Remy happily gave Broker the weekend off. The bar was already bringing in profit and Remy was not far behind to lick more of it while he could.

Broker packed the bag and counted the first cut with a wild smile over his face. The notes were adding up to the amount of 110 dollars and all he did in the passing week was work, sleep in Remy's couch, often went away from the house when the wife felt like making a racket. He had thought about Emynl, maybe a bit too frequently but without anything satisfactory.

He was heading deep into the city and for being in a bar for a long time, he avoided the bars and started the exploration of the outskirt. He drew the idea of the solitude day. A lazy day. The sweet scent of solitary comfort he didn't have in Remy's home.

So he entertained the idea of staying in the motel for the night, waking up late in noon, run around in Dixie till evening and run back.

The bus had left 15 minutes ago and there was one half an hour later. He pored over a map of the city sides and saw the edge of the river that met up to the next. There was a clear opening of field, according to the word of the bus stop boy. " A few lakes and what not. Dry around this time. And dirty ! Stank. Oooh ! " The kid yelled with disgust and he knew it was the perfect place with a sly smile.

It did not take Broker long to become impatient as he took of from the Bus Stop after 10 minutes. The presence of Duv, the bus stop manager, the sly thief that made him end up in the tethered business of Dixie, rolled in a car and stopped.

The anger is Broker sparked and for the birth of the idea that he might do something bad and regrettable, such as start a fight with Duv, was the main reason for his quick leave as he jogged towards the open road.

The second car that flew across the concrete didn't even have the courtesy to stop for him when he raised his thumb and waved his hand. It rocketed past with the blast of the radio, popping music out of it with violent screams of teens. Broker cursed out loudly at them first, then at himself. Bloomsbourne was the name of the motel near the lakes and his slow walk of the last 25 minutes, still kept the long distance of 17 miles from reaching there.

" And no goddamn cab either. " He punted a couple of pebbles that went flying into the darkness. The clinging hope was the bar that stood out in the open but in the distance with its flickering lights, broken out fused and an array of cars sitting around it.

Broker avoided bars as much as he could. He did not have a drinking problem, that was true. But bars always felt lonely to him and there was never an exception other than Remy's bar which he liked working at. And the presence of Emyln was an unsuspecting positive element to it.

He sat down in the bar and after the first bear, an eager looking woman started a weak conversation with him and he left without a reply and in a hurry.

He expected to hitch a ride with one of the guys from the bar and when that proved to be hard as most of them were intoxicated at an alarming level and didn't have the sign to leave before midnight, he called a cab and waited outside.

The cabbie said he would be here in less than 15. " Would take a bit long. My tank's almost empty. Every fuckin night, man. "

He hung up the phone and started trotting around the bar. Then a car slowly rolled towards the bar, looking like the driver had the intention to stop and it finally did. It was not the cabbie.

And who else it should be other than Emyln.

She stopped the vehicle on the edge, not in the lot and without looking around, entered the bar with an unsaid haste.

Broker was startled to see her and fought the urge to call out. But her swift entrance indoors left no time for an introduction. She came out a few minutes later when he was still pacing along the line. This time, both of them acknowledged each others presence.

He did not want to say anything at first even though her presence in this time of the night, far away from the places she hanged about was a feature of worry for him. He couldn't explain why he was worried. It did not feel like an obligation, more like care. Therefore, the matter of her was still inexplicable in his mind.

" Have you seen Jarvis anywhere? " She broke out a yell since there was a distance between them and her voice, alerted aware and nervous about something captured his attention greatly.

He felt dumb for a second for she was not surprised to see him there. Under the blinking neon lights of a sleazy bar, filled with drunk workers, whores and hustlers of every kind. She had definitely taken him as a man who's morals were on a leave and as a man for whom it was usual to spend the hours in this low life joint.

" Um..............isn't he back at the Crest? " He spoke and the lazy cigarette limped between his lips as he stuttered to say anything.

" Damn. I am looking everywhere for him. " She cried out with a slap in the air with frustration.

She was balked. Her perplexed eyes looked tired and the cheeks were turning red for the irked restless huffing of her breath as if she was running around on foot to find Jarvis, the Benny addicted Sax man with the smooth tune in his mouth.

" Wait a bit. " He announced and to show the urgency, launched the cigarette out of his mouth a blow and shot inside the bar.

The crazy misty pub was banging on the jukebox at the highest volume. There was a drunk hag near the telephone and Broker didn't feel any guilt whilst he shoved the bum away and dialed the Crest, Remy's bar.

The tone went on and for the absence of anyone on the other end was making him feel more uncomfortable. Broker knew Jarvis by name and there was not any interaction with him of any kind for him to be worried about the musician. But he was tensed and the anxiousness grew as the dial tone went on and on.

The second time the bartender, Stephanie picked it up and he spitted the words out as fast as he could, shouting to be heard among the bustling music of the bar.

Stephanie told him to be on the line then disappeared. He gripped the phone with the intensity and discovered Emyln who was standing there with her crimped fingers tightening into a cross over her waist.

" 'ello? Who is this? " The man with the breathy voice, whistling through the line was no one else other than Jarvis. His heaving crafted words was the sign that he had just finished a set.

" Jarvis? It's Broker. " Broker yelled loudly and a cheeky smile was displaying on his face.

" Broker? Broker who? " Inquired the Sax man who had almost point of knowing Broker's identity.

" Oh...........Broker. Yea? " Asked Jarvis as his poor memory sent the signal of a few discounted interaction with him.

Broker felt silent because he didn't know why he was looking for Jarvis. Actually, he was not looking for Jarvis. Emyln was and as she saw the chance she slithered into the tight space with Broker and pressed her mouth against the receiver.

" Jarvis?! " She shouted.

" Yea? Broker? " The confused man still went on without understanding who was who and what did who want.

" It's Emyln. God, where in the blue hell were you?! " She yapped with a grunt, her cheeks spreading with the sing of her distress.

" Whatcha talking about? I have been hanging on this joint for three hours. "

" Don't lie......whatever just get home safe alright? Tell Slim to drive you. No hittin the south bars tonight. " She still went on with the top of her voice and even though Broker felt like he should leave, he didn't.

The ecstatic element was everywhere in the scenery of the bar. Drunks yapping on about something, the yell of Bop music on the jukebox, the restless crowing of the bartenders.

But her offbeat role of care, that was showered with her bent words to Jarvis held him in place as he listened on.

" I won't be here. And Cadence is worried sick about your health. I am goin east. Gonna take a few days. "

Emyln cast a look beside to find Broker and he felt the awkwardness with the ending of the conversation coming as he left the corner with a nod and quickly walked out of the bar.

The farewell prose did not last long since Emyln joined the empty outside porch after a minute. Broker was still pacing around on the line and he threw an observation on the car which she drove in. The beat up metal that let loose here and there was the outlook and the outlook of it was the sign of the state she was in.

He could relate and on the whole, he could not. He never wanted possession of things from his 19th birthday. The memories of childhood went astray despite of a handful of astray despite of a handful of recollection which was just bitter and not sweet, lingered around. Those images never went away. So he latched onto the philosophy of travel where nothing is yours and everything is. That was the philosophy among other things which were better not said.

" That damned drug addict ! " She cursed with a whiff of cold smoking leaving astray.

He smiled callously to hear the bane then quickly put up his straight face.

" Cadence will have my head if he don't go home this night. " She roughed up another remark as she tightened the scarf around herself, with a brush of her coat.

" Slim's there, ain't he? " Broker replied with a question. He knew Slim's there because he had a drink with him early in the evening when the mad drummer just came with Jarvis.

" He's an ankle bitter, that ape. Always wants a bit of gas and a fun and never thinks about us. " She rowed. Then retracting herself with the understanding that she was venting to Broker, someone she never talked to before and the mutual element of Jarvis seemed selfish.

" Anyway, thanks. I should be going now. "

She said the farewell words and jumped into the battered up Coupe. The engine was waiting to roar but it coughed more when he proposed the offer.

" Are you going East? " He said, arching his back to show his face.

" Not far. " She answered abruptly. Then noticed his want with a question. " You? "

" Bloomsborn. The lake? " He took out the picture that he carefully acquired from Stephaine.

" Oh. I know that place. Past the motels. " She pointed out the spot on the map.

There was the flicker of the awkward silence when he was having a chat if it would be appropriate to ask for hitching a ride with her. He wanted to even after fulling anticipating that it would lead nowhere and had a large chance of taking a turn for the worse. But she showcased the offer out of her wit, with a tone of formality.

" I called a cabbie but he's taking years to get here. I'm not in much of a hurry.....really. " He stammered to say then smiled with the finish. " But I would like to get there by midnight. "

His nervous simper gave the hint of his introverted sense of character and Emyln saw the sign of it. She was relieved of the matter of Jarvis which was nothing but a rock on her chest for she cared about Jarvis a lot, the 57 year old Blues Musician who was nothing but a walking bag of meat and bones that could not take care of himself.

So she did not have much of a say about whether she should help Broker out.

So he jumped in on the passenger side when the car roared out of the shackles of the lonely drunk neon lights.

The Coupe went on for more than 50 minutes and he came to know a lot about her in those minutes since she talked and chatted about everything that was weighing her down. it might seem like a troubling feature of a person to be comfortable in the presence of a stranger. To be free with words, not being abundant with the paranoid thoughts that every one was out there to cheat everyone off for all the worldly things, money or sex or what not.

But you could not blame her.