Page 24 of Inescapable Ties
“I think it’s cute.”
“Most people think dolls are creepy,” I responded.
She shrugged nonchalantly, her eyes still transfixed on the doll. “I like the old and the unusual. There’s a story behind each crack, each faded color.”
“Is that why you like urban exploration?”
It was the first time I had asked about her hobby. I was glad she had one. I just wished it was something safer. But one of the Dino’s could take down a stray homeless druggie if anything should go south.
“Probably.” She passed the doll back to me. “Ok, I’m just going to finish looking at these clothes and I think I’ll be ready to keep going!”
“Sounds good.”
As I walked the doll back to the counter, I couldn’t help but notice how much it looked like a fish. Curly orange hair, blue eyes, and something about the jester clothes and makeup was giving it an aquatic vibe.
Guess I was getting Luciana a friend.
After I finished purchasing it, I texted her I’d be waiting by the car. Five minutes later, she met me there.
“What’d you get?” she asked curiously.
“Got you a gift.” I reached into the bag and pulled out the doll. “She reminded me of a fish, and I thought my Jaws might want a friend.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I like it.”
“How does the name ‘Bait’ sound?”
At the insistence of Luciana, the two of us had stopped by a park to eat lunch. I had suggested a restaurant, but Luciana was hell bent on enjoying the views this park offered.
So, we stopped at a fast-food restaurant - also Luciana’s idea - and now sat on a park bench with our greasy burgers and fries. I hadn’t eaten fast food in my adult life, and was eyeing my burger skeptically.
“It’s not going to kill you,” Luciana said.
“Probably not.”
“Here!” She grabbed a french fry out of her container and brought it towards me. “Say ‘ah!’”
I hesitated for a moment, then opened my mouth and let her put the fry inside. It was warm, salty and crispy. Quite to my surprise, it was also strangely satisfying.
“See?” Luciana laughed as I chewed thoughtfully.
With the guaranteed delicious fry, my apprehension over the burger disappeared, and I took a bite. Luciana was right; It was pretty good. It obviously didn’t touch the ones I ate when I was at Michelin star restaurants, but for five dollars it was tasty.
“Not bad,” I said.
I couldn’t decipher her response; She was trying to talk to me and eat her burger at the same time.
Soon, we fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional squawking of the nearby flocks of birds and the rustling of the leaves in the light breeze. A few crumbs from our meal spilled down onto the ground, attracting a small group of persistent pigeons that flocked around our bench expectantly.
Luciana broke her leftover french fries into bits and threw them at the pigeons.
“What do you think it’s like to be a bird?” she asked.
“Miserable, probably. They just peck at food scraps and poop too much. What about you?”
“I think it might be cool. They can fly anywhere whenever they want.” Like,” she stood up and started consolidating our trash. “They could all just road trip it to California right now.”
I took the trash bag away from her. I gathered the bag in my hands, twisting and shaping it into a makeshift ball, before lofting it expertly towards the bin. As it landed inside with a satisfying thud, I grinned at her, proud of my makeshift game and the successful disposal of our waste.
