Exhausted by her day, Bella returned home to find her husband slack-jawed and drunk before dinner. He was still somewhat conscious and trying to mumble a message to her."Mmm...somebody called 'bout mmmm somethin' mmph."
"What? What are you saying? Who was it?""Mmm dried up prune mmmm."
"Dried up prune? Are you talking about your mother?"Even intoxicated Mortimer was a dedicated son. "Don you talk moma. Don stink. Cat piss."
"Cat piss? Ginia!" It was only now that Bella remembered she hadn't retrieved her child. "Was it Ginia? Was she calling about Cassandra?""mmYeah, Cassandra. My swee' baby. I luv'er soooooo much."
Bella sighed heavily with annoyance. "What about Cassandra? Is she alright? Did Ginia bring her home?" But by this time Mortimer was out cold.Bella raced upstairs to her daughter's room. To her relief she discovered Cassandra sound asleep in her bed. Bella assumed Ginia had brought her home.
She went to bed alone, leaving Mortimer to sleep off his drunk on the recliner.
Meanwhile, Bella wasn't the only one having a rough homecoming....
"Well," Satan huffed. "I see you finally drug yourself away from the party. Took you long enough.""How did you know there was a party?"
"I was watching you making a fool of yourself through my enchanted telescope."Gargoyle's hairs bristled. "Why were you watching me? Didn't you trust me enough to do the job?"
"Of course not, and after the spectacle I just witnessed I was justified. You were supposed to do one simple thing: find out if there were unauthorized demons in SimVille. You couldn't even do that.""I did," Gargoyle protested vehemently. "I did exactly what you told me to. And they're not demons, by the way, they're KISS! "
"KISS? What does this mean, KISS?"Gargoyle rolled his eyes. "Perhaps if you got out of the house more you'd know who they are."
"I suppose you mean go out and act like a drooling groupie like you.""I was having fun. Is that a crime?"
"YES! For you it is! You're a demon! You're supposed be out causing havoc and chaos, not dancing and eating cake. I created you to be an extention of my hellish powers over the earth.""So that's all I am to you, a servant."
"Yes, exactly!""Well, maybe I want to be more."
"Like what," Satan sniffed. "A go-go dancer?"Gargoyle inhaled sharply. "That's it! I've had enough of you. I'm leaving!"
"Ha! Where are you going to go, back to your mother's? You don't have one! I made you out of sulphur and ash.""I'll find somewhere to go. Somewhere where I'll be appreciated and respected."
"You're not going anywhere! I, Satan, Lord of the Underworld command it!"
After sleeping all night in the recliner, Mortimer couldn't wait to get away from the oppresive atmosphere of his home. Besides, he had to keep up the pretext of having a job.Unfortunately, Bella was too sharp a woman not to notice some differences. "Mortimer, why aren't you wearing a suit to the office?"
"Uh, it's Casual Dress Day.""Why are you taking a taxi to work? Where's the company limo?"
"It's in the shop. Now do you mind? I need to get to work and I'm late as it is."
The next morning Janice Twain's first appointment is with a new client. A client with a rather distinctive odor. But Janice is a professional and is able to cope with the aroma."Please, Mrs. Kat, have a seat. Tell me what brings you to my law office."
"I want to sue somebody. Why else would I be here? Don't be dense, deary. Isn't that skirt rather short for an attorney."Janice gritted her teeth. Sometimes clients could be so trying. "The judge has no problem with the length of my skirt."
"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't. In my day--""Mrs. Kat," Janice cut her off. "Who is it you want to bring litigation against?"
"The Goths. Mortimer Goth to be precise. There's a lush who needs to be brought down to size."Janice sat up in surprise. To have two different people in two days come to her with the intent of suing Mortimer Goth was highly unusual. "Why do you want to sue Morty? Uh, I mean Mortimer Goth?"
"He threatened me over the phone! Said he was going to come over to my house and punch me in the mouth!"The attorney's mouth dropped open in shock. "That doesn't sound like Mortimer. He would never threaten a woman."
"Are you calling me a liar?""No, no. I'm just aghast that Mortimer would do such a thing. You see, Mortimer and I went to high school together. I knew him very well."
"That was a long time ago, deary," Ginia said tartly. "People change, especially when they have booze in their system."This bit of news was also a surprise to Janice. What had happened to her Morty over the years? "Mrs. Kat, tell me about the phone conversation you two were having. What brought about his threat to you?"
"I was telling him about his daughter setting fire to my living room. Oh yes, that's another thing I want to sue him over."Janice was bowled over. "Cassandra set another fire?!"
"Another fire? You mean this isn't the first?"The young woman realized she had slipped. "Uh, I'm sorry, I can't discuss another client's case with you."
"Oh-ho, so someone else is suing Mortimer Goth over his little pyromaniac. Who is it?""I told you, I can't discuss it."
Instead of going to Goth Enterprises, where he wasn't welcomed, Mortimer headed for his favorite bar. But even there he didn't get any peace. Just as he sat down and ordered a drink he was interrupted."Starting a little early, aren't we?"
It was that nosey newspaper reporter, Skip Scoop. Mortimer wasn't fooled by that nerdish exterior. Skip had a latent talent for uncovering the juiciest stories, especially when it came to skeletons in the Goth closet."You know what they say," Mortimer replied. "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."
"Not here in SimVille, it isn't. Why aren't you at the office?""I'm taking the day off, not that it's any of your business." Mortimer took a sip of his drink.
"Word around town is you're taking several days off."Mortimer choked on his drink. It was only yesterday that Mother had relieved him of his job. How did Skip Scoop find out about it already?!
Skip smiled as the other man wiped drops of Party Punch off his face. "I'll take that as a confirmation. Tell me, why did Mama Goth take away your keys to the executive washroom?""Don't you have some other story to cover? Like the SimVille cat burglar?"
"I can have more than one iron in the fire. C'mon, Mortimer, I'm giving you the opportunity to tell your side of the story before the rumors get out of hand. Don't you want the public to know the truth?""It's none of the public's business."
"It's your stockholder's business," Skip countered.Mortimer slammed down his glass and abruptly stood up. For a second Skip was sure the fallen executive was going to punch him in the face. For a second Mortimer seriously considered it. But the last thing he needed right now was a lawsuit.
"Excuse me," he said with a sneer. "Suddenly I no longer find this place palatable."As he tried to make a dignified exit, Mortimer wondered why the word 'lawsuit' was nagging him at the back of his brain.
