Perception

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Well, this day was a total waste of makeup.

Unknown

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      Things were put in place quite quickly. As soon as the strategy meeting broke up Abraham called a camp meeting and announced Annus’s intentions and what we planned to do about it. He encouraged everyone to go and spread the word to as many people as they could and get them to spread it too. We would need the numbers. Everyone left like swarming bees, buzzing to spread the word.

      Some how I had ended up on sign duty and had spent the last two days writing sign after sign saying ‘don’t lock us away’ and ‘homeless are people too’. Unoriginal maybe but what can I say. I did sneak a few snide one’s in there, the mildest being ‘Small minds run in small circles’. I tried to keep the insults to a minimum but really it’s whoever gave me the paintbrushes fault to leave me unsupervised.

     “That’s it, we’re done for the day,” I called to Petra putting down the paintbrush and wiping my brow, “We still need to shower and change before we meet up with Cathy.”

       “Do we really have to go?” She pleaded looking up from her own sign, “I mean this is a bit more important.”

     “We go because she is Roman’s daughter. We go because we operate under his protection. We go because the food and drink will be free.” I explained patently taking the brush from her hand and pulling her up.

     “What happened to rule two and four: Never trust drug dealer and never accept anything from anybody?” She quibbled brushing the dirt from her knees.

    “Two and four don’t apply as a: I don’t trusting him and b: we are also going to return the money. Come on Matt will be here soon.” She walked along slowly, pouting as I pulled her towards the tent.

     Though Roman had given us close to three hundred dollars to pay for our clothes and a hotel room it didn’t feel right to use his money. After a few hit and misses at several Laundromat’s Petra and I decided that we should just cut our losses and try our luck at one of the op shops. The idea was inspired, the things some people throw away. Petra was able to find a full-length blue satin designer dress for ten dollars; it was short sleaved so she matched it off with a short little long sleave jacket and matching small-heeled shoes. My outfit wasn’t quite so breathtaking, finding any colour that didn’t clash with my flaming red hair was always fun. After many failures Petra finally found me a long sleaved green crocheted type top I could wear over a white tank top. She tried unsuccessfully to make me buy a long black skirt but I didn’t like how it restricted my stride so I ended up buying some black dress pants instead and a good pair of black boots. All of these were packed safely away in our bags ready for when Matt came to pick us up. Matt, sweet boy that he is, had offered us the use of the shower in his flat after I told him of our plans to attend, he was also giving us a lift to the club.

     We passed a sullen looking Mark sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Samson’s dwelling on the way to the tent. His baleful eyes bored holes in my back as I passed.

       When I had first told him about going out tonight without him he had kicked and screamed like a three year old. He swore up and down that we couldn’t make him stay, that he would just follow us anyway. Petra tried reasoning with the brat but no matter what she said or promised him he wouldn’t listen. After about two hours of this I had had enough. I threatened, rope in hand, that if he didn’t shut up, grow up and stayed put I would tie him up and dump him on the first train leaving the station. He was silent all through my threat but the moment I stopped talking he started screaming again. I snapped the rope once between my hands and pointed at him, but when he continued I started to wind it around his twisting frame. It took three loops before he realised I wasn’t giving up and one more before he agreed to stay home. Secretly I breathed a sigh of relief, I would have been screwed if he had called my bluff.