Chapter 2

"Phone's over here." Debbie walked over to the bar and signaled for me to have a seat at one of the bar stools. She pulled a beige phone from beside the cash register and set in front of me. I studied it as I pulled off my worn winter jacket. As I pulled my arm out of the hole, I came a cross a new rip in the side. It had so many rips and tears that I was starting to lose track. My parents didn't exactly have enough money to buy me a new one, so I was left with this one. It was my Aunt Lulah's, but she passed away last year. I wonder if Emmett knew that. I set the jacket on the stool beside me, and ran my finger along the phone cord which was extending over the countertop. As I did so, a curly wave of my auburn hair fell down into my face.

"Do you have a ponytail tie?" I looked up at Deb.

"Oh yeah. Right here on my arm. I keep it there for my flowing hair." She snorted sarcastically. I noted her frizzy afro style and pushed my hair over my shoulders.

"Ebony!" Deb yelled. Behind her, peeping out from the kitchen over the trays of food, a black man dressed as a woman poked up.

"Yes?" The transvestite asked.

"Do you have a ponytail tie for Eliza?" Deb looked over her shoulder as she fiddled with something on the counter. Ebony smiled and walked around to the door connecting the kitchen and dining room.

"Here you go, sweetie." He pulled a purple elastic from his back pocket and handed it to me. I was hesitant to take it, but I felt rude so I accepted it. I pulled my curls up into a loose ponytail in the back and silently thanked Deb.

"I don't know his number." I looked back to the phone feeling ashamed.

"I can dial it for you." Deb walked to the phone and picked it up.

"No." I put my hand on top of hers. She put the phone back down and looked up at me.

"What do ya' mean 'no'?" She leaned over the counter, resting herself against it.

"I've haven't talked to him in so long. I don't even know if I would be able to recognize his voice." I explained.

"I suppose I could talk to him for you." Deb looked at me as if she knew this is what I had been getting at the whole time. She picked up the phone again.

"One more thing." She put the phone down again and looked annoyed.

"What the hell now?" Deb asked.

"Can you not mention my name? Can you just tell him somebody important is here?" My voice cracked as I pleaded. Deb looked at me suspiciously for a moment but then she took a deep breath. She nodded in understanding and then picked up the phone for the third time. She dialed the number almost in slow motion and I held my breath as I heard ringing from the small speaker.

"Hello?" A voice chimed on the other line. I didn't hear it very well, I wasn't even sure if it was him, but I immediately gasped. Debbie looked up at me as if I was interrupting and turned away from me.

"Em, baby?" She smiled. I could no longer hear the voice. "Hi, honey. I'm fine thank you." She laughed. "I'm sorry to call so late." She waited a minute. "Carl's fine. Everything's fine." She laughed harder. "Listen, there's somebody here who really needs to see you." Silence. "I think you should get down here." Silence. "Ok. I'll see you soon." She hung the phone back up.

"So?" I nearly jumped off my seat.

"So? So what?" Deb took the phone back to it's spot by the register. "He'll be here soon." I did a little victory jump inside myself, ignoring Deb's aggravation.

"Eliza?" She asked after a minute. I looked up at her. "I'm sorry if I've come off a bit cold."

"It's ok." I answered plainly.

"My brother, Vic, he's in the hospital. Things have been very stressful lately." She looked down to the floor.

"I understand. I hope he gets better." I smiled at her and she returned it.

"How about I make you something to eat?" Deb offered. I nodded gratefully. I hadn't eaten anything since Nashville, which is where I had hitchhiked to. Once there I found the train station and bought my ticket to Pittsburgh. That was yesterday morning.

Deb disappeared into the kitchen and came back out a couple of minutes later with a tray filled with food. There was a plate with grilled cheese and French fries, and another with spaghetti. There were littler platters with cottage cheese and fruit slices.

"Whadaya want?" Deb put the tray down on the counter. I chose the grilled cheese and French fries and she grinned. "Emmett always orders grilled cheese when he's in this late."

"Thank you." I laughed, picking up a fry and shoving it into my mouth. Deb nodded a 'you're welcome'. "Our mother used to make grilled cheese all the time. That and soup." I added.

"Why is that?" She asked.

"We usually didn't have very much money, so she would buy a loaf of bread, a package of cheese, and a big can of soup. She'd use half the loaf and cut the sandwiches into halves. It wasn't too expensive and it fed us all. But that was only when we had money to buy food at all." I savored every bite in my mouth.

"Well, honey, if you ever need somethin' to eat, you just come see me." She patted me on the back placed the tray back onto the rack and lifted the plates of food under the heat light. "What was that emergency all about?"

"Oh, that." I stopped eating as I remembered. "It's our brother, Lucas."

"Is he sick?" Deb sounded concerned.

"No. My parents kicked him out. Now I can't find him."

"Why did you come here?"

"Because Lucas is like Emmett." Deb's eyes widened as she realized what I was talking about.

"So you think because Lucas is gay, Emmett might know where he is?" Deb tried to understand.

"No. But the same thing happened to Emmett. He ended up here didn't he?" I picked up another fry. "Besides, Lucas was the only thing that kept me in that tailor trash hell. If he wasn't sticking around, I'd be damned if I had to."

"Good for you, hun." Deb smiled and nudged me. I couldn't help but smile back. "How old's this Lucas anyway?"

"Seventeen."

"Jesus. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Are you the youngest of the seven?" She grabbed a bottle of coke from a cooler behind her and set it in front of me.

"I'm the youngest of Emmett's whole siblings. But I have younger siblings too. They're all only our half-siblings." I went on. "Emmett hasn't met most of them, though. Only a few." Just as I finished talking the chime on the door sounded. I froze in place and watched Debbie.

"Emmett, come here." Debbie called from our place at the counter.

"Debbie, what in Mary's name are you doing havin' me come out this late? I was just cuddlin' up with a bit of Bette Davis." A voice came up behind me. I slowly turned around on my bar stool. The look on Emmett's was unsure and a bit confused, but he pulled a smile out of nowhere.

"Well, if it isn't Miss 'Liza Louise." He smiled, but I could tell he was getting emotional.

"Emmett." Was all I could bring myself to say, but he stopped me before I could compose anything else. Next thing I knew, his long, skinny arms were wrapped around me. I wasn't for sure if it was me or him, but somebody was crying.