"Come on, Jim, you have your choice; the spin art booth or the duck pond." Blair Sandburg sat with his clipboard making notes for the Charity Bazaar.
"Chief, those have to be the two lamest booths at any carnival. Can't I get something better?"
"Sorry, Big Guy, everything else has been taken."
Jim rolled his eyes. "Why am I doing this again?"
Blair smirked. "I bless the day I found you," he sang reminding his friend of his promise of manning a booth at the bazaar as a super hero if he sang a love song with him at the police talent show.
"Oh, yeah," Jim grumbled. "Who would I have to be if I run the spin art?"
Blair looked up. "The Rainbow Kid,"
Jim groaned.
"The alternative is Captain Quackers"
"You're doing this to me on purpose. I mean, really, you could have put something better aside for me."
"Like what, Jim?"
"I don't know. Maybe I could just run security and dress up as the Lone Ranger."
Blair shook his head. "You promised to run a BOOTH."
Jim leaned forward. "I promised to play one of the super heroes."
"If I remember correctly you promised to play one of the WEIRD superheroes." Blair couldn't help but chuckle.
"It was just a figure of speech. I refer to everything you are involved with as weird."
"I bless the day I found you," Blair sang again.
"So who exactly are you going to be for this," Jim changed the subject if only slightly.
"I'm working the prize booth like I do every year."
"So you get to be Captain Plastic?"
Blair laughed. "No way, man. See only the game booths have super hero hosts."
"Well, let me work that booth with you then."
Long curls shook from side to side. "You said you'd be one of the super heroes."
"Come on. I'd still be volunteering."
"But it's not what you promised."
"Sandburg..."
"Forget it, Jim." Blair rose from where he sat on the coffee table. "You got me up on stage in front of I don't know how many people to sing on the promise that you would be a superhero at this bazaar. All I can see is you trying to weasel out because you think you'll look stupid in a duck suit."
"You want me to look stupid. I knew it."
"Hey, I felt pretty stupid singing."
"You're just trying to get even."
"You PROMISED," Blair reminded him again.
Now Jim rose from the sofa. "And you want to take full advantage of it don't you? I offer to participate in this thing and you try to make sure I get the most ridiculous character at the whole event."
"Oh, please, Jim. Give it a rest. You'd be trying to back out of this no matter what character you got."
To himself Blair had to admit that that was exactly what he'd had in mind. And to himself Jim had to admit that he would have tried to get out of it no matter what. He absolutely dreaded working these events. Sandburg surely should understand that he made that offer under duress.
Neither one planned for this to escalate to a full blown argument but it got away from them. It climaxed with Blair throwing the clipboard across the room and shouting, "Fine. Have it your way. Don't bother." He stormed from the loft slamming the door.
Despite not really wanting a fight Jim sat back on the sofa with a certain sense of satisfaction. Just because he got Blair to fill in at the talent show was no reason that he should have to dress up like a duck. He shouldn't have had to promise him anything. With the final thought being that his friend would get over it Jim sat back and turned on the TV.
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Michelle Futterman was enjoying a rare afternoon curled up with a good book. Her respite was interrupted by a pounding on her door.
"That was short lived," she said to herself as she rose and opened the door.
Blair Sandburg just about knocked her over entering the apartment. When Michelle looked at him funny he said, "At least I knocked this time."
Blair had calmed since leaving the loft but remnants of steam seeped from his ears. They sat beside each other and Blair filled Michelle in on the details of why he was there. He concluded with, "Jim's a rat."
"That is the man I'm dating," Michelle reminded him.
"You're dating a rat."
"Tell me, Blair, any truth to what Jim's thinking?"
"Of course, not," Blair protested a bit to much. "Maybe. Okay," he relented. "I didn't exactly go out of my way to get him something "good". But he did offer." When Michelle gave him a look he defended, "It's not like any of the characters are really that much better than the others."
The Jewish studies prof shook her head. This was not how she'd planned to spend her afternoon. No definitely not. The feeling was reinforced when the door opened and in strode Jim Ellison.
"I knocked," Blair couldn't resist reminding her.
"Chelle," Jim began. Then he noticed Blair. "Hey, this is where I come for sympathy."
"I was going to her for sympathy when you were still lost in the jungles of Peru."
"Since when do I give sympathy?" The two turned to look at her. "Listen to yourselves. You both sound like whiny little children."
"I do not," Jim objected. "Besides he started it."
"See," Blair announced to his colleague. "He refuses to acknowledge that he OFFERED to play one of the super heroes."
"I offered," Jim admitted. "But, he should know me well enough to understand what I will and won't do. Can you believe it? He wants me to wear a duck suit."
"He doesn't have to run the duck pond," Blair countered. "I have spin art available. He'd just have to wear a multicolored clown suit," he added with a smirk.
"See. I told you. He wants me to look as ridiculous as possible."
"I bless the day I found you," sang Blair yet again.
"Will you stop singing that annoying song?" Jim growled.
"It wasn't so 'annoying' when you needed my voice in front of the whole world."
Michelle's head was going back and forth like she was watching a very bad tennis match.
"Come off it, Chief. It wasn't even close to being the whole world."
"Yeah, well, next time Michelle gets laryngitis don't come crying to me."
Jim suddenly turned to Michelle. "This is all your fault. If you had been able to sing with me I wouldn't be in this fix."
"Hey, don't blame her," Blair defended. "You're the one who was afraid to go on stage 'all by himself.' "
"Well, you could have told me no..."
"I did. But then you offered to be one of the super heroes...."
Neither Jim nor Blair knew when she had grabbed it from a drawer but Blair's statement was cut off by a shrill blast from a referee's whistle. Both men jumped and looked at her.
"Get out," she told them. "Take your squabble back to your own home where it belongs." She motioned for them to go to the door.
"Come on, Chelle, you've got to have an opinion on this," Jim pleaded.
"Oh, I do. My opinion is that you should leave me out of it." Michelle ushered them through the door, closed the door in their protesting faces and locked it. The last thing she overheard was Jim saying, "Now see what you've done."
"What I've done?" Blair's voice trailed away.
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"So, why did you help Jim out at the talent show?" Blair was seeking solace from yet another location talking with Asst. Professor Michael Leonard.
Blair rolled his eyes. "I told you. He offered to be one of the super heroes...."
"The real reason."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Blair, admit it. You would've helped Jim even if he hadn't offered anything."
"Even if I would have," he argued, "That doesn't change the fact that he did offer. And now he wants to back out."
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"So, why did you offer to participate in the charity bazaar?" Jim was seeking solace from yet another location talking with a less than enthusiastic Simon Banks.
Jim rolled his eyes. "I told you. I was desperate. I needed him to sing the melody line at the talent show."
"And you didn't figure he'd help you unless you promised something."
"Well, he was telling me no."
"Ellison, I'll bet you didn't even try any real verbal argument. You wanted quick and easy so you made an offer that you were hoping you'd be able to get out of later. Face it. You made a bad bet and he's calling you on it."
Jim's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if you hadn't insisted that I perform," he grumbled.
Simon put up his hands. "Don't go laying this in my lap. Look you know what the right thing to do is. I think you just want an excuse to do what's wrong. And you're not getting it from me."
Jim rose and started for the door. "Thanks, Simon, you've been no help as always."
"I do my best."
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Jim Ellison entered the loft to find Blair on the phone trying to fill the positions of Captain Quackers and the Rainbow Kid. He listened for a few minutes as he was obviously being turned down. Silently, he slipped back out the door.
Two hours later when Jim returned to 307 Blair was lying on his back on the sofa, his arms folded across his chest, a relaxation candle burning on the table nearby. Jim slid the candle to one side and sat on the table.
Hearing Jim, Blair opened his eyes. "Hey, Jim. There's some tuna salad in the fridge." Michael had convinced him not to mention the bazaar again.
"Maybe later," Jim told him. "Don't you want to know where I've been?"
"I don't know," Blair laughed. "Do I?"
Jim reached into the bag he was carrying and produced a multi colored curly haired wig.
"I don't get it."
"I've decided to go with the Rainbow Kid. Unless, you found someone else."
Blair shook his head. "No, but I can. You don't..."
Jim put up his hand. "Yes, I do. I did offer. Maybe this will teach me not jump the gun when bargaining for favors." There was a pause. "You had every right to expect me to live up to what I said."
Blair sat up. "Well, I should have just agreed to sing with you in the first place. Jim, I was looking for a way to "stick it to you." Why am I so rotten some times?"
"I think that's what brothers sometimes do to each other."
Blair smiled. "I'll take your word for it. So, are we made up?"
Jim playfully slapped his friend's leg. "Of course, we are."
"Jim, thanks."
"You're welcome. One thing, though. I'm running the spin art. What are you going to do about the duck pond?"
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Simon Banks stuffed a cigar between his beak. "Ellison, you are going to owe me big time."
THE END