I wished for so many things.
“I understand, honey. I wish I didn’t but like I said, men are shits so what are you gonna do other than invest in a bat thing.” I snorted a laugh at this, smiling through my tears before she then asked,
“So, what can I do, you coming home, need a plane ticket, whatever you need, I’m your Trekkie.” I smiled, sniffing back the tears that threatened again, this time from the love I had for this woman…this wonderful friend of mine. As we may not have spoken much these last few weeks, what with all the craziness that was happening in my life, but it didn’t matter. Because this was what real friends were, the ones who were there for you no matter how much time had passed.
They weren’t the ones who got shitty with you for what you had or had not done. They understood the situation and gave you the space you needed, being ready at the first moment you needed it, surrounding you with their comfort. It made me long for my life back. It made me wish that I could just go home and camp out in my living room in my PJs with Kirky by my side making me laugh or holding me through my tears.
But I couldn’t.
Because right now, my life wasn’t my own. Lucius’ phone call to my best friend was proof enough of that. Besides, I still had a job to do. Which is what I told her,
“I can’t. I have something important I need to see through to the end before I can get my life back on track.”
“Alright, now I feel the need to say this just because if anything ever happened to you and I hadn’t, then I would never forgive myself…you know,” she said in a serious tone that told me she was worried.
“Yeah, I know.”
“So, here it is, the friend lecture part of the call.” I laughed and said,
“Okay, go for it.”
“This thing you need to do…is it dangerous?” I released a sigh before telling her,
“I am not going to lie to you because you’re my best friend, which is why I am telling you, that yes, it could be.”
“Smock…I don’t…” she started to say, and I could almost see her shaking her head, wondering if her 50’s pinned barrel curls were lasting through it. So, I cut her off,
“Okay, so before you say anything, there is something I need you to know about me.”
“Which is?” she asked in a naturally suspicious tone. I took a deep breath and told her,
“I am kick ass.” She burst out laughing and said,
“Yeah right, pull the other one,” she said referring to her leg, one that was most likely attached to some quirky mad shoe of hers.
“No, I am serious and shit you not, my friend. I am a total bad ass, I said trying again.
“Seriously, this coming from the girl who makes painting her toenails look dangerous?” I laughed and I had to say, it felt damn good.
“Oi, I said I was bad ass not a gazelle…besides, as it turns out, you can totally beat the crap out of guys and still be clumsy enough to trip over standing still.”
“Ha, who knew,” she replied before adding,
“So, being serious for a moment, exactly how bad ass are we talking here, like John McLane or John Wick?”
“I would like to lean further towards the Wick but without his extensive knowledge of guns,” I told her with a smirk.
“Holy shit! Are you serious?!” she shouted after first sounding like she might have spat out her drink.
“Deadly.” I giggled happily in that blissful moment, ignoring the past and painful hours this day had granted me.
“So, like when…when did this happen, I mean what exactly have you been doing these past few weeks, training with the Marines?” she asked clearly surprised, as anyone would be.
“I wish… no, it’s just something I have always done.”
“Ermm…back up a sec, like why is this something I am only now hearing about?”
“Well, it never came up,” I argued lamely.
“Okay, just so you know for future potential friend making, that granted, will never be as awesome as me but nevertheless, it should always come up… for example, like when we first met, you should have introduced yourself as, ‘hello, I am Emmie, kick ass extraordinaire, my hobbies include collecting Lego, lame T shirts and putting men on their ass when they get too grabby…plus, I just bought a bat.” I burst out laughing at that before agreeing,
“Right, I must really remember that for next time,” I said with a smirk.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! I could have been making money with you in underground fight clubs!” she said in a high-pitched way, again making me giggle.
“And just how many of those do you know about, huh?”
“Admittedly not one, but hey if I ever find a Brad Pitt look alike then I will follow him and see where he goes.”
“Oh sure, that’s why you would follow him,” I said in a knowing tone making her laugh this time.
“And besides, don’t you mean Ed Norton, as I believe…”
“Yeah, yeah alright smarty kick ass pants. So, back to this plan of yours, what do you need?” she said getting back down to business.
“Do you still have your connections in New York?” I asked, knowing she was right. Because as much as I needed this conversation for my sanity at the moment, I also had a time restriction set against me.
“Yeah…whyyy?” she said in a way that extended the word and I could just tell it was one of those, ‘I have a bad feeling’ type of why.
“Because I have a plan, but first I need money.”
“Well, why not just…wait, you’re not just running from the hot Ex are you? That’s why I got a call from hot daddy too.” I groaned and told her,
“Please, don’t call him that and yes, I am running from everyone.”
“But why?” she asked clearly confused, which became just one more thing to add to the long list of shit I couldn’t tell her fully.
“It’s hard to explain right now, but I promise you, Kirky, one day I will explain everything…off the record of course, I said knowing this was only a half promise and feeling bad about it, but then again, I also knew it was a truth that I was forever forbidden to tell.
“Alright, but I am trusting you here not to get yourself killed…don’t disappoint me…yeah?”
“I promise and if it helps, I really don’t want to get killed either,” I admitted.
“Good to know and just for the record…you are officially one of the coolest and most mysterious people I know, especially when I just thought you were a geek in PJs.” I laughed at this and said,
“Oh Kirky, you have no idea.”
Chapter 6
Chop Shop Showdown
Driving through the clearly dodgy areas of New York wasn’t exactly my idea of fun, but neither was driving five hours straight to get here all the way from Portland, Maine. But then Wendy had come good on her promise to help and found me the guy I needed.
He was someone who worked at the New York Times and he had written a few articles on the Iron Triangle. This had basically once been a place where stolen cars went to die. It was a place in Corona Queens where the METS played baseball and where people used to turn their heads away from the slum across the street. A place that once looked more like an apocalyptic version of New York than what it did today, now that the city had finally stepped in and reclaimed the land after years of promising to do so. Hence why the flooded, pothole heaven was no more.