Diane said. "And… well, you know how the guys in this town are. Most of them are just… too much."
Debbie let out a long sigh, nodding. She knew all too well. The town had its fair share of questionable characters. She thought back to the yoga classes she, Diane, and her daughter Jenny attended at Planet Thickness Gym, and a shiver of distaste passed through her. There was this creepy old man who always lurked in the background, eyes glued to them, especially to Jenny. He had a habit of sniffing around them, his gaze invasive, and once even had the nerve to ask if they had any… used underwear to give him.
They had reported him to the gym owner, who brushed it off, promising only to "talk to him." But nothing changed. They'd later heard that the old man was a Muay Thai instructor—one with too much influence for anyone to take complaints seriously.
The thought of it made Debbie's stomach churn, and she looked at Diane with an understanding expression. The town may have been small, but sometimes, its shadows were hard to escape.
Debbie said "Yeah, I can understand that men in this town are weird."
Diane nodded, but her eyes drifted over to Mark, who was standing nearby, inspecting the mounted deer head as though wondering if it was real.
Debbie who saw Diane's line of sight, raised an eyebrow and said "Indeed, men in this town may not be for you. But how about from the other state?"
Diane immediately turned her head to Debbie and said "Come on Deb, I don't like Mark like that. I mean we are just friends you know."
Debbie chuckled, eyes twinkling. "What? I didn't even say it was Mark! But if that's your type… well, can't blame you for aiming high."
Diane rolled her eyes. "Really, Deb? I've told you a hundred times, Mark and I are just friends. My type is someone like Dad, you know. That steady, reliable kind of person."
Debbie looked at Diane smirkly as she knows that Diane do have an interest at Mark as how she looks at Mark like someone who just have a crush.
Debbie then said, "Well, if your type is someone like Dad, then you might never get married in this lifetime, you know. Finding someone with his traits, especially during this time, is like trying to retrieve a coin you tossed into the ocean—impossible. Unless…"
Diane asked, confused, "Unless what?"
Debbie looked at her and replied, "Unless the coin you dropped magically reappears in your hand after you tossed it."
Diane snorted at Debbie and said, "Here we go again with your nonsense quotes. Still into magic at your age? And are you seriously suggesting Mark is some kind of stand-in for Dad? Come on, Deb, even if Mark has a bit of Dad's personality, people don't just magically appear out of nowhere."
Mark, minding his own business, suddenly shuddered, a chill running down his spine as if someone had uncovered his secret. He turned around cautiously and spotted the twin sisters, engrossed in conversation near a beautiful wedding dress, their attention momentarily diverted.
He thought, "What was that? Damn, it might just be my imagination." Glancing around, he noticed James fiddling with a sleek, modern-looking black chest, trying to pry it open.
James was fiddling with it using a piece of steel wire—who knows where he even picked that up, Mark couldn't guess. He twisted the wire inside the chest like a thief, biting his tongue sideways in concentration.
Mark then noticed Jenny standing behind James, arms crossed and tapping her right foot, as if waiting for him to turn around so she could scold him
However, James seemed completely focused, unaware that someone was standing right behind him.
Jenny whose patience is running out can't help smack his head and said "Stop doing that dork, do you want to destroy the keyhole? Mom locked it so it probably something important so don't try to open it idiot."
James, feeling embarrassed after being smacked, realized Jenny was right—he probably shouldn't be trying to open the chest. It looked expensive, and he knew the consequences of breaking it could be significant.
James, feeling slightly embarrassed, muttered, "Sorry, Jenny. I just wanted to see if I could open it. Erik showed me how to pick a lock, so I thought… maybe it would work on this one too."
Jenny rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, that's probably why you're getting dumber. Hanging around Erik too much. Now, out of my way—I need to see if my cheerleader outfit still fits."
James stepped aside to make way for Jenny, thinking, How did Erik do it again? I mean, we did manage to open his father's liquor cabinet to drink some of that expensive rum.
Mark who was on the side can't help but chuckle at the small comedic scene of Jenny and James. He then walked towards James to asked if this kid really knows lockpicking cause if not he can teach him some.
Jenny grabbed her old cheerleader costume and noticed it was covered in dust. This irked her, she couldn't stand the thought of her once-favorite outfit now looking like something a homeless person would wear because it was so dirty.
She tried to dust it off but the dust seems to stick to the clothes. She sighed and thought of throwing it off but this outfit has some sentimental value as this was the outfit that she wears whenever their school when a basketball against other schools, and the same outfit she used won over the captain of the team to bed when she was still in college.
As she contemplated whether to throw away the dirty outfit, she noticed Mark talking to James about something. James looked as if he had stars in his eyes, eager and hopeful, as if he were asking Mark to teach him something.
Jenny suddenly had an idea, maybe this outfit could help her get Mark's attention, just like it had lured the captain of the basketball team, who was also the MVP.
Meanwhile, Mark was explaining to James the basics of lock-picking. "It's all about feel," he said. "Sometimes you need to twist the wire just so…" Suddenly, he felt that prickle on the back of his neck again, but this time it was as if some of animal that looking at him hungrily.
He glanced over, only to find Jenny looking at him with a gaze that could only be described as… predatory. She was biting her lip, eyes fixed on him in a way that made him a little uneasy.
He swallowed, thinking, What's she planning now? This is the curse of being too handsome, isn't it?
He returned his focus to James, continuing the lesson, but the uneasy feeling lingered, especially under Jenny's watchful eye.