The Wanderer and The Vault Dweller

Chapter Thirty-Eight: What Letter?

Song-(Wynonie Harris~Grandma Plays The Numbers)

Nico and I are staying at Quails longer than need be and Nico has been spending a lot of time with the Ghouls. This is probably his way of making peace with what happened to his past and with Vivian, so I leave it alone. Julian and I have become close friends. He reminds me a lot of Mitchell, personality-wise.

Right now we're walking around a makeshift park built for the kids here. There are few worn-out benches, and street lamps that no longer work so it's up to lights made by the people with loud and clunky generators to power them. Not much greenery but what is here is nice.

Julian is rambling on about how this park was built and by who and whatnot. I am half-listening as I watch a couple of kids run around and chase another. I miss being back in Alemaro as a kid, never had a worry about anything.

"Poppy, you okay?"

I shake my head to clear my homesick thoughts.

"Er, yeah, sorry. I'm not meaning to but I'm only half-listening."

"Ha, sorry for talking your ear off." He nervously rubs the back of his neck.

"No, it's alright. My mind is just preoccupied at the moment."

"Mind if I ask what about?"

"Just about, home..."

"Ah. I can't blame ya. I've never really left Quails myself, so I can't say I understand. But I'm sure I can imagine what it would be like to miss it."

"Yeah-" I stop mid-sentence when I hear squabbling to my right.

Two elderly women are bickering back and forth about I don't even know what. I walk over to them to find out.

"Diane, you're nothing more than a low-life-"

"I don't need ta hear it, ya old coot! Yer the one who stole my vegetables-"

"I didn't do nutting! You old hag!" I awkwardly snicker at their accents, making me think of what Cam could sound like in her old age.

"Ladies, what is the matter?" I interfere.

They both look at me as if I said a hundred curses then back at each other, then back at me.

"Naria stole my vegetables!" The lady named Diane claims.

"Yer a liar!" Naria argues.

"Ladies, let's talk this through. Diane, what vegetables were you selling?"

"Carrots!"

"Okay, now Naria, what ones are you selling?"

"I was sellin' MutFruits! Got 'em all da way from the Commonwealth!"

"Mind if I look at both of your stalls?" Julian asks as he walks up behind me.

Naria starts to fidget and Diane triumphantly allows Julian to do so. We stop at Diane's booth first and everything checks out. Her grandson shows us an order list and Diane was supposed to have had four crates of carrots and only has two. We go over to Naria's and find her MutFruits. Her granddaughter shows us her sheets and everything checks out. So why is Naria acting so nervous?

Unknowingly to herself, Naria's eyes keep darting to a door in the back. I decided to check it out.

"Aye! Girly, what do you think her doin'?"

"Naria, is there something back there I need to know about before she opens that door?" Julian inquires.

"No! She jist don't need ta go back there!"