Bean sat with coffee, looking out at the fields. She was deep in thought about this future. Where was she when Peasley talked to Luigi? Asleep? She was asleep. Lost in memory about the city. She took a drag from her pretend cigarette.
At a cheap motel styled apartment building, gangsters passed occasionally in cars and radios, but around that area, the commotion had mostly vanished. Nevertheless, Waluigi slid behind a corner and stayed hidden as he double checked the address on his map. He made a break for the stairs and headed up to the second level, but forced himself to duck beneath them when he noticed a car arrive.
The car parked, its door slammed and a woman got out and through the splatted steps, Waluigi got a glimpse of her face. It was Hayzee, the girl from Cackletta's brothel. Waluigi's face was one of pure disbelief and remembrance at the girl he thought of as a younger sister. He hadn't seen her in years. When he burned down Buoy Base, he hadn't checked to see if she'd died in his fire. He'd forgotten all about her. He'd never even told Shokora about her.
He gingerly stepped a foot out and started watching her as she approached the door he had been set to to himself and his heart dropped. No. It couldn't be. No. No. No! She passed by and kept walking as some modicum of relief came to Luigi's face. She stopped at the next door and knocked on it as a young girl happily stepped out, hugging Hayzee, hugging he rmother. Hayzee never did introduce him to her daughter.
Hayzee disappeared with her daughter back into the apartment that Waluigi had marked. He stood frozen with the Poltergust in hand. He climbed up the stairs, held his breath and looked in through Hayzee's apartment window. On the couch, Hayzee held her daughter. Head in her lap. Stroking her hair. Hayzee's back was to Waluigi, and with her long hair down, she reminded him of her. Waluigi didn't know how long he watched them for.
Bean sat on the floor with Peasley, putting numbered tiles on a plastic multiplication table. "Where does 56 go?" she asked and he placed the tile. "Good. 21?"
"How long can you not sleep?"
"I don't know. A while. That's a good question. Where's it go? Good. Now 32."
"We should help Luigi watch."
"Luigi?"
"He can't stay awake all the time."
"He isn't our business."
"He's helping keep us safe."
"Baby, let's do this now. You have 32 now. I know you know this one."
"I want to help him."
"Peasley. 32," she said and the tile on the wrong position. "Eight times three is what?"
"Thirty-two," said Peasley.
"I want you to count three eights."
"Eight, sixteen, thirty-two."
"Are you telling me you want alone time?"
"No."
"Okay," she paused. "Why don't you put that tile where it belongs?" Deliberately, Peasley lifted the tile and then dropped it back down onot the incorrect position. "Alone time."
"He's protecting us because you can't do it!" cried Peasley.
"I told you to stay away from him."
"I never did anything!"
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"So?"
"I told you already."
"So?"
"You do what I tell you."
"You can't tell me what to do you're not my mom!" cried Peasley, tears streaming down his face in the midst of his temper tantrum. "You're not my mom! You're a liar and you're gonna get killed and you won't stop lying!" Peasley lunged at Bean and she slapped him, not hard, but Peasley scooted back, the fury in his eyes was palpable.
"Peasley, baby," she reached out.
"You're a liar! Liar! I hate you because you're lying! I hate you! Liar! You're lying to me!" cried Peasley, his face almost red.
"Peasley," her voice cracked.
"You're lying!"
Peasley stood and balled his fists, screaming at Bean. She pushed away from him and the room darkened in the boy's rage. He had the heart of a God. He hardly noticed the fear in Bean's eyes as she bolted out of her room. She walked fast down the hall and up to her bedroom into her walk in closet, opening up a huge steel safe and then climbing inside.
Luigi didn't hear Peasley scream, but he felt it and it felt familiar.
Shivers, a pianta who reported directly to Cackletta, strolled out of a donut shop with coffee in hand, getting to his car. He started driving without a care in the world, not even noticing Slim Bankshot tucked away in his backseats, lying there clear as day. "Hey Shivers," whispered Bankshot and Shivers jumped with a yelp, sending his car swerving. He scraped to a stop as coffee went everywhere.
"For Rool's sake, Bankshot!" cried Shivers.
"Pull into the alley," requested Slim Bankshot.
"Get out!"
"You don't want to be seen with me, get into the alley."
Shivers glared at him, but pulled the car into a narrow alley and parked it.
"What are you still doing in town?" asked Shivers. "Cackletta wants you dead."
"All Cackletta wants right now is the Nanbi," said Slim Bankshot. "Unless Popple got him?"
"No, just spotted him by the whores," said Shivers.
"The whores?"
"The area where they all live," clarified Shivers. "You should've left town, man."
"I'm going to bring him in and get right with Popple," said Slim Bankshot.
"Yeah, maybe you get the Nanbi," nodded Shivers, "but short of that, Popple doesn't get right with men priced by Cackletta."
"Cackletta priced me?"
"I've got a price."
"Big one."
Shivers locked the car doors and in that one moment, Slim Bankshot pulled the man's gun from his holster and held it on him.
"Of course, I'd never turn down a friend for a price," hissed Shivers amidst the tension. Shortly thereafter, there was a bang and Slim Bankshot stumbled out of the car, holding his ear in pain. He stumbled out of the alley and out of sight.