After placing the order, Russell continues to wait in the line, to get the food from the service window. He turns the volume on the stereo louder, and Kevin recognizes the song. While still playing the game on his phone, Kevin begins to hum the melody of music. Russell looks across at Kevin, and his humming causes Russell to laugh at him. He finds it hilarious and cannot contain himself. The line slowly and steadily moves ahead and Russell pulls up. As he is approaching the service window, he reaches in his pants and pulls out his wallet. Kevin while still having his head down, focused on the game on his phone, ask Russell a question.
“Russ you still play Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty? I remember you used to.”
Russell continues to have his hand on his head feeling stressed out and ignores Kevin. Jesse who heard Kevin mention that to Russell, taps Kevin on the shoulder and responds.
“Kevin, I play Grand Theft Auto sometimes. I like Street Fighter, I like Tekken, I like Final Fantasy sometimes, I also like Pokémon. I like to play Dance Dance Revolution. I like Mario and Donkey Kong too. I don’t play World of Warcraft, but I like RuneScape though.”
Kevin then turns his head towards the back laughs at him and gives him a high five.
“Nice Jesse, I used to work at GameStop like when I was in High School and going into college. Russ likes video games too, he’s just being a dick right now. We use to play together.”
Jesse nods his head at Kevin, and Russell beings to laugh out loud. Ten minutes later, Russell reaches the service window. He turns down the volume on the car stereo, and hands the employee his credit card, and they hand him a receipt. They still continue to wait, as there is an additional window in the drive thru line that hands them their food. Russell becomes impatient again and raises the volume on the stereo, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel according to the music. Jesse reaches from behind the rear seat, and begins to stroke Russell’s hair. Russell is not receptive towards that and hints for Jesse to stop, by swatting his hands away from his head. When another few minutes pass, they inch up closer to the window to pick up their food.
The employee asks if they are going to be eating in the car, to which Russell agrees. He is given two brown boxes which contains all of their food. Russell also asks for ketchup; in which they give him some. He then drives away from the drive thru line, towards the parking lot. When examining the area, he quickly notices there is a nice bluff area which shows a remarkable view of Los Angeles in the lot, to which Russell feels would be nice spot for them to eat. Russell pulls up to the parking spot and turns of the engine. He then gives Kevin and Jesse their food. The guys then start to eat their, food; Kevin looks out of the windshield to acknowledge the landscape.
“This is so spectating, you can see all of the buildings in the city from this hill.”
Jesse pulls up a YouTube video on his phone, and sits in the back not paying attention to Russell or Kevin. Russell while eating his hamburger chats with Kevin.
“You were right Kev; this burger is delicious. I don’t know if it was worth the wait, because we’ve been in that line for over a damn hour, but I’m not gonna lie, this burger is good.”
Kevin takes another bite of his hamburger and laughs at Russell.
“Told you Russ, you just didn’t want to listen. You’ve always been a hot head. It must be because you’re a ginger and you don’t have a fucking soul.”
Russell while staring out the windshield takes another bite of his hamburger and laughs at Kevin. Russell then hands Kevin his French fries.
“Kev you can have the rest of these, I don’t know if I can finish them. I probably could, but I’m gonna be nice and give them to you, I know you’ll scarf them down no problem.”
Following that, Kevin immediately snatched the fries from Russell, eating them.
“Thanks Russ, and yeah you’re right. I’m gonna kill these fries right now. See?”
Kevin raises the empty box of fries smiling, which causes Russell to laugh hysterically.
“Aww, Kev. You’re such a ray of sunshine aren’t you?”
Kevin takes a bite of his hamburger and continues to chat with Russell.
“Russ, I’m glad I was able to meet you again man. It’s been so long, and I thought I’ve lost you as a friend forever. I didn’t, and you’re still here. You’re such a good friend Russ.”
Russell balls up his fist, and playfully punches Kevin across the chin. He then starts to value Kevin’s friendship at maximum capacity. Russell feels so overjoyed with Kevin, and their friendship which despite the lack of contact for so many years, is now being repaired and cherished. Russell continues to eat his food with Kevin and Jesse in the car, settling himself with the happiness of being surrounded by his close friends which for only a short time, he developed strong emotional experiences with them both. The three of them eventually finish their meal, and Russell takes all of the trash to a garbage can nearby. He then gets back into the car, starts the ignition and drives off. Russell arrives outside of Kevin’s apartment complex and pulls up to the curb to procced to drop him off. He turns off the ignition and turns his head towards Kevin.
“Okay Kev, you have my number, we’re definitely gonna keep in touch this time alright? You take care Kev, okay man?”
Kevin disembarks himself out of Russell’s car and shuts the door behind him. Once he is outside his car, Jesse climbs from behind the rear seat, and sits in the passenger seat. Kevin then immediately talks to Russell through the open passenger side window.
“Yeah yeah Russ, thanks man. It was so good to catch up with you again man, after all these damn years. It was nice meeting you Jesse. See you later Russ. Bye.”
Russell and Kevin fist bump, and Kevin shakes Jesse’s hand. Kevin then walks inside of his apartment building. Russell drives away from outside Kevin’s residence. Jesse lays back on the passenger seat, staring out the window feeling exhausted. He was glad to have met one of Russell’s estranged friends. Jesse was comfortable with Kevin’s personality, and felt happy that he now has him apart of his life. Friends and connections hold much value in a person’s life, and it’s very important to hold onto these special relationships you get presented with. Russell continues to pay attention to the road, reflecting on the day’s events. He proceeds to drive towards his apartment. Upon reaching the parking lot of his complex and parking his car, Russell then remembers that Kevin left his marijuana bag on top of the refrigerator. Russell while preparing to exit the car, turns to Jesse, and lets him know about what he remembered.
“Oh shit. I totally forgot that Kevin left his weed. I didn’t want him to bring it, because I was scared that he was going to smoke it while we were out. He gets like that sometimes, and he’s very careless. I worry about him, so I look out for him. I’ll give it to him tomorrow I guess.”
Jesse laughs at Russell, and they both exit out his car. After getting off the elevator, they walk into Russell’s apartment. Jesse still has his boxes in the living room, from when he moved into Russell’s apartment earlier on in the day. Jesse then starts to unpack his things. Russell notices that Jesse is starting to unpack his clothes, so he directs himself to his bedroom closet to clear some space for him to use. Jesse follows him, carrying a box of his clothes. As Russell is clearing out his closet, Jesse once again takes note of the amount of professional tailored suits Russell has.
“Russ, I’m looking at all those suits and going back to your bank manager days. Ha-ha. You’re so dapper with your clothes, and you always look fresh.”
Russell heard Jesse but doesn’t reply to him, and continues to clear out space in his closet. While he’s doing that, he violently throws bundles of clothes, forming a pile on the floor.
“I’m gonna give most of this shit to Goodwill, I don’t even wear have this crap anymore. Let the homeless wear it or whatever. Because I don’t wear any of this.”
A few minutes later Russell manages to free a moderate amount of space up in his closet for Jesse to hang his things up in. When he’s do
ne he turns to Jesse.
“Is this enough space for you? If it isn’t I can clear more things out.”
Jesse nods his head and starts to hang his clothes in this closet.
“Yes Russell it’s perfect, thank you so much.”
Russell smiles and sits on the edge of the bed watching Jesse pack his things into the closet. He looks out the curtains of his bedroom, and notices the sun is slowly setting. He turns the television set in his bedroom on, and an NFL football game is playing. He takes his sweat jacket off, to which he's wearing a white undershirt over, and takes shoes and socks off as well. He then proceeds to lay down on the bed. Jesse then slips off his loafer shoes and sets them outside of the closet door. As Jesse continues to hang his clothes in the closet, Russell remains laying on the bed staring at him. He then softly speaks to him.
“Jesse, I want to show you something. Do you want to see my guns? I don’t think I’ve ever shown them to you yet. Do you want to see them?”
Jesse who’s still hanging his clothes in the closet, responds back to Russell.
“I’m trying to put my clothes up; I’ll see them later alright?”
Russell then sits up on the corner of the bed and while still staring at Jesse put his clothes in the closet, tries to coax him in a soft way.
“Yeah, but, you can go back to that later, I want to show you my guns. You don’t want to see them or something? Come on, let me show them to you.”
Jesse then very quickly walks over to where Russell is and stands by him. Russell begins to kneel down under his bed, and pulls out a titanium steel chest and lays it down on the floor. He unlocks and opens it, and inside of the chest are two guns. One handgun, and one assault rifle. Jesse remains standing still watching him, as Russell pulls the assault rifle and starts to position it in his hand, waving it around every corner of the room. He notices that Jesse looks slightly anxious and scared, and starts to whisper to him.
“It’s okay, it’s not loaded. Ha. Don’t be scared.”
Russell then puts the rifle back in the titanium case and locks it.
“Yeah, I go practice shooting sometimes. I love my guns, and it’s my hobby. I wanted to show you my guns. That’s all”.
Jesse nods his head, and returns back to the closet to continue the task. Russell then begins to feel tired, and lays himself in the bed and then slowly drifts off to sleep. Jesse finishes hanging up his clothes, and doesn’t realize Russell has fallen asleep. He looks over at Russell who is fast asleep, and climbs on the top of bed lying next to him. Russell has now awoken due to Jesse’s motions on the bed. He then opens his eyes and at smiles at him. Jesse lays his head on top of Russell’s chest, and Russell wraps his arm behind Jesse’s head, rubbing his hair. Russell closes his eyes again, and begins to talk to Jesse, in a very raspy and lethargic voice.
“Jess, I’m so tired of this shit. Yesterday was a long scary day. Today was a long scary day. Please God, let tomorrow which is Sunday be just a regular relaxing day.”
Jesse then starts to feel sleepy himself and slowly closes his eyes laying on Russell’s chest staying quiet, while continuing to listen to Russell speak.
“If only life can be peaceful and lovely like this all the time. If only life could always be this easy. Damn.”
He then with his eyes still closed, kisses Jesse on the forehead.
They both a minute later fall asleep.
Chapter 8
NOTHING HAPPY, NOTHING SAD
The following morning, Russell awakens. He looks at the curtains in his bedroom, and takes note of the sun peering through the curtains. Russell had a good and strong deep sleep, and feels very energized. He takes a quick flash glance over at the clock; it is 8 A.M. Russell turns his head to the other side of the bed, and realizes that Jesse is still sleeping. He rearranges the covers on the bed so that Jesse is more comfortable. Without trying to disturb or wake him, Russell carefully treads himself off the bed. He then proceeds to towards his closet to grab an outfit to wear; picking out a blue polo shirt, and a pair of black sweatpants. After setting the articles of clothing down on a separate section of his closet, Russell then heads straight towards the bathroom to take a shower. Russell while bathing himself, begins to reflect on the past couple of days yet again. He has been introduced to so many outrageous situations, tallying up each and every one of them in their full glory detail. Each day passes by, still having memories which he does not want to think about still reaming on his mind. These terrible photographs and mental pictures gathering a pit of sorrow for him. Russell starts to wonder if this day will possibly be more level pegged to how his life was before what happened on Friday. He can only imagine this will be a more mellow and somber day for him to grow and lean on.
Russell finishes taking his shower, and wraps a towel around his nude body. He walks towards his bedroom where Jesse is still resting. Without making much noise to disturb him, Russell takes the clothes he set aside in closet and begins to dress himself. He also puts some sneakers on as well, as he plans to go out jogging. Once he finishes putting on his clothes, he looks at the pile of clothes he discarded the evening before. As he has free time, he decides to donate the clothes to a nearby thrift store. Russell proceeds towards his kitchen to get a black plastic bag. Returning to the bedroom, he puts the pile of clothes in the bag and begins to grab his car keys from the side of his bed. Russell then walks out his apartment towards his car.
He gets into his car and directs himself to the Goodwill donation center, which is approximately a fifteen-minute drive from his residence. Looking out his car window, today like the day before has very clear weather. The sun is shining bright this morning, and the weather feels moderate and fair. Russell reaches the Goodwill center, and drops the clothes off. Immediately after that, he wishes to surprise Jesse by cooking him a nice breakfast, and stops at a convenience store to pick up some eggs, milk, bacon and fruit. He pays for the items and leaves the store. He arrives back at his apartment and opens the front door. Russell saw that the bathroom door was shut, and could hear that water was running. Inside his mind, he was well aware that Jesse was currently taking a shower. Just to be sure, Russell walks into his bedroom and Jesse is not present in the bed. He then starts to make his bed, and walks out the bedroom. Russell walks into the living room, and turns on the television playing “Law and Order”, which is on mute with subtitles on. Russell after that quickly marches towards the kitchen, and pulls out a waffle iron next to his sink. He starts to mix the eggs, milk and flour to make the waffles. Once he’s finished making the waffle batter, he puts many strips of raw bacon in a pan on the stove.
Jesse right at this time, walks out of the bathroom, and walks into the bedroom. He starts to dress himself; he picks out a very colorful tank top, and some denim shorts. He decides to go barefoot. As soon as he’s dressed, Jesse walks straight into the kitchen, smelling the food Russell is preparing. Russell smiles at him as he walks into the kitchen.
“I wanted to do something special for you, so I have some waffles, some bacon, and I have some pineapple as well. You like pineapple right?”
Jesse nods his head and sits down on a stool in the kitchen. Jesse takes a piece of pineapple that Russell cut, and while eating it asks Russell a question.
“So, what is your plan for today?”
Russell while pouring the waffle batter into the waffle iron responds to Jesse.
“Well, I have a couple bills to pay. My cable and utility bill, I can do that online. Then I have to gather all the shit that belongs to the bank. My ID card, the keys to the bank, all that shit, and send them to the federal office tomorrow. Other than that, I might go out and jog today.”
Jesse runs his hands through his hair looking tired and takes another piece of pineapple and eats it. He looks in the direction towards the television set in the living room and watches it. Russell takes the bacon from the pan, and puts it on a plate that has napkins on it. Russell then takes a strip of bacon and eats it. A few minutes later, he
removes a waffle from the waffle iron, and puts it on another plate. He takes the bacon from the separate plate and puts it on the plate with the waffle. He then gives the plate to Jesse. Russell makes another waffle and talks to Jesse.
“There’s butter in the refrigerator and here is some syrup. Enjoy.”
After thanking Russell, Jesse takes his plate into the living room and sits down on the sofa to eat watching “Law and Order”, putting his plate on the coffee table. Russell still in the kitchen, puts more strips of raw bacon on the pan. Jesse then grabs the remote and turns the volume up, screaming at Russell while he’s doing it.
“Russell why do you have it on mute? That’s so ignorant. Ugh.”
Russell ignores him, and continues what he’s doing in the kitchen. Jesse then walks into the kitchen very briefly to make himself a cup of hot tea. A couple minutes later his tea is finished, and he proceeds back into the living room. Russell takes the waffle out of the waffle iron, and takes the strips of bacon out of the pan; putting them both on the same plate. Russell then pours himself a cup of coffee. He then walks over to where Jesse is and sits next to him on the sofa. They both proceed to eat their breakfast in silence. Jesse would at times look over at Russell eating his breakfast, in a very rapid manner and would display a skeptical smile. This seemed to be a very calm Sunday, and the both of them wished to eat in peace and without bringing up whatever thoughts on their mind, if any. Eventually, they both finish eating and Jesse takes his and Russell’s plate into the kitchen. With Russell watching television, Jesse then without hesitation begins to wash the dishes they ate off. Jesse as well washes all the pots and cookware that Russell used when he was preparing breakfast. During a commercial break, Russell reaches under the television set, and grabs his laptop computer. While Jesse is continuing to wash the dishes, Russell starts to pay his cable/internet/phone and electricity and utility bills online. Once Russell is finished paying his bills, he puts his laptop back under the television set.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained Page 18