Fortunately for Jon, being close to Nancy made it much easier to focus. Not that it made a way out any more apparent, but it calmed him enough to remember who he really was. He was Jon, and he lived next door, he remembered that. But beyond that, it was hard to focus on the details. He tried to picture the inside of the house but it was vague, as though he'd only been inside a couple of times to visit.
He tried to remember what Leonard had said when he was downstairs. That he was going to merge him into his mom's life? That seemed about right, since he was dressed exactly like her, and following her into the kitchen without another word. It almost felt like a weak magnetic pull, he felt compelled to follow her lead. He probably could have resisted more if he really tried, but the thought was distinctly unappealing. He recalled the anxiety when she was only a few extra steps away, as though he wouldn't know what to do on his own if she got too far away. Whatever she was doing seemed like the thing he should be doing. Which is why, instead of running back to his house, he started chopping carrots.
It was relaxing, really. The rhythm of the knife on the board, the satisfying crunch, then scooping a handful into a bowl with a plop. He realized he'd never chopped any vegetable in his life, but here he was going at it with the precision of a seasoned home chef. The thought made him proud. He figured he could now probably whip up just about anything if he had the right ingredients. He looked over at Nancy, who was right beside him peeling and chopping potatoes. The two of them moved in tandem, each taking on a different task one by one. They moved around each other when they needed too - Jon felt like he knew right where she was without looking. When she rinsed off her hands he immediately passed her a towel to dry them. When he grabbed the stock from the fridge, she had the pot ready to pour it into. She started humming a song - some pop hit from before Jon was born, something he'd never heard of. But he found himself humming right along, even singing the lyrics in his head.
He knew this wasn't right. There must be something he could do. If he couldn't get away from Nancy, maybe he could get her attention! She had to sense this oddness too, right? He tried to force himself to speak up, to get out a "Hey, Mrs. Drullers!" or a "It's me Jon!" or simply just "Stop!". Instead, all that came out was a very calm "Oh, can't forget the celery!" And as he said it, Nancy immediately reached into the fridge and pulled out the celery. "Ah, there it is," she said, as though she was completing Jon's thought. But was it even his thought? That wasn't what he'd meant to say, but suddenly he was glad he remembered the celery. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he'd forgotten!
No, this still wasn't right! He thought more, and remembered the stone - he had it in his pocket before Leonard had changed him. Where was it now? This skirt had no pockets. He must have been wearing pants a few minutes ago, but that idea seemed so odd to him. It didn't seem likely that the stone would just disappear. So maybe it was still somewhere in this house.
As Nancy scraped the chopped celery into the pot, Jon glanced down the hallway towards the front door. Hanging on a hook beside the door were two identical purses. I keep everything in my purse, Jon realized. Could the stone be in there? He had to go check! But instead of doing that, he turned back to the stove and turned the burner on. Come on, check the purse, he told himself. But instead they both went to the sink to wash their hands. Patting them dry, they each picked up an identical diamond ring off the counter and slipped them onto their ring fingers. The purse. The purse. But no, they had to keep an eye on the pot until it started simmering. A couple of stirs, then the lid on. The purse!
Then Nancy turned and headed out of the kitchen, with Jon right behind, towards the front door. Jon would have pumped his fist, but that wasn't really like him right now. Had it really worked? Had he influenced Nancy enough to get her to do what he wanted? They made a beeline straight to where their purses were hung. Yes, this was it! They each reached inside their respective bags and started digging around. There was a lot in there! A wallet, compact, hand sanitizer, other... hygiene products, and then he felt it - something cool and hard, smooth in some places and jagged in others. He'd recognize that feeling anywhere, it was the stone! Now he had to just pull it out and make a wish!
But instead of pulling the stone out, he felt it slip right out of his fingers. No! What was he doing? It was right there! He kept digging, not even pausing for a second, and felt his fingers wrap around something else. He and Nancy pulled their hands from their purses at the same time, and he realized what it was: a tube of lipstick. He should have wanted to scream, but he realized this was what he was looking for the whole time. They stepped over to the mirror in the entryway and proceeded to purse their lips and apply a fresh coat. When he finished, he slipped the cap back on, and looked at his reflection for a moment.
This should have been terrifying, for both of them! Here Jon was, in his own male body, dressed identically to and standing beside his neighbor's mother. But neither of them looked the least bit worried. Instead they smiled brightly, and ran a hand through their shoulder length hair, just to fluff it up a little bit. They tossed the lipsticks back into their purses and turned around to go back to the kitchen. He had gotten so close to the stone, and now he was just walking away! But at least he knew where it was. Maybe, if he really focused, he could find a way to get back to the stone and use it. He just had other priorities right now. Better check on the soup, Jon reasoned, Ted will be home any minute.
