Parking Ticket

I tried to give Roxanne a brief overview of how the laws were formed. "Our sector has three branches of government, just like the United States, but we are the equivalent of territory to the Mexican government. Technically, we don't exist, but we are their subsidiary. They let our government make its own laws, but we don't have a constitution. The ordinances are proposed by voters and lobbyists and ratified by a council of five elected Vampires voted in every 25 years. There is no easy way to challenge a law. It has to be contested by the Mexican government, and they also control the City Center." Roxanne noted, "It sounds like a dystopia. There are no ways to challenge or determine if a law is unjust because there isn't a framework." I verified, "I agree, but it has worked for a long time. Vampires may be better than humans." Roxanne asserted, "We'll have to judge that for ourselves." We continued to walk around the downtown area and found an arcade. Like a little kid, I begged, "Can we please go to the arcade?" Roxanne laughed, "Of course, sweetie."

We walked inside, and it had never occurred to me what the preferred currency was. I approached the teller and asked, "What is the preferred currency?" She explained. "Write your address on this card, and it gets billed to you." I read the form, and in small print, it read, "Billing services are not offered to those who reside in Feathery Hill Apartments. You must pay in pesos or dollars. Those who falsify this form will be prosecuted." I wrote our address down, and we entered. Out of earshot from the teller, I told Roxanne, "You were right about the dystopian theory. There is no declaration or right not to be discriminated against." She speculated, "We will have to see if this place is for us and decide what we want to do." I affirmed, "You're right." We played games for a while and proceeded to this claw machine. I was a master at claw games and swiped a card the teller gave me. Roxanne asked, "Are you going to win me something?" I said, "That's the plan." First shot, I won a teddy bear with vampire fangs and handed it to Roxanne. She exclaimed, "I love it." She kissed me, but Merlin whined. I reassured him, "I'll win you something, too, but promise you won't demolish it." He raised his paw, and I shook it. I looked through the machine and found the perfect toy. I swiped the card, maneuvered the claw, and hit my mark. I reached into the cubby and pulled out a pink poodle with red eyes. I held it in front of Merlin, and he bounced up and down. I held it out, and he carefully took it in his mouth. Roxanne giggled, "I love you both." We continued to play a few games, and all three of us had fun. 

We returned to the truck to find a parking ticket. It read, "Within 12 inches of a crosswalk." I measured it with my foot, which was about 11 inches. Roxanne asked, "Did Van Douchebag write that?" I laughed, "Yeah. I'll ask my supervisor why this guy is on one, and he'll give me a straight answer." We climbed in, and I put the ticket in the glove box. We returned home, and Roxanne asked, "Can we go in the hot tub?" I said, "Yeah, let's do it." We disrobed in the living room, and Merlin looked at me funny. I testified, "Don't give me that look. You are always butt-ass naked." Roxanne laughed at our exchange, and Merlin took his toy onto his bed. Roxanne sympathized, "Don't hurt his feelings." I shot back, "He's just mad mine is bigger than his." Roxanne giggled and grasped my hand. She led me outside, and we climbed into the hot tub. Once we got in, a panel on the side of the home opened, revealing a huge T.V. Roxanne asked, "Did you know about that?" I responded, "Nope." I looked at the controls on the hot tub, and there were T.V. controls. I flipped through the channels and found a movie I hadn't seen in a while. Roxanne joked, "You like this movie?" I said, "It's one of my favorites. The main character reminds me of myself. He daydreamed a lot, had a boring life, dreamed of being with one of his coworkers, but most importantly, he went on a crazy adventure and got with the coworker he had a crush on." She said, "That's all true, but your life wasn't boring. You did some crazy stuff at the hospital, and everyone thought you were a superhero." I responded, "What made it hell was that I did everything myself. I had no one special to share the crazy stories with and no one to trust who wouldn't judge me for the things I'd done. It wasn't with everyone at the hospital, but for the majority, security was the superheroes when they got in over their heads, but the moment they made a mistake, they would try to blame it on us." 

Roxanne sat silently, and I was afraid I was too honest, but she slid into my lap. She whispered, "You were and will always be my hero, no matter what." She kissed me, and then she rested her head on my shoulder. She whispered, "I had no idea it was that rough for you." I said, "Neither did I until I found you. I thought I was at the peak of my life, but now it is worth something." We sat silently, and then I realized something. I had it easy compared to her. I said, "I'm sorry you had to go all those years alone and had no one to process it with." She looked up with a tear in her eye. She said, "Of all the other vampires I have met, you are the only one to say that." We nuzzled our noses together, and I stated, "I'm glad you never lost faith that you would find me." She passionately kissed me and then stated, "I want to watch the rest of the movie." I said, "Of course, hun." I cradled her, and she rested her head on my chest. We watched the rest of the movie, and once it ended, we got out, used the outdoor shower, and got in bed. I sent Correy a text, "Good evening, sir. I was hoping you would give me some advice. Van Hindler gave me a hard time today and wrote me a ticket. I'll pay it but would like advice on how to handle it." He immediately responded, "Don't worry about the ticket and he's stubborn towards new people and you are going into a much desired position. It will take you to prove yourself in the field to earn respect." We lay in bed, and Roxanne asked, "Can I be the big spoon?" I smiled and flipped over. She attached herself to my back, and I set the alarm. We fell asleep peacefully.