Brittany - Cafe of Contention Part 1
Mar. 4th, 2022 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fardell24Café of Contention
“Class, I thought today we'd take a break from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to discuss the real-life tragedy that happened last night here in Lawndale. Let's share our feelings of violation following the loss of our beloved cybercafé, alt.lawndale.com. Who would like to start?” Timothy O’Neill said. He pointed to one of his students. “Charles? Charles? Did you hear me?”
“You mean, Kevin?” Kevin said.
O’Neill checked his seating charts. “Kevin, heh. I'm sorry. You uh, look like somebody else. What do you have to say about last night's horrible event?”
“I was home all night. You can ask my parents. Besides, I already have a computer.”
“No, Kevin. I mean, how did the theft make you feel?” the teacher asked.
“Um? Sad?” Kevin answered.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Angry?”
O’Neill decided to ask a different student. “Jodie, how about you?”
“I think the cybercafé served one very particular segment of the community, but it still pisses me off when people take what isn't theirs,” Jodie Landon answered.
“That’s how I feel!”
“Thank you, Kevin. Jodie, about that word, "community." Isn't that the whole idea of a cybercafé? To jack us into the global community? I think what's most disturbing about this crime is the symbolism involved. Don't you agree, Jane?”
“No,” Jane Lane said.
“Suddenly, we're cut off. We can't hail our friends across the globe and say, "It's a beautiful day in the cyberhood." They didn't just take a few computers. They took the symbol of our virtual community. To visit alt.lawndale.com was to come together with the planet!”
“O come on!” Daria Morgendorffer objected.
“Yes?” the teacher asked.
“Come together with the planet? By staring at a screen for hours? Sitting in a room full of people you never say a word to?”
“Hmm,” O’Neill said, thinking on what she had said. “Interesting point, Dorian.”
“It’s Daria.”
“Uh, Damn Spiders,” the teacher murmured. “Daria, you believe that while connecting Lawndale citizens to our global neighbors, the café was alienating from each other?”
“I’m saying that if you really miss the place, put a Mr. Coffee in the computer lab.”
“So, in your opinion, what we really need is a return to the traditional coffee house of yore, where you'd watch some performers and share a cup with your friends, face to face.”
‘That wasn’t what she was saying at all!’ Brittany Taylor thought.
“Right here and now, let's pledge to make Daria's dream a reality,” O’Niell said.
“Would that qualify as an extracurricular activity?” Daria asked.
“Of course.”
“Then I'd like to register as a conscientious objector.”
Brittany joined her family for dinner. “How was school today, honey?” Her father, Steve, asked.
“It was good. But Mr. O’Neill misunderstood a comment Daria made.”
“Oh?” her stepmother, Ashley Amber, asked.
“He brought up that cybercafe break in,” Brittany explained.
“The police still haven’t found the culprits,” Steve stated.
“They haven’t?” Brittany asked.
“No, but these things usually take a while,” Steve said.
Brittany nodded before saying; “Mr. O’Neill then announced that he’s going to organise and old style coffee house.”
“Sounds like a good idea, honey.”
“It also seems they’re going to put on plays there.”
“That’s a great idea!” Ashley Amber said.
“Well, we are doing Romeo and Juliet. Maybe Kevvie and I could do a scene from it.”
The next day, Brittany found Daria between classes. “Hi, Brittany.”
“Hey, Daria. What’s wrong?”
“My parents have insisted that I get an extracurricular activity,” Daria explained.
“Oh,” Brittany said, and waited for her friend to say more.
“So, I have decided to help with the fundraising for the Coffee House.”
“That’s OK. I was going to do it with Kevin. But instead, I’ll do it with you, Donna and Andrea.”
“Are you sure?” Daria asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes!”
“But what will Kevin do?”
“He can do it with his other friends,” Brittany decided.
“If he’s OK with that.”
“He will be,” Brittany decided.
Kevin saw his girlfriend, Brittany come over after she had got her lunch. “Hey, Brit, are you ready to do the fundraising thing this afternoon?”
“Yes. But I’ll be doing it with Andrea, Donna and Daria.”
“Oh. But why? Who am I going to do it with?”
“Daria’s not going to do it by herself. You can do it with Mack. Just don’t call him ‘Mack Daddy’ he doesn’t like it!”
“Oh. I guess I’ll find him then.”
“You don’t have to do it now!” Brittany groused as Kevin went off.
“Hey Mack-Daddy!”
“Don’t call me that!” Michael ‘Mack’ Mackenzie said.
“You know about the Coffee House?”
“Of course.”
“Brit is fundraising with her friends. She suggested doing it with you.”
Mack sighed. “Of course.”
“So, you’ll do it?”
Mack sighed. “I’ll see what Jodie’s doing.”
“Cool!”
Andrea Hecuba arrived at the Morgendorffers, where she and her friends were meeting after school that day. She had received an interesting text message from Brittany earlier. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do the fundraising.
“Class, I thought today we'd take a break from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to discuss the real-life tragedy that happened last night here in Lawndale. Let's share our feelings of violation following the loss of our beloved cybercafé, alt.lawndale.com. Who would like to start?” Timothy O’Neill said. He pointed to one of his students. “Charles? Charles? Did you hear me?”
“You mean, Kevin?” Kevin said.
O’Neill checked his seating charts. “Kevin, heh. I'm sorry. You uh, look like somebody else. What do you have to say about last night's horrible event?”
“I was home all night. You can ask my parents. Besides, I already have a computer.”
“No, Kevin. I mean, how did the theft make you feel?” the teacher asked.
“Um? Sad?” Kevin answered.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Angry?”
O’Neill decided to ask a different student. “Jodie, how about you?”
“I think the cybercafé served one very particular segment of the community, but it still pisses me off when people take what isn't theirs,” Jodie Landon answered.
“That’s how I feel!”
“Thank you, Kevin. Jodie, about that word, "community." Isn't that the whole idea of a cybercafé? To jack us into the global community? I think what's most disturbing about this crime is the symbolism involved. Don't you agree, Jane?”
“No,” Jane Lane said.
“Suddenly, we're cut off. We can't hail our friends across the globe and say, "It's a beautiful day in the cyberhood." They didn't just take a few computers. They took the symbol of our virtual community. To visit alt.lawndale.com was to come together with the planet!”
“O come on!” Daria Morgendorffer objected.
“Yes?” the teacher asked.
“Come together with the planet? By staring at a screen for hours? Sitting in a room full of people you never say a word to?”
“Hmm,” O’Neill said, thinking on what she had said. “Interesting point, Dorian.”
“It’s Daria.”
“Uh, Damn Spiders,” the teacher murmured. “Daria, you believe that while connecting Lawndale citizens to our global neighbors, the café was alienating from each other?”
“I’m saying that if you really miss the place, put a Mr. Coffee in the computer lab.”
“So, in your opinion, what we really need is a return to the traditional coffee house of yore, where you'd watch some performers and share a cup with your friends, face to face.”
‘That wasn’t what she was saying at all!’ Brittany Taylor thought.
“Right here and now, let's pledge to make Daria's dream a reality,” O’Niell said.
“Would that qualify as an extracurricular activity?” Daria asked.
“Of course.”
“Then I'd like to register as a conscientious objector.”
Brittany joined her family for dinner. “How was school today, honey?” Her father, Steve, asked.
“It was good. But Mr. O’Neill misunderstood a comment Daria made.”
“Oh?” her stepmother, Ashley Amber, asked.
“He brought up that cybercafe break in,” Brittany explained.
“The police still haven’t found the culprits,” Steve stated.
“They haven’t?” Brittany asked.
“No, but these things usually take a while,” Steve said.
Brittany nodded before saying; “Mr. O’Neill then announced that he’s going to organise and old style coffee house.”
“Sounds like a good idea, honey.”
“It also seems they’re going to put on plays there.”
“That’s a great idea!” Ashley Amber said.
“Well, we are doing Romeo and Juliet. Maybe Kevvie and I could do a scene from it.”
The next day, Brittany found Daria between classes. “Hi, Brittany.”
“Hey, Daria. What’s wrong?”
“My parents have insisted that I get an extracurricular activity,” Daria explained.
“Oh,” Brittany said, and waited for her friend to say more.
“So, I have decided to help with the fundraising for the Coffee House.”
“That’s OK. I was going to do it with Kevin. But instead, I’ll do it with you, Donna and Andrea.”
“Are you sure?” Daria asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes!”
“But what will Kevin do?”
“He can do it with his other friends,” Brittany decided.
“If he’s OK with that.”
“He will be,” Brittany decided.
Kevin saw his girlfriend, Brittany come over after she had got her lunch. “Hey, Brit, are you ready to do the fundraising thing this afternoon?”
“Yes. But I’ll be doing it with Andrea, Donna and Daria.”
“Oh. But why? Who am I going to do it with?”
“Daria’s not going to do it by herself. You can do it with Mack. Just don’t call him ‘Mack Daddy’ he doesn’t like it!”
“Oh. I guess I’ll find him then.”
“You don’t have to do it now!” Brittany groused as Kevin went off.
“Hey Mack-Daddy!”
“Don’t call me that!” Michael ‘Mack’ Mackenzie said.
“You know about the Coffee House?”
“Of course.”
“Brit is fundraising with her friends. She suggested doing it with you.”
Mack sighed. “Of course.”
“So, you’ll do it?”
Mack sighed. “I’ll see what Jodie’s doing.”
“Cool!”
Andrea Hecuba arrived at the Morgendorffers, where she and her friends were meeting after school that day. She had received an interesting text message from Brittany earlier. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do the fundraising.
