“Oh, it’s like a prolonged vacation,” Copper explained. “Like sometimes you have a really stressful job, and you just need a break, so you take a sort of leave of absence. Or sometimes you have other projects to work on. Like one of my colleagues at my last job took a six month sabbatical to write a book, for instance.” Copper said all this without really thinking about the fact that he was likely giving away the fact that he didn’t used to be a barista. “Yeah, the winter isn’t going to phase me,” Copper stated confidently. “I guess technically we’re a little more north here than where I lived in Rhode Island, but not by much at all, so the winter should be essentially the same as what I’m used to.” He had always liked the cold weather anyway, so he was fine with it, but Copper reasoned, “It’s probably a lot different than what you were used to before moving here, wasn’t it?” Copper grinned at Dante explained his reasoning, and he understood what the man meant. “Otters are more popular than bears or a lot of other animals even,” he agreed. “I think it’s probably because they’re so cute. So yeah, I guess I get it. If a company was going to make an organic snack like that, you would think they’d cater to what was more popular. I guess Teddy Grahams already existed though, they just made them organic for rich people to fool themselves into thinking they’re being healthy.”
Smirking, Copper retorted, “None of the best serial killers come across as one,” and then he groaned. Why had he said that? “I don’t know why I do this,” Copper sighed, and he gave Dante a warm smile, hoping he still didn’t come across as a serial killer but rather as a hopelessly awkward guy just trying to be funny. As they drove, Copper began directing Dante to where his house was, listening to the man talk about skateboarding. “It’s a little different with surfing because if you fall, you just land in the water, so it’s like…a smoother landing or something, I guess. But then you have to worry about drowning or, yes, shark attacks, though those aren’t nearly as common as people think. But I get your point. You’re not gonna drown or be eaten by a shark while skateboarding unless something goes very, very wrong.” Laughing, Copper added, “So I take it we’re not going to be going surfing or skateboarding then anytime soon.” They had reached Copper’s house, and he was suddenly self-conscious because it was a little big for one person, and it was definitely nicer than a barista could afford. “I’m looking into getting a roommate,” Copper told Dante, as if this explained the size of the house, not adding that he didn’t actually need a roommate. “Do you want to come in, or do you want to just wait out here while I run inside and change?”
It was becoming clear to Dante that Copper came from outside of the service industry world. Not once had Dante ever referred to one of his coworkers as a “colleague”. Nor was any of his coworkers from any past jobs able to quit their job to pursue writing a book... or be able to afford a beach house even if it was a steal of a deal. “No, winters up north here are way different. I’m not a fan I grew up outside of Houston and the coldest it ever got was 60, in the winter,” he explained. Up here it seemed people began breaking out the swim gear at that temperature, “Summers are terrible. It’s really unbearable going weeks on end in the 100s.” Overall Dante liked the weather up north more. He’d much rather bundle up in layers that have to suffer buck naked in front of an open refrigerator to stay cool. “Otters are cute but they already get plenty of love. I don’t really see the point of making any foods animal shaped. It’s kind”I’ of weird eating cute little mini versions of things, like goldfish crackers. I don’t really want to think about eating a ‘snack that smiles back’, you know?” Dante said with a shrug of his shoulder. He preferred cheez-its over goldfish anyways and graham crackers over the animal shaped varieties anyways. Food tasted just the same without all the whimsical shapes.
“Well I’ll be sure to return you to wherever you need to be before sundown just to be safe,” Dante joked. The beach Dante was planning to head to wouldn’t be completely desolate in the afternoon so any nefarious intentions that might be hiding behind this guy’s smile wouldn’t go unnoticed. “They’re not completely uncommon. There’s a lot of shark sightings here in Cape Cod,” Dante explained. “You ask any of the old guys drinking beer downtown and they’ll tell you all about the current state of things.” The house –– as expected –– completely out of a barista’s price range even with a roommate but Dante wasn’t going to comment. Whatever wealthy world Copper left clearly was something he was trying to put behind him even if his digs didn’t reflect it. “I’ll come in, I’ve got to pee and should probably just change into my trunks here,” Dante decided as he parked the car outside of their home. “Lead the way.”
