Sleeping in the backseat of a car sucked. The seats were slanted instead of flat. There were buckles which dug into one's back and Nickolette was on the tall side for a Tel’ani, about average for a human, which meant she couldn't stretch out. The damn vehicle also trapped in all the moisture, leaving her wet and sticky feeling when she woke up. The morning air was stupid cold, but nature called and the bathrooms were several campsites away. She noted that her tent-less, car-less neighbor was also awake, wrapped up in multiple sweatshirts and fiddling with his little green camp stove. Once her morning business was done and she was just about back to her car, Jake looked up at her and asked a question that was a single magical world.
“Coffee?”
Nickolette stopped dead in her tracks. “You have coffee?”
Jake held up a gas station styrofoam coffee cup, “Yes, but I don't have another cup.”
Nickolette found herself a bit confused. Had he run to a gas station while she was using the restrooms and was mocking her? “You made coffee?” she asked, looking for some clarification.
“Yeah, if you got a cup, I can heat some water.”
“Yeah sure.”
Jake nodded and filled his small cooking pot with water from a jug. Nickolette fell into the front seat of her car and pulled open a very similar gas station styrofoam cup to Jake’s. She gave the cup a sniff. It smelled like stale coffee and not like mold so a brief rinse of water should do. She snatched her folding chair and brought it and her cup over to her neighbor's identical camping spot.
“How do you plan to make coffee?” She asked, trying not to sound skeptical.
Jake didn't say a word, just held out his hand for her cup. With the styrofoam container surrendered to the man sitting cross-legged on the ground, Nickolette watched as he put a plastic thing over the rim and stuffed a coffee filter into it. Now she felt dumb. How was she supposed to know they sold single cup drip coffee maker thing-ys. A scoop of coffee grounds and a slow pour of hot water left a rich dark liquid pooling in the cup.
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“Got any cream?”
“No, sorry.” Came Jake's expected reply.
Nickolette shrugged, creamless coffee was better than no coffee. She sat in her chair with a warm cup in her hands and let the hot bitter drink fight back against the cold trying to seep through her sweatpants and hoodie. Jake got up and started packing his things into the tote.
“I guess I'll be moving in today.” He said with a grin as he picked up his tote and brought it over to the backside of Nickolette’s camping spot. He really would be farther away. That was kind of funny. Nickolette said her thanks and goodbyes after taking $15 for his half of the spot. She paid at the entrance and headed off to work.
“Morning Cheryl.” Nickolette said as she meandered to her cubicle.
“Morning.” Cheryl mumbled back.
Nickolette sat down in the chair, turned on her computer, and spread out the morning’s map, weighing down the corners so it didn't roll itself back up.
“Morning.” Came the tired sound of Sam's voice. Those present returned the greeting as he wandered to the back of the line of cubicles. Sam was decent person, he liked online video games and all of the local sports teams a little too much, but he never gawked or was weird around the women. Nickolette felt bad for holding her breath as he went by. Nice guy, but fat and smelly.
“Morning Red.” Cheryl said as the cute little half-elf Lucy wandered in.
“Oh, good morning, Cheryl. Morning Nickolette.” Said the vibrant redhead in her usual quiet tone.
“Morning Luce.” Nickolette said completing the morning rituals.
Nickolette hadn't worked here for a full week yet and she was already sucked into the office rituals and customs. She clocked in, opened the D2L program and began the tedious process of updating city maps with cable line information. Mindless dull drum.
***
“Would you like your trees removed?”
The old man retrieving his mail turned and looked at Jake with a perplexed expression. “What?”
“Sorry.” Jake said with a self deprecating smile. “Bad joke. There are trees growing out of your eaves troughs, if you have a working hose spigot, I can clean those out for you. Not today though.” Jake lifted his bucket slightly. “On dog poop clean up today.”
The old man turned back to his house and examined it. “I do have trees in the gutters.”
Jake tried not to laugh.
“How much?”
“$150.”
“The guy made a show of considering it, but Jake had a feeling that his gutters had been on some to-do list for a long time. “Hmmm, front and back?”
“Yes sir.”
“When?
"Tomorrow.”
“Sure then.”
Jake gave the man a nod. “See you tomorrow then.”
***
Nickolette pulled her car into the camping spot a few hours after dark. A few hours after she finished her second job. Her stomach growled, letting her know that it was displeased with the lack of reasonably decent food. With a sigh she shifted through a box and fished out a pouch of tuna. It was unappealing at best, but hunger was hunger. Jake wasn't visible tonight. His worldly possessions had grown to include a tent and a second tote. Nickolette finished her terrible meal, used the smelly concrete block bathrooms, and grumbled about how much she hated sleeping in a car. Maybe she should get a tent. At least she'd be able to stretch out.