Summer Vacation
"That's a cool tattoo," you say, as you sit down on the curb next to Julie.
Julie looks agitated at you mentioning it.
"Yeah, let's not discuss it," she says, getting up and walking back toward the bus.
Suddenly, you realize what's been bothering you about Julie ever since you met her.
"You've been lying to me," you say.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she says, turning on her heal and staring at you straight in the eye.
"You've been lying to me since I saw you yesterday, but I'm just too slow at putting the pieces together. Let's see, for someone who's hard on their luck and running away from an abusive home, you certainly have quite a bit of cash. You had enough money to buy me a bus ticket. And those jean, those don't run cheap. Then I saw the tattoo...and for some reason it all made sense. So, maybe you can explain who you really are."
Julie keeps staring at you for a moment longer and then breaks down crying. You take her into your arms, maybe you had been wrong about your theory.
"You're very perceptive. I'm a thief, but I'm trying to leave all of that. I did run away from my abusive step-dad, but that was a year and a half ago. Since then I've been living on my own and making money as a thief. I go into one of the nice clubs in San Fransisco, the ones with expensive cover charges, I freak with some guy for a half hour or so and when I'm done, I've got his wallet."
You can't believe what you're hearing.
"Isn't that incredibly dangerous?" you ask.
"Only one person ever noticed, but that's what this is for," she points to the tattoo on her lower back, "Its indentification for my friends who can back me up."
"So where are you really going? Miami to start working a new city?"
"No," she replies, "I'm through...I'm taking my money and I'm moving as far away as I can. I'm going to get back in high school and maybe try to fix things with my real dad. Hey...I'm sorry for not being honest with you. If you want to go back home now, I can buy you another bus ticket."
The thought of that had crossed your mind. You could...
Julie looks agitated at you mentioning it.
"Yeah, let's not discuss it," she says, getting up and walking back toward the bus.
Suddenly, you realize what's been bothering you about Julie ever since you met her.
"You've been lying to me," you say.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she says, turning on her heal and staring at you straight in the eye.
"You've been lying to me since I saw you yesterday, but I'm just too slow at putting the pieces together. Let's see, for someone who's hard on their luck and running away from an abusive home, you certainly have quite a bit of cash. You had enough money to buy me a bus ticket. And those jean, those don't run cheap. Then I saw the tattoo...and for some reason it all made sense. So, maybe you can explain who you really are."
Julie keeps staring at you for a moment longer and then breaks down crying. You take her into your arms, maybe you had been wrong about your theory.
"You're very perceptive. I'm a thief, but I'm trying to leave all of that. I did run away from my abusive step-dad, but that was a year and a half ago. Since then I've been living on my own and making money as a thief. I go into one of the nice clubs in San Fransisco, the ones with expensive cover charges, I freak with some guy for a half hour or so and when I'm done, I've got his wallet."
You can't believe what you're hearing.
"Isn't that incredibly dangerous?" you ask.
"Only one person ever noticed, but that's what this is for," she points to the tattoo on her lower back, "Its indentification for my friends who can back me up."
"So where are you really going? Miami to start working a new city?"
"No," she replies, "I'm through...I'm taking my money and I'm moving as far away as I can. I'm going to get back in high school and maybe try to fix things with my real dad. Hey...I'm sorry for not being honest with you. If you want to go back home now, I can buy you another bus ticket."
The thought of that had crossed your mind. You could...