Chapter Seven...
"Can we please turn this off?" Alice pleads, "I'm just really not in the mood for the radio right now." she said.
"Sure Al, no problem." Jess says as she turns the knob.
"Where we going anyways?" Alice asks.
"Where else? Taste Buds! Why, where did you think we were going? Al, we always hang out there." Jess said.
"I know, it's just that we're probably gonna run into people and I don't know if I can handle that right now..." she sighed.
"Al, honey I know you lost your boyfriend but I lost my brother too, remember?" Jess was slightly agitated, "If I can go in there to eat something, then you can too, k?"
Alice knew she was right, and she knew she was acting irrational. Sure she was in this deep but nobody knew that & her actions were going to be what gave her away long before any evidence, that much she knew. "Ok, you're right, I'm sorry."
"Alice, we're both exhausted, spent not only emotionally but physically too. Neither of us have had anything real to eat in what's seemed like forever, so let's just agree to relax, eat something bad for us that we both know we'll enjoy every last bite of, and if someone sees us, than we smile & say hi. No different than any other time right? I mean, isn't that what Jeff would've wanted?" Jess says.
Alice thinks that what Jeff would have wanted was to be alive today to come to lunch with them. To enjoy one of Gina's double deck er burgers with a mountain of fries next to it & smother everything in ketchup. But instead, he's lying in a morgue. Yeah, she was pretty sure that's not where he'd have chosen to be had he been given a choice.
"Yeah, I suppose." Alice told her.
The car pulls up & through the window Jess can see that both Nick and Tony are sitting at the counter, she hopes that Alice didn't notice cuz she'd be sure to protest their staying.
"I can't wait for some of those fries!" Jess says, trying to psyche Alice up.
"Yeah, they'll be good, I want mine extra crispy with a crap ton of salt & so much ketchup that I could swim in it!" Alice replied, laughing.
Getting out of the car & peeking into the window, Alice notices Nick and Tony sitting at the counter, "Ugh, Jess! Nick and Tony are here!" she grumbles.
"Too late now hon, I'm parked & we're HAVING those FRIES! Let's go..." Jess insists.
*sigh* "Ok, but only because I can actually TASTE those fries now!" Alice says.
They walk in & the bell on the door jingles & both Nick & Tony swing around to see who it is.
"HEYYYYY ALICE! JESS! HOW ARE YOU?" Nick leaps out of his stool & walks over to hug both the girls, Alice first, Jess next.
Alice says, "I'm ok, we're ok... we're just tired & hungry."
"Yeah," says Jess, "we haven't eaten anything in forever."
"Hey Gina! The girls are here, you got more of those fries good and hot?" Nick smiles at Jess, "I know those are your favorite." he's proud of this knowledge.
Jess smiles, "Yeah, they are Nick, thanks for remembering. So, how are things, ah, well, how's the music, I mean, aw hell, how are you and Tony doing since all of this? I'm sorry I haven't been around much, I'm still just trying to process it all. It's all just a bit too much, ya know?" Jess feels like a brick just landed on her chest again.
"Yeah, it sucks. Nick and I can't play for shit without your brother. I know it sounds stupid but if anyone was gonna croak it should've been one of us cuz anyone can replace a drummer or an acoustic guitarist but honestly, bass, that's a serious craft, nobody played bass better than Jeff." Nick said.
"HEY, YOU SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!" Tony hollered from his seat, "I ain't dying anytime soon and you could NOT replace these puppies!" holding up his hands and wiggling his fingers.
"Dude, the guy from Def Leppard still plays better than you and he's only got ONE arm! Trust me, we could replace you if we had to..." Nick chuckles.
"Yeah right, like you even know who that guy is, ok smart ass, he's so good, what's his name & why did he lose his arm anyway?" Tony leans in to Gina & says "Watch this, he don't know any of that stuff..."
Gina leans in a little, "Uh, but you don't either Tony, do you?"
"Shhhh no, but he don't know that!" he tries to quiet her.
"Well?" Tony impatiently waits for Nick's answer.
Nick, turns towards Tony, looks him directly in his eyes, and says; "His name is Rick Allen, he lost his arm in a traffic accident and the year was 1984. Anything else?"
Tony's eyebrows immediately frown, "Oh yeah, you think you're so smart, WHAT ARM WAS IT?" Tony yells.
"His left." Nick replied. "Now if your pop quiz is over, I believe we have two hungry friends here who would like to eat.
"Thanks," Jess said, "we're starving."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever... let em eat." Tony barks, embarrassed.
"Care to join us at the counter?" Nick eagerly asks.
"Thanks, but I think we want to just go sit quietly somewhere in our own table, if you don't mind." Jess felt bad but honestly she just didn't want to have to socialize much more than she'd done already.
She was friendly, she smiled, she made small talk, but now it was time for her & Alice to just eat, in peace. It wasn't too much to ask.
"Hey Gina," Jess calls over, "Two Cokes, some of those amazing fries & two double deckers, k?" Jess ordered without ever asking Alice what she wanted, she knew.
"Hey, what if I didn't want a burger, what if I wanted a grilled cheese or something? Alice snapped.
"Well, do you want a grilled cheese?" Jess asked her.
"No, I want a burger." Alice said.
"Ok then, SHOOSH!"
They slid into the front corner booth, the one that overlooked the main drag & had a perfect view of every building across the street from the main street lights down to the old firehouse.
Alice fingers the sugar packets as she stares off into space, clearly not here emotionally, only physically.
"So..." Jess says.
"What?" Alice asks her.
"Well," Jess responds, "It's just that we haven't talked much about all that's going on. You know Al, if you wanna talk about it, if you need to talk about it, I just want you to know that I'm always here for you..." Jess said.
"Thanks Jess, but really, there's not much to talk about. Talking about Jeff won't bring him back... so why talk?"
"I know, but I'm just saying..." she said.
"I know," Alice said through teary eyes, "I know. Same here, ok?"
Jess knew that that was probably harder for Alice to say than anything, and she loved her for it.
Gina comes over with their food, smiles, and places it on the table in front of them. "Anything else ladies?" she asks.
"Nah," Alice says, "we're ok for now, thanks Gina..." and smiles up at her friend.
"Okie dokie" she says as she skips off toward the kitchen.
Jess notices Tony's eyes following Gina's every move. "Poor guy, he'll never get with the likes of her anytime soon... huh Al?"
Alice, lost in the jumbled mess that was her mind these days, looks up startled, "Huh? What was that?" she asks.
"Never mind..." Jess replies.
The two enjoy their first real meal since their lives were turned upside down.
It tasted good & they started to feel slightly relaxed and a bit more calm.
Alice looks over across the street at the boys studio and notices a weird guy in a hat hanging around the side entrance.
"Jess," she motions with her head, "check this out..."
Jess looks up from taking a big bite of burger & sees the guy out front of the studio.
"So?" she says with a full mouth, "what's wrong with him? Looks harmless enough." she takes a long gulp of her coke.
"What's wrong with him? Ah, how about what's RIGHT with him? Look at the guy! His hat is ridiculous, his outfit is like something out of a good will bin & he's hanging around outside the studio, which is OBVIOUSLY closed... THAT'S what's wrong with him." Alice says.
"Ok, so maybe we should tell Nick & Tony about him, I mean, it's not like it's our place..." she takes a hand full of fries.
"No, are you nuts? What if he's a COP!" Alice heard her voice raise.
"Would you RELAX Alice, honestly you're starting to freak me out with how paranoid you're acting... gosh!" Jess wipes some ketchup off her fingers.
"Ok, ok, but what if he IS a cop? I'm just saying that all I want to do is enjoy the rest of this meal without having to deal with reality, is that too much to ask?" Alice poked at her Coke with the straw, swirling the fizz out of it.
"No," Jess answered, "that's not too much to ask Alice, but don't you think that's what I want too? You don't get it do you, I still have yet to deal with the messiness that is planning a funeral/burial for my OWN BROTHER OK?" Jess's eyes welled up with tears now.
"Ok, you're right, I'm sorry, it's hard on both of us but clearly, the brunt of the responsibility falls on your shoulders, and I just keep forgetting that. I love you, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you upset, I'm just upset too..." Alice reached over & put her hand on top of Jess's.
Jess smiled through her tears and squeezed her friends hand, "I know old friend, I know... C'mon, let's finish this lunch & then I really have to get home to see about making the arrangements."
"Sounds like a plan." Alice said as she wiped up a few bits of stray salt from her plate with her last two fries.
"What do you think they're talking about over there?" Tony asks Nick.
"I dunno dude, the weather? What do YOU think... DUH they're probably talking about Jeff!" Nick said impatiently.
"Oh, yeah... Jeff." Tony got quiet. "You know something, I'm really gonna miss him."
"Yeah, me too dude, me too." Nick agreed.
"Well, c'mon, let's get the hell outta here & find out where that weirdo with the hat went, he best not be lurking around outside or he's gonna be finding himself smack in the middle of some trouble, if you know what I'm sayin'." Nick said with authority. "No weird ass hat guy is gonna be hanging round my place." he said.
"OUR place," Tony piped up, "you always forget that, it's OURS, remember? I pay half that rent you know..."
"Yes, how could I forget when you love to constantly remind me of that fact..." Nick rose up out of his seat at the counter & turned in the direction of the girls. "Let's go say goodbye to Alice & Jess before we go, k?"
"Yeah, sure..." Tony said as he was trying desperately to get one last look at Gina, who was currently out back in the kitchen probably cleaning the dishes of the last table she cleared.
"Hey ladies, we're outta here, anything we can do or get for you before we jett?" Nick's question meant for both of them but directed at Jess.
"Thanks Nick, but I think we're ok." she said.
"Ok, well if you need us for anything, you know how to reach me..." he taps his hand on his jeans pocket, where his cell phone is always kept.
"Yes Nick," Alice says, "we know."
The boys leave & head out the door, only to notice that that crazy hat dude was now hanging around outside their studio... they bolt in his direction at lightning speed.
"Jess, check this out!" Alice says to her, while looking out the window across the street, "they're going after that guy! I told you he was no good!" she says triumphantly.
"Alice, those two would jump a frog that hopped in front of them the wrong way. Them going after that guy in the hat only proves one thing," she says smiling to herself, "in the past week, neither of them has gotten any smarter." she says chuckling. "They're just chasing him away from the studio, that's all"
"Aw, come on, they're good guys!" Alice says in their defense.
"I didn't say they weren't, but Al, good doesn't equate smart, comprende?"
Alice just grins at her, "Now you know that's not fair, I failed Spanish in high school, no trickery disguised as a foreign language woman!"
Both girls laugh & leave their money on the table with a handsome tip for their friend Gina, and they head out the door for home... leaving the fantasy of their afternoon lunch behind them & the knowledge of the sad reality dead ahead.
"Sure Al, no problem." Jess says as she turns the knob.
"Where we going anyways?" Alice asks.
"Where else? Taste Buds! Why, where did you think we were going? Al, we always hang out there." Jess said.
"I know, it's just that we're probably gonna run into people and I don't know if I can handle that right now..." she sighed.
"Al, honey I know you lost your boyfriend but I lost my brother too, remember?" Jess was slightly agitated, "If I can go in there to eat something, then you can too, k?"
Alice knew she was right, and she knew she was acting irrational. Sure she was in this deep but nobody knew that & her actions were going to be what gave her away long before any evidence, that much she knew. "Ok, you're right, I'm sorry."
"Alice, we're both exhausted, spent not only emotionally but physically too. Neither of us have had anything real to eat in what's seemed like forever, so let's just agree to relax, eat something bad for us that we both know we'll enjoy every last bite of, and if someone sees us, than we smile & say hi. No different than any other time right? I mean, isn't that what Jeff would've wanted?" Jess says.
Alice thinks that what Jeff would have wanted was to be alive today to come to lunch with them. To enjoy one of Gina's double deck er burgers with a mountain of fries next to it & smother everything in ketchup. But instead, he's lying in a morgue. Yeah, she was pretty sure that's not where he'd have chosen to be had he been given a choice.
"Yeah, I suppose." Alice told her.
The car pulls up & through the window Jess can see that both Nick and Tony are sitting at the counter, she hopes that Alice didn't notice cuz she'd be sure to protest their staying.
"I can't wait for some of those fries!" Jess says, trying to psyche Alice up.
"Yeah, they'll be good, I want mine extra crispy with a crap ton of salt & so much ketchup that I could swim in it!" Alice replied, laughing.
Getting out of the car & peeking into the window, Alice notices Nick and Tony sitting at the counter, "Ugh, Jess! Nick and Tony are here!" she grumbles.
"Too late now hon, I'm parked & we're HAVING those FRIES! Let's go..." Jess insists.
*sigh* "Ok, but only because I can actually TASTE those fries now!" Alice says.
They walk in & the bell on the door jingles & both Nick & Tony swing around to see who it is.
"HEYYYYY ALICE! JESS! HOW ARE YOU?" Nick leaps out of his stool & walks over to hug both the girls, Alice first, Jess next.
Alice says, "I'm ok, we're ok... we're just tired & hungry."
"Yeah," says Jess, "we haven't eaten anything in forever."
"Hey Gina! The girls are here, you got more of those fries good and hot?" Nick smiles at Jess, "I know those are your favorite." he's proud of this knowledge.
Jess smiles, "Yeah, they are Nick, thanks for remembering. So, how are things, ah, well, how's the music, I mean, aw hell, how are you and Tony doing since all of this? I'm sorry I haven't been around much, I'm still just trying to process it all. It's all just a bit too much, ya know?" Jess feels like a brick just landed on her chest again.
"Yeah, it sucks. Nick and I can't play for shit without your brother. I know it sounds stupid but if anyone was gonna croak it should've been one of us cuz anyone can replace a drummer or an acoustic guitarist but honestly, bass, that's a serious craft, nobody played bass better than Jeff." Nick said.
"HEY, YOU SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!" Tony hollered from his seat, "I ain't dying anytime soon and you could NOT replace these puppies!" holding up his hands and wiggling his fingers.
"Dude, the guy from Def Leppard still plays better than you and he's only got ONE arm! Trust me, we could replace you if we had to..." Nick chuckles.
"Yeah right, like you even know who that guy is, ok smart ass, he's so good, what's his name & why did he lose his arm anyway?" Tony leans in to Gina & says "Watch this, he don't know any of that stuff..."
Gina leans in a little, "Uh, but you don't either Tony, do you?"
"Shhhh no, but he don't know that!" he tries to quiet her.
"Well?" Tony impatiently waits for Nick's answer.
Nick, turns towards Tony, looks him directly in his eyes, and says; "His name is Rick Allen, he lost his arm in a traffic accident and the year was 1984. Anything else?"
Tony's eyebrows immediately frown, "Oh yeah, you think you're so smart, WHAT ARM WAS IT?" Tony yells.
"His left." Nick replied. "Now if your pop quiz is over, I believe we have two hungry friends here who would like to eat.
"Thanks," Jess said, "we're starving."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever... let em eat." Tony barks, embarrassed.
"Care to join us at the counter?" Nick eagerly asks.
"Thanks, but I think we want to just go sit quietly somewhere in our own table, if you don't mind." Jess felt bad but honestly she just didn't want to have to socialize much more than she'd done already.
She was friendly, she smiled, she made small talk, but now it was time for her & Alice to just eat, in peace. It wasn't too much to ask.
"Hey Gina," Jess calls over, "Two Cokes, some of those amazing fries & two double deckers, k?" Jess ordered without ever asking Alice what she wanted, she knew.
"Hey, what if I didn't want a burger, what if I wanted a grilled cheese or something? Alice snapped.
"Well, do you want a grilled cheese?" Jess asked her.
"No, I want a burger." Alice said.
"Ok then, SHOOSH!"
They slid into the front corner booth, the one that overlooked the main drag & had a perfect view of every building across the street from the main street lights down to the old firehouse.
Alice fingers the sugar packets as she stares off into space, clearly not here emotionally, only physically.
"So..." Jess says.
"What?" Alice asks her.
"Well," Jess responds, "It's just that we haven't talked much about all that's going on. You know Al, if you wanna talk about it, if you need to talk about it, I just want you to know that I'm always here for you..." Jess said.
"Thanks Jess, but really, there's not much to talk about. Talking about Jeff won't bring him back... so why talk?"
"I know, but I'm just saying..." she said.
"I know," Alice said through teary eyes, "I know. Same here, ok?"
Jess knew that that was probably harder for Alice to say than anything, and she loved her for it.
Gina comes over with their food, smiles, and places it on the table in front of them. "Anything else ladies?" she asks.
"Nah," Alice says, "we're ok for now, thanks Gina..." and smiles up at her friend.
"Okie dokie" she says as she skips off toward the kitchen.
Jess notices Tony's eyes following Gina's every move. "Poor guy, he'll never get with the likes of her anytime soon... huh Al?"
Alice, lost in the jumbled mess that was her mind these days, looks up startled, "Huh? What was that?" she asks.
"Never mind..." Jess replies.
The two enjoy their first real meal since their lives were turned upside down.
It tasted good & they started to feel slightly relaxed and a bit more calm.
Alice looks over across the street at the boys studio and notices a weird guy in a hat hanging around the side entrance.
"Jess," she motions with her head, "check this out..."
Jess looks up from taking a big bite of burger & sees the guy out front of the studio.
"So?" she says with a full mouth, "what's wrong with him? Looks harmless enough." she takes a long gulp of her coke.
"What's wrong with him? Ah, how about what's RIGHT with him? Look at the guy! His hat is ridiculous, his outfit is like something out of a good will bin & he's hanging around outside the studio, which is OBVIOUSLY closed... THAT'S what's wrong with him." Alice says.
"Ok, so maybe we should tell Nick & Tony about him, I mean, it's not like it's our place..." she takes a hand full of fries.
"No, are you nuts? What if he's a COP!" Alice heard her voice raise.
"Would you RELAX Alice, honestly you're starting to freak me out with how paranoid you're acting... gosh!" Jess wipes some ketchup off her fingers.
"Ok, ok, but what if he IS a cop? I'm just saying that all I want to do is enjoy the rest of this meal without having to deal with reality, is that too much to ask?" Alice poked at her Coke with the straw, swirling the fizz out of it.
"No," Jess answered, "that's not too much to ask Alice, but don't you think that's what I want too? You don't get it do you, I still have yet to deal with the messiness that is planning a funeral/burial for my OWN BROTHER OK?" Jess's eyes welled up with tears now.
"Ok, you're right, I'm sorry, it's hard on both of us but clearly, the brunt of the responsibility falls on your shoulders, and I just keep forgetting that. I love you, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you upset, I'm just upset too..." Alice reached over & put her hand on top of Jess's.
Jess smiled through her tears and squeezed her friends hand, "I know old friend, I know... C'mon, let's finish this lunch & then I really have to get home to see about making the arrangements."
"Sounds like a plan." Alice said as she wiped up a few bits of stray salt from her plate with her last two fries.
"What do you think they're talking about over there?" Tony asks Nick.
"I dunno dude, the weather? What do YOU think... DUH they're probably talking about Jeff!" Nick said impatiently.
"Oh, yeah... Jeff." Tony got quiet. "You know something, I'm really gonna miss him."
"Yeah, me too dude, me too." Nick agreed.
"Well, c'mon, let's get the hell outta here & find out where that weirdo with the hat went, he best not be lurking around outside or he's gonna be finding himself smack in the middle of some trouble, if you know what I'm sayin'." Nick said with authority. "No weird ass hat guy is gonna be hanging round my place." he said.
"OUR place," Tony piped up, "you always forget that, it's OURS, remember? I pay half that rent you know..."
"Yes, how could I forget when you love to constantly remind me of that fact..." Nick rose up out of his seat at the counter & turned in the direction of the girls. "Let's go say goodbye to Alice & Jess before we go, k?"
"Yeah, sure..." Tony said as he was trying desperately to get one last look at Gina, who was currently out back in the kitchen probably cleaning the dishes of the last table she cleared.
"Hey ladies, we're outta here, anything we can do or get for you before we jett?" Nick's question meant for both of them but directed at Jess.
"Thanks Nick, but I think we're ok." she said.
"Ok, well if you need us for anything, you know how to reach me..." he taps his hand on his jeans pocket, where his cell phone is always kept.
"Yes Nick," Alice says, "we know."
The boys leave & head out the door, only to notice that that crazy hat dude was now hanging around outside their studio... they bolt in his direction at lightning speed.
"Jess, check this out!" Alice says to her, while looking out the window across the street, "they're going after that guy! I told you he was no good!" she says triumphantly.
"Alice, those two would jump a frog that hopped in front of them the wrong way. Them going after that guy in the hat only proves one thing," she says smiling to herself, "in the past week, neither of them has gotten any smarter." she says chuckling. "They're just chasing him away from the studio, that's all"
"Aw, come on, they're good guys!" Alice says in their defense.
"I didn't say they weren't, but Al, good doesn't equate smart, comprende?"
Alice just grins at her, "Now you know that's not fair, I failed Spanish in high school, no trickery disguised as a foreign language woman!"
Both girls laugh & leave their money on the table with a handsome tip for their friend Gina, and they head out the door for home... leaving the fantasy of their afternoon lunch behind them & the knowledge of the sad reality dead ahead.
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