The sidewalk was still cool enough for bare feet. The Greek didn't give
their bare feet a second look, but brought iced coffees and yogurt with
walnuts and honey.
"Do you want to tell me about them?"
"It's been bad ever since -- ever since Mimi left. All of a sudden,
Krishna's Link's best friend. He follows him around."
Alan nodded. "Krishna beat Mimi up," he said.
"I know it," she said. "I heard it. I didn't do anything, goddamn me,
but I heard it happen."
"Eat," he said. "Here." He reached for a clean napkin from the next
table and handed it to her. She dried her eyes and wiped her nose and
ate a spoonful of yogurt. "Drink," he said, and handed her the
coffee. She drank.
"They brought those girls home last night. *Little*
girls. Teenyboppers. Disappeared into their bedrooms. The noises they
made."
"Drink," Alan said, and then handed her the napkin again.
"Drunk. They got them drunk and brought them home."
"You should get out of there," Andrew said, surprising himself. "Get
out. Today, even. Go stay with your mom and find a new apartment next
month."
She set her cup down carefully. "No," she said.
"I'm serious. It's a bad situation that you can't improve and the more
you stay there, the worse it's going to get."
"That's not a practical suggestion."
"Staying there, in potential danger, is not practical. You need to get
out. Staying there will only make things worse for you."
She clenched her jaw. "You know, there comes a point where you're not
giving advice anymore. There comes a point where you're just moralizing,
demonstrating your hypothetical superiority when it comes to doing the
right thing. That's not very fucking helpful, you know. I'm holding my
shit together right now, and rather than telling me that it's not
enough, you could try to help me with the stuff I'm capable of."
Alan digested this. She'd said it loudly, and a few of the other morning
patrons at the Greek's were staring at them. He looked away, across the
street, and spied Billy standing in a doorway, watching. Billy met his
eyes, then looked away.
"I'm sorry, Natalie," he said. "You're right."
She blew air out her nostrils.
"What about this. You can knock on my door any time. I'll make up the
sofa for you." He thought of Mimi and cringed inwardly. She'd have to
stay upstairs and be quiet if there were strangers in the house. Then he
remembered his promise about her wings. He bit his lip.