|
  |
Ford opted to knock off early for a change (and by 'early', he meant 'on time', instead of staying in the garage to keep working on his side projects), grabbing his tools and his jacket and heading home to the sight of an amber sunset. One thing he did like about this street - the locals kept it clean and it looked damn good. If you're gonna live somewhere, might as well be somewhere pretty, right?
With no need to drive his car down the street, Ford trodded back home, ready to kick off his overalls and sit down for a little while. Maybe turn on the radio and read the paper before considering where to go. He should save up for a TV… he's heard good things about this new 'Twilight Zone' show, and he really wanted to check it out. But that would come later. For now, he reached the second floor of his apartment building and opened up the door, heading inside and turning around to lock it.
*
The first thing that greets Ford is the smell of food, and it's probably a welcome smell after a long day of manual labor. This is likely going to make him wonder what in the world is going on, after all, he probably didn't leave anything on the stove to slow cook all day.
The second thing he'll notice is that the place is cleaner than it was before. Oh, sure, Ford is probably not a slob, but there's a level of fine detail cleaning that's been done.
Lastly - if he notices right away - there's a pile of clean, folded laundry on the freshly made bed. Also laundered. It smells outside fresh.
*
Ford blinked as the smell of dinner assaulted his nostrils, blinking and trying to avoid his mouth watering. He had to admit… it smelled good! But, ah… he didn't leave anything to cook this morning. And everything was clean to an unscrupulous level! And… his bed was cleaned up and his clothes… washed? What in the world was going on here?!
Ford set his tool box down slowly and took off his black jacket, looking around and keeping a careful eye on the apartment. Who… did all this? Had he finally stumbled across the magical house cleaning elves? Did he have… super cleaning powers he didn't know of? Or… was it all a trap? "…hello? …anybody here?"
*
"Ohhhh there, you are!" It's Mariah. Apparently she hung around. "Hey, I thought I'd do you a favor and get your place clean. And make something to eat. You were kind enough to make breakfast, now it's my turn." She steps out of the kitchenette, wearing *GASP* an actual dress - apricot in color, with a white apron, and simple black shoes. Someone look out the east window, Jesus might be returning!
*
Ford blinked, turning to the voice and realizing it was Mariah! Huh… usually, they don't stick around- what in God's name was she wearing!? Ford stared a moment, not exactly put off by the sight before him, more… surprised! "Uh… hi! You're… still here and… wow…" He was genuinely stunned. Moreso by the thought to repay him than anything. "You… wow… you, uh… you didn't have to do all this. I'm grateful, though. You, ah… you look really good!" He took a moment to admire the outfit she was wearing… and then a thought occurred to him. "So, ah… where'd you get that? I didn't peg you as a 'dress and apron' type."
*
"My clothes needed washed, and it's easier to wear this if I'm gonna cook," Mariah explains, smiling. "I know you're gonna be so surprised, but I actually -do- have some money. I picked it up along with what I needed to make dinner." Ford's surprised expression amuses her to no end. He's endearing when he's flummoxed like that.
She heads back to the stove and the skillet where dinner is nearly done. "Hey, I warned you. You feed the stray cat, she gonna make herself at home on your doorstep."
*
"Ah, no no, it's not that at all. It's just… I wasn't expecting it… so soon. Usually, by this point, the lady is well gone back to her place to consider what kind of bad decision she's made. I'm not used to them sticking around, much less cleaning my place or making me food!" Ford sniffed the air again. What was she cooking, anyways? "Not that I'm complaining! It smells great!"
Ford looked about, clearly not sure what to do with himself. About this point, he'd be rummaging through the cabinets to figure out what to make… did he… sit down? Yeah… seemed like a good idea. He slowly sat down at the little kitchen table he usually ate at… she even set the place up! "So, ah… I take it you've been busy today?"
*
"Yeah. It's kind of nice though, I haven't done anything like this in years, not since I was back home with Mama and Papi. Of course, you don't have any chickens out back, or I would have had one dressed and cleaned," Mariah explains, as she dishes up a plate for Ford. It's the general fare of Colombian peasants: Sausages, seasoned beans and rice, flat cornmeal cakes, sliced tomatos, topped with a fried egg. It's a very healthy meal!
*
Ford blinked at the meal being placed before him. It looked really delicious! A lot more than he was planning… it was probably going to end up being a sandwich. "Well… thank you! Sorry, I'm just… it's moving a bit faster than I expected. Though… I could get used to this…" He picked up his fork, waiting until Mariah's back was turned before taking a moment to appreciate her in that dress. She… fit it well~
Digging into the sausage and rice mixture, Ford took a bite and was taken aback at how good it was, resisting the urge to start shoveling it into his mouth. Patience… appreciation… remember your hallmarks, Ford. "Yeah. I guess I don't even have an outback to keep 'em in… closest we might have is the rooftop. I've seen a few buildings keep bird cages up there… might be something to consider until we can get something more… traditional."
*
"Don't worry about it," Mariah consoles. "Traditional where I'm from can be a wood shack on stilts. I just thought I'd do something nice for you, but I don't have to stay if you don't want me to. I won't want to be an unwanted guest who never knows when to go home." She dishes up her half of the food, bringing it to the table.
*
"You aren't unwanted." Ford said, turning a bit serious as she sat across from him, smiling and reaching out to place his hand on hers. "I wouldn't have brought you back if I didn't want you around. I just… I'll be honest, this is new territory for me. It doesn't bother me, I'm just… figuring out what I've got to do… besides… if we're shooting for half a dozen, they'll need some space, yeah~?"
Ford took a few more bites of food, every so often glancing up at Mariah. He had to confess, he really was a bit puzzled by all this. He had no dad growing up, so he never really got an example of what his parents would do in scenarios like this. Just… talk? He guessed? "I will say, you're a great motivator. I'm gonna have to step up and get a better paying job if I plan to make any big changes."
*
"Don't worry about it too hard. For one thing, you know that I'm not the kind of girl that needs to be dripping in gold to be happy." Mariah laughs and takes a bite of her food. "After all, if I want to be dripping in gold, I can do that to myself, si?"
*
"I know. I just…" Ford paused in his eating, setting his fork down and lacing his fingers together, resting his chin on his hands. "…I… never knew my dad growing up. Like… he was never around. I know that's pennies compared to what you've had to deal with, but… I don't really have any sort of example for… any of this. It's a bit hard to act like the man of the house when you don't know what the man of the house is supposed to do."
*
"Then I'll help," Mariah suggests. "Have you been around any other men in your life? Anyone you admire?" she enquires, looking for where she'll have to start with Ford.
*
Ford grimaced a bit as Mariah said she'd help him… it felt wrong, a bit. Like he shouldn't need help. "Well… no, not really. It was me, my mom, and my Aunt Carol… and outside the family, I always favored the ladies~" He smirked, leaning back in his chair and thinking a bit. "So, no, I never rea-" He skidded to a mental halt, looking back at Mariah and biting his lip a bit, as if pondering whether to mention something or not.
"…you promise not to laugh if I tell you?"
*
"If you say Howdy Doody I make no guarantees," Mariah replies.
*
"No, no, nothing like that… well… almost…" Ford tapped at the table a bit before standing up and heading into his bedroom. Digging into his now clean closet, Ford reached up and pulled a sizable box down he'd kept up top. Bring it in, Ford placed it down by the table and opened it up, pulling out a small plastic round shield, colored a familiar red, white, and blue design. Inside the box, a plethora of well worn comic books, a lunchbox, what looks like a helmet made for a much smaller helmet. All of which feature a certain well-known all American hero.
"Ah… when… when I was a kid… I always looked up to… well, Captain America. He was my hero as a kid… read his comics, played games recreating his adventures with other kids, he was even why I got into mechanics - I wanted to recreate that cool motorcycle of his. I always told my mom if I grew up and got powers, I wanted to be a super hero just like him… of course, as I got older, I realized that wasn't… feasible."
*
No laughter from Mariah. Instead, she simply smiles.
"Look, there is a lot of things that your country has done to mine that are wrong. We are pinched between you and the Russian, like many other countries in the world. But this?" She points at the memorabilia. "He is your Bolivar, your Washington. There is nothing wrong with looking up to this man. You could do much worse than him."
She eats another bite of food, better do that while it's still hot. "Now that you tell me this? I should tell you a secret."
*
Ford stared at the toy shield a bit longer, smiling with a distant look in his eyes before shaking his head and packing it back in. "I guess so… I'm just… kinda old for this now… for heroic daring and fighting bad guys, and all that. Still keep it around for sentimental value." Ford sighed and moved back to his chair, taking a couple more bites of food and looking up at Mariah. "Hm? Oh, you don't have to… but, sure. If you'd like. I'm all ears."
*
"Really? You're too old for having adventures? You gonna make me laugh," Mariah teases. "You threw a bunch of chimbos in a dumpster in front of the garage, is that not an adventure?"
Mariah sighs. "Okay, so, here is my secret: I can't read or write in English. I know a few words, the numbers, si? But you give me your newspaper, all I can do is look at the funny pictures in the middle. I did not go to school. I know how to add and how to write a little in Spanish, but I was taught more about how to kill people than what happened on the other side of the world."
*
"That was different." Ford countered, pointing his fork at Mariah before taking another bite of food with it. "They came out threatening me and my my work. I didn't go actively looking for villains, like heroes do. I just keep it off my street." It's hard to say if he views that with determination or some degree of regret. "Regardless, it's the 'dressing up in colored undies and leaping out to save the day' that I'm too old for. Some people are meant to be heroes… others aren't…"
*
Ford blinked as Mariah confessed that… she couldn't read or write! Huh… well, that makes sense. She was raised to fight back in her country. "…that's okay. There's plenty of people in this city that can't do that. But, lucky for you, I can! So… I'll teach you." He smiled back at her, taking another bite of that sausage.
*
"See, now that's a fair deal. We work together, cover each other's weakness. That seem okay to you?" Mariah asks, taking a drink of water.
*
"Like a well oiled pit crew… sounds good to me." Ford nodded, finishing up his rice. "How oiled… I'll leave up to you~" Well… it was touching while it lasted. He paused a moment, tapping the plate with his fork as he thought. "…I know I said I wasn't going loooking for trouble… but I've been considering what you said. About the Trash. I… don't like to kill. I know that's a luxury I can claim, but… well, I don't. But you had a point: if we don't bite the problem in the butt, it'll just keep coming back. I… think we need to find the boss of those mutants who attacked the garage. Take him or her down before they can get a foothold again… cause us more trouble…"
*
"I'm just concerned that one of these days we're gonna run into someone who can and will try to kill us, and maybe succeed. There's a point where you can't reason with someone. Then? -Then- you kill them." She's pretty practical about the whole killing thing, but hey, child soldier. They do that.
"As for dressing all colorful, you can do it if you want. Depends on whether you think there is an advantage to it." Ford's oil comment didn't go unnoticed. "If you need oil, there's something wrong with the engine," she teases.
*
"I won't let that happen… this whole… going after a drug boss thing is just a one time fluke. To protect us… after this, no more. I can be straight… that kinda show boating is ridiculous." Ford nodded, remaining silent about killing people. "…hopefully, it won't come to that."
*
"Pffft, nope. I never thought bright red and blue pajamas made anybody look terribly frightening. Mine would be more… subdued. Less eye catching. Makes it easier to sneak in on folks." He froze at her last comment mid-bite, smirking at her. "Then I guess the engine is revving smoothly~"
*
Mariah chuckles a little. "Let's just say that when you turn the key, there's no problem with the ignition." Check and mate, Ford. This one knows how to tease as good as she gets.
"When you're done I'll get the dishes, and then if you want, we can try out the clean sheets."