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Post by JESS MORETTI on Feb 24, 2012 16:30:15 GMT -5
Jess stood up and returned to working beneath the hood of the truck, reconnecting hoses and the like. He kept his movements slow and precise as he listened to Lena's movements. He could practically hear her thinking as clearly as he could hear himself working with the truck. Such an odd girl, with her messy art, too big jacket and big Ford pick up. Not to mention how difficult she found it to just get out a few words.
He glanced up as Lena spoke again. She blushed an awful lot too. "He?" Jess inquired. "Boyfriend?" He sneered and ducked back beneath the hood, "Can tell him you're not dead and you'll see him soon." Jess closed the hood and wiped his hands clean. He returned to the cab of the truck and crouched back down, returning the engine compartment to its whole and covered state.
As he twisted bolts into place and tucked everything nicely into place, Jess' eyes traveled to the driver's seat. He had tossed one of Lena's sketchbooks there. He glanced up to the window at Lena then quickly swiped the note book, tucking it into the back waistband of his jeans. Straightened up, Jess walked around the truck. "Should be all set. Can get the payment stuff done in the front room." He gestured to the garage door for Lena to go out first.
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Post by LENA CALLISTA SANCHEZ on Feb 24, 2012 16:54:04 GMT -5
'Why did you say that??' Lena berated herself, trying to keep her cheeks from turning as red as a cherry. It didn't help. She hated when she blushed (something she did way too frequently for her liking) because it showed up so vividly against her pale, smooth skin. It was better in the summer when she got a bit of a tan, but in the winter...urgh. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' At his comment about having a boyfriend, her cheeks flushed even redder, if that was even possible, and she bowed her head, keeping her brilliant blue eyes studiously staring at the floor.
Lena had only ever had one boyfriend, and he had dumped her back in high school. Her friends had said it was a good thing, that he didn't appreciate her like he should have, that he was in no way good for her. But he had made her smile and had made her feel special. He had made her feel unique, and she liked the feeling. She remembered him once saying that she was a beautiful, uncut gem in a sea of people trying to be something they weren't. And when he left her, he broke her heart. Lena had never been particularly outgoing or confident, but that event had molded her to be even more withdrawn. The only confidence she possessed anymore was in her art.
She glanced up when Jess said that he was finished and nodded. "Okay," muttered her quietly, picking up her sketchbook but forgetting the pencil on the table. Lena walked into the room where he gestured, assuming this was where she was going to pay. Her hand went to her back pocket, where her father's debit card resided. Miguel Sanchez didn't mind debit cards, but he was completely against credit cards. "Why would I buy something if I don't have the money for it? Estúpido!" he would rant, "That's why all these Americans are going into debt. Bah!"
"Cuan--How much is it?" she corrected herself, frowning at her beginning in Spanish. It was the thought of her father that did it. At home, he would often mix Spanish in English together. Miguel could speak English clearly with hardly any accent, but he couldn't help but slip into Spanish amoung his family, who he knew would understand him regardless of the language he speak. "And it was my brother. I don't...I don't have...," she blurted out again, then trailed off as she was unable to finish the sentence. It wasn't that she was ashamed; once again, she was just nervous and had trouble speaking simple words.
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Post by JESS MORETTI on Feb 24, 2012 17:14:27 GMT -5
Jess slipped behind the front counter and went over a list of things. "Had heater core replaced, new core is about forty bucks, plus work. Fifty dollars, then." Discreetly he moved the sketchbook from his waistband to a lower shelf behind the counter. He leaned forward, elbows on the surface as he watched the crimson faced girl fumble in her back pocket.
"Someone as outgoing and talkative as you with no boyfriend? Huh." His lips curled into a smirk as he watched her, those timid blue eyes and bright red cheeks. Her blush didn't seem to fade, and it only increased his amusement. He propped his chin up in his hand and peered at Lena, awaiting payment.
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Post by LENA CALLISTA SANCHEZ on Feb 24, 2012 17:43:02 GMT -5
Lena glanced away from Jess, diverting her eyes to the floor, at his words. He was right, though. She couldn't get a boy to notice here even if she wanted to. At least, she added quietly, not in a positive way. Lena was klutzy and shy, and in the rare moments when someone was interested in her, they never took the time to get to know her because she just didn't know how to talk to people. It wasn't just boys--it was people too. Absentmindedly, she fidgeted with the lapis pendent on her necklace, rubbing the surface of the smooth stone for comfort. The necklace had belonged to her mother and her mother's mother and her mother's mother's mother before her. It alleviated her nerves, sometimes, especially when she was feeling bad, knowing that the women of her family had worn it too. "Here," she said quietly but clearly, handing him the visa debit card. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps the mechanic's didn't take cards, but she knew she had more than enough money in her wallet to cover the payment. Her family wasn't rich, but they were very far from poverty. Lena had never really gone without anything before. It just went to show that having money didn't always provide you all the happiness you could want. She then remembered coming to the mechanic's shop with her father when she was a younger girl; they had accepted cards then, so why not now? She leaned against the counter slightly, close enough so that she could hand him the card, but far enough way so that she felt comfortable. 'Although, I don't know if being any distance from him would make me comfortable...," she imagined. Lena turned to look at his face, her gaze steady and sure, as she studied it once more. Then, as if realizing she was staring, she turned away to look outside. A cardinal sat on a tree branch, preening his feathers. It reminded her of an arrogant boy who spent hours in the bathroom in the morning. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • "Nikkos! I need in the bathroom!" spoke a younger Lena in a slightly annoyed voice, "You've been in there for an hour and a half!"
"Well, you're not the one going to prom with Rebecca Davis!" her brother yelled back, his voice a few pitches higher than normal.
Lena raised her eyebrows, "What are you doing?"[/b] she finally asked. For a few moments, there was silence. Then, the door opened, revealing her brother. Lena had to stifle a giggle, "What did you do to your hair?""I don't even know," Nikkos groaned. A smile appeared on Lena's face, "Let me in. I'll help."[/i] • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • A slight smile came to her face very like smile in the memory as Lena recalled that evening. Nikkos' hadn't been in the bathroom for hours because he knew how good he looked; he was in there for hours because he didn't think he looked good enough. Her head tilted to the side as she watched the cardinal fly away. Perhaps she shouldn't be so quick to judge the bird. Maybe he just wanted to look good for his mate, too. |
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Post by JESS MORETTI on Feb 25, 2012 1:04:40 GMT -5
Jess reached out for the debit card. His hands were worn and weathered, with calluses many young men would not acquire in their life times. Dirt, grime, and oil had found their way into the creases of his hand. It was a strong hand, however, that dug, and twisted, and hammered, and all else in between. A worker's hand. There were too few hands now days like the one that plucked up Lena's slim, plastic card.
In silence, he swiped the card and waited a few moments for the ancient computer to process everything. He drummed his fingers against the counter, watching the sloth like movements on the screen. Hazel eyes darted up as Lena turned away from him. A soft snort escaped him and he shook his head. He could not quite decide if he was glad of Lena's aloof personality, or irked with it. Many customers came to the shop and followed Jess around their cars, breathing down his neck while he tried to work. Others just did not shut up, they asked him how long he had worked there, if he went to high school in Cresting Grove, if he was going to college. Yada yada yada. Jess gave the shortest answers possible, hoping to deter the interrogations, but to no avail. He had brought a bunch of different magazines to the shop hoping that could distract people. It didn't.
Finally, the machine began to gradually spit out a receipt. Jess snatched the piece of paper up and with Lena's debit card he handed them over. "Thank you for your business." Jess glanced towards the garage. "If, for some reason, it happens again you can know what's wrong if you detect a sweet smell or see if the coolant has leaked onto the passenger side carpeting." He explained, even as a puzzled look briefly touched his features. What was he doing still talking?
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Post by LENA CALLISTA SANCHEZ on Feb 25, 2012 1:44:51 GMT -5
Lena watched the bird as it lifted its wings and flew away until she could no longer see the spot of red in the distance. He was going home. At the sound of Jess' voice, she turned towards him, her hands awkwardly laying by her side. Her eyes stayed firmly on the counter, afraid to look at his face. 'It's not so scary if you don't see the person...' she thought, attempting to convince herself. She took her debit card and receipt and, in an attempt to appear more natural, crossed her arms in front of her chest. It didn't help, and if anything, probably made her look even more maladroit.
As he began to speak again, however, she eased up. Lena was quiet before speaking in a soft, hesitant voice, "I guess I had just mistaken leaking for some of my oils or paints," When she finished, her gaze drifted upwards from the counter to Jess' face, almost questioningly. "Thank you," Lena added, then realizing with a small shock that she had spoken an intelligible sentence. Promptly, Lena spun on her heel and hurried out of the front room and into her car without another word. She wasn't exactly sure why the thought of her speaking intelligently to a near stranger scared her--in all rights, it should have elated her.
She backed out of the garage, sighing as a blast of warm air hit her face. Once she was on the road for a minute, it became warm enough in the car for her to take off her brother's jacket. Lena relaxed against the leather seats and inhaled the rich scent of leather and the various art supplies in her car. When she returned home, she proudly told her brother that her car had a working heat, and in his disbelief, he forced her to take him on a drive to get ice cream.
It didn't even cross her mind that the notebook containing her singular sketch of Jess Moretti was no where to be found. In her rush to leave, Lena had left it on the counter, directly in front of him.
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