New Mexico / June, 1958 / 07:22
When Calavicci awoke, it was early. Too early to mention. Morning loomed as a concept -- darkness lingering in the pre-dawn hours. The horizon was just taking on some color, showing the contrast between the earth and the sky.
The drinking the evening before, coupled with the ridiculously long day they had shared sent Thrace to bed early. Albert had ( Read more... )
The drinking the evening before, coupled with the ridiculously long day they had shared sent Thrace to bed early. Albert had ( Read more... )
When he disappeared into the general store, she naturally couldn't help wandering just a bit. Two doors down, there was a shop that seemed to sell nothing by 'space-age' appliances. They sure looked like something out of a pulp novel about the future to Kara, but there sure as hell had nothing to do with space. Beyond that, there was a coin-operated laundry, and just one more down sat a dusty-looking secondhand. Figuring she needed a change of clothes since all she had was on the floor of Al Calavicci's car two thousand miles back, she nipped inside.
Dust swam in the murky light inside the store, and the place reeked of old things usually found in attics or basements. Kara always liked the atmosphere of such places - they reminded her of her dad's junky old loft with its many well-loved pieces of furniture and broken down recording equipment he was always halfway done with repairing. She didn't want Calavicci to think she'd run off on him, though, so she stepped out of her reverie and bypassed the many tables and racks, heading straight back to where the clothing had been hung.
She selected another pair of trousers - twill, she guessed as they felt like her dress uniform - and a cotton blouse that was feminine enough she wouldn't stand out too much. She turned to carry the items to the counter when a swatch of blue caught her eye. A dress was a frivolous waste of the money Calavicci had given her, it really was, and Kara wasn't the dress-wearing type. However, her companion had said 'sit-down' for dinner, hadn't he? She'd already surmised it was out of the ordinary for women to wear pants, and she supposed she'd attract far too many unwelcome stares if she were to wear slacks anywhere that didn't cater to a jukebox-loving crowd. So really, the dress was a completely practical purchase (at least, that's how Kara justified spending a quarter of her cash on a pretty dress that was just a gorgeous shade of blue).
She paid for her purchases and went back onto the street just in time to see the young lieutenant surveying the spot he'd last left her with dismay. "Lose something?" she asked sweetly, joining him.
Reply
He leaned to try to peek into her bag, but Kara put a hand on his chest and firmly pressed him back into place. Bingo raised an eyebrow and then fished out a cigarette to think over. "Whatcha got there? No, wait, I don't wanna know," he tagged onto the end. "I keep forgetting, the less I know, the better." Which seemed almost like a complete joke at his point. The young lieutenant was beginning to think he knew Kara Thrace better than a lot of his long-time buddies.
Bingo lit and puffed at his cigarette, then turned on his heel and looked around. He couldn't quite wait to take Kara around Memphis, a city he had visited many-a-time. Life there was rich and interesting and no matter what direction she chose, they'd be afforded a great number of options. "Let's find a place to sleep first. I'll follow your lead."
Reply
There was still a faint glimmer of sunlight competing with the eager stars, and the buildings lining the street were limned in a dark cerulean glow. They'd passed through enough tiny little towns and hamlets that Kara recognized a city when she saw one. It was nothing to compare with home, but at least there were a few more sights to see than a fill station and a bar. No, this place seemed to be teeming with cozy-looking bars, out-of-the-way clubs, and was that... yep, there was even a brothel right there on the main street. It was discreet, but Kara spotted it for what it was straight off, so it wasn't doing that good a job hiding behind the thin veneer of Madame Mathilda's Charm School.
She could see now why Calavicci had talked the place up so on the most recent leg of their journey. It was charming in its own way. It'd never rival even the smallest cities On Caprica (or even on Aerilon for that matter), but it felt... homey. Not that Kara was looking to settle down, but still, she had a mind to return someday, didn't she?
Well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she was content to cross the street to a stately-looking B & B. Confident as you like, Kara slid her arm into Calavicci's. "Good enough, sweetie?" she asked, batting her eyelashes innocently. Playing Jo, the little wife, would never come naturally, but at least she could make it fun.
Reply
Arm-in-arm, the make-believe couple took to the Bed and Breakfast and managed to impress themselves into a room with a decent rate and a decent view.
///
Their ruse had left them silly and excited when they should have been run down from a long and arduous ride. Bingo took to the shower first upon Starbuck's insistence, washing off the dust and the dirt and the grime. It felt nicer than he would have ever imagined.
Kara took her turn almost immediately after, leaving Bingo to get himself ready in the living room. The view -- a bay window overlooking the neon-lit rows of businesses and houses -- held his attention for a while. People were out, many of them dressed for the evening festivities. If there was one thing that made Memphis stand out, it was the fact that there was always something happening. Sure, sometimes you had to know the right place to look, but Albert was seasoned enough that he didn't feel they'd have much of a problem in the excitement department.
For the time being, he changed into the only clean clothing not in need of pressing that he possessed: a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Being a man of occasion, he had options, but he wanted to see what Thrace would be sporting before he decided what to wear himself.
"I hope you're hungry, because I'm starving" he called into the bathroom well after he'd heard her turn off the water.
Reply
At last, Kara returned to the bedroom, head held high as though daring him to tease her. "Are you ready, or do I have to wait on you to preen in front of the mirror again?" Don't think for one moment Kara hadn't noticed how fond of his own reflection Albert Calavicci seemed to be.
Reply
Bingo didn't think he had much easily accessible that would look appropriate next to her sweet blue number. Rubbing at his cheek thoughtfully, he considered his uniform (probably still wrinkled and in miserable shape from their first night together) and debated on the likelihood of making it look decent.
With The Great Debate filling his head, Al paced in front of the bed and mourned his options. He had a feeling he was going to have to buy something (even if it was really only for his satisfaction.)
Reply
"Come on," she said, grasping Calavicci by the arm and hauling him out the door. "You said you were hungry, and so am I. Let's just go." He looked fine, after all, and he'd fit in better than she would at any rate. Before he could protest too much, she already had him halfway down the stairs.
Outside, the sky had gone fully dark. Young couples were strolling in one direction, and families toting children and dogs and packages were headed in the other. That made her choice easy and she slipped into foot traffic as though she'd been doing it all her life. "Got a destination all picked out, darling?" she asked, smiling cheekily at him.
Reply
Al took a long look at their surroundings before answering her. "I don't have one particular place in mind, but if you're looking for a suggestion, then I think we ought to head downtown and find ourselves a nice little blues club. Can't do much better'n that." At least, not as far as he was concerned. Thankfully, in Memphis, one never had to go too far.
The first place they passed (a quaint little packed house called "Papa Joe's") was busy -- too busy even for them to squeeze in. The young lieutenant opted to keep them going, refreshed that Thrace's knee seemed to be on the mend. "I know just what I'm going to order: I'm going to have some ribs. And some beans. Biscuits. No! Cornbread," he emphasized excitedly. "And I'll finish it off with a piece of sweet potato pie." The smile of his face was positively hedonistic. As if he were tasting it into existence just by talking about it.
Bingo snapped out of his practical droll-fest and quite nearly looked sheepish. "Is-is there anything you were looking forward to having?"
Reply
Since Calavicci didn't have any destination in mind, and she was starving, she spotted an out of the way doorway with a little sign advertising The Blue Spot. Not bothering to ask (as she intuited he'd agree to just about anything she asked), she steered him in that direction and right on through the door.
The place was dark and smoky, and there was a steady baseline coming from the stage up front. The maître d' led them to a corner table, offered them menus and 'wine or whiskey?' (Kara chose the latter, of course), and scurried off into the depths of the club.
Once they were alone again, Kara begged a cigarette, smiling like the cat who'd caught the canary. "Not bad for a first-timer, huh?"
Reply
Al took a hit of his cigarette and blew the smoke out the side of his mouth. When it cleared, a large black man in an even larger suit remained in its place. Color Bingo surprised. He sat up a little straighter. "Something tells me you're not here to take our orders."
"Good guess," came the deep, baritone reply. The man crossed his enormous arms. "Jackets after dark." It came out sounding like a warning.
"Yes, sir." Bingo nodded respectfully and stood from his chair, even if he was feeling a bit picked on. The maître d' hadn't said a thing, after all. He gestured at Kara. "Keep the lady company for me then, won't you? Can't expect me to leave my date starin' at an empty chair."
The man couldn't (or wouldn't) argue. He took to the vacated seat and smiled thickly at Kara.
Al gave Starbuck a look that said he was enjoying himself and promised her, "I'll be back with our drinks." From the table, he disappeared into the crowd and reappeared on the other side, leaned over the bar and talking to two of the three people residing behind it.
The Company said politely, "You look very nice, ma'am." He was a good southern boy, he was.
Reply
She'd clearly surprised the man, and he drew his hand away. "Er, I... I didn't mean anything by it, ma'am. 'S just the bossman, see, he doesn't like strangers."
Kara sat back, smiling as easily as she could. "That right? Well, tell him 'hello' from me, Josephine Fox, hmm? And you might want to mention that if he's got a problem, he should look to take care of it himself."
The man gave her a wary look, "Yes, Mrs. Fox, whatever you say." He gave her a respectful little nod and stood, slipping discreetly into the haze of smoke and conversation. Hopefully, he wasn't going after Calavicci personally.
Reply
When Bingo returned a minute or two later, he was wearing an over-large black evening jacket, obviously borrowed, and carrying an armful of drinks. "Gotta give that guy a talking to about leaving his post," he quipped, though he suspected the man hadn't left of his own accord.
He placed two shots down, followed by two glasses of water with lemon. "These were on the house for our trouble," he revealed just as the band started gathering back up for their next set. "And I got a couple more comin', though I think we ought to take it a little slow." Because they were still recovering from the last drinking session and he definitely wanted to have some of his wits about him when he made the call to her superiors and explained he wouldn't be at Cape Canaveral on time. "And since you were so hungry, I got us a couple plates. Hope you don't mind my choices." Bingo shrugged and sipped the cool water thankfully.
Reply
On stage, the band struck up something fast. She picked out notes with a practiced ear, finding the beat erratic but well-defined. There'd been plenty of this sort of music available on Caprica, of course, though it wasn't her favorite. Still, after years on the same cassettes and her pilots terrible voices, she found the music and the atmosphere immensely pleasurable.
Turning her attention back to her companion, she lifted her glass between her fingers, gesturing vaguely in his direction. What to do about him, she wondered? He was dead charming, but a perfect gentleman. She could've figured him for same-sex preferred if he hadn't made it quite clear how he liked to spend idle time. Since she couldn't imagine he was remaining hands-off strictly to preserve her as a military asset, she was completely baffled by him. That didn't leave her many ideas, though, and the man remained an infuriating mystery to her, but of course it was better that way - she didn't need to complicate anyone's like any further, least of all a nice kid like him.
Unfortunately, Kara did not find that knowledge comforting.
She smiled at him anyway. "How about you settle for my promise we won't end up in jail for drunk 'n disorderly?" To prove she was as good as her word, she offered her hand.
Reply
He'd been running fast and hard since trouble had found him at Pensacola. Keeping his head down and his eye fixed firmly on the prize had gotten him far. Far enough he'd set himself apart from the rest. Bingo reasoned it was about time for him to take a break. There would be plenty of time to buckle down after they'd parted ways.
The band picked up a beat and started to play low and slow, a deep bluesy song with no vocals. Al finished his drink. "Sure you don't wanna come with me? I'm positive I can sweet-talk someone into fitting you in somewhere."
Reply
Luckily, she was saved from having to truly answer by the arrival of, not one, but three waiters. They laid at least half a dozen covered dishes on the table, and one remained at the table for a moment, uncovering several steaming dishes. "Courtesy of Mr. Reynolds, Mr. and Mrs. Fox," one of the waitstaff told them before scurrying off.
Kara probably couldn't accurately name even half of what was laid before them, but she was so hungry, she didn't even try. Choosing something served on ice on an open shell. An oyster, perhaps? She'd certainly never had one, whatever it was, so she shrugged a little self-consciously and swallowed the slippery little thing. Not bad, not at all.
Reply
Momentarily distracted by the large amount of sustenance on the table, the mostly-grown man (in body, if not in mind) took to reliving some part of his past. The food down there was different from what he'd grown up on, but his time spent away from the orphanage had often taken him to those southern places. The food was richer and more dense -- the kind of food that put permanent meat on a person's bones. It was a delicacy he could tell the captain was enjoying just as much as he was.
In the ravenous feeding time that followed, the band had picked up their singer. Despite the outward appearance of youth, the man providing vocals (and bass) had soul in his voice that make him sound a hundred years old. It was enough to get Calavicci's attention. He glanced back over his shoulder and watched the musicians in the smokey distance. "Great choice, Starbuck." The atmosphere felt perfect.
Reply
Leave a comment