The Halloween Store - Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

THE FOLK SINGER

It was two weeks to go until Halloween and the amount of customers entering the store picked up. Andre kept whacking the newbies on the head with his rubber club as the corny, flute-filled Halloween music played on. 

There were also healthy amounts of kids running around the store hitting each other with plastic swords and axes. John yelled at the them. “Hey, slow down! No hitting with the weapons, that’s how they break.”

One of the kids slowed down and John snatched the broken plastic sword away from him. John put the sword back with the other plastic weaponry. “Fifth one in the last three days.”

“We can’t have any more broken weapons gentlemen. They cost twenty to thirty a piece!” Said Gary appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

John instinctively looked to his left and spotted Megan talking to another brunette. She was short, around Megan’s height, milky white complexion. John wasn’t sure if some of it was make-up or her natural skin color. Her long raven-black her touched the top of her shoulders, she was slightly plump in her breasts and rear. As she walked towards the cobwebbed vampire section, he noticed her beautifully round face and smiling pink-red lips.

John wandered off but moved closer to her as he straightened the costumes on the shelf, not really fixing them but trying to straighten them out just for an excuse to be her line of sight.

As they talked, Megan introduced Laura to John.

“I like the suit. I love Ghostbusters!” Said Laura with her Irish inflection.

John smiled a bit, “Thanks, you’re not from around these parts are ya?” Asked John in a southern draw while raising his right eyebrow.

“How’d ya guess?” The smiling black-haired beauty replied.

John pulled a prop cigarette from his front pocket and puffed out the fake smoke away from her face. “Just a feeling, I’m kidding, I’m not from the south. I’m a transplant too, I’m from Michigan, very nice to meet you.”

Laura smiled. John was charmed way before her smile. There definitely weren’t any beautiful Irish girls from his native land. Why would there be? Sure there were plenty of American girls who’s ethnicity was Irish but an honest to God Irish beauty from the county with the accent and all. He never met one, until now.

Yes, the exotic girls from around the world came to Los Angeles. By now John had flirted with Russian women, Australian women and now a Irish woman.

“So what are you doing in LA? John asked.

“I’m a folk singer tryin’ to get picked up by a label.” She said smiling.

“Trust me, you don’t need a major label to pick you up when I can do it for free.” John said with a smile in the corner of his mouth.

Laura giggled and turned as her cheeks swelled red.

“What do ya wanna do after I get out Laura?” Megan walked around the isle towards them.

“I don’t know know, what time do ya get out?” Laura replied.

“At about tree.” Megan responded.

“Um, at about three,” Andre echoed while eavesdropping.

“Shut up Andre! Dat’s the time I get out.

“There’s a great little bar on the corner of San Fernando and Alameda called The Blue Room. “That sounds good! Well, since ya mentioned it, how about ya come?” Laura asked John, lifting her eyebrows with a slight smile.

“Um, yeah. I get out around eight?” John replied. 

Andre smiled and smacked John on the arm with his club. “What? You’re not gonna invite me? 

Tanks! Tanks a lot!”

“Why do ya have to be so racist towards us Irish girls Andre?” Said Megan. 

“Because it’s fun,” Megan smacked Andre on the back of the head. ”Ouch! I am when people replace a plant with a number.” He rubbed the back of his head.

“Alright ladies, eight o’clock it tis.” John replied in his own Irish accent.

Just then, Allen showed up behind them. He shot his hands up in the air, waving them in his usual Nixon-like manor. “Get to work everybody!”

Andre shot into the back of the store. John put his plastic blaster on his shoulder. Laura smiled at him and giggled mouthing. “You better be there.”

John smiled as everybody dispersed. John strutted to the middle of the store, blaster over his shoulder. He took it off to quickly take it off and shot at a white cartoon-like ghost hanging from the ceiling. John smiled then walked down an isle. The ghost spun around.