No Worries

Chapter 1
Anticipation

Chapter Description: Chris prepars for a week with Melanie, his girlfriend. No AR yet, but important set-up. NZ terms note: jandals=flip-flops, lollies=candy/sweets

This story is set in New Zealand and so has some traits that are distinctively Kiwi much in the same way that Sebtomato stories are clearly British.

As Chris drove his Nissan Bluebird down the motorway he couldn’t help but be filled with excitement and anticipation. It seemed to him that all was right in the world, it was another warm February day, the brilliant blue sky was dotted by just a few puffy white clouds and the warm breeze blew through his newly cut hair as he weaved through traffic. Chris knew he shouldn’t be speeding, he’d probably get caught by one of the speed cameras again, but he wanted to be at his destination as soon as possible. He hadn’t seen his girlfriend Melanie in two weeks. Now that her parents were out of town and they would have the next two weeks to themselves.

Chris had first met Melanie at a pub, ironic since neither of them drank. They were both dragged along by their mates from university. The moment he saw Melanie though, he was glad he had come along. She was beautiful, blonde, athletic looking it was like something out of a movie. She had looked bored, drinking what might have been a mixed drink, but which Chris had somehow known, was just ginger ale. He had asked her to play some pool and the rest was history.

They had been together for six months now and it had been bliss except for dealing with her parents, who treated Mel more like a high school kid than a university student. Even though Chris was 21 he always felt like a teen when he had to sneak past Mel’s parents. But they were off in Europe presenting some paper to a board of scholars there. Mel’s parents were biologists, apparently quite well respected in their field, though Chris wasn’t sure what they exactly did. Melanie was a chemistry student, and Chris thought that perhaps was a small rebellion on her part.

Chris pulled his car off the motorway and drove through suburban Auckland, getting ever closer to her house, his heart pounding faster and faster. Primary school kids were walking along the footpath in their tidy uniforms. Chris felt bad for them, starting school in February while it was still summer, university wouldn’t begin till next month. A couple of ten-year olds walked against the green light in front of him, forcing Chris to stop and honk his horn loudly at them. "Unbelievable," he thought to himself, kids could be so stupid, they were just asking to be a windscreen decoration. The two boys stopped and jumped back on the kerb but they both glared angrilly at him. "No common sense and no respect these days," Chris thought.

Pasing the Foodtown Chris has the sudden thought that he didn’t have a gift for Mel. He pulled quickly into the carpark, thinking about how stupid he was to have forgotten somethingso important. He couldn’t decide if flowers or chocolate would be better so he got both. In the check-out line another annoying kid was pestering his mother for lollies. The boy looked to be about ten or so but he surely weighed as much as a full-grown man should, Chris didn’t think the boy needed any more lollies. "But I want lollies mum! Can’t I just have one, I promise I’ll just have one now, please!" the boy pleaded jumping from one bare foot to the other. The mother relented and let the boy pick out a cadbury bar. Chris figured the kid would soon have chocolate all over his good school uniform, good god children were brats!

Chris arrived at Mel’s house with flowers and chocolate in hand. He was definitely going to get laid tonight! The house was in a very nice neighbourhood on the North Shore and it was clear her parents were good at what they did. A late-blooming Pohutukawa tree dominated the back garden and the fruit on their lemon tree was huge. Chris always found their wealth a little intimidating, his family was solidly middle class. He looked himself over to make sure he didn’t look like a slob. He had on his rugby shirt and new board shorts and jandals. Kiwi style was very casual, but he hoped Mel wasn’t expecting to go to a fancy restaurant tonight, personally Chris had his heart set on a night in, a long night in.