61(1): Redoing my Life, A New Venture

As I found a small break in my schedule, I asked my friends if we could resume our D&D nights. Everyone was on board, but I didn't have time to be the DM this time around. This was easily solved when John mentioned his brother was home and could whip something up. I hadn't played as a character since the first disastrous attempt by Matt, so I was looking forward to it.

I entered the house to see Joanna; her face lit up with a bright smile. I hadn't seen her in weeks. "Daniel, you're finally here!" she exclaimed.

“Sorry I'm late,” I apologized. Joanna, it seems, was busy as well, as her career was taking off with more speed than we thought.

"Heard the labels are chasing you now," I teased, hanging my jacket by the door.

“Yeah, it's been crazy,” she replied.

I saw Lucia approach from behind Joanna. “Look who it is, big-time celebrity finally shows up.”

“Lucia, been spreading any gossip about me lately?” I asked with a knowing smile.

“I have something in the works,” she said without missing a beat.

“So, when are you free? I wanted to do another collaboration with you; everyone's been asking about you,” Joanna asked, her tone light but with a hint of disappointment.

“I don't know, Jo. I'll be pretty busy in the coming months. I’ll let you know later,” I replied.

I saw Jack entering the room. “Excited to see what you've got for us, Jack?”

Jack chuckled. “I think it’s going to be difficult to top yours.”

We made our way to the basement where John was arguing with John. We soon settled into our seats and started the game.

Jack had made a pretty nice campaign, and I found myself enjoying sitting with my friends and playing. As I had been the DM in all our previous games, it was a refreshing change. The game was nearing the end.

Matt's character, a bold and somewhat reckless warrior, had been at the forefront of the adventure, pushing the party deeper into the unknown of a dark cave. As we ventured further, Jack described a powerful artifact glowing ominously at the center of the cavern. Ignoring the warnings from Joanna's wise old wizard and Lucia's cunning rogue, Matt declared that his warrior would attempt to claim the artifact.

“This is a bad idea. You are going to mess up everything,” I said.

“I am sorry, who has been awesome this entire game…that’s right, me,” Matt said, rolling the dice.

The result was disastrous.

“Fuck you, Matt,” we all said together.

Jack's voice took on a grave tone. "As you lay your hands on the ancient relic, its energy surges through you, overwhelming your senses. Your vision darkens as you feel your very soul being ripped from your body."

Jack continued, "Your character collapses, soulless, his essence now trapped within the cursed artifact. The cavern begins to collapse around you, the air thick with the echo of malevolent laughter."

"Well, that escalated quickly," Matt said, laughing lightly.

I buried my head in my hands at the man's stupidity. We ended it there, and as we were preparing to leave, John came over and asked for a chat.

John looked a bit hesitant. "Daniel, you know I love video games, right?" he started.

I nodded. John was an avid gamer and was also pretty good at making them. He had made a game very similar to Jump Knight last year. It wasn't polished enough to be released but still fun to play. He had even won a competition lately.

“Planning to make another one like you did last year? That one was fun,” I asked.

John's face lit up. “Exactly! I've made some simple, fun games. I mean, they were unfinished…” he paused, looking nervous.

“Where are you going with this?” I asked.

John's expression turned serious. "So, here’s the thing. Some friends and I want to get into video game development seriously. We even have a solid idea for a game."

"That sounds interesting," I said, intrigued.

John seemed hesitant for a moment before continuing. "Would you consider investing in our future company? We're still ironing out some details like the story and such, but we've got a good grasp on the mechanics and gameplay."

I considered his request. John was talented, but investing wasn't something I took lightly. "Do you have an example of what you've worked on? Anything to show the direction you’re heading?"

John nodded eagerly. "We're still tweaking it, but we've put together a basic prototype. It’s not much yet, but it should give you an idea of our vision."

"I'd like to test it out then," I said, my interest piqued.

"Great!" John exclaimed, his relief evident. He quickly went to fetch a CD and handed it to me. "Take a look at this and let me know what you think."

"I'll get back to you after I've checked it out," I promised, taking the CD.

"Thank you, Daniel. I really appreciate it," John said, his gratitude genuine.

I left the house with the CD in hand. I had a feeling I would be touching on the game industry after meeting John. He was talented, no doubt, and he would gladly invest if he had a good plan…maybe I could help him out with his other knowledge.

“This could work out,” I muttered to myself as I got into the car.

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As I drove to the Dunphy house, I racked my brain, thinking of what to do for Haley on Valentine's Day. It would be our first one as a couple, and I wanted to make it memorable.

I could buy her a nice camera; she has been talking about getting into photography.

Maybe I can rent out an entire theater for a private movie screening.

I had a dozen ideas in my head, but I couldn't pick one. Well, I still had time, so no need to rush it. As I drove up to the house, I noticed there were workers near the road; there was even a porta potty at the end of the driveway.

As I knocked on the door, Phil answered, sporting an unexpectedly thick mustache that almost threw me off. He greeted me enthusiastically, "Hey D-dog, long time no see! Come in, come in!"

I stepped inside, my gaze fixed on his mustache. "How do you like the 'stache?" he asked, a hint of pride in his voice.

"It looks good, really good," I managed, though as I got closer, I noticed it was fake. Trying to boost his spirits, I added, "You look great, kinda look like Tom Selleck."

Phil's face lit up with delight. "I know, right?"

Just then, I heard Haley calling from upstairs. "Danny!"

"I’m gonna go," I said to Phil, giving him a thumbs up. "Keep the mustache," I added with a grin before heading upstairs.

Haley met me with a kiss at the top of the stairs before playfully pushing me into her room.

We spent our time together talking and occasionally making out. She kept dropping hints that Valentine's Day was near. It was clear she was expecting something memorable, and that thought kept distracting me even as we continued our conversation—or more accurately, as she talked and I tried to focus.

After about an hour or so, we were jolted by the sound of Alex and Luke screaming downstairs. Haley was on top of me, kissing me, when the screaming made her fall off the bed.

"What was that?" she exclaimed, scrambling up from the floor.

"Sounded like Alex and Luke," I said, as Haley shouted, "Alex!" with a mix of irritation and concern. She quickly got to her feet and stormed out of the room, and I hurried after her.

As we descended the stairs, the sharp scent of beer and other alcohols hit me. The dining area was a mess, bottles scattered across the table.

Haley demanded, "Why are you screaming?"

"Cal... calm down, there's a rat," Alex replied, her voice edged with panic.

"A rat? Where?" Haley shrieked, her eyes darting around before she impulsively jumped into my arms.

"It's somewhere," Alex said as she snatched a broom from Luke's grasp.

"Danny, get me to my room," Haley pleaded, tightening her grip around me.

Just then, I felt something brush against my leg. "Oh, fuck," I muttered under my breath.

"There!" Luke pointed directly at my leg, his voice pitched high with alarm.

"Aha, got it!" Alex exclaimed triumphantly. Without a moment's hesitation, she swung the broom down hard against my leg.

"Wait, no—" I started, but it was too late. The broom hit me with a thud, and the rat, startled by the commotion, scampered away.

"Sorry!" Alex called out, already chasing after the fleeing rodent.

"What the hell, Alex!" Haley exclaimed, still clinging to me.

"I said sorry!" Alex's voice floated back.

Haley, looking down at me, said urgently, "Danny, get me out of here."

I winced, feeling the pain throb in my leg. "Hey, my leg hurts," I protested weakly.

"I don't care, let's go," Haley insisted, her voice firm but not unkind.

With Haley still in my arms, I limped out of the chaos of the dining area, half-amused and half in pain. "Why do I keep getting hurt when I'm in your house?" I said as I put her down on the stairs.

"Don't put me down here," she said.

"Relax, it's not going to come here. I'm going to help your sister with the rat," I said before leaving for the dining area again.

I went into the kitchen and found some plastic wrap, which I wrapped around my arm. “Okay, let's catch this thing," I declared, ready to tackle the rat with my hands.

"Eww, you’re going to catch it with your hands?" Alex asked.

I nodded.

"Cool," I heard Luke say.

For the next few moments, we chased the rat around the house; it was like a scene out of a slapstick movie, with Alex and me trying to corner the elusive rat. After several tense minutes, Alex managed to trap the rodent in a corner of the kitchen.

"Now!" she yelled.

I lunged forward, my plastic-wrapped hands scooping up the frightened creature. I could hear Luke cheering, and then I heard another familiar voice.

"Oh my God, what’s going on?" Claire’s voice said. She looked around wide-eyed at the sight of the disarray in the house.

"What on earth is going on here? And what are you holding?" Claire trailed off. I looked to her side and saw another woman who was looking at me with equal shock and bewilderment as Claire.

“It’s a rat,” I deadpanned.

"I see," Claire responded dryly, then turned to her friend, her cheeks coloring slightly. "This is, um... it’s not usually like this."

“Where’s your father?” Claire asked.

"He went outside to the bathroom," Alex replied.

Claire’s friend chuckled nervously, glancing around the chaotic scene. Claire hurried to explain, "These are my children," then pointed to me. “That’s not.”

As she was talking, I put the rat in a box that Alex was holding. Claire and her friend walked outside, and sensing that Claire was upset with all this, I decided to make myself scarce. After removing the plastic wrapping and washing my hands, I quickly made my way to the front door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Haley asked.

“I remembered I have to go to the studio. Love you, and good luck,” I said hastily, walking out.

“Good luck?” I heard her repeat in confusion.

I could see Claire yelling at Phil, who was standing outside the porta-potty. I made my way to my car without her seeing and quickly drove off.