You arrive home from a hard day of flipping burgers to find your girlfriend sitting on the couch watching soap operas. You are annoyed by this, given the hard day you just put in, but you act cheerful so you don't start the evening on the wrong foot.
"Hey babe." you say, leaning down over the couch to wrap your arms around her neck. You peck her cheek and she sighs happily.
"Glad you're home, Charlie." she says.
"Why? Wanna fuck?" you ask, only half-joking.
She smirks at you, face blushing, and hands you an envelope.
"Not quite yet." she says. "Rent's two days overdue. Let's get that out of the way first. Then I'll think about taking my pants off."
Sure enough, as if she'd lie... the payment for this rental house is due, and it's your turn. Her parents had paid last month, and you rotate. You hope to eventually marry and buy a house, but that'll have to wait until after she gets her master's degree. Until then, you rent.
"So..." you start, stashing the envelope in your back pocket to write a check out for later, "What've you got going for supper, babe?"
"Excuse me, sir?" she responds, annoyedly. Great. Now you are on the wrong foot.
"I mean... well, did you start on any food yet?"
She lifts a three-inch thick binder up for you to see. "Are you kidding? I didn't even eat lunch. My project is going good, but only because of the amount of time I've been putting in it lately."
"Oh, I'm sorrry..." you try to squeeze in, but are interrupted.
"Chuck, I thought you were gonna bring home burgers?" she looks at you, eyes sparkling but brows raised annoyedly.
"Well..." you start again. "Well... you..." you stop.
You don't dare accuse her of wasting the day in front of the television. The coffee table is full of charts for her project.
"Well what?" she fires at you.
"Well, I'm sorry. I forgot."
She smiles softly. "I didn't mean to snap, babe, I'm just stressed."
"I know."
"Hungry, too, though. You wanna go out?"
You thoughts go to the rent in your pocket for a moment, then your checkbook, and dwindling account.
"I guess so."
She stands partway up and pecks you on the cheek now, and slips her bare feet into some sandals, heading out the door. "I'll be out in the car!" she says.
"Be right there, too."
You take off your uniform, and put a dress shirt on over your tee. You straighten your hair and head out to the car.
You get in and drive to a different burger place than the one you just slaved in for several hours.
"Let's go in." she suggests.
"You sure?"
"Sure, I'm sure. I've been in that house all day. Let's sit here for a while."
Before you can argue, she opens her door and walks into the restaurant.
You turn off the engine and pat your front pocket. Checkbook. "God," you think aloud, "Hopefully they take checks here."
You walk in to see the place mostly empty. You hear Vanessa's voice then.
"...Sure. Yeah. And then two apple pies." she turns around at you and smiles at you approaching. "Whaddayou want?"
"Just a cheeseburger and a medium... no, small," you think about the small amount of cash you have on you, "Small drink."
You step closer to her, and her smile seems odd for a second. You can't put your finger on what. She speaks, then.
"Large chocolate shake for me."
The clerk looks down at the register and then at her, leaning backward on the corral rail. She tilts her head at you.
Looking at you, the clerk says, "16.10 is your total. Eating in?"
"Yeah," you start, "You take checks?"
"Uh-huh." the clerk responds. "But not credit, sorry."
"All right. Sixteen what? Ten?"
"Mmm-hmm." you hear Vanessa say behind you. You write the check.
The clerk hands you a small drink cup and gives Vanessa her large milkshake. You fill your glass with ice, thinking about the great luck of not having to tell Vanessa you only have a twenty on you.
"Wow," she says, behind you, after taking a sip of the shake.
"This is just..." she continues.
You get orange soda and utter a "Hmm?"
"Freaky."
"Freaky milkshake?" you ask, grinning a little as you cap the cup.
"Uh, yeah. Check this out... you..." she says.
You turn around and see a very odd smile coming from Vanessa.
Odd because it's six or seven inches higher than normal.