Jimmy kept picking at the bald spot near his right temple. Take out the moldy coat, the 2 weeks dirt on him, put him in a classroom, you'd think he was just another crazy professor. He kept mumbling about his ex-wife. I felt for the guy, but he had something I needed. Closer I got, more I realized the nasty ammonia smell was coming off him.
Jimmy looked up at me, asked me if I knew where Joan was. Took me a few seconds to realize it wasn't my pistol, and it definitely wasn't my Joan [I need to determine why Trace never mentioned Joan, and where she is today. -Dara] I told him I didn't know, but I might be able to help. He kept muttering, saying he shouldn'ta trusted them, taking her away, and now he was never gonna see her again.
He tried not to yell when I asked where they took her, but Jimmy came right back, screaming, pointing his bloody finger at me, some bits of hair drooping off it, saying I didn't deserve to know where Joan went. I had to keep from pounding the slob.
Sat down next to him as he started scrambling away from me. I opened a flask, handed it to him, and the slob smacked it outta my hand. Watched the bottle bleed into the dirt. What a waste.
Told him I knew a Joan once, and I lost her. It really hurt, cause she took a part of me, but I still had a part of her. Hurt every day, thinking about her, knowing that all I had left was memories. I told him I understood how he felt, and that maybe I could help if he showed me where he took Joan.
Some spark in his eyes lit up, closest he probably ever got to normal. He asked if I was serious. Pulled my fedora down over my eyes, told him I was. Mostly, I didn't wanna see his eyes when I lied to him.
He got up and said he'd take me where he took her. I told Jimmy he should wait here in case she came back, but he said they weren't gonna let her go, he had to go see her himself.
Truth is, it ain't so bad taking the metro with a homeless. Everyone gives you a lotta space, pretends neither of you is there, they walk real far around you to pretend they don't see you. You can stare down a slob for five minutes, and he'll look anywhere except into your eyes. I had more fun with that than I shoulda.
Jimmy led us to a plain building in a not so great area, what with all the used needles and broken bottles in the street. Looked around, got kinda nervous. I told him to wait outside. Drew Joan, rushed inside.
Right into the free clinic waiting area.
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