Picture Perfect
Milo Walters sat on top of a bar stool seated behind the front counter. he had been playing with the miniature rock garden placed beside the register while waiting for his sister to finish with her final clients of the day.
Milo was lost in a world of rocks and sand when an over-sized purse was thumped onto the counter.
"Excuse me; I need to pay for my daughter's portraits. Did you hear me?" Demanded a woman.
Milo dragged the tiny rake through the sand with a quick swipe and placed a shiny black rock in the corner of the garden before grabbing the slip from the woman's hand.
"It'll be one hundred-twelve dollars and forty-six cents."
The woman pulled two one hundred dollar bills from her purse and held them out. Milo much preferred when people paid with credit cards.
"Well, are you just going to stare at me? I don't have all day," she spoke with a harsh tone that Milo was oblivious to.
Milo slowly grabbed her money and put it in the register, but before handing back the change, he pumped a blob of hand-sanitizer into his palms, and once again after giving back the change.
The woman was highly irritated and she stormed out the door with her daughter, she muttered, "God, could they hire anyone more retarded to work here."
Milo's sister, Lola, quickly slammed the door shut behind the woman and locked it.
"I swear that woman is totally logic-missing! I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!" Lola stomped her foot as she ran her fingers through her snarled red hair.
"We're going to be late," Milo responded after uncovering his ears.
"Milo, late for-" Lola's voice fell as she happened to glance up at the wall clock, "Oh."
Milo was eager to leave; He was always home at five-thirty. It was five-seven now, and the drive took twenty-five minutes. But Milo froze when he saw the only car in the parking lot, "Where's your car?"
Lola only laughed as she happily bounced into the driver's seat. Milo reluctantly crawled in the front seat; He always sat in the back, but this car had no back seat.
"Do you like it? We're borrowing it from Adam's dad."
Milo squirmed in the leather seat. No I don't like it, not one bit, this isn't good and we're going to be late, Milo thought as he tried to rationalize the anger rising in him. What he really needed was to get out of this car and into Lola's, but that would only make him more late. But late for what? Exactly, nothing. That was just his routine. Milo tried to sit still and not panic because he knew he was being irrational and he just wanted to seem normal even if he couldn't be normal.
"Lola, stop the car. Lola stop the car! Stop the car!" Milo screamed as he started to kick his feet.
Cars flew by and honked as Lola stomped on the brake and pulled off to the side of the road. Milo jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop.
"Milo!" Lola threw the car in park and jumped out after her brother, "Are you crazy!"
Milo stood against a telephone pole with tears streaming down his cheeks, hot with anger and frustration towards his sister and the stupid car.
"What's the matter with you?" Lola screeched when she reached Milo.
"I don't know! Everything! Go away! You ruined everything! You're so stupid!"
Lola opened her mouth as if she were going to speak, but then shut it and walked quietly back to the car, where she waited for Milo's meltdown to end.
