The Open Road

Chapter 8

Bob

Marie leaned against a stark white Land cruiser clad in a short floral dress that kept swirling against the wind. She was gnawing at the tips of her brown sun glasses; if I didn’t know her well I would think of her as adorable. Marie had a tendency of rocking crazy hair dues which almost always matched her shoes. Today, she had plaited striking green braids whose tips were white and her shoes, as anticipated, were of the same color. Now if someone tried to copy her bold fashion statement, they would be ruled out as clowns but not Marie. She embraced her crazy. Multiple colors made her brighter, more radiant. She enjoyed the attention, relished the wolf whistles from men and eye rolls from women. She basically reminded me of a rainbow, appearing at the greatest of storms. Marie had always amused me. I have never understood how someone who had endured a lot of suffering in their lifetime could love life as much as she did. The minute she spotted me a carefree smile appeared on her lips.

Her smile has nothing on Sue’s.

"Out of all the places, a hotel?"

Marie laughed lightly while flipping her hair, always the show off. The long braids slapped her the small of her back softly. I couldn’t help but wonder how much time they had taken to fix. They were just so long.

"Didn't binge watching prison break teach you nothing? Scofield liked blending in crowds…It drew less suspicion."

She flipped her hair again. This was getting ridiculous.

"What’s with all the hair flipping? It’s like you are auditioning for Top model or something."

The death glare I received almost sent me reeling over the side walk.

"Top model? You couldn’t think of a better line? And do I look like some celery eating girl to you? Now stop asking me dumb questions… I'm sending out a signal."

She did another flip.

"To a sniper or?"

The question was meant to be a joke but this was Marie, she might look like a cute crazy bunny but in real sense she was a downright gangster. The woman was a certified con artist. After I had started dating Sue I had offered her a job at my company. She would get an office and an assistant. Sue had told me that Marie was a great strategist. Marie had turned the job down before hearing the salary details. She had then hit me on the shin and yelled about how I thought she couldn’t support herself. Marie hadn’t talked to Sue for months. Up there with crazy, Marie had installed a slot for ego.

"Ha-ha very funny darling."

She didn't explain further, I didn't pursue. I knew better than to meddle in Marie's “covert operations”. She retrieved a head band from her pocket and tied her hair into a neat pony tail. I figured that the signal business was over.

"Tea old friend?"

I responded to the question with a nod. As much as I feared being spotted I was seriously famished and tea sounded really good right now

The Eros hotel wasn't a grand five star kind of hotel but it did have its standards. Marie led me to a corner table, I sat facing the wall. With a mind of their own, my fingers moved to tip my cap even lower. Marie slumped in the opposite seat, her eyes vigilantly scanning the hotel. Once she was satisfied that we had not attracted any unwanted attention, she shot me a corny smile.

"All clear Scofield."

A waitress approached our table and took our orders. Marie would definitely have to pay, I had no dime in my pocket or anywhere for that matter. All my accounts had been frozen. Well I guess there was a first time for everything.

"So, how did you do it?"

Marie's eyes sparkled excitedly, I could almost see the adrenaline in her body heighten. Her ears were perked up and a blush was creeping up her neck. Who got this excited about

"A few strings were pulled, a few deals were made. I will tell you with time. First I need to prove my innocence."

Marie's face formed a pout as disappointment ate away at her bones. It was not that I did not trust her, I just couldn't put anything at stake. So many things were hanging in the balance right now and every choice I made going forward had to be aligned with my goal.

I had to prove my innocence.

Marie was an innate hardcore con woman with a long rap sheet. She had been to jail a lot. I had bailed her out a total of eight times. Sue had refused to tell me how many times her sister had wound up being arrested. One mistake, a single slip up and I would end up back in the pit, I couldn't go back there. I just couldn’t. Especially now that I had seen Sue and my little girl, if she was my little girl. Besides, Darren was laying his dainty hands on my woman, my Sue somebody had to put an end to that and that someone had to be me.

"What made you want to escape? I thought you had a plea hearing next year."

The waitress brought our tea and four scones, I had really missed scones and tea. Well, I had missed food in general. All I had been consuming at prison was boiled vegetables. Boiled, largely chopped, feet smelling vegetables. I shivered; I couldn’t go back there.

"Sue's engagement kind of triggered my inner cave man, I couldn't let her get married to that bastard."

My blood started boiling as I pictured Darren's hands on Sue. I squeezed the scone in my palm as I painted the image of my hands around Darren’s neck. My brother was a dead man. Marie remained impassive. She sipped her tea and scrolled through her phone callously. The thing with Marie is that she always had a poker face on, you could never tell her what she was thinking or feeling for that matter. This trait made her the best con woman I knew but it also made it hard for her to form emotional connections.

"I need a ride to Naivasha Marie. If I don't get there in time, chances are, my free days will be short lived to hours."

I didn't realize how desperate I sounded until Marie's eyes shot up from her phone. As usual they were devoid of any emotion. Was she going to help me or was I barking against the wrong tree?

Suddenly a commotion evoked outside the hotel. The sound of an engine blasting to life blared through the air. Marie took me by the arm and yanked me from my seat so hard my cap fell on the table, right into my cup of tea. I tried to pick it but Marie was one strong woman, which was pretty ironic. Her grip around my arm tightened as she led me towards the exit of the hotel, refusing to hear my pleas.

I needed that b****y cap.

An old man at the exit looked our way twice before fully registering who I was. I knew what was coming and I was not prepared for it.

"Njenga! There he is! The man on the TV. What are you waiting for? Get him!"