Throwaway People

She Has To Know We Love Her

11:00 AM Lost Tea Shop:

Bobbi came to the Lost Tea Shop to meet Keyote and Patty there. Bobbi had ordered a glass of iced tea and sat outside to watch the two of them play. The music was dated, but their country and blues method of singing them made up for it. 'Baby it's You.', 'Stay', 'Sounds of Silence', 'Love Me Tender', 'Rainy Night in Georgia', and ending that set with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'.

"Do you have the rights to all of those songs?" Bobbi asked as they came to sit with her on their break.

"We only sing for love donations, not commercially." Patty said with a smile. "People 'love' us, so they make 'donations'."

"Kid, don't let this fraud get you in trouble." Bobbi said. "As soon as someone realizes that you are singing their music, they won't be happy. You better be sure."

"She's the adult here. I'll just blame her." Keyote said in a whisper so as not to be over heard.

"Did you find any new information that might help you find your sister?"

"No, we haven't done a lot of looking. With Andy and Jorge stalking us at first, then the incident with Bunny. Well, we got busy. Afterward we just got on with life for a while." Patty said. She knew it was a feeble excuse. They didn't want to be separated, so they made excuses.

"I'm working for the 'Out of Darkness' shelter with Maria Granja. That's how I knew how to find you." Bobbi said. "I'm working with two other women to help bring people like Keyote into the shelter."

"Bringing them 'Out of Darkness'." Keyote said. "I like that."

"How is Jim?" Bobbi asked.

"He's working at a car lot. You should come back to the camp and meet him." Patty said.

"Why didn't you call Patty?" Keyote said. "We tried to get hold of you."

"Well, someone tried to cut my guts out." Bobbi told them. "It was a while before I got to a phone. I got busy trying to find a way off the streets. I wasn't ready to to see you until now."

"We had no idea what happened." Patty said.

Bobbi rode the bus with Key and Patty to the bus stop at the Fresco. From there they walked on down to the camp. Not knowing that they were being watched from the woods across the canal. It was Little C. who sat there most of the day waiting.

Little C. was suprised to see Bobbi with Patty and Key. He hadn't seen anyone else. C. wondered if Jim wasn't there anymore. They went into the camp. Rumor had it that Bobbi had died or gone on to Miami. Either he came back from Miami, or he came back from the dead, and Miami seemed more likely.

It was a couple hours later that Jim came trudging down the sidewalk. Little C. was off the drugs, but he still hated and feared Jim. He had showed up out of no where to kick his ass twice. There were the ants, spiders, and that huge dog. The Bone Woman too. He didn't care what Big Carlos said. Jim was a brujo.

Jim gave Bobbi one of his rare hugs. "I'm glad you are alive." Jim said.

"So am I, when that date dumped me out of his car after he cut me, I thought I'd bleed to death." Bobbi said. "I manage to hold my guts in and get to the Trail before I passed out."

"I'm so sorry, if we had known, we would have looked for you." Key said.

"I got careless. To be honest, it was the thought that I'd never see you guys again that motivated me to stumble out onto Military." Bobbi hugged Key. "If it wasn't for that I'd of died out there."