Inner Workings

Inner Workings - Part 59

Monday Morning:

Knocking.

Knocking.

Knocking at his apartment door.

Let me sleep, forever more, thought Will as he dragged himself bleary eyed from his bed. He slipped a thin t-shirt over his sleep-heated skin, and stubbed his toe against the living room bookshelf in the process.

"Faah...shit." Not the most graceful way to great the morning. He took a moment to scratch three days worth of unshaven scruff on his cheek.

Half-witted, scruff looking, nerf herder. That would be me.

More knocking.

"Coming!" Will hoped whoever woke him up had a good excuse. His limbs drooped with sleeplessness and he simmered frustration. He leaned against the door, massaged his abused toe, and peaked through the peephole to see...

Luke Skywalker?

"Will... I am your father's cousin's uncle's roommate!" said an overly dramatic voice on the other side of the door.

Will opened the door to Matthew Eberhart-Smith; a slightly rounded man with a grin on his face that only a good weekend convention could give. He carried enough swag bags and luggage to be mistaken for a hobbit going on a long journey. Matt held a framed and matted 30th anniversary Star Wars poster in pristine glory.

"Wow." Will stared in envy at the poster as he waved his friend inside the apartment. "That's one hell of a haul."

Matt shoved one of the bags through the door with his foot as he held the poster out to Will. "Actually, the poster is for you. Anna wanted to make sure you got something as thanks for the prop loan. She sends her thanks, by the way."

Though still sleepy and muddle-headed, Will's jaw dropped as he accepted the gift and gave mental blessings to Anna. The poster was beautiful in ways lost amongst his co-workers. Matt and Anna were the few of his "geek-friends" that still talked to him despite his missing get-togethers with the rest of the group. Anna was the Smith half of the Eberhart-Smith marriage, and Will's contact for getting maple-bacon-doughnuts for Reese. He silently made a note to schedule a day off when he was better to arrange a movie night.

"Thank you! The light saber work okay?"

"Very well," said Matt. "I couldn't keep track how many times I got stopped for pictures. It was a great time, man. We just got back this morning and I wanted to give the poster to you, first thing. As well as this..." Matt slung the long light saber case of his back and gently laid it on the couch. "The batteries were getting a bit weak near the end of the con, though."

"No problem." Will unzipped the bag and examined the fiberglass tube. His small Star Wars shrine felt empty without the light-saber. With a new poster added to his collection, his shrine might need rearranging. Maybe with some orange backlighting to match the poster.

"So, how did the business trip to California go?" asked Matt, slumping down on the other side of the couch. "See the sights?"

"Not really." Aside from rainy sheds and Laundromats, the most memorable "sights" of California had been various bathrooms. "It was mostly work related. Boring, and no time for fun."

Bombs were especially not fun.

"Yeah, and you look a little..." Matt shimmied his hand from side to side. "Gray around the edges."

"Yeah..." Will coughed a little into his shoulder. Despite sleeping in and frequent naps, he hadn't gotten over whatever made him feel like crap. "I think I caught it traveling. Nothing a little rest won't fix."