Toto and the Boys I: Jackie

Chapter 22

My engines were about to throw up all their juices when I saw Jackie and Dean running toward me with their hands over their heads, both of them laughing in the rain. Jackie was holding her flats in her hands and she was running barefoot on concrete.

My headlights wanted to roll around their sockets. The sight was too cheesy for me.

Do you really have to run like that? I demanded when they entered me, catching their breaths. And they were wet. You were not shooting a music video, were you? You should have said so and I could have tried to put on some music, I said in an engine roar of sarcasm.

The ride back to Collins Corporations was the exact opposite of the first one. Jackie and Dean talked animatedly about anything, jumping from one topic to another, talking about work and something random another moment. And the most amazing thing for me was that neither of them seemed to get lost. The other always knew what the other was talking about and could easily tell when the other had shifted from one topic to another.

I hated to remind Jackie that she had to clear things up with her boss as early as now. He might just understand what she did if she told him now. And if she would just delete that fake FB account, things might just fall into place.

  *****

The two of them arrived in a near-damp state and everyone’s attention was immediately on them. Karen was wearing one of her teasing looks. Joseph was looking skeptical and super curious. The others were just in awe to see that Dean Gamboa came in the office in a rather not-too-presentable look.

Jackie’s clothes were almost dry so she decided against changing her clothes. Dean on the other hand might have some extra clothes in his office because he closed the blinds the moment he entered and reappeared looking like the Dean Gamboa who came in the office that morning.

Jackie wondered how he could manage to achieve such look in less than ten minutes.

She joined him in the vending machine, munching on a potato chip she kept in her little pantry under her desk.

“Want some?” she offered.

His gaze travelled to hers and then down at the blue plastic in her hand. He lifted a hand and dived in. “Thanks,” he muttered before he threw three pieces of cheese-covered potato chips in his mouth. “And I believe this is yours.” He handed her the Coke he picked up.

“And let me help you with yours,” she said, stepping forward to insert her money. She punched the red button and the Pepsi dropped. “You should really consider having this machine changed. It has some sort of facial recognition in it.”

Dean chuckled as he picked up the Pepsi can. “It drops the wrong drinks for those it hates?”

“What? Of course not. It drops the wrong drinks for those who are great. There’s a big difference.” Jackie gave a dramatic sigh as she took a step back to leave. “But it is bias. I feel for those who get their drinks right.”

She heard Dean’s light laughter as she turned around to walk back to her desk.

  *****

That very afternoon, I heard Beatle say that he was on a “breakdown strike”. That meant he wouldn’t start just because he was not in favor of something--or someone. And I knew who Beatle had in mind.

So that afternoon, when Dean Gamboa and Jackie walked to the parking lot together--really? When did they start being inseparable?--Dean tried to start Beatle one last time.

Ten minutes later, he joined Jackie inside me and started calling someone about taking his car to maintenance. Yeah, right. I suggest you get rid of Jackie, Dean. Beatle would go back to life without a key to that!