Indie and Sawyer's Lockdown Blues

Day 3

INDIE

I'd finally gotten up and I felt way better.

I'd gotten hurt one time and the pain likes to come back now and then.

It was bad.

It was a broken rib back then and it had gone untreated because my parents didn't believe me when they said it hurt. It was left far too long for there not to be damage from it being untreated.

It only got fixed when I explained it to my first year professor who took care of the cost for me.

That reminded me of him.

He unfortunately passed away last month from a heart attack but it was preventable. I would never forgive those doctors. As a med student myself, it took all I had to not quit right there and then.

He paid for the rest of my college stay here and made sure I had more than enough money to see out the future past that.

He was like a father to me. A good man. An amazing person who offered me a place to stay in the holidays.

He had no kids and left me his home too. He gave me everything he had and I wasn't even his family. I was just too sad to go back there for the time being but thanks to him, I did have a place to stay other than the sketchy motels.

My parents hadn't heard of this and I was glad, I'd have been on their radar immediately after this.

I get up and take some medicine for the pain that has eased but is still there.

I go to the door and check if there's any post. There is and I don't like the look of it.

"Sawyer!" I shout and I make him come out of his room to get the letter.

I take my post and take it to my room before adding the recognisable one to the pile that I couldn't open just yet.

It was from Francis, the professor who treated me as his daughter.

My heart was too broken too open it.

Sawyer knocks on the door while I'm opening the other ones and he hands me one that is addressed to him but is from my parents.

It's an invitation to their renewal of vows.

"Where's yours?" He says and I look at him in confusion. "Your invitation?"

I nearly start laughing but hold it down.

"I don't know. However, you must leave now." I say as I guide him out of the room.

God.

He didn't need to be so nosey.

It was clear that if me and my siblings were on such strained terms then my parents and I would be no better.

I guess that wasn't Sawyer's fault.

I get ready for the day and go to the fridge and see that we have almost no food which means one of us has to go buy food.

I don't want to ask Sawyer but he comes into the kitchen and watches me watch the fridge.

"Grocery shopping?" He asks and I nod. "I'll go." He says and I thank him before starting to make dinner out of the things we do have left.

We all had a main fridge where we bought groceries for all of us in general and would take turns cooking.

I'd slept until 2 and it was now 3 so it was alright to start making stuff now.

I first get the meat and clean it before getting all the seasonings and marinade and leaving it to marinate for a couple of hours.

I get the potatoes, wash, peel and season them before putting them into the oven.

I get the tomatoes and cucumber and make a salad out of them and leave it in the fridge to stay fresh before I get started on the leftover rice.

I get some vegetables and steam them, get some prawns and start cooking them and recook the rice to make a stir fry.

By the time the stir and potatoes are done, the chicken is ready to go in and I put it in.

It has been an hour and a half and Sawyer wasn't back.

I cover all the food and sit at the island as I wait for my chicken to cook and an hour later when it's done, I take it out and cover it.

***

I peel my head off the island and I hear the door starting to open and I notice he's been gone for 7 hours.

It was now dark outside and the first layer of snow had started to drop.

I get off the stool, run to my room and get into my bed, pretending to sleep.

I do notice the outstanding lack of grocery sounding items.

I know I am not wrong when I hear loud bangs come from the kitchen and I get up and see what the ruckus is immediately.

Sawyer is stumbling around in the kitchen and when he sees me, he laughs.

"Hey Ana, how are you? I forgot to go to the grocery store and I went to drink with Tony. He said he understood why I'd want to drink being cooped up with you." I want to grab his head and slam into the island but I refrain.

"Fucking unbelievable. I'm going to go to the shops now. There's food here if you want it." I say as I go to my room and layer up to go out into the cold weather, put on my shoes, coat, scarf, hat, leather gloves, to keep my hands warm but not prevent me from driving safely, grab my keys and then go outside to the car park. I get a clean mask from my car and sit at the drivers wheel as I hit the steering wheel, hard.

I think it was lucky of me to have gloves on.

I rest my head against the steering wheel before focusing on the drive.

I get there, take off my clothes and sanitise before grabbing a trolley and get what I need.

I'm about to turn into the next aisle when I see Tony and pull up my hood and avoid him.

I just get the rest of the stuff and then go to the aisle where he was and get what I missed.

I buy a few personal items with my own money as well, such as some female products and the nicest looking shampoo and conditioner and also some extra snack bars for myself.

I go to the checkout and get all my stuff into bags when I see a little commotion at the next till.

It's Tony and I can tell it's him because he's all over the place and also, I know what my brother looks like.

"Please, I forgot my card. Please don't take the stuff away, I'll come back and pay for it later." Tony says and I cringe.

The worker calls for security but I walk over and put my card up and the worker pulls a face but I nod and he puts the card reader out for me and I walk back to pay for my stuff as I put it all in the trolley.

Everyone watched as Anthony grabs his stuff and drops on his knees and bows up and down, thanking me.

He gets up.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." He says and everyone watches and I feel embarrassed.

He hugs me and I draw the line there.

"Get off me Anthony. Sober up." I say as I give him a good pat on the cheek. "I'm expecting the money in my account in two days at most and if I don't get it, you're only going to owe me more and more."

"Oh Indiana. I didn't know it was you." He says and his face turns sour.

I don't hesitate as I swipe the bag and my trolley and start to take the stuff with me.

"Fine, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He says and I pretend to care.

"You're not but I don't care about you so here you go." I give him his stuff back.

"You clearly do in some way, you paid for it." He says.

"You were holding up the line." I say as I walk away from him, putting my stuff in the car, returning the trolley and then driving back.