Author's Note: This more or less fits with chapter sixty six of Witness.
Diary of a Protected Witness Part 55
Back to Euphoria
The final miles to Euphoria were some of the longest of my life. It felt like I walked forever along those quiet country roads, watching the sun rise, and then make its trek across the sky--just like me.
And yeah, a couple of good Samaritans gave me rides along the way, helping me get a few more miles under my belt, while enjoying a much-welcomed break.
But in the end, it came down to a shitload of walking.
I almost couldn't believe it when I saw a sign for Euphoria, and turned onto the one road leading in or out of the tiny town.
It was such a relief I got choked up for a minute or two, and had to sit down and take a break. I'd fuckin' made it!
Or at least, I would when I covered one-point-five more miles, according to the sign.
God, when I got there, all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a week! Thinking of that possibility gave me the energy to get back up and tackle the final leg of my journey.
Of course, when I actually ended up strolling down the main street of the sea side town, recalling vividly the day we'd clothes shopped and missing Heero more than ever, I realized I had almost no money left.
That would make finding a place to stay somewhat problematic. Not that a street kid like me couldn't manage. But I didn't want Heero to find me ragged, homeless, and half-starved when he finally got here.
My feet steered me to The Gull's Wing almost without conscious thought, and I self-consciously smoothed my hair before I walked in.
Sure, I'd spruced up in the bathroom of that diner on the main road--running a comb through my rather dingy hair and rebraiding it so it wasn't quite so unkempt. But I still felt kind of grubby and gritty after my prolonged travels.
"Max!"
Mary's bright voice woke me from my musings, and I found myself the recipient of a hearty hug.
"Ow!" I blurted, realizing my midsection was still not up to being forcefully compressed. "Easy," I cautioned, pushing her to arm's length. "Y'may not wanna get so close--I've been on the road awhile, and I'd bet money I stink."
She wrinkled her nose, but not in disgust. "Who gives a shit? Pops! Come out here Pops!"
The old man stepped out of the kitchen and his jaw fell open. "Max?"
I was a bit puzzled by their over-the-top welcome. They were acting like I was a long-lost cousin.
"Or should I call you Duo?" he added, walking over and grabbing my hand, giving it one hard shake and then adding his own hug to Mary's.
I fumbled for words, my mouth probably gaping like a fish. "H-how'd you know--?"
"Like anyone couldn't recognize that hair and those eyes," Mary chided. "We knew who you were last time, too."
I shot a worried gaze around the room, only to realize we were alone, save for a single diner way across the room by one of the windows, totally engrossed in reading a book while eating lunch.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do!" Pops declared, tugging me towards the kitchen. "C'mon in back and sit down. You look beat to Hell."
"I am," I admitted. "But I guess it's better than bein' dead."
"And why aren't you?" Mary asked, pouring a cup of coffee and pressing it into my hands.
I figured I had enough money for the coffee at least, but when she started dishing up some of whatever Pops had bubbling in the big pot on the stove, I held up a hand. "Uh, Mary. I'm kinda broke--"
She rolled her eyes and took another ladle full. "As if--!" she scoffed. "You think we'd let you pay for a meal?"
"You did last time--"
"Last time we were still pretending we didn't know you," she shrugged, pulling a stool over by the counter and gesturing me to sit. "You seemed to want it that way, and with your boyfriend glaring at anyone who even looked at you, it seemed smarter to just play dumb."
I wanted to groan aloud at how recognizable I seemed to be--wondering if Max the Truck Driver was at his next stop telling everyone he'd given Duo Maxwell a ride--or if he was in federal custody being grilled about someone he claimed to not know. Fuck!
Pops dragged a stool of his own over next to me, and set a big chunk of homemade bread and butter down next to my bowl. "Eat up. You've got a lot of talking to do!"
The two of them were relentless, and so I just went with the flow. Between mouthfuls of absolutely incredible soup, and Mary coming and going to take care of the occasional customer, I poured out the whole damned story--how I'd been Zechs' lover, seen his murder, and ended up hiding out with the gorgeous cop I fell in love with.
Yeah, I even told them about that--since Mary had picked up on it the first time we visited.
Pops didn't bat an eye; but then, since they told me they'd been avidly watching the Khushrenada case on the news, he already knew who I was and my part in it. I just filled in the gaps from the time I "died" until the present.
And when I finished, Mary had tears in her big, brown eyes, and looked like she was about to hug me again. "Are you sayin' Heero doesn't know you're alive? At all?"
I shook my head, sobering. "I made the FBI agent who hauled me away promise to have my lawyer give Heero the ashes. But I can't be sure he did it--or that 'Ro will think of bringing them here."
"Oh, he will!" Mary asserted. "You think a guy romantic enough to propose to you on the cliff trail wouldn't realize this is the place to bring the ashes?"
I could feel myself blushing, as I realized I'd even thrown that little detail into my story. "You've got a point. He's a pretty sharp guy."
"Handsome, too," she said quickly.
Pops smacked her on the back of the head. "He's taken, girl. Give it up."
Much as I loved the homey feeling in that kitchen, I could feel myself starting to fade, and I knew I needed to find a place to hole up for the night.
"Hey, this was terrific," I told my benefactors. "But I'm pretty worn out from traveling, and I desperately need a shower. I should go find a place to stay tonight."
Mary gave me a funny look, and leaned in to whisper in Pops' ear. He drew back and exchanged a long look with her, and then fixed a studious one on me.
"Mary says you're a little low on cash. Is that so?"
I blushed, wishing she'd just forgotten my slip of the tongue earlier. "Yeah, it is," I sighed. "I've pretty much used up what I fleeced the Feds out of. But I don't wanna borrow from you or nothin'. I was a street kid--I can manage."
Yeah, I'd done without food, shelter, or a hot shower a lotta times before, and it was for damn sure I could do it again. I started to stand, my exhaustion slowing me down considerably, but Pops settled a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down onto the stool.
"I'm not talking about a loan," he said firmly. "I've got a proposition for you."
I gave him a raised-eyebrow look and the old man actually blushed, while Mary laughed aloud.
"Didn't mean that kind!" Pops sputtered, glaring at me. "What I was talkin' about was maybe we could help each other out."
I grinned and shook my head. "You're still bein' a bit vague, old man."
"He means," Mary interrupted, looking both amused at our obtuse conversation, and excited about something. "We've got a place you could stay--and in return, Pops could use some help in the kitchen." She gave a helpless little shrug. "Real help--not my fumbling attempts at it."
"You want me to--what? Do cleanup and stuff?"
"To hell with cleanup!" the old man blurted. "Mary can swing a mop with the best of 'em. I need someone to help with the cooking. And judging from our last conversation, you could do the job."
"You want me to be a--cook?"
I found myself strangely excited at the idea. I mean, I'd been offered a lotta jobs in my life--most of them illegal. But I'd never had anyone suggest I could make a living doing something I enjoyed like cooking. It was almost like being offered money to have fun.
"From the sound of it, you already are a cook," Pops pointed out. "I just want you to learn your way around my kitchen and maybe take over so I can enjoy my golden years with some of my friends."
"Ah," I said wisely. "Surf fishing and hanging out on the pier all day?"
He smirked a bit, glancing scoldingly at his granddaughter. "She told ya 'bout that, huh?"
"Yeah, our last visit."
"So, what do you say?" Mary piped up, leaning her elbows on the counter and resting her chin on her hands, looking hopefully at me. "Will you come work for Pops, and save me from a lifetime of lawsuits over the food poisoning my cooking would give the customers?"
I laughed at her wry tone, unable to resist both her big, brown eyes, and the twinkling green ones of her old granddad. "Sure," I said warmly.
"Great!" She leapt up and sure enough, hugged me again. "I'll go get the key for the apartment and show you around!"
She dashed off into the office beside the kitchen, and Pops gave a quiet chuckle. "She's a handful," he told me in a sort of conspiratorial tone. "Been with me ever since her folks died in a car wreck when she was six. But I wouldn't trade her for all the master chefs in the world."
"I wouldn't either if I were you," I told him sincerely. I already knew I liked Mary and Pops a whole lot, and it was obvious they cared very deeply about each other. But I think it was the way they so quickly cared about me--a virtual stranger--that made them instantly special in my eyes.
Mary came skipping back in, stripping off her apron and dangling a key on a chain. "Pops--there's only Elmo at the back table finishing off his dessert, so you should be able to handle the tables until I get back. I'm gonna show Duo his place and make sure he's got everything he'll need, okay?"
And just like that the old man entrusted his beloved granddaughter to my care, waving us away and returning to his cooking as if he hadn't a worry in the world.
God, these two wouldn't have lasted a day in the city. They were too trusting and too open. They'd have been chewed up and spit out by the cruel streets within hours.
I just wanted to hug 'em both--they were so precious!
Mary took me out of the restaurant and led me across the deck and up a flight of stairs to an apartment over a larger building. "The downstairs is where Pops and I live," she told me, deftly unlocking the door and swinging it open. "This place is a rental--but it's been awhile since we had a tenant. The last one skipped out on the final month's rent and took Pops' pickup truck for good measure." She glanced aside at me with nothing but good will. "I know you're not that kinda guy. You an' Pops hit it off so well."
"I promise you," I told her solemnly. "I would never do anything to hurt that old man."
She smiled warmly.
"Or you," I added firmly.
Yeah, that got her blushing, and she quickly walked across the little kitchenette to open a window. "It may be a bit stale in here, but I air it out a couple of times a month when no one's living in it. So there shouldn't be any mold or mildew." She gestured to the next room. "That's a combination living room and bedroom; the couch folds out into a bed. Bathroom's off to the right there."
She turned to face me, frowning a little bit. "I know it's not much--"
"Jesus!" I blurted. "It's a godsend," I assured her. "I mean, fuck--I've got no money and nowhere to go. To the rest of the world, I'm as good as dead. You an' Pops offering me a place to stay is nothing less than a miracle." I gestured around the tiny apartment. "This is more than enough--it's a freakin' palace compared to the streets I grew up on."
She lit up again, her smile back in full force. "You go ahead and get comfortable, and I'll run downstairs and snag you some shampoo and stuff. You did say you desperately needed a shower, didn't you?"
"God, yes," I groaned, thinking how heavenly it would feel.
"Well, we've got plenty of hot water, and I'll bring you up the necessities until Pops pays you and you can get to the store for your own stuff--"
"Pays me?" I echoed in shock. "Mary, this apartment--"
"--comes with the job," she finished for me. "And so do meals. But that's not an even trade. You've gotta have enough cash for personal necessities, too."
Jesus, did their generosity know no bounds?
She was heading for the door by then, but I called her back just before she stepped out.
"Hey, Mary?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
It seemed pretty inadequate--one simple word to repay them for practically saving my life. But you'd have thought I gave that girl the crown jewels, the way she smiled.
And as for me? Well, I kinda felt like I'd just won the lottery.
I mean, here I was a street kid who'd grown up in the school of hard knocks, done some pretty bad-ass things in his day, and shacked up with a drug lord. How could I deserve friends like these?
But then again, I'd turned State's evidence against an even bigger drug lord, saved Wufei's life, taken orphans to the circus, and in general done a lotta things to try to redeem myself a bit. Maybe this was Fate's way of repaying my efforts--I stumbled into the job of my dreams, some super friends, and a place to call home, all at once.
Only one thing was missing--the one thing I couldn't live without--Heero. Without him, my life would be empty.
TBC...
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