First Day of Summer - Daria's Day - Part 1
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fardell24First Day of Summer
Lawndale, MD, United States of America
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Daria
1111 Glen Oaks Lane
Daria yawned as she entered the kitchen. Her mother was already up, talking on the phone to her boss.
“No, Eric. I will be there.”
There was a pause.
“Yes. I will be there before ten.”
Daria put her breakfast together before her mother finished the conversation.
“Daria, you’re awake,” her mother said.
She looked at the clock. A quarter past nine. “Yes, otherwise I would be sleepwalking.”
“What are you planning on doing this summer? I know you hated that Ok to Cry Corral place so I am giving you today to decide what to do. What do you say?”
“Ok,” Daria said flatly.
Her mother looked concerned. “Is that all? Just ‘ok’?”
“I will look around town and find something to do over summer. If there is anything of worth for someone like me in a ‘burb like this I’ll find it,” Daria said. ‘I hope I can find something I will enjoy doing,’ she thought.
“What do you mean, a ‘burb like this? Lawndale has more options than most American suburbs. Certainly a lot more than that place in Texas!” her mother said.
“It was a joke, mother,” Daria said.
“Sometimes I can’t tell if you are joking or not,” Helen said as Daria put her plates in the sink.
“I will find something I like,” Daria said as she went out of the kitchen. ‘I have just less than eight hours to find something,’ she thought.
She passed Quinn as she went back up to her room to call Jane. Quinn was dressed, as usual, in her butterfly shirt.
“Hi, Daria,” Quinn said.
“Hi, Quinn.”
There was no answer from the Lanes. ‘Of course, both she and Trent are still asleep,’ she thought. She would have to go over to Casa Lane and awaken Jane herself. She knew that Mystik Spiral had performed at the Zon the previous night.
As Daria left the house, she heard her mother giving Quinn the same ultimatum that she had given her.
“Good luck, sis,” Daria said, as she shut the door. ‘She shouldn’t have quit her job at Governor’s Park.’
Fifteen minutes later, Daria arrived at Casa Lane.
Jane came, bleary-eyed, in response to her knock. “Daria, don’t you know what time it is?” she asked.
“Time to find an activity for the summer!” Daria said.
“Your mother gave you an ultimatum, didn’t she?” Jane asked, with a smirk.
“You know me too well.”
In the kitchen, after a refreshing coffee, Jane asked Daria about her plans for the day.
“We will walk around town, looking for activities that may interest me,” Daria said. ‘There has to be something,’ she thought.
“I hope you have better luck than the first summer here,” Jane said.
Daria recalled the events of her first summer in Lawndale. Whilst researching local history she had attracted the attention of some unsavoury figures. “That is unlikely to happen again,” she said.
“So you say,” Jane said.
Daria grumbled.
“Relax, it will be nothing like that summer, or the last summer,” Jane said, with her voice trailing off.
Daria knew what Jane was thinking of. “That is all behind us,” she said.
“Where are you planning to go first?” Jane asked.
“The Mall.”
“Why there?”
“To get it out of the way.”
“I suppose so.”
After a quick breakfast, the two friends left Casa Lane and headed to the Mall.
“What are we doing here again?” Jane asked.
“To see what jobs are open for the summer,” Daria said.
“You remember the last time, right?”
“I will not apply to any store where Kevin is working! Or to Nutty, Nutty, Nutty World!” Daria said.
“Of course not, but there is no way of telling if a place has hired Kevin or not,” Jane said.
“We could ask him,” Daria said.
“We could, if we run into him,” Jane said.
“We’re about to,” Daria said, noticing the former Quarterback coming towards them.
“Oh,” Jane said.
Kevin walked up to them, wearing his usual goofy grin. “Hi, Daria, Jane, what are you up to here?” he asked.
“Stuff,” Daria said, deciding to let Jane ask Kevin whether he was working anywhere. ‘Easier that way,’ she thought.
“Say, Kevin, have you got a job anywhere?” Jane asked.
“A job? I have been looking, but nowhere will hire me. They all seemed to have heard about my time at that nut place a couple of years ago,” Kevin said.
“You will find somewhere to work, Kevin,” Daria said. ‘It’s bad enough that he has to repeat 12th grade,’ she thought.
“Maybe somewhere other than the Mall, where it wouldn’t be likely that they had heard about that experience,” Jane said.
“Anything would have to be better than working for my father’s building company!” Kevin said.
The two girls didn’t say anything.
“I will see you around,” Kevin said, as he went out of the Mall.
Daria and Jane watched him go. “I hope he finds what he is looking for,” Jane said.
“Yeah,” Daria said in agreement.
An hour later, they sat in the food court with pizza and cappuccinos. “Let’s go over the options for the Mall once again,” Jane said.
“Most likely position for me to take; sales assistant at Books by the Ton,” Daria said. ‘If I have to work in the Mall, that would be the most tolerable,’ she thought.
“Next?” Jane asked.
“Checkout duty at Cashmans; Not very likely!”
“Definitely not for you,” Jane commented.
“Though maybe for Quinn,” Daria said with a Mona Lisa smile.
“Certainly,” Jane said.
“Assistant at Our Furry and Scaly Friends.”
“Isn’t that where Quinn worked when you were at the nut store?”
“Yes. But I’m not likely to cause the same problems that she did. I also can get along with animals,” Daria said.
“Sure,” Jane said, smirking.
“Three sales assistant positions across two newsagencies.”
“Almost as good as the book store position?”
“Possibly, Shelf stacking in Wal-Mart.”
“At least you don’t have to see people.”
“True, Box Office Sales person at the Cinema,” Daria asked.
“You get to see parts of the films for free,” Jane said.
“That’s a plus,” Daria said. ‘If I don’t get the bookstore position that would be the next one I would go for.’
“What’s next?” Jane asked with a slight laugh.
“Sales assistant at The Candy Shack.”
“Maybe not.”
“Sales assistant at Toy Universe.”
“Now you’re grasping at straws,” Jane said.
“Nah, just remembering something to do with the Good Time Chinese Restaurant,” Daria said. ‘I still don’t know what to make of that experience,’ she thought.
“Let’s not worry about that for now,” Jane said.
“Going next – Barista at the Mall Cybercafé.”
“How hard can it be?” Jane said with a shrug.
“Sales assistant at Burger World.”
“I don’t see you asking ‘Would you like fries with that?’” Jane said.
“Neither do I.”
“Anything else left?”
“Mall security.”
“I don’t see you as a Mall Cop.”
“That is grasping at straws, isn’t it,” Daria said.
“Is that all? I could have sworn there was more,” Jane said.
“Nothing that I picked up. We do have the rest of Lawndale to look at and around six and a half hours to get everywhere,” Daria said.
“True,” Jane said.
The two friends then continued eating their pizzas. They were ready to go when someone they knew came into the food court.
“Daria, Jane!” Cindy Brolsma called as she ran over to them.
“Hi, Cindy,” Jane said.
“I was going to say, thank you for asking me about the early graduation. Otherwise I wouldn’t have talked to anyone about it. Apart from Kristen that is, you know who she is, don’t you?” Cindy asked.
“No,” Daria said.
“I think so,” Jane said.
“She didn’t graduate with us. That was her sister, Kelly. They both look similar, gothic, black haired with a red fringe,” Cindy said.
“Now I remember. She was in the Language Arts Class that I taught,” Daria said.
“Yeah, you hung out together most of the time,” Jane said.
“Quite true. You might say that our friendship is similar to that between you two,” Cindy said.
“Ok,” Jane said.
‘I guess so,’ Daria thought.
“As for Kelly, she is almost as misanthropic as yourself, Daria,” Cindy said.
“I guess so. I don’t think she was ever in my classes,” Daria said. ‘I certainly would remember someone with that description. When I think Goth, I think Andrea,’ she thought.
“Nor in mine,” Jane said, with a shrug.
“Kristen did say that her sister was not that keen on attendance, more than once,” Cindy said.
‘I get it,’ Daria thought.
“We’re about to go downtown to look for summer jobs, would you like to come with?” Jane asked.
“I would like to, but I am meeting Kristen for a movie. Maybe afterwards?”
“We may be at the town library by three,” Daria said.
“That would be cool,” Cindy said, as she took out a PDA. She entered a note using a note-taking application. “Done. I will meet you there.”
“Cool,” Daria said.
“See ya,” Jane said. They then left the food court.
Lawndale, MD, United States of America
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Daria
1111 Glen Oaks Lane
Daria yawned as she entered the kitchen. Her mother was already up, talking on the phone to her boss.
“No, Eric. I will be there.”
There was a pause.
“Yes. I will be there before ten.”
Daria put her breakfast together before her mother finished the conversation.
“Daria, you’re awake,” her mother said.
She looked at the clock. A quarter past nine. “Yes, otherwise I would be sleepwalking.”
“What are you planning on doing this summer? I know you hated that Ok to Cry Corral place so I am giving you today to decide what to do. What do you say?”
“Ok,” Daria said flatly.
Her mother looked concerned. “Is that all? Just ‘ok’?”
“I will look around town and find something to do over summer. If there is anything of worth for someone like me in a ‘burb like this I’ll find it,” Daria said. ‘I hope I can find something I will enjoy doing,’ she thought.
“What do you mean, a ‘burb like this? Lawndale has more options than most American suburbs. Certainly a lot more than that place in Texas!” her mother said.
“It was a joke, mother,” Daria said.
“Sometimes I can’t tell if you are joking or not,” Helen said as Daria put her plates in the sink.
“I will find something I like,” Daria said as she went out of the kitchen. ‘I have just less than eight hours to find something,’ she thought.
She passed Quinn as she went back up to her room to call Jane. Quinn was dressed, as usual, in her butterfly shirt.
“Hi, Daria,” Quinn said.
“Hi, Quinn.”
There was no answer from the Lanes. ‘Of course, both she and Trent are still asleep,’ she thought. She would have to go over to Casa Lane and awaken Jane herself. She knew that Mystik Spiral had performed at the Zon the previous night.
As Daria left the house, she heard her mother giving Quinn the same ultimatum that she had given her.
“Good luck, sis,” Daria said, as she shut the door. ‘She shouldn’t have quit her job at Governor’s Park.’
Fifteen minutes later, Daria arrived at Casa Lane.
Jane came, bleary-eyed, in response to her knock. “Daria, don’t you know what time it is?” she asked.
“Time to find an activity for the summer!” Daria said.
“Your mother gave you an ultimatum, didn’t she?” Jane asked, with a smirk.
“You know me too well.”
In the kitchen, after a refreshing coffee, Jane asked Daria about her plans for the day.
“We will walk around town, looking for activities that may interest me,” Daria said. ‘There has to be something,’ she thought.
“I hope you have better luck than the first summer here,” Jane said.
Daria recalled the events of her first summer in Lawndale. Whilst researching local history she had attracted the attention of some unsavoury figures. “That is unlikely to happen again,” she said.
“So you say,” Jane said.
Daria grumbled.
“Relax, it will be nothing like that summer, or the last summer,” Jane said, with her voice trailing off.
Daria knew what Jane was thinking of. “That is all behind us,” she said.
“Where are you planning to go first?” Jane asked.
“The Mall.”
“Why there?”
“To get it out of the way.”
“I suppose so.”
After a quick breakfast, the two friends left Casa Lane and headed to the Mall.
“What are we doing here again?” Jane asked.
“To see what jobs are open for the summer,” Daria said.
“You remember the last time, right?”
“I will not apply to any store where Kevin is working! Or to Nutty, Nutty, Nutty World!” Daria said.
“Of course not, but there is no way of telling if a place has hired Kevin or not,” Jane said.
“We could ask him,” Daria said.
“We could, if we run into him,” Jane said.
“We’re about to,” Daria said, noticing the former Quarterback coming towards them.
“Oh,” Jane said.
Kevin walked up to them, wearing his usual goofy grin. “Hi, Daria, Jane, what are you up to here?” he asked.
“Stuff,” Daria said, deciding to let Jane ask Kevin whether he was working anywhere. ‘Easier that way,’ she thought.
“Say, Kevin, have you got a job anywhere?” Jane asked.
“A job? I have been looking, but nowhere will hire me. They all seemed to have heard about my time at that nut place a couple of years ago,” Kevin said.
“You will find somewhere to work, Kevin,” Daria said. ‘It’s bad enough that he has to repeat 12th grade,’ she thought.
“Maybe somewhere other than the Mall, where it wouldn’t be likely that they had heard about that experience,” Jane said.
“Anything would have to be better than working for my father’s building company!” Kevin said.
The two girls didn’t say anything.
“I will see you around,” Kevin said, as he went out of the Mall.
Daria and Jane watched him go. “I hope he finds what he is looking for,” Jane said.
“Yeah,” Daria said in agreement.
An hour later, they sat in the food court with pizza and cappuccinos. “Let’s go over the options for the Mall once again,” Jane said.
“Most likely position for me to take; sales assistant at Books by the Ton,” Daria said. ‘If I have to work in the Mall, that would be the most tolerable,’ she thought.
“Next?” Jane asked.
“Checkout duty at Cashmans; Not very likely!”
“Definitely not for you,” Jane commented.
“Though maybe for Quinn,” Daria said with a Mona Lisa smile.
“Certainly,” Jane said.
“Assistant at Our Furry and Scaly Friends.”
“Isn’t that where Quinn worked when you were at the nut store?”
“Yes. But I’m not likely to cause the same problems that she did. I also can get along with animals,” Daria said.
“Sure,” Jane said, smirking.
“Three sales assistant positions across two newsagencies.”
“Almost as good as the book store position?”
“Possibly, Shelf stacking in Wal-Mart.”
“At least you don’t have to see people.”
“True, Box Office Sales person at the Cinema,” Daria asked.
“You get to see parts of the films for free,” Jane said.
“That’s a plus,” Daria said. ‘If I don’t get the bookstore position that would be the next one I would go for.’
“What’s next?” Jane asked with a slight laugh.
“Sales assistant at The Candy Shack.”
“Maybe not.”
“Sales assistant at Toy Universe.”
“Now you’re grasping at straws,” Jane said.
“Nah, just remembering something to do with the Good Time Chinese Restaurant,” Daria said. ‘I still don’t know what to make of that experience,’ she thought.
“Let’s not worry about that for now,” Jane said.
“Going next – Barista at the Mall Cybercafé.”
“How hard can it be?” Jane said with a shrug.
“Sales assistant at Burger World.”
“I don’t see you asking ‘Would you like fries with that?’” Jane said.
“Neither do I.”
“Anything else left?”
“Mall security.”
“I don’t see you as a Mall Cop.”
“That is grasping at straws, isn’t it,” Daria said.
“Is that all? I could have sworn there was more,” Jane said.
“Nothing that I picked up. We do have the rest of Lawndale to look at and around six and a half hours to get everywhere,” Daria said.
“True,” Jane said.
The two friends then continued eating their pizzas. They were ready to go when someone they knew came into the food court.
“Daria, Jane!” Cindy Brolsma called as she ran over to them.
“Hi, Cindy,” Jane said.
“I was going to say, thank you for asking me about the early graduation. Otherwise I wouldn’t have talked to anyone about it. Apart from Kristen that is, you know who she is, don’t you?” Cindy asked.
“No,” Daria said.
“I think so,” Jane said.
“She didn’t graduate with us. That was her sister, Kelly. They both look similar, gothic, black haired with a red fringe,” Cindy said.
“Now I remember. She was in the Language Arts Class that I taught,” Daria said.
“Yeah, you hung out together most of the time,” Jane said.
“Quite true. You might say that our friendship is similar to that between you two,” Cindy said.
“Ok,” Jane said.
‘I guess so,’ Daria thought.
“As for Kelly, she is almost as misanthropic as yourself, Daria,” Cindy said.
“I guess so. I don’t think she was ever in my classes,” Daria said. ‘I certainly would remember someone with that description. When I think Goth, I think Andrea,’ she thought.
“Nor in mine,” Jane said, with a shrug.
“Kristen did say that her sister was not that keen on attendance, more than once,” Cindy said.
‘I get it,’ Daria thought.
“We’re about to go downtown to look for summer jobs, would you like to come with?” Jane asked.
“I would like to, but I am meeting Kristen for a movie. Maybe afterwards?”
“We may be at the town library by three,” Daria said.
“That would be cool,” Cindy said, as she took out a PDA. She entered a note using a note-taking application. “Done. I will meet you there.”
“Cool,” Daria said.
“See ya,” Jane said. They then left the food court.
