Anywhere But Burbank

Chapter 14: He's Quite the Charmer

(Flashback before all of the events. Carrie was 4.)

Carrie was with her father in her room at night time and he was finishing with a bedtime story. "Daddy.. I've always wondered something. How did you and momma meet? Can this be the last story for the night?" She gave her cute face to him and Daniel chuckles, putting the book away. "Okay, okay. It'll be the last one for tonight, alright?" Then he came back to her bed and laid down next to her. "It was the day after the Vietnam war had ended. I was just a young boy fresh out of school and then came your mom. She was about to graduate the next year."

(Flashback: 1975. Daniel: 20. Amelia: 18.)

"So Danny! What are your plans now? What are you going to do?" One of his war mates asked him as they shared a round of drinks. It was surely a pretty crowded place that day. Some people were there getting their party on to celebrate the end of the war. Daniel began to think about it and then made up his mind. "I've been getting into cartoon animation a lot. I probably might work for Warner Brothers." Then his war mates looked at each other and then laughed up a storm at his idea. "You're joking right? I have never seen a war guy going for animation." "That's like saying you do knitting for a living." Another cackled like crazy. Little did they know they were going to get the stuff kicked out of them.

The boys continue to laugh at their war buddy until their laughter alerts the attention of the local bar fighting patron, Amelia. She was always there to pick out problems and this was no exception. "I'm sorry, do we have a problem here?" She crossed her arms as she stares coldly at the boys. "Oh lady, go stick to your hippy life and the kitchen if you would, thank you." Another mate spoke up and laughed more. It almost resembled the cackle of a hyena. Amelia growled and pinched his cheek. "The last thing I want is for us to have a fight in front of all these people. Either walk away now or bleed more trying. Choose wisely." The guys get up and surround her, but Amelia herself was not intimidated. "Just so you know, we don't walk away." They begin to try and throw punches at her, but she outsmarts them and fights back, taking them out one by one. Then she gets dragged out, getting her day ban from the place

Daniel steps outside to meet her there and he looked at her. "Um.. Hello." Amelia brushed some hair from her face and she looked back at Daniel. "You're welcome by the way. I wasn't going to let those drunk heads get in the way of what you want. Do what you love, I don't care." She then flags down a cab for them. "TAXI!" And the two climb inside, looking at each other. "You a regular at that joint?" Daniel asked her and Amelia nodded. "Yeah. Amelia Evergreen, pleasure is all mine. I sneak away to the place to pick fights with those that need their butts kicked. Women getting harassed, Drunks arguing with the bartender.. You name it." She listed off a few things that she did and after a long ride, the two arrive at his parents house to surprise them. "Hey, maybe I'll see you around here sometime." "Yeah. Here's my number, call me when I'm not busy with senior year of High school." Amelia hands him his number as he got out. "Cab, to 443 Poppyseed Road please." She shuts the door and the cab drives off to her place

Daniel waved goodbye and looked at her number on the handkerchief. He holds it close while he went up into his parents house and knocked on the door. 'Man, that Evergreen girl is so nice under that tough skin.' He thinks to himself as his Lucille and Benny answered the door and hugged him. The two bring him inside for some tea and a huge buffet of food to catch up on what they missed.