chris letting his head sneak in, looked at the mess she called an office, white papers, blueprints, post-it notes, all over the floor with a diversity of mugs decorating every inch of her desk. Susan ignored the mess of her office and just concentrated on getting a very specific bag from the corner of her office. She just needed to pick it up with one hand, the whole set rattling as she did, Chris had to estimate that she was at least holding 10 kilos of metal in there.
“ Are you sure ? We could take care of it tomorrow together ? ”
“ Yes, I'm sure. I just want to get this over with. ” Susan exclaimed, walking out of the office and past her co-worker.
“ This ? ”
“ Bon. The animatronics. This job in general. I want to finish perfecting all my responsibilities as soon as possible, then it's Felix problem. ”
Confused by her implications at first, Chris doesn't take too long to understand what she means. He just headed over one of the showroom tables, not far from Susan, picking up his resting jacket. Silently looking back at the woman, who now had dropped the bag of what could only be tools just next to the animatronic.
“ So, that's it ? ” He said, his voice rather disappointed, and Susan could tell. She sighed, hand going to the back of her neck, rubbing it.
“ You can't blame me. ” Susan said, glancing at Chris, before looking down at the floor, knowing he would understand. His expression lowered as well, holding no judgement towards her. Even if not judged, she didn't look that pleased at her decisions either, rather troubled. Thoughts and memories going back to the very beginning, where Jack and Felix were younger and ambitious, telling the woman of their admiration for her work, and their desire to collaborate. Their enthusiasm at the time was too much for anyone to deny. They were so bright with excitement, for the creation of something iconic, a dream, so close they could almost touch it.
Now, they were both gone.
Chris, however, was still troubled. Yes, it was true that the state of the company and everyone in it had. . changed . . but he believed things could just get better. “ But what if Felix changed— ? ” His suggestion immediately being cut off by Susan's stare, not one of menace or threat, but doubt, as eyes continued looking down. “ He could, right ? ”
“ Chris, just go home, I'll take care of Bon and we can have a few drinks tomorrow. ” Talking, she would finally leave her stance, heading to the centre of the room's box office, grabbing the restaurant keys and putting them safely in her pocket. Finally giving Chris a smile. “ Alright ? ”
Chris sighed. “ Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. ”
“ I'll see you tomorrow. ”
And as soon as they waved goodbye, he left through the front door, the restaurant falling into a deep silence. Finally, Susan left the heaviest of breaths.
It wasn't that she particularly disliked Chris, but, being by herself even if in a children's themed restaurant, was a pleasure not so often enjoyed. All the time, either Felix, Chris, or someone else in her life would need her. Mostly adult men. God how she despised that. Yet, she would miss it. Susan looked around the restaurant, taking in the quiet atmosphere, the empty small wooden chairs, the painted walls. She had seen all of this made. To leave felt cowardly, and yet the most intelligent thing she had done in a while.
[ . . . ]
After a few hours, and taking her time finishing the last few bits of cleaning and shutting down the showroom, Susan grabbed her tool bag with ease, shoving it on the backstage. Finally, turning on the light in the room.
It was so empty.
The only things to keep her company were a few unused animatronics of the day. It was a boy's party after all, Banny and Sha were specifically requested to be taken off. Smirking at the two abandoned animatronics, she would have preferred if all of them were used. . but the customer is always right. She stepped into the storage room, pictures of the two founders hanging on walls as other parts and robotic bits tangled from the ceiling and made a mess on the floor. All of it scrapped projects or things that never made it out, either because of their own request or failed prototype. It was just a graveyard of art. She continued to step closer to the unused machines, finally looking at the purple rabbit very, very closely. Banny was smaller and slimmer than the rest. Just as she intended. A character of comedy and laughs. Never intended to be just seen as “girls only”, always just the comedic relief. She smiled at her creation, proud even if its meaning was misunderstood. It stood still unchanged to the eyes of her engineer. Just as perfect. Her moment to remember and feel melancholic came to a stop, as the last task still loomed undone.
“ Oh yeah. . Bon. ” She sighed, not as enthusiastic to fix him as before. “ Gotta give your friend ‘a hand’. ” She chuckled, looking at the purple animatronic as she did, shouldering her chest, as if jokingly talking to a friend “ You would have laughed at that. ” She says, her smile still there even if just met by hollow black eyes. However, as she remembered her last task, Susan also remembered what she should probably do even before touching the robot. The engineer, heading out of the backstage, would reach for her pocket, getting her recorder just inside of it. It had been quite some time since the last time she filmed a recording while working. The device, lifted to the level of her chest, was pressed to record.
“ BSI technical support audio log number 3. June 30th 1974. ”
[ … ]