Participants:
| Scene Title | Community Service |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Luke is required to do community service under the watchful eye of Dan Schwimmerfarb, his probation officer. Melissa enters, and sparks fly. |
| Date | July 29, 2010 |
Central Park has been, and remains, a key attraction in New York City, both for tourists and local residents. Though slightly smaller, approximately 100 acres at its southern end scarred by and still recovering from the explosion, the vast northern regions of the park remain intact.
An array of paths and tracks wind their way through stands of trees and swathes of grass, frequented by joggers, bikers, dog-walkers, and horsemen alike. Flowerbeds, tended gardens, and sheltered conservatories provide a wide array of colorful plants; the sheer size of the park, along with a designated wildlife sanctuary add a wide variety of fauna to the park's visitor list. Several ponds and lakes, as well as the massive Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, break up the expanses of green and growing things. There are roads, for those who prefer to drive through; numerous playgrounds for children dot the landscape.
Many are the people who come to the Park - painters, birdwatchers, musicians, and rock climbers. Others come for the shows; the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater, the annual outdoor concert of the New York Philharmonic on the Great Lawn, the summer performances of the Metropolitan Opera, and many other smaller performing groups besides. They come to ice-skate on the rink, to ride on the Central Park Carousel, to view the many, many statues scattered about the park.
Some of the southern end of the park remains buried beneath rubble. Some of it still looks worn and torn, struggling to come back from the edge of destruction despite everything the crews of landscapers can do. The Wollman Rink has not been rebuilt; the Central Park Wildlife Center remains very much a work in progress, but is not wholly a loss. Someday, this portion of Central Park just might be restored fully to its prior state.
Community service, the bane of all individuals who got off with a slap on the wrist. Of people who got slaps on the wrist in relation to crimes, Luke was one of those. But that's not to say that people like that. Across Central park today this early afternoon with the heat starting to climb into the 80's, people in bright orange vests around their torso's made of mesh to keep folks from overheating are roaming the park as part of volunteer service be it mandatory or purely voluntary.
Pitch In! Pick Up! A volunteer service that works hard to keep Central Park clean and one of the few places that Dan Schwimmerfarb has worked to get Luke into so that he could do his hours of service. Sorry Luke, the boxing sessions don't count.
Dan is out there too, a few of his other clients be they present or past, in orange garb and doing their hours and most of them save for one other than Luke seem to be on good terms with the older fellow, joking with him and getting a look in at his new probationists.
Not everyone out in the park today is wearing bright orange. Not everyone out is even a person! Meaning that Melissa is out, wandering around with a frown on her face, and Jerry at the end of a leash, happily straining at the end of the leash and barking at every new person he sees. Oooh! People! Come play people!
Mel isn't quite so happy, her free hand on her stomach as though she's nauseous, her hair pulled up in a severe looking pony tail, bags under her eyes. It hasn't been the best few days for the pain manipulator.
Luke is really annoyed at community service. Doesn't he do the community a service enough just by not killing everyone in sight? That should totally count. He's got that little mechanical claw thing that people picking up trash with are generally armed with, an upgrade on the sharpened stick thing. And yes, he's got one of those damn orange vests, and generally feeling like an idiot. He grabs a can and viciously tosses it into the garbage can rather than recycle. Bad Luke.
The hand leaves Mel's stomach and she digs out a pack of cigarettes, trying to get it lit with one hand. Except her thumb ends up slipping off the button on the Bic as she sees a face she hasn't seen since the raid on the Den. "Goddammit Luke, what the hell did you do to end up as a flunky on garbage detail?" she yells, not caring who hears.
Luke hears someone yelling his name, and looks over at Melissa. "I killed someone." he deadpans to her, which ironically enough is the truth except that Luke doesn't remember that.
There's a laugh from Dan as he shakes his head, using his own stick to grab at a piece of trash and shove in a bag. "You know this kid? His attitude always like this?" The white haired individual asks, his own orange vest on and right down in there with the rest of his boys and girls.
"Well that the fuck did you do that for?" Melissa grumps at him as she heads over towards him, pausing just to look at Dan. "You better fucking believe it. He's a pain in the ass is what he is."
"Someone shit talked me." Luke tells Melissa pointedly. "And was generally annoying." HINT HINT. "Get lost, hag." oooh, no he di'ant! "Your house wasn't all that safe." he adds with a sneer. "Shows how trustworthy YOU are." Dan is glanced at with a scowl. Hmmph. Stupid probation officer.
"I apologize for his attitude. It's a work in progress" Dan offers his hand out to Melissa in order to shake. "Danny Schwimmerfarb, but you can call me Dan. That his attitude gets worse around you, means something, believe it or not. Now, Campbell, you can can the attitude or I can not sign off on your hours today, and we can go on down to coco's and go a few rounds?" The peppered mustache moves with each word, his brooklyn accent shining through.
Melissa's eyes narrow at Luke. "You little shit. I did my best for you," she nearly growls at him before blinking at Dan, then taking his hand. "Melissa. And what does it mean?"
"Well generally, it means that I don't like you." Luke rolls his eyes, but subsides at the threat, glaring hate at the old man. Or just annoyance, which is an upgrade. Hmmph. Stupid community service.
"You know the old saying, they tease you because they like you? Love hurts? All that. I used to just fight with martha, god rest her soul, all the time before we realized we were in love" Dan lifts a hand up, staying any protestations. "Not that you two are in love, but Campbell here, he's got an attitude problem. me against the world, bit too many times. But this is the first I've seen anyone who knows him. So maybe" There's a look to Luke. "You outta be nice to the lady and her dog. Like a civilized human and not treat her like the gum on your shoe that you just put your foot down in"
Love? For Luke? That brings a disgusted look to Melissa's face and shakes her head. "Hell no. He gave me nothing but trouble even before I really met him," she says, wrinkling her nose and looking at Luke.
"At least the gum on my shoe I can scrap off and throw away." Luke mutters. "The dog, I have no problems with." Jerry is eyed, and Luke isn't exactly going all gaga over the puppy, but he smiles a little. Maybe imagining siccing him on people?
"If you had a problem with the dog, then we'd be needing to have a serious talk" Dan's elbow connects with Luke's ribs and some of the others have been glancing this way to see what's going on. "Nah, he don't love you. I think he loves his ability too much to love anyone else. But some day maybe, he'll find a good girl and settle down, get a dog or two. Just needs a bit of elbow grease and a few right hooks, knock some sense into him. Won't it?"
Dan looks at Luke with a wide mustachio'd grin, pointing to a piece of garbage adjacent to him. "He's a good kid. I got faith. Just needs folks he can count on to be there"
The thought of Luke settling down with anyone has Melissa busting out into laughter. Which immediately prompts a wince and the hand moves back to her stomach. "Yeah, right. He'd probably fry her the first time he got pissed," she says, smirking faintly at Luke.
Luke rolls his eyes. "Hah. Women are all useless. All they do is get knocked up and pretend to be just as good as men at everything." ooh, snap. And is he looking at Melissa when he says this? Why, no, of course not.
There's a pinch of Luke's ear between thick fingers and an apologetic look to mel. "Probably best we carry on, it was a pleasure to meet you Melissa, Campbell here and I, we got a date with some boxing gloves" And with that, and Luke's attitude, he's steering by the ear, away from Mel and back to the others.
Melissa moves forward, getting right in Luke's face. "I've yet to get knocked up, but at least I don't blame all my problems on someone who was just trying to help. You better be careful though, or next time you'll end up in jail instead of on garbage duty," she says quietly, before turning to stalk off. Slowly. Still holding her stomach.
Luke has his ear pinched and dragged away, and almost fries the guy in automatic response, but doesn't since that would be A Bad Idea. Instead, he grits his teeth and allows himself to be pulled off. He would've kicked Melissa though if the old guy hadn't done that.