CHAPTER 24
Fred rushed around in the small room, trying not to disturb Sofia sleeping on the bed. They'd been staying in this godforsaken place for three days. Danny had left that morning, saying he'd be back soon. He didn't answer his calls, but instead cancelled them and texted back. Fred was confused by Danny's new numbers so kept misdialing. At least Lisa was happy playing with her toys that she'd got from "Tuesday Morning" mall on the way to the motel.
However, his hysterics were caused by something else. He was scared, very scared. It was inevitable, as after Danny had left that morning, Sofia fired questions at him about what was happening, and Fred just told her a load of lies to calm her down. He'd said the police were chasing them, as they'd found drugs in the old apartment. He wanted to blame Sofia, but she burst into tears and offered to go and fetch them a drink. She didn't even drink beer. They left the motel with Lisa, Fred carried a backpack with their money all the way to the nearest store which was quite a distance from them. He was frightened something would happen to them on the way.
Fred bought Lisa an ice-cream, and Sofia bought something too. She wandered around the empty mall alone, but returned cheerful, as if nothing had happened between them at the motel earlier.
When they returned to the motel, everything became clearer. They drank beer and ate chips, then Fred relaxed in the front-room for half an hour. When he went back to the bedroom, he saw plastic bags next to the bed. Too late. Sofia had taken something and was now completely out of it. Out of sheer desperation, he wanted to kill her, but stopped himself. He was panicking, afraid that the motel's staff may come in, even just for a chat. He was also afraid that Danny would see Sophia, lose his temper and cause more trouble. He didn't know how to tell Danny about the money and the gem. Fred had the weight of the world on his shoulders at that moment and couldn't cope.
When there was a knock at the door, he jumped, but was relieved, when he saw a familiar face greeting him.
'Where have you been?', he asked nervously, seeing Danny's smile. His friend's usually gentle face became stern and he had a cold look in his eyes.
'What happened?' Danny asked.
'I take it you already know?' Fred bit his nails and shuffled from side to side.
In a calm, but merciless voice, his friend said 'No, but I can guess. Sofia, right?'
'Yes. She found some shit somewhere and took it. She's been sleeping in the room for three hours now. What are we gonna do? Are we leaving?'
'No hurry, everything's going to be okay. I'll take Lisa to the car so she doesn't see anything and call a friend.'
'What friend?' said Fred, warily.
'She needs a drip, can't you see that? How are you going to get her into the car, on your back? Then she'll lie like a doll on the back seat until the cops stop you. Didn't you know the President's declared a state of emergency today because of the pandemic?'
'No. How could I know? I've been staying here for three days.'
'But the TV's constantly blaring. No time to explain now. Where's the baby? You need to help me pack and get them into the car,' going into the smallest bedroom, Danny took Lisa and some of her dolls. Then, calmly, he took her to his car. Coming back inside, they collected the rest of toys and all their personal belongings, except for Fred's backpack. They put everything into Danny's Toyota. Fred went back into the room, and Danny stayed in the car with Lisa.