Gabe nodded at the open door. “Turn left, at the end of the hallway.”
“I’ll be right back…”
Gabe sat down, watching Stella walk out the kitchen. One minute he’s in the middle of a complete nightmare scenario, being floored by a sucker punch from some dude with glowing eyes, the next there’s Stella, in an old silver Toyota Corolla. He was wondering just exactly how his life could get any weirder when Stella came back holding a blue box with a red cross on the lid in one hand and a small glass bottle in the other.
“Your mother has Rescue Remedy –” Stella held up the little bottle, like she’d won a prize – “and a lot of other good stuff— Now stay where you are.”
Gabe, halfway to his feet, sat back down. Let her nurse him back to health, if that was what she wanted to do. Why argue with that?
A quarter of an hour later Stella had completed her clean-up-repair-and-restore job, ten minutes after that Gabe had showered, changed and put awash on so there’d be no awkward questions about bloodstains, however minor, from his mom. The cuts and scratches he’d have to deal with. A cup of green tea was waiting for him on the table when he walked back into the kitchen, Stella sitting opposite it. He pulled out a chair, picked up the cup and had a sip.
“Thanks…”
“My pleasure, Gabriel.”
Gabe concentrated on the cup in front of him, feeling like he was in court and under oath; he looked up to find Stella still looking straight at him. “What?”
“What happened out there, in the street?”
Gabe shrugged.
“Well, you didn’t get knocked over by any hit-and-run driver, did you? So, was it Benny? I told you—”
“It wasn’t Benny.”
Gabe looked back at the cup, almost wishing it had been, or that he’d had the smarts to lie and say it was. How could he tell Stella the truth without appearing to be a complete nutjob? And of course, for all he knew, he could well be a complete nutjob,considering what had happened.
“Well, if it wasn’t Benny, who was it?”
Just because someone asked you a question – that someone being a quite forceful, really very good-looking girl – and kind of deserved an explanation, just because of all that, didn’t mean you
had
to answer if you didn’t want to. And Gabe really didn’t want to. There was no law. And when your back was up against the wall, you could either wave the white flag, or push. Gabe was in no mood to surrender.
“Look, I don’t know who it was, OK?” Not a lie, as he didn’t. “But what were you doing there anyway… You know, right place, right time? Were you like
following
me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I’m glad you found me and, you know, gave me a ride and everything…” Gabe began to lose steam. “But … but, like,
if
you were following me, that would be kind of weird – a bit of a pattern. Twice in a couple of days, there you are? Why do you care so much about what I do, or don’t do, with that fruit loop Benny?
And
you also had my cell number, right? How’d you get that, is your dad in the CIA or the NSA or something?”
“OK… OK…”
It was Stella’s turn to look away and for a moment Gabe thought, the way she was blinking her eyes, maybe he’d gone too far, been too hard on her. He
really
hoped she didn’t start to cry.
“I suppose I should, you know…” Stella got her phone out of the camera bag, on the table next to her; she flicked the screen a couple of times and turned it to face Gabe. On it was a head and shoulders picture of a guy, maybe in his early twenties, slightly wavy brown hair, gold earring, one of those haven’t-shaved-for-a-week beards. He was smiling and seemed to be about as happy as you could get without looking like you were putting it on. “I had a brother, Ed.”
“Had?”
“He died.”
“Oh … geez, I’m sorry.”
“He was such a sweetheart and
such
a jerk, all wrapped up in the same person. If there was a choice to make,
any
at all, he
“I’ll be right back…”
Gabe sat down, watching Stella walk out the kitchen. One minute he’s in the middle of a complete nightmare scenario, being floored by a sucker punch from some dude with glowing eyes, the next there’s Stella, in an old silver Toyota Corolla. He was wondering just exactly how his life could get any weirder when Stella came back holding a blue box with a red cross on the lid in one hand and a small glass bottle in the other.
“Your mother has Rescue Remedy –” Stella held up the little bottle, like she’d won a prize – “and a lot of other good stuff— Now stay where you are.”
Gabe, halfway to his feet, sat back down. Let her nurse him back to health, if that was what she wanted to do. Why argue with that?
A quarter of an hour later Stella had completed her clean-up-repair-and-restore job, ten minutes after that Gabe had showered, changed and put awash on so there’d be no awkward questions about bloodstains, however minor, from his mom. The cuts and scratches he’d have to deal with. A cup of green tea was waiting for him on the table when he walked back into the kitchen, Stella sitting opposite it. He pulled out a chair, picked up the cup and had a sip.
“Thanks…”
“My pleasure, Gabriel.”
Gabe concentrated on the cup in front of him, feeling like he was in court and under oath; he looked up to find Stella still looking straight at him. “What?”
“What happened out there, in the street?”
Gabe shrugged.
“Well, you didn’t get knocked over by any hit-and-run driver, did you? So, was it Benny? I told you—”
“It wasn’t Benny.”
Gabe looked back at the cup, almost wishing it had been, or that he’d had the smarts to lie and say it was. How could he tell Stella the truth without appearing to be a complete nutjob? And of course, for all he knew, he could well be a complete nutjob,considering what had happened.
“Well, if it wasn’t Benny, who was it?”
Just because someone asked you a question – that someone being a quite forceful, really very good-looking girl – and kind of deserved an explanation, just because of all that, didn’t mean you
had
to answer if you didn’t want to. And Gabe really didn’t want to. There was no law. And when your back was up against the wall, you could either wave the white flag, or push. Gabe was in no mood to surrender.
“Look, I don’t know who it was, OK?” Not a lie, as he didn’t. “But what were you doing there anyway… You know, right place, right time? Were you like
following
me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I’m glad you found me and, you know, gave me a ride and everything…” Gabe began to lose steam. “But … but, like,
if
you were following me, that would be kind of weird – a bit of a pattern. Twice in a couple of days, there you are? Why do you care so much about what I do, or don’t do, with that fruit loop Benny?
And
you also had my cell number, right? How’d you get that, is your dad in the CIA or the NSA or something?”
“OK… OK…”
It was Stella’s turn to look away and for a moment Gabe thought, the way she was blinking her eyes, maybe he’d gone too far, been too hard on her. He
really
hoped she didn’t start to cry.
“I suppose I should, you know…” Stella got her phone out of the camera bag, on the table next to her; she flicked the screen a couple of times and turned it to face Gabe. On it was a head and shoulders picture of a guy, maybe in his early twenties, slightly wavy brown hair, gold earring, one of those haven’t-shaved-for-a-week beards. He was smiling and seemed to be about as happy as you could get without looking like you were putting it on. “I had a brother, Ed.”
“Had?”
“He died.”
“Oh … geez, I’m sorry.”
“He was such a sweetheart and
such
a jerk, all wrapped up in the same person. If there was a choice to make,
any
at all, he
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