Angel Colón - No Happy Endings

Jae nodded. “Well, she had a safety deposit box with this bank. Was always scared if she did a job on them, they’d take it away if she was caught.” He slipped the key into Fantine’s hand. “Go there with something you can hide a lot in—like one of those ridiculous purses I see the young girls with. Use whatever you can. She would have wanted you to have a leg up.”

Fantine stared at the key. “Did Mom have a gun at the bank? Isn’t that sort of stupid?”

“ Brash .” Jae grinned. “It’s why I loved her. Well, the rack didn’t hurt.”

She slipped the key into her pocket. “You’re gross.”

“I’m allowed to be.” He reached over and took Fantine by the shoulders. Gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I wish that none of this was happening, Fan, but if it has to happen, I know you can make it work in your favor. Just remember the mistakes she made, and do better. It’s what she would have wanted you to do.”

“I miss her.” It came out before she could let herself wall it back up.

Jae nodded. “Me, too. Every time I look at you, I miss her a little more.”

“I’m sorry I got mixed up in all of this.” Fantine felt like crying, but she knew better. Her father would never let her live it down.

“Never be sorry for being yourself. That was one of the things I adored about your mother. She was who she wanted to be, no matter what. The brightest light in any room.” He took Fantine’s hand and kissed it. His eyes were wet. “Don’t you dare change.”

Fantine took Jae’s hands in hers and smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Feel better?”

“A little.”

“Good.” Jae gently pushed her away. “Now leave. I’ve been holding my gas the entire time you’ve been here.”

“Keep keeping it classy.” Fantine grabbed her bag. Came back around to give Jae a peck on the cheek. “I love you.”

He gave her a little smack on the cheek in return. “Back at yah, kid.”

Fantine left the room with a spring in her step. She was excited. Not about the job—no—she was aware that would be a miserable, miserable time. At the very least she had this moment with her dad. Something good to keep in mind in the middle of all that bad. She wondered if this is why her mother needed Jae in her life. That balance he mentioned, it worked.

Outside, Fantine stood at the corner and waited fifteen minutes to hail a cab. She decided they were the better choice than the bus. She’d get some sleep and head out first thing in the morning with Pete for his appointment. First, she’d get the badge. Second, her mother’s safety deposit box. Everything after that would be ad-libbed. The only problem with that were the other players. Pete was an idiot. Aleksei was a psychopath—also, idiot. The Twins were psychotic yes men. The Empire job money would dry up soon. If this all went right, then she’d have it made. Disappearing with her father would be simple.

If things went wrong, well, that was probably why she definitely needed to get to that safety deposit box.

Fantine enjoyed watching Pete squirm on the cheap plastic chair of the sperm bank waiting area. “Dude, it’s not like they’re taking a kidney.”

Pete crossed his legs and spent a solid twenty seconds deciding where to place his hands. “This is creepy.”

“Creepy?” She gave all her attention to the TV above them. They were playing “The Lost Boys” on the Spanish channel. “You get free porn and do your business in a cup, how is that creepy?” Her eyebrows arched. “This is like loser-Disneyland if you ask me.”

“Well, it’s just…There are things I like to have before I…”

Fantine held a hand up. “You know what? We’re veering into some weird-ass how Pete strokes it territory and I’m going to stop the car before we fly off the cliff. Cool?”

Pete nodded. Eyed the door that led into the space where they had the rooms occupied by donors. “This doesn’t freak you out?”

Fantine shook her head. “Nope. I’m more invested on whether this nurse shows up.” She shrugged. “Besides, not like anyone is asking me to jill-off in a strange place.”

Pete’s face contorted. “Ew, man. Whatever. You sure the nurse won’t notice you snatch his badge?”

Fantine frowned and cracked her knuckles one by one. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m not some elite pickpocket, but I have some sleight of hand chops. It’s a risk.” Fantine looked around. The space was large enough to talk freely at a reasonable volume so long as no one was too close. There were also plenty of people milling around: college students, couples poring over brochures and paperwork, and the odd-looking solo men that seemed permanently set to virgin. No wonder Aleksei didn’t give a damn about inviting her here to chat up the job. This was the kind of place that was easy to melt into. Nobody had the nerve to look each other in the eye or they were to wound up with life problems to bother pulling their heads out of their own asses.

“No telling if the badge has what we need either way.” Fantine grinned and slapped her hands against her thighs. “So what did you tell them about yourself?”

Pete smiled. Clearly this topic brushed off the awkward feelings. “Oh, man, I said I was an Olympic-level fencer coming out of NYU. My specialty is epee, but I also run with a rapier.” He raised his eyebrows. “I may also dabble in quantum physics.”

“Ah, real man about town, then?” Fantine snorted.

“Fancy as fuck. Got my pinky raised when I do anything involving my mouth.”

“That set up’s too easy, man.”

“Mister Lorenzo?” A woman with a clipboard approached them. “We’re ready for you.” She smiled wide. Her uniform looked like a throwback to what Fantine always saw in old movies—crisp, clean, and white.

Pete stood. “Oh, uh…sure.” He looked to Fantine as if she’d offer some kind of solution.

Fantine only gave him a gentle push. “Go on, sweetie. Step one’s on you. Once we get the sample, I do the legwork.” She stood up and smiled at the nurse. “Can you believe he’s going to help my wife and I have a baby? We only met three weeks ago—such a charitable fella.”

The nurse stared past Fantine and gave a tight smile. “How nice.” She ushered Pete away and past the doors leading inside.

Fantine looked over her shoulder to see if the male nurse—was it Placido—had returned. To her relief, he was seated at the station. Hunched over paperwork. That didn’t help. She needed to find a way to get him to stand up. Ideally he needed to walk past her or have a reason to bump into her. How would she accomplish that without it being blatantly obvious?

Damnit, she knew what she’d have to do.

Fantine scanned the room and spotted someone sitting by himself. Looked college-aged and incredibly embarrassed. On the top of his head, off-kilter; a cheap trilby. The kid looked like the type who would call the hat a fedora in error. In other words, he was perfect. She rushed over and sat across from him. Leaned in to get his attention and smiled. The young man looked confused for a moment, but then smiled back. She had him. This was the right kind of guy to use for her purposes.

It was Meryl Streep time.

Fantine straightened in her seat. Pressed her hand against her chest and gasped. “No, I will not help you with producing a fresh sample, you disgusting prick!” She called out towards the nurse’s station. Felt terrible with what she was about to put this kid through. “Holy fuck, don’t you dare touch me!” Fantine stood up. “Help!” She backed away from her victim. Tried to force tears, but she only made her eyes sting.