Jimmy shook his head, perplexed, his jellyroll hairstyle flopping back and forth on his head.

"Whadda you mean?"

Noting the position of the sun in the sky, and thus reminded of the curfew, Adeline started the truck and put it in gear, turning her head so she could see out the rear window as she released the brake, popped the clutch and backed out, explaining as she drove.

"She wants me to perform a private engagement for her son…and the way she spoke about him, I was picturing a little boy…but apparently he's 28 years old…and they have no interest in the lion act….just me."

Jimmy, appearing disgusted, and reminded of the offer Dandy and his mother had made for the twins, put up his right hand, his left still pressing the ice to his cheek.

"Hold on. We know this broad. And her son. They bought out the show a few nights ago before the curfew started. Afterward, they offered to buy the twins. The girls blew 'em off, of course, but then he shows up again today, wanting to join the show."

Adeline narrowed her eyes as she looked in both directions before pulling out onto the main road. In her lifetime she had witnessed, and indeed herself experienced, a certain amount veiled of fetishism where the deformed or unusual like herself were concerned, and her uncle had occasionally been approached by private collectors offering to pay exorbitant amounts of money both for the privilege of being the first notified in the event a freak passed away, and for the exclusive rights to purchase the freak's corpse itself. These collectors were, of course, emphatically refused and unabashedly informed as to exactly how little her uncle thought of them. More commonly, Adeline had obviously been privy to knowledge of offers made by the management of other troupes or outfits to purchase a freak or performer's contract, in order to secure a new act for their own shows. She had not, however, ever encountered anyone who had attempted to purchase a living human being outright, and the thought was certainly unsettling. It was the knowledge of that offer that caused her the most hesitation. She felt it important to impress upon Jimmy, however, that she certainly was not inexperienced in the politics of professional performance, and was more than capable of handling her own affairs and making her own decisions about her career. She did, nevertheless, appreciate his proactive attempt to protect both her person and her interests.

"It's not as if I haven't done private performances before, but I always had at least four rousties there…for crowd control, and….in case someone were to get fresh" she paused, worry marring her face "….but despite the fact that these were closed events, I was always performing in a venue of some kind. I get the impression she wants me to come to their house."

Jimmy shook his head again, more vehemently this time. "I don't think it's a good idea. That kid is…bad news, at best."

Adeline sighed, not in frustration, or in exasperation with Jimmy, but because she was conflicted.

"Jimmy, she's going to pay me fifteen hundred….if she keeps her word."

She watched him go bug-eyed in the seat beside her, and as he was shaking his head she elucidated what was going through her mind.

"There is $27.60 in meat in that crate back there," She said, pointing to the crate behind them. "That is three days worth of food for Max. I have some funds saved, but… I was counting on steady box office profits, and with the curfew on, I'm faced with...unavoidable uncertainty. I can manage for a while, but I'll swallow my pride if I have to in order to make sure he eats. If I'm at all able, I'd like to whatever I can to avoid calling Vienna."

Jimmy switched the ice over to the other side of his face. "What's in Vienna?" He asked.

"My parents." Adeline responded, with a sigh, keeping her eyes forward. "They moved" ran away, she thought bitterly, "when we…when the show….closed."

"Where's everybody else? From the show, I mean?" Jimmy asked.

Adeline bit her lip for a moment, scowling a bit.

"Most of them…are no longer with us. Some are on the lam." She saw no point in being vague, as unprepared as she was to go into complete detail. But she was used to carny culture, in which new troupe mates felt free to ask questions until such a time as they were warned they had gone too far or were prodding too deep.

"And the rest of 'em?"

She appreciated the concern she saw evident in his face when he posed the question. Her voice was lifeless and flat, low, and lacking affect when she replied. "Angola."

Jimmy's look of surprise compelled Adeline to continue. Certainly anyone who had been in the south long enough would be familiar with the more frequently utilized name for the notorious prison farm, used in reference to the town in which it was located. He said nothing, but Adeline felt inclined to inform him that she had not kept anything from Elsa, lest he feel the justifiable need to bring it to her attention. Adeline could empathize completely with the need to protect one's troupe, and she wouldn't blame Jimmy for running off to her as soon as they returned if he believed that Adeline's presence could cause trouble for the outfit.

"Elsa already knows. Please understand that I would never bring a threat along with me in joining an outfit that could put any troupe in peril. There's no one looking for me." As those last words left her mouth, Adeline realized it was true in the sense that she had intended, but also in the sense that she was profoundly alone, and the reminder incited an ache in the hollow place behind her ribs where her family had been. Her carny family, and those who had begotten her.

Relieved, sensing the troupe had enough trouble on its hands as it was, between Jupiter's imposed curfew, Elsa's general unpredictability, and now Dell's appearance, Jimmy relaxed and allowed himself to be interested for the sake of getting to know her rather than for the sake of screening her potential as a hazard.

"What happened?" Jimmy asked, his tone gentle, his eyes soft as her watched her face in profile.

Adeline shook her head, then turned to look over at Jimmy, giving him a tight lipped smile to convey that she wasn't angry, just lacking the energy needed to tackle that topic again so soon.

"Another day."

"Sure, sure,' Jimmy said, waving his free hand dismissively to communicate that she should put his question out of her mind.

Adeline was unaware that her right foot had become heavier on the gas pedal, until she felt the brushing of the curls in her ponytail against the back of her neck as the force of the wind blowing into the open window whipped it around. She was concerned she'd unintentionally been too harsh with Jimmy in closing the topic.

"Besides," she began in a friendly tone, hoping to assuage any concerns.

He turned his attention directly to her again.

"….it's not as if I'd go alone. I'd insist she allow me to bring someone to escort me there and wait outside to be sure everything…. turned out all right."

Jimmy just nodded, saying nothing.

They drove in silence through the emptying Jupiter streets as the sun began to dim in the sky. The quiet, picturesque charm of the quaint little shops and the neatly arranged cookie cutter houses with their matching, manicured lawns masked the sense of collective panic about the place. Suddenly,

She turned the knob on her radio and fiddled with the dial until she heard the animated voice of the reporter discussing the murders in town that had been the curfew's catalyst.

"Jupiter police are working diligently in attempt to identify possible suspects…."

Adeline lightened the mood with a soft giggle "Is it wicked of me that I find all this fascinating?"

Jimmy just chuckled, and gave her a wry, playful smile.

Adeline watched Eve's long, toned arms in her side mirrors, navigating the pickup and the caravan and enclosure behind it into place under her careful direction. They had chosen a strategic location for her trailers, one beside the water, much like the tents, trailers, and caravans of the others, but advantageously close to a large Weeping Poducarpus tree. Adeline, when assigned a spot by Elsa, had explained the crucial nature of choosing a place for Maximus where, should he have the opportunity be tethered outside when not in his enclosure, he might be secured to a large tree. Elsa had been comfortable with this arrangement, happy that it meant any of Max's accompanying scents would not likely waft close to her tent. Had Adeline known this, she would have been offended. She prided herself on the cleanliness and grooming of her companion and the immaculate sanitation of his enclosure. A lion could cool him or herself in one of two ways, by panting or seeking shade. Experts in slumber, it is not uncommon to find a lion sleeping up to twenty hours a day, though Adeline encouraged Maximus to sleep a maximum of sixteen when they were contracted, so they could rehearse, perform, take exercise walks about the fairgrounds, and of course leave him enough time to eat. Her trailer and his enclosure properly arranged, she left to Jimmy the task for which he had volunteered, that of hooking up her electricity and water to the camp's main system, happy to have a chance to interact with Max.

She secured the 1000 foot passing link welded chain around the tree trunk, dragging out the chain, making certain Maximus could comfortably reach the water to lap up the occasional drink when he wished. He could even swim if he so chose, but it was extremely rare that he venture into any body of water of his own volition. He begrudgingly accepted his frequent baths, if only because he had been conditioned and acclimated to doing so as a cub.

Adeline and the rest of her new allies had left him plenty of space when they positioned the two trailered units, so that when he was chained he could return to the inside of his enclosure if he wished without harming himself, or even, should he have the inclination, walk right up the steps of Adeline's caravan and bellow at his colleague within if he were in need of her attention. Adeline imagined he'd spend most of his time napping in the shade of the tree or alternately delightedly clawing and blissfully scratching against its trunk. Her truck parked out of the way, Adeline retrieved his lead and headed back in the direction of the enclosure, smiling at Jimmy laying under her caravan and calling an appreciative "Thanks again!" as she passed by.

She had rolled down one of Max's panels on the outside of his enclosure to block him from the sun, and now she rolled it up, as it was blocking the door. She watched him open his eyes at the sound and raise his brow at her, his massive head lolled to the side on his bed. She opened the door and waited. He stood with a begrudging grunt and padded over to the door, waiting obediently to be given his command. Instead, Adeline stepped forward into the doorway, and he pushed his big face outward and nudged her cheek affectionately. She laughed and then turned her head, pressing her forehead against his as he breathed quietly in her face, reaching both her hands up to each side of his face to give his mane a rumple and a good scratch with her fingernails. He blew out with a soft grumble and she smiled.

"Good Boy." She said softly.

As the sun descended in the sky, strings of electric lights coming to life on the fairgrounds, Jimmy watched with fascination, his work finished, as the girl and her lion made their procession once again, this time, walking a far shorter distance. She picked up the length of chain attached to the tree and replaced the lead line with the one anchored there. "Sit tight." She said to him. Maximus yawned.

Jimmy watched as she walked a short distance, reached into the back of the truck and rifled in the ice crate for an enormous hunk of meat, which she hauled back with two hands, secured in a strong rag. Fascinated, he observed the exchange that followed. Max, who had been circling and sniffing, stopped, and looked up. He could easily have charged her and seized the twenty pound rump roast in her arms. Adeline shifted the meat into one hand, holding it in the rag, and with her left hand flattened out and extended, palm down, she gave a gesture, a gentle glide of her arm downwards, and Maximus lowered himself to the ground, front paws placed before him, back legs tucked behind him.

"Good Boy," she said, authoritatively. She turned to Jimmy, who she had been aware of.

"Let's see if he'll pounce or if he's feeling lazy."

She gripped the meat in both hands, discarding the rag for a moment, and launched it in his direction, watching him politely stand and trot over to begin to gnaw at it, securing it in place with a powerful paw.

"Well," she said. "That was anticlimactic."

Jimmy laughed, and in the darkness, waiting for Adeline's combination refrigerator-freezer to cool down so she could store the meat, they sat side by side on the steps at the back of her caravan, watching the King devour his feast.

As Maximus drank and familiarized himself with his surroundings, Adeline made her way across the fairgrounds, soothed by the familiar luminance of the string lighting, and the red and ivory striped glow from the insides of the big top and the performers' tents. Waiting at a respectful distance, she called through the heavy tarp of the woman's tent, certain she was inside, as she could hear her radio playing, but maintaining her impeccable carny etiquette.

"Fräulein Elsa ? Es ist mir...Adeline. Kann ich mit dir reden?"

From inside, a shuffling about and a sharp cry of "Einen Augenblick!"

And so Adeline waited. When, a few minutes later, she heard the accompanying "Ja, kommen Sie an!", she took a deep breath and ducked into the tent.

Just past nine in the morning, Jimmy admired Adeline from his perch on his motorcycle as she leaned back in the glass phonebooth, absentmindedly rotating one of her ankles in the small glass stall, the receiver clutched between her ear and her shoulder as she waited for a woman she assumed to be the housekeeper to fetch her employer. In her hands, she fiddled with the heavy white calling card, turning it over anxiously in her hands. At the other end of the line, a cheery excited voice bubbled through "Hello?! A-Adeline?"

Adeline placed her foot down, standing upright and pacing a bit, raising her right hand to hold the receiver against her ear.

"Mrs. Mott? Good Morning! I hope you're well?"

"I'm fine, thank you dear, and yourself?"

"I'm quite well, thank you." Adeline paused. "I have approval from Ms. Mars. I'd like to discuss the particulars of my performance…"

$27.60 in 1952 is the equivalent of about $246.50 in today's dollars.

Most lions in captivity eat around 15 pounds of meat per day, but because he's a performer, Max is fed 20 pounds daily. In today's dollars, feeding Max for a week would cost Adeline around $575.