It Began With a Smirk

11: A Friend in the Making

“Wow this is. . . this is awesome.” I breathed smiling at the rush of people we had to squeeze through on our way to the booth Jared was making his way to.

“You said you wanted to get some fruit.” He commented as we stopped in front of one of the large tables lined with freshly grown fruit. “Javi has the best fruit around here but he’s a bit of a hardass so just let me know what you want and I’ll get it. He tends to try to rob people of some extra dollars when they aren’t paying attention.”

“Grass my man!” one of the men behind the counter greeted him the moment he laid eyes on him.

“Javi nice to see you’re still pushing prices up.” He commented as he eyed the new looking price signs.

“Have to make a living somehow. I see you have someone with you, obviously has to be your cousin?” the man teased back as he started getting a bag of fruit ready carefully picking out each item and expecting it before putting it carefully into the bag.

I laughed. “No, I’m a friend.”

“Grass doesn’t have any friends, especially not females. He’s gay I’ve been telling him this for months but he just won’t accept it. Now if you want a real man-” Javi said with a wink but Jared cut him off.

“-she’ll have to keep looking because I don’t see any here behind the counter.”

Javi rolled his eyes and handed the bag of fruit over to the woman beside us. “The usual I take it?”

“A watermelon and a bag of the black cherries.” I told Jared when he looked down at me to see if I spotted anything I wanted.

He nodded. “The usual plus a watermelon and a bag of black cherries. Oh and don’t even think about cutting me short on apples today. You were three under last time.”

Javi smiled as he started to grab fruit and place it bags protecting it with the occasional pad of paper towels. “Then I’ll give you three extra today. I was in a hurry last time.”

Jared watched intently as Javi worked, making sure that he got only the best.

By the time Jared had finished getting everything from his shopping list we were all smiles. He was so easy going that I actually felt as though the move had been exactly what I had needed after all. 

“Do you want to get something to eat? There are some really good restaurants in town.” he asked, turning to me after pointing out a few of the buildings I'd need to know in town.

I nodded. “Yeah all that food everywhere made me hungry.”

Jared smiled. “A girl with an appetite, all right. What are you hungry for?”

“Any good hamburgers around here? I would kill for a big juicy burger right now.”

“O-rally’s has the best burgers around. Fresh meat, none of the frozen patty crap they serve most places.” He pulled down the street and I saw the orange and brown sign up ahead. “Drive threw or eat in?”

I thought for a moment. “Eat in.” I decided.

He nodded and parked the truck getting out then walking around to unlock and open the door for me. We got in and were showed to our seats.  After ordering and waiting for our food we both started to chow down. “So how about you, you have any brothers or sisters?” he asked before taking a sip of his root beer.

I shook my head. “Nope. I’m an only child.”

“So you live with your mom then?”

I started to shake my head then stopped. “Well I do now. I lived with Maruesa up until a few days ago.”

“Your dad I take it?” I nodded. “Is he from California too?”

“No he lives up in Connecticut. Daddy dearest is a military man.”

He raised his eyebrows. “So you came all the way from Connecticut to California? Was it a long flight?”

“Oh no not at all. It was a long bus ride though. A very very long bus ride.”

“Damn. Why’d you take the bus?”

I shrugged and swallowed a fry I had been chewing. “Maruesa said that I could go live with Christine and he had no problem with it. Thing is he wouldn’t help at all. So I couldn’t buy a plane ticket without his credit card. I ended up just buying some bus tickets with my own money and boarding up without so much as a goodbye.”

“Why’d you move if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t  mind.” I pushed my hair back behind my ear. “Well Maruesa just got another promotion and he was going to be gone at work almost 24/7. I have no problem living on my own but I didn’t want him to have to worry about me every time he was gone. Not to mention I think it’s time he find himself a lady friend and I knew he wasn’t going to if I was there. So I packed up and moved down here. But get this; I walk up to Christine’s house carrying all of my bags, she had forgotten to get me from the bus station, and am greeted with a moving van and the fact that we were moving in with fiancé I never knew she had the very next day.”

“Ouch that’s harsh. “ he commented his eyes sympathetic.

“I’ll be right back I just remembered I should probably tell Christine I left so she won’t freak out on her lunch break.” I lied excusing myself from the table and walking out of sight. “Excuse me I was wondering if I could pay the bill for table number eight now?” I asked the woman behind the booth with a welcoming smile.

“Of course will that be cash or credit.”

“Cash.” She nodded and rung up out totals.

“27.85” she replied and I handed over a 20 and a 10 dollar bill. I got my change and tucked it away taking my seat across from Jared with a smile. 

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