Drinks 'n Dares

Lookie, Lookie, Me Got Cookie

Chapter Fourteen – Lookie, Lookie, Me Got Cookie

Claire's POV

"That cloud looks like a banana."

"Don't be ridiculous." Jon admonished. "It looks more like a boat. See the wisps of cloud at the top? Those make it look like sails."

"But it's too bendy to be a boat." I argued lightly. "So I don't know what you're on about."

It was the afternoon following the party and after an exhausting day at work Jon had stopped by my place for a chat. Though the temperature had cooled since the blackout, the weather out was still exceedingly warm. So eventually Jon and I found ourselves outside in the miniscule scrap of grass my apartment building called a garden. There was a bench, a small cherry blossom tree and the odd weed or two. But with Jon and I sitting together on the seat it was comfortable enough for what we had in mind. Namely: cloud watching. Of course we'd started out acting like grown-ups. We'd retreated to the garden to have a nice social chat, then that had turned to casual arguing and from there…well, cloud watching.

Neither of us had mentioned Carla or Harvey.

I didn't know about Harvey but Carla was in such a state last night that we'd called an emergency sleepover. Both Kira and I had crashed at Carla's place, helping her make mashed potatoes (Carla's choice of comfort food) and handing out the tissues. Carla's way to get over men was to vent and rage and storm and shouting. It was only after that that the tears set in. Eventually sometime early in the morning she'd dropped off. But today we'd made sure she called in sick. She'd be no good to anyone in the state she was in. Kira was on Carla-watching duty this afternoon and then I was going around this evening. We were giving her a week to get out of her Harvey-induced funk (the least every girl should be allowed) and then we were going to make her snap out of it. Of course, she wasn't going to be taking an entire week off sick. She only got one day for that.

"What about that one?"

I considered. "If you look at it from the right…and squint a little it looks a bit like a teddy bear."

He tilted his head and squinted, "Wow you're right. It really does look like a teddy bear. Then again, if you look at it from the right and squint a little it also looks like a meaningless blob."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You're the one who asked me what I thought that cloud looked like. Ask a stupid question get a stupid answer..."

He chuckled. "You left that comment wide open to abuse, but since I'm such a gentleman I'll let it slide."

"And I'm going to let that slide." I peered at the sky again. "That one looks like a book."

"Fancy way of saying it's a rectangle."

"…That looks like my grandma."

He raised an eye at me. "Pardon?"

"No. There." I pointed. He followed my gaze to where an old lady was exiting a cab, just outside my building. It was only after she reached the front gate and I got a complete look at her that I was sure it was. But what would Gran be doing up here in Nelson? Nothing good I was sure. "Grandma!" I called. Her eyes fixed on us and she beamed, trotting over to us. "What are you doing here Gran?" I asked. I stood as she approached. Jon followed suit.

"What else?" she asked with a dramatic shrug of her shoulders. "I came to see my darling grand-daughter and her sweet fiancé."

She gave me a quick hug and then did the same for Jon. He looked surprised to have the elderly lady latch herself onto him but bore it with good grace. It probably wasn't too difficult considering what she'd made him do on her last visit here.