Work Text:
Deja Vu In Loafers.
by Lopaka Tanu
Bracing herself, Blanche pulled open the door. The smile she gave was fake until she saw the tall man who was on the other side. Then, her smile grew three sizes larger. "Why, hello there. What brings you to this side of the neighborhood?"
"Don't waste your breath, lady, he's not your type." The plantive voice belonged to a short old man behind the tall one.
The pleasant expression on the taller man's face dropped off. "Not now, Pop!"
The older man thumped his son in the side. "What? You don't think she's going to guess halfway through the interview that you're..."
"Happy to be here." Putting out his hand, the tall man smiled brilliantly at Blanche. "I am Don Amaro. The placement agency sent me over."
"Don Amaro?" The smile froze on Blanche's face. "Not Donna Maro?"
Don's smile slipped a little. "Ah, I see. Sorry about the mistake. If I'd known you were expecting a woman, I would have never come. Please forgive me for taking your time."
"What? Hold on a minute." Blanche's hand shot out and grabbed Don by the arm. She wasn't sure why, but he felt familiar to her. "Why don't you at least come in? It must be a hundred degrees out there and you look like you could use a cold drink."
"I don't know." Don blushed a little as he looked over his shoulder.
"Don't be rude, Donald." Pushing his son aside, the shorter man took his place at the door. He reached out and captured Blanche's hand in his own. "My name is Lawrence Amaro and it's a great pleasure to meet such a lovely young woman."
"Ah a gentleman, how charming." Blanche ignored the way Don rolled his eyes at their interaction. His father was at least pleasant enough to warrant an interview. "Please, come in."
"Thank you, my dear." Elbowing his son in the gut, the older man jerked his head to indicate he should follow. As they entered the living room, he did a quick look. "A nice place you have here."
"Yes, it is, isn't it. Rose, Sophia, this is Don and his father Lawrence." Blanche's voice took on a silky quiver. She stood apart from them to gesture at the couch. "Please, sit down. Tell us about yourselves."
"Us?" Closing the door behind him, Don gave the living room a once over. Seeing the other two women, he pinked about the ears. "Ah, nice to meet you ladies."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too." In her chair, Rose smiled up at him. "I'm Rose by the way!"
"Nice to meet you, Rose." Don held out a hand to shake hers. When she returned the gesture, he pumped it twice then released her hand. He then turned to look at the older woman. "You must be Sophia. I'm very happy to meet you too."
Sophia looked up from her tea. "Yeah, it's a real treat for..."
"Sophia." Having walked over, Blanche put a hand to the old lady's back. "Behave."
This only served to make Sophia give her the evil eye.
Swallowing, Don nervous walked over to the couch. He did a quick turn then gently sat down. He patted the couch beside him. "Why don't you join me over here, pop?"
"Because the view from over here is much nicer." Watching Blanche's bottom, Lawrence wiggled his eyebrows.
"If you like a nice view, I'm sure we can find an even better one with," Don pitched his voice a little lower, "Shady Pines."
"I'm on my way, Donny." Giving Blanche a wink, Lawrence walked around the table to sit on the couch. He gave his son a look that promised trouble later, then smiled at the women.
"Don't mind my father, since the stroke, he's been an animal." Draping an arm over Lawrence's shoulders, Don hugged him closer. "Isn't that right, Pop?"
Just barely able to keep her lips from twitching, Blanche shared a look with Rose. "It's good that he's been able to recover so well."
Sharing a looking with his father, Don sighed. "Some times I wonder."
"All right, is this some sorta sick joke?" Putting her tea down, Sophia stood up. She glared towards the men, then at Blanche and Rose. "Did someone put you two up to this?"
Looking to Sophia, Don frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh yeah, Mr. Smarty pants. Let me guess why you're here." Sophia pointed a crooked finger at him. "Your wife of thirty-eight years just dumped you for a steward named Ricki with an I, and now you're looking for a new place to stay. Am I right?"
Don went pale. Clearing his throat, he reached up to adjust his tie. "I have never been married to a woman."
Sophia rolled her eyes. "Sorry, your husband of thirty-eight years. Is that closer?"
"Close. This putz was with that loser for fourty-three years." Lawrence missed the looks of relief from the women as he was sharing a glare with his son. "It's the house that they've had for thirty-eight years."
"All right, I think they've heard enough." Standing up, Don pulled his father along with him. He made sure he had a grip on the man's elbow. "I'm sorry for this, ladies. I should never have brought him. It's just that I thought I needed the emotional support. Obviously I was wrong about that."
Sophia stood there watching, almost skeptical.
"Say good bye, Pop." Leaning down, Don made sure his father saw he meant business.
Sighing, Lawrence turned to the women and smiled. "It has been a pleasure to waste you beautiful ladies' time. You take care of yourselves." He inclined his head, then was jerked towards the door. "Watch it, you big lumox. I'll tell your brother about this."
"Oh, you mean Gary, the gigalo that's so busy taking care of himself that he can't be bothered to pick up the phone and call you but once a year?" Scoffy, Don shook his head. Opeing the door, he pushed his glaring father through it. "Pam doesn't count. She only wears men's suits!"
The door all but slammed shut behind them.
Closing her eyes, Blanche dropped her head to her chest. The next moment she was shaking so hard she nearly lost her balance.
Having seen this, Sophia thinned her lips in disgust. She turned to Rose for support, but found her holding on to her chair's arm rests for dear life. "Oh to hell with both of ya!"
Blanche screeched with laughter as she staggered towards the couch.
THE END.............................