Sesame Street: The Untold Tales

Familiar Faces

Elmo stepped out of the taxi and onto the curb. He took a sip of his hydroflask, which was filled to the brim with wine. Elmo knew it was a nasty habit, but after the breakup with Abby, he couldn't stop. 

He stepped into an office space that smelled like old cigarettes and cat piss. He could hear the actors next door in the middle of a scene since the walls were way too thin. He stopped when he saw a familiar face reading a book.

"Well hello, Prairie Dawn, I never thought in a million years I would see you here. How have things been?" Elmo said, genuinely surprised he saw someone from sesame street. Prairie Dawn had always been one of the smartest people Elmo knew, with big dreams ahead of her, so he just couldn't fathom why she'd be in a dump like this.

"Shit happens, Elmo," Prairie Dawn mumbled, tugging her blonde locks away from her face, "I stopped believing good things come because I've been always wrong. That's why I'm here."

Elmo was silent. He could relate, but he didn't want to be a downer. They sat together for five minutes until a puppet came in to tell them that their scene was ready. Apparently, it was a Spongebob theme today, which Elmo thought of as incredibly dumb, but he knew he couldn't say that, or else he wouldn't get a check. 

They went on and carried on with the scene. Every time Elmo was called in, he wouldn't be in the moment with the actor, but rather he would think of Abby instead. He could tell Prairie Dawn also didn't seem to enjoy it, it almost looked as if she would about to cry. Fortunately, the scene was over, and Elmo went on with his day. 

As he stepped out of the studio, he went to the curb to light a cigarette. He heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Oh my god. Elmo?" Elmo almost burnt his finger. Abby? Elmo thought. It couldn't be. What was she doing near a dumpy place like this?

Elmo turned around. There was Abby. She was wearing doc martens with plaid pants and a beige jacket and a black turtle neck peaking out. Other than that, she looked about the same. 

"Hey... Abby..." Elmo hesitated, "It's so weird, but nice to see you, I guess. Why are you here?" Abby rushed into Elmo's arms and hugged him platonically. Elmo slowly brought his arms around her too.

Abby stepped back and chattered, "I just wanted to surprise the gang I guess, and I just wanted to show my new boyfriend, the place I grew up in, and stuff."

The last sentence made Elmo's heart drop. She moved on? Elmo put on a fake smile. 

"Oh wow! That's great! A new boyfriend, eh? Who is he? Another Hollywood actor?" Elmo shouted with enthusiasm, hoping it would disguise his hurt feelings.

"Actually, yeah. I'm actually quite lucky since it's Kermit."

"What the fuc-OH I mean, Holy Fuck! Lucky you! Kermit eh? Is his oscar collection quite cool?" What did she see in Kermit the Frog that Elmo could possibly not have? Sure, Kermit definitely has a bigger bank account, but that doesn't quite matter in this day and age, does it?

"Ha, yeah. Surprisingly, Kermit is really quite the down-to-earth guy," Abby grinned, "I've really been quite happy these days. What about you, are you still doing porn?"

Elmo sighed, "Yeah. I still am. I'm still hoping for my lucky break honestly. It's going to happen though, or at least I hope. But other than that, I'm doing alright." That was quite a big lie. 

"Yeah... It's tough. I'm glad you are doing well after the breakup and glad we can still be friends. We should totally hang out while I'm here! Especially with the old gang. I heard that Bert and Ernie are engaged. It's about time!" Abby's voice trailed off, "Listen, I should probably get back to the hotel. I could maybe talk to Kermit about maybe helping you out and find a job. And if you still have the same phone number, I'll call you later!" 

"Yep, that sounds great. Bye Abby!" Elmo muttered.

The two embraced one last time and Abby swiftly walked on her way. Elmo just stood there for a moment. His unlit cigarette was still dangling from his fingertips. Today had been such a bizarre day. Maybe he should buy a big wine bottle.