REM // Van McCann

7. People Are Responding

The supermarket was only three blocks away so I didn't mind stopping by to get some milk and bread. It was an excuse to leave work and I enjoy taking a break from work physically and mentally. I walked over to my phone, removed the charger, and saw that I had a text message from an unknown number asking me for more information on the study. My heart was pounding as I wasn't expecting to hear from someone so soon and truth be told—I didn't know how to respond. I thought about telling Bondy and Larry the good news but decided to keep it to myself as I wasn't sure they would approve of bringing someone in. I tucked my phone into my back pocket and patted my other pocket to make sure my wallet was there.

"Gonna stop by the store," I told them, grabbing my coat and putting it on. "Need anything else besides milk and bread?"

"Yeah," Larry replied. "Get more paracetamol, would ya?"

"'Course," I replied. No one said anything else so I slipped out, pressing the button for the lift. I took the opportunity to read the text message I received.

What is this exactly? How are you visualizing dreams?

Good question. I put my phone away, trying to think of a good response. The doors opened and I stepped out, pushing the door open. I found a quiet spot to have a cigarette and took one out, lighting it. The more I thought about the text, the more I wondered if this person didn't believe me. Did they think this was a joke? I wasn't able to enjoy my cigarette until I responded back. I placed the fag in my mouth and took my phone out, opening the text message and typing a response.

It's easier to explain in person. Do you have 15 minutes? We're in the same building.

There. Much better. After I finished smoking, I went to the grocery store. Figuring I wasn't buying enough to warrant a trolley, I grabbed a basket and made my way to the bread aisle. Our favorite was out of stock so I grabbed one that looked visually similar, read the label, and tossed it in. We could use more fiber. I bought a small bunch of bananas and went to the medicine aisle in search of paracetamol. And last but not least, I bought a carton of milk. The line was too long so I opted for self checkout, placing the basket on the ledge. I scanned the items one by one, placing them in the carrier bag and paid for the items.

When I came back, Larry was laying on the couch with his arm over his face. I tossed the bottle of paracetamol on the couch which caused him to look up. He grabbed the bottle and thanked me. I walked over to the fridge and put the milk away and placed the bread and bananas on the counter. I bunched up the carrier bag and stuffed it inside another bag. Bondy was still hard at work on the computer typing away. He didn't acknowledge me when I came back. I've worked with him long enough to know not to bother him when he's focused.

I shrugged off my coat and went to hang it and took my phone out to charge. When I plugged it in, I noticed the person responded. Why didn't I get notified? I must've not heard it when I went to the store.

Sure. When and where?

There wasn't much planned for the rest of the day.

How about today? Meet me on the 11th floor at 1 PM?

My eyes went to the clock noticing that it was lunch time. If I want to meet this person, I have to eat now and unfortunately for me, I need to buy lunch today. The plan was to have yesterday's leftovers today but I decided to save it for dinner as lunch is cheaper to buy than dinner.

"I need to buy lunch. Was thinking of the Thai restaurant across the street. Do yous want anything?" I questioned.

"Chicken Pad Thai for me, please," Larry groaned. "I dunno if I can even keep food down." I looked at Bondy.