Forums » General Roleplay » A Smoke an' a Smack

Baby held up one finger and pointed to her other customers out to another girl and slid in with Jack, "There we go. I'll be uninterrupted now." There went her tips, but she didn't much want them anyhow. She put both hands on the table, "So, you didn't have parents either?" She wanted to get the questions going.

Jack stirred the coffee around with his finger absentmindedly, even though it was piping hot. After sticking the finger in his mouth to clean off the coffee and stop the scalding process, Jack began.

"I was born to parents and brothers, in Iowa. We were pretty happy there, but just before I turned six, something happened. I don't remember what, but my folks packed us up and split; we set up here and things were jake for a while. It was around the time of the Great War...ugh, I mean World War I, that everything started to go wrong. My oldest brother came back and did the Dutch; when that happened, my mom got real sick from all the stuff that was going around at that time, and she kicked off not long after.

"After that, my pop tried to get something going for us, you know, a little cush to fall back on, some kale. Well, he went out one night, never came back. Got himself chilled off out there, and after that me and my two brothers were split up. Older one, Lorenzo, was old enough to be out on his own. Little one, Jimmy, got adopted by some folks down in Long Island. I got stuck in a state home, but I blew off that place quick. After that, I bummed around the streets, sometimes lifting a little to get by, sometimes I'd pull a quick job on some dame's purse or a truck being unloaded.

"I got my own little street gang up and running after a while, 'course we were just a bunch of young punks runnin' around and actin' tough. But then, I ran into some other guys, guys who were makin' it. They were with the Mob, and they needed me to do some work for 'em. One thing led to another, and soon I was workin' for them full time."

Baby's jaw dropped. She felt sick for a moment.

No. He didn't know. He couldn't know. Why would anyone tell on her?

She smiled a bit, "Real mobster, eh? What's that like?"

Her finger gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white. Her face had paled some too. she looked like she might be ill.

Why him? Why did she have to sit with him.

Panic was setting in, but she tried not to let it show.

No one knows what you did. No one. Not even the guy you took the cash offa. No one.

Jack chuckled and took a swig from the bottle before responding.

"It'd be better if you'd ask what it was like, I ain't with 'em no more. Turned state's evidence against them, sent a lot of 'em to jail. Then I joined...I joined a different group. They were a little different than the Mob, but I went in with 'em because of a dame I was dizzy over, and plus...well, you need to have friends in high places if you piss off the Mob."

Baby looked visably relieved. Her fingers stopped gripping the table and she let out a long sigh. She closed her eyes, "Thank the Lord!" She hadn't meant to say it so loudly. She smiled at him, "So, what is it you do now?" She leaned back in the booth, letting herself calm down as she did so.

Jack flinched at her outburst and shot her a look. But, then he sighed; she wouldn't have understood the mistake anyway, so he let the moment pass.

"I work for a new group, different from the other group. They're tough to work with, but I get by. They usually send me out to get things for them or...take care of people. I don't like talkin' about them, though; they're not the sort of folks you'd want to meet in a dark alley."

Then he gave a short laugh, because he realized that was how Baby Doll had met him. He didn't know if he was the kind of person you'd want to meet in a dark alley, but he did take another swig of the vermouth.

Baby nodded, "Well, honestly there is no one I'd like to meet in a dark alley. Even if Humphrey Bogart himself was there!" She smiled some, not even knowing where she had heard the name before - only that he was handsome. She looked over Jack for a moment, "Are you trying to pick me up?" The question tumbled from her lips.

Her very red, luscious lips.

Jack looked Baby over for a moment before giving her a look.

"Look, Baby, I'm not the sort who has high standards or anything, but I'm not sure I'm the right fella for you. Look at it this way: I have a quick fling with yous for a week, lots of fun, lots of kale, and lots of...other stuff. Then what? I move on, because frankly I can't be bothered to tie myself down to one dame; you're back here, waiting tables, dealing with these dumb mugs," he waved around him, "and you've got nothing to show for that week other than some fancy trinkets and maybe some memories to dwell on when you're stuck here."

He paused to take a drag on a Wilton he had already lit before Baby Doll approached him. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he walked in here, but he was getting drunk all the same.

"Anyway, if you really wanna help me out, if you really wanna do somethin' nice for me, talk to me. Tell me about yous. One-night stands ain't never done me any favors, sister, but talkin' always helps take a load off my mind."

Baby was a touch shocked, and very pleased. She smiled, "Um, well..." She paused, gathering her thoughts. She didn't share with strangers often, "I'm a singer - or I'd like to be. I'm not from the area. Well, I sometimes am. I only took this job, really, because I was tired of sleepin' outside." She ran a hand over the side of her dress, "The owner here, he bought me some real nice clothes so I could work here. Says I'm pretty enough to bring people in." She lowered her eyes, wishing she still had a cigarette, "I'm not real interestin'."

So long as he doesn't hear more about your activities in the last year. She thought to herself.

Jack snickered and took another drag on the Wilton.

"You say that you ain't interesting, but I think differently than yous. Ain't too many people grown up without even knowing who raised 'em, whether they was family or not, and most people who wanna get into the singing business would be out on Broadway breaking glass and scaring alleycats with their screeches. You're somethin' else, Baby Doll."

He fished around inside his suit for a business card and tossed it onto the table.

"If yous ever find yourself in a heap of trouble with anyone, you call that number and I'll fix things. In the meantime, can ya get me another cup of java?"

Baby took the card, looking at it while she wandered into the kitchen. When she came back she was still staring at the card and another girl ran into her, spilling a tray of drinks all over her, soaking her, covering her with ice and the new pot of coffee.

Baby yelped, her nylons ripping, "Oh no!" She collected up the pieces of the coffee pot, careful not to prick her finger as two of the other girls yelled at her - but luckily the owner was hidden away in the back so he didn't see.

Jack heard the commotion and rose a little unsteadily from his seat; apparently the vermouth had been taking an effect on him after all. He stumbled over to the kitchen and saw the aftermath of the collision, and quickly stooped down to help Baby Doll pick up the pieces. He looked a little drunk, or at least somewhat out of it.

"You alright? You hurt anywheres?"

As she shook her head, her curls bounced, "No..." She trailed off.

"she ain't hurt, but she ain't stayin' either. Go home, Baby Doll." Another woman growled the words at her, wet herself.

Baby lifted her head high and stalked out of the bar, like it didn't bother her none. The sky was still cloudy, smoggy, but it hadn't opened up. She let out a sigh of relief and went to the back alley to go through the open door and get her coat, sitting on the same milk crate outside while she had a quick smoke.

Jack followed Baby Doll outside and leaned up against the wall of the club. He was feeling rather woozy from the alcohol, and it didn't help his state any that he had just rushed over to the kitchen area after sitting and drinking for nearly an hour. He shook his head to try and sober up enough to talk straight.

"Don't worry about the tab, Baby. I'll take care of it inside. In the meantime," he paused to pull out his wallet and handed her another card, one that was not wet, and several bills folded over the card, "take this and get some new nylons. The card's there for if you ever need someone to talk to."

With that, he was gone; back into the restaurant to pay the tab, and then out into the night. He'd never been good at saying goodbye, so he just decided to avoid saying it at all. Besides, she had his card, and on it was his phone number, along with a work address; it wasn't really goodbye if he'd be hearing from her again, was it?

Baby mulled over it for a few days, finally calling Jack. She wore a clean dress and new nylons. It was late, after midnight - but it was the only time she felt safe enough to call. She tapped beside the public phone, hoping he would answer her.

The bills were tucked neatly away - she hadn't needed them, but wasn't about to just give them back. Charity was always useful.

"Come on, Jack, please pick up." All around her the shadows seemed to bustle with life just outside her veiw. It would be surprising if someone was watching the girl.

Jack was passed out on the desk in his Long Island estate, having worked late from home again. The phone at his office was designed to be transferred to his phone at the house. After a moment of telephone operators playing tennis with Baby's line, the phone next to Jack's drooling face rang and caused him to wake with a start. He picked up the receiver, wiping the drool from his mouth and mumbling a greeting.

"Whaddya want? Who is this?"

"Baby Doll. You said I could call if I was in trouble. I've been in trouble for a long time, but I think someone's followin' me now." She swallowed hard, an audible 'gulp'. She felt warm tears sting her eyes, "Believe me, I don't have anyone else to be askin' for help." She leaned against the wall, "I feel like I can trust you, Jack. Don't know why, though."

Jack sat upright; unlike most of the names that had passed through his memory, Baby Doll's was clear in his mind. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, ready to write.

"Ok, but don't tell me nothin' over the phone. Is there a cafe nearby, a coffee shop, somewhere you can meet me? Gimme the address, I'll come over to yous."

It had already been a long night, but it looked like it was getting longer by the second. Jack's mind was racing, he had truthfully only caught about half of what she said. Had she said she trusted him?

Baby thought, "Uh, on Broadway, about half way to Martin Street is a cafe that'll be open." She chewed on her lip, "I'll be there in twenty minutes." She hung up without a word, replacing the receiver on the base carefully. She looked around her flat for a long moment and picked up her coat as well as the small box that contained the items she had stolen. She slipped into the hall and carefully placed it under a loose board she had discovered when she had looked at the flat - it was the reason she had chosen it.

Stepping outside she felt the rain before she saw it, creeping down her back. She had no umbrella, and was forced to walk under it.

Jack would have needed perfect reflexes and a jet-powered car to make it to the cafe in twenty minutes. Still, he didn't do bad considering the rain, the darkness, and his still-groggy state, and arrived in a personal record of forty five minutes. He walked into the cafe, shaking the rain off his trenchcoat, and looked around for Baby Doll. Hopefully, she was still here despite his lateness.