” The bus had came to a halt and every one was out of it. Erica had fallen asleep on her mother’s bosom and Marilyn had been careful not to awake her little daughter. She got a cab and headed straight to the blood Mary tavern.
” Oh you. The Two hundred dollar lady right?” Sacramento asked as he stood by the entrance of the door like he was a security guard.
” Why do I always have to see you when I come in, don’t you have places to be.” She said feeling infuriated by the antiques of the lanky dude.
” Hey is that girl you carry on your shoulder alive?” Sacramento asked, his gaze had fallen on the little child and no doubt he felt attracted to what he was seeing.
” Oh damn you. Not my daughter. Get your eyes off her.” She said breezed passed the tall moron who slowly turned and kept on gazing at the dark hairs of the little baby till she was out of sight. The single mom hurried her way to the office of Gallagher and knocked on it. She was met with silence. She knocked on it again and was still met with silence. Perhaps he wasn’t in or perhaps he was busy bedding another lady she asked, choosing to feel jealous for reasons even she couldn’t pin point. She knocked again, this time around causing her daughter to wake up. She could tell from the frenzy on the girls face that the child was very scared of the red light that seemed to give a bloody cast when it fell on human skin.
” Mummy?” She called out as she couldn’t even fathom where she was and how she had come there. ” Baby close your eyes I’m here with you. It’s just the light.” She said to her daughter and quickly tapped her softly on the back. The school bag which she had packed some clothing and toiletries, now seemed to weigh a ton and she dropped it by the side of her brown leader boots. There was still silence from the office until the voice of reason was heard once again. ” Mam, you will break down the door and still find no one in it.” It said, bringing it’s footstep closer to her and her daughter..
” Where is your boss?” She asked in a vicious whisper. As she turned her gaze at Sacramento. ” Who is asking and for what reasons do you ask. ” probed the tall Moron who was trying to act smart or so she thought.
” Damn it man I haven’t got all day. Where is your boss.” She asked letting out her cool at the tall man by her flanks.
” Don’t shout. The boss has asked me to be discreet about his movements. You will have to wait for him in the parlor or you will have to keep knocking the door to find out.” Said Sacramento as he gazed at her empty pale palms. She said nothing and stood looking at him, not knowing in exact, how to tackle a man of his sense of reason.
” Where is your fine phone. The one with three cameras. Where is it.” He asked with his usual slow tone that made him sound like a weak death rattle.
” And what about my phone? Do you want it for yourself. Can you buy it? Get lost.” She said and began to walk towards his direction, while headed to wait in the parlor.
” How much?” He asked still gazing at her hands and perhaps praying for the phone to appear from thin air.
” One thousand dollars.” She said in a mocking tenor while walking past him with her bag hung on her shoulder.
” One thousand dollars.” He mumbled innately and raised his fingers to his gaze as he heard her footsteps getting fainter by the seconds.
” One thousand eh.” He mumbled softly and began to bend his fingers equal and stopped at the fourth one.
” Three hundred dollars from big Haul in three places and my wage. One thousand dollars.” He said and nodded slowly in agreement to his own brilliancy. His math skills had just given him the blue print to own the three tri cameral iPhone. It was time for his facilitating skills to do so. He turned around slowly with as much gusto as his energy level could afford him and began to head straight to the parlor where Marilyn would be waiting. In no time, he had managed to travel there in time to execute his mastery.
” Oh God what is it again.” She said with her head tuck backwards into the sofa. It was warm and she was almost falling asleep even though the jazz music where splitting the airwaves.
” Mam! I bring you business.” He Said at the top of his flat voice which was barely head under the speakers. ” What bullshit do you speak of man.” She said fighting hard to wade him off and innately wanting the money she could get from his offers.
” I can get you big haul again. Right now.” He said not giving a damn that a little child was on its mothers bossom.
” Get away from me man. Don’t you see me with my kid. Don’t you think.” She exclaimed as she quickly placed her palms over the exposed ear of Erica.
” Ouch. Mum your hands are cold!” The little child cried out and yanked her mom’s palms with so much speed and Alacrity. ” Oh god! Sorry baby I didn’t mean to.” Said Marilyn and signalled her self appointed agent to go away. At this point, Sacramento had to agree that he might have been taking quite too much from the poor lady. It was okay to buy the phone in eight folds by saving a hundred each and adding up with his weekly wages as Gallaghers confidante.
” Mam, three hundred dollars from Haul. He likes you very much.” He said again and flexed three erected fingers at her.
” Get off me please. Don’t say such shit in front of a child.” She said and placed her hands in her bag took out a hand kerchief and placed It over the ears of her daughter.” Baby the sound of the speakers are too loud and they won’t let you sleep.” She excused herself, after briefly taking off the handkerchief to explain to explain her act to the little child who didn’t care less. All she wanted to do was make the best out of the warm room which didn’t feel like their home in Texacana that was a cold as a freezer. The lanky dude stood there gazing at her and didn’t take his three fingers down.
” Three hundred is big money. You should take it.” He persuaded and flexed his three fingers all over again. In as much as modesty was thing she loved to exhibit, poverty was thing she had to fight away from.
” Damn it. Leave me be you fellow. Please!” She struck out, shutting out both him and her persuasive mind at almost the same instance.
” At this point he was glad to forget about the phone and take what ever he could take from the deal, if he convinced it to pull through. ” Four hundred? Four hundred Is two times from last pay. You can bury your baby with that.”…
” She’s not dead. Bastard!” She cursed out and subconsciously placed her face close to the child nose. She percept her warm breathing. She angrily raised her face up and stared the human that was being bent on making her go through hell. ” But why was he adding up the rate?” She asked herself as she gazed at him in a whole different light.” Alas ! He wasn’t as dumb as she thought he was.
” Why are you bent on making me go through hell and why do you keep raising the price. Are you paying. With who I’m i getting down with? She asked in mild shock.
” No not me. I have no money for that. It’s from big Haul. You must know him . The guy from last time.” He said, making it sound as if though she didn’t have an idea on whom she was taking about.
” The beast who tried to rip me limb from limb. I’m never having anything to do with him even if he was going to pay a thousand. I still have scars from the last time when he was hitting me like I stole from him. Why are men so cruel. What did I do to him. All he needed to do as screw me and leave.” She said, getting infuriated from reflecting on his actions.
” Mam. If he screws and goes then he pays fifty. He pays four hundred for the heat and all the beating he beats the women.” Said Sacramento and nodded In accord to what he was saying. No doubt, he was a negotiator who knew a lot about the side hustle that brought extra bucks to his pockets.
” Four hundred you say? The bastard gave me a little over two hundred. Where did the rest of the money go?” She asked and paused in curiosity to view his reaction. He said nothing and kept on flexing the three fingers before her. She gazed at them and waved her head in frustration. He wondered why, gazed back at his fingers and quickly flipped up the fourth finger before continuing to flex them at his client. She gazed at her daughter and gazed at her pause which was lying by her side. She didn’t have as much a fifty dollars in it. Her welcome was full of uncertainty just to think she was here with a child. Four hundred dollar could do lots of good. It could serve as a shock absorber should anything go wrong with her arrival at the town.
” He is mean you know. And I have a daughter to live for. If he kills me, what shall become of my child. You could get me a couple of hooks with men who don’t hit so hard. I can’t face Erica with another black eye. I can’t.” She sulked emotionally and slowly placed her chin on the side head on the scalp of the little child. At four hundred he had at least a twenty dollar to make even if Haul didn’t decide to pay him in full. But at five hundred which was the average going price for BDSM hook ups, he was indifferent to wether or not they screwed or not as he had nothing to gain.
” No deal then?” He said and slowly turned away.
” I’m sorry. She whispered and sighed softly while Sacremento walked away thinking of how he could get Haul a new sweetheart that was going to be as profitable to him as Marilyn. He had barely left her side for a minute. When she heard Gallaghers loud chuckles as he walked into the hall. She felt a beam of embarrassment over her head. It was seconded by the notion of rejection which didn’t seem to have thought through before she had embarked on the journey. She was to scared on risking her daughters life in the freezing room that any other option that didn’t see her travelling down, was wrong.
” Baby let’s meet an uncle. I hope he will be nice.” She’s said to her baby and quickly stood up to meet up with Gallagher.
” Toddlers in the house? Are you for real?” Said Durban as he Rush forward possibly to take Marilyn by the hair and pull her out of the tavern. Rules where rules and Durban was the ultimate enforcer of such rules.
” Hey! Hey man don’t …” She countered his very instinctive approach.
” Let her be Durban. Let my sugar plum be you damn urchin.” Said Gallagher and it caused her to breath deeply In relief.
” Thank you.” She said to him and stand gazing at him. She was trying to reach the words to speak but they weren’t forthcoming. It was self explanatory and she left it to tell it’s own story.
” So you are here with your little baby as said.” Gallagher said in a soft tenor, his face flashing a warm smile, and his feet beginning to walk towards her In a slow acesnsion of steps.
” Yes.” She said and subconsciously began to move backwards.
” Oh a mother’s love. I never knew what it felt like. Hahahah.” He silvered and began to cackle hardly and brought his feet to a halt. She paused to after realizing she had been taking slow steps away from the duo.
” You are scaring the hell out of me when you laugh like that. stop it! ” She stamped as she began to breath hardly to keep her tenseness at bay.
” Oh mama Mia. This mannerless Urchin is sorry. I only wanted to say hi to the little child.” Said Gallagher.
” She’s asleep.” Marilyn said, with her hands wrapped around the back of the girl.
” Mummy I’m awake.” Said the little voice of truth.
” Hahahah damn it I’m beginning to like this little chap already. Come, bring her over here.” He said and stretched his hands forward with a funny grin. Marilyn stood her grounds clutching her daughter closer to herself.
” Damn you Marilyn let me see my baby.” Said Gallagher with his hands still stretched towards his guest.
” Boss, should I get the kid for you.” Asked Durban who had a vicious scowl on his face. As a fellow with short temper, it pissed him off that such an offender was still in possession of her head. ” Let it go Durban.” Said the Gallagher. Marilyn took one more deep breath and headed forward, rather too slowly yet, verily placing the kid on the giant hands of her host. Her mind leapt in fear. Even her did not now why. She just had an instinctive urge to protect her girl from harm.
” Hello little blossom. Just see how beautiful you are. Like the very petals of a fine black rose.” Said Gallagher as he raised the little child and brought her to rest on inner side of his elbow. She gazed at him with confusion and the wideness in her eyes was simply from the effects of fear, which the bloody light had casted over his bearded face.
” Oh don’t be scared little one. I’m your friend. What’s your name.” He enquired with a smile.
” Erica.” She said and turned to inspect the silence of her mother.
” Oh Erica right. That’s the most beautiful name I have heard that isn’t Uriel. How old are you my dear?”
” Three years old.” She said and slowly turnes her gaze to keep gazing at the giant head that was before her. She found it more intriguing than scary, that she was actually face to face with such a big human.
” Three years old. A blessed age I must say. Welcome to Bear Creek my dearest.” He said and gently handed the child back to her mother who took a hold of the child rather too quickly that it made Durban to cringe in disgust. So Marilyn now that you are here, what next?”
” A warm shade to rest my head and that of my child. And I can start working tonight.” She said with an intonation that was falling.
” Hmm, A warm shade huh. Well kids are not allowed in the inn I would have asked you to crash in my office at night. I guess i will have to settle for plan B.” He said and sighed softly with the absence of a smile. Marilyn was at his mercy. All she could do was innately pray for a better outcome.
” Come with me. Let’s go a shot ride.” He Said, turned away and began to Walk out of the Tavern. Durban was almost petrified by the manners of his boss. Never in his life had he seen his boss tolerate anyone this more, after Dakota. Never!
Marilyn said nothing and followed his foot steps leaving Durban very at sea , to what sort of black magic she was using on his boss.