Jacklyn Baker (called_jack) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-03-31 21:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 06, bridget mackenzie, jacklyn baker, | bridget and jack |
Week Six - Friday morning
Character: Bridget Mackenzie and Jack Baker
Location: Siena Suites, store room
Summary: Jack and Bridget get to know each other when Bridget comes by for food
Rating: G
If she'd had any doubts after visiting Luc's surgery two days before that she was pregnant, there were none in Bridget's mind now. The exhaustion that had made itself at home and the 'morning' sickness that seemed to happen at any time of day or night had pretty much destroyed any thoughts she might have entertained otherwise. On top of that, all her pants were getting snug at the waist now, not just the shorts she'd been unable to get closed earlier in the week. She'd felt so bad Thursday that she hadn't stepped out of her suite other than to attend the meeting Alice had called, and had spent most of the day napping in bed or dry heaving at the toilet.
Today though, things seemed a little better. She'd still slept in much later than she was used to, the clock read almost nine thirty when she finally dragged herself out of bed and into the shower, but the morning sickness had let up a bit and Bridget felt brave enough to step out of her suite feeling somewhat human by ten. First order of business was food, and the young woman wasted little time making her way downstairs and toward the inventory room.
There was music playing, of course. There was always music playing when Jack was working because it made counting things and writing things down less boring. Besides, it had been another bad week and it was easier not to think about bad things when the music was loud. She'd chosen her happiest songs to play on purpose. With her back turned to the door and her concentration on the racks of cans, she didn't even know anyone else was in the room until she turned around and Bridget was there.
"You scared me!" she squeaked. "Make a noise next time!"
"I'm sorry," Bridget had to laugh just a little bit at the reaction. She knew she shouldn't, but couldn't help it. "I'm not surprised you didn't hear me, not with the music!" She'd had to raise her voice a little to be heard over the tunes blaring from the docked ipod, but she tried to keep her expression friendly.
"I didn't make you lose your count did I?" She hoped not, she remembered her own experiences with inventory when she worked retail as an undergrad. It sucked.
Jack crossed the room to turn the music down to a more manageable level. "It's okay. You're Bridget, right? You're new."
"That's right." Bridget responded, "I'm the new girl." She paused, then corrected herself. "One of them anyway. I arrived Monday night."
She offered the teen a lightly curled fist in greeting, and glanced behind her at the shelves. "I haven't actually been down here much before now, there's so much food in here!" It was almost a marvel, given that she'd done without stockpiles of food for so long.
Jack was used to a fist bump as a greeting by now and she knocked hers against Bridget's. "You're not allowed to take any without signing it out first," she told Bridget sternly.
"I can do that," Bridget tried to keep her face serious, but it was hard. Such a stern expression from such a young person! Then again, were any of them really so young anymore? The virus had made everyone above a certain age grow up fast. It was either that or die, if you were lucky.
"What other rules are there that I have to follow? I don't want to get into trouble."
"There's not a lot." Jack shoved her hands in her pockets and looked up at Bridget. "Everybody pretty much has a job and there's no stealing. I think that's pretty much it."
"Sounds easy enough," Bridget mused, then shook her head as she remembered what brought her down here in the first place. "So, think you can walk me through what's where in here? I figure the person doing the inventory must know all the little details."
Jack nodded, straightening with pride at being able to show off what she'd done. "Cans are first." She pointed like the lady on Wheel of Fortune used to. "Everything's arranged in a category and then alphabetical after that. Fruit, vegetable and then meat: chicken, spam, tuna and cheeseburger. Then boxed stuff, usually lots and lots of pasta. Then anything kind of extra in a jar." That just left the bins. "And then anything in here that's not food is in one of the clear plastic bins. Batteries and light bulbs, stuff like that."
"Thank you Jack," Bridget nodded at the explanation, and picked up a basket to begin her selection. A can of pears went into the basket, followed by some corn. "So keeping track of all this must keep you pretty busy. Do you enjoy it?"
Jack made a face that seemed to say everything. "It's a lot of work. There's not enough time for everything and it's a really big job." She went to get her clipboard and began marking off everything Bridget was taking.
"I'm glad someone's doing it," A few more cans made their way into her basket and she stepped over toward the pasta. "If someone didn't keep track of everything I'm sure we'd run out before anyone realized we were low on something. It's an important job."
"It's a boring job." That was true, it was. Jack felt like she spent every minute of her entire life in this room.
Bridget bit her tongue and reminded herself what she'd been like at thirteen, and she didn't have the excuse of the world ending like Jack did. "Have you talked to anyone about getting some help? Take it from me when I say there's no shame in asking if you feel like your drowning."
Jack shook her head. "I can't. It's my job." She didn't explain that if she gave up, Alice won and Jack refused to give her the satisfaction. Besides, she did want to help and she'd worked so hard already.
Brow furrowed slightly, Bridget looked over at the teen in confusion. "But if you don't like it, and there's not enough time why do you keep trying to do it by yourself?" It was a big job for an adult, let alone a teenager. More items went into the basket and she spotted bottles of vitamins on a nearby shelf and moved toward those.
"Cause it's my job," she repeated. She frowned at Bridget, no longer looking so friendly.
"Oookayy," Bridget gave up trying to speak reason to a moody teenager. She fairly moody herself at the moment and didn't see the need to beat the subject to death. "So what do you like to do when you aren't stuck in here?" One bottle of regular vitamins went into the basket, and Bridget spotted a few bottles of prenatal vitamins and put one of those in the basket as well.
"Skateboard." Jack brightened at the change of subject. "And play with my dog...well, technically my dog, I mean."
A glance back at her with eyebrow quirked. "Technically?"
"He's really Jed's; he was Jed's first."
She'd seen the dog running back and forth a few times since she'd arrived at the suites. "He looks like he's a very friendly dog, but I haven't actually met him yet. How did you and Jed wind up living together?"
"It just kind of...happened." Jack was pretty sure this was the first time she'd ever had to explain; everyone else just knew Jack and Jed came as a pair. "Me and Jed ran into each other and we started meeting up a lot after that. He didn't really like me staying by myself, especially once he found out I was a girl. It took him awhile but he talked me into staying with him and it's been like that ever since."
Bridget nodded thoughtfully and added a few more things to her basket. "That was very good of him to look out for you like that, and not want anything in return. I haven't met many people like that since we started out west."
She doubled back for a package of crackers, and looked over at the teen with a thoughtful expression. "If you could do any job you wanted Jack, what would it be? Just assume that someone else would take over the inventory so you could do something else."
Jack paused, thinking carefully about the question. "I don't know. I like to do stuff more active. Like getting things or building things. Stuff like that."
Bridget made a mental note to follow up with Jed or Alice about that later. With more people coming in they would be getting more supplies and Jack's workload would only be going up. Maybe it was a better idea to get the girl into a job she actually liked. "Then don't forget that while you're so busy being inventory girl ok? I'm sure you don't want to do this job forever." She smiled at her and showed the contents of the basket for her inspection. "I think I've got everything I want for now, anything else I need to do?"
Jack shook her head. "Usually, you'd have to tell me or leave a note saying what you took and how much so that nobody thinks stuff was stolen and it's easier to count but I made a list of what you have already so you're good."
"All right." Bridget nodded at the girl. "I'll see you later then Jack, thanks for the conversation!" With that, the brunette turned and made her way out of the inventory room, hoping that some of the contents of the basket would actually make their way into her stomach and stay there.