It was a typical Saturday afternoon in the Johnson household, the warm sunlight filtering through the curtains as the family went about their day. Alex, sitting at the kitchen counter, poured over his cherished notebook, filled with sketches and stories that had become a sanctuary for his thoughts. He had always loved to write and create fictional stories based on his imagination ever since he was a young boy. He'd pull all sorts of inspiration from whatever he seen. He wasn't sure quite yet if he was going to pursue being a writer, or taking things up a notch and turning his ideas into Hollywood films (in the far future of course). Alex sat there, in his zone, blissfully unaware that his mother, Melanie, had entered the kitchen and started to prep lunch for the family as everybody was at home at this time. Alex felt his bladder start to act up so he got up and walked over to the restroom, leaving his work on the counter.
He stood in front of the toilet and whipped out his member, bringing his head back in relief as he emptied his bladder. "Phew, I gotta stop holding it in when I'm in the zone," he thought to himself. As he started to was his hands, he heard a something tip over and his mother gasp out loud. Alex exited the bathroom and walked back over to the kitchen, where he seen his mother holding up his prized notebook, dripping with a brown liquid.
He felt his heart drop at the sight, bolting over to her and snatching it out of her hands. "Darn it, Mom! That was my favorite notebook! All of my work!," Alex exclaimed, flipping through the pages to see that they were stained with coffee and unreadable.
"I'm so sorry, Alex. It was an accident," Melanie replied, her voice tinged with regret. "I thought that I placed my coffee someplace else and I sideswiped it when I was getting something out of this bottom drawer".
All Alex could do was stare at his ruined notebook. Months of ideas that he'd either sketched out or wrote down the drain. On top of that, it was a really nice notebook that his grandfather had gotten him for his birthday, full of Rhodia paper and even had his name engraved on the spine. He was devastated.
While Alex was standing there, mourning his beloved notebook, Melanie had walked over to her purse and grabbed her wallet. She walked over to Alex and opened it up, grabbing 3 $20 bills. "Here," she said, "I know that notebook meant a lot to you, and I feel horrible for that little accident. Go see if you can find a replacement one for right now. I know that one was pretty expensive because grandpa had it customized for you, but this is all I can give you right now for a new one Alex".
Alex looked over at his mom, and despite his frustration, he couldn't help but thank her. He knew that she would never do this on purpose, and that he was just angry with the situation. "Thanks Mom," he said, "I'll go and try to find something". He grabbed some paper towels and set his notebook on under them, as he'd try to salvage what he could when the pages dried later. Alex then walked over to the front door and grabbed his keys from the hook nearby, and walked out the door.
He drove his car to the nearby shopping center, hoping that the local department store would have some quality notebooks, and maybe some newer stationery materials as well. Alex parked in the parking lot, and headed inside. He searched high and low throughout the store, but all he could find were run-of-the-mill notebooks, and pencils (similar to those that somebody may use as school supplies). Feeling defeated, Alex made his way of out the store. "I shoulda known, they never have the quality stuff" he said, kicking a rock that was on the ground in front of him. He followed the rock and it launched in front of him bringing his gaze upward toward a small, rundown business center that was across the street. Two of the buildings had large "FOR LEASE" signs hanging over the former businesses names, but the third building seemed to be open. Most interesting of all, was the name of the building.
"Writer's Block? How long has that been there? I would've heard of it, unless it's new." Alex said to himself, "I have to check this place out".
He hopped in his car, and drove across the road, to the rundown business center. As he parked, he examined his surroundings. The two other buildings that were closed were torn up, as it they were covered with graffiti, and there were small holes in the windows. He attention then shifted over to Writer's Block, as it appeared to be an open business. Alex got out of the car and took a glimpse into the store from the window. It looked like some sort of antique store, but he figured that they could hav what he was looking for, especially with a name like "Writer's Block". With a sense of intrigue, he pushed open the creaky door and stepped into the dimly lit shop.
A bell chimed as he walked in, and the air was thick with the scent of aged paper and polished wood. The shelves were lined with books as well as other curious trinkets. He saw a counter and cash register when he walked in, but nobody manning it. He stood at the front of the store for a second, debating whether or not he should browse the store. It seemed quaint, and it wouldn't hurt to look, especially since he struck out at the department store. He wandered through the two main aisles, eyeing the different products on the shelves. They were all very interesting items, but nothing looked to be what he was looking for. "Dammit, I'll never find a nice notebook. I guess I'll just have to settle for now", Alex said to himself, as he started towards the front of the store.
As he popped out from the aisle, he spotted somebody behind the counter, digging through a box. It was a middle-aged man, a couple inches taller than Alex. He had long brown hair and a beard. His eyes met Alex's as Alex was looking his way, and Alex felt an odd sense of peace for a second. Before he knew it, Alex found himself walking toward the man at the counter.
"Hey there!" the man boomed. He had an interesting voice, as it was soft but it felt like it carried throughout the entire store. "Thanks for stopping by! We just opened, as you can see that I'm still unboxing inventory. Did you find everything okay?"
Alex was bewildered by the man for whatever reason, but came back to his sense quickly. "Uh, yeah! I was just looking for a new notebook to write in. I was hoping that based on the store's name that I'd find something but I couldn't see anything. There's a bunch of other cool stuff that you guys have here though".
The worker smiled, "A notebook huh? I thought that I had seen something like that in one of these boxes that I have around here. Gimme a sec". He kneeled down below the front counter and stood up, with a small box in hand. He set in on the counter and shot Alex a grin. "Open it up, and tell me what ya think!".
A smile appeared across Alex's face as he was delighted that this rinkydink store might actually have what he was looking for. He grabbed the box and opened it up. Inside, was a large, leather-bound notebook. Its quality was comparable to his old one, if not nicer. He took it out of the box and ran his hand over the cover, assuring his suspicions of its quality. Alex then opened it up and flipped through the pages, inspecting their quality. Much like the outward appearance of the notebook, the innards were just as nice, much to Alex's delight. He set the notebook down, and looked up at the worker. "This is perfect! How much?".
The worker shot Alex another smile, "Good question man, let's see the tag". He picked the notebook and inspected it, looking from cover to cover. He set it back down and chuckled. "Looks like I didn't price this one. Whoops! I think this might've been something my dad gave me. I don't know if I should sell this to ya kid". Alex felt his heart sink into his stomach. There was no way he'd find another notebook that was so similar to his old one, not locally at least. The worker must've sensed Alex's sorrow, because another smile appeared on his face. "So kid, with that in mind" he said as he put the notebook in the box, and slid it toward Alex, "You can have it. It's my fault from not pricing it" he chuckled. Alex's heart immediately rose back into his chest, and a smile broke out across his face. "Seriously!? No way man! I have to give you something!" he said, digging into his pocket for his wallet.
The workers but his hands up at his sides, "Nope! You heard me dude! Take it! It's yours. You seem like you'll do better work with it better than my old man. Now get outta here dude and get to writing! You were made for that!".
"I can't believe this! Thank you so much! This is so awesome!" Alex said as he picked up the box and headed out the door, "You made my day!". Alex walked over to his car, hopped in and sped off, leaving the small store in his rear view.
Meanwhile, the worker continued to unpack the large box that he had on the counter. He laughed to himself, "I wonder what that kid'll do with that damn notebook. Probably shouldn't have given it to him, but what's the worst that could happen?". He then pulled out a cross from the box and frowned. He licked his finger and wiped the face of Jesus that was sculpted onto the it. "They never could get me beard quite right" he sighed as he looked at the cross.
At the Johnson House
Alex had quickly arrived home, eager to write in his new notebook. Before he went upstairs to his room, he stopped by the kitchen to grab his old one as it seemed to have dried off a bit. Once in his room, he looked over his old work (or what was left of it) and seen that there were only small fractions that were salvageable. "Fuck, most of its gone. I wish mom would've been more careful" he sighed. He was still a bit frustrated with her, and she became the focal point of his thoughts.
He looked over at his new notebook, grabbed it, and started to write.
What'd he write?
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