For Shits and Giggles (complete first draft)

Chapter 27

Petunia stared down at the phone in her hand. It was ringing again.

1 Missed Call.

2 Missed Calls.

3 Missed Calls.

4 Missed Calls.

She placed her phone down and pushed it away from her with her foot. It slid across the shiny bathroom floor, stopping at the base of the toilet. Petunia watched it vibrate, vibrate, vibrate– until finally, it stopped. She'd been sitting on the bathroom floor since that sun began to rise. 

Petunia woke up in her bed after Flippy killed her, Handy resting by her side blissfully unaware of what had happened in the Cafe. He knew there'd been a massacre that afternoon. Of course there had been. Flippy was there. But that's all he knew. He didn't know that the massacre had been Petunia's fault, that she completely blew it. She lost her cool and now everyone hated her.

She pulled her knees to her chest, cried into them. There was a gentle voice from outside the bathroom door.

"Love, why won't you tell me what's wrong? Please unlock the door."

"I ruined everything," she cried.

"What honey, what did you ruin? I'm sure we can make it right."

"We can't... it's all her fault."

"Whose fault?"

"Giggles!"

Handy sighed and leaned his back against the outside of the bathroom door. He slid down, taking a seat on their floor. "I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

Petunia hesitated for a moment. She lifted her face from her knees and rested the back of her head against the door.

"I told everyone about Giggles and Flippy."

Handy paused. "...You did? Flaky knows?"

"No... maybe, I don't know. She wasn't there."

"I see," Handy said, the conversation leaving him with more questions than before.

"I was telling them what Flaky said... that Giggles was scared of Cuddles, that they were going to the lake. But they didn't believe me," she felt hot tears welling in her eyes again. "No one believed me."

"That's awful, I'm sorry. Why didn't they believe you?"

The question made her stomach drop. She felt a knot in her throat.

"You should've been there," she deflected. "I was all on my own. I needed your support!"

Handy turned his body towards the door, "You know I was working. I would have been there if I could."

"As always. Work, work, work. That's what's important to you, isn't it?"

Handy frowned and took a deep breath as to not raise his voice. "That anger, Petunia, it isn't for me. What is this about?"

She bit her lip, blinked. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

She paused again. Sitting here alone in the bathroom, not having to see the look of disappointment on Handy's face, made it easier to confess.

"All that extra money that's been coming in... I've been stealing it from the Cafe."

There was a long pause from outside the door.

"Will you say something," Petunia mumbled after a very long minute.

"Embezzlement, Petunia? Are you out of your mind?"

"It's not... embezzlement sounds so serious. It's just Flaky and Giggles, I own that place too."

"It's been thousands of dollars Petunia!"

She heard him stand up.

"I didn't take it all at once! Short ringing, a few too many comps, a couple dollars from the register... nothing huge. I don't know how Giggles found out."

"I can't believe you're trying to justify this. We could get sued."

"Flaky and Giggles wouldn't do that!"

"Evidently you don't know what Giggles would do. And she would be right to do it!"

Petunia sucked in a breath, "What does it matter! There are no lawyers in this town, no court system. The sheriff won't do anything. Honey, we're fine!"

"No we're not fine," Handy raised his voice for the first time. "So that's it, everyone knows?" 

"Yes... Cuddles told everyone." 

"God, Petunia. How could you do something so stupid? That's my reputation on the line too! My company. I built it from the ground up with hard, honest work. What will people say?" 

"We built it from the ground up," Petunia raised her voice too. "I was doing it for us! For our baby. I want to see you succeed, so you can take care of us."

There was another long pause.

"Do you really have that little faith in me?" He asked.

She thought she heard his voice crack. Immediately Petunia stood up and swung the bathroom door open. Handy was standing there, his cheeks red, face flushed– his eyes glossed over, but there were no tears.

"That's not it," she said quickly, throwing herself into his chest. "That's not it, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him, but he didn't move

"I can take care of my family," he said dryly. "I can take care of you."

"I know that! I didn't mean it like that, love, you know I didn't."

Petunia's phone began to vibrate again, an annoyingly loud ringtone echoing through the bathroom.

"You should see who that is," Handy shrugged his shoulders hard, turning his chest to shake Petunia off of him. "They've been calling you for a while."

Then, he was turning his back to Petunia. He left her in their bedroom alone.

Fresh tears filled her eyes. She stormed back into the bathroom, snatching the phone up off of the floor.

"WHAT?"

"Is it true," came a quiet, delicate sob from Petunia's phone, "Is what they're saying about Giggles and my husband true?"