Charlie's

11

Eddie and I headed down the street, past late-evening shoppers, horns blowing in the dinner traffic. Eddie wasn't saying anything, so I finally broke the silence. "So what's the new thing we're going to see?"

"That's the new thing where you tell me what's goin' on with Sarah."

"Sarah? I told you, she's just in town for a while. I've been showing her around."

"She's family or somethin'?"

"No, she just...got into some trouble and is stuck here for a while. I'm just helping out."

Eddie glanced at me. "What kinda trouble?"

"I don't know if I should say. It's kind of her business."

"That you just happen to be caught up in."

I stopped and faced him. "Okay, is there a problem? What's up with all the questions?"

"I'm just wonderin' what Marie thinks 'bout all this."

"I...uh...haven't talked to her about it."

Eddie looked up and met my eyes. "But yer gonna do that, right? Cuz if I gotta talk to her 'bout it, none of us is gonna be happy."

"Yeah. Sure. Of course."

He studied my face a little longer, then relaxed slightly and looked away. "Seriously, Joe, what kinda trouble? An' how come yer takin' care o' her?"

I thought about how to answer. How to phrase it in terms that made sense in the sim. And, aside from Eddie's motivation to take care of his sister, why was he grilling me? Was it just the sim trying to determine how to accommodate a new user?

"She's...a stowaway."

"What, like on a ship?"

"Yeah, she snuck on board, got caught, got put off here in town. She's got no place to go, and she's supposed to stay around until the authorities catch up with her. She can't just leave."

"Huh. So how come she ain't locked up somewhere?"

"It doesn't work like that. She's just supposed to stick around."

Eddie looked skeptical. "An' what's this got to do with you?"

I shrugged. "I felt sorry for her. I thought she deserved some help. Didn't want to just abandon her. You know?"

"Yeah, I know. Knight in shinin' armor, dame in distress, you ride up an' rescue her, maybe take her back to your castle to get some chivalry goin'."

"I..."

"Hey, I get it. Mighta done the same thing myself. An' Stella'd gut me like a fish over it. But have you thought about it at all? What was she stowin' away for? She just a troublemaker? Or is she runnin' from somethin'? Robbed a bank, shot her boyfriend, pissed off the mob...? You know what you got yerself into?"

"She hasn't talked about it, no."

Eddie sighed. "Joe. Yer an idiot. An idiot what thinks he's a nice guy. I kinda like that about you, but you gotta be more careful. An' if this thing with Sarah turns into a thing, I hope yer gonna treat my sister right. Marie comes and asks to borrow Stella's guttin' knife, I might just give it to her."

"I'll talk to Marie."

"You better. Sarah stayin' with you?"

"Nah, she's got a room at the Statler."

He nodded, and we started walking again, though I had no idea where we were going, either on the street or with the conversation. I honestly hadn't thought about where Sarah was coming from or what she was capable of. I couldn't really see her hurting someone, but I was suddenly glad the sim beds had safety locks.