Episode 82: Peaceful Drive Back Home.

Today's work had been more than fulfilling. We had sold out all our products, earned a significant amount of coins, and before leaving Rat Town, I met with John to secure a week-long permit. It was now official—I would be running my stall in Rat Town for the entire week.

The warm reception from our customers made the experience even more enjoyable. Every person who visited our stall was thrilled with our products, showering us with compliments. "This is the best bread I've ever tasted!" one man had exclaimed. Another had grinned widely, holding up his hotdog. "This is real food, not the dried-out junk we've been forced to eat!" Their praise and enthusiasm made all the hard work worthwhile, not just for me, but also for the ladies. Seeing them uplifted by the positive feedback made me feel truly accomplished.

"It was a good day today, right Nat".

"Yeah…. met Rosa today…and all of my ex-coworker, all of them were doing good…By the way, all of them were happy to see us doing just fine". Natasha said with a smile,

Be it whatever happened in Rat Town, it was still a place where we were married and lived for a long time, meeting her friends lifted her mood and made her happy as well. She can also show that she was doing good these days, I saw her showing off a little, with pointing at our trucks, me looking good and also giving some discounts to her friends. Well, as along as she were feeling good, I am all for it. As we drove home, the air in the truck was lighthearted. Scarlett, who sat behind me, suddenly spoke up.

"Azra, let me drive," she said eagerly.

Selene rolled her eyes. "Scarlett, just let him be. You can drive some other time."

Natasha, on the other hand, just laughed at Scarlett's enthusiasm.

I glanced at Scarlett through the rearview mirror. "Can you even drive?" I asked, raising a brow.

"I have experience," she insisted, leaning forward. "I really want to drive the truck! C'mon, just for a bit?"

Her enthusiasm was infectious, and truthfully, it was the first time I had ever seen her this excited about something. After a moment of consideration, I decided to let her have her fun.

"Alright, fine," I said with a chuckle. "Pulling over now."

I parked on the side of the road and got out, switching places with Scarlett. As soon as she took the wheel, her eyes sparkled with excitement. The moment she started driving, it was evident that she was good at it—smooth, confident, and precise. Seeing how good she was I knew that I can truly relax now.

"This truck is incredible," she muttered, gripping the wheel. "It's so responsive, so smooth! Every vehicle I've driven before was a rusted tin can that barely moved unless you begged it to."

That got a laugh out of everyone in the truck.

"Really what have you drive before?". I asked

"Well…a questionable truck, questionable as in that thing just have a tiny similarity with what a truck is, falling apart with each drive session. And an engine that requires praying to keep working…". Scarlet said with a laugh, I wondered what that truck would look like in person.

As Scarlett happily chatted with Natasha about her driving experience, I took the chance to unwind in the back seat. I pulled out my phone and started checking my social media accounts, expecting nothing much. However, I was in for a surprise.

"Huh… No way," I murmured, my eyes widening.

"What?" Selene, who sat beside me, leaned in curiously.

I turned my phone screen toward her. "I just hit a hundred thousand followers on Stargram. And my Metube channel too."

Selene blinked. "Is that… good?"

I laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty good. It's fun, too."

She tilted her head, watching as I scrolled through my posts. "What do you even post?"

"Pictures of Natasha and me, places we visit, scenery… just random stuff."

Selene observed for a moment, then asked, "Why do you do this?"

I shrugged. "Just because."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "And people actually like it?"

I smirked. "Oh yeah. They love it."

I showed her the like, followers, and the comments of my page, Selene took a little bot of interest as well, she saw a lot of pictures, and the other users' pictures as well, noting that there's a picture of a world that isn't in shambles like the one that we were currently, that was enough to get her onboard.

Grinning, she nudged me. "Let's take one together."

Without hesitation, I lifted my phone. Naturally, we ended up taking a couple-styled picture—Selene wrapping her arms around my neck, placing a soft kiss on my cheek while we both smiled. Another shot featured her gazing out the window, the endless wasteland stretching behind her, giving the image an almost cinematic feel.

Feeling playful, I took another picture, zooming in on her robotic hand resting on my thigh. With a wink emoji, I captioned the post:

"Introducing my second wife, Selene."

Selene chuckled as she saw the post go live. "Are they gonna freak out over this?"

"Oh, definitely."

Updating my profile was always fun. My followers and fans knew me as a highly skilled CGI artist, and every time I posted something, my page would explode with activity. Within minutes, comments started flooding in, and I watched with amusement as debates and admiration-filled discussions unfolded in real-time.

Natasha had always been a favorite among my followers, often dubbed as the 'Mommy Type' due to her warm and nurturing personality. But Selene? She was elegance incarnate. Many pointed out how she bore a striking resemblance to a famous Hollywood actress. But unlike the actress, Selene had an allure that was both mysterious and intoxicating.

I turned my phone off with a smirk, letting the internet do its thing. Scarlett was still thoroughly enjoying herself behind the wheel, Natasha was engaged in conversation with her, and Selene seemed amused by our little social media adventure.

As the truck rumbled down the dusty road, I stretched, feeling a rare sense of peace. Today had been a good day—our business had flourished, we had earned a fortune, and best of all, we had fun. This, right here, was what made everything worth it.