You Can't Catch Me(35)

“Get up,” my mother said. She had a hardness about her that Tanya lacked. People were always saying how much we looked alike, as if reminding themselves that we were related. I never saw the sameness, only the differences. Her hair was thick and wavy, and her eyes were set closer together than mine. Her arms were strong and muscular from all the manual labor she did around the compound. I was thin and weak, and I missed my mother even though she was standing right in front of me.

“I said, get up.”

“You sound like Todd.”

My mother didn’t know how to take this. Usually, that was a compliment, but she knew I didn’t mean it that way.

“What has gotten into you?”

I didn’t answer her. Instead, I showed her my arm. She pulled back.

“Come on, girls,” Tanya said. “We’d better go and get this over with.”

I wanted to bite back at the “We,” but Kiki stopped me. She stood up and pulled me along with her.

She looked at me and I was amazed. She didn’t look scared. She looked resolute.

“We’ll be okay,” she said. “It’s only a week.”





Chapter 15

Philadelphia Feeling

We’re sitting in a Starbucks near the Delaware River Waterfront. This is where JJ said she’d meet us at two p.m. It’s two forty-five. The Starbucks is full of the usual midafternoon crowd: people pretending to write the next great novel, students “studying” with their friends, stay-at-home moms wrangling their kids with promises of a cake pop so they can get their triple shot of whatever.

“She’s not going to come,” Jessie says after I look at my watch for the tenth time. She’s had a cappuccino with two extra shots of espresso and is tapping her foot in time to the music that’s playing on the stereo system—someone new I don’t recognize. I ordered some calming tea, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

“Let’s give it ten more minutes.”

“Don’t you have her number?”

“No, only Facebook.”

“That wasn’t the best idea.”

“I know, okay?”

She raises her hands in surrender and returns to reading her book. I take out my phone and check Facebook again. JJ’s read my message asking if we’re still meeting but hasn’t responded. I hate this fucking feature. There’s nothing worse than knowing for certain that someone’s ignoring you.

I write her again. Still here. I’d appreciate it if you could let me know if you’re going to show up.

I watch the little icon appear next to my message, letting me know that once again she’s read it. But once again, she doesn’t respond.

“Okay, you’re right. I don’t think she’s coming,” I say, putting my phone away.

Jessie puts her book down on the table. She’s halfway through it already. “So, what now?”

“I have no idea.”

We finish our drinks, then head outside and down to the waterfront. There’s a tall-ships festival going on, and the air smells like the beach, that tang of ocean mixed in with decaying fish, though it’s only a river.

The crowd is substantial. A nice Friday afternoon in June—everyone’s playing hooky. There are vendors selling popcorn and cotton candy; it contributes to the carnival atmosphere, a feeling that’s confirmed when I see a three-card monte man standing on a patch of grass next to the river. He’s in his midtwenties and is wearing a Phillies cap backward. He has a fairly large crowd around him. We stop and watch for a minute. I quickly spot the guy who’s in on the scam, a kid in his late teens who wins three quick hands in a row, giving confidence to those duffers watching that they, too, can make a quick buck.

“Want to see something?” I say to Jessie. “I can beat this game.”

“Nah, it’s a trick.”

“I know.”

She smiles. “How do you beat a trick?”

“Watch.”

The guy who’s been winning loses and hands back the money he’d just won. He walks away in mock dejection.

“Step right up! Step right up if you think you can find the lady and beat a master at his game!”

I walk to the portable card table he’s working on and smile nervously at the guy. “How does this work?”

He shows me his teeth. One of his front teeth is turned half sideways, but his eyes twinkle and there’s a certain charm about him.

“My name’s Hal.”

“Hi, Hal. I’m Jess.”

“Well, Jess, you ever play before?”

I shake my head.

“It’s two dollars a hand. You guess right where the queen is, I give you four dollars.”

“And if I guess wrong?”

“I keep the money.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

He starts to shuffle his cards. “Sure it is. You got a good memory?”

“I like to think so.”

“Quick on your feet?”

“Do I need to catch anything?”

He laughs. “No, I just meant you have a better chance if you can think fast.”

“Oh, right. Sure. What do you think?” I say to Jessie.

“I say go for it.”