Goal: Insult him Conflict: Commotion Disaster: Unsure of his new friends
He only stood for a moment until he looked up and was face to face with Daddi. He was wearing his work clothes and his hat to hide is bald headtop. He has come straight from work to the mall to be with his buds. They held court in the rear of the court, with the closest viewpoint and path to the state run liquor store. All their friends came and went through there daily so it was a natural third place for them.
“Shoudn’t you be at home,” Daddi said.
“Shouldn’t you be there too,” Happy said.
“Who are you here with?” Daddi said.
“My new friends, they care about me,” Happy said.
Daddi put his hand on Happy’s back and turned him towards his buddies behind him. They were a rogues gallery of alkies, degenerates and refugees. A ‘gentleman’ coughed loudly and vigorously without covering his mouth. Beside him, an older man with the turban the size and colour of a watermelon sat there and took the spittle on his face without noticing.
“Hey Mikka, is that your boy?” one said, with less than a full set of teeth.
“Yeah, hes here to study. Hes the smartest kid in his class,” Daddi said in the clearest tone of voice hed ever used in front of Happy.
“No Im not,” Happy said to laughter from the ragtag group.
“Oye! Stop kidding around,” Daddi said with rye on his breath already. Happy could see the bulk in his front trouser pocket from the newly purchased mickey.
The noise of the mall was picking up with the influx of free folk off work and school, but there was a sudden pitch in the commotion from behind Happy and across the food court.
Happy scanned to see what was going on. He setlled on two kids in the throws of an exchange, it was a guy and a girl. He squinted through his year-old glasses.
It was Jug and Giselle
“…you fucking creep!” Giselle said, as all that Happy was able to make out.
She was in her fur boots, and Jug was in his usually fur lined jacket. They looked like two haggard lions in the middle of a mating ritual. Happy wasn’t the only one who had taken notice. The attention of the court was on them.
Jug raised a hand and slapped her, with the contact echoing through the court. Then an eruption of movement followed.
From behind Giselle, Sweety stepped in and started slapping at Jug. He shielded his face, not able to take it, or fearing that hitting Sweety would provoke the ire of either Saad or Amit. It showed Happy that his slap of Giselle was more performative than the others may have realized. Poor Giselle. Amit spotted Sweety giving a shit, but didn’t want to hurt Jug with his cousin watching, so he got behind him, put him in a headlock and dragged him away from Sweety’s beats. Sweety shifted her attention to tracking down a crying Giselle who’d run off.
Daddi’s friends watched from their perch.1
“Animals,” Daddi said.
Footnotes
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They are the real people who’s court this is, and it’s not one worth coveting ↩