Raquel's Bodyguard

Chapter 3

"You want me to do what," Johny asked, not sure if he heard Raquel right. "Did she just say bodyguard," he wondered to himself. Right now Johny was sitting in his house's basement, which had been made into a gaming room with a fuzzball table, pinball machine, and a large flat screen t.v.. He had been working on a small bar he had been building for the place when his phone started to ring. It surprised him to see Raquel's name on the caller i.d., they hadn't really talked since closing night of the show a few months before.

Their conversation started out casual; the usual how are you doing stuff, catching up, but he could tell she was leading up to something. When it finally came out, Johny didn't quite understand.

"I have a business proposition for you," Raquel had started, sounding nervous.

"Oh, a business proposition," Johny hummed, amused by Raquel's wording. She always had a funny way of saying things that always made him smile.

"Don't laugh, Johny, this is quite serious," Raquel lectured him, knowing he had a smirk on his face even though she couldn't see him. "I would like you to be to be my bodyguard."

"You want me to do what," Johny asked, bringing us back to the beginning of this chapter.

"I want you to be my bodyguard," Raquel restated slowly, making sure he got every sound in the phrase. "I'm willing to pay you whatever you ask for, if the price is reasonable."

Johny was so shocked, it took him a second to respond. "Why do you need a bodyguard," he asked her after composing his thoughts.

Raquel was quiet for a while and there was an uncomfortable silence for a minute. Then there was a bit of commotion, a little arguing it sounded like, then a new voice came on the phone. "Johny, it's Becky," it said, identifying the owner of the voice.

 It took a minute for Johny to remember who Becky was. "Oh yeah, that chatty girl from the show; Raquel's best friend." "What do you want," he asked her.

"I'll be representing Raquel from now on," Becky replied with a formal, business tone. "My best friend is requesting that you work as her bodyguard and walking companion. Lately she has become aware of her unbelievable beauty," In the background Johny could hear some kind of objection from Raquel, but he couldn't make out what exactly she said. "and with this realization she has found that walking alone is not as safe as it once was. She asks that you walk with her whenever she needs to go somewhere and if situation demands, pretend to be her noble, proud, and protective boyfriend to keep the creeps of the world at bay. Now, this is not a request for charity, as she has already mentioned, she is willing to pay you whatever you ask. What do you say, have we got a deal?"

Johny thought it over. "It's weird, but it could be fun.I don't understand why Raquel can't walk by herself, but whatever, I don't  judge, I'll  just ask her about it later." After another moment of pondering his price, he answered. "Alright, I'll do it," he replied, "but I want a Monster for every walk and a Milky Way whenever I have to pretend to be her boyfriend."

There was a bit of mumbling as Becky related his demands  to Raquel, and there probably was some discussion over whether or not they should accept it. Finally Becky returned to the phone and said, "It's a deal. But before we settle on anything, you'll have a test run; meet Raquel at the corner in an hour, be there." Then she hung up the phone, before Johny could say anything.

Johny looked at his phone for a second, checked the time, contemplated calling Raquel back, decided not to, worked a little on the bar, thought over the phone conversation, checked the time again, and continued to work on the bar. At fifteen minutes before his appointed meeting time he went upstairs, grabbed his hoodie, and told his mom he was going on a walk.

"Since when do you go on walks," she asked him, poking her head out of the kitchen. She raised her eyebrows at him curiously, and waited for him to answer.

"Since I got a job," Johny replied proudly.

"A job," his mother exclaimed, excited, "what job?"

Johny answered as he stepped out the door, sticking his phone in his pocket. "I'm Raquel's bodyguard!"