The streets of Manhattan were busy despite the unrelenting snow and bitter wind. The marketplace was packed, and Blink smiled a little to himself as he made his way through the bustling sea of people. As much as he loved his relatively quiet existence in the Texas sun, he knew that New York City was his heart and soul. He felt good when he walked through these streets – encompassed by tall buildings and petty thieves, he felt so much more at home than he did surrounded by grass and oil and cattle. God, he hated cattle.
Blink pulled his coat tighter around himself, sighing out in a large cloud of steam in front of him. The clamor of voices around him made it nearly impossible to hear anything and he very nearly ran right over a small boy, pale and thin, waving a newspaper and yelling in a voice that was so much bigger than his body. He looked up at Blink, tired eyes examining him, judging him, and, seemingly, knowing him. Knowing what he used to be; that they weren't all that difference despite the money weighing down Blink's pockets.
"Care ta buy a pape, mistah? It's me last one," the boy said, trying (and failing) to hide his shivering.
"Yeah," Blink said, pulling two dimes out of his pocket. As he exchanged them for the newspaper and a puzzled look from the boy, he said, "Buy a hot meal for yourself and a friend. You look like you need it."
He heard a shouted "Thanks, mistah!" as he pushed his way through the crowd. Smiling, he continued on his stroll.
--
Blink had a meeting with Michael Smith that afternoon to go over the finishing touches for their business plan. As he walked into Smith's office, he found he suddenly couldn't look him in the eye.
"So how's your day going? Not too cold for you, I hope," Smith said cheerfully as he sat down behind his desk. Blink shook his head and sat as well. "Okay, well, let's get started."
Smith talked forever. He seemed to know more about what he was doing than Blink did, so Blink just stayed silent, nodding in the appropriate places. He'd found over the last few years that he sold more oil when he did that, anyway. He wasn't sure why... maybe it had something to do with the fact that people enjoy talking more than they do listening.
"You've been awfully quiet, Mister Erickson," Smith said when he was finally done presenting the business plan. "Is everything all right?"
Yeah, except for the fact that I slept with your fiancé this morning. Blink nodded. "Just tired, I s'pose. Didn't sleep much last night."
"Oh. That's unfortunate. Well, if everything's to your liking, I think we're done here. You can go, if you'd like, maybe head back to your inn and get some rest." He smiled.
"Great. Yeah, everything looks pretty good to me, I think." Blink rose and shook Smith's hand. "Thanks. And I'll be here in New York for a couple more weeks, I think, so you can get a hold of me, y'know, in case anything comes up."
"I'll do that. Thanks again, Mister Erickson."
"Yeah." Blink walked out, nearly running into Evelyn as he stared at his feet. She gave him a secret little smile as she passed him, and he stood, staring, for a few moments before heading back to the inn.
--
"So, you enjoyin' New York again?" Jack sat across from Blink at Tibby's, their old restaurant of choice.
"For the most part," Blink shrugged, taking a bite of cole slaw. "I didn't know how much I missed it until I got here."
Jack nodded. "Hell, I'd miss it and this place makes me sick."
Blink laughed a little, nodding. "Yeah... I seen some things, though... makes me remember why I left."
"Yeah? Like what?" Jack washed down a huge mouthful of food with a glass of water.
"Well... you remember that, uh, that girl I used to keep company with 'fore I left? Evie?"
"Yeah." Jack nodded, then looked up abruptly. "Shit, Blink. You didn't."
Blink sighed. "Yeah, I did." When Jack only stared at him, wide-eyed, Blink shook his head. "I don't even know how it happened."
"Didn't you learn a damn thing last time?"
"You'd think I would've." Blink ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "She's engaged to another rich, brainless fool."
"You forget that you're a rich, brainless fool now, too," Jack said with a smirk.
Blink smiled a little. "Hey. I ain't brainless." He shrugged. "But this guy owns the shipping company I'm workin' with, an' she was at the house when I went for dinner last night. Then she came to my room this mornin', y'know, to yell at me, which she did a lot of, an' then..."
Jack wiggled his eyebrows. "Then?"
"Well, a gentleman doesn't talk about these kinds of things." Blink sipped at his water, smirking at Jack over the rim of the glass.
"Blink, you may be a rich son of a bitch now, but you ain't a gentleman, no matter which way you look at it."
"You still ain't gettin' details," Blink said, grinning. "Anyhow, it was a mistake and it won't happen again."
"Funny... seems to me like you've said that a few times before."
"Shut up, Jack."
