After finishing her equivalent of high school, Finity Chase moved to an old apartment at the beach that smelled of soot and rat urine. She didn't seem to mind. She was liberated from her Mom, though she still sent money to her to help her pay the bills. She got by working in a hot kitchen, but she preferred jobs with as little human contact as possible. She labored hard and fast, keeping her mind on the food and away from her co-workers. By exaggerating her business she avoided close scrutiny. They figured she had too much to do to share in gossip and camaraderie.
Even customers pass by me, never seeing me," she thought. I am a hollow ghost of a woman. The only thick thing in my life is my depression, yet I wish someone would reach my flesh and try to find me, where I am lost within.
Finity liked washing dishes at the end of her shift. Over and over, she did the same thing. Wash, rinse, sanitize. And she didn't even have to think.
While leaving her job at the Waffle House one afternoon, she was joined by her on-again off-again boyfriend Neil Price. He grew into a rusty haired slacker who still lived at home. But she let him tag along. They sometimes stopped for ice cream before going to her apartment. Usually they watched TV to fill the void. The walk pleased her though. She liked having someone take up some of the emptiness.
Before they rounded the block, Finity stopped to tie her shoe. Tourists nearly ran into her. She jumped to her feet and gave them a dirty look. At that moment, a six foot tall Italian man of thin build invaded her space. Wiry and nervous, he quickly started talking, using his hands in quirky gestures.
She looked to Neil for help. He seemed just as baffled.
"Like my Cadillac over there? Cool, huh," he said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Like my suit? Armani. Nice, huh?'
Annoyed, Neil shrugged and went to tell him off, but then the slick man opened his tailored jacket slightly to reveal an old Glock handgun. Neil recalled the time when he had tried one at a shooting range with his dad. He was told it was an effortless gun for learning. Used in World War II, a soldier just had to line up the three dots on the gun, and a target was easy to hit. Neil stared impressed, while Finity pulled back in fear. She couldn't speak. The men shared a smile about the secret in the jacket. Being so sheltered, Neil was easily baited. He never met the boogeyman in the woods. And the boogeyman only came after those who didn't believe.
"How would you like a gun?" the man asked. Overzealous, he made them naturally wary. "I can get you one."
"Who are you?" Neil asked, when his senses came back.
"I'm your new friend, Freddie."
Finity said, "We're on our way home."
"I can get you a better home."
Neil laughed and said, "I don't know what you've been smoking, but..."
"How about some beer? I can get you a case, any kind, my treat. Then we can talk business."
Tempted, Neil went to speak, but Finity pulled on his arm. Her nails dug into him and he winced. Glaring at her, he shook himself loose as if she were a small nuisance and then stepped closer to the stranger who seemed pleased.
"What's the catch?" Neil asked.
Motioning toward his gaudy blue caddy, the Italian man said, "Take a ride with your pal, Freddie. We'll have some beers, chat, I'll give you my card, and you call if you are interested. If not, no problem."
Neil eagerly nodded and approached the open door.
Finity gasped, but Neil whispered, "Come on. It's okay. This guy is nuts, but it's free beer."
Against her better judgment, she slid onto the suede seats of the pimped out car and tried to quell her alarm. Neil sat in the front and she felt like a prisoner in the back. As Freddie got in and started driving, her stomach sank. Every bit of sense in her being lashed out at her, but all she could do was steady her nerves and try not to throw up. This is really bad, she kept telling herself, rocking back and forth.
"Look in the glove box," the big nosed man said, revealing a wide, sleazy grin.
Neil did and he shouted, "Whoa!"
Bundles of money plopped to his feet. Freddie laughed and leaned over, snatching some. He even smelled it as if relishing it. Laughing, they shoved it back inside. Finity stared at him with her mouth agape. Pandora's Box already unleashed its evil charms. It could not be stopped.
"I can't believe you have so much money," Neil said as the car turned into a sandy parking lot. Finity stared at the back of his head, wishing she could poke it, and maybe awaken some sense in it.
"I'll stop in here. What kind of beer do you like?"
Neil stared at the convenience store, probably wondering if Freddie intended to rob it, but he obediently sat there and said, "Surprise me."
"My kind of man," Freddie said, strolling away with a slight limp. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."
While he was gone, Neil peeked at the money again and noticed a small derringer hiding in the back. Finity begged him to be careful and not get caught, but Neil seemed mesmerized. Temptation beckoned, and he ignored the girl whining in the back seat. Images of power flashed through his mind. He wanted that money, if not the gun.
Freddie returned with a case of beer in a few minutes and said he had one other quick errand to run. He drove a few blocks away and parallel parked. Then he went to collect money from the owner of a bar on Pacific Avenue and told them that he would be right back. It sounded like robbery or extortion to her. As soon as he disappeared, Finity seized the door handle. She had had enough.
"Let's make a run for it," Finity said. "I don't trust him.
He gives me the creeps."
"Okay. I'll grab the beer."
Though relieved they were getting out of there, Finity looked around panicky. What if he caught them sneaking away? He could return any second. Intuition said to get the hell out of there. Fast!
"Better not," she said, "He'll come back for you. He's not a nice guy."
"He said it was his treat, so it's not stealing. Come on."
Neil positioned the case of Bud under his arm and ran through the alley after Finity, laughing as if it weren't as serious as she knew it to be. They stole it, and he had a gun.
Nothing good could come of that. Luckily, her apartment was only one block over, and her already sore feet labored at the short distance. They reached the two-story, yellow building with brown trim. It stood out among the souvenir stores and the raw oyster bars. It didn't belong, although its Spanish style gave it character, and it sheltered her from the world and its malice. She kept looking behind her, expecting him to come up after her any second. Her heart pounded.
They promptly ran up the stairs and into the apartment, slamming the door shut. Still huffing and puffing, they fell against a worn chair and stared out the living room window. Earlier it was just a small room with a mint green rug and simple furniture, and now it felt like a decaying fortress attempting to stave off evil. Holding their breath, they hid behind the thin curtains, watching and waiting until Freddie appeared on the corner by the drug store. He seemed shocked when he found the empty car. Like they suspected, he looked for them.
He threw his hands in the air and walked back and forth searching for any sign of them. Pacing frantically, he occasionally peeked in windows of the first floor restaurants and gift shops. He was angry and suddenly unleashed it by violently kicking a parked car, denting the door. It was a piece of crap anyway.
"We got away! Look at him," Neil whooped, feeling proud of himself. He howled with laughter and out of his shirt plopped a few bundles of dirty money onto the faded carpet.
She jumped back as if not wanting to be cursed by his deed.
"We're dead," Finity whispered.
Neil shrugged and said, "It probably wasn't even his."
"Oh, that just makes it so much better," she spat. "I can't believe you did that."
She went to her tiny bedroom, which consisted of a daybed and a nightstand, and slammed the door. She wanted so much to forget about Freddie. He scared her. Didn't Neil have any sense? He didn't care what mess he dragged her into. And she knew there would come a time to pay.
The front door closed softly, so she figured Neil left. She wished she could tell Barrett what happened. He could help put her mind at ease, but he avoided both her and Neil since they started dating. And her Mom kept to herself. Darlene
Chase worked in a department store trying to get her life together. Finity rarely visited her. It was hard work just being in her presence, and not because it was all her mother's fault. Finity's lack of ability to effectively communicate sometimes troubled her. And it left her feeling even more at a distance.
"Lonely people are an eyesore," Finity whispered. "Sometimes when I am alone, I want to cut the flesh from my body so that others can't ever see me."
She lied on her bed, staring at the cracked ceiling. Her attention followed each line like a labyrinth. Distant sounds interested her. She liked to sort them out before falling asleep.