Chapter 3: Fire and Music - That Makes Three
While §2000 seemed like a lot of money at the time, truth is it vanishes quickly. The new computer, a dishwasher for the kitchen and the new fence ate up most of the money fast, and when the bills arrive at the end of the month, there isn't enough money in the bank to cover the expenses.
Luckily, Candice receives her second promotion that week, and with her bonus the bills can be paid with a full §97 left in the bank account.
For Candice it's tough. On the one hand, she is so proud of her promotion, and filled with confidence that she will soon be back on top, but on the other she constantly worry about money and feel inadequate when she can't raise enough money even for the basics.
"Can't you contact that woman again? The envoy or what she called herself? Maybe she can give you another job?" she asks Charles.
He is a bit more hesitant, as he has a fairly good gig going at the moment, but he can also see her point. It was the easiest money he's made in his life. "Sure, I can always ask. But most of all I need time to work, Neo hasn't been napping as much lately, and that makes it hard to have time."
"How about I take care of the kids for the evening and you can get some work done," Candice suggests.
That afternoon, Sandy is put in charge of keeping her baby brother company by watching the Kids Channel with him, while Willow help her mother cook in the kitchen and Charles work by the computer.
Charles even manages to complete a few viruses a company need to test their antivirus program, and make a little more money for the family before bedtime. He stays up well past everyone's bedtime, but barely has he gone to bed before the kids wake him and Candice up because there is monster under their bed. They walk the girls back to their room and Candice sprays under the bed.
"No more monster," she says as they put their girls back to sleep.
The next morning, Charles tries to get a hold of the envoy, but she's isn't returning his texts and so he takes Neo and visits the library again, hoping she'll be there. He feels just a tad smug when she walks through the door, but holding the key he knows she's probably looking for, he is guessing that she's still searching.
"Oh, hi, it's you. Yes you've been texting me. I've been...busy. Envoy business. Very busy," she says, trying to walk away, but this time Charles won't let her, but insist on talking to her, and finding out more about this mystery. "Maybe I can help," he offers. "Another business arrangement? Maybe if you tell me something about the Capp-family?" That catches her attention. Grudgingly, the envoy agrees, and the two find a place upstairs where there are less people to talk.
Unfortunately they haven't spoken long enough when they are interrupted by the librarian who reminds them that talking can be done elsewhere. The envoy slips away quickly, and Charles misses the chance to ask her more.
Still, he has something to go on, and a set of skills when it comes to searching up information. While he hasn't got much to go on, romance and a name is good enough. He attacks the computers at the library which has access to databases he cannot access at home.
That evening, after the kids have gone to bed, he and Candice sit down in front of the TV for a rare moment of peace and quiet. How long has it been since it was just the two of them, not talking about money, kids or moving? He can barely remember.
Candice is surprised when he suggests the romance channel, it's not something they usually watch, but when he tells her it's for research, she agrees, and to be fair, they both get more than a bit inspired by the romance on the screen, which leads to a very pleasant end of the day.
Inspired, Charles wakes up the next morning in a fabulous mood, having made the decision to find more adult time for himself an Candice in their life. She on the other hand is having somewhat of a crises, worrying over her career choice and fretting about whether or not she makes enough money. Is she kidding herself when she thinks she's rising fast at her job? After all, her education should grant her a much higher position, so what if she just isn't rising fast enough?
She vents her fears at breakfast, when Charles declares that what they need is a night out. Just the two of them. He'll arrange for the sitter.
"But we can't afford that!" Candice protests.
"I'll finish up a job today," Charles promises. "I'll make sure we can afford that. You need it."
Fact is, he has an idea. So he couldn't talk to the envoy at the library, but based on what he found out yesterday about the Capp family, he has a feeling he knows where to find her today, and so when all kids are off to school and Candice off to work, he takes Noa to the museum.
Just as he thought, she's there, looking for something. Or rather, by now, Charles knows what she's looking for. He found the first key in the library, in the book she needed to find and couldn't and that he found for her, but not until after he found the key. Now she's looking for another key - the Capp family key.
What the database told him was that there were several keys hidden at some point, leading to a treasure. It is clear to him now that the envoy - and the family she represent - is looking for the keys, and he knows he possess one of them and he has an idea of where to find the other one. If nothing else, she will pay for that. Just like before, she seems stressed, and unwilling to talk, but she does make a show of it nevertheless, thanking him for the information about the database and paying him no less than §5000 for it!!! For something she could have found herself with a little effort. She is definitely desperate, Charles thinks.
As she slips away, he sees her fingering the keys of the old piano they have at the museum, pressing each key in turn. "It has to be here," she mutters to herself. "Maybe it's the other one," she whispers and runs off.
Charles sits down by the piano. He has no clue how to play, only the one song. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, a children's song, that he learnt a long time ago when he himself was a child. Just for fun, he tries it out, seeing if he still remembers the cords. He is quite pleased when it seems he does, and even more surprised, when one of the keys get suddenly stuck. He wiggles it, and behold there is another key. Funny. It seemed it had to be the right melody. He pockets the key, knowing that if nothing else, the envoy will be willing to pay a lot for it. Unless he can find the treasure for himself that is. He has two keys. The database spoke of five and the envoy, judging by her stess-levels doesn't seem to have found even one yet.
Returning home, Charles arrange for a few things to surprise Candice with. He gets a new dinner table, to match the chairs, a new painting for the wall and some new toys for the kids, before finishing off a website for one client and starting another. These kinds of jobs are fairly fast, and surprisingly well paid. It's no §5000 but enough to add a little extra into the bank account.
Candice returns home in a state of stress, venting as she comes through the door, before she even notices the new objects. "But what...?"
Charles tells her about his dealings with the envoy, how she paid ridiculous sums of money for nothing, and how he thought they could spend some of it, on things for themselves. Candice barely knows what to say.
But Charles isn't done. During his very productive afternoon, he's met their neighbor Summer, and asked her to babysit the kids, arranged for pizza to be delivered and is holding himself to the promise he made his wife this morning.
"We are going on a date tonight!" he declares.
Less than an hour later, they are sitting at the bar of the Blue Note, having a drink for the first time in what seems like years. Romance music is streaming through the speakers, people are in a good mood, and the ambiance is perfect.
Candice has just gone to the bathroom when, to his surprise, the envoy shows up.
"Are you following me, Mr. Creek?" she asks suspiciously. "Wasn't §5000 enough?"
"No, I mean, yes, it was very generous, but no, I'm not following you," Charles says, a bit taken aback. This he had not counted on. "I'm on a date with my wife."
"Really?" the envoy asks sceptically, as she sits down.
Charles laughs a bit sheepishly, not really knowing what to say. "I should go find her." As he walks away he hears the envoy muttering to herself. "Not in this one either, fire and music, what does that mean?"
Charles finds Candice at the piano, tinkering away. It's a side of her he loves. As neurotic as she can be when it comes to work, always fretting about promotions and skill gains and what is useful, she relaxes in front of a piano. She can't play a single note right, but she enjoys herself. It's endearing.
But it's something else that catches his attention - the fireplace behind Candice. Fire and music. That envoy really isn't very bright, is she? He walks over, looking carefully at it and running his hand over the mantlepiece until he feels a movement. Pressing, a hidden box slides out, containing the Capp Family key. That makes three keys. Charles pockets the key, closes the box and returns to his wife.
Finding a quiet table at the far corner of the room, they find themselves getting lost in each other again, flirting as they sometimes did in the early days of their relationship, before kids and every day life started eating away at their time together.
They return home to a sleeping household. As Charles thanks Summer for her help, Candice goes in to tuck her son in before falling into bed, exhausted. Tomorrow she will pay for this late night, but she doesn't regret it for a minute.
Luckily, Candice receives her second promotion that week, and with her bonus the bills can be paid with a full §97 left in the bank account.
For Candice it's tough. On the one hand, she is so proud of her promotion, and filled with confidence that she will soon be back on top, but on the other she constantly worry about money and feel inadequate when she can't raise enough money even for the basics.
"Can't you contact that woman again? The envoy or what she called herself? Maybe she can give you another job?" she asks Charles.
He is a bit more hesitant, as he has a fairly good gig going at the moment, but he can also see her point. It was the easiest money he's made in his life. "Sure, I can always ask. But most of all I need time to work, Neo hasn't been napping as much lately, and that makes it hard to have time."
"How about I take care of the kids for the evening and you can get some work done," Candice suggests.
That afternoon, Sandy is put in charge of keeping her baby brother company by watching the Kids Channel with him, while Willow help her mother cook in the kitchen and Charles work by the computer.
Charles even manages to complete a few viruses a company need to test their antivirus program, and make a little more money for the family before bedtime. He stays up well past everyone's bedtime, but barely has he gone to bed before the kids wake him and Candice up because there is monster under their bed. They walk the girls back to their room and Candice sprays under the bed.
"No more monster," she says as they put their girls back to sleep.
The next morning, Charles tries to get a hold of the envoy, but she's isn't returning his texts and so he takes Neo and visits the library again, hoping she'll be there. He feels just a tad smug when she walks through the door, but holding the key he knows she's probably looking for, he is guessing that she's still searching.
"Oh, hi, it's you. Yes you've been texting me. I've been...busy. Envoy business. Very busy," she says, trying to walk away, but this time Charles won't let her, but insist on talking to her, and finding out more about this mystery. "Maybe I can help," he offers. "Another business arrangement? Maybe if you tell me something about the Capp-family?" That catches her attention. Grudgingly, the envoy agrees, and the two find a place upstairs where there are less people to talk.
Unfortunately they haven't spoken long enough when they are interrupted by the librarian who reminds them that talking can be done elsewhere. The envoy slips away quickly, and Charles misses the chance to ask her more.
Still, he has something to go on, and a set of skills when it comes to searching up information. While he hasn't got much to go on, romance and a name is good enough. He attacks the computers at the library which has access to databases he cannot access at home.
That evening, after the kids have gone to bed, he and Candice sit down in front of the TV for a rare moment of peace and quiet. How long has it been since it was just the two of them, not talking about money, kids or moving? He can barely remember.
Candice is surprised when he suggests the romance channel, it's not something they usually watch, but when he tells her it's for research, she agrees, and to be fair, they both get more than a bit inspired by the romance on the screen, which leads to a very pleasant end of the day.
Inspired, Charles wakes up the next morning in a fabulous mood, having made the decision to find more adult time for himself an Candice in their life. She on the other hand is having somewhat of a crises, worrying over her career choice and fretting about whether or not she makes enough money. Is she kidding herself when she thinks she's rising fast at her job? After all, her education should grant her a much higher position, so what if she just isn't rising fast enough?
She vents her fears at breakfast, when Charles declares that what they need is a night out. Just the two of them. He'll arrange for the sitter.
"But we can't afford that!" Candice protests.
"I'll finish up a job today," Charles promises. "I'll make sure we can afford that. You need it."
Fact is, he has an idea. So he couldn't talk to the envoy at the library, but based on what he found out yesterday about the Capp family, he has a feeling he knows where to find her today, and so when all kids are off to school and Candice off to work, he takes Noa to the museum.
Just as he thought, she's there, looking for something. Or rather, by now, Charles knows what she's looking for. He found the first key in the library, in the book she needed to find and couldn't and that he found for her, but not until after he found the key. Now she's looking for another key - the Capp family key.
What the database told him was that there were several keys hidden at some point, leading to a treasure. It is clear to him now that the envoy - and the family she represent - is looking for the keys, and he knows he possess one of them and he has an idea of where to find the other one. If nothing else, she will pay for that. Just like before, she seems stressed, and unwilling to talk, but she does make a show of it nevertheless, thanking him for the information about the database and paying him no less than §5000 for it!!! For something she could have found herself with a little effort. She is definitely desperate, Charles thinks.
As she slips away, he sees her fingering the keys of the old piano they have at the museum, pressing each key in turn. "It has to be here," she mutters to herself. "Maybe it's the other one," she whispers and runs off.
Charles sits down by the piano. He has no clue how to play, only the one song. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, a children's song, that he learnt a long time ago when he himself was a child. Just for fun, he tries it out, seeing if he still remembers the cords. He is quite pleased when it seems he does, and even more surprised, when one of the keys get suddenly stuck. He wiggles it, and behold there is another key. Funny. It seemed it had to be the right melody. He pockets the key, knowing that if nothing else, the envoy will be willing to pay a lot for it. Unless he can find the treasure for himself that is. He has two keys. The database spoke of five and the envoy, judging by her stess-levels doesn't seem to have found even one yet.
Returning home, Charles arrange for a few things to surprise Candice with. He gets a new dinner table, to match the chairs, a new painting for the wall and some new toys for the kids, before finishing off a website for one client and starting another. These kinds of jobs are fairly fast, and surprisingly well paid. It's no §5000 but enough to add a little extra into the bank account.
Candice returns home in a state of stress, venting as she comes through the door, before she even notices the new objects. "But what...?"
Charles tells her about his dealings with the envoy, how she paid ridiculous sums of money for nothing, and how he thought they could spend some of it, on things for themselves. Candice barely knows what to say.
But Charles isn't done. During his very productive afternoon, he's met their neighbor Summer, and asked her to babysit the kids, arranged for pizza to be delivered and is holding himself to the promise he made his wife this morning.
"We are going on a date tonight!" he declares.
Less than an hour later, they are sitting at the bar of the Blue Note, having a drink for the first time in what seems like years. Romance music is streaming through the speakers, people are in a good mood, and the ambiance is perfect.
Candice has just gone to the bathroom when, to his surprise, the envoy shows up.
"Are you following me, Mr. Creek?" she asks suspiciously. "Wasn't §5000 enough?"
"No, I mean, yes, it was very generous, but no, I'm not following you," Charles says, a bit taken aback. This he had not counted on. "I'm on a date with my wife."
"Really?" the envoy asks sceptically, as she sits down.
Charles laughs a bit sheepishly, not really knowing what to say. "I should go find her." As he walks away he hears the envoy muttering to herself. "Not in this one either, fire and music, what does that mean?"
Charles finds Candice at the piano, tinkering away. It's a side of her he loves. As neurotic as she can be when it comes to work, always fretting about promotions and skill gains and what is useful, she relaxes in front of a piano. She can't play a single note right, but she enjoys herself. It's endearing.
But it's something else that catches his attention - the fireplace behind Candice. Fire and music. That envoy really isn't very bright, is she? He walks over, looking carefully at it and running his hand over the mantlepiece until he feels a movement. Pressing, a hidden box slides out, containing the Capp Family key. That makes three keys. Charles pockets the key, closes the box and returns to his wife.
Finding a quiet table at the far corner of the room, they find themselves getting lost in each other again, flirting as they sometimes did in the early days of their relationship, before kids and every day life started eating away at their time together.
They return home to a sleeping household. As Charles thanks Summer for her help, Candice goes in to tuck her son in before falling into bed, exhausted. Tomorrow she will pay for this late night, but she doesn't regret it for a minute.
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