The Flop House

Paula Deane had returned to Emerald Harbour after twenty years.  Years past, she had been a chef in training.  The day of the disaster, she had been in Sim City doing a cooking demonstration.  She of course was not allowed to return once the town was evacuated.

Paula continued to develop her culinary skills in hopes of becoming a five star chef.  She was close to mastering cooking, and spent many spare hours studying recipes and cooking techniques.  But, when the opportunity came to return, she did it, with hopes of reopening her rooming house.  At the moment, it was empty, with the exception of herself.  That was soon to change.

A newcomer to Emerald Harbour, Buck Passer, was looking for a place to stay.  He saw a woman in the square and approached her.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but would you happen to know of any place around here where a fellow from out of town could get a room?”

She answered.  “As a matter of fact, you’re close to it right now.  See that place behind me?  That’s the Flop House.  It just opened back up.  You can head over there.  Paula should have rooms available.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” said Buck, and as she walked off, Buck resolved to check out this Flop House.

Buck walked across the lawn in the direction the woman had pointed him.

 Buck rang the bell, his dreams of being a sports legend dancing in his head.

Paula answered the door.  “May I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, Ma’am.  My name is Buck Passer, and I’ve been told you run a rooming house?  I was wondering if there might be a place available for me?”

After talking for a few minutes, Paula decided that he was a polite young man, and seemed to be honest.  She told him the rates and the rules of the house, and invited him inside.

Buck could be a pleasant enough person.  He made conversation at meals, and he praised Paula’s home cooking.

And, as soon as the paper came that day, Buck looked for and found a job in the athletic field.

Buck, however, was far from perfect.

He tended to be messy when he ate.

One night, he invited some people over.  When they left, he didn’t clean up after them.

Paula, who had a neat streak a mile long, got upset.

“Buck, I know you’re a nice guy, but honey, you are a slob!  Please, can you just once in a while pick up after yourself?”

Well, what was Buck to do?  He liked the Flop House, and even though he wasn’t thrilled with Paula’s reaction at the moment, he did respect her.  He at least made a basic effort.

Paula decided to start growing some of her own produce.  Part of it was a cost savings thing, since there weren’t any other guests in the rooming house at the moment.  Part of it was to continue to improve her food quality.  She also was working at the local diner just to have some income and to keep working on her five star rating.

Buck was making progress in his work.  He was soon coaching on the lower levels.  He was confident that stardom would soon would be his.

Buck wasn’t making progress in other areas though.

Buck and Paula did have one thing in common:  the garden.  Buck of his own accord started helping Paula with the watering and the weeding, the only chore that he would do without being asked or nagged about.  Buck seemed to have a green thumb, because the fruits and vegetables seemed to thrive for him.

There was one other thing Buck seemed to be working on:  a few relationships with the ladies.  One day, Tuesday Sears came over to fix the dishwasher.  Buck wound up bringing out some leftovers to share dinner with her, and then wound up inviting her to his room to dance for a while.  They had fun, but it didn’t go any further.

With Alice Gregg though, Buck thought he might have a shot at something more lasting.

Buck had met Alice one day downtown while she was playing outside City Hall.  He enjoyed music, and she had a pretty face.  He chatted with her, and they gradually became friends.

She was a bit shy though, and wanted to take things slow.  Buck wondered if ever he’d have a shot with her.  He liked her though, and felt that maybe, just maybe, she’d be worth the wait.

With women, Buck usually was polite and well-mannered.  With guys though, his hot headed nature would sometimes sneak through.

After a concert one day, Buck came out of the arena, and for no apparent reason, launched into this guy.  Perhaps Buck didn’t like changelings.

Another day, Paula invited co-worker Brandon Walsh over after a shift for breakfast.  Buck wound up calling him a ‘baby’, and the two of them argued for a while.

While Buck’s people skills weren’t producing fruit, his gardening skills were flourishing, as evidenced by Paula’s growing garden.