Bravado by Mel

"You can do this Tanner...you been on harder cases than this. In and out, one shot, no problem." Vin psyched himself up as he circled in on his target. "Ain’t nothin’. In and out, nobody’ll see you." He checked the store ceiling and walls overhead for security cameras, and glanced all ways for potential witnesses.

The scene was clear, he’d hardly even have to break stride. Just swoop in, grab the prize, and be on his way. He could do this. He could. He knew he could.

"I wonder if Larabee puts each new guy on this assignment, or just the stupid ones?" He felt his skin prickle with tension as he neared the site. He checked the instructions again, scribbled on the back of an expired coupon and shook his head. "Just the stupid ones."

Checking his surroundings one last time, Vin took a few decisive strides down the aisle, watching out of the corner of his eye for his quarry to come into view. Then little by little, his steps slowed, more and more until he was stopped dead, faced with more possibilities than he’d ever dreamed existed. He was so flabbergasted he didn’t even notice that an innocent bystander had wandered into the area.

"What the hell?" he puzzled out loud.

"You need help?" the woman asked. Her voice startled Vin, he was embarrassed to have been caught. But he knew he needed help. He pushed his instructions at her.

"Which ones are these?" No way he was going to say it out loud.

She read the note. This man was in the store to buy tampons. "Wow, you must really love your wife."

"Not my wife, friend a’mine’s wife."

She gave him a searching look up and down. "Gambling debt?"

Vin let out a breath and his shoulders slumped. "Bravado." If he wanted sympathy, he wasn’t going to get it.

"Geesh." the woman said as she pulled the correct item off of the shelf. "You know just because it’s external, doesn’t mean you gotta keep measuring it." She held the box out to him but he didn’t take it at first. He stared at her, surprised by her bluntness. She stood not quite as tall as him, with wavy hair that didn’t quite make her shoulders, and of a sturdy frame. She offered the box one more time, a little more insistently and Vin finally took it into his hand, holding it like it was poisonous.

"You want me to buy that for you? Make the drop outside?" In an flash, the box was back in her hands and she dropped it into the shopping basket over her arm. "Should we have a code word, or do you think we can get by without one?"

Vin squinted at her, puzzled that she could be so casual about something so - so - intimate. She took pity on his distress and let it go. "You have any other shopping to do? I’m done just as soon as I grab my stash." She indicated more products over her shoulder. No way would Vin hang around while she made her own selection.

"No, I’m done. I only came in for the - well, that’s all she - I mean -" He could feel it, his face had to be beet red by now.

"This friend must be important to you." Now she spoke seriously.

"He saved my life." Vin answered just as seriously, then had to joke. "Takes it outta my hide every now and again...I ‘preciate your help...thought I could do it. Guess I just ain’t as tough as I reckoned."

"No, please. You’ve brightened up what was an otherwise boring day. I’m Jesse, by the way."

"Vin."

"Well Vin..." Jesse found his blush very sweet. "I can meet you out by the mailbox, by the front door? Shouldn’t take more than five minutes, lines look empty today."

"Okay, sure. Thanks." He handed her the money for the - the - them - then walked to the front of the store and kept going outside to wait for her.

It only took the few minutes Jesse said it would. She got the tampons in a separate paper bag, folded over and tucked inside a plastic bag with handles so that Vin wouldn’t have to touch the actual box again.

"Vin." She said to herself and laughed. "Like I know him." She saw him again, before he saw her. He stood easily, one thumb tucked into a belt loop of his jeans, watching out over the parking lot of the grocery store. He wasn’t nervous now, Jesse could tell. He was taking stock of the people and vehicles in the lot, watching the comings and goings, he seemed to be almost cataloguing the bits and pieces of information as though he might need them later on.

What she noticed most though was the way he looked just standing there, in a long sleeved plain white shirt tucked into faded blue jeans, with well-used work boots on his feet. Jesse found herself saying: "My my my, whose little boy are you?" before she got within ear shot. "Lord, I want one of those."

Vin scanned the parking lot, watching the people and traffic with his eyes, but something else was going on inside his head. No wedding ring he remembered. Mis-matched button on her shirt. Pretty eyes. Shoe lace was busted on one sneaker, she had to tie it in the second hole from the top...no wedding ring. He sensed someone approaching on his left and turned to see Jesse carrying the well-camouflaged necessity in one hand. She offered it to him by the handles of the plastic bag.

"Here you go, here’s the change. Hope your friend appreciates your help. Though I doubt he’ll appreciate it as much as his wife will..." Jesse smiled at Vin and was gratified when he smiled back at her.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." But he hesitated taking the bag out of her hand.

"I charge extra for deliveries." Jesse said and he took it from her, looking like he wished he could hold it arm’s length away all the way to his car.

"How much extra?" he asked and Jesse laughed.

"Brave man - it won’t bite you, nobody can tell what it is through the bag, and it poses no threat to your manhood. However if you don’t get it to your friend’s wife pretty soon, I’ll lay odds that she’ll be threatening parts of you that you didn’t even know you had."

Something then, in the way her eyes sparked as she laughed, or how the slight breeze caught her hair, or just the fact that she was talking to him, touched Vin and he didn’t want to leave not knowing if he’d ever see her again.

"You shop here a lot?" he asked.

"Usually late Thursdays, after all the other customers have gone home...can’t stand crowds, y’know? Get in my way, walk too slow, take up all the aisle, can’t decide if they should buy the $2.95 piece of beef, or the $3.05 piece. I came here today out of plain necessity. Good thing too I guess, or you’d still be in there counting boxes. Unwilling, I’m guessing, to concede defeat."

"Naah, I just woulda stood there till Thursday night and you’da rescued me then..." He smiled, and didn’t want to leave but knew he had to. These - these - these - weren’t just a necessity, but an emergency for Mary who was so sick that Chris claimed he couldn’t leave her alone to go to the store himself. Claimed being the important word. "Well, maybe I’ll see you some Thursday night? I ain’t all that keen on crowds neither. Sounds like a good time to shop."

"Well, I hope I do see you." Jesse told him. "This has been fun."

Then they said goodbye, Vin went to his truck and when he turned back he spotted Jesse half a parking lot away from him, getting into her own truck. He smiled to himself again, thinking ahead to Thursday night.

END