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 Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:05 pm
He laughed at that, shaking his head. "You aren't wrong about that. Little bit sketchy, you know, sticking people full of sharp things." So she was a little batty. Whatever. Had to be, taking care of gross people for a living. Yeesh.
"Hobo Joe?" A brow arched slowly. "Me? Huh. Got a nice ring to it." Not as nice as that gleaming sign of fattening corporate greed, however. "But to answer your question... Destiny City. That's it. That's all I've got. Just the name, mind you, not anything that'd be useful."
He rolled his eyes, offering a slight grin. "Whatevs. I'll remember one day. Or not. Make up a new identity. Live as a superhero."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:06 pm
She grinned back. "Saving innocent nurses from creepy car-rubbing hobos, I'm sure. I'll keep an eye out for your headline in the newspaper."
Pulling up, the parking lot was, as expected, empty. There was always the drive-thru, but where did they have to go after that? It's not as if she could grab him a meal and drop him off at his house.
The thought saddened her, suddenly. She knew he had no home (ergo, homeless), but the idea of getting him food and watching him walk away towards empty, memory free streets troubled her more than she liked. How could he have no memory of anything? There had been plenty of patients with confusion, only a few of them with actual, diagnosed amnesiac episodes and all of those had be caused by either drugs or trauma.
Shaking her head, she turned off the car and dragged one tired foot out after the other. Her stomach, unlike his, wasn't terribly hungry but she could probably use a meal, greasy or not.
As she moved to get the door, she glanced back over towards him and watched as he entered past her. His hair was long, from what she could tell, judging by the ponytail on the back of his head - there were no empty patches, but then again, if he'd been wandering around for some time now, the hair could have grown over it. Hm.
Ushering him in, she took a moment to dig in her purse in search of her wallet. The cashier looked as enthusiastic as any cashier would at nearly four in the morning, but Julie didn't mind that.
"Get what you want," she nudged at him, mindful not to do any more unwanted touching as she continued to search for her money. "For now and for later. Call it an early thanks for your heroic future deeds, Super Joe."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:06 pm
"What, drunk homeless man trips down a manhole and breaks his neck?" He shot back, clearly amused at the thought. Well, of course he was. Alcohol cost money, and unless he had a secret power of being able to s**t golden nuggets, he was fresh out of luck.
He leaned forward eagerly, scrambling out of the car with a bit of a bounce in his step. Food food food. He'd never get sick of eating, loved the feeling of having a full belly without any hunger pains keeping him up at night. It was a simple pleasure, but he'd never underestimate it again.
Of course, the man gave a guilty start at her words, looking sheepish. It was like she was able to hear how much he was wishing he could order one of everything. "Maybe not such a good idea, Nurse. I don't want to chew through your whole wallet."
He could be good, right? He could not be tempted by the delicious grease that was burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets.... right?
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:07 pm
She never turned his way, instead focusing on the neon-lit signs touching the ceiling. The pictures looked about as appetizing as the food the hospital cafeteria served, but for the price of it all, apt for what she was getting. There wasn't much concern for the homeless stranger to empty her billfold, not when the majority of the of the options were inexpensive (it was clearly a balance of sorts - monetary value in exchange for nutritional value).
"Just remember the little people who helped you along the way when you make it big."
Smiling, Julie stepped forward towards the register and took advantage of the man's hesitance. Holding up her fingers, she recited her order slowly, enunciating each word for the half-sleeping cashier and reinforcing her numbers with a finger count.
"Three Big Macs. Two McRibs. Two McChickens. One twenty-piece nuggets. Three large fries." Her eyes darted over the menu one last time. "One double cheeseburger, one Quarter Pounder and one wrap. Any kind."
There, at least there'd be some lettuce involved.
Oh - "And two sodas."
The cashier's half-glazed look had faded, replaced with curiosity at the large order, then at the couple. Her mouth didn't open, but her expression said it all: what?
Without battling an eye, Julie explained. "We're hungry."
The answer did not seem satisfying to the confused cashier, but, after a few moments, the girl finally reiterated the order, tacking on at the end with a "Would you like a Filet-O-Fi-"
"No."
The order was tallied, cash was exchanged and the two were given their soda cups as they waited for the order. Raising the empty cup, she tilted it in his direction, mock-salute, as she headed towards the soda machine. "At least odds are in our favor that some of it will be fresh."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:07 pm
The magnitude of her order struck him dumb, his gaze slanting towards her as though to see if she knew what she was talking about. Judging by the elementary counting lesson that was going along with each number, Nurse Payne did, indeed, know what she was talking about.
"Oh," He said. "You mean make it big like when I gain three hundred pounds. When I'm running and crying on a treadmill on The Biggest Loser, I'll tell them I'm doing it for you." He was trying not to drool up a storm at the mere thought, his stomach cramping up as though it remembered just how empty it truly was. He shifted anxiously on his feet, snatching up his soda cup and staring in wonder at the machine. So many flavors. Which would be the worst for him, he wondered?
In the end, he went with just Coca-Cola, savoring each sickly sweet carbonated sip with relish. "Lady, some of us aren't picky over something as trivial as freshness. They could give me three-day-old roadkill and I'd think that s**t was gourmet." They picked out a small two-seater table near one of the windows, and he focused on breathing deeply through his nose instead of his stomach cramps. It'd look tacky to eat the salt on the table, right? Right.
He might have still been eyeballing it, regardless.
"So. A dinner companion? Really? That's all you wanted?" Why was he having a hard time buying that?
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:08 pm
Tsunake CONGRATS u won mcdonald's
A sip on her straw and the cold Sprite was welcomed by her dry, tired mouth. Coffee was a staple that could get her through the night, but nothing replaced the sweet, almost sting of carbonated soda.
"Never dined with a Hobo before," came the explanation, matter-of-factly, "Had it on the bucket list. Figured it was a better alternative than to let you keep rubbing yourself all over my Beetle."
Only a moment later, the fast food waitress was calling their receipt number. Leave it to the workforce demanding fifteen dollars an hour to refuse to walk the fifteen feet to deliver the only order in the store. Sigh.
Rising from her chair, she made her way back to the counter to retrieve the food, snagging several ketchup packets and various sauces along the way. The tray was significantly heavier than any other McDonald's order she'd had... then again, she hadn't ordered for two (or ten) in quite some time.
Sliding the tray in front of her dining partner, she casually lifted one order of nuggets and a container of fries from one of the bags, placing the duo in front of her, next to her soda. There was no waiting on her part, lest she watch the starving man in front of her shrivel even further away. The lid was popped, a nugget bit in half.
"So." Chew, chew swallow. "Did you have a place in mind to stay for the night?"
Blue eyes studied him as he began digging through the bags of food. "Y'know. Not familiar with the Hobo hangouts. New to the scene and all."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:08 pm
"Whoa," He raised his hands dramatically, his eyes rolling upwards with mock-indignation. "I am not a hobo. I'm a stray. One day I'll get adopted into a home where they'll treat my fleas and everything. You'll see." He wouldn't even comment about the Beetle thing, because it was mostly true. The man perked up immediately when Nurse Payne brought the food back, waiting with strained patience as she took the pack of nuggets before he helped himself to a burger. It was impossible not to wolf it down, the grease and fat being the most delectable thing he could possibly imagine.
Swallowing thickly, he managed to crack a grin at her. "Oh, you know. Couch surfing. People are nicer than you'd think. Was planning on banging on doors of places that had already let me in once..."
Which wasn't a guarantee, mind, but what choice did he have? If he lucked out, he wouldn't be sleeping on the streets. He quickly resumed tearing into his food, oblivious to the fact that he was going to seriously regret eating so much so fast. Funny how starvation worked like that.
"Don't tell me you're gonna try to offer me a place to stay?" He managed between bites. "You don't even know me. I could be a serial killer. Seducing young nurses into buying me shitty amazing fast food and then murdering them in their beds."
A long pause.
"Unless you have a heated dog house."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:09 pm
Tsunake don't lie or u won't get nuggets
"No, I was jus-"
Great. How was there a nice way to say "No, I had absolutely no intentions of letting you and your smelly self into my new home, I was going to offer you a lift to the nearest shelter in hopes of them finding you a cot for the night."
There really wasn't a nice way to back out of the hole she apparently thrown herself into. Had she thrown herself into one? Hobo Joe here clearly thought she was about to extend an invitation - and, after thinking about it, why wouldn't he assume such? She'd already shoved the stranger in her car and stuffed him full of McDonald's, wouldn't room and board be next on the agenda?
Taking in strays again, Jules?
Her ex would be mocking her, she just knew it. Always trying to save the day, always trying to save the strays. Leaving food and water out for the wandering animals in the neighborhood, saving her extra dollars for the beggars in the subway station. He poked fun at her for trying to save the world, told her how pointless it was - there would always be more strays breeding more strays, more homeless people staying out on the street, looking for handouts from the hard-earned citizen. <******** you, Jack. The memory burned itself into her mind, fingers squeezing the fry pinched between them. I can save the world however I want to.
Blue eyes looked back up at the redhead, mouth still half full of a Big Mac. Was she really going to do this?
............
She was really going to do this.
"And you got into a car with a stranger. A stranger, I might add, with a medical degree and the ability to kill a person without leaving any evidence."
The fry between her fingers was popped in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. Sure, it wasn't the most reassuring thing she could probably say, but her mood was still laced with irritation and she felt it did good to get her point across. "I don't have a dog, but I do have a couch. I wouldn't count on anything else, though, since I've just moved in. In case you were a stray that tended to burglar too."
She could feel the eyes watching her, the McDonald's manager having ambled out (probably from boredom) to talk to the sleepy cashier. It may not have been a good idea to mention the killing thing, out in public.
Rising from her chair, she slid her purse back over her shoulder and retrieved her Sprite. Her free hand motioned for him to gather his paper bagged belongings and follow suit. "You can finish the rest at home or on the street. It's long past my bedtime and I need to know if I should be getting a couch ready along with my own bed. Your choice, Hobo Joe."
Tired feet dragged themselves towards the door, one hip bumping it open as she stood in front of it, turning back towards her companion.
"So what'll it be?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:09 pm
Watching her mentally backtrack was far more amusing than it should have been, though he did feel a stab of guilt. She was clearly uncomfortable, and seriously, he hadn't actually meant to put her on the spot like that. Throwing out a hobo back out onto the streets didn't look so good on the old morality scale.
Before he could let her off the hook, she mentioned something about murder. He offered her an almost uneasy grin, not sure how to take that statement. "You think so? Well. Guess it isn't like anyone would be looking for me." A part of him, deep, deep down, almost relished the thought of her trying.
He met her gaze for a long moment, considering, weighing the options before he decided to let her off easy. "Then you have yourself a good night. You've already done more than enough for me." Maybe her killing comment had weirded him out more than he'd thought. Still, she'd helped him get another meal, even if he could already feel his stomach beginning to cramp from just how much and how quickly he'd wolfed through some of it.
"See you around," He started, then grinned idly as though he'd said something funny. "Nah. Probably not."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:10 pm
His refusal did not entirely assuage her feeling of obligation, but she nodded her head in understanding. If anything, she now felt a twinge of guilt over feeling relieved that he had declined her offer.
Oh, why did everything have to be so complicated sometimes?
"If you're sure." She did not repeat her offer. He'd been thoughtful enough to let her off the hook and she wasn't one to press. Hobo Joe probably felt just as awkward as she did. "There's a shelt--"
Julie caught herself. The word shelter just felt demeaning, all of a sudden. She'd used the term all the time for the homeless that wandered into the ER, but after dining with one, after spending time talking - letting him ride in her car, it felt like she was addressing a friend from long ago, as opposed to a nameless stranger from off the street.
Even though that's exactly what he was.
"...home, down the road a couple blocks. I could drop you and your dinner off, if you'd like?"
The redhead had gathered his bags of food with one hand, waving his other in a dismissive fashion as he passed her, walking through the doorway and into the chilly January air. "I'm good. Thanks though. See ya around, Nurse Payne."
With that, he was down the sidewalk and back onto the streets. She stood there watching him, long enough for the McDonalds' cashier to clear her throat awkwardly, before slipping through the doorway herself and making her way to her VW.
A strange way to end a shift, surely - she was certain she'd berate herself in the morning for being so rash and careless. At the same time, though, it was oddly pleasant to finally have a conversation partner over dinner.
Humming to herself, she flicked the badge dangling from her flower and backed out of the parking lot. She'd worry about tomorrow once tomorrow arrived.
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