"So... did the others go to jail too-?"
"No..." He lowered his head.
"Then... why only you?"
"Someone had to..." He shrugged. "The cops tried to get names from me... I didn't give 'em. The gang managed to get in touch with me... told me to take the fall... 'or else.'"
"So... did you confess to having shot people-?" She was met with nodding as he looked down at his empty plate, his arms below the table presumably on his lap. "Chris... why?"
"I'm no rat." He shrugged again. "Took one for the 'team.'" He spat the word sarcastically. "But that's done." Finally, he looked to her again, her big green eyes, similar to Julie's, watching on intensely. "When I went out today, I got that all dealt with. I'm done, I'm out, no more. I took those years on the chin, got out of it, I'm out of the game. I'm goin' straight." His head bowed and rose resolutely.
"My oh my... well, I'm truly glad to hear that, Chris. Truly."
"Me. Too." He replied flatly, and swung another shot back followed by a chaser of water.
"You can really keep it down, can't ya?"
"I think that'll be my last one... oof," He gave his head a shake, his body giving a shiver. "Yeah I think it's getting on top of me faster than I can remember... tolerance definitely seems... to have gone down." He drank some more water.
"Yes, there-there, you have a good, nice sleep in your nice n' comfy bed. Oh! And I, um, didn't tell Rick about..." She slid the bottle of rum towards him, less than half full.
"Oh, really? Nice, thanks Nance." He nodded and smiled her way.
"Ah, there it is. Good to see you smiling again... thanks for sharing your, um... what happened to you. It's a sad story, dear, but like you said, you're out of it. You're free. All set to pursue your future. You're still a fairly young man yet, what, thirty? You'll find a nice girl,thatshouldn't be a problem, hah." She looked him up and down, at least what she could see of him over the table.
"A nice job, you'll find a nice place, oh but please don't feel like you're in any hurry." She leaned forth and splayed her fingers out as she gestured towards him. "We got off to a rocky start earlier today, but well Julie seems to quite like you and you certainly seem like a good fellow to me." She rest her hand on her chest. "Thanks again for being open and honest with me. Honesty like that... it'll take you far, Chris."
"Thanks... that means a lot. Hah, 'mom.'"
"Hoh-hoh! Well thank you, but really, you don't have to if you don't want to." She blushed, finding it to have been comical yet also with a sweet sentiment behind it.
"I know, I know. Thanks... oof, yeah, those drinks..." He felt his head, his eyes blinking and going wide a moment as he focused. "Think I'll have a leak, n' then... off to bed."
Julie made an 'O' with her mouth and quickly tip-toed back towards her room.
"Yes, darling, yeees. You have a good sleep. I'll make breakfast tomorrow morning. You rest up. I'm glad you had a good day today, sounds like we all did. Well... most of us, heh." Rick...
"Yeah, for the most part today's been great! Mph..." He grunted as he rose to his feet, shot glass pocketed, bottle and glass in his hands, and lumbered towards the hallway as Nancy rose from her seat too.
"I'll take care of these dishes now. Soon time for bed for me, too. Good night, Chris."
"Thanks. 'Night, Nance.'" He yawned.
"Poor dear..." She muttered to herself, scrubbing off his plate in the sink with some soapy water.
8
Chris felt his bed give a faint creak in the darkness, a slight shift, and he acted quickly. He propped himself up on his elbow, tossed aside his sheets, and reached to the silhouette before him where he grasped a neck. His teeth glimmered in the darkness.
"The fuck're you-?! Oh," he whispered, releasing the under-sized throat and hearing some effeminate coughing.
"I-I'm sorry..." she whispered. "I... sh-should I... go-?"
"No, that's okay... that's fine, you just... startled me." He was still in prison the night before... not exactly accustomed to someone visiting him while he's sound asleep. Not someone with any good intentions anyhow. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah... wow... that was scary...daddy..."
"Well I'm sorry, sweetheart. Daddy didn't mean to scare you." The two continued to whisper, their parents just down the hall a ways.