IV
Lucky
"Hey Lucky," Tony called out, and the girl immediately turned to him and pointed at him with both hands. "I was wondering if you have more picks?" he asked, lowering his voice a bit. "I got the day off and was hoping to go to Belmont and all…"
"Sure, amigo, just make sure you get the numbers in the right order this time," the girl said, taking the newspaper from him.
"Oh I will, Lucky. This time I'm just going to box the bets so I don't mess up," Tony promised her, handing her his notebook and eagerly watched as she put some numbers down. "Is that a seven or a two?" he asked nervously, making her write them over.
"Here you go, same deal as before, sí?"
"No problem, Lucky, thanks," Tony said, then began to shovel his breakfast in.
"Still coming with me today, Lucky?" Emma asked hopefully.
"Why do you think I'm here? You know I always keep my word!" she said indignantly.
Lucky spied a soda set out for her beside the tall stranger's seat and immediately sat down beside him. Severus had missed when exactly when the drink had gotten there, but as he attempted to get another look at the girl from the corner of his eyes, he found that the girl was doing the same thing to him.
"'Ey, Jackie, what you doing back there? You in trouble or something?" Lucky grinned when she saw Jennifer in the kitchen.
"I'm coming!" Jennifer said, hurrying out with two plates, one for Severus and the other filled with chocolate chip pancakes for the girl.
"What's that? Chorizo?" Lucky asked, pointing her knife at his plate at Jennifer set them down.
"My idea of sausage," Jennifer said, getting a murderous look from Rob.
"Oh, yeah, the sausage here looks like shriveled fingers or somethin'," Lucky joked, and the sound of banging pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen. "Is that fish on your toast?"
"Do you always start conversations with strangers by commenting on their food?" Severus asked her.
"I just want to know if you're really going to eat that stuff or you lost a bet, that's all," Lucky said. Jennifer cleared her throat.
"Severus, this is one of the Kingler's new regular customers, Fortuna Conejo. Fortuna, this is Professor Snape."
"Did you have to tell him that? You know I hate my name! It tempts boys in school to call me 'tuna,' and I detest having to beat them up," she said, cracking her knuckles before offering Severus her hand. "My name's Lucky. Everyone calls me Lucky."
Reluctantly Severus took it, but instead of looking at her, he was busy eyeing his wife and wondering if she was scheming what he was afraid she was scheming.
"You don't know it, but you just got yourself a whole day of luck by shaking my hand there. Because I really am lucky."
"Oh, really," Severus said, frowning as Jennifer attempted to tiptoe away. "More coffee, if you please?" Reluctantly, Jennifer came back over with the coffeepot, handing her husband the opportunity to throw her a very accusing look. "To be perfectly honest, I have never been one to believe in such things."
"'Ey, I understand," Lucky said, nodding companionably. "I wouldn't believe it either if I wasn't me. I can prove it to you, if you want."
"Thank you, but I'm not really interested," Severus said, turning his attention to his breakfast.
"Oh, but she's telling the truth, Professor," Emma said. "This little girl is a real gem! Why, the last time I took her to bingo with me, I got paid up on all my credit cards and my rent for six months!"
"Yeah, and I've finally got a bit of a retirement nest egg…although I'd have more if I got the last trifecta she gave me right," Tony muttered.
"That's okay, Tony. If you win all the time, people would get suspicious anyhow," Lucky said. "I got my interests to protect too."
"So you use this 'luck' of yours to make money for people," Severus said. "What is your share in it, then?"
"A mere ten percent, with one percent of that going to charity," Lucky said cheerfully. "I have to make a living too. This town isn't cheap, you know."
"I see," Severus said expressionlessly, not looking away from his breakfast. "I take it you care for yourself then?"
"Better than getting lost in the system," Lucky said with a shrug, drowning her pancakes in syrup.
"She does have a foster home, Professor," Sally interrupted. "In fact, she's had several this summer, but they've had no luck keeping her in them…"
"Of course not. I've got all the luck," the girl shrugged as if that was obvious.
"We even tried to call welfare a dozen times that first month…but we finally gave up," Sally admitted. "All it accomplished was another black mark on her record."
"Don't sweat it, mujer, they'll all go away when I turn eighteen, and then I'll be able to go wherever I want," Lucky reasoned. "No more hopping around from home to home when I don't want to be in any of them. On the street, I'm the boss."
"It's too rough in this town for a girl your age to be out on the street, luck to protect you or not," Rob said from the back. "You should try using that luck of yours to find a real home… and then stay there."
"Oh, you're just sore because I won't give you lottery numbers," Lucky said, waving him off.
"And why not, if you can manipulate numbers as well as you seem to be able to do," Severus asked. He didn't miss the fact that behind him Jennifer was nodding and smiling enigmatically. There had been no doubt in her mind that the girl had a magic talent for numbers.
"Well, it wouldn't be fair, that's all," Lucky explained. "If I give them lottery picks, I'll be taking an opportunity away from someone else who may need it more."
"And yet picking horses and bingo numbers isn't doing that?" Severus asked.
"No, that's different," Lucky said with her mouth full, but finished swallowing before she continued. "See, those bookies and parlors, who are they run by? Capitalists, hombre, corporate America. They're there only to take advantage of normal everyday people and rob us of every dime we have. Since more than one person can win in the horses, it don't hurt nobody but them. And bingo games? They are supposed to go to charity, but most of that money simply goes back into the bank account to 'run' them and not to anybody in general, and you can't tell me they're aren't people skimming that down at every opportunity. So this way, I make sure some of it really does go to charity, while helping out a friend at the same time. Now lottery…that's like…tax payer's money! I wouldn't feel right about that. It'd be taking regular people's money and stealing from whoever might have won if I hadn't given out the number. It's the corporation that should pay, not the people."
"I see. Take from the rich and give to the poor," Severus said, still not looking over at her.
"Exactamente! You're not so dumb," Lucky decided.
"That part, at least, you are quite correct about," Severus said, fixing his gaze back on his wife, who was taking great pains to clean the serving counter. "Sally, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with your employee. Just a word."
"Of course, Professor," Sally said, coming over as he got up. "More soda, Lucky?"
"And more syrup," Lucky agreed. Jennifer nervously slipped around the counter and over to the far side of the room.
"Yes, Severus?" Jennifer asked.
Severus smiled dangerously.
"No." Severus said.
"No? No what?" Jennifer asked anxiously.
"I think 'no' was a sufficient enough word," Severus said, turning around.
"Oh, please, Severus, you can at least talk to me about this," Jennifer whispered. "I know you haven't seen her talent, but if you did, you'd see that she was more than up to…"
"Jennifer, the girl is, as she put it, lost in the system, and we're in the United States. There is no way in hell that they would allow an obvious ward of the state to go to a school outside of the country."
"We could find her a permanent home perhaps…"
"Jennifer, 'no' was meant to cover every level of this discussion, and this time I am not changing my mind," Severus said firmly. "No time, no inclination, no patience, and no interest. Not this time, Jennifer. I'll put in a letter to some of the local magic schools about her if you like, but that is the limit of my involvement in this."
"None of the local schools will take her with the record she has, Severus, I already checked," Jennifer murmured as he began to walk away.
"That is not our decision, and this is not our country," Severus said firmly then headed back to the table. Even though no one seemed to have heard what was said, none of them missed that whatever it was had been quite heated. Severus also didn't miss the fact that when Jennifer went stomping into the back room that Rob and Sally stopped what they were doing and glared at him.
"Hey, Lucky, how about some more pancakes?" Rob said, sending a plate up before she even answered. Lucky had been stabbing at the very last piece of her pancakes distractedly when Severus sat back down.
"'Ey, what's the story between you and Jackie?"
"Jennifer…Jackie as you call her, is my wife," Severus said, frowning because his eggs had grown cold.
"Oh, that explains a lot. My parents were married, so I understand. They fought a lot too."
"We don't fight, Fortuna. We simply have disagreements from time to time," Severus said.
"Yeah, that's what Mama used to say too, 'til she burned up in a fire. Sister, too. The cops think mi padre did it, tho' after he got shot he didn't have a chance to say. Me, I had fallen asleep downstairs watching T.V. and got myself out without a scratch before I knew what happened to everybody else. Guess I'm just lucky that way," she said, pouring the whole bottle of syrup over her plate. "So what if I take advantage of my luck sometimes? I'm just survivin', just like everyone else in this stinkin' town. Not like anyone's gonna notice one more Hispanic kid on the street here. And Professor, I am also not stupid. I know what argument that was about," Lucky said, getting up and throwing down a wadded twenty on the bar. "Uno momento, Granny, I better go wash my hands and stuff."
"Take your time, dear, we still have an hour," Emma assured her.
"Hey, I'll drive you guys," Tony said with a grin. "Makes me feel safer when that kid is in the car anyhow."
Severus pushed his breakfast plate away and sat with fingers laced, futilely attempting to brush away the morning's events and concentrate on how to productively use his afternoon while waiting for Jennifer to finish her shift. He was still debating between exploring the local library and finding out if Vallid was in town when someone else arrived. The man who entered was so intent that at first he didn't notice who was sitting at the bar.
"Tony, have you seen Lucky?" Mark Ghent asked anxiously. "She was going to look over the opening numbers for me."
"Yeah, she'll be right out," Tony said unconcernedly. Severus, on the other hand, was squinting at him suspiciously. As Mark went to sit down at a booth, he caught the look out of the corner of his eye and nearly jumped out of his shoes.
"Oh, Severus! I wasn't expecting to see you here. Visiting Jennifer, I suppose?" Mark said conversationally from across the room. Sally glanced between them, looking rather amused. "Just a cup of coffee, Sally?"
"How about decaf?" she said slyly, bringing him over an individual pot and a cup and saucer.
"How have you been?" Severus said in an exaggeratedly polite tone. Jennifer, who had gone back to do the dishes to cool off, took one look at what was going on and decided to go find something else to wash.
"Quite well, actually. Back on my feet, with a little help. How are things at the school?" Mark asked with the same stiff politeness.
"Never better," Severus said, his eyes darting to the girl coming out of the bathroom.
"There you are, Mark! Thought you were going to miss me, hombre. What you do, take the subway?" Lucky asked.
"Worse, I took a cab," Mark explained, handing her a piece of paper.
"Hey!" Tony said indignantly.
"Pen?" Lucky asked. She then glanced over the stock numbers, grabbing the pen from his hand before sitting at the table to write. "hold…hold…buy…hold…sell…sell….'ey!" she said, staring at one of them. "Didn't I tell you to sell that one, like, three days ago?"
"Yeah," Mark grumbled. "But one of the analysts said…"
"You don't listen to no analysts, they're corporate thugs. You listen to me. And stop watching that guy with no hair on T.V. I'm better," Lucky told him, finishing her notes. But as he reached out to take it, she pulled it back. "Just a minute, you still owe me money from last time."
"Yes, I know, and I have it," Mark said. "But there's something I want to tell you about it."
"I don't want to hear about anything. I just want to see the cash," Lucky said impatiently. "Come on, the old lady's waiting on me."
"See? I have it, it's here," Mark said, showing her his inside coat pocket before leaning across the table lowering his voice. "But I was thinking it might be wise to save some extra money between us…you know, about what we talked about."
"I thought we decided there was some problem with that…like you being a felon and all?" Lucky said warily.
"Yes, I know, but I happen…I'm sorry, do you need something, Severus?" Mark asked when he noticed that the wizard had gotten up and had closed in on them.
"What makes you think I need anything?" Severus asked expressionlessly.
"Well, for one thing, you're standing over the table," Mark pointed out.
"No, I don't need anything to speak of. Feel free to continue," Severus said with a wave of the hand.
"It was a private conversation, Severus," Mark said.
"Don't worry, Professor. I know this guy, it's okay," Lucky said.
"Yes, I know him as well, and I guarantee you I know him better than you do," Severus said crisply. "And I would like to think that I have been quite patient under the extreme circumstances of our relationship. Especially considering that he held my wife hostage against her will to get himself out of personal debt…without any thought to the long term consequences of his actions. Out of respect for my wife, I have been perhaps too civil to him over the years; tolerating even occasional visits to the penitentiary just because of one last minute attempt at redemption, and perhaps also for his agreement to testify against someone who still managed to get out of prison anyhow. And yet for some reason, despite that mutual civility, I find both as a school administrator and as a parent that I feel a certain level of concern that you, Mark, would feel a need to have a private conversation of any sort with an eleven-year-old girl, who conveniently enough has no guardian or parent to intervene and let you know it is inappropriate."
"Oh, butt out! It's none of your business," Lucky said in annoyance. But she looked up in surprise when Mark hurriedly stood. "Hey! What about my money!" Glancing at Severus, who simply gazed back at him unyieldingly, Mark took out an envelope and handed it over before attempting to excuse himself.
Severus didn't move at first, contemplating, his fingers holding down the paper with the symbols on the table, preventing Mark from taking it. But finally Severus stepped away and held the paper out to him.
"I wouldn't try this again if I were you," Severus warned. Wordlessly, Mark took it and nodded, walking out of the café.
A loud round of applause broke out from behind him, and he turned to see Rob and Sally standing behind the counter clapping, while Jennifer, suds up to her arms, peered around the corner wondering what all the fuss was about.
"How did you do that, anyways?" Lucky demanded from where she sat at the table. Severus was busy indicating to his wife that he was going out for a few hours and didn't answer her right away.
"How did I do what, Fortuna?" he said at last.
"You know, that thing with the paper," Lucky said. "All my buys and sells switching all around when you put your fingers on it. You don't think I missed that, do you?"
"As you said, you are not stupid," Severus said curtly, waiting until Jennifer went to the back before looking over at the girl again. "What was he talking to you about just now? What was he referring to when he said something you spoke about before?"
"Oh, that," Lucky said. "Nothing, like…wrong…or anything like that. He was just talking about adopting me at one point, but he can't because of his police record. Guess he's found a way to get around it."
"On the contrary, it seems your 'luck' as you call it has just prevented him from ever getting around it," Severus said, bringing out a business card.
"What's this?" Lucky said warily, staring at the card. "Lawyer? What would I need from some Park Avenue lawyer?" Lucky asked.
"I suppose you'll have to decide that for yourself," Severus said. "She may be able to help you more than you think."
"I'm fine the way I am, and on my own, gracias," Lucky said.
"Suit yourself," Severus said, apparently no longer concerned with the girl's future as he turned for the door.
"Hey wait, you didn't tell me how you did that thing with the paper yet!"
"Magic," Severus said briskly, then headed out to find an owl. Lucky rolled her eyes and shook her head, thinking it a nonsensical answer.
