Toto and the Boys II: George

Chapter 8

“You are not taking your car,” Georgie told Jordan firmly.

It was sort of awkward because I didn’t want Vicky to feel abandoned, but then again, I felt abandoned for five days during my stay at their place. And to add to the awkwardness, Jackie and Dannie were standing just a few feet away, waiting for Georgie and Jordan to finish their conversation. Jackie’s head was slightly tipped to the side, obviously listening to whatever the two were talking about.

Their introduction that very same Monday morning was awkward as well, but it was tolerable. Everyone was civil.

Jordan let out an exasperated breath, looked over his shoulder to where Dannie and Jackie were standing, and faced Georgie once more, saying, “Your friends are going to ride with us?”

“No, you are going to ride with us. Just like I rode with you as you insisted a week ago.”

“Okay, you can ride your car--“

Toto, my name is TOTO!

“--next week. I will ride mine this week,” Jordan bargained.

Georgie shook her head. “No extra parking space later for your car. The Red Cross HQ is already full of them and we can’t afford to have a BMW parking anywhere near the vicinity. And you cannot just park anywhere outside the HQ because you might not know if you’ll ever see your car again.

I heard Vicky gasp in horror and fear.

Relax, Vicky, that’s not going to happen if your owner chooses to leave you here. Deep in my engine gut, I couldn’t’ say the same thing for our neighborhood. It was safe enough, but I was not sure how safe it was for BMW’s. I guess we’d know once we came home. It would either be Vicky would disappear or she’d still be here.

“Why do I have the feeling that you have been planning this?” Jordan asked.

“No, of course not! It was not I who insisted I ride with him in the first place when I said I was going to take my own car last week.”

“I did that because there are people in my work place who know you and your family. I don’t think someone from your Red Cross HQ know what is going on between us and our family.”

“Fine. Ride your car. But don’t go pointing fingers if you won’t find it where you parked it at the end of the day.” I had to soothe Vicky once more because she was almost wailing, begging her owner to just leave her there. “Come on, guys, let’s go,” Georgie called to her friends who walked toward me in haste.

Since it was Monday, Jackie had her time with me and she sat behind my wheel.

Oh, I missed you, Jackie girl! Love your new orange nail polish! And your shoes are new, right?

“Well?” Georgie asked Jordan as Dannie climbed into the backseat.

He hesitated for a moment. “How about my bag?”

Oh, yeah. His bag was still inside Vicky.

“It will still be there later. Are you going or not?” Georgie repeated the question with etch of impatience. My friends have work and so do I. We’re going to be late.”

Shaking his head, Jordan walked toward me and followed beside Dannie in the backseat. The latter smiled at him nicely like she always would with people she just met. He returned her smile awkwardly. Honestly, he looked like Shrek cramped at the backseat with his size and his awkward smile.

Once he was settled inside, Georgie pushed my passenger seat back and climbed in beside Jackie.

And then we were off in a completely awkward silence.