The Landsider And His Liar

The next morning, he got up early and went up to the grocery store. He bought food, and was loading the stuff in the boot of the car when a little girl with white-blond hair, no more than five, caught his eye. She was sitting on the curb, barefoot, wearing a tourist t-shirt too large for her and pink sandals so small her feet poked out of them.

Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have given her anotheoughought. But today, he noticed. There were no adults nearby. She was alone. He closed up the trunk and walked over to her. She ignored him, playing with a pine needle in a rain puddle filmy with motor oil. He sat next to her. That got her attention. She glared over her small, bony shoulder at him. “What do you want?” She asked.
He shrugged. “I got everything I need.”
“Lucky you.” She pouted.
“What you want?” He asked.
“Where should I start?” She replied drolly.
He handed her his drink. “How about a coke?”

She eyed him warily. “This some trick?”
“Nope.”
She drank it.
“Want anything else?” He asked.
She shrugged. “Food maybe, if you don’t want to kick my ass for saying so. I don’t whore out, either.”

“You’re too skinny anyway. I’m the whore.” He replied. She smiled.
“You come live at my house, I’ll feed you and tcarecare of you. A few rules though. You got to go to school. No drugs. No beer for you. If you’re over fifteen, you got to get a job. Don’t think you’ll have to, though.”
“That’s it? I go to school, you do all this nice shit for me?”
“Yeah. We’ve got a bunch of others too.”
She nodded absently.

“I got a fish. You want to see?” She asked, standing up.
“Sure.” He replied, getting up.
She set off.

He followed her into an alley that led from the lot halfway up to the fish yard. She ducked into a cardboard kingdom of moldy boxes, pattered around, and exited on hands and knees near his feet, looking angry and sad at once. “I did have a fish.” She stated. “Somebody probably ate it, now. It’s gone.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. Luckily, she changed the subject. “You got a name?”
“Adelio.”
“That’s unusual.”
“My mother was Hispanic.”
“Is that why you’re such a pretty, dark color?”
“Partly. My dad was full-blooded Navajo. He’s long dead now.”
“Oh.” She said. “I don’t know who my parents were. My name’s Urchin. An Italian lady at the boardwalk restaurant gave it to me. Everyone calls me Urchy.”
“Urchin?”
“Yeah. ‘Oh you poor Urchin.’ The name stuck.”

They had been walking, and were now at his car. “Let’s go to your place.” She said.
He unlocked the doors.
******

When they got in, Aiden had been cleaning, and was still doing so. The other surfers in the house had either vanished or run off to escape to roar of the vacuum. Adelio took the groceries in, with Urchy’s help. Urchy was pretty quiet, content to take life as it came. Adelio made her a sandwich and lifted her onto the counter to sit while she ate it.

He sorted the goods into the proper cabinets, restocking the empty pantry. The phone rang. “Phone!” Adelio bellowed over the sound of the vacuum. Aiden shut it off. Adelio picked it up.

“Hello?” he asked.
“Hello, is there a Adelio n inn in?”
“Speaking. Who is this?”
“Absolom M. Forde. I need to speak with you about a business arrangement.”
“Alright.” He replied warily.
“I called to offer you a thousand dollars for every forty eight hours you work as a companion for me. I’ll be requiring your services for about a week and a half.”

Adelio’s temper flared. “Am I a discreet little whore all of a suddHow’How’d you get my number?”
“Have I offended you, Mr. Elden? I was under the impression that this was your profession. I acquired your number from a corporate acquaintance.”
“Who.” Adelio demanded, voice deathly cold.
“A Radley Verango, who owns a large law firm I do business with regularly. Have I made a mistake?”

Adelio took the phone away from his face, covering the mouthpiece with his palm. Aiden watched him from the doorway. Urchy continued eating on the counter, eyeing him.
Aiden spoke. “Who is it?”

“A man who works with Verango.” He whispered, eerily calm despite the urge to scream in wrath.
“What’s he want?”
“Me. I whored for Verango last night, to pay for rent and stuff. It’s not been twenty-four hours yet, and already I’ve got a reputation as a callboy.”
“So hang up on the bastard.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Pardon?”
“He’s offering me a thousand dollars for every forty eight hours in his company.”
“God, Adelio, we need thney,ney, but not like that…”
“For god’s sake, Aiden, I’m a grown man. I guess I can whore out for cash if I want to.” He defended himself.

Adelio gestured for her silence and picked up the phone. Urchy’s big eyes peered at him over the rim of a cup. For pregnant, unwed Aiden and her bastard baby, for thin little Urchy, he’d do it. Besides, it was only for a few days, and he might not have to have sex. One could always look on the bright side.

“Eh, Mr. Forde?”
“Yes?”
Adelio sighed, gathering courage. “I’ll do it. I need the money. What time will you be picking me up tomorrow?”