a stitch in TIME

[jacquliene]

It really was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was a very light breeze, which kept the inevitable warmth of the summer bearable. It was still early, around eight in the morning, and on a Tuesday to boot, so Jax really had the park mostly to herself. Had it been a bit later, and on a weekend, the place would be packed full of families and filled with the sounds of their outdoor activities. That’s one of the many reasons that the redhead avoided the park during peak times. If she wouldn’t company, she’d bring a running buddy.

The girl was just finishing up her run, and, red-faced and smiling, she headed towards the parking lot where her hunter green Prius was waiting. Automatically, she checked her watch, noting that she had just about forty-five minutes before she had to be walking in the door to work. That was just enough time to get back to her apartment, shower and get ready to head back out the door.

This run will probably be the best part of my day, she mused, as she reached her car and pushed her thumb into the button on the car handle. Normally, the little genius of a car would unlock and she would be on her way. However, apparently Claudette was feeling less than cooperative this morning. The door remained locked, even as Jax continued to press the button and pull the door handle, increasing the strength with each yank.

“Damn it,” she yelled, as she kicked the car quite furiously with her left foot. “You stupid car. More trouble than you’re worth. “

She threw the bag she carried and began to furiously dig through it, throwing its contents on the ground beside her.

“Arrrghhhh,” she growled, as she realized her keys weren’t in there. Jax threw her now empty water bottle at the car, which only complicated the situation. Not only was she causing a scene with the yelling and the antics, but now, the car’s alarm system had been activated. Even though she didn’t need the keys to unlock the car like a normal key would be used, they still needed to be within a certain range to allow the car to unlock. They were, quite obviously, nowhere close enough.

“I must have dropped them somewhere while running,” she muttered to herself, as she threw everything back in the bag and began to stand up to head back out to search for the stupid things. As she did so, she pulled out her phone to text her boss and give him a heads-up in case she was late.

words: 440
tagged: ANYONE
notes: wearing this
inspiration: Samson by Regina Spektor
credit: goes to Dollie

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[free2]

Today. she had decided to switch it up. Instead of run in her neighborhood, she had driven her and her Miniature Pinscher, Bear, to the park. They needed a change in scenery. It was pretty vacant, not many people having the time here in town before work started. She was lucky, she hadn't picked up a summer job yet. If she ever would. While her sister had an academic scholarship, she had an athletic one. She wasn't too hard pressed for money.

She had taken a couple laps around the park when Bear started barking hysterically at something in the grass. She tried to yank him along, but he wasn't even facing the right direction, he could get hurt. She walked over to him, and found him staying very clear of a pair of keys. Bear, silly doofus, they're keys. But if you looked at the dog, there was something big and scary right there. Riley looked around, and didn't see any stuff with the keys. Nor did she see anyone that looked like they were looking for something. The park didn't have a lost and found or anything, and she didn't want to leave them somewhere obvious that any one could pick them up. What should she do?

She finally decided to pick them up, pocketing them and jogging toward the parking lot. She'd lap around it until she saw someone looking frantically in purse or pockets for their keys. She was at the other end of the parking lot when a car alarm started going off, so she made a beeline toward where it was coming from. A redhead was headed away from a car, and Riley pulled out the keys to compare. When she got close, she could hear the soft sound of the doors unlocking. What? She glanced at the keys, then at the car. There is no end to the stuff they will put in our cars or keys, she muttered under her breath. She sprinted to catch up to the girl, who was now on her cell phone. Riley put a hand on the girl's shoulder. Excuse me, I believe these are your keys.

She was quite amused, seeing the utter frustration on the girl's face, noting that the car alarm was most likely because of a bout of frustration on her part, somehow setting it off. Riley was rather unapologetic, but she was holding the keys in her proffered hand. They wore similar clothes, although Riley had opted for shorts, seeing as how quickly the sun would heat everything up. The girl looked to be fit, and Riley wouldn't have been surprised if the other girl was just as fit as herself. She looked to be college age, and Riley hoped they would at least make acquaintances so that Riley would know someone in the college.