Ginny Meed

A Day in the Life

Ginny rose on her seventeenth birthday. It was a day like any other day. She rolled out of bed and threw on the first pieces of clean clothing she could find and a coat before running from the garage where she lived into the bathroom of the trailer that she shared with her mother, Nora. She rushed through her morning routine, showering and running a brush through her red hair, knowing it would be a tangled mess in a few moments reguardless. It wasn't until after this was all done that she realised her mother was up waiting for her.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Ginny asked knowing that her mother had worked the late shift at the Silverdollar Tavern accross town.

"Waiting for you," Nora said simply. She smiled radiantly at her daughter and tossed brushed her long blonde hair away from her cup of coffee. Even at her age, Nora was unmistakably beautiful. "I'm scheduled for the late shift again tonight, I tried to get it off hun, but we need the money," she explained, "and I didn't want to miss your birthday." She pulled a small present onto the table from her lap.

"Awe thanks Mom," Ginny said, dropping the granola bar she was munching on to unwrap the Led Zeplan CD, "Hey this is the one that I somehow got all scratched up."

"I know," she beamed, "I didn't know what else you'd want so buy yourself something nice," and handed her thirty dollors.

"Mom!" she exclaimed. "Don't we need this?"

"It's your birthday, and I've been making good tips." she replied firmly.

Just then there was a honk outside, "That's Pete, I've gotta run!" Ginny said jumping up from the table. She grabbed her schoolbag and kissed her mother on the cheek, "Thanks," she told her again as she rushed out the door into the Jeep idling in front of the trailer.

"Happy Birthday Ginny!" Pete greeted her warmly driving down the road.

"You're early." She told him.

"Yea," Pete stammered driving out of the trailer park his hazel eyes focused on the road. He was up to something. He knew he was a bad lyer and would become completely engrossed if he was trying to hide something "just a minute," he stammered as he drove a few blocks and pulled into an abandoned lot. He turned off the ignition and turned to her, "I got you something and I wanted to give it to you before we picked up Steve." He pulled a bag out of his school bag and passed it to her.

Ginny opened the bag slowly to reviel a smaller brown paper bag with a fifth of Jack Daniels in it. "Damn Pete!" she exclaimed in shock. Jack was sometimes harder to get ahold of than weed.

"My cousin Rodney got it for me," Pete explained. "I thought maybe we could go down to the docks tonight and . ."

"Pete we've been over this," Ginny interrupted.

"Damn it Ginny," Pete snapped in frustration, "I get it. You're not my girlfriend. You say you want me to treat you like just one of the guys, and I think what would any of the guys I know want more than anything for thier birthday. A bottle of Jack and a lay, that's what and I can actually give you that! So here it is and you're getting all wierd on me .. "

"So 9:00 at the docks then," Ginny interrupted, "sounds like a plan to me."

Pete gaped for a moment, his mind catching up with the fact that he had no reason to keep on talking. Than flashed a stupid grin. "Yea it's a plan."

The car started up and they drove a few more blocks to Steve's house. Ginny stashed the Jack under the seat. Steve lived in a modest sized house. He was the most well off of the four of them, Ginny, Steve, Pete, and Jesse who had graduated last year, and the quietest. He greeted them with a simple "Hey," and made a point to tell Ginny happy birthday. His eyes got that funny cast to them that they always got when his attention was focused on just her. He had had a crush on her since sixth grade, and it had never really gone away. But one look at those eyes and Ginny knew it could never be. He'd be a doting boyfriend always trying to take care of her and shower her with adoration. To most girls he'd be a dream come true, but to Ginny it was a nightmare. She never wanted to belong to someone like that. She'd seen her mom date enough guys to know that it always leads to disaster. She eyed Pete curiously wondering if he was going to turn into an obsessive boyfriend type too. Everyone knows guys are dumb especially where women are involved. But on the other hand they're a whole lot more fun than any girls she knew.

Halfway between the community called Lakeside and the high school in the city of North Bend proper where they attended classes the three of them pull off the side of the road and got nicely stoned. This made the first two periods of the day, History and Economics, roll by quickly. Then there was two periods of metal shop. This was the best part of the day for Ginny. She loved the feel of metal in her hands, the smell of sparks from a welder, and the feeling that only comes from making something with her own two hands. After that she just had to survive English class and then she was free. That evening the tree of them would head over to Jessie's to buy a bag of weed and veg to music all night.

But first was a quick stop by Ginny's to pick up a bag of chips and a DVD. On the table was a small package addressed to Ginny. There was no return envelope. A note was attatched the package.

Ginny, This arrived for you today. Secret admirer? I want to hear all about it tomarrow. Love you, Mom

Ginny nervously unwrapped the package and found a beautifully crafted metal bracelet and another note.

Daughter, I know that I haven't been in your life, but know that as you embark upon your destany you are loved. Dad

Ginny stared stunned at the bracelet, forgetting that Steve and Pete were in the room for a moment.

"You OK Ginny? What do you have there?" They asked. She wasn't paying enough attention to tell who said what. Pete snatched the bracelet from her hands. "This is amazing work! Look at the silver detailing on those, are they hammers?"

"They are hammers. Little gold and copper hammers. Wow Ginny, whoever it is must know you pretty well. You know they look kinda Norse." Steve said getting a look for himself.

"It's from my dad." Ginny explained, clearly still in shock. "I need to get to Jesse's NOW."

Jesse was a hispanic guy a year older than the other three. He rented a one bedroom house a few blocks from where Pete lived. He worked as a machinist at a local auto shop and supplemented his income selling drugs. As a result he had a top of the line TV and sound system and always had both drugs and girls. His place was the best hang out place any of them could think of. The hours spent at his place were relaxing and helped Ginny take her mind off her strange birthday gift.

Later that evening she met Pete at the docks like she said she would. Only then did she finally vent about the bracelet.

"How the hell did he know where to find me?" Ginny asked in anger eyeing the bracelet.

"Well you're mom's pretty distictive and I think she's lived in that trailer forever." Pete reasoned

"Even still, you'd think that he'd have done it before now. I mean really! How much of an asshole do you have to be to leave a three month old baby and have the balls to say you love her seventeen years later."

"I couldn't imagine. Maybe there was more to the story,"

"You're not actually taking his side in this are you?" she snapped accusingly.

"No," he stammered, "It's just that he's gotta be contacting you now for some reason."

"Well I don't have anything to say to him except fuck off" she took off the bracelet and got up.

"Ginnny what are you doing?" Pete asked as she stomped toward the water. "Ginny, you're gonna regret that later"

"You hear that dad?" She screamed, "Fuck you! I don't want you or your stupid gifts!"

There was a plunk as she stopped screaming that was the bracelet hitting the water. She took a deep breath and though about the bracelet, with it's beautiful detailing. They were hammers. He must have known that she would like them, I mean it wasn't somethin you'd expect most girls to be into. She thought about all of the times she'd wished that she'd known something more about her father than that he was a trucker named Theo Meed that left her mom shortly after she was born. She sighed. She wanted it back. She wasn't ready to let the mystery go just yet, and with that she dove into the lake after it. She was fully clothed, but she was a strong swimmer with good eyesight and she managed to see the sparkle in the murky water, even though the sun was down. She surfaced with the bracelet and slipped it on her wrist.

"Shit, Ginny!" Pete exclaimed looking at her dripping wet clothing, "It's a cold night. We better get you home now."

A Visit From Dad

"I wish I had a towel or something," Pete continued as they headed toward the car.

"Yea I feel bad getting your car all wet," Ginny told him, "Don't you have anything you could put on the seat?"

"I think I have a blanket in the back. That should work. You can wrap up with it too," Ginny mumbled an agreement and Pete got the blanket out for her. "What are you going to tell you mom about this."

"Nothing," Ginny said simply, "She won't be home until after two."

"Yea that's right," Pete replied sinking into his own thoughts. After a few moments he began to speak again, "You know if you ever need anything Ginny . . . "

His words were interrupted by a large crash. Ginny saw a quick flash of a semi before she began flying through the air.

A few moments later the world came into focus again. From where she layed she could see Pete laying on the ground a few feet away, eyes glazed over. She moved to go to him, but found that she was still to disoriented to get up. From her place she could also see the semi driver. he was tilted foreward through the broken window and didn't seem likely to be living. She watched as a crow landed on hood of the semi and with a quick peck snatched out the driver's eye. After that disturbing scene she again tried unsuccessfully to get up. Another crow landed on her chest. Before she could bat it away she it reared it's head back to peck at her face. Reflexively, she closed her eyes and flinched. The beak hit her square in the forehead.

A strange sensation of numbness filled her limbs, as if she had been lying there for a long time. Her mind quickly realised that she hadn't felt anything before the peck and the stray thought that she had been paralised for a few moments passed through her mind before she dismissed it as ludicrus. The crow issued another peck and the numbness passed leaving her feeling thourally alive and at the ready.

She rose and went to Pete. He seemed utterly lifeless, his expression was stone cold and he didn't seem to have a pulse. Ginny pulled her cell from her pocked to call the paramedics, but found it had broken in the crash. She would have to flag down help if there was to be any chance of saving him and she began to walk towards the road.

As she passed the semi something struck her as off. Why hadn't they heard the rig approaching? The scent of desel exhaust didn't hang in the air. She slowly reached her hand out and touched the hood and found it cold. Impulsively, she checked the cab of the car and found that the situation was indeed odd. There were no keys in the ignition.

Before she had a chance to process what the semi's condition could mean her thoughts were interrupted by the stangest sound. It was something like a Woomp or a Whoosh, but it thundered. She turned to face the sound and saw a sight that convinced her she surely was dreaming. Walking down the road was a fourteen foot man, brushing the trees from his path as he went.

Ginny took cover behind some nearby trees and watched the strange sight. Dream or not, she wanted to know what this giant was doing in her world. It seemed to be looking for something amongst the trees. Suddenly they locked eyes and she knew exactly what it was he was looking for and she was it.

She bolted somehow managing to keep the giant behind her. In the back of her mind she sarcastically thought, "What a strange chase dream," and mused that this was usually the part where a person would wake up, but she didn't wake up.

A large tow truck approached. Ginny eagerly flagged it down, happy to be given a reprieve from the helplessness of running away. The tow truck stopped and the redheaded man instructed her to get in. He appeared to reguard the giant chasing her as a common situation. As she got in the man got out, grabbing a large sledgehammer from behind his seat. "Great, I'm being rescued by a lunatic," Ginny thought wondering what the man thought he could accomplish with that hammer that he couldn't with his vehical. She looked over and fortunately this rig had keys in it's ignition. She scooted over to the driver's seat and began to position the car to an angle where she could ram the giant.

The redheaded man strode over to the giant without concern, "What are you doing out here big guy?" he asked.

"Give me the girl and I'll let you go," the giant grumbled.

"Well, you see there's two problems with that," The man continued nonchalantly, "First you're messing with my daughter and second you've really pissed off the God of Thunder."

Ginny froze in the driver's seat, unable to move to rev the engine and be of any help. She watched as the redheaded man handily dispatched the giant, smacking it with his hammer and scolding it until it ran away like a bad puppy. Than he strode back to the truck and opened the driver's side door, "You're in my seat," he told Ginny.

Ginny scooted over without saying a word. Her mind reached desperately to make sense of the situation, but found no answers.

"So I'm your dad." the man began.

"So you're the guy I've been waiting my whole life to deck?" Ginny retorted, her patience spent.

"Go ahead and do it," he laughed, and she proceeded to wind up her fist and do just that. The man gasped in pain, "I forgot how much that hurt" he mumbled. He quickly whiped the reaction from his face and continued trying to explain things to her, "I am Thor the Norse God of Tunder."

"My dad's name was Theo," Ginny retorted.

"Well yea, that's a name I've used," Thor continued, "But I am Thor. You have heard of me?"

"Yea," Ginny replied with an eyeroll at the rediculousness of the situation, "I read the comic book."

"It's not exactly like that. By the way, how's your mom."

"She gets by."

"Did you get the bracelet?"

Ginny fingered the vile thing upon her wrist and considered telling him that she'd tossed it in the bay, but instead she simply said, "Yea"

"Good. I need to tell you that things aren't going to be the same from now on. Strange things are going to start happening. I've got something else for you. Use it well and make your dad proud."

"This guy's brilliant," Ginny thought sarcastically. "He happens upon someone someone being chased by a giant and tells that that wierd things are going to happen. I think I got the memo." Aloud she said, "I'll use it to make my mother proud. My dad can go suck a big cock."

"Not likely," he mumbled shaking his head. He reached behind the seat again and handed her a satchel. She openen it and pulled out a chainmail shirt. She scoffed.

"It's dwarven made." he told her proudly.

"It's a chain shirt! What am I supposed to do with it, wear it to school?"

"When the time comes, you'll know." Thor answered cryptically.

Ginny's eyes lit with sarcasm again, "OK I'll tell you what. If I ever feel the need to put on a chain shirt I'll wear it. And I'll do it to make my daddy proud." She didn't add, "Like maybe when I'm getting sloshed next Halloween."

"Well kid, I need to be on my way. I've got things to do."

"Of course, after all you're my father."

"So get out." He told her firmly. Ginny slowly got out of the car unsure if she was disappointed or relieved. As she held the door open she leaned in and asked. "Do you have a phone or anything?"

"Not on me and where I'm going the long distance is attrotious"

"I just meant because of the accident." she stammered.

"I'm sure someone will be along shortly." He told her. She closed the door and he sped off leaving Ginny at the wreckage wondering when she would get to wake up.