Page 25 of Outside the Veil
Diego scrubbed both hands over his face. “It’s…interesting. Though I wish you wouldn’t put my glassware in jeopardy. Is it held together by magic?”
“No. This stuff.” Finn held out a tube of all-purpose adhesive. “Saw a man on’t picture box use it. Smells bloody awful.” He swayed and slapped a hand on the counter to steady himself, mumbling something about the floor turning to liquid.
Sniffing glue. Wonderful.
“Diego…” Finn’s eyes searched for him before they rolled back in his head. Diego flung himself across the room and caught him under the arms. Finn’s head landed with a thump on his shoulder.
“My poor friend,” he murmured. The thought crystallized, clear as the glass piled on his table. He had to take Finn out of the city himself. No one else would do.
Chapter seven
Taking the Boy Out of the City
Finn woke the next morning with a ferocious headache. He rocked back and forth, curled over his knees, whimpering and moaning. When Tia Carmen brought him tea, he subsided into a listless heap on his air mattress.
“Qué hacía?” she whispered to Diego, outside his room.
“He tried his hand at, ah, modern art yesterday. The glue made him sick.” He led her to the kitchen to show her.
“Ay, dios!” Her hands flew up to cover her mouth. “Do you have anything left to drink out of?”
“I have plastic cups. And coffee mugs. I’ve decided to keep it. Rather pretty in a funky sort of way, don’t you think?”
She walked around it once and nodded. “It is better than some things you see in the museums. But I think if you want to keep the rest of your things, we should get him somethingmás seguro…safer to work with.”
From the chest she kept stocked for visiting grandchildren, she brought up a full box of sixty-four crayons. “Paper I think you have, Santiago. Now don’t leave him alone so long again.”
After she left, Diego brought crayons and paper to Finn’s bed. “Feeling better?”
“A mite.” He opened one eye a crack. “Are you angry with me?”
“No, no. Just, in the future, please don’t rearrange things without asking me first.” He lifted a lock of hair out of Finn’s eyes. “I brought you a present.”
Finn turned onto one elbow, his pained expression turning to wonder when Diego opened the box of crayons. “Ooo, lovely. What are these?”
“Colored wax, mostly. But you can draw with them.” He took out the burnt sienna and demonstrated, sketching a few simple shapes. “Any color you might want.”
“Thank you…” Finn’s voice cracked.
“What is it?”
“You’ve been so very kind to me. I think I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.”
“Shh, that’s not true.” Diego patted his shoulder. “I’ll be staying home today. We have something to talk about. Later, when you feel better.”
Meanwhile, he had phone calls to make. First, to Miriam.
“Excellent!” she enthused. “I knew you’d come around, kiddo. Now don’t you worry. I’ll arrange everything. You just sit back and wait for my phone call. When do you want to go?”
“I thought maybe on Thursday. So we’re not driving in weekend traffic.”
“Always thinking. Your passport’s valid? And your friend’s?”
Diego’s heart stuttered.Passports. God.One needed those now to cross the border.
“You there, hon?”
“Yes, sorry.” He rummaged in the drawer for his passport and checked the date. “Just making sure. Mine’s good.”
