A Doll's Destiny

"You can always come along with me and I could carry it for you," Clara replied. It wasn't like she wasn't going to help him out now just because he had his own job and some of his own stuff. She was still his friend and friends help each other out. "It's just a suggestion if you end up wanting somewhere else to work for a little while, in case you start to struggle with the idea of working from home. And you don't have to worry about whether something is too big for you or not."
 
"Thanks, I'll definitely keep that in mind," Aiden said with an appreciative smile. "And...thanks for helping me for all this time."
 
Clara smiled at Aiden. "It's what friends do," she commented. He really didn't need to thank her for any of this. It was just something she was going to do no matter what, but it was still nice to get his appreciation. She let out a little yawn, feeling a tad tired from her early morning wake up and her long day of work. She leaned into the couch a bit so she could just relax and rest.
 
Chuckling lightly, the doll nodded, returning to his program. Clara seemed tired, so he wanted to allow her some time to relax.
 
Clara did want time to relax, though she didn't mind chatting with Aiden if he wanted to. Though, it seemed like he was interested in watching the television and she didn't want to bother him. After all, he was already watching it when she arrived back home. So, she just sat there and watched with him for a little. She eventually grabbed a blanket because it felt a bit cold, most likely because it was winter and there was some snow on the ground. She started to wonder if Aiden was getting tired of being inside all the time with the winter having colder days with snow.
 
As the evening turned to night, Aiden altered between watching television and playing games, until turning in at a quarter before one.
 
Unlike Aiden who spent the rest of the night on the TV, Clara had to make herself some dinner. So, she went into the kitchen and made herself a meal, then sat down and ate it. Once she was finally finished with that and put everything away, she returned to the living room. But since he had switched over to playing games, and she didn't want to spend the whole rest of the night just watching him play them, she decided to go onto her laptop.
 
Eventually, at midnight, Aiden turned in.
A few weeks later, on a Friday afternoon, the doll entered the house, carrying an envelope. Heading to the kitchen table, he opened it and beamed at the paycheck inside.
 
Clara arrived home later that day after her shift at work. She noticed that Aiden seemed particularly happy. "You are in a really good mood today," she commented. "Did something good happen?" She wasn't quite sure what could be putting him a good mood, though she was glad to see him that way. She sat her things down and then headed for the kitchen to grab a snack.
 
"I got my first paycheck!" the doll cried exuberantly, holding up the slip of paper. "I can't believe it, I just made money! Can we make me a bank account?"
 
"Ah, congratulations," Clara replied with a smile. She could understand why he was happy about that. It was nice to get your money for the work you did. Then he went on to ask her about a bank account. "Sure thing. We'll have to go to the bank to do that though, so you'll have to leave the house even though it's cold. We could go tomorrow morning if you want."
 
"Okay, that's fine," Aiden replied. "I'm just excited this happened, plus my own bank account."
 
"I can understand that. It is exciting," Clara replied. She could remember how much she was happy when she had gotten her first pay check as well. "Just remember to save some of it. Of course, you can spend some of it to get the things you want, but don't go spending all of it. Having some saved up is good in case you need some money for later. You never know what might come up and what you might need to buy in the future." He did have a few things he needed to buy himself though, like his own laptop.
 
"I'm definitely saving this one. Besides, apartments are pricy, so I have to have more than enough dough," the doll said.
 
"And apartments are a monthly deal, so you'll have to have enough each month. So, yeah. It's a good idea to save up before you decided to make any major buys," Clara replied. He was going to need plenty of an apartment if he wanted his own place. Although, the thought of him leaving seemed kind of weird now that she was so used to him being there. But that wasn't happening yet, so she wasn't going to think about it until it was actually going to happen.
 
"Yeah. I've looked one-bedroom apartment rents, and some of them are really expensive, most over a thousand bucks," the doll replied.
 
"Yeah, they can be. Sometimes it depends on what you are specifically looking for and wear. Different areas are more expensive than others, but you don't want to pick an area that's too cheap either. If an apartment is really cheap, there could be a problem with it. So, it's good to balance it out and find a medium. What types of stuff are you looking for in an apartment?" Clara commented. She was curious to know what he was looking for.
 
"Something with the basics: appliances, sink, paid trash and cable services, AC, washer and dryer...those sorts of things," Aiden said.
 
"Well, not every apartment has washer and dryers, but they pretty much have everything else. I mean, no one is going to buy an apartment that doesn't have a sink. And most complexes will always have trash though it's probably technically included in your main bill in the first place. Cables services depends on what provider is in the area but they'll always be something. But that will always be something extra that you have to pay for yourself," Clara replied. It wouldn't be too hard to find what he wanted.
 
"Good to know. The only thing I'm slightly worried about is my size. Plus, I just realized...most of the stuff I won't be using anyway," the doll commented.