Pre-Christmas Jitters

FridayNext sits at the dining table in the living room. Matt and Spidey are in the kitchen preparing for another pre-Christmas-mayhem day. They know that they must tread lightly. FridayNext is still under the weather and a bit mood-swing-y.

Spidey dares to tiptoe to the living room door and sneak a peak inside. FridayNext is occupied with a big project on the table. He can barely make sense of what she’s doing.

FridayNext: Ha ha, this will be so cool! She’ll love it. And if not, I’ll kick her!

He backs away and returns to the kitchen where Matt is making a long list for the last emergency Christmas shopping goodies.

Spidey: How broke are we exactly?
Matt: Are we broke?
Spidey: It looks like it.
Matt: What do you mean?
Spidey: Fri is making the presents this year.
Matt: Ha ha! Good one.
Spidey: I’m not joking.
Matt: What?
Spidey: I feel so sorry for Uni because it looks like a disaster whatever it is Fri has concocted for her. I don’t want a gift like that.
Matt: She’s making the gifts? From scratch?
Spidey: Well, there’s glue and paper all over the table and she sounds like she’s been sniffing the glue for hours.
Matt: I don’t want a home-made present.
Spidey: Neither do I!
Matt: I didn’t think we’re broke. She hasn’t talked about money since she lost the forty quid.
Spidey: No and that was some time ago.
Matt: But she came back from the bike shop earlier today and she said that she had decided against having it fixed.
Spidey: Why?
Matt: Something about it wasn’t that bad…I didn’t really pay attention to it. She talks a lot about her bike so I sometimes tune out.
Spidey: It made a lot of noise. Wasn’t that why she took it to the shop in the first place?
Matt: Yeah, and it did. But now it isn’t that loud, she says.
Spidey: What the hell is going on?
Matt: I’ll call Uni. She’s bound to know something.

MattCellPhone: Hi Uni. It’s Matt.
UniCellPhone: *mumbles*
MattCellPhone: Sorry?
UniCellPhone: *mumbles*
MattCellPhone: I can’t make sense of what you’re saying.
UniCellPhone: *mumbles*

And then she hangs up. Matt looks miffed at Spidey and shakes his head.

Matt: What the hell was all that about?
UniTextMessage: Hi Matt. Sorry, but I can’t speak. What’s up?
MattTextMessage: Is this a bad time?
UniTextMessage: No, it’s just that I can’t speak well.
MattTextMessage: You’re not making any sense.
UniTextMessage: Long story. My jaws hurt. Seriously.

Matt: Uni has gone bonkers too.
Spidey: Just what we needed.

MattTextMessage: You’re ill?
UniTextMessage: Yup. A bit.
MattTextMessage: So sorry to hear that. Hope you get better in time for our Christmas dinner!
UniTextMessage: I will!
MattTextMessage: Talked to Fri lately?
UniTextMessage: I’ve facebooked her a zillion times but she hasn’t replied. What’s up with her?
MattTextMessage: She’s still not a-okay…
SpideyTextMessage: But when is she ever!
MattTextMessage: Just wondering if she’s mentioned anything about her…financial circumstances.
UniTextMessage: Nope. She always insists on paying for everything and it drives me nuts!
MattTextMessage: Well… Okay then.
UniTextMessage: My cookies. My biscuits! Goddammit!
MattTextMessage: Talk to you soon!
UniTextMessage: Okay, will salvage what I can. Stupid oven! Bye.
MattTextMessage: Bye Uni.

Spidey: A bit freaky – very unlike her.
Matt: It’s that time of year. It must be.
Spidey: We don’t even have a tree.
Matt: No.
Spidey: And it’s not likely it’ll snow either.
Matt: No.
Spidey: I’m depressed now.
Matt: Yeah.
FridayNext: Hey guys. Have you finished the grocery list yet? I can go to the supermarket if you like.

FridayNext walks to the supermarket. She still feels queasy so she decides against taking the bike. She listens to music from her MP3 player and thinks about the presents she’s bought this year. It’s going to be a great Christmas. She’ll surprise the boys big time. They’ll ooh and aah no end and they’ll forgive her for all the kooky-ness she’s put them through the past couple of months. She’s sure of that.

The supermarket is crowded with people that can’t make up their minds. She follows the list to the point, slaloms between people and finishes in record time. There are three queues and she picks one at random. Suddenly a bolt of hot iron overpowers her stomach and she nearly keels over from the pain. She loses her footing, she loses her breath. Her mouth is dry from anxiety. Then it’s her turn and he is only an arm’s length away from her. She gawks for five seconds, then she comes to and focuses on her groceries. She looks at the customer in front of her finish his business while Ken waits for the cash register to finish the purchase. He looks up and casts a glance at the customer, then he lets his eyes wander, past the customer, out the windows and then at FridayNext who has been sneaking peaks at him and for a nanosecond their eyes meet. He doesn’t look abhorred or frightened. He quickly looks away, gets back to the register.

She hurries home, throws the groceries at Spidey who is making inventory of the fridge’s contents. Matt is about to go for a run and she nearly spins him around when she zooms by him to get her cell phone in the living room.

FridayNext: Uni? Uni! Oh Uni!
UniCorn: *mumbles*
FridayNext: Are you sick?
UniCorn: *mumbles*
FridayNext: Poor you. Fortunately you don’t have to say anything, just listen to me. I’ve just come back from the supermarket…

KenTextMessage: Hey.
MattTextMessage: Yo.
KenTextMessage: The Green Sheep?
MattTextMessage: Yup.
KenTextMessage: Gotcha.
SpideyTextMessage: Don’t loop me out!
KenTextMessage: Sorry. Catch up soon.
MattTextMessage: Bar hopping when J-Man’s ok.
KenTextMessage: Deal.
SpideyTextMessage: Deal.