Ivan turned the van into the public parking garage off Meier Avenue and found a space on the ground floor, very close to and practically facing the exit. Actually, the obviously less-than-gently used sedan which had occupied the space pulled out and drove around the end of the row as they approached.
“Now that’s awfully convenient,” Mama said.
“Isn’t it nice when things just happen to go your way?” Ivan noted, an unnaturally cheery note in his voice.
“They aren’t even leaving the garage,” Mama noted, watching the junker pulling into another space a short distance away. “I wonder what their game is?”
“They will be keeping an eye on the van for us,” Ivan said. “Tribe protocol demands it never be left unattended. You know this.”
“I know it because I wrote it,” Mama said. “It’s usually not an issue since the driver stays with it.”
“This driver feels like doing some window shopping,” Ivan said.
“You’re really not planning on leaving me alone today, are you?” Mama asked.
“I am not such an easy man to get rid of,” Ivan said.
“I just bet not,” Mama replied. “You know Ginger’s never going to allow you inside her shop, right? I hope you don‘t plan on forcing the issue.”
“She has never much cared for me,” Ivan admitted. “I will wait by the door. I do not have much taste for sweets, anyway.”
“You’re going to have to let me out of your sight sometimes,” Mama said. “I’m not as young as I used to be, you know. A cup of tea doesn’t take nearly as long to find its way to the end of the line as it once did.”
“We will go straight to the candy store, then,” Ivan said. “I would guess that Ginger has a bathroom inside her premises.”
“Guess, nothing,” Mama snorted. “You probably know how many tiles are in the floor.”
“Now you are being silly,” Ivan replied. “Where is the practical value of such information?”
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Typo: “unnaturally cheery noe in his voice.”
I’m really finding this book much more interesting than the first one; not that it wasn’t, but you’re starting to open up the world of the tribe for us, and it’s fascinating. I’m looking forward to reading more.
I find myself really enjoying Ivan’s character
(Or, if I gave off as foreign an aura as Ivan did: “I fine myseof lrilly enjoing Ifan’s calacatuh.”)
I like the fact that now we’re seeing the whole of the world. It’s always a strong suit of your writing that there’s always more going on than is present. A past, a future, rules and such that aren’t necessarily mentioned, but you know are present.
@Dintalion: Thanks. The first story arc was almost claustrophically intimate in its scope and hardly did more than hint at the actual existence of the titular tribe, so I very deliberately picked the second one to be kind of a brief tour of things. It’s a bit more meander-y, but I think it works.
I do not mean to be a nit-picker, as this probably has no affect on the story…but I think that you may have misused the expression “late model sedan”. Late in this context means the opposite of early…the early 90’s versus the late 90’s. A late model sedan is car that is a recent model, and usually looks new and showy. An extremely late model sedan…I’m guessing would have just been driven off the dealer’s lot? You go on to describe the car that vacates the convenient parking space as bing a junker, so I am wondering if you are trying to point out that the sedan is in fact an older vehicle, much in line with the sort of assets that the Tribe seems to have at its disposal…
Lovely story, by the way. I find your writing to be fascinating, as the worlds and characters you create are so well thought out. I am continually surprised at how real your characters act. Thank you for sharing your writing.
@Bendamalina: You know, you’re right. I didn’t understand the phrase as I thought I did. I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing about cars, being a dedicated passenger and pedestrian.
Now to re-write it without affecting the word count…