Usually, Jo tries to stay clean around Jamal. He doesn't need to see her like that. She wants to be normal for him. Normal as she can be, at least
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Jamal runs down the sidewalk with a wad of cash in his hands from today's earnings. He did good, but he usually ends up doing good. He's had enough experience, and there aren't as many kids here as there are in India begging for money attention on the streets.
He hops on to the porch and smiles at her.
"Look! Look!" Jamal drops the cash into her lap with a proud smile on his face. Show me that you love me! You do, yes?
Jo looks down at the money, touching it. The cloth texture on her hands... she can feel it, and she lines it up, folding it in half. She blinks slowly, looking at him through a tired haze. There are no smiles for Jamal today, not even half-smiles. The euphoria's died down by now, and she's just feeling sluggish, tired. But at least she's not feeling as much. The drain, it takes just as much away from her as it gives.
She folds the bills in half, looking at them for a long moments.
"It's good," she manages, closing her eyes for a few moments.
The sound of a car on the normally so quiet street startles her awake for a full moment, and her eyes go wide. But then everything settles down again, and she puts the money in her pocket. Usually, by now, Jo would be offering him food, supper, but she's not hungry, so it's hard to remember that he has to be.
Jamal frowns as he looks at her. Something isn't right. He can tell that much even being a kid. It's not as though he's not smart. He pays too much attention to her, and she's never acted like this around him that he can remember.
He doesn't mind how she acts toward him whether she's smiling or not, but he thinks that maybe she's sick. Jamal bites his lower lip, and then scuffs his shoe on the porch wondering if he did something wrong that he's unaware of.
"Are you-" He stops himself before saying anything else though, because he doesn't want her to think that he has to be anyway around him. Jamal just... wanted a smile. "I can make you a hot dog?"
"I'm fine," Jo says, taking in a long breath. "Not hungry."
She pauses, looking up at him, staring at him for a long moment.
"Thank you."
It's so hard to connect everything and she's so tired. The sound of the car is gone, but it's stopped in front of the house. Someone's not happy about the money Jamal took from them, and very much wants it back.
Comments 49
He hops on to the porch and smiles at her.
"Look! Look!" Jamal drops the cash into her lap with a proud smile on his face. Show me that you love me! You do, yes?
Reply
She folds the bills in half, looking at them for a long moments.
"It's good," she manages, closing her eyes for a few moments.
The sound of a car on the normally so quiet street startles her awake for a full moment, and her eyes go wide. But then everything settles down again, and she puts the money in her pocket. Usually, by now, Jo would be offering him food, supper, but she's not hungry, so it's hard to remember that he has to be.
Reply
He doesn't mind how she acts toward him whether she's smiling or not, but he thinks that maybe she's sick. Jamal bites his lower lip, and then scuffs his shoe on the porch wondering if he did something wrong that he's unaware of.
"Are you-" He stops himself before saying anything else though, because he doesn't want her to think that he has to be anyway around him. Jamal just... wanted a smile. "I can make you a hot dog?"
Reply
She pauses, looking up at him, staring at him for a long moment.
"Thank you."
It's so hard to connect everything and she's so tired. The sound of the car is gone, but it's stopped in front of the house. Someone's not happy about the money Jamal took from them, and very much wants it back.
Reply
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