A few dollars goes a long way on the city bus. The crowd at mid-morning thinned out by the suburbs, most riders going in the other direction, towards the city and the many nameless, faceless functionary jobs that kept the businesses there afloat. Sugar sighed at the sight of a sprawling mall and the stores she knew only from the tags on the clothing Oscar brought home.
“What will I wear tomorrow?” she fretted.
“Whatever they have at the next garage sale we see,” Bertie told her.
“Garage sale?”
“You know what those are, don’t you?”
“I guess. Why don’t we shop there?” She tipped her nose at a tall building with elegant letters climbing up its side.
“I’d rather get a ways out of town before we stop running. Wycliff has long arms.”
“Would he look for us in there?”
Bertie groaned and fished around in his pockets. “I suppose that would be unexpected.”
“We could find work there, right?”
“Possibly. It won’t be glamorous.”
“We’d get some money.”
“True. Shoot. I guess I left it at the old dame’s place. I could use a hit about now.”
Sugar eyed her companion as he shook his head and leaned it against his hand. She poked his arm. “Hey. Aren’t we getting off soon? We’re going to go by all the stores.”
“Next stop.”
“Maybe you can buy some more of whatever it is.”
“In there? Fat chance.”
“They seem to have a store for everything.”
“Trust me. You won’t find this stuff anywhere in there.”
The brakes on the bus let out their distinctive gasp and the vehicle jolted to a stop. Sugar stood and fell into the jostling flow of passengers headed for the mall. Panic rose in her as she lost sight of Bertie. The bus rolled away and the passengers flocked to the mall as Sugar turned about, scanning every angle. When Bertie stepped towards her, she responded by throwing her arms around his neck.
“I thought I lost you,” Sugar said. “I wouldn’t blame you for walking away from me. I can’t be easy to be with.”
“I was just thinking the same about myself.” He gripped his chest and gritted his teeth.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been working on an ulcer for the last year or so. I’ve held it off this long but I’m afraid all this has kicked it up.”
“What do you need?”
“More baking soda. It’s cheap and it tastes horrible but it does the trick.”
Sugar took Bertie’s hand and pulled him along, away from the mall and towards a donut and coffee shop at the edge of the parking lot.
“Coffee?” Bertie grunted. “That’ll tear an even bigger hole in my gut, especially the stuff they serve there.”
“It’s not the coffee. It’s what they bake with. They can get you some of what you need.”
“Hey, anyone ever tell you you’re pretty smart?”
Sugar turned a puzzled gaze at him, her mouth screwed shut and her brows knit.
