What Connects Us: Jessica and Jeremy

Fragment Nineteen

"Where's the food?" Jessica said to herself as she dug her hands through the fruits and vegetables in the large aluminum fridge of the restaurant-sized kitchen. The cupboard contained nothing but cooking ingredients and instant oatmeal boxes.

      She took the phone placed on the wall and dialed 002 for Hank, tapping her nails on the surface of the table in front of her. 

      "Hank? Yeah hi," she said as she stood up straight. "No, I was just wondering where the groceries were," she explained. "Yes I checked the kitchen cabinets, there aren't much groceries...no it's fine, I'll get them now, thank you. Good bye," she said as she hung up. She sighed and climbed up the stairs at the other end of the inn, regretting not taking the elevator by the time she reached the end of the hallway in the second story. In between tiresome breaths she knocked on Jeremy's door.

      "Jeremy?" she called out, ignoring his insistence of her calling him formally.

       Without prior hints, the door opened for Jessica. "What is it?" he asked, pushing the folded sleeves of his blouse up his arms. 

        "I'm going out to get groceries, there isn't much to eat. Do you need anything specific?" she offered, in hopes he wouldn't berate her if she came home from the grocery store without any amount of consideration for her colleague.

      Jeremy unzipped his satchel and took out his wallet from an inner pocket and joined his colleague outside his room. "Are we taking the limo?" Jessica asked him; it seemed like a limousine in this town would bring them the opposite of privacy and drag unwanted attention. 

       He shook his head; empty rooms saluted them as they, or rather Jeremy, walked hurriedly down the hallway and to the garage in the lower floor of the inn. "Do you know where the grocery store is?" she asked him, but he seemed preoccupied with their two cars in front of him.

      "Where the hell is Hank?" Jeremy asked Jessica with a faint snarl. His arms were crossed at the disapproval of the two vehicles in front of him. 

       "I don't know, just call double O two," Jessica replied, eying the two cars with well-disguised excitement. Jeremy marched towards the phone in the garage and pulled out his cellphone from his back pocket but quickly placing it in due to weak connection.

            Jessica switched from one foot to the other, hoping to calm her whole upset stomach and queasy nerves. She wanted to yell at Jeremy to deal with the cars later since they were their only option to the grocery store. 

          Hank trudged down the slope of the garage on the other side, leading to the car exit. He took his cap off and wore it again. 

           "I'm sorry Mr. Finley, these were the cars your father asked for," he said, hoping Jeremy would understand.

        "Well I certainly didn't give up the limousine for no reason. What am I supposed to do with a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin in the goddamn suburbs?" he said, pointing at the two cars in front of him. Jessica bit her lip and admired the two cars. She hoped the white convertible Aston Martin would be hers, and Jeremy would somehow favor the black Lamborghini over her white horse.

          "I'll deal with it later," Jeremy said as he cut Hank off from defending himself. "That and the lack of groceries," he said. Jessica raised her eyebrows in awe at his trusting her. Sure there were a couple of edible items stowed away but in general they weren't enough to satiate two sleep-deprived travellers who had a lot on their hands. 

          He grabbed the keys of the Aston Martin and unlocked the car. He roared the engine into life as he pressed the icons on the touch screen to get them to the nearest grocery store.