Free It Was 2052 by J. Richardson Page B

secured the hair up on her head, stepped back to the table with her juice.
    “Babe, do you ever think that somethings going on around here that we don't know about?” she said.
    He wasn't in a hurry to get moving this morning. He was assigned to closet rod duty, not his favorite job and she would be working in the pub all evening.  “Around where?”
    “Um-m, around Brewer's, I suppose.  I don't know, sounds silly but I get this feeling of secrets being kept. Like people, even Jackson sometimes knows something that we don't.”
    The cup came to his lips, he blew on it and sipped, “I spend a lot of time with Jackson. I never got a feeling of suspicion.  Are you saying you don't trust him?”
    She smiled, “No, no, I love Jack. I'm sure it's just my imagination. You know, one of those female things, we get those intuitions sometimes.”
    “Well, there are some pretty weird things in the city.  You know that we do have to be careful. Just like those creeps that we had a run in with on the street that day and then old man Pendelton slinking around in the back of the restaurant.  I may not be real perceptive but he makes my skin crawl a bit.  And Jack, with the girl he only saw that one time, as far as I know.  I don't think he has ever forgotten her and he doesn't even know her. But why do you think we eat so friggin' much pizza? The boy is fascinated by those red lips on the big screens.  All a lit-tle strange, if you ask me.”
    She came around and sat on his knee, he traced her pink lips with his finger, and the pouty lips said, “Well, I guess everyone can't be as normal and smart as you and me.” He lifted her, threw her on the bed, they tussled and laughed. Not time for work, yet.
    That evening, after a full afternoon of being scrunched up in closets, he sat with Jackson in the crowded pub.  Rose brought them drinks and with an air kiss hustled away to wait on other customers.
    Eric said, “Hey, know that woman that we saw in the pizza place that time? Did you ever see her again?”
    “No, why do you ask?” said Jackson.
    He got a laugh from Jackson when he made an exaggerated smack and puffed out his lips, “I thought you kind of were interested. You spend an awful lot of time staring at those big screens and I think we've all gained five pounds eating pizza.  Why don't you ask someone at Luciano's about her?”
    Jackson looked down at his drink, in a quiet voice he said, “She was beautiful, not very happy.”  He looked up, “I might just do that sometime, ask about her. Eric, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
    He was cut off by a loud cursing in the back of the pub, “You b—ch! What the hell is wrong with you?” Eric got up and walked back to where Rose stood, a large man towered in front of her, drenched in bourbon.
    He recognized her fake sweet voice, “Oh-h-my-goodness, I must've tripped. Sorry, I'll bring you another drink.”
    The man bellowed, “You bring me a towel AND another drink, on you. ”
    Eric took a step toward the man, she took his arm and moved him away. “Asshole pinched me,” she whispered, still holding tight to his arm.
    “You don't have to put up with that,” he tried to turn back, she held tight.
    “I didn't.” She smiled, kissed his cheek. “Go along, Babe, I can take care of myself.”
    Eric stomped back to the table. Jackson gave him a questioning look.  He shook his head and said, “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
    “Nothing important, never mind,” said Jackson, glad that he had been interrupted. It was hard not to confide in his friend about Anissa and everything. 
    In Brewer's Village, like it is said, life goes on.  There are lovers and friends, there's work to be done, there's the shadow of the enemy and secrets.  Just a few blocks away, Anissa faced the dark and evil life of the city. She walked a dangerous path, trapped on the outside edges of the growing network of malice. If she moved with extreme caution, she