Desideratum (noun): something wanted or needed
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians
John sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he walked briskly down the cereal aisle, ignoring the brightly colored packages that surrounded him on all sides. Stepping out into the open space at the end of the walkway, he spared a moment and allowed his eyes to roam the small store.
At 11 o'clock a.m., the aisles were mostly empty, the only patrons being three or four elderly couples out shopping for their weekly rations. Turning his attention back to his original destination—the office—John began walking once more, maneuvering around large boxes filled with clearance items and squeezing between two closed checkout lines.
He had almost reached the office when he was distracted again, this time by a frustrated noise. Turning to find the source of the sound, John found himself face to face with one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
She was standing near the magazine rack, cradling a glossy edition of People in perfectly manicured hands. Golden hair spilled across her shoulders and down her back, forming perfect ringlets on her smooth arms. The woman gave another discontented groan, and John hesitantly made his way towards her, more than a little intimidated by her expensive looking clothes and irritated demeanor.
"Is everything all right m'am?" he questioned, eyes skimming the magazine rack to ensure that everything was in its place.
"No, everything is not alright!" The blonde replied in a huff. "It's these idiotic celebrity marriages! They've all got so much potential—handsome guys and gorgeous girls—but every time a romance even starts to build, something happens to tear it down. I've got absolutely nothing to work with! I swear it's like somebody is spiting me. What's the fun of a relationship where nobody's even in love?"
As she spoke, the woman waved the magazine angrily in John's face, forcing him to step back a little. Confused by the spontaneous and rather violent speech he had just been given by a total stranger, John desperately tried to remember how one was supposed to handle situations like these. Customer relations had never been his forte, and now it was coming back to bite him.
"If the magazines offend you miss, you can always file a complaint with management." He suggested weakly. The woman glanced up and stared at John in confusion for a moment, as if she had just realized whom she was addressing. Finally, she spoke.
"No, no, it's not the store's fault. You can't control all of the trouble these so called 'superstars' get themselves into. Thank you for offering, though."
Despite her refusal to file a complaint, the woman seemed somewhat appeased by John's offer, so he hurried to pull out his wallet.
"Here," he said, flipping open the worn leather and pulling out a card, "take this just in case. The number at the bottom is customer service, to call if you're bothered by anything else."
Pleased with a job well done and wondering if his boss would give him a raise for being helpful, John was surprised when the woman reached out and caught his wrist before he could tuck his wallet back into his pants.
"Who's that?" she asked, pointing a polished fingernail at a picture next to his credit card. John let a small smile light his face as he gazed down at the photograph. It had been taken a few months before, when he and his family were visiting relatives on the beach. The picture showed a young brunette with soft brown eyes sitting on the sand. In one arm she cradled a small bundle of blankets, and the other hand rested fondly on a small bump in her stomach.
"That's my wife, Ellie, and our little girl Megan." John explained. "Megan's only a year old, but she has a little brother due sometime in May." John could only beam in pride when he thought about the little boy he would soon be a father to. His sentimental thoughts were cut off by a high squeal that sounded right next to his ear.
"That's your wife?" The woman asked enthusiastically. "How sweet! You guys are so cute, how long have you been together? Are you excited about being parents? Where did you meet?"
John blinked, thrown off by the sudden and rather unexpected onset of questions that were being thrown his way. Attempting to gather his bearings, he stuttered out a few answers.
"Um…thanks…two years this Friday, very…and in a coffee shop in Queens."
"Your anniversary is this Friday?" the woman repeated, suddenly looking rather devious. "Well then, you must have plans, what are you going to do for her? Please tell me, this is just so exciting!"
John was reluctant to share his romantic plans, or rather lack of romantic plans with this stranger, but for some reason he found himself telling her anyway.
"I don't really know. I don't have the time or money to take her out somewhere really expensive, and even then, little Megan would need watching. I was thinking maybe I could buy her flowers, and then cook dinner…" John paused, unaware that he had trailed off mid-sentence. He really did want to do something nice for his Ellie. She had worked so hard all year, taking care of their little girl and squeezing in whatever work she could on the side.
The blonde woman patted his shoulder for a moment in sympathy, before giving a bright smile and reaching into the small, jeweled purse she had hanging off of her arm.
"Here." She pulled out a small slip of paper. "It's the number of this great sitter I know, good service for really low prices. Also, take this." She once again searched through her purse until she drew out her hand, clutching a few green bills and handing them to John.
He was still wondering why in the world such a young, beautiful, and obviously high-class woman would need a sitter for low prices, so it took him a minute to process the small 100's on the bills. When he finally realized what he was holding John started a little and began to protest.
"I couldn't possibly, really." He stammered out, shoving the money back towards the woman. She took a step back and held up her arms, as if fending off an attack.
"Please take it." She begged with a smile. "You've been so nice, and you've really helped me quite a lot. Besides, that beautiful wife of yours deserves some spoiling, and I simply love setting up a perfect date. It just gives such a sense of accomplishment!"
Reluctantly, John withdrew his hand and carefully tucked the sitter's number and the bills back into his wallet.
"Thank you so much. You're very kind." He said. The woman turned from where she was already heading towards the sliding doors.
"No problem at all." She responded cheerfully. " The pleasure was all mine. Have a nice day now." She gave one final wave before exiting the store. Peering through the windows, John could just see her climbing into a bright red sports car in the parking lot and driving away. He stood there stunned for a moment more before breaking out in a large smile, already planning what he could do for his Ellie that Friday. It was only when a fellow co-worker exited the office and asked him if he was okay that he remembered where he had been headed and hurried through the pale green door to meet with his boss.
A/N: Thanks so much to Mercury Gray for a great review. I'm still new to fanfiction, so any constructive criticism is appreciated! : )