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This was probably the crummiest way to celebrate 80 years of showbiz…
But here Pepé Le Pew was. At the bar of a pub drinking his sorrows away. Not to the extent that he would get drunk – Pepé knew never to go that far – but simply to bury the pain that came with the landmark.
Not because it made him feel old – which was ironic, considering he was a cartoon character and was immune to aging – but because of an external factor that made him feel miserable just thinking about it. A few years ago, Pepé had been sidelined from any projects that were in the works and to be made in the future due to workplace behavior allegations, effectively cancelling and firing him on the spot.
So whenever this day came around, he wanted nothing to do with it.
Unfortunately, his colleagues – most of whom had his back – did not share this mindset. Pepé was their friend, and they felt he should be lauded for his longevity. So they dragged him out to the pub to celebrate, despite his wishes to stay home.
He had managed to separate himself from them, and it seemed like they hadn’t even noticed he was missing. The poetic nature of it added insult to injury. They were just trying to cheer him, he couldn’t blame them. But to show such little care for him about it was a twist of the knife.
Not that he really cared. He just beckoned the bartender over and politely asked for a second refill.
Anything was better than the pain today was going to bring him.
“Pepé, are you OK?”
Pepé heard the voice of Penelope Pussycat behind him. Penelope was his closest friend and former colleague on-set. Ever since his cancellation, they had grown closer than they were before. Pepé liked to hope that maybe it was something more, something genuine that their on-screen counterparts could only wish for.
But he knew deep down that it was wistful thinking.
“It’s fine, mon ami,” he replied melancholically. “I’m just… trying to erase this day from mon memory.”
Pepé didn’t see so much see as sense Penelope sitting beside him at the bar. “What do you mean? Don’t you want to celebrate 80 years of being in the Looney Tunes?”
“Am I really a part of them, though?” Pepé asked rhetorically. “They all seem to be doing fine without me, et I’ve been left out in the cold. Ever since I was cancelled, I’ve been nothing more than a ghost on parade. Chaperoned around like I have a story to tell, when we know that there is none.”
“That’s not true at all, Pepé,” Penelope insisted. “You have a story to tell. And we all care about you. Me, especially. You helped me get my start. Without you, I wouldn’t be anywhere now.”
“But you don’t need me anymore, Penelope,” the skunk responded. “You are free to explore other avenues, without me being there to stink up le mood.”
“Pepé, why are you so sad? This isn’t like you,” the feline said. “Look, I know everything hasn’t been the same these last few years. But there are people who still love and support you… And I know if there’s one thing you know, it’s love. Heck, you're a soldier of love!”
Pepé just sighed and went back to drinking his refilled glass. Penelope sighed as well; she could see she wasn’t getting through to the skunk, and it hurt her seeing him so down. She knew why he was upset, and she knew that it was all bunk.
Pepé never intended to hurt anyone, much less her. And she was tired of people projecting onto her how she should act. Penelope was – no, is – Pepé’s friend, and she wanted to help him.
“You… really don’t think you’re important, do you?”
Pepé went quiet before saying anything… In fact, he didn’t say anything. He just looked vacantly down at his half-empty glass. This was what his world had been reduced to: a tiny bubble he resided him that was filled with sadness, and he was drowning in it. If he couldn’t fight it, he might as well embrace it.
Penelope knew she had to get through to the skunk, somehow. But the problem was she didn’t know how. In this environment and depressed like this, Pepé was going to be stubborn and refuse to listen to her.
“Excuse me barkeep, could I be allowed to select the next song?” a random patron behind her asked the bartended.
“The jukebox is open to all; takes quarters” they explained to the stranger. “You’re chosen song will play next in the cue, if there aren’t any already loaded by other patrons.”
Penelope didn’t know why, but she found herself distracted by the brief conversation and watched as the patron used the jukebox. She could feel a worm of an idea swimming in her head – to use the jukebox to lift Pepé’s spirits – but she didn’t know what kind of song would do it for him.
As it turned out, fate was already at work.
The patron slotted their quarter in and selected a song. A moment later, the jukebox began playing a song. It was an unfamiliar tune to the feline, but it sounded nice and heartfelt.
♪ Illogical affairs witness
♪ Troubles, near misses
♪ Keeping thoughts silent
♪ Buried down below
♪ Keeping eyes open
♪ Breathing not choking
♪ Careful not to fall in
♪ Go over the waterfall
Pepé heard the song as well. But more importantly, he heard the lyrics. There was something in them that spoke to him. There was a message in there, and it struck a chord with the skunk…
♪ It's all we еver really need
♪ But what is right?
♪ And what is wrong?
♪ We swallow down
♪ That bitter pill of life
♪ Only to find out
♪ Nothing is wrong
Pepé knew what the song was saying. For all the bad that has happened in his life, for all the garbage he has had to put with and the baggage that came with it…
He was loved unconditionally.
“Nothing… is wrong…”
Pepé pushed the glass away. He didn’t need it anymore. He then reached across and held Penelope’s hand in his own, the gesture in doing so catching the feline’s attention. She looked down at her hand and then up into Pepé’s eyes. The sadness seemed to have lifted all on its own. In its place, there was a light of hope sparking away.
“Penelope, you’re one of only a few who stood by me when it all fell apart. Without you, there would be nothing left for me to do. You give me a sense of purpose… Because you believe in me.”
Penelope was caught off-guard by the sudden admission from Pepé. She knew that they had a close connection, but this was unexpected… But at the same time, it was something she had secretly been hoping for.
“Pepé, it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks,” she said. “To me… You’re more important than anyone else.”
Pepé rested a hand against Penelope’s cheek and gazed lovingly into her eyes. “Thank you… Penelope.”
Penelope was welling up tears of joy. She could feel her voice breaking before she had even opened her mouth. “No, Pepé… Thank you.”
Penelope moved in closer and practically fell into Pepé’s arms, embracing the skunk in a loving hold which he returned in a moment of bliss. Pepé couldn’t believe how blind he had been to miss what he had.
What was there to be sad about?
All he needed was to know that people loved him for who he was…
No.
For who he is.
♪ We were made for this
♪ Will you stay for this?
♪ Unconditional love
♪ That feeling you know from the start
Lacanelas Mon 27 Jan 2025 02:21AM UTC
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