People look at each other
but they don't see each other.
— Claire Jenkins
After running my valet scheme in Miami, I texted Claire to celebrate.
"Cantaloupe? Tequila?"
We hadn't spoken since she stormed out of the house a few months ago. I was worried she might not reply. Was she still pissed?
She called a few minutes later.
"Claire! Hi!"
"Hey, Shay, haven't heard from you. I was starting to wonder."
"Yeah, I've been busy."
"Oh?"
"I'm ramping up to bigger things. Right now, I'm in Miami, but not long term. I'm here, on and off for a few months, hopefully less."
"Miami?"
"Yeah, remember when we were in Chicago, and I showed you my valet parking idea?"
"That's the new scam?"
She made it sound so dirty, as if she didn't have dirt on her hands too.
"Yeah," I said. "It's the new thing. It's easy as long as I get in and out quick. I got a police scanner, and some spotters. It works."
"Wow."
"How are things with you?"
"It's all fine. I've got a job."
"You what?!? You've gone straight?"
"It's nothing big. I'm pouring pints at The Bitter End. I figured I needed to start bringing in some legit income. The Bitter's great because it's busy, so it's easy to feel anonymous, not that I need to. Oh, and I'm renting a place with a backyard. I'm turning it into a garden."
"Wow, you really have gone straight."
"I'm playing the long game, Shay. The real long game."
"What's that?"
"Life. It's time to figure out what I want to do with mine."
"Huh."
"Remember Terry? One of the marks that was a bagel?"
"Yeah?"
"I started going to his writers' group. I figured there's no harm in it since he didn't have any Bitcoin to steal. He was just a guy, y'know? Obviously, I'll never tell him why I met him, but yeah, I've been doing some creative writing. So far, just short stories. Like, really short."
"What do you write about?"
"I wrote a short story about a woman who wears the same outfit every day, just to see if anybody notices."
"That doesn't sound very interesting, Claire."
"It's actually a story about what people see. People look at each other but they don't see each other, y'know?"
"Oh."
"And I wrote a story about a woman who's trying on wedding dresses because she's marrying a guy for his money."
"Is that your next plan?"
"Hell no. I thought of that for you, sort of. I thought, 'What if Shay found a whale of a whale? What if she couldn't find his seed words, or if she couldn't figure out how he set up his wallet. How would she get his Bitcoin?' And the answer seemed obvious."
"You're saying I'd marry him, so I could divorce him and take half?"
"No. You'd take it all, then you'd move on."
"How would I get it though?"
"Find a whale. Become part of his life. Maybe even live together. Get him to teach you everything you need to know to rob him. Then move on, to a new city with a new name."
"I'm not built like you, Claire. Guys take one look at you and they're hooked. You can have any guy you want. The only guys who even look at me are losers."
"It's not about your body. It's all in the eyes. You need to look at a guy like he matters. That's all anybody really wants. To matter. Make 'em feel like you care, and you reel 'em in."
"Problem is, I already know a guy doesn't matter, before I've even met him. None of 'em matter."
"Oof."
"I just call 'em like I see 'em, Claire."
"Speaking of that... Keep checking in, yeah? Especially when you're out of town. What can I say? I worry. It's good to know you're ok."
It was good to know she wasn't pissed at me. I don't really do the whole Friends thing. I tried with Beanie, but she's all about the work. That makes her a great partner, but there's no fun in it. No silly code words. No girl talk. She's a pro, but she's got no soul.
I never thought I had one either.
Huh.