Today's short is something of a cheat. This particular piece was one of the first things I wrote as part of one of the novel's I'm working on. It may make it to the final cut, it may not. Unfortunately, a lot of what I write winds up being heavily revised once I realize it doesn't make sense with what I wrote later. What I write later is usually much better. In any case, I hope you enjoy tonight's offering,
Valerie
It’s not
illegal if you’re starving. It’s not
illegal if you’re starving. If you’re
starving, it’s not illegal. How can it
be against the law to survive?
The slender
young girl in the patchwork brown coat wondered to herself if that was true, or
if she was making it so as she watched people pass by on the street. Traffic was low today, the rain was at
moderate heavy so that kept most people indoors. But even so, there were business men out to
grab a lunch because their trophy wives were too busy being fabulous and
neglecting their children to make one.
‘Okay, so I’m
a little bitter...’ thought the girl.
But business
men made good targets. They carried
cash, and lots of it. And they were
usually too wrapped up in doing business to notice when she scurried off with
it. Still, they’d worked for that
money...
She let a few
more lunch bound businessmen pass her by while she wrestled with her
conscience. She always did. It made her feel better about herself,
somehow. She always did it, eventually,
but somehow it didn’t feel as wrong if she felt bad about it first. Then her
mark walked around the corner, and she knew it was time.
He was
wearing a long, dark green coat with a hood.
Not an expensive affair, but not cheap either. It looked like WrexTex, judging from the fact
that it looked like old-world cotton but the water was rolling off like a force
field. But what really settled it for her was the glasses.
He had
mirrored glasses, which meant heads-up-display, which meant money. And by the way he was scowling and marching,
it also meant he was hip-deep in bad news.
He probably wouldn’t even notice her.
She got up
from her doorway seat, and stepped out into the rain. She subtly stretched her
legs. Her coat only went down to her
knees, so her lower legs were always cold.
But she’d had this coat since she was eight. It was lucky.
Glasses was only a block away now.
She started
her dizzy act. It was subtle, and she’d
had lots of experience with her two pneumonia bouts. She began walking slowly towards Glasses,
swaying only slightly from side to side.
She coughed once or twice, quiet like.
He was moving fast, halfway there.
She did a
quick check down both ends of the street.
No cops. Last time she’d pulled
this stunt was almost her last, she hadn’t noticed that a cop was walking up
right behind her until she’d lifted her mark’s wallet. Luckily, most police don’t fit in the small
places she could squeeze. Still, it’d
cost her a shoe. Billy had been pissed
about that.
Glasses was just
about to pass her by, when she suddenly veered hard to her left, and he slammed
into her. She grabbed onto his waist,
and danced back, as though she was trying to stay up.
“Oh geez!” He
exclaimed, his expression changing from upset to shocked in an instant. “Are you okay?” He grabbed her by the
shoulders to steady her.
She coughed,
and nodded. Usually that was enough to
get people to back off, fear of the cough.
He didn’t let go.
“I didn’t see
you there, I was miles away... Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Fine... I’m
fine.” She shook herself from his hands.
“Just, watch your step, man.” And she swayed around him, walking away as
quickly as she dared. After about twenty
feet, she risked a glance back at him.
He was still
standing there, with this weird look on his face. He was staring at her, but he didn’t look
mad, or upset about running in to her, it was something else... It almost
looked like... concern.
She rounded a
corner into an alley, and dropped the act.
Just in time too, as she started running full tilt she could just barely
make out Glasses’ yell...
“Son of a
BITCH!”
She smiled a
little, despite herself, and tore down another alley, losing herself in the
maze of the city as she worked her way home.
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