Poison [Rick Grimes]

1.5

     
Gonzalez slowly walked up the steps to a little white house. It was the familial home to her new boss. Well, new isn't exactly accurate. She had been working as a King County police officer for roughly six months now, but she had yet to become friendly with any of the locals. Her boss, Rick Grimes, had been trying to no avail for all six of those months to her to open up. Tonight, he had invited Gonzalez to have dinner with Shane and his family. He had very low hopes that she would actually show up, but it never hurt to ask.

      So here she was. Dressed in pretty yellow sundress she had bought in a shopping trip with her friend back in the city, clean white converses, and her hair pulled back into a slick low bun. Normally, Gonzalez would never have even considered something like this. She hated mingling with her coworkers. She much preferred to keep her professional relationships professional, and her personal relationships personal. Interrupting a family dinner was the last thing she wanted to do, but Rick was her boss and he made it almost impossible to say no.

      As she knocked on the door, she thought about all the ways this dinner could go to shit. What if the stereotypes were true and everything was under seasoned? She didn't have it in her to pretend the food was good. What if Shane hit on her and she had to punch him in the throat? What if she farted? Before she could convince herself to turn around and get back into her car, the door opened.

        Lori opened the door with a bright smile that waivered the moment her eyes landed on Gonzalez.  She stared at this smooth skinned woman with an hourglass body and her eyes that could rival a siren. She hated the thought that this was who Rick worked with every day. A woman like that could have any man she wanted- wife and kid be damned. Her sundress sat on her body too well. The yellow made her look too radiant. The curls breaking free from her bun framed her face too perfectly. No, Lori didn't like this at all. Still, she held her smile.

       "Rick", Lori called out. "I think you're in for quite a surprise!"

        Lori turned back to Gonzalez and held the door open a bit wider to let her in. "You must be Sunshine. Rick has told me all about you. It's nice to finally put a name to a face."

        Gonzalez cringed. She hated her first name. Hate, hate, hated it. Lori knew it, too. Rick mentioned it like fifty times just in case she actually pulled through.

       "Actually, it's just Gonzalez." Gonzalez stepped through the doorway and was met by Rick and a young boy smiling right at her. The boy, obviously, had to be Rick's son. He looked to  much like him. It took only a moment for Shane to also pop up from around a corner. His smile gave her the creeps.

      "Hey! I can't believe you actually came", Rick said in disbelief.

     Gonzalez was jolted out of her memories by the sound of a loud sob. Andrea's cries were carried across the farm by the wind. The group took turns placing rocks on top of Dale's grave. The funeral was grim and heartfelt. Nobody had a bad word to say about the man. Not even Gonzalez. Dale's death stirred something inside of her. His constant begging for everyone to hold on to the past world weighed heavy on her mind. It was an idiotic plea, for sure, but she still couldn't help the surge of memories that came.

       She remembered that night at the Grimes household. Carl asked her a thousand questions. Shane kept trying to convince her to hang out one on one. Rick recounted stories of all the strange and funny things Gonzalez did at work. Lori, unamused, served burnt and unseasoned chicken. It was the weirdest experience Gonzalez had ever had before the world ended.

       It would be a lie to say that Gonzalez missed the world before. Sure, the mortality rates were a bit higher now, but there really wasn't much of a difference. Maybe things were a bit different for the paler folk around her, but for someone like Gonzalez, death and tragedy was quite common. Almos everyday she could turn on the news and see someone who looked like her being murdered for sport. Being eaten alive was nothing compared to some of the atrocities Gonzalez read about. It was merciful, even.