Enduring Mr McGregor

chapter 41

Dedicated to nkm100

***

It had been two weeks since Nia quit her job, and she was beginning to regret her rash decision. Just what the hell had possessed her into doing something so foolish. Robert had called, texted, even came knocking on her door, but her senseless pride had made her ignore it all. Finally he had stopped calling, and she was relieved and saddened at the same time.

Oh well, who cared anyway, she'd find a better job. She had already submitted her CV and credentials to several organizations, surely one of them had to call back right?

She was sure Connor had no idea that she had quit her job. Sighing, she looked at her mother and inhaled the spicy scent of the half done guacamole wafting through the air.

"Mom is it ready yet? I'm starving."

"No, jobless girl," Aida replied.

"You don't have to remind me," Nia murmured sinking further into the sofa so only the top of her head showed.

She stared at the TV blankly. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Ana come into the room. They hadn't spoken to each other since that day, not that she hadn't tried to reach out to her, but Ana had remained stubbornly mute.

Nia sighed. She had never stopped Ana from going to the mall, or taking a walk, hell no one was gonna stop her and ask for an ID, but things like a party? That wasn't safe.

"Nia?" Her mother called from the kitchen.

"Hmm?"

"Where's the garlic?"

Nia scrunched her face. She had purposely not bought the garlic because she didn't like the smell, although Aida had specifically asked for it.

She peeped over the top of the couch at her mother. "You wanted garlic?" She asked in a small innocent voice.

"It was the first item on the list," Aida replied stiffly.

"Yeah, the garlic in the supermarket, they looked bad," she said nodding her head. "Had a brownish tint to it. I think I saw some flies around but I couldn't be sure."

"There's more than one supermarket in this city. Go find me some."

"They're all bad. It was on the news ma, didn't you see it? The headlines read 'Garlic goes bad'. They're saying it's a terrorist attack, they're trying to poison the garlic's so... "

"You think I'm foolish?" Aida asked raising a brow.

"What, no! Pfft, of course not mama. I'm just... "

"Then go find me some. No one is touching that guacamole till I add the garlic. I suggest you get a move on."

Nia glared at her mother's retreating back as she went to her room and mimicked her statement. She didn't understand her sudden love for garlic and ginger.

"She just has to put garlic in everything!" She mumbled as she grabbed her coat. "Garlic in bread, garlic in guacamole, garlic in soup! Ugh I'm tired of garlic! This house is gonna start reeking of garlic!"

All the way to the supermarket, she mumbled about it. She found the garlic of course, despite her prayers that the supermarket would have run out of the smelly vegetable before she got there.

On her way back, she stopped at a red light and watched the pedestrians crossing wondering what would happen if she were to, y'know, step on it. Would they all scatter when they saw her car accelerating towards them? The thought made her laugh evilly.