Susanna and Julia both hear the door to the laundry mat open when a familiar person to them both steps inside the black.  They hold their breaths in surprise at his sudden appearance.

               "What brings you here?  You have not been here in years," Susanna comments.

             "Nice to see you to Aunt Suzzie, and I see Julia here is working nicely,"  William replies.

                "Nephew, I mean it you always seem to busy to come over to my place or here," Susanna responds.

             "Well, that is a fine way to greet a member of your family," William remarks.

                Julia listens to Susanna and William bicker for a few more minutes before she decides to put a stop to it.  She can tell the customers are starting to pay attention and figures this can not be good for business.  Besides, everyone who knows her considers her to be a peacemaker.

            "Would you cool it you two?"  Julia asks.

             William and Susanna glance in her direction in surprise at the sudden interruption she just gave them. The young man and his aunt equally unsure about how to respond to her words.

              "William it would be nice to see your face around here more," Aunt Susanna tells him.

             "I am far to busy with my work,"  William states as he glances in Julia's direction.  He hears her sigh when she catches him staring at her and feels embarrassed.  He should have known better than have come here.

           "Yes, well I can certainly see that nephew," Sussanna says.  

          "Oh, and just what is that suppose to mean?" William asks without another glance in Julia's direction.

             "You know very well what I mean," Susanna scoffs.

                    Julia rolls her eyes, walks away, and thinks so much for those two gettings along.  She has no clue why her best friend is so set in his ways or his aunt for that matter.  Goodness, they sure are alike.  She gets back to work glad for the distraction from the chaos between William and Susanna.  She hears the door open again and frowns.

                 She thinks great now as if the drama were not bad enough he shows up. She is grateful for the baseball cap she wears.  She is hopeful that he will not recognize her this time.  She shrugs her shoulders in defeat when he approaches her.

               "Hey, doll face, look what I brought you," Pete says. He tries to hand her a present.

                "Listen, I am not interested," Julia says with a frown.

               "Pete do not fraternize with the workers or customers," Susanna yells at him. 

                "Aunt Susanna, what seems to be the problem?"  William asks. He looks in the direction where Julia stands and grimaces.  He does not know why, but the look the customer gives Julia makes his skin crawl and his blood boil. 
                   

                "Awe, it is just a little something for my favorite worker here," Pete says as he leans in rather close for comfort.

                 "I said no," Julia yells at him in the hopes to get the message across.

                 "Look, mister, I do not know who you think you are, but when a lady says no, you need to back off,"  William remarks.

                   "I uh, meant no harm honest," Pete says when he sees the man who towers over him.  He walks off and grabs up his laundry to throw it into the nearest washing machine.

                    "William, I was fine on my own," Julia retorts.

                    "A fine thank you that is for my defending your honor, Jules," William states.

                      "Why I do not recall asking for your help," Julia says.

                      "Do not call me Jules in front of the customers," Julia remarks.

                        "Jules, look I am sorry," William says.  He looks as if he might even cry.

                             Julia feels remorse as she hates to see anyone let alone her best friend upset.  She thinks goodness he is a grown man and he still tries to stand up for me against the bullies as he did in grade school.

                             "Apology, accepted, now shoo, I have work to do," Julia tells him.

                                 "Your wish is granted, my lady," William states in the same playful manner he did when he got the role as the prince in the school play years ago and she the part of the princess.

                               Julia blushes but does not give him another response. She proceeds to fold some laundry the lady who put the dime on the counter left here earlier. She does wonder what the dime placement means and if the person intends to come back for the clothes.

                             "Julia put that stuff in the bin inside the cart, please," Susanna says.

                             "Yes, right away, Suzzie,"  Julia replies.

                           William watches her in silence as she works and thinks now why did I ever give you up for that ridiculous excuse of an ex-fiance of mine I will never know.  He sighs as he realizes he still feels things for her that he thought were long forgotten.  He exits the place without another word to go to his job.

                           Susanna takes notice of her nephew's exit and the expression he wore. She smirks with the knowledge that William has a bit of a crush on her employee.  Well, now she thinks perhaps this can be to my advantage.  She sure hopes so as he deserves to be happy for a change.

                          Julia finishes the task, then picks up a pair of socks off the floor.  She matches them and places them into the cart next. She is glad that so far the cart has only been emptied once since she started here. She cringes though when she remembers the odd phone call she had gotten earlier that day and wonders if she should have told William about it.

                       It is not like she wanted to keep something so big from him.   It is just the years had drawn them apart ever since she left to help her parents out at their business which fell apart when her father gambled all the money away.  Then, her folks had split up and she soon lost contact with anyone and everyone from her past.

                     She knows it must mean something that he chose to contact her after all this time to offer her the apartment and set up the job interview, but what?  She supposes she will just have to wait and see.  She admits it was rather nice to see him again despite everything.  She blushes when she recalls how handsome he looks even when he is wrong.   

                     Later, as Julia heads home after closing time, she wonders what will become of them?  It is not like she intends to let him loose again so easily like she did the last time.  She has no intention to pursue more than friendship, but she does not plan to lose track of him either.

                    Once home, Julia, parks her car, gets out, grabs her keys, and mace locks the car, unlocks the apartment, and enters it. She lets Butch out of his crate. She takes him for another walk, and just as they re-enter the place the lights flicker off.  Strange she thinks the weather is clear and I never heard anything about a blackout. 

                   Find out more in Chapter  5  Lights Out? 

                   -Summer out!