Throwaway People

Beyond Stupid

Green Acres, Camp: 9:10 AM

Key put the plate down on the nightstand next to the bed. She put her coffee there too. She looked at Patty as she lay on her back. The bed cover was tucked up under her arms. Her arms were crossed over her chest. Patty's skin was pale. She appeared to be perspiring still. Key took her hand in hers. It felt cool and dry.

Key started to get up. To ask Jim if she should be concerned.

"Don't go, honey." Patty squeezed Keyote's hand. "I'm so sorry. Please, stay here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Key said. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

"Don't be sorry, baby." Patty said. "I was stupid. I told you what I was like, when I'm on drugs. It was so stupid. I'm such an idiot."

"Okay, but I hit you." Key said. "I was just so mad."

"I said mean things too. I should never have called you those things. Never have talked to you like that. You are a child, but I'm an adult, and I don't have any excuse." Patty sat up.

"Can we still be friends?" Key bit her lip. "I'm so sorry for what I said."

"Me too, Kiddo." Patty said. "I'm so glad you can forgive me."

"I brought you some food and coffee." Key said.

Patty smiled at Key as she looked over at the food and coffee. "Thanks. I could use the coffee, but I don't think I could eat anything right now."

After a couple sips of coffee Patty decided that she needed some toast to absorb the acid of the coffee. After a little toast and coffee Patty was feeling better. Keyote informed her what happened after Patty had passed out. How a man named Reggie had come with Bobbi. He had helped Jim get her in a cold bath and that they had actually injected cream of tarter into her bloodstream to help cool her down.

"Reggie said you might have gotten heroin. There was heroin out there that would get you high and overdose you just be touching it." Key didn't tell Patty about her daydream. Nobody believed her.

"Heroin isn't my usual poison. The dealer said it was crack. I thought I got a couple rocks of crack. I had no idea it was some heroin crap." Patty let out a weak laugh. "Like that is an excuse, but Key, I didn't smoke or inject it, I had thrown it away. I only touched it. I guess that was all it took."

Key let her tears flow. "Really? You threw it away, you weren't going to take it?"

Patty nodded.

Jim came into the bedroom as Keyote finished her narrative. Jim sat down on the bed beside Patty. Patty put her coffee to the side. She took Jim's hand and drew him in for a kiss. He turned his head, and instead of kissing Jim on the lips she ended up kissing his cheek.

"Key, could you leave us alone a moment." Jim said. His voice very neutral.

"I'll just take these dishes and wash them." Key said. Hustling out of the bedroom.

"I'm completely pissed at you." Jim said. "Key is still a girl, no matter what has happen to her. Your actions yesterday were beyond stupid."

"Agreed. What about you?" Patty said. "You threw me to the ground. After that you banged our heads together like a couple of coconuts. You said you didn't want Key around."

"As I remember it right you threaten to 'kick' Key's 'child whore ass'." Jim said. Both of them were speaking in harsh whispers. "If I hadn't banged your heads together you two would have been tearing each other's hair out."

"Well, what about that crap about not wanting Key around." Patty said.

"I was using that to try to keep your sorry crack addled ass here." Jim said. "I shouldn't have put it that way, I just didn't know how to say that I didn't want you two to leave."

"Can we get past this?" Patty asked. "And I guess it was heroin addled, by the way."

"I'm pissed, but I'd rather have you here and pissed at you, than let you leave for good." Jim said.

"You got to get passed being pissed. We've got get pass this whole thing."

"You nearly died because you wanted a hit of crack. You scared the hell out of all of us last night. I'm getting too old to be scared shitless like I was last night." Jim took Patty's hand and kissed it. "Don't ever do that again."

Patty shook her head. "It was so stupid." Patty told Jim what had happened to her yesterday. "I was feeling good when I left The Lost Tea Shop. I was standing on a side road when this car came by and the next thing this huge soda container smacked he in the chest. I just lost it."

"I noticed it, but thought maybe you'd threw up on yourself or something. Why did you have a crack pipe with you anyway?" Jim had found the pipe in Patty's purse.

"As a reminder. That pipe ruled my life for ten years. I used to look at it and remember how I let crack rob me of ten years of my life." Patty said. "I know, it sounds idiotic, but it's true. It did help me to remember how I'd lost those ten years."

"I threw it away. I don't want you remembering those last ten years. I want you thinking about the present. About Key and how she needs our help." Jim told her. "I know you told Key you threw the drugs away, but if you hadn't bought that crap to begin with you wouldn't have come back high."

Patty couldn't argue that point.

Green Acres, Camp: 10:12 PM

"I bet they're having sex." Keyote said as she did the dishes. "She'd recruited Bobbi to wipe down the table and stove."

"No, they aren't." Bobbi said. "Patty is too sick for that.  Jim is too pissed at Patty to want to.  I think they are talking about you."

"I said I was sorry." Key said. "I said some really bad things to them last night. You don't think they're still mad at me."

"No." Bobbi said. "Patty nearly died last night. From what you told me about what happened I don't think they are mad at you. I think that they are deciding what to do now that it's over."

"Do you think they'll break up after this?  If so, what will Patty and I do?  Will we have to leave the camp?"

"Those two love each other, I think they'll stay together."  Bobby said.  "So, don't panic about it."

"Is Bobbi Queen your real name." Key changed the subject. She still wasn't sure if there wouldn't be further consequences for what happened last night.

"My real name used to be Robert Keen. Most people called me Bobby. After I ran from home I ran into one of Jose's recruiters. I don't know if you remember, but I was still at Casa Sombrio when you arrived."

Key shook her head. "I don't remember you, sorry."

"Well, I eventually changed the 'y' to an 'i'. You know how they degrade you at the Casa. They used to use my first name as a joke about my oral sex skills." Through with cleaning up Bobbi poured himself another cup of coffee. "They called me Bobbi Queen."

"Why did you keep the name?"

"I liked it. It's my professional name. They can say what they want about me, but I've got my regular clients, and I'm not an addict. I'm making good money. I don't have to sleep on the streets." Bobbi said. "Sure, it's illegal, but it's all I know. Besides, I don't see anyone helping me to be anything but what I am. As long as there is a demand, people like me will supply it."