Happy Hour at the Creekside Senior Home was always an interesting experience.

There were seniors who scarfed down on the complimentary chips and pudding without a second thought, some got drunk off beer and had to be cut off, and others never left the dance floor for a second.

Every Friday afternoon, Karmin would volunteer at the senior home during Happy Hour which consisted of live music, snacks, alcoholic beverages, family members, and a dance floor. It only lasted for an hour but throughout those 60 minutes, she was serving drinks, conversing with the elderly, and dancing with them.

Karmin had first started because she needed extracurriculars on her college and medical school applications, but now, she had learned to love it. The elderly had fun stories to tell and dancing with them always brought a smile to their faces.

Sometimes the seniors would steal the microphone from the singers and began belting out the lyrics to Sweet Caroline themselves with others gambling and trying to steal more drinks from the bar.

Well, today, there were two women fighting over a volunteer that they both wanted to dance with. They looked seconds away from mauling each other as one of them gripped their cane tightly, ready to swing, while the other woman had both her hands firmly on the wheels of her wheelchair, prepared to run over her supposed enemy that was trying to steal her man.

"Leave us alone, Betty!" the elderly woman in the wheelchair yelled. "I was here first!"

"You got to dance with him last week. It's my turn now!" fired back Betty.

Karmin watched intently as she picked up empty bowls and cups from the tables. The middle-aged man, Dale, who volunteered occasionally stood between them with his hands up. He was a strange but funny man that talked too much about clouds and wore nothing but khakis and button-ups.

"Ladies, there is enough of me to go around," Dale announced, his eyes flickering between the two. "We only have ten minutes before we start cleaning up, so how about I dance with the both of you? We can make a little circle," he suggested, taking both of their hands.

"I don't understand why Betty doesn't ever want to dance with me," a voice from across the table said.

Karmin turned her gaze to Mr. Hamza, a small man with a bulky knit sweater and a plaid ascot. He stared at Betty longingly as she danced away with Dale.

"Mr. Hamza, you should definitely ask her next time," Karmin advised, steadying the tray full of empty beer glasses in her hands.

"She always says no. What does he have that I don't?" he wondered sadly.

Karmin hummed, thinking of an answer. "The only thing I can think of is a fully functioning pelvis, but that's it," she said, glancing back at Dale who was going all Shakira with his hips. "You're just as awesome as Dale. No one can rock an ascot like you, Mr. Hamza."

Mr. Hamza grunted. "You're absolutely right. That cloud-loving bastard has nothing on me."

Except for 20 years of life.

"I'm gonna go and break up their little dance," he grumbled, placing both of his hands as he attempted to get up from his seat.

Shoot, did I just start a feud?

He struggled for a bit, unable to find the momentum, so a few seconds later, he slumped back in his seat, giving up.

"There's always next time," she encouraged, patting his shoulder on the way over to the kitchen to place the used utensils. She passed by a woman hugging a baby doll to her chest as she hummed a nursery rhyme. Sometimes, it got a little weird in the senior home.

"Hey, Gabi," greeted Karmin when she saw the six-year-old girl stuffing her face with Cheetos in the small dining table.

"Hi, Karmin," Gabi said with a smile that was missing a tooth as she coloured in her book.

"Is your Mom working today?" Karmin asked while she dumped the empty dishes into the sink. Her mother was a nurse at the senior home and since she had no one to look after Gabi, she would bring her here. The elders and staff happily looked after her.

She nodded frantically, her blonde pigtails swinging to the side. "She'll be done soon."

Karmin glanced at the time to see Happy Hour was ending soon, so instead of going back out there and waiting tables, she took a seat across from Gabi. "How was school today?" she wondered, attempting to make conversation.

She liked talking to kids but spending a lot of time with them became annoying. They could talk be talking about their new toy one second and the next, they were telling her a story about their Dad's car accident. Children had no filter and if they told you that you looked ugly, it had to be true. They were brutal little things.

"It was okay," Gabi shrugged, peering up at her. "We learned addition and during recess, I played on the swings with my friends. But this boy, Jacob pushed me off."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, don't worry. Mr. Lee said that when boys tease you, it means they like you," she replied happily.

"No, no, no," Karmin rejecting, shaking her head at the notion. What she was not going to let happen was enable the teaching to young girls that it was okay to be pushed around by boys just because they liked them. "Jacob pushing you off the swings is not cute. It doesn't matter if he likes you. He shouldn't have done that."

"But he has a crush on me."

"If a boy has a crush on you, he would be treating you nicely. Don't let Jacob push you around, okay. You're a strong young woman. Fight back," she instructed firmly but gently.

"Like punch him in the face?" Gabi asked innocently.

"I'm not condoning violence since it's never the answer." Hypocrite. She was literally using violence to get what she wanted. "But if there are not any witnesses, then..." Karmin faltered, offering her a coy smile.

Gabi let out a little giggle. She continued with her colouring until she asked, "Do you have a crush on anyone?"

"I do. His name is Leo," she sighed dreamily, a smile making its way to her face unconsciously. "He's so sweet and gorgeous."

"You should ask him out on a date," Gabi exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm working on it," she assured. They were going to be meeting up next week in the NYU library to start their essay. It was safe to say that Karmin was excited. She never had the chance to hang out with him alone and now was her chance.

She was jolted from her daily Leo fantasy when Janet, the volunteering resources manager called her name. "Karmin, can you help take the elders up?" she ordered.

"Coming," Karmin said, getting up from her seat and glancing at Gabi one last time. "Keep me updated on Jacob, okay?"

Gabi gave her a thumbs up and with that, Karmin walked out of the kitchen, gazing at the rush of elders trying to get into the elevator. One woman pushing another elder caught her eye.

"Betty, stop trying to push her off her wheelchair!" Karmin called out, rushing forward.

***

Karmin had finally made it home after breaking up a fight, wheeling fifteen elders back to their rooms, and receiving sweet hugs from the seniors.

She was too tired to take a shower or do homework, so she joined her parents and Aaliyah, who were eating popcorn and watching Inception. They hadn't noticed her bruises that she covered with foundation, and luckily, she had turtlenecks in her wardrobe to cover up the yellowish tint around her throat. The bandages on her knuckles were harder to hide, but long sleeves were now her go-to.

"Come sit," her Dad said, patting the empty seat beside him.

She contently took a seat beside him, happy to see him in a better mood. He still had a sickly glow to him, but he was up and eating a little, so that counted.

"Aren't you going to take shower?" asked her Mom, flickering her eyes towards Karmin.

"I'll go in a little bit," she replied, slouching into the soft cushion of the sofa.

She nodded. "Go soon. Making naan in a little bit."

Karmin groaned. "Naan again? Can't we get takeout?"

"Not Indian food takeout," Aaliyah clarified.

"Get Chinese," her Dad interjected. "I want kung pao chicken and those cookies with paper inside."

"Fortune cookies," Karmin corrected. The first time he had fortune cookies, he had already swallowed the cookie whole, not realizing there was a piece of paper with his future inside.

"Yes," her Dad nodded, rubbing his hands in excitement. "I want to know if I win lottery."

"Dad, they don't work...," but when she saw the large grin on his face, she let it go. "Never mind."

"So, I make food for nothing?" her Mom asked in disbelief. "Fine, fine."

"Yay!" Aaliyah cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "Gonna eat some lo mein today!"

Karmin smiled joyfully, already drooling at the thought of the food. She turned her eyes to the screen where the handsome Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph-Gordon Levitt blessed her tv.

"Wait, I'm confused," her Dad said. "They in a dream inside of a dream?"

"Yes, Dad," Aaliyah replied tiredly. She had been explaining the plot the past thirty minutes, and it was ruining the movie for her.

"I don't understand. Can we watch Wipeout? I want to see people fall on big ball," he chuckled.

"I feel bad when people fall," her Mom said, "but let's watch anyway."

Wipeout, an obstacle course show, was always their go-to show as her parents didn't need to understand English to watch it. It was hilarious watching players confidently start the game to end up in the water or mud every ten seconds. Whether it was the boxing gloves that knocked people off or the red balls players bounced off of in painful positions, it was sure to bring a smile on their faces.

The sound of the hosts was disturbed when Karmin's phone went ding. She quickly grabbed it from her pocket to see Maddox's text.

'Friday at 7. I'll pick you up.'

***

Author's Note:

Hi!!

So, Dale from Origami Love made a reappearance! There is more where that came from ;)

Fun fact: I actually do volunteer at a senior home and for two years, I was at Happy Hour. There were some elders who fought over a worker because they both wanted to dance with her. Some of the seniors talk shit about each other and try to push/run them over. It's both hilarious and terrifying to handle.

Ch. 10 is already written, and I can't wait for you guys to read it!!!

Until next time – m.k.t