A Series of Tall Tales and Short Tales

Fine Print

"Hello" She said, pairing it with one of her charming smiles.

The one that showed her right dimple and transformed the left from looking like a fine line to vaguely resembling a dimple. If she was honest to herself (which she rarely was), she would say, it only reminds you of a dimple because of the other one.

She cringed at the sound of loud feedback from her microphone and laughed. Again, the dimples and a gentle sweep of the charmed audience. It was her gimmick this year to keep them from getting bored of the script she was reciting. A script that had been recycled every year for the last ten. Not that they would be bothered. They were there out of loyalty to her company. The speech was a necessary formality. One they barely registered. Still, she would rather be safe than sorry.

She bent over slightly to get closer to the unplugged microphone. The one she had them place as a prop for old time's sake.

"Let's take that from the top shall we? Hello" She joked, feeding off the booming laughter from her audience.

"There, that's better" She smiled. That charming smile again.

"I'm Claire, but I'd bet my pretty penny you knew that already as clients of Fine Print. Like you, Kathy" She pointed at the shaggy middle-aged brunette woman who undoubtedly would be sat three rows from the front and a little off-centre to the right by two seats.

"When I started up Fine Print a little over twelve years ago, I had not dreamt in a million years that it would be this massive organisation serving clients from all over the world. A small agency office in the humble streets of the City of New London was all I wanted. All I strove for. Twelve years later, look at where we are now.

A Fine Print HQ in fifteen major cities and several franchises dotting the map like angry little red ants telling massive corporations that 'Yes! We. Will. Read. The. Fine. Print'. Letting them know that if they think they can bully you into signing off millions because of twenty-five pages of fine print then they should think again" She paused for effect, really drinking in the unabashed awe and sparkles in the faces of her audience.

"Because you, Kathy, Liam, Dion know the biggest, baddest bullies in the market." She pointed out a few faces she knew "The ones who would spend hours reading through pages and pages of fine print so that you don't have to. Because let's face it. You're busy people with actual lives working nine to fives, weekends and holidays. You simply don't have to time. So I'll let you in on a secret. Remember the bullies I was talking about? Well guess what? They're on your side" She almost whispered the last part, hunching down further and clutching the sides of the podium till her angled elbows were higher than her head. To those in the audience, she looked like a grasshopper with her elbows bent that way.

Her mirror reflection hunched over the imaginary podium and turning tomato red was all Barry could do to stop himself from howling in laughter. Claire groaned and tossed the elephant shaped throw pillow at him.

"You're ruining my vibe" She complained, sinking into the now empty spot on the couch. The entire existence of this couch was to house every cushion and throw pillow they had.

"You had me at the podium bit. The engineered microphone feedback, I survived. Picking on a poor Miss Kathy like you have done in front of that mirror for years, I could manage. But this, oh baby girl. I cannot. You ask too much of me" He said then spent the next five minutes straight, laughing.

He would stop, look at the mirror and start all over again. Claire crossed the room to get his abandoned vape and returned to her couch covered in legions of pillows. She drew in a calming breath of flavoured vapour. It tasted like raspberries mixed with what she suspected was mint. Barry's favourite, definitely not hers but it beat not having any so she tilted her lips to the side and blew out, shaking her head at Barry.

When he was mostly done, he sat up, looked at her adoringly. The type which made her roll her eyes and smile slightly. It was a goofy smile with sparkly brown eyes that said in all honesty I am the luckiest man alive to have you by my side.

"Stop looking at me like that" She said through the side of her mouth and a smile.

He didn't stop. She didn't think he would so she blew out another puff and leaned over to kiss him.

She tapped the vaping pen lightly, watching as holographic cinders fell off into the empty ash tray.

"I love that effect. Reminds me of the real ciggies my mum used to smoke" She reminisced "Why don't you want me to include you in the story of Fine Print's beginnings? You basically built it. I was the pretty face on marketing duty".

"Two reasons. One, so I end up like you, reading the same speech for ten years and pick on poor Miss Kathy in front of my mirror? I think not" He said, mimicking her movements earlier on and she laughed at the exaggeration "Two, You weren't just the pretty face and you know it. You spent the same sleepless nights as I did. Except I was actually doing work and you were distracting me to no end" He laughed.

"This is such a headache" She said, in reference to the speech, resting her head against her wrist.

"I know sweetie, I know." Barry said. He kissed the top of her head and hugged her to him briefly.

Barry got up then, headed towards the kitchen and she watched him go with a sigh. She passed the hand holding the e-cigarette over the inside of her other arm. The hidden ink lit up, off her skin in gold. It was the last letter her mum wrote inked in her skin. It comforted her in times like these. Times where even Barry's presence could not shake off the depressing crush of loneliness and anxiety. Ma had pushed through so much to get her here and she exhaled reading the last word. On her next intake, she felt like she had inhaled the essence of her mother and she felt that bit less lonely.

"Breaking news, it came to light earlier this week that business tycoon Claire Summers, of Fine Print, is under investigation for the..."

Claire changed the channel. It was the last thing she wanted Barry to know.

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I've had writer's block for the llloonnggeesssstttt and then suddenly, when I started up The Sims 4 to play, I had this story line pop into my head. I just HAD to write it down! A breakthrough story! I'm so excited about it and hope you are too.

Please comment & vote. It means a lot :D

Jess Xx