Simmosa One Shots and Drabbles

Caught In Contrition

    Hey guys! I took some inspiration from another one of my favorite T.V. shows, One Tree Hill. Spoiler alert is in affect for folks who haven't finished up to season 5 of the Superstore series

      Jonah had just dropped Emma off at school when my phone started ringing. She had insisted on driving herself, but Amy said it would save gas as he was going to run a few errands before I headed to work to meet her. Amy's shift started earlier than Jonah's did, and he usually had a few hours to kill each morning anyway.

The caller ID was unknown, but Jonah recognized certain numerals and quickly picked it up. It was just as he had thought. It was the office he had sent a job application to, but what he didn't expect was the news that he had gotten the position. They had gotten back to him a lot quicker than he expected.

Jonah had only a year of experience, so he was just about as shocked as a teen who got their first car. The office was local, right in St. Louis. The pay was great, at least a lot better than he made now at Cloud 9.

The response though, had come so quick, Jonah hadn't even told Amy about the interview he had done with the team via Zoom. After the last one, he didn't expect anyone to listen, much less hire him.

Now they wanted to meet with him  in person. Jonah was now working in the office for a dating website. The new Assistant Director of Marketing for Wallflower Inc. And to Jonah, that was a big deal. This was his chance. His time to prove that he was good enough for another job.

                               ***

    Jonah decided to stop at the liquor store to grab something for the meeting, which would be held at his and Amy's place later that night.

"How can I help you?" A thin middle-aged asked Jonah as he walked in the store, his head held high with ambition and total confidence.

Jonah stopped dead in his tracks, realizing suddenly he had no knowledge of alcohol whatsoever. The employee seemed to notice this, and he chuckled.

"What's the occasion, my good man?"

"Um...work meeting?" The man smiled, and headed off down aisle 4. He came back mere seconds later with a large bottle of scotch, the amber liquid gleaming in the sunlight. The heat of the day was warming the entire store, and Jonah could already feel himself start to sweat, despite it being only nine in the morning.

"Aged 16 years." The man said proudly, offering Jonah the bottle, who took it gratefully.

He paid for it, and headed back down the street, where he had been forced to park his car 5 blocks from the store.

                                ***

Jonah had just started heading back 10 minutes ago after he had stopped at the bank to take some money out of his account for later that week.

He was just about to turn the corner of the street where he had parked when his phone started ringing again. He grinned as he saw Amy´s name on the screen and placed the phone to his ear.

An ambulance passed him, the siren blaring, and it headed down the street. He opened his mouth to share the good news with her, when her distraught words stopped him abruptly.

"Jonah, are you okay?" Jonah laughed.

"I'm fine, why?" She must have heard the sirens.

"Well, the daycare called me and they said you never dropped Parker off."

Jonah's heart dropped, and he took off down the street in the direction where the ambulance had been heading.

Jonah felt sweat drip down his forehead as he turned the corner and stopped to see his worst nightmare coming true right in front of his eyes.

There was his car, a broken back window, an ambulance, and an empty car seat.  

                              ***

    Jonah's vision was blurry as he sat there, unable to think straight. Amy was on her way.

What had he done? Why had he done it? He had left his girlfriend's baby in his hot car this morning for 15 minutes and 43 seconds. That's what he had done, but why?

That was a question that still had yet to be answered. An answer Jonah had been trying to muster for the past half an hour. That's how long Parker had been in the E.R.

That's when the lobby door opened, and there was Amy, her eyes brimmed red and a look that read one thing: utter disappointment.

She whisked past Jonah without giving him a second glance to get directions from the receptionist, and she took off down the right hall.

It seemed like it was an eternity  before he saw her again, walking slowly toward him and taking a seat beside him on the bench.

They sat there in silence for a full minute before Amy was the first one to speak. It was at that moment she asked the question Jonah had been dreading to answer.

"What happened?" Her tone was heartbroken, her words choked by tears that were threatening to fall.

All Jonah wanted to do was pull her in and say everything in his power to let her know he was sorry, but he couldn't. He didn't.

"I...I forgot."

That was all he could say. He could only give her the truth. To forget your keys, or your wallet, sure, that was normal. But a baby? A human being who couldn't fend for themselves and depended on adults for everything? How could you forget that?

Truth be told, Jonah didn't know. He would never know. 

                               ***

    It had been a few hours since we had got home, and Amy was still in the nursery. Jonah stood in the doorway silently as she cradled Parker in the rocking chair, trying to get him to sleep. It was a repetitive pattern of back and forth as Jonah stood there trying to keep from crying.

Amy had trusted him with the kids, and he felt as if he failed her. He did fail her.

What if Parker had not been okay? What if he was still in the E.R because of his mistake? What if that mistake had killed him?

It was weeks of what ifs and maybes. Maybe, someday, Amy would be able to forgive him. But as far as Jonah knew, he would never be able to forgive himself. 

Thoughts?

Love y'all 💞