Slowly, grumbling, the group broke up.
Turning back to Normal, she laughed. “That’s a new one — hostel, hostile? Nice.”
Around them, kids were still watching as they threaded off, and Normal’s response was only to shoot Max a cross look; then when all of the messengers had moved along, none of them wanting to be next in line to feel Normal’s wrath, the crew-cut petty dictator flashed her an affectionate smile.
“Truth is, missy,” he said, “you always got a home here, if you want it.”
She tilted her head. “You’re getting soft, Normal.”
“Hey, I said there was a place for you, when this celebrity stuff wears off and you need to make a living again... but you’ll have to carry your weight.”
“Actually, you didn’t say there was a ‘place’ for me, Normal. You said ‘home’... and Normal... that was nice to hear. You haven’t chased off your ‘Nubian princess,’ have ya?”
He pointed with his chin toward the cluster of lockers at the back. “She’s here all right — the granddam of Jam Pony...”
“That’s Original Cindy, all right.”
“Oh yeah — only this morning she seems sorta out of sorts... Maybe it’s female trouble.”
“Why don’t you go over to her, Normal, and suggest she take somethin’ for that? Then you’ll find out what female trouble is all about.”
Normal almost blushed. “I just mean... she’s down. Blue. Cranky I’m used to — her in the dumps, that’s somethin’ else... Go say hello to her.”
“Well, jeez, Normal... are you concerned for one of your people?”
“If she has a bad day, I have a bad day... by which I mean, my packages don’t get delivered on time.”
“Right.”
And she grinned at him.
It was infectious, and he turned away, getting back to work, hiding his humanity.
As she strolled toward the back, Max shook her head, surprised at how nice it was to see Normal. Who’da thunk she’d have missed that stick-up-the-butt goofus? The truth was, despite a longstanding prejudice against the transgenics, when she and her fellows had really needed him, Normal came through in a big way.
A stand-up guy, with a good heart... amazing.
It felt surprisingly good to be here, back on her old stomping grounds, with people she could depend on, unlike a certain cyberjournalist. After moving to the back of the huge, rank room — funny, she hadn’t ever noticed the sweat-drenched scent of the place before — she found her best friend sitting on a bench facing her locker, head bowed as if in prayer.
Original Cindy’s Afro was flying at half mast today, brushed down and pulled back into a puff at the back of her skull. She was in jeans and a gray vintage GRRRRL POWER! sweatshirt that looked rumpled, almost slept-in — a rarity for a woman whose wardrobe was always as sharp as she was.
“Anyone for coffee?” Max asked, holding out the cardboard cup.
Original Cindy’s eyes shot up to her — eyes that were red-rimmed either from crying or lack of sleep or both. Then the shapely woman was on her feet and taking her friend in her arms, damn near causing Max to dump the two cups of coffee all over everything.
“Hey hey hey,” Max said, doing a balance act as Cindy hugged her. “Careful, girl — you’ll spill the joe!”
“Where you been keepin’ yourself, Boo?” Original Cindy demanded, backing away but not letting go of Max, her expression alternating between relief and indignation. “Damn, girl! We spent all night looking for your ass.”
Shrugging, Max said, “I had some thinking to do.”
“So you had some thinkin’ to do — thass cool. Only you know what is not cool? Leavin’ your brothers and sisters hangin’, all crazyass-worried and shit.”
“I’m sorry,” Max said, and this had not occurred to her at all. “It’s just... things went kinda sideways... with Logan.”
“Yeah, I know, details at eleven... What, you think he wasn’t the most worried outta all of us? ’Cept for maybe Joshua, who thinks you some kinda saint... and clearly does not know you like I do.”
“Logan came around?”
Original Cindy nodded. “He came and yanked me outta my crib, and we haul butt to Terminal City, to see was you there, and guess what, you wasn’t.”
“What did he...?”
“What’d he tell me? He tell me everything. You don’t tell Original Cindy half a story, Boo — I’m like a priest, except for the religion part. Anyway, Logan come and found me and played me every track, includin’ the bonus cuts — then he and me go out searchin’ for your thoughtless self.”
Max sat on the bench, embarrassed. “Jeez... I am sorry. Really. I... when bad stuff happens, I kinda revert to, you know, a...”
“Selfish bitch?”
Max laughed. “Yeah. That’s it exactly.”
The lovely lesbian smiled and sat next to her. Taking one of the coffees, O.C. said, “Thanks, girlfriend — Original Cindy’s gonna need the caffeine to get through this mother. You and me, we need to talk.”
“I don’t think I can take—”
“You gonna hide from this? Sooner or later you’re gonna have to deal — better do it now, be done with it.”
“I know,” Max admitted. “Sorry about last night... just had to get away.” She let out a long, tired breath. “Logan told you... everything?”
“You mean, do I know about Seth? Yeah. And I’m sorry for your loss, honey... which was two years ago, by the way.”
“I know it’s an old wound, but Logan ripped it wide open.” Shaking her head, Max said, “I can’t believe he lied to me.”
Original Cindy snorted. “He can’t help bein’ a dick — you got a dick, sometimes you gon’ be a dick.”
“You got that right,” Max said, laughing again, holding out her fist so O.C. could bump it, but the woman made no move to complete the ritual. “You gonna leave a sistah hangin’?”
Original Cindy’s eyes went to the floor, then back to Max. “Only Logan, he ain’t no all-the-time-a-dick, Max. He’s human — made a mistake. But he’s a good man... you know, for a man.”
Max dropped her hand. “You’re sticking up for him?”
“How many times you been in love, Boo?”
Max said nothing.
“Logan — he’s the first, ain’t he?”
Defensive, Max blurted, “I been around.”
“I ain’t talkin’ about sex, sugah — we talkin’ love. You love that four-eyed crip, don’t ya?”
Max shrugged.
“And he loves your sorry mean ass.”
Another shrug.
“Listen to Original Cindy. I been in love more times than... more times than I shoulda been. You think just ’cause somebody loves you that means they perfect? You think I ain’t been lied to by somebody who loved me?”
“This isn’t some... little white lie, Cindy.”
“Don’t play the race card, girl. Quit poutin’ and get back in the game.”
“What are you talking about?”
Original Cindy sighed. “Is Logan or is Logan not the single best dealio you ever run into in this whole sorry, solitary world? Present company excluded, of course.”
That made Max smile. “Except for meeting you, Boo... yeah. I suppose. Logan’s the best thing. Or anyway... he was.”
“So. You gonna let one little slip ruin your whole life?”
“It was not a little slip,” Max said, an edge in her voice. “Logan caused the death of my brother — and then he lied to me about it.”
Normal appeared at the end of the aisle and said, “I hate to interrupt this touching reunion, but I have a pressing delivery that—”
“Go away,” Max snapped, and — simultaneously — Original Cindy shouted, “Not now, flat top! Can’t you see we busy?”