Dorsai - Taxi

I just smiled and said "No trouble, at all. I live here by myself, and I don't cook much, so all I was going to do was microwave some lasagne. It'll be ready in about half an hour." before turning and starting for the door with Tania following. When I got there, I turned back and told her "You've got a TV in there, so it's up to you whether you and Daneesha stay there, or come out to the living room. Either is fine with me."

She nodded her understanding, and closed the door behind me; I didn't stick around long enough to hear if she locked it, or not – I was hungry, and wanted to get supper started.

When they came out to join me for supper, both girls had changed clothes, and were wearing dresses that were considerably less fancy than they'd been wearing when I first saw them at the hotel. I told them to go ahead and sit down, and brought in the lasagne I'd heated, along with some garlic bread and salads. When I asked, I was told that they generally didn't bother with a prayer before meals, so we just dug in.

They were polite and well-mannered, but the way they were tucking into the food, I suspected that they'd skipped one meal, and maybe more, in an effort to save money when they'd realized they were going to run short.

Demosthenes turned up, and tried every trick he knew to try and convince someone – anyone – that he was cute and starving, but when I didn't give him anything, they didn't, either. He finally went to sit in the doorway with his back toward us, radiating Ignore waves at us so we'd know we were being snubbed.

After we'd finished eating, both girls got up and Tania insisted on them taking care of the dishes; not just clearing them from the table, but washing them, too. My opinion of Tania improved considerably; she might have screwed up in taking care of the two of them, but she seemed determined not to be a burden.

I got myself a beer from the fridge and went into the living room. I started some soft classical music going before I got myself situated in my chair, and picked up the book I'd planned to read that night. When the dishes were done, Tania and Daneesha both came into the living room to look around a bit. Both seemed surprised at the shelves full of books I had, and it was Daneesha that asked if I'd actually read all of them. She seemed surprised when I said that I had, and some of them several times, so I told her "Books are one of the greatest things people have ever come up with. They're a way for one person to share what they think or know or imagine with lots of other people. They don't need electricity, they're portable, you can read them over and over again, and you can share them with other people. The things written in some of those book are what people said thousands of years ago – even before Bible times. And what those people said is as true now as it was then. That dress you're wearing was designed by somebody that read books. You bought it in a store from somebody that learned how to run a business from books. People read books to learn how to make it, and it was put together in a factory designed by people that read books. Odds are that the farmer the grew the cotton it's made of learned how to grow enough cotton from books. They aren't as fancy and sexy as computers, and they're a bit more trouble than watching TV – but what you get from them can last you your whole life."

She looked doubtful, and I asked her what her favorite movie was. She told me, and I got up and went over to the bookshelves, pulled out one of the books and handed it to her, saying "Here you go. Here's a book with the story that movie was based on – it's called 'Hamlet'. The guy who wrote it lived something over four hundred years ago; his name was William Shakespeare."

She looked at me doubtfully, and I urged her "Go ahead – start reading it, and see if I'm not right." She looked at the book – a Collected Works – then me again, before going over to take a seat at the end of the couch and opening it up.

That got me a grin from Tania before I moved a couple of feet and selected another book to hand to her: Mark Twain's 'An Innocent Abroad'. She looked at me in concern, and I just smiled and told her "Relax – it's actually a fun read. I think you'll find some of yourself in what he wrote."

She didn't bother giving me any looks, she just took it and parked herself at the opposite end of the couch from her sister.

I couldn't help grinning to myself; I didn't doubt that they were basically good kids, just a touch on the spoiled side. Maybe reading something that showed them the world didn't start with their appearance in it would help them get their heads on a little straighter. I went back to where I'd left my book, and picked it up to start reading again.

The next three hours went by quietly. Demosthenes decided that Daneesha's lap was the place to lay while she absently rubbed his ears; I could hear him purring even where I was sitting. Each of them got up once to get a soda, and Tania thought to ask if I wanted anything when she wanted hers, and brought me the soda I asked for – and smiled when I thanked her.

It was getting a little late when I marked my spot in the book I was reading and set it aside before telling them "You know what time your train leaves tomorrow, so I'll leave it up to you if you want to take those into the bedroom and keep reading. But it's getting kind of late for an old man like me" – both of them smiled at my self-description – "and I'm about ready to go to bed. And just so nobody gets surprised, I usually sleep until about six o'clock, so if you wait until about six thirty before you come out, everything should be fine." Even if Daneesha didn't understand (which I considered doubtful), I knew Tania would know I was warning them to stay in the bedroom, lest they find me in some stage of undress.

They knew they were sitting where I was going to be sleeping, and both got up, using a finger to keep their spot in the books they were reading. They huddled for a moment to talk to each other before Tania told me "We better get to bed, too", followed by them walking over to my bookcases and putting their books back where I'd gotten them from.

They had another brief whispered conversation before both of them faced me and Tania said "Mister Ellison, we want to thank you for helping us – well, taking care of us, really. I know I made a really big mistake, and you've been a lot nicer about watching out for us that you had to, and both of us appreciate it – a lot. We could have been in real trouble if it wasn't for you, and I just want you to know that we know it, too."

Daneesha followed her sister by saying "Really, Mister Ellison, we're glad you were there to take care of us. Thank you."

Then, much to my surprise, both girls came over to gave me a kiss on the cheek, thanked me again, and wished me good night before they headed for my bedroom.

After I heard the bedroom door close – they didn't lock it, indicating a trust I hoped they'd learn to be more careful with – I got up and unfolded the couch into the not entirely uncomfortable bed it converted to. I got some sheets and a blanket for it from the storage areas that the end tables provided, and soon had it ready to sleep in. I undressed, and though I normally sleep nude, I figured I'd better keep my shorts on, just in case. Another minute, and the lights were out and I was ready to go to sleep – despite Demosthenes routine of laying on my pillow and wrapping himself around the top of my head, and then purring loud enough to loosen the fillings in my teeth. He invariably found someplace else to sleep later, but it was mandatory for him that he start the night that way.

It was coming up on midnight, and I was still in kind of a half-sleep when I felt someone slip into bed with me. It took me a few seconds (I was half-asleep, after all) to realize that it could only be one of the girls; at which point I somehow teleported myself as far away from her in the sofa-bed as I could before exclaiming "Jesus Christ! What the hell do you think you're doing here!?"