[color=#99ccff][center][h2]Valerie ~ Last Minute Party Prep[/h2]11:24 AM[/center][/color]
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Valerie skated full-speed down an empty side street, a canvas bag filled with groceries slung over her shoulder. She knew she needed to hurry - the beans for her plato típico were still on heat, and the last thing she wanted to do was burn them. It wasn’t her decision to go out and get more food - but Helen had insisted, and Val didn’t really mind. But the line at the grocery store was much longer than she’d anticipated, and the trip took far more time than she felt acceptable. Valerie would be damned if her main course was ruined because some lady threw a fit about the cashier not accepting her expired coupons.

She turned a corner and glanced at her watch. All she could think about was how close she was cutting it. She looked up to find herself nearly flattened by a grey minivan driving too fast for the residential area they were in. The driver slammed his brakes, and Val quickly stopped herself as well. [color=#99ccff]“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH -”[/color] she began shouting, but stopped as the driver - her older brother - stepped out of the car. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. [color=#99ccff]“I’m running very late. I’ll see you next week.”[/color] And with that, she was off again, throwing another quick wave and a bright smile to her nieces in the backseat. As much as she loved to see her brother and his family, she just didn’t have the time to catch up right now.

Besides, she reasoned with herself, they [i]did[/i] have plans for her brother’s birthday next Saturday. She would see them all then, and in a much more pleasant situation.

Not five minutes later, Valerie was back at the house. Helen was not on the front porch, where she had been when Val left, but she didn’t think anything of it as she skated around to the back door. She dropped to her bottom at the threshold and unlaced her skates as quickly as she could, and ran into the kitchen to save her beans - just in time, she found with relief, pulling the pot off heat and tasting it to find it cooked to perfection. Breathing a soft sigh, she turned to the counter where the homemade tortilla chips and salsa were - 

[color=#99ccff][i]“¡Jueputa!”[/i][/color]

She found herself face-to-face with Helen, a dish rag stained with her salsa clutched in her boney hands, the bowl up-ended on the floor and most of the tortilla chips gone. Val immediately realised what happened. Taking a deep breath, she put on the most gentle smile she could manage. [color=#99ccff]“I’m sorry,”[/color] she almost whispered, as if to offset her previous volume. [color=#99ccff]“Let me take care of this.”[/color] She carefully took the rag and threw it into the sink, and cleaned up the remaining mess as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

No salsa and chips. That’s fine, she told herself. There was enough other food to feed eight people. The burner was turned to its lowest heat and the beans were replaced on top - just enough to keep them warm. Taking a deep breath, Valerie found her boots, pulled them on, and went outside to finish preparations. She flicked on the small bluetooth boombox she’d set up, and trad jazz began flowing out of it. Dancing a little to the music, she added the new food she’d purchased to the buffet, arranging it as close to specifications as possible; once that was done, she stepped away and danced more freely, surveying the area to be sure everything was perfect.