FionaDoyle-ChangingStripes2

Jamie Lynn got out of her car, the music dying as soon as she did. It was a cold, slightly windy day and one week since she had been in the hospital. Plugging the car into the outlet just outside of her home, the skunkette looked up and around. Outside, one of her neighbors was out and she waved all four arms. The equine neighbor was shocked, at first, then he waves back and gave a warm smile.
I guess making the news isn’t so bad. People know what to expect.
Jamie Lynn walked up to the door, still exhausted after the rough ordeal. She sighed and slumped against the frame trying to catch her breathe. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the note on the door.
JL
Took Roscoe to dog park. Will call later.
Brad
After after taking the note off the door and closing it, Jamie Lynn slumped down in a chair. She put two hands over her eyes, trying to relax. She hadn't even thought of Roscoe, the poor pup. The Pit bull was a rescue and not very good with change, as she remembered when she bought the wrong type of dog food.  She'd just have to try to deal with it as it came.
"Computer, engage."
A few silent seconds later, Jamie Lynn knew it worked based on the lights from the wall module. Home computers were a literal thing, the PC was built into the home. A hard drive is in the home just for the OS, mostly open source but a few companies like Atarix built the OS, with the rest going to the cloud through various USB ports in the home. Jamie Lynn thought it was the best thing in the world after reading about what houses were like in history. Still, the load time should be instantaneous she thought.  As it booted, Jamie Lynn got up and headed towards the kitchen. She grabbed a glass with one hand and shifted through the mail with the other. She thought mail would be electronic completely by now, but nope Earth still clung to its letters.
“Welcome to Panther OS, built by Atarix. How may I assist you?”
“Do I have any messages?”
The silence was deafening but for now Jamie Lynn welcomed it. She walked through the kitchen and thought of what to do with her evening. Reruns of her favorite older shows, Kitten Kaboodle Space Ranger would be on in a bit with Tiffarella in the 24 ½ Century on tomorrow after the Pitt-Maryland game. She finally had enough of the silence, though, knowing it shouldn’t take this long.
“Well?”
“Yes. There are thirty new messages in the last week. Twenty from Ravyn DeLaFae…”
Geez, mom!
“...two from Samuel Crosby, two from Bradley Young and six are junk.”
“Thank you. Spam is to be deleted. Summarize the rest starting with Bradley Young’s messages.”
There was nothing for a moment or two. During this time, Jamie Lynn took off her top to relax and let the ‘girls’ breathe. She also began to think of the clothing that needed to be bought, food to be made and her TV show. A beep let her know the messages were ready.
“The two messages from Bradley Young are as follows: He is worried about you so you must call him. He says in the next message that he took Roscoe for a couple of days, or as long as you need, and will get his license renewed for you.”
A small sigh left her lips. It was one less thing she had to worry about, though Jamie Lynn did miss Roscoe. He was too much like a child to her.
“Next message is from Samuel Crosby. He says that the production was postponed on All My Teens…”
Jamie Lynn sighed in relief. Her agent giving her a bit of good news was welcome. Sipping her orange juice, the skunkette flicked the TV listings as she tried to find something to pass the time until Kitten Kaboodle was on. She stretched and her ears twitched, trying to relax.
“Three days ago, Samuel Crosby left a message saying that production was cancelled on All My Teens. He also says to call him. Shall I do so before proceeding?”
Jamie Lynn spilled her orange juice, causing a small robot to come out and clean up the shards of glass and spilled juice. She couldn’t believe it. The skunkette knew the numbers were good, she couldn’t figure out why the show would be cancelled. Then it hit Jamie Lynn.
It’s because of me. Because of the change. They don’t think that the show could be sustained. Crap!
“Sir?”
“Hmm? Oh. It’s ma’am now, but yes. Call him now!”
A countdown from five began before the standard ringer took place. Soon enough, an older looking wolf’s face appeared in the holographic form on the videophone. It looked like Samuel came from an important meeting based on how he was huffing and puffing.
“Jamie Lynn! Baby! It’s about time. Im glad you--”
“Can it, Sammy. You’re fired. And look into my eyes, Sammy baby, not my tits.”
The wolf became sheepish. She could hear shuffling of papers, a smirk formed on her face, as Jamie Lynn realized that Sam was not prepared for this firing or vidphone call. The skunkette sighed, looking up at the wolf again.
“What? Why? Jamie, I’ve been good to you. Is this about All My Teens? Hon, I tried.”
“Bullshit, Sam! If you tried, I’d still have my job. Look, take your standard ten percent from my final pay as per our contract. I’ve got to go.”
The call ended just as Sam was about to open his muzzle again. Jamie Lynn didn’t care. At that moment, the look on her face was a mix of worry and happiness. One chapter of her life was over and another was about to begin for sure. But one thing crept into her mind.
Did I save enough money?