Appreciating Sandy's generosity, Jessica cracked open the borrowed lunchbox. Goodness, this was well packed! A bologna and pastrami sandwich cut in rectangles. Homemade potato salad. An assortment of veggies, diced fruits, and a bag of chips. Jessica just about inhaled the first half of the sandwich, her mouth salivating at the anticipation of feeding her hunger. She crunched some of the veggies between her teeth, finding a cup of ranch dip and dunking those in before opening the packet of chips.
Garlic taste. Heavily seasoned. Factoring in the sandwich that left Jessica's throat dry. "Do you happen to have any--?"
Before her question was finished Sandy, wrists deep in some pizza dough, extracted a hand to point towards a pair of thermoses. "Left has the soup, right has the hot chocolate. Try not to get them mixed up."
Momentarily hefting herself from the overturned bucket seat, Jessica grabbed the two thermoses. She opened up the hot chocolate for a long chug, then returned her surprisingly ravenous attention back to Sandy's lunchbox, spooning up potato salad.
"Try to save me some of my lunch, you know," Sandy said a few minutes later. Jessica looked up guiltily, her cheeks stuffed with the last of the fruit and quarter of the sandwich.
"Never mind," Sandy sighed, although her tone was sympathetic. "Plenty of options for figuring out my own lunch around here." A pause as she returned to her work. "Again."
Jessica reached for the thermos, finding chicken soup in place of the hot chocolate she had been anticipating. Chasing the soup with the creamy beverage made her notice the dynamics of the savory chicken broth along with the milky chocolate. Glancing to make sure Sandy didn't notice Jessica took a swig from both, eventually draining both from alternating sips as she tried to find the right balance.
"Feel better?" Sandy asked as Jessica was cleaning up the inedible remnants of the lunchbox.
"Loads, actually," Jessica smiled. "Let me wash these up for you." She set aside Sandy's lunchbox near the other dishes to wash, then returned back to her bakery station. Now to finish up those cupcakes.
-gurgle-
Jessica bit her lower lip. Yet another pang of hunger, right after she had taken advantage of Sandy's generosity by eating her entire lunch. It looked like the pizza cook didn't hear that last rumble over the sound of slapping out dough balls into shape. Jessica felt worried. How could she still feel hungry after eating lunch?
She thought back to the argument with Jason. She had skipped breakfast, so maybe her metaphorical gas tank was still a quart short? What else was there easily enough to grab in the kitchen without it being missed?
That's when Jessica saw the old pizza. In fact, it looked like it might not have changed positions since yesterday. Unused pizzas at Gerbert Gerbil's were kept in the food warmer by policy, a set of stale pepperoni and sausage slices having long crusted over to where the cheese couldn't even bubble anymore. Jessica held a long, unfocused gaze with the old pizza before her newfound appetite finally won out.
Okay, eating the stale pizza was tough. At least it was warm, meaty and once you got past the hard surface the cheese gave way to softness underneath. Jessica snuck two slices when Sandy wasn't looking. Which turned into the rest of the old pizza slices over the course of the next half hour.
Feeling rather unaccomplished in her day of snaking, Jessica buckled down harder on meeting the quota of cakes meant for a birthday party later that afternoon. She focused on a familiar rhythm of mixing batter, baking, cooling and decorating said cakes.
Broken up by still more cravings.
Still utterly bewildered by her hunger pangs Jessica was losing all will against them, taking more brazen attempts at sneaking bites now that she had heard the camera in the kitchen didn't work properly and Sandy was the only other worker on shift, herself distracted with cooking. What was the harm with Jessica invoking the rule of the baker's dozen, with a thirteenth (and accompanying fourteenth) cupcake for her to savor.
The followup half bag of buttercream frosting was unintended until Jessica realized she was squeezing the sugary goodness right past her lips. She did remember to start a new bag to continue frosting cakes for the customers.
Overall, just as Jessica thought she could eat no more, her stomach would settle in fifteen or so minutes to offer up a little more room. Maybe it was due to her accidental combination of chicken stock and hot chocolate that had her mind and tongue straying towards downright bizarre taste combinations.
To heck with this. Call it an early supper but Jessica was making herself something to take home. That is, if she could leave work before scarfing it down right then and there.
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