Tyler watched cartoons, the bright colors playing across his face. In
his hand he held a glass of milk. Drinking, he made a face and went back to
watching the late night anime. "Hey," said Jesse, sitting down next to him.
"Cartoon boobs?"
"No, um, going more for the insomniac thing."
"Warm milk?"
"Yeah and it wants to make me do is vomit. The big eyes are kind of scary so that's not helping."
"Cable television and this is the best you can find?"
"Sorry."
"Why?"
"I dunno. So what do you do when you can't sleep?"
"Go through the car parts we need to order."
"You're kidding."
"Well I do sometimes. Sometimes I think about my dad."
"What was he like?"
"He was cool. You'd like him. He's in jail now. But, y'know, he gave me my first car."
"Cool."
"Yeah, so mind if I sit down?"
"Nah. Mean, I don't mind. I'll shut up now. Go ahead. Damn it." A long pause. The girl with the DD cup in the black bikini giggled and threw another fireball at the giant monster. "You met my father. He never really gave me anything though. Black eyes. Resilience to pain. Guess he made a good impression, huh?"
"Truthfully or sarcastically?"
"Truthfully?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone about your father? There are shelters. If you can stay here why can't you stay at a shelter? I mean, I don't want to sound like I want you out, because I don't but, if your dad, beats you so bad, like the yesterday, or on the stairs, what you said."
"That wasn't my father I was mumbling about."
"Then who?"
"No one."
"OK. But what about the shelters?"
"My dad, my mom is in a mental hospital. She had a break down. I can't go to her. If I go to a shelter my dad can find me. Or he can go and hurt my mom. I came here, well, I came here because I really wanted to stop bleeding and I had been to all the clinics that there was to go to and I couldn't to go to any one with out bringing child services on my ass since you know, severity of beatings, having been there recently. So I came here, got fixed up and I just, it just felt ok. Know?"
"Yeah. I think."
"So why are you here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you here?"
"You mean like how do I fit in?" Tyler pushed Mute when a commercial came on. "I just, I just found here. I don't know. I just did. Can't explain it but."
"It felt right."
"Yeah. It did." Tyler took a sip of his milk and sighed.
"Screw that. Tastes so bad."
"You want to go get something to eat?"
"What?"
"Like coffee if you've given up on sleeping. Or just drive around. Helps me sometimes."
"Yeah. I like to go to parks at midnight. Not like, working going, but just going. Or like in the early morning, when the ground is wet."
"I sit in the garage sometimes just to smell the grease."
"Go to music stores, play the bass for hours. Get kicked out and go to another one. Tattoo parlors. I like the way ink and paint and markers leave tastes in your nose, in your mouth."
"You play the bass?"
"Sometimes. I like to draw. To drive around." Jesse stood, as did Tyler. On the way out Jesse put his arm around Tyler's shoulders. The TV stayed on, the picture making slides on the dark wall, people speaking but no sound coming out.
"No, um, going more for the insomniac thing."
"Warm milk?"
"Yeah and it wants to make me do is vomit. The big eyes are kind of scary so that's not helping."
"Cable television and this is the best you can find?"
"Sorry."
"Why?"
"I dunno. So what do you do when you can't sleep?"
"Go through the car parts we need to order."
"You're kidding."
"Well I do sometimes. Sometimes I think about my dad."
"What was he like?"
"He was cool. You'd like him. He's in jail now. But, y'know, he gave me my first car."
"Cool."
"Yeah, so mind if I sit down?"
"Nah. Mean, I don't mind. I'll shut up now. Go ahead. Damn it." A long pause. The girl with the DD cup in the black bikini giggled and threw another fireball at the giant monster. "You met my father. He never really gave me anything though. Black eyes. Resilience to pain. Guess he made a good impression, huh?"
"Truthfully or sarcastically?"
"Truthfully?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone about your father? There are shelters. If you can stay here why can't you stay at a shelter? I mean, I don't want to sound like I want you out, because I don't but, if your dad, beats you so bad, like the yesterday, or on the stairs, what you said."
"That wasn't my father I was mumbling about."
"Then who?"
"No one."
"OK. But what about the shelters?"
"My dad, my mom is in a mental hospital. She had a break down. I can't go to her. If I go to a shelter my dad can find me. Or he can go and hurt my mom. I came here, well, I came here because I really wanted to stop bleeding and I had been to all the clinics that there was to go to and I couldn't to go to any one with out bringing child services on my ass since you know, severity of beatings, having been there recently. So I came here, got fixed up and I just, it just felt ok. Know?"
"Yeah. I think."
"So why are you here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you here?"
"You mean like how do I fit in?" Tyler pushed Mute when a commercial came on. "I just, I just found here. I don't know. I just did. Can't explain it but."
"It felt right."
"Yeah. It did." Tyler took a sip of his milk and sighed.
"Screw that. Tastes so bad."
"You want to go get something to eat?"
"What?"
"Like coffee if you've given up on sleeping. Or just drive around. Helps me sometimes."
"Yeah. I like to go to parks at midnight. Not like, working going, but just going. Or like in the early morning, when the ground is wet."
"I sit in the garage sometimes just to smell the grease."
"Go to music stores, play the bass for hours. Get kicked out and go to another one. Tattoo parlors. I like the way ink and paint and markers leave tastes in your nose, in your mouth."
"You play the bass?"
"Sometimes. I like to draw. To drive around." Jesse stood, as did Tyler. On the way out Jesse put his arm around Tyler's shoulders. The TV stayed on, the picture making slides on the dark wall, people speaking but no sound coming out.