The Beauty of Hunger

TWO

         I'm at it again! Enjoy!   

          Mansa and I stay at the Wyrm a little while longer with Toni until her shift is over. When it's finally time to head back to Granddad's trailer, most of the bar is empty. "Come on, loved ones, let's get you all over to Grandpa's trailer." Toni says, slinging her arm around my shoulder.
      Sweet Pea had given Toni a ride to the Wrym today because her bike is in the shop, but seeing as to how he's out of it, she hopped on the back of my bike with me (Mansa's car was full of our belongings).
    After I dropped Toni off at Uncle John's trailer I made my way to Granddad's. I parked my bike, and after locking it and making sure I had my key I made my way up the trailer steps. Before I could knock, the door swung open. "How long have you been here, I didn't see the car on my way over?" I ask Mansa. "All you need to know is that no one will be finding it."
       "Why can't I know where it is?" I ask pushing past him to get into the trailer. "Because you're just like I was in my younger days, Mack, you've got sticky fingers." I hear my grandfather say. I look into the small living room of the trailer to find him sitting in a worn out recliner. I rush over and he stands to hug me. "Grandpa." I say as greeting. "My Makeda Bean." Grandpa squeezes me.
        "Ugh, I've missed you so much."
        "Same here, you know you're my favorite grandchild, after HotDog." Granddad whispers into my ear. I laugh.  Everyone knows that the second HotDog- who was female- had been the love of his life, he treated her as if she were human, and after she had the third HotDog and passed on he treated the younger HotDog as if he was family. As if one cue there's scratching on the door. Mansa opens it and a giant HotDog comes bounding in.
        He sniffs at Mansa's feet a little before running to me. He jumps on me, knocking me off of my feet, covering me in saliva and mud. "HotDog down!" I try to sound stern, but it comes out as a giggle. When I'm finally able to get him off of me I engulf him in a huge hug, which he escapes from. "See he's missed you." Grandpa says.
         "I haven't seen him since he was born, he's probably just happy for the new faces." I say. Grandpa laughs.  "Anyway you both should get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow." He says. What big day? Tomorrow's Saturday which means no school. I raise an eyebrow at my Granddad. "Didn't your mom tell you guys? I got you your very own trailer."
          "What? Grandpa no, with what money?" I ask. I don't want him going around spending his life savings on us. "Oh, shut it kid, I had a little money put up, and what can I do with it? You move in tomorrow, but for tonight one of you can have the bed and one of you can have the couch."
          "Where will you sleep." Mansa asks. "Where I've always slept, in my chair." Grandpa says sitting back down. "Grandpa that's not good, that's probably why your back hurts." I put in. "Or maybe it's because of all the people nagging me about my back that's making it hurt."  he says. He looks at Mansa and points to the fridge that is visible from the living room.
       "Grab me a beer son."  Mansa heads into the small kitchen.  "How's your mom." Grandpa asks, and I can't mistake the bitterness in his voice as anything else.
     "Fine." I say with the same bitterness, shrugging my shoulders.
              No one knows exactly what went down between my Mom and Grandpa six years ago that made her move to Chicago, but it was bad.
        Grandpa humph's, opening his can of cheep beer. "Okay, now you two off to bed, you gotta lot of stuff to move in the morning."
       It's not really up for discussion, I take the bed and Mansa takes the couch. Even if I wanted the couch- which I do -Mansa would never let me sleep on it. After I wash my face in the bathroom, I make my way back to the room. I strip down to the boxer shorts and bra I was wearing underneath my clothing, discarding it on the floor, and climb under the thin sheets that cover the bed.
             I doze off a couple of times only to be awoken by the silence of Riverdale. Back in Chicago I couldn't sleep unless I heard the sound of the trains going back and forth. We literally lived under the train tracks. I get up, pulling my shirt and socks on. I have to feel around before I find my leather jacket that contains my cigarettes and lighter.
       I throw my jacket on and leave the room. I creep past Grandpa and Mansa. They don't have much in common, except for the fact that they're both heavy sleepers. I used to be one too, before tonight. I open the front door as quietly as I can and step out.  The nights air hits me, and I feel relieved. I was never one for confined spaces.
       I sit on the step and light a cigarette. I take a long drag. I look around at the trailers that surround each other, and smile.  Back before we moved to Chicago, we didn't stay in a trailer but Mansa and I sure did spend a lot of time here, before. . .everything happened. A shiver runs down my spine. I hug my legs to my chest.
      I take another long drag of my cigarette, shaking a little, but not because of the cold. I can still see it if I close my eyes. The flash of the red and blue lights, the kids who dressed like little goth porcelain dolls known as the Goulies being hauled away in cop cars, Serpents being hauled away. The knifes, the blood. All of it.
           "Hey, you!" I'm snapped out of my thoughts. I try to see who it is that's calling me, but I left my glasses in the glove compartment of Mansa's Mustang. I feel around in my jacket pocket, only to come up empty. Shit. Did I leave everything of meaning in Mansa's car? My pocket knife would come in handy right now. "Ducky? Oh, Ducky, Duck." A drunk Toni comes into my line of vision.
       "Netty?" I stand up, flicking my half finished cigarette away. "Oh, girl, them shorts or fire." She slurs. I look down at my boxers and smile.
     "Your uncle locked her out again, she came to the Wrym and got hammered." Fangs explains. I take off my jacket, wrapping it around Toni. "I could take her inside." Fangs offers. I sigh, raking my fingers through my hair. "No, I'll do it." I say.  I take Toni by the hand, leading her into the trailer. I take her to the back room, laying her on bed, I tuck her in. "You good?" I ask. "I love you, you know that?" Toni asks. "I love you too, boo." I plant a kiss on her forehead.
        "No I love you too."
        "Ok, babe, go to sleep."
        "Mmm kay."
     I make my way back outside, surprised to find Fangs and Sweet Pea still there. "What're you two doing, go home." I say. "Is she okay?" Fangs asks, completely ignoring me. "Yeah, just tired, and y'know. . .drunk." I say in a duh voice. Fangs laughs. "You two can go now, seriously, she's fine." I fold my arms.
        They don't listen, instead they come and sit on the stairs on which I stand. I sit down, a step or two above of them.
      I pull out another cigarette, lighting it. I take a drag. Sweet Pea takes the cigarette from my lips. "You shouldn't smoke." He says handing it to Fangs. "Yeah, bad for the lungs." Fangs says. I take my cigarette from him. "Fuck off, both of you, don't you two have some kids lunch money to steal?" I say, rolling my eyes. Fangs stands up. "Now that you mention it I actually have to go collect the rent money I owe my aunt." He says. He gives me a hug, and bump fists with Sweet Pea before taking off, going deeper into the trailer park.
       I sigh. "Hey, where'd you learn how to punch like that anyway?" Sweet Pea says, referring to earlier. "I took up boxing back in Chicago." I say. "Really?"
Laughing I say, "God, no, I used to fight a lot, it was a passion really."
    "So you've got a short temper." It doesn't come out so much as a question, more of a statement. "That's what my mom would say, yeah." We sit in silence for a little. "Well," he stands up, taking my cigarette from my mouth taking a hit. "I gotta go, lotta stuff to do tomorrow." He walks away with my cigarette still hanging from his mouth.
      "Laters, babe." I call after him. He flips me off while he walks and soon -due to my lack of quality vision- he's soon gone. I push myself self off the stairs and head inside. "Everything alright?" I stop dead in my tracks. Sighing, "Yeah Gramps, I just needed a little fresh air." He gives a grunt as a response, and falls back into his slumber.
         I make my way back into the room, take off my jacket and shirt, and socks, I crawl back under the covers. "Oh, hey Ducky." Toni says stretching. "Hey Netty."
    "You okay?" She asks. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I scoot farther down into the warmth of the covers. "Because his birthday is tomorrow, Grandpa gets torn up about it every year." Toni yawns. I sigh. "Yeah, I know. Go to sleep Netty, we got a big day tomorrow and you're helping hangover or not."
        "M'kay"