Hundred Words

Nine

Nine

My house, as plain and ordinary as ever stands out from the cracked sidewalk and similar houses lined up alongside.

The white wood stairs creak beneath my steps, and I am tempted to ring the doorbell even though nobody is home, like when I was a fourth grader in girl scouts and practically had a hay day ringing and knocking on people's doors to sell a wagon overflowing with thin mints.

I opened the door and dropped my things on the floor, kicking my bags onto the carpet so mom wouldn't see them in the doorway and start listing all the reasons of why I shouldn't do THAT, and then start listing stuff about organization, and then listing reasons upon reasons of-

Ug.

After leaving the door unlocked for Jess, I make my way over to the kitchen table, dropping my papers on the island-another reason for mom to continue on with her lists-and letting my backpack sag from my shoulders and unto the ground. I head over to the counter in the hopes of finding something for a quick snack for Jess and I once she arrives.

A soft thumping sound jerks my eyes away from the ingredients I would need for a potential sandwich to a place further up the counter.

I throw my hands up into the air, and then start waving them frantically in front of my face.

"Soccer! No no no no!"

My cat Soccer is laying- no, rolling around- on the counter. Around her lies all of Mia and mom's tomatoes, some still rolling off the counter and onto the ground. Soccer... Well she must be having the time of her life. She is the image of a happy cat, purring, flashing one of those cat smiles where their stubby white whiskers bend forward, and pretty much rolling around in the tomatoes as if they are the most wonderful and expensive things in the world.

Well, I'm not having the time of my life.

"Soccer! Can you hear me?"

She just wriggles a little bit, purring even louder and hooks one of her claws into the basket that used to hold the vegetables, knocking the wicker basket over with a soft thump.

"You miss, are in trouble!"

Turns out trouble means a big hug.

Soccer just tries to squirm away from my arms, her white-socked paws flailing pathetically under my chin. She isn't purring anymore. I guess I can never compare to a tomato. Finally I let her go, checking my watch, and get to work. Well, I guess Jess and I can share some tomatoes.

After picking up the colorful vegetables and depositing them into the now upright basket, I get to work. An array of autumn colors line up under my knife, colors that Mia selected because they were pretty, not because they taste good or thrive in sunlight..

I guess they were too pretty to eat, because Mia took one bite and never tried them again. After all her hard work, selecting the plants, watering them daily, fending off insects, and finally picking the colorful tomatoes, she ended up not wanting to eat them.

Mia's a confusing girl.

As I try to think of a crafty way to make Mia try another tomato, my phone rings and vibrates at the exact same time, making me wince. I deftly slide the iPhone out of my pocket, the smooth plastic case cool between my fingers. The contact flashing on the screen is Jess.

"Hey."

"Hey! Sorry I'm late... I'm on my way now!"

Jess's voice sounds slightly muffled through the phone, as always. Thanks to her obsession to using speakerphone, I have no idea what she is talking about half the time. Thankfully this is one of times I can understand her.

I heard Jess speaking faintly.

"Jess...?"

A pause.

"Oh sorry, talking to my mom. She says I'll be there in like... Fifteen minutes?"

I suppressed a giggle. "Is that a question?"

"Uh... No. But so yeah, fifteen minutes...Man, I can't wait to get a CAR so then I'll be on time. No offense mom..."

"Uh-huh. Okay well, see you soon.

Her phone clicked off before she said goodbye. Jess is always in a rush, I thought with a shake of my head.

I continue slicing the tomatoes after shoving my phone back in my pocket. I try to arrange the slices nicely, a little perfectionist nagging at the back off my mind, a perfectionist that sadly has no say over how I arrange the red slices. No matter how I layer them, or spin the plate, or rearrange the colors, the dish just looks... Less than perfect.

Oh well. It'll have to do.