Chapter 20

Back in the RV park, the interior of the Kankers camper was quite silent .The small trailer, which once acted as a home to the Kanker family, was currently occupied by only two individuals: Tabby, and her younger sister Katie. Since sending the the girls away, the two women had made their way back to the trailer, both taking their places in the upstairs bedroom

Tabby had offered Kate a frozen TV dinner, as well as a bottle of Coke. As the homeless woman enjoyed her meal, Tabby had decided to prepare herself a helping of tea in the trailers small kitchen. After heating the water, dipping the tea bags, and adding a scoop of sugar, she returned to the bedroom to find Kate seated on the bed. The scraggly red headed woman had finished her meal, leaving a clean tray as well as an empty soda bottle on the coffee table.

"Jesus, I was only gone for five minutes and you already inhaled that whole dinner?" asked Tabby as she took a seat in the arm chair, "I guess becoming a loser didn't affect that massive appetite."

"Actually it helped," said Kate, "When you survive for years on small snacks and anything you can get, a simple frozen dinner tastes like a gourmet meal!"

There was a pause as Kate scanned the interior of the bedroom, taking notice of all of Mr. Kankers fishing memorabilia.

"I'm glad to see you at least kept Daddy's stuff in good shape," said Kate, "At least I know you still respect at least one member of your family."

"I respect the one's who matter," said Tabby.

As Tabby took a sip of her tea, Kate decided to continue the conversation.

"At least it was nice to see my nieces," said Kate, "Seeing a third one was a nice surprise, although I wasn't able to get a good look at her or meet her. What's her name?"

Tabby took a seat on the couch, igniting a cigarette as she did so.

"Annamae." said Tabby.

"Geez, you were't kidding when you said you'd find a way to put Anna in all your daughters names," said Kate, "You even managed to somewhat squeeze it into hers...it's actually pretty cool how you handled that one."

Tabby remained silent, staring at the wall as Kate removed a cigarette of her own from her pocket.

"Can I have a light?" asked Kate, holding the white stick towards Tabby as she did so.

Tabby rolled her eyes, as she proceeded to oblige, using her lighter to ignite Kate's cigarette. After taking a few draws, Kate decided to pose a question.

"It's funny," said Kate, "Its obvious where the other two got their looks, but Annamae looks totally different. Where'd you steal her from?"

Kate giggled at her joke as Tabby appeared unamused

"For your information smartass, she takes after my husband," said Tabby, "If you weren't so high at the time, you would have made the connection. And what the hell is this, twenty fucking questions? I said you can sleep here, not annoy the hell out of me all night with your irritating voice."

"Whatever," said Kate, "But you can't deny the fact that you owe me at least one more answer."

Kate leaned forward slightly.

"So," asked Kate, "Are ya gonna tell me how you managed to find me?"

Tabby sighed.

"I figured you'd still be amongst the degenerates of the avenue, so I took a trip back to the old neighborhood," said Tabby, "And what better place to start than Face's hideout."

"Are you serious?" asked Kate, "You think I'd actually be living with him!?"

"Well, he was your dealer...right?" asked Tabby.

"Well...um...yeah," said Kate, "But he's also a nasty, pig-headed, wannabe pimp that has hurt too many people to count. I haven't dealt with him in over seven years, and to be honest I wouldn't go anywhere near him ever again. He's made way too many enemies, and it's only a matter of time until God pays him back for the pain and suffering he has inflicted on others."

Tabby placed her cigarette into her mouth, holding the smoldering stick between her lips as she began fiddling through her pocket book.

"Anyway, to get to the point," said Tabby, "After Face told me he hadn't seen ya in a long time, some weird broad stopped me and told me she had the information I was looking for. At first, I thought she was just trying to set me up for some quick cash, but just as I was about to leave, she delivered a nice little piece of positive reassurance."

Tabby turned towards Kate, and began to speak

"That on that day he who escapes..."

"Will come to you with information for your ears?" said Kate, cutting Tabby off and completing her sentence, "...Ezekiel 24:26..."

"Ezekiel was always your favorite book." said Tabby, "So I figured that was enough to trust her judgement."

Kate took a puff of her cigarette.

"What did this woman look like?" asked Kate.

"About your age, blonde hair," said Tabby.

"Brandy," said Kate, "One of my only friends on the street and yet another one of Faces victims. We did our best to try to help each other crawl out from under this stupid nightmare of addiction, but while I managed to at least get to rehab and make a little progress, she continued to sink even lower...poor soul. She was always good to me, and always willing to sacrifice herselfto help others...I just wish I could have helped her."

The two women remained silent for a few moments, both appearing to adopt disheartened expressions. Eventually, the two shook off their melancholy feelings, readopting their mutually abrasive personalities.

"Anyway," said Tabby as she retrieved the piece of paper provided to her by Brandy, "Since you seem to be quite savvy regarding that hellhole you used to call a home and all of the nonsense that goes along with it, perhaps you can fill me in on the story behind this beautiful piece of art."

"Oh, so now you have a question?" asked Kate, "Ironic coming from the bitch who just screamed at me for..."

As she took hold of the small card, Kate instantly ceased speaking. Her relatively calm demeanor was replaced with an expression of extreme distress; her eyes widened as she laid them on the pink, martini glass-shaped graphic adorning the small card. Within seconds, her hands began to violently tremble, struggling to retain a grip on the pamphlet.

"No," said Kate, "No, no, no..."

"No what?" asked Tabby in an authoritative manner, "What is it? Spit it out!"

Kate slowly lifted her head, her fear-filled eyes slowly making contact with her older sister.

"They're after us," said Kate in a panic stricken voice, "Jesus Christ, they're after us!"

Tabby rose from the couch, and proceeded to kneel down in front her younger sister. She calmly took hold of Kate's shoulders, staring into her eyes with an expression of determination.

"Who!" asked Tabby, "Who is after us?"

"The Pink Ladies," said Kate in a wavering voice, "This is the calling card of the Pink Ladies."