Not Enough Mike Stories So Here's One
Overtime, Broccoli and U2
I glance at my watch to see it’s only a short half hour till I get off of work. I have next to a million things to do after work so my mind is running full blast.
“Jade,” My boss Catherine says from behind me as she touches my shoulder.
“Yeah?” I ask as I adjust the settings to lead into the next song.
“Robert just called in, he’s going to be late, you think you can work over time?”
“You’re kidding me right?” I ask in disbelief, “I have to-“
“Please, you’d really be a life saver.”
“I have to pick my daughter up at school in half an hour.”
“Umm can you come back?”
“Fine.” I murmur as I go back to my mixing board, “I better get a pretty nice bonus!”
“Definitely.” She laughs.
Half an hour passes and Catherine comes back to take over my station. I hurry out of the building and to my car. Maddy’s school is only minutes away and I had to take her to her swimming class so it wasn’t so bad. I park outside the school yard just as all the kids are let out in a screaming mess excitement considering it was their last day before Christmas holidays.
Madison runs up to the passenger and slides in.
“Hey kiddo.” I say as I start up the car, “You have your swim stuff, right?”
“Yep.” She says as she buckles her seat belt.
“Okay, cause I have to go back to work for an hour or so.” She sighs. “Don’t worry I’ll pick you up on time.”
“Yeah okay, but are we buying the Christmas tree today?” I had completely forgotten, Christmas in only four days away, luckily I’ve done all my shopping, even got a gift for Mike.
“Yup, right after swimming I promise.” I say turning the corner where the Starbucks is.
Back at work, forty-five minutes late Robert shows up overly-casual.
“No rush to get here I see.” I say as I he takes his seat at the mixing board.
“Hey, I had an emergency,” he stops, “my wife dropped the baby.” I stay silent, “Took her to the hospital, nothing’s wrong.”
“Umm alright.” I say grabbing my purse and heading out the door.
Just as I get to my car my cell phone rings. I clamber into my car before answering it.
“Hello?”
“Hey Jade, its Mike.”
“Hey.” I say adoringly, “What’s up?” I start up the car and pull out of my parking space.
“I was wondering if you’d like to get together tonight.”
“Erm, I’d love to but can’t, I promised Maddy we’d put of the Christmas tree today.”
“Ohh, okay.” He says disappointed.
“But if you want to stop by that’s fine,” I say as I arrive at the city pool, “come for dinner if you like, nothing special, just chicken and rice.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“Yup, see ya.”
I realize I stayed at work longer than expected because Madison is waiting patiently outside.
“You’re late.” She says as she buckles her seat belt.
“Yeah, sorry.” I mumble, “So do you wanna get the tree?” she smiles, “You mind if Mike joins us tonight?”
“Yeah whatever.” She says as she starts fiddling with the radio until she gets to the local rock station. “Where are we going to buy the tree?”
“Uhh there’s the place outside the grocery store.” I say heading in that direction, “It’s closest to home.”
I leave the tree attached to the roof of the car; I’m going to get Mike to help me bring it in. Meanwhile Madison and I start making dinner.
“Get the broccoli out of the fridge.”
“Ew! Not broccoli!” Maddy pouts.
“I hate it as much as you do.”
“Then why do you buy it?!”
“Because it’s healthy and we haven’t had it since, well I can’t remember.” I gibber as I put the green vegetable in the boiling water.
BUZZ!
“I’ll get it!” Maddy exclaims as she runs to the intercom.
“Hello?”
“It’s Mike.”
“Oh hi Mike.” She teases, “Now why should I let you in?”
“Madison!” I exclaim. She laughs and presses the button to let him in.
I start setting the table just as Mike lets himself in. He comes up to me and kisses me softly.
“Gross!” Maddy says laughing as she puts the napkins on the table. The oven timer dings and I pull away from Mike and pull the platter of chicken out.
“Smells good.” Mike says as he gets the pitcher of water out of the fridge. We finish setting the table before we sit down to eat.
“Mike, do you like broccoli?” Maddy asks half-way through dinner.
“Not really.”
“Neither do I.” she sighs, “I don’t think anyone does, not even my mom.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I say rolling my eyes. My cell phone starts ringing so I pick it up and take the call in my bedroom.
“Hi Jade, its Catherine.”
“Hey, listen I’m in the middle of-“
“I need you to come into work on Christmas Eve.”
“I can’t, I told you like a month ago!”
“But.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to be in Sacramento on Christmas Eve so you’ll have to find someone else.” I hang up the phone, turn it off and toss it on my bed. I’m officially sick of Catherine bugging me to work extra hours.
I return to the main part of the apartment to find Maddy giggling into her hand.
“What’s so funny?” I ask taking my seat. Mike shrugs casually and eats a piece of chicken, I glance around to the table to see the bowl of broccoli is gone, along with servings of broccoli that were in our plates.
“Maddy!” I exclaim, trying my hardest not to laugh.
“It wasn’t me!” She squeals, “I swear, it was Mike!” I start laughing, I look at Mike who’s also trying not to laugh.
“It was you, wasn’t it.” He nods maliciously.
“Eating broccoli wasn’t doing any of us any good, whatsoever.” He states simply, “so I gave it to Gail.”
“Are you serious?” I ask as I head to the door. I open it and look down the hall to see a plastic zip bag of broccoli on the floor in front of Gail’s door. I can’t help but laugh hysterically.
Maddy stands up and clears her place setting, Mike and I do the same.
“So can we decorate the tree now?” she asks hopefully.
“Yeah.” I say cheerily.
“So where’s the tree?” Mike asks.
“Its still strapped to the roof of my car, we have to go get it.”
The three of us go outside to bring the tree in and carefully drag it up the stairs. We put it up in the living room and I get the decorations out of the closet.
“Hmm we need music.” I say heading over to my CD collection, I make my selection and pop it in the CD player.
“U2.” Mike states as the song One starts up.
“Yeah, I don’t like Christmas music, so around this time of year I listen to either U2 or The Beatles, because well face it The Sex Pistols aren’t really in good spirits.” I ramble. Mike nods laughing.
“That’s cool.”
“Jade,” My boss Catherine says from behind me as she touches my shoulder.
“Yeah?” I ask as I adjust the settings to lead into the next song.
“Robert just called in, he’s going to be late, you think you can work over time?”
“You’re kidding me right?” I ask in disbelief, “I have to-“
“Please, you’d really be a life saver.”
“I have to pick my daughter up at school in half an hour.”
“Umm can you come back?”
“Fine.” I murmur as I go back to my mixing board, “I better get a pretty nice bonus!”
“Definitely.” She laughs.
Half an hour passes and Catherine comes back to take over my station. I hurry out of the building and to my car. Maddy’s school is only minutes away and I had to take her to her swimming class so it wasn’t so bad. I park outside the school yard just as all the kids are let out in a screaming mess excitement considering it was their last day before Christmas holidays.
Madison runs up to the passenger and slides in.
“Hey kiddo.” I say as I start up the car, “You have your swim stuff, right?”
“Yep.” She says as she buckles her seat belt.
“Okay, cause I have to go back to work for an hour or so.” She sighs. “Don’t worry I’ll pick you up on time.”
“Yeah okay, but are we buying the Christmas tree today?” I had completely forgotten, Christmas in only four days away, luckily I’ve done all my shopping, even got a gift for Mike.
“Yup, right after swimming I promise.” I say turning the corner where the Starbucks is.
Back at work, forty-five minutes late Robert shows up overly-casual.
“No rush to get here I see.” I say as I he takes his seat at the mixing board.
“Hey, I had an emergency,” he stops, “my wife dropped the baby.” I stay silent, “Took her to the hospital, nothing’s wrong.”
“Umm alright.” I say grabbing my purse and heading out the door.
Just as I get to my car my cell phone rings. I clamber into my car before answering it.
“Hello?”
“Hey Jade, its Mike.”
“Hey.” I say adoringly, “What’s up?” I start up the car and pull out of my parking space.
“I was wondering if you’d like to get together tonight.”
“Erm, I’d love to but can’t, I promised Maddy we’d put of the Christmas tree today.”
“Ohh, okay.” He says disappointed.
“But if you want to stop by that’s fine,” I say as I arrive at the city pool, “come for dinner if you like, nothing special, just chicken and rice.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“Yup, see ya.”
I realize I stayed at work longer than expected because Madison is waiting patiently outside.
“You’re late.” She says as she buckles her seat belt.
“Yeah, sorry.” I mumble, “So do you wanna get the tree?” she smiles, “You mind if Mike joins us tonight?”
“Yeah whatever.” She says as she starts fiddling with the radio until she gets to the local rock station. “Where are we going to buy the tree?”
“Uhh there’s the place outside the grocery store.” I say heading in that direction, “It’s closest to home.”
I leave the tree attached to the roof of the car; I’m going to get Mike to help me bring it in. Meanwhile Madison and I start making dinner.
“Get the broccoli out of the fridge.”
“Ew! Not broccoli!” Maddy pouts.
“I hate it as much as you do.”
“Then why do you buy it?!”
“Because it’s healthy and we haven’t had it since, well I can’t remember.” I gibber as I put the green vegetable in the boiling water.
BUZZ!
“I’ll get it!” Maddy exclaims as she runs to the intercom.
“Hello?”
“It’s Mike.”
“Oh hi Mike.” She teases, “Now why should I let you in?”
“Madison!” I exclaim. She laughs and presses the button to let him in.
I start setting the table just as Mike lets himself in. He comes up to me and kisses me softly.
“Gross!” Maddy says laughing as she puts the napkins on the table. The oven timer dings and I pull away from Mike and pull the platter of chicken out.
“Smells good.” Mike says as he gets the pitcher of water out of the fridge. We finish setting the table before we sit down to eat.
“Mike, do you like broccoli?” Maddy asks half-way through dinner.
“Not really.”
“Neither do I.” she sighs, “I don’t think anyone does, not even my mom.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I say rolling my eyes. My cell phone starts ringing so I pick it up and take the call in my bedroom.
“Hi Jade, its Catherine.”
“Hey, listen I’m in the middle of-“
“I need you to come into work on Christmas Eve.”
“I can’t, I told you like a month ago!”
“But.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to be in Sacramento on Christmas Eve so you’ll have to find someone else.” I hang up the phone, turn it off and toss it on my bed. I’m officially sick of Catherine bugging me to work extra hours.
I return to the main part of the apartment to find Maddy giggling into her hand.
“What’s so funny?” I ask taking my seat. Mike shrugs casually and eats a piece of chicken, I glance around to the table to see the bowl of broccoli is gone, along with servings of broccoli that were in our plates.
“Maddy!” I exclaim, trying my hardest not to laugh.
“It wasn’t me!” She squeals, “I swear, it was Mike!” I start laughing, I look at Mike who’s also trying not to laugh.
“It was you, wasn’t it.” He nods maliciously.
“Eating broccoli wasn’t doing any of us any good, whatsoever.” He states simply, “so I gave it to Gail.”
“Are you serious?” I ask as I head to the door. I open it and look down the hall to see a plastic zip bag of broccoli on the floor in front of Gail’s door. I can’t help but laugh hysterically.
Maddy stands up and clears her place setting, Mike and I do the same.
“So can we decorate the tree now?” she asks hopefully.
“Yeah.” I say cheerily.
“So where’s the tree?” Mike asks.
“Its still strapped to the roof of my car, we have to go get it.”
The three of us go outside to bring the tree in and carefully drag it up the stairs. We put it up in the living room and I get the decorations out of the closet.
“Hmm we need music.” I say heading over to my CD collection, I make my selection and pop it in the CD player.
“U2.” Mike states as the song One starts up.
“Yeah, I don’t like Christmas music, so around this time of year I listen to either U2 or The Beatles, because well face it The Sex Pistols aren’t really in good spirits.” I ramble. Mike nods laughing.
“That’s cool.”