𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚗

"Do you have any other pets? Or any other thoughts of pets?" Sometimes people wanted more, and sometimes, they were content with just one. Someday, when she had her own home and wasn't sleeping in Elise's guest room, Essie thought she might like some pets -- birds outside, cats inside, a dog to protect the house. But that was someday, for now, she was okay with taking care of her sister's big cats that might as well be dogs, truthfully. "Well! Good year!" she grinned when Oliver said when he was born, "I'm a September baby, but we're not too far off." Only a few short months between them, funny how that worked. "I hear you, I'm the same way. I love a good greasy burger and beer or a soda pop and pizza, but sometimes I want to have a fancy meal, you know? Something I can get dressed up for and feel good about."

"Just Lizzie for right now. As a kid growing up, my grandfather had a parrot that was kind of... foul mouthed," Oliver laughed. He wasn't sure where it had gotten that vocabulary, and he would have guessed it was his grandfather's doing. But he always found it amusing when he'd sit around the study and his grandfather's pet bird was throwing insults every now and then. “We also had horses on the property,” he nodded. “I might consider adopting another dog later on, though,” he said. His grin grew. “Absolutely. Lucky us, huh?” He chuckled. “Okay! So September, then. I’ll remember that.” Oliver nodded again. “It is nice to get out and get all dressed up once in a while. I think the town has a nice way of doing that,”

You know what makes me really, really sad? That some people will never experience the awesomeness of a rotational six CD player inside a car. You know the ones where you could put six in and then pick whatever one you wanted to listen to? Like, who needs an aux cord when you have that? Besides, albums are way more fun to listen to than trying to look down at your phone every three seconds because you want to skip a song.

That brings me back to such good memories. We had one of those in my sister’s room, and while it doesn’t have the shuffle playlist option, there’s something to it to play a whole album and then another. We also had a cassette player where you’d have to rewind and flip it over. My old car had an adapter for CDs so that was interesting.

“For us teachers? Mmm, they want us to be prepared already,” Oliver said. He kept them on his coffee table but wasn’t going to pay much mind to it for another month. He still had plenty of time to prepare. That meant he needed to organize everything for the next three grade classes. His sixth grade class was challenging because it was a transition to a higher level. The other two were used to the expectations already. But luckily summer gave him that extra time to prepare. “Sounds like he’d have a lot of fun, though! I don’t know much about those games but I’ve heard a lot about them!” He chuckled a bit. “Oh, I know. Between my sister and my grandmother, I’m just at their mercy today,” he smiled shaking his head. “I love it. It’s been such a supportive environment. Honestly, it’s amazing to see.”

"I guess, but you deserve some time off too." She smiled and looked over at him. It was hard to think the teachers would already be thinking about next year, but it made sense. Some things could be used from the year before, but it was always a good idea to keep things current to keep the kids engaged. "I don't know much about them either, but he always tries to explain it to me. I've given up learning and nod along." She was beginning to understand why her parents sometimes had done the same to hear growing up. "Sometimes it's easier to let others figure out the plan. You get to enjoy everything without the stress." She looked out at the crowd and smiled. "It really it. It makes me so happy and proud of our community."

“Don’t worry, they give me time off in the summer, it’s just up to me if I take it or not,” Oliver chuckled lightly. He had taken to spending his free days working, because he could. A lot of his life had changed in the past year and his focus had shifted back to working and keeping himself busy rather than taking time off. It kept him occupied and focused. “They always seem to be one step ahead of us, don’t they?” He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. Just because he taught preteens didn’t mean he really understood them. “You say that, but you haven’t met my grandmother. She’s a hoot. Just wait, you’ll see a tiny British woman running around if you haven’t already.” He smiled as well. “It’s nice to see everyone coming together, and refreshing to see a brighter future, especially for the kids. We’ve made a lot of progress as a society since the time when I was a kid.”

"Sounds like my kind of girl," Chess giggled, giving Lizzie another scratch behind the ear. "Unfortunately, I don't have any t - words on me tonight, but hopefully next time," she told the dog, before standing up again. "Mostly the same! These kinds of things are good for people interacting, like, not exactly people watching, but just kind of interacting with people, if that makes sense?" She knew it might've sounded weird. "I still need to check out some of the games, though I don't know if I'd recommend you check it out too cause this one," she nodded at Lizzie, "might think people are trying to play fetch or something."

Oliver watched with a smile as Lizzie interacted with Chess. She was a sweet girl. Sometimes she did get a little excited, but she was a friendly dog. "Don't worry, we've got plenty of those for later," he said, lowering his voice a bit. "Mmm, I do that all the time when I'm at the library. Well, not people watching either per se, but observing... you know, just seeing who is coming in and out of the library. More of just doing my job than actually keeping track and watching people," he scratched the back of his head. Lizzie gave her a happy look at the word 'fetch'. "Only her favorite game," he laughed softly.

That is my thought too. It’s important to stay informed. So far, I’ve seen the town is good at being on top of things like that. That’s good to hear! I’m pretty much in the same boat, in between my shifts at the library.

Ah, good! I'm so glad to hear that, the carnival is always one of my favorite things in town, just because I know that the money is going somewhere good, helping the people who need it the most, you know? It'll be interesting -- especially without the Benefactor backing it, and people in town working on it, makes me interested to see how it runs. Couldn't agree more. We're lucky to have a beach that's nice all year around, but it's definitely best in the summer.

Yes! I am always happy to see places be so active in charity work. That’s the best part, really. I think with the support this town generates just on a regular day, we’ll be surprised how well it’ll go. Everyone seems to want to have a part in doing something without the Benefactor. And I see that as a good thing. The warm but not too warm weather is pretty perfect.

Candice thought for a moment before looking at the fish in the bag. "I'll give my kids two choices. Either Melville or Captain. Hopefully, they won't have a write in name." she chuckled softly. Truthfully, as long as they all decided on a name then that was fine with her. "I always did wonder what teachers did in the summer time. Apparently, they work at the library and it all just makes sense." she smiled, nudging him lightly.

“Either one of those are very good choices. And fun ones too!” Oliver said. He laughed softly. “Well, maybe they’ll come up with something more clever,” he chuckled. “We usually either take a vacation or end up taking up part time work. Since I already work at the library, it gives me a little extra cash during the summers,” he said. “I promise I do take some time for myself too!”

Taryn smiled and nodded at his thank you. "Look, when I get a smile or a snicker from a preteen in the cafe, I feel like my day is made." she chuckled softly. "I completely understand what you're saying about then. Awww, that's so sweet. I can see that being a definite plus to teaching. I give you all the credit though because I couldn't do it." She liked interacting with the kids at the cafe, but she couldn't do it all the time.

“Always a reason to celebrate. They’re a hard nut to crack,” he said. “I know that sometimes they’ll come around if you say the right thing and end up impressing them,” Oliver chuckled. “It’s a process and some days are harder than others, but I do love my job,” he smiled. Being a teacher was one thing in life that he could really say that he enjoyed; he had even surprised himself how much he loved it, given his shy personality.

It's going well, especially having Pride weekend to send the season off! I'll admit, I'm so excited for the warmer months, but having a sort of office job is keeping me from clocking in to my true 9-5 summer job, which is the beach. Pretty sure I plan to spend all my free time outside, and hopefully make it a goal to get a few gigs outside of the club. What about you? What fun do you plan to get up to outside of your librarian duties?

I love that! Pride is always one of my favorite celebrations. I don’t blame you—the beach sounds like it would be way more fun anyway. Lizzie and I have found some time to get some beach walks in and they’re amazing. Doing a bit of exploring. I’m trying to get out there more if I’m not working there. Looking forward to the next party coming up though! The gala sounds like fun.

"That's a good thing, means she's well taken care of and a very happy little girl," Esther got the impression that he really cared for his dog, made sure that she had the best life that a canine could ask for, and that was what she liked to see. "Oh, I bet! I'm sure that the doggies have all their own little friendship groups there, and she's probably at the top of the class in popularity. Pupularity," she corrected with a wide grin. "I'm an eighty-seven baby, if that helps," she didn't mind sharing her age, proud of every wrinkle and laugh line that lined her face, proud to be the person that she was. "That does sound heavenly. My sister owns Taste here in town, so she has all the best hook-ups when it comes to wine, I've taken advantage of that many, many times."

“I’d hope so! She seems like a very happy girl,” he smiled down at Lizzie, who was already excitedly wagging her tail. He adored his dog, she was like his child, and always a good buddy through the past few years as he transitioned into town. And he was grateful she could help him keep his head on straight. “They do, she’s probably little miss popular there. At doggy day care one of the teachers said that she’s very sociable—which makes plenty of sense,” he nodded and then grinned. “Me too, middle of June, actually,” he said. “Oh! Well, then, that gives me something else to look forward to. I love myself a good glass of wine every now and then. Makes me feel sophisticated.”

WHO: Marci and your muse!

Oliver checked his watch. “We are still in time for happy hour if you wanted to head in that direction for Sandcastles,” he nodded. “Or pizza isn’t too far away either,” he said. “I could go for either, but one of those lattes does sound really good,” he said with a slight grin.

I try my best! It's one thing to work with horses on a daily basis, and another to be able to do things with horses for fun, you know? But I make it work. I have my mare boarded up at the ranch, so I try to make time to get out for a ride with her a couple of times a week, just to keep her from getting bored or lonely. Oh, that will be so much fun! Do you have any favorite things that you like to do when you go back to London?

Okay, I see where you’re getting at. There’s something special about having that extra leisurely me-time, right? The important thing is that you’re having fun! That is probably the most teacher-ly thing I’ve said all week. I go to visit my friends and we stay in central London, find our favorite pub and sometimes we’d just spend hours there. And if there is time and I am able to, I like to venture out into the countryside for a day. Have you ever been?

"They're sending them already? I feel like it's too soon. School just ended." Allison laughed and shook her head. There really never was as much time for the summer as everyone wanted, but they had to make the most of the time while they had it. "It does look good, but I'm more worried about the energy that comes with it. I have an early shift tomorrow, and I don't want to be hearing him play his games through the wall all night." The online gaming wasn't terrible until he started talking with his friends, and then he never remembered his volume. "You should! You have a backup plan if you need to get away. That makes it the perfect time to try to meet someone." She smiled and picked up her drink and took a sip. "It really is. We are really lucky to have such an amazing community."

“For us teachers? Mmm, they want us to be prepared already,” Oliver said. He kept them on his coffee table but wasn’t going to pay much mind to it for another month. He still had plenty of time to prepare. That meant he needed to organize everything for the next three grade classes. His sixth grade class was challenging because it was a transition to a higher level. The other two were used to the expectations already. But luckily summer gave him that extra time to prepare. “Sounds like he’d have a lot of fun, though! I don’t know much about those games but I’ve heard a lot about them!” He chuckled a bit. “Oh, I know. Between my sister and my grandmother, I’m just at their mercy today,” he smiled shaking his head. “I love it. It’s been such a supportive environment. Honestly, it’s amazing to see.”

That's not so bad, at least, you get to work with the kids and help the library, but you still have a summer of your own and time to do the things that you want to do, which is a nice balance. Hopefully you'll still get to enjoy the carnival and maybe the charity gala coming up, as well. And of course the beach, this is my favorite time of year for that reason, I get to actually surf at a time when the water isn't completely freezing, which is a nice change of pace!

Yeah, actually I love having them help me out. I do, and it gives me a bit of freedom to work on what I want to do. I will! That’s my weekend off, thankfully. And I’m enjoying it as much as I can. Looking forward to the charity gala, I wonder what they are going to do this time. The beach will be great, who can say no to a beautiful, relaxing summer breeze?

"Nemo? Really? This isn't even a clown fish, Mr. Sutton. I expect more from you." Candice teased with a smile. "Now, Melville. I think we're back on the right road here." she said before looking at the fish and making a fish face. "I'll let you know what Cat says about it. I'm sure she's going to want to take care of him."

“Ah, yes, the famous clownfish. But also the name of the captain from the novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, after which I’m guessing said clownfish was named after,” he smiled. “Melville is a good one. Moby Dick is a book I taught back when I was teaching high school, so that’s always brought up some interesting conversations. Or you can always just keep it simple and call him Captain.”