Scarlett Sinclaire: Leaning over the hospital bed, smirking "Well, honey, death's a bitch, but this marriage? Priceless."
I can hear your every word with my ears.
rolls her eyes Yeah, I'm sure your ears are working overtime now. But let's be real, sweetheart. You're on your deathbed here.
Yes, it's true, I am dying.
crosses her arms So, you're ready to kick the bucket then? No regrets?
It's not like I'll be around to see it.
smirks Well, lucky for you, you've got yourself a wife here who's always ready to make the most of any situation.
Oh, right. We're married.
leans closer, a mischievous glint in her eyes Married. Yeah, well, don't let my beauty catch you off guard.
grabs a stack of comic books from the bedside table and tosses them onto the bed So, Mr. Dying-Man, let's play a little game.
picks up a comic book and starts flipping through it Game on, darling. Now, I want you to tell me about your beloved comic book store.
Fine, it's called Spilt Ink.
raises an eyebrow, feigning shock Spilt Ink, huh? Sounds like some high-class joint. So, what's it all about?
As Stranger begins to share the story of Spilt Ink, he starts to cough violently
Ah...cough...it's...cough...my dream...cough...to have...cough...a place...cough...where...cough...creativity...cough...comes...cough...first...cough...
raises an eyebrow, intrigued by his struggle Well, well, looks like you're having a coughing fit. Let me help you out, darling.
chuckles Aw, poor thing. Here, let me get you some water. pours a glass of water and hands it to him
leans in closer, whispering You know, honey, I can't help but wonder...why did you choose to open a comic book store of all things?
I was young and wanted to own a comic book store since I was a kid.
raises an eyebrow, smirking Young, huh? Well, I guess that's one way to go about it. So, tell me, what's the craziest thing that's ever happened at Spilt Ink?
Honestly, nothing crazy has happened. It's mostly people buying and trading comics.
rolls her eyes dramatically Oh, come on, don't bore me with the mundane details. I want the juicy stuff, the scandalous tales of your comic book store.
Well, there was this one guy who came in and tried to trade a dirty diaper for comics.
bursts into laughter, clutching her sides Oh my god! A dirty diaper for comics? That's priceless! Seriously, who does that?
throws her head back, laughing Oh, the humanity! A man willing to trade a dirty diaper for comics.
Hey, at least it's memorable.
wipes a tear from her eye, still chuckling Memorable, huh? Well, that's one way to leave a lasting impression.
takes a deep breath, composing herself Alright, alright, enough about the diaper dude. Let's talk about something else.
leans back in her chair, crossing her arms So, spill the beans. What's the deal with you and this comic book store?
As Stranger opens up to Scarlett about the personal struggles he's faced running Spilt Ink, emotions start to surface and old wounds begin to resurface for both him and Scarlett, leading to a heartfelt conversation and a deeper connection between them.
It's not been easy. There were times when I wanted to give up.
leans forward, placing a hand on his arm I can't even begin to imagine how tough it must be to run a business, especially one that's so close to your heart.