The actor's wife

Chapter 9

"We're movin into our new home today, Tom. Sweet lil flat with hardwood floorin an' a cute lil blue door! " Ruth boasted to the doorman, as the couple prepared to leave. "Stop braggin an' help me with the bags, wontcha, Ruthy? " a flushed Jack called out, struggling with the bags yet again! "I think I saw a bell boy o'er there, dear husband! " she replied, poshly brushing him off. "Anyway, Tom, d'you know anythin about the mattress in room 304? Ya know, its brand an' such? Julian Bowen, perhaps? " she rambled on, before an embarrassed Jack pulled her away. "What? I was just askin! I was meanin to buy one o' those soft, fancy mattresses for our new flat, ya know? " she explained excitedly, as he hurriedly ushered her into a cab. "Brilliant!" he muttered, feigning agreement.
"Hi, I'm Stan, your landlord. Your cousin's told me all about you. Says you're gonna be a huge Hollywood star." a hairy man wearing a baseball cap to hide his bald greeted them at the door, before introducing himself to Ruth. "Actually, I'm the wannabe star, Jack O'Donnell. It's her cousin though. " Jack corrected. "Jack O'Donnell? Doesn't sound like a star's name." the unimpressed landlord muttered. "Well..." an insulted Jack began to give him a piece of his mind, overhearing him. "So, how d'you know Bret? " Ruth interrupted, calming Jack down. "Oh! We work together at the stadium." Stan explained. "Oh! I didn't know Bret worked at the stadium! " an impressed Jack exclaimed, turning towards Ruth. "Yea...He sells peanuts." an embarrassed Ruth revealed. "Livin the American dream, eh? " Jack teased, receiving a nudge from her. "Ow! " he feigned hurt, before letting out a chuckle. "Let's just check out our new home, eh? " she reminded, hurrying inside. "Rather small. An' this doesn't look like hardwood floorin. More like cheap, some sorta wood floorin! This must be the cheapest flat in Hollywood! " he complained, looking around , up and down. "It's all we can afford with yer first paycheck, love. Once, you start gettin paid big bucks, we'll buy us a mansion next to Tom Cruise, eh? " she promised, grinning up at her sulky husband. "Besides, look! It's got a gorgeous blue front door! " Ruth (who always saw a silver lining in everything, unlike him) exclaimed, gesturing cheerfully. He chuckled, amused by the childlike chirpiness in his wife's voice.