Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 52

Tina had dozed off again, and opened her eyes to a scruffy, malodorous man staring right at her.  She shouted, "Help!  Get away from me!" and shoved him back.

A buxom woman, in her fifties, with salt and pepper hair, approached.  "Hey, Fred, back it up, now."  He went on his way to get his breakfast.

The woman put out her hand.  "I'm Helen.  You?"

Tina took her hand, cautiously.  "I'm . . . Martina."

"Hello, Martina.  Nice to meet you.  You're new?"

"Yeah.  I got here yesterday."

The woman squinted her eyes at Tina for a moment, and then said, "Well, here's the deal.  We serve breakfast from seven to eight and no later.  You're just about to miss it."

Tina felt the hollow ache in her stomach and said, "Oh, I am hungry.  I am glad you told me."

"You seem different.  What's the deal with you?"

Tina smiled.  "Nothing.  I just . . . want some breakfast."

The woman backed off, and sent Tina to a table, where she sat down, clutching her bag to her to protect the contents, however small they were.  Helen served her a plate of toast, eggs and bacon. With a glass of fruit juice and a cup of coffee.  "There ya go, compliments of The Boss."

"The Boss?"

"Yeah, it's just a thing some of us here say.  The Boss wants to be anonymous, but he pays for everything you all eat.  And, the manager, his name is Timothy.  He comes and goes on occasion, you'll meet him."

"Timothy?"

"Yeah, the guy's Scottish or somethin.'  He's around."  She walked off, wiping her hand on her apron.

Tina ate her breakfast, and had not realized exactly how hungry she was.  She cleared her plate, and drank all of her juice but skipped the coffee.  "I'm already a nervous wreck," she mumbled.  

The man who had been sitting next to her said, "What the Hell for?  You got a place."

She looked up at him, and trying to look past the tattered clothing and scruff, she saw a pair of deep, brown eyes that had a great deal of expression and life.  She said, "I'm Martina."

He put his hand out, "Anthony."

She shook his hand, but in her mind, she memorized the idea of hand washing as soon as she could, though it was softer and cleaner than she expected.  She said, "Pleased to meet you."

He said, "No, you're not."

She didn't know what to say, so she laughed.

Anthony continued, "I can tell something's up with you.  You smell too good."

"Thanks, I think."

"Never met Timothy, eh?"

"No.  What's he about?"

"Most of us have drinking or drug problems.  He's a recovered alcoholic, a lawyer.  He runs the place, for The Boss."

"Have you ever met 'The Boss.'" Tina asked.  She wasn't remotely interested, but it seemed like the thing to talk about.

"No.  Very few have.  There's a guy in here, I think, who's seen him once."

"Okay.  So this Timothy . . ."

"He turned me around.  Got me help.  He's taking on my case, to get me my house back from probate court.  I lost my family."

Tina swallowed.  Suddenly, the bacon was not sitting well.  "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, me too.  All my fault, but they're gone."

"I'm sure it's not all your fault."

"It is.  I killed them."  He took his tray, and got up, walking off.  

Tina whispered, "Okay, this, is going to be a very long day."  She retrieved a notepad out of her bag and started writing small details for her plan.  Gotta get organized, Tina.  She began writing a list:

A)  Find a way to get to La Boulaie
B)  Credit card?  Trade with someone?
C)  Timothy.  Maybe he's nice enough to help a girl out.
D)  Helen?
E)  What about Anthony?  Can he help?

How to get there:
Walking.

Then,

A)  Find a way to get to La Boulaie
B)  Credit card?  Trade with someone?
C)  Timothy.  Maybe he's nice enough to help a girl out.
D)  Helen?
E)  What about Anthony?  Can he help?

How to get there:

Walking.  Out of the question.  Freezing.
Car or Taxi.  Maybe.  No credit cards.  Limo?

A homeless woman, calling a limousine.  She rolled her own eyes, then continued:

Bus.  Maybe.
Hitchhike.  That movie, though.  Not sure I want to take a chance of ending up as someone's love slave.  Unless it's Cord, of course.

I'll have to find out if La Boulaie is on the bus line.  That could be the answer.  Unless, I meet that Timothy first.

***

Blair was in the kitchen already when Todd came down the stairs.  He could see she was tired, having had interrupted sleep.  He said, "Hey."

She said, "Hey."

"You all right?"

"A little tired, but yeah, I'm all right."  She walked to him and kissed him.  "Thank you.  For being there for me.  And Jack, it seems.  He was in our room this morning."

"Yeah he was.  I think he had a nightmare.  Whatever it was, he couldn't talk about it."

"I'm a little worried about him.  Hope we did the right thing sending him to school today.  But at least, he's got support right now.  Breakfast?"

"All right.  I want to go see Momma.  Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course."  She wiped her hands, and put more toast into the toaster.  Buttering his, she said, "I think we ought to focus on our plan, get into our work.  Together.  Helping Bitsy, finding out some dirt on Mitch.  Maybe finding Jenna's mother.  Figuring out this mess."

He sensed what she was doing, "Okay.  We'll go all out.  We can start investigative stuff at the office, we can move Ray back into his nursery at The Sun."

She nodded.  "I was thinking the same thing."

"Okay, so we start after we go to St. Anne's.  Let's load Little Ray up with us."

"We're on the same page today.  I wanted to bring him . . . to see Bitsy.  I hoped it would help her and that he could meet her."

Todd just looked at her.  She was so beautiful, and there she was, knowing his thoughts and his heart before he had a chance to even ask her.  "If you're okay with that, it's what I wanted to do, too.  If she gets upset, one of us can take him outside or Sister can."

"This sounds good.  What's your idea of how to start our research?"  she asked, drinking her coffee.  She poked at a bowl of fruit that she had cut for herself.

He said, "I don't know.  Maybe the place she came from?"

"No luck there.  Sister Rebecca Katherine said that it closed down and that's why Bitsy came in the first place.  What about old followers of Mitch?  Would they know something?"

"If they did, would they talk?"  He took a bite of his toast, and washed it down with some coffee.  He said, "Where's the chocolate chip pancakes?  I'll have to cook tomorrow."

She laughed at him.  "Hmf, you're something else.  Go ahead, cook tomorrow.  One less thing for me to worry about, considering."

"You're a lot of things, but not a chef, that's for sure.  Though I do love your chicken, with the crispy skin and the mashed potatoes."

"Is there anyone like you, Mr. Manning?  Anyone in the world?  How many times are you going to bring up that chicken?"

"With the mashed potatoes, and no.  I'm pretty sure there's no one like me out there."

"Me, too, which is why no one can shake you.  Especially me."

"Only you," he said.  "I'm not too popular anywhere else."

"Oh, stop.  You have a growing fan club."  She flashed for a moment on Bitsy's face as she fell into his embrace for the first time.  He'd said, "I missed you," and Bitsy had nodded and used her finger to point to herself and then him.

It was decided, and forgoing the helicopter for the day, Todd called Williams to bring the car up.  After finishing the breakfast Blair made for him, Todd took her face in his hands and kissed her lips gently.  "Everything's going to be all right.  We're a team.  Who can beat us?"

She smiled, "No one.  The Mannings are here.  To stay."

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