what I did. Then I heard about this awful…” He stopped there, ready to give another nod and leave.
“Sit down,” the young man said. Not so much an invitation as a command.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bobby ended up telling him the story. He told him the entire story, almost. About going to Kate’s apartment, Moonies, Foxies, those idiots shooting at them and how he took off down the alley to get away. That was the point where the young man told him he was Kate’s son and Bobby made the decision to leave out the part about buying her the cheapest bottle of vodka he could find, dressing her and dumping her in front of Moonies in a quasi-comatose state so he could flee the scene.
“So Bobby, what you’re telling me is you saved her life.” The young man’s eyes watered up as he gazed at the wooden urn.
“Anyone would have done the same thing.”
The young man scoffed, “Don’t bet on it.”
“I just wish I could have prevented what happened later. We talked about her going there, I suggested she go home or I was even willing to get her a hotel room. She just wanted to go to Moonies and begged me not to call the police. She was fairly insistent so in the end I went along and did what she wanted. I wish I could change all that now,” Bobby said and sort of let that hang out there for a moment hoping the opportunity would present itself so he could get up and leave.
“You did your best, man,” he said, then sort of came back to reality and focused on Bobby. “You need a ride or anything?”
“Me? No, thanks, I’m parked right out front. Kind of you to offer, but its not necessary.”
“Come on, we’ll walk out together, the three of us,” the young man said, then went over to the card table, picked up the urn and tucked it under his arm. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They walked down the dimly lit hallway together, past the small office and out the front door.
“Thank you, gentlemen.” A voice called from the office, but never left the glare from the TV to see them out.
They stood out on the street, Bobby’s car sat at the curb, wheezing.
“That yours?” the young man asked.
“Yeah, that’s me. Look I…”
“What happened to it?”
“I told you, someone pulled along side of us, a burgundy Escalade. They lowered the window, stuck a cannon out, I slammed into the side of the Escalade a couple of times, but they still got two rounds off before I pushed them into some oncoming traffic. I just wanted to make sure Kate, I mean your mom was safe so I hit the brakes and drove onto the sidewalk then took off down an alley. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t follow.”
“You really did save her, man,” he said looking at Bobby’s windshield.
Bobby nodded.
“They were aiming for her, weren’t they? She was sitting right there in your passenger seat. You didn’t have those quick reactions they would have shot her, right then.”
There seemed to be no advantage to telling him Kate was passed out in the back seat having just finished throwing up.
“Yeah, they stuck that pistol out the window I knew they were aiming for her so I slammed into them, figured it would be the one thing they wouldn’t be expecting.”
“And that’s your car?”
“Yep, one of a kind. I get some money saved up, I’m gonna get that windshield replaced.”
“Better do it sooner rather than later, cops take a dim view of that sort of thing.”
“Yeah, things are just a little tight right now. But it’s first on the list.”
“Say Bobby, I wonder if I can ask a small favor of you.” He said it in a way that eliminated the response “No” right off the bat.
“Possibly, what is it you need?”
“I’ve actually got an appointment in a bit. I wonder if you wouldn’t mind taking my Mom home with you, just for tonight, keep her safe. I’ll come by later and pick her up. That sound okay with you?” Again with that tome of voice that said “No” was not an option.
“It would be my
“Sit down,” the young man said. Not so much an invitation as a command.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bobby ended up telling him the story. He told him the entire story, almost. About going to Kate’s apartment, Moonies, Foxies, those idiots shooting at them and how he took off down the alley to get away. That was the point where the young man told him he was Kate’s son and Bobby made the decision to leave out the part about buying her the cheapest bottle of vodka he could find, dressing her and dumping her in front of Moonies in a quasi-comatose state so he could flee the scene.
“So Bobby, what you’re telling me is you saved her life.” The young man’s eyes watered up as he gazed at the wooden urn.
“Anyone would have done the same thing.”
The young man scoffed, “Don’t bet on it.”
“I just wish I could have prevented what happened later. We talked about her going there, I suggested she go home or I was even willing to get her a hotel room. She just wanted to go to Moonies and begged me not to call the police. She was fairly insistent so in the end I went along and did what she wanted. I wish I could change all that now,” Bobby said and sort of let that hang out there for a moment hoping the opportunity would present itself so he could get up and leave.
“You did your best, man,” he said, then sort of came back to reality and focused on Bobby. “You need a ride or anything?”
“Me? No, thanks, I’m parked right out front. Kind of you to offer, but its not necessary.”
“Come on, we’ll walk out together, the three of us,” the young man said, then went over to the card table, picked up the urn and tucked it under his arm. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They walked down the dimly lit hallway together, past the small office and out the front door.
“Thank you, gentlemen.” A voice called from the office, but never left the glare from the TV to see them out.
They stood out on the street, Bobby’s car sat at the curb, wheezing.
“That yours?” the young man asked.
“Yeah, that’s me. Look I…”
“What happened to it?”
“I told you, someone pulled along side of us, a burgundy Escalade. They lowered the window, stuck a cannon out, I slammed into the side of the Escalade a couple of times, but they still got two rounds off before I pushed them into some oncoming traffic. I just wanted to make sure Kate, I mean your mom was safe so I hit the brakes and drove onto the sidewalk then took off down an alley. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t follow.”
“You really did save her, man,” he said looking at Bobby’s windshield.
Bobby nodded.
“They were aiming for her, weren’t they? She was sitting right there in your passenger seat. You didn’t have those quick reactions they would have shot her, right then.”
There seemed to be no advantage to telling him Kate was passed out in the back seat having just finished throwing up.
“Yeah, they stuck that pistol out the window I knew they were aiming for her so I slammed into them, figured it would be the one thing they wouldn’t be expecting.”
“And that’s your car?”
“Yep, one of a kind. I get some money saved up, I’m gonna get that windshield replaced.”
“Better do it sooner rather than later, cops take a dim view of that sort of thing.”
“Yeah, things are just a little tight right now. But it’s first on the list.”
“Say Bobby, I wonder if I can ask a small favor of you.” He said it in a way that eliminated the response “No” right off the bat.
“Possibly, what is it you need?”
“I’ve actually got an appointment in a bit. I wonder if you wouldn’t mind taking my Mom home with you, just for tonight, keep her safe. I’ll come by later and pick her up. That sound okay with you?” Again with that tome of voice that said “No” was not an option.
“It would be my
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