WHO: Cole Stewart and Ruby Lucas WHAT: Meeting in the Grocery Store WHERE: Walmart WHEN: Today WARNINGS: Nah STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
All in all, Madison Valley wasn’t bad. In fact, it was a whole lot better than home. It was the world as it had been when he was a kid, before everything had gone to hell. It was peaceful, kids played in the backyard, and nobody was sending anyone off to camps. He was still a little paranoid, as it had been trained into him over the past years, but he was beginning to relax and try to actually live his life. It was a rather amazing thing for him. If only Lee was here, then his happiness would be complete. But apparently he couldn’t have everything.
He was at Walmart, once again browsing the produce section and buying way too much stuff to make up for the fact that canned peaches were the best ‘produce’ he ever got back home. As he did, he looked and noticed a woman about his age who was, well, gorgeous. He couldn’t help but throw her a charming smile as he approached her with a watermelon in hand.
“Hey, I was wondering, how do you tell if these things are ripe?”
***
Ruby was stocking up on what little fresh produce was available, since they couldn’t survive on only meat at the Pack House. Well, they could, but a little variety was even better. She was glad to be back in Madison Valley, even if she was missing Dorothy like crazy right now. She had decent coffee shops here, better clothing shops, and the restaurants that could make anyone happy.
She was debating between peaches or apricots when the guy with the watermelon walked up to her. She smirked, eyebrow raised as she reached out and knocked on the watermelon. “If they’re heavy, and have a white or yellow spot on one side, they’re ripe. What you want to know is if they’re juicy and sweet. That hollow sound when you knock on it, says you’ve probably got a good one.”
She wasn’t a big fan of watermelon, preferring smaller fruits that could be carried in pockets or side packs.
“New in town?”
***
“Yeah, you could say that,” he grinned. “Been here a few weeks. But it’s nothing like where I come from. Lots more...er...produce.” He laughed. “The last produce I had back home was I think...pears? Out of a can that had lost its label and was more than six years old. Maybe as much as ten.”
He wouldn’t tell her that the can had been a wonderful, special thing to himself and those he had shared it with. Even something like that had been a major find.
“What can I say, my world sucks. This one doesn’t.”
***
“You’ve probably found a lot of people feel the same way,” Ruby told him as she started bagging up some of the peaches. “Just don’t stick to just one store while shopping. Yeah, Walmart is cheaper, but Aldi and Kroger both have really good produce sections.”
She felt for him, the not having produce part. It sounded so much like what a few of her friends in town had gone through.
“Don’t dismiss the frozen section either. You can get a lot of out of season things there.”
She paused, and then went on to bag up some apricots. “Anyway, I’m Ruby Lucas, I’ve been through here a few times now.”
***
“Cole Stewart,” he said by way of introduction. His hands were too full to offer her one, which was a little awkward, but oh well, it was what it was.
“Frozen. Right. You can get stuff there, too.” When everything had happened, the stores had been looted. Most of the good stuff was gone within a few days, and the fresh and frozen food had all gone bad ridiculously quickly. They were left with cans, which became prizes to be found. In the time when he came from, even they were gone, for the most part. Food was hard to come by, which was why he found himself so utterly fascinated by the produce section here.
“So you’ve been here, back, and then here again?” He raised an eyebrow. “That must be weird. Do you remember it each time?”
***
“You can get all kinds of things, even in the dairy and meat departments.” She was catching on pretty quickly that this guy was from one of the apocalyptic worlds, and was glad he was taking it pretty well. “I don’t remember this place when I’m back home, but I usually end up remembering when I get back here. It can take a moment or two, sometimes a week.” It was always a fun game of ‘how much did I miss’.
“How are you settling in so far? Besides being amazed by the grocery stores.”
***
“That’s just weird. It must put some kind of block on your memories instead of erasing them, then.” The same sort of thing an Orange like Ruby could do. It was a bit creepy, really. Did this place have Oranges working for it, somewhere off the darkest corners?
“I’m doing great, actually. I’d rather be here than back home. It would be better if my little brother, and my mom and stepdad were here, but I’ve got a friend, so that makes it better.” Even if she was his ward. It wasn’t like he actually had to parent her or anything.
***
“I think it just stores the memories when you leave, and gives them back when you return.” She’d dealt with spells like that back in Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest. It wasn’t fun, but it was easy enough to explain to her.
“I know what it’s like to miss family, and the only advice I can give you is to live your life. Enjoy it, try new things, and just do everything you ever wanted to do back home.” It was what she did every time she showed up here.
“I think this time, I’m going to take up painting. Maybe do some college classes. Just, have some fun.”
***
“Damn, there’s so much I wanted to do back home.” He really never even got a chance to start on his dreams before the world fell apart. He was just a kid, and then, smack. The world changed and not for the better. “I don’t even know where to start. I know eating lots of good food is part of it.”
But more seriously...what had he wanted to do? Go to college? Make friends? Find a girlfriend? Get married? All of those things seemed so strange to him now that he wasn’t even sure where to start with them.
“What kind of college classes are you taking?”
***
“Just don’t make yourself sick on the food.” Because she’d seen that happen before to some people.
“I honestly have no idea. Maybe business, or finance. Or history, I have always liked history.” Maybe she would take a bit of all of them, it wasn’t like she was going to be able to use the degree back in Oz. Here, though, it would make life easier.
“What are you interested in?”
***
“I really haven’t had a chance to stop and think about it,” he said. Back home it wasn’t an option, so it had never crossed his mind. He supposed he was the right age and everything now so he should grab a course book and see if anything caught his eye.
“I’ve been...well...fighting for as long as I can remember. But if I don’t have to do that here, then that would be great. Maybe I can find something I actually enjoy.” Because sure, he was good at the stuff the Children’s League was having him do. But that didn’t mean that it made him happy.
***
“Well, the new semester doesn’t start until August or September, so I’m sure that you have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do.” She’d gotten that information figured out at work, because most of the teens that came through needed the information.
“Maybe check out the community center, they sometimes have free classes and groups. Also, a lot of the shops and businesses will give you information or tips on other hobbies and skills.” Which was one of the best things about Madison Valley, how most people were willing to be helpful.
“And, you can always audit some classes at the college. At least get an idea of what you want to do.”
***
“Hey, that’s a good idea. And I should definitely get to the community center. I didn’t even know there was one. Guess I should pay closer attention, huh?” He grinned at her charmingly. Apparently he wasn’t going to be able to pick her up, but it didn’t matter. He was pretty sure he was starting to make friends with her, which was even better.
“I’ll leave you to your shopping, but I’ll see you around?”
***
“Oh yeah, I’ll be around somewhere. Usually one of the bars on the weekend, or running in the woods in the evening.” Which was far better than sitting home alone and hoping.
“Have fun, Cole, and don’t go crazy in the cookie aisle,” she told him as she steered her cart towards the checkouts.