She walked straight to the kitchen and put the kettle on at sat at her new table. So many thoughts were rushing through her head, and then it occurred to her…Jimmy! She must ring him and let him know what has happened. She pulled out her mobile a dialled Jimmy’s number
“Hello?” answered Jimmy “Hello?”,
“Jim, it’s me” Jess replied,
“HELLO?” Jimmy replied again
“Jim it’s me Jess”. Silence fell on the phone.
“HELLO?” Jimmy muttered again. He sighed angrily and hung up. Bloody useless mobiles Jess thought to herself, never work when you need them to. She would just wait to he got home, he would be back soon, he had been working nights. She collapsed on the sofa and began to drift off into a deep sleep.
SLAM! There goes the front door. Jess awoke and looked up to see Jimmy dump his keys on the kitchen side. She walked over to him and stood in the kitchen door way.
“Jim, I have had the worst morning,” she moaned. Jim didn’t even look up; he was too consumed in his copy of the Sun to care.
“JIM!” she shouted. Still he didn’t even look up. Must have been that row before he left last night she thought to herself.
“Look Jim if this is about last night, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it”. He stood up from the table and brushed right past her and went to turn on the T.V. Just as he had switched it on his mobile went,
“Hello, yes this is he. When? Is it serious? Right…Yes I will be there right away”. Jimmy seemed distressed; he picked up his keys, flung his jacket on and raced out the door. She wasn’t even going to follow him. That will teach him she thought. Play hard to get. He will come running back when he’s ready.
Whenever her and Jimmy had an argument she would ring Rach, she always knew what to say. She slumped onto the couch, and began to dial.
“Hello” sang Rach,
“Hi Rach, it’s me, Jimmy and I have had another argument and he just stormed out on me can you believe that!”
“Hello” Rach chirped again, “Hello?” then just a dial tone. Cor, what is it with phones today thought Jess. Silly piece of old junk though really her home phone, she had meaning to get a new one for months this one was always on the blink.
She was getting flash backs of the accident now. They came in short bursts and then would disappear. She had to get out she thought. This was doing her no good.
She opened the front door and began to think about taking a stroll round to the corner shop. It was only ten minutes away and she was running low on Benson’s, so she began to walk. She lit up her last cigarette and started to think about the accident again. The hole idea of the walk was to get it out of her head but she just cud not shake the thoughts. What about the driver of the car? Had he died? What about his family? Could she go away for manslaughter? So many thoughts rushing through her head at once she didn’t know weather she was coming or going.
She looked up at the shop door to see a sign reading “ Closed for lunch, be back at 1”. What sort of corner shop closes for lunch she thought, they got food in the place why go out? She wasn’t satisfied with the walk; her mind was still buzzing with thoughts, so she went at sat on a bench in the park opposite. There were a few toddlers running around the slides and climbing frames. Their mother sat on a bench adjacent, too deeply in groused in her copy of Heat magazine to look up and acknowledge Jess. He didn’t bother her, the sun was beaming down on her and it was peaceful.
Before she knew it, it was three o’ clock. She must have dozed off again. She looked up, this time not to be confronted with the inconsiderate mother and her toddlers, but two schoolgirls sitting on the swings smoking and texting. Jess slowly got to her feet, did her jacket up and began to amble back to the flat.
As she arrived outside she noticed her friend Rach’s car parked up. Must be round after that strange call earlier she thought probably got worried about me when she realised it was my number. She entered her key into the door and twisted it. As the door swung open she was confronted with the sound of Rach sobbing. She threw her jacket down and dashed into the kitchen.
Jimmy was there too. Rach was in his arms and he was consoling her. She was crying her eyes out.
“It’s just not fair” whimpered Rach “Just not fair”
“I no, I no” replied Jimmy as a tear ran down his cheek.
“What’s goin on?!” demanded Jess “What is it?!”
Silence captivated the room. Only Rach’s sobbing continued.
“What!” Jess demanded at the top of her voice again,
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” wept Rach “She was my best mate”
“But Rach…I’m your best mate. Remember?” Jess stuttered,
“O Jess” Rach wept. Jess ran over to her and placed her hand upon her shoulder. Rach didn’t even look round and Jimmy didn’t even look up.
“I’m sure it will be ok” consoled Jess “You will get through it”. Still no one acknowledged her.
“Fine” she murmured. “ I no when I’m not wanted”. She went and calmly sat down on the couch. Jimmy slowly walked into the room with an extremely blank expression on his face although he was in a hypnotic trance. He collected he portable phone and walked back into the kitchen.
“It doesn’t work” Jess yelled back “I tried to call Rach earlier and its on the blink again”. Still no reply or acknowledgement from Jimmy. This was getting ridiculous she thought. All this over a silly argument. Well she had had enough with being blanked she stormed into the kitchen.
“Look Jimmy” she started “You can’t just blank me forever over this…talk to me this is ridiculo…” she stopped mid sentence. She managed to catch what Jimmy was saying on the phone, she had heard him ask her mother. She looked over at Rach. She was gazing at Jimmy as if she hung of his every word, with her tissue held up to her eyes.
“Hello June” Jimmy said, “ I just don’t know what to do June, she’s gone she’s really dead” he began to sob “I no and I didn’t even get the chance to say I loved her, the last words we spoke were arguing last night, I just want Jess back”
It then dawned upon Jess, all the things that had been going on all day. Jimmy not talking when he entered the flat, no answers on the phone and the woman in the park, she wasn’t being blanked ..she was dead.
