Shattered, Not Destroyed

Chapter 3

     During the entire car ride to New York I couldn't stop thinking about James. How did he know me? Why did he seem so sad?

     "Hey Ivy?" said Steve.

     "Mmhm?" I mumble from the back.

     "It's almost noon," he says, "Are you hungry?"

     I shrug. I don't have a big appetite. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I've actually eaten a lot of food before.

     "Ivy?" said Steve.

     "Uh I'm okay," I say.

     "Doll, you gotta eat something," said Steve, looking at me through the rearview mirror, "Doctors told me that you're underweight. H.Y.D.R.A's been giving you meal supplements through IVs."

     I'm not sure what exactly he meant by that but I look at my body self-consciously. I admit, I am skinny but lean at the same time.

     "Uh," I say nervously, "I don't know what people eat these days. I can't really remember what I ate before amnesia happened either."

     "Okay," said Steve, "How about I pick?"

     "Sure," I say nonchalantly.

     Twenty minutes later Steve parks the car in front of a little diner located in a small town. He slips on a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap and opens the car door for me. I hop out and, holding my hand, he leads me into the diner and we sit at an empty booth. A lady comes over.

     "Hello you two," she says, "My name's Marisa and I'll be taking care of you today. Would you like to start off with some drinks?"

     She hands us two menus and Steve asks me, "Vee? What do you want?"

     I scan through the list of drinks, not quite recognizing all of them. I did recognize water though, thankfully.

     "I'll have a glass of water, please," I say.

     "Okay," says Marisa and writes something down on a notepad, "And you?"

     "A cup of long black coffee," says Steve.

     "Alrighty, you guys take a look at the menus. If you need anything just let me know," Marisa winks at us and bustles off.

     I read through the menu. I don't think I've actually ever had this many options to choose from. There's stuff called skillets and sandwiches and soups and salads and so much more! I look at Steve. He's watching me carefully.

     I decide on something basic. "Could I get some tomato soup and some garlic bread?" I ask Steve.

    "Sure, doll," says Steve, "You can pick anything you want."

     He waves Marisa over and she says, "All good to go?"

     "Yup," he says, "She'll have a tomato soup with a side of garlic bread and I'll have an egg salad sandwich."

     "Alrighty," says the waitress, jotting it all down, "Your food should be here in around ten minutes."

     "Thank you," said Steve and the lady left.

     I sit awkwardly across Steve. He seems so relaxed whereas I'm doing the same thing I did in the Smithsonian, scanning the entire area for any threats and escape routes.

     "You alright, Vee?" Steve said as he leans back against his seat.

     "I can't stop," I mutter, "I can't help but scan the entire place for any threats or escape routes. I'm trying to stop but I can't."