Chapter 2 - peanut butter & jelly time

The lunchroom was crowded when Kain walked in. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around at the rows of metal tables and the mass of occupants using them. The murmur of many voices filled the air.

Finally spotting an empty table, he hurried over before it could be claimed.
As he settled into the hard plastic chair, he set his lunchbox on the smooth metal surface in front of him. The box itself was a soft, insulated cooler. He smiled slightly to himself as he reached for the zipper, when a movement in his peripheral vision made him stop and look up.

Three other men had surrounded the table and were settling down, all of them staring at him intently. Kain sat back in his chair, his own eyes shifting to take in the other men as they settled down. "Hey guys." He greeted them politely.

The three men grumbled their own greetings in reply, although their expressions were less than welcoming. "You weren't even going to wait for us, were you." One of the men grumbled, plopping a grease-spotted Burger King bag onto the table before him.

"You know this is the highlight of our day, man." Another of the men whined, the familiar green and yellow wrapper of a subway sandwich in his hands.

Kain chuckled softly and offered an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, guys, but I'm hungry today. This is my favorite part of the day too." He looked around at his audience once more. All three of the men were ignoring their meals to stare greedily at his lunch box.

"Well?" Demanded the third man, who's microwaved frozen dinner steamed enticingly. "Are you going to open it up or are we going to play guessing games? What's in the box today, Kain?"

Kain chuckled again and reached for the zipper. With a theatrical flourish, he pulled the zipper along it's track and flipped open the lid before peering inside, a large smile growing across his lips. "Oh, now this is nice." He said.

All three of the men leaned closer, trying to get a peek at the goodies hidden inside the cooler. He waved his hand in a shooing motion to send them back to their seats and then reached into the cooler.

First he pulled out a can of Pepsi, tiny drops of condensation already forming along its aluminum sides, and set it on the table. Reaching in again, he pulled out a sandwich inside of a plastic bag. "Peanut butter and jelly. A good comfort food." The sandwich was followed by another clear ziplock bag of fresh apple slices. A snack pack of potato chips followed the fruit. The grand finale, a chocolate cream-filled cupcake, he held up with a flourish.

"Wow, that looks so great." The man with the sub said regretfully. He looked down at his own lunch and sighed. He began to unwrap his sub, and as if the signal had been given, the other men started in on their own meals.

Kain picked up his sandwich and pulled open the seal. The scent of nut ant fruit wafted to his eager nose. Smacking his lips hungrily, he lifted the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. The savory flavor of the peanut butter mixed with the tart sweetness of the raspberry preserves, his favorite, with a hint of buttery salt.

It was a habit of his wife to put a thin layer of butter or margarine on the bread before making his sandwiches. She claimed it kept them from getting soggy before he was ready to eat. He didn't know if that was true or not, but the practice did add a layer of flavor to his meal.

Bite after bite, he savored the firm texture of the bread, the creamy firmness of the peanut butter and the cold squish of the fruit preserves against his tongue. All too soon, he found himself popping the last bite of sandwich into is mouth and chewing happily.

He reached for the apple slices next. Pulling one of the fresh slices from the ziplock bag, he bit a small piece from the tip of the treat. The fruit's flesh was firm and crisp, which made a soft crunching sound under his teeth. The apple's skin broke with a snap and a fine mist of juice sprayed his lips. His tongue snaked out to clean the droplets before taking another bite. One by one, the apple slices disappeared down his gullet.

The crisp, salty flavor of the potato chips was a nice counter to all the sweetness, although he finally opened the Pepsi and took a sip. The sugary liquid complimented the starch even as it washed it from his mouth. As the last chip was crunched and chewed and the last sip of soda swallowed, Kain eagerly turned to his desert.

The plastic wrapper crinkled loudly in protest as it was torn away and thrown back into the cooler. Kain lifted the cake to inspect it for a moment, twirling it lightly in his fingertips. The cupcake was one of the commercially produced treats he used to enjoy as a child. Pulling it to his face, he inhaled the bittersweet smell of cocoa powder and the sharp sweetness of sugar.

Finally taking a bite, he was pleased at the soft sponginess of the cake. Having exposed the pocket of cream inside, he dipped his tongue into the middle of the cupcake to scoop out the fluffy vanilla cream, swallowing greedily before darting out his tongue for more. Once the cake had been licked clean, it took only three large bites for the rest of the treat to follow.

Kain was licking his fingers clean just as the whistle sounded to call an end to his lunch break.

"See you tomorrow, Kain." The three men called as they cleaned up their portions of the table and walked away.

"See you later guys." He called back with a wave, zipping up his lunch box and walking out of the lunch room. He hummed a light tune to himself as he walked back to his station.