When the Bus Stopped

Chapter 19

He could almost hear her appalled laughter.

"Here you go," Nigel passed him the two offerings as soon as Alessandro had slammed the car door shut.

"Thank you so much, Nigel. I'm sorry I keep making you find these crazy things wherever we go when realistically I don't need them. Don't worry about finding them in the future."

"Oh." Nigel was shocked. "Ok, Boss."

#

"Are you hungry?"

"No, of course not." Her tummy rumbled obnoxiously.

"You haven't been eating have you?" Daniello asked, an accusing tone in his voice.

"I don't need anything. I'm fine. Besides, I've been on a carrot detox." Lucy glanced down at her fingers. She wondered if anyone else noticed that they were turning a strange shade of orange. A combination of henna and over consumption of carrot juice.

"Well I think we'll have to find a late night restaurant on our way home."

"I don't usually like paying money to use other people's cutlery..."

"We can put it down as a work expense."

"I'm not sure a restaurant would serve me looking like this."

"Oh you are quite right." Daniello fell silent. His eyes glued to Lucy's hair. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is that in your hair?"

"This?" Lucy asked, holding out a mud slicked dreadlock. "Henna. It is a natural hair dye. It coats your hair in color for half the price... and it doesn't hurt the planet. Well, except for the fuel it takes to fly it across the globe."

"Wow. And how long do you have to walk around with that goop on your head?"

"I usually leave it on for about twelve hours."

"Twelve hours? Doesn't it get everywhere?"

"No," Lucy said. And then spotted goop on his custom made leather car seats. She wiped it off discreetly. "Well kind of, but I usually wear this hat." She held the plastic shower cap up for her acquaintance to see. "Only it looks a little bit weird wearing it. I didn't want to catch the murdering rapists attention."

"And having mud in your dreadlocks isn't going to catch anyone's attention?"

"Most people think if you have dreadlocks you never shampoo anyway so probably they'll just assume I let myself go bush a little."

"Pardon?"

"Go bush... you know... feral."

"Right. Well, you don't mind if I ask you to wear the hat do you? Only I'm worried that you'll leave that mud everywhere and I'll lose resale value."

"Sure thing detective Daniello." She pulled the cap on. "I've been thinking about another way to make money."

"Yes?"

"I'm thinking of getting babysitting jobs. Maybe all of the rich people around this place need someone to look after their kids while they ski the slopes."

"Great idea! Do you like kids?"

"I'm not sure. I've never really had anything to do with them."

"Ok... so I guess that crosses off nannying for babies because you might need experience."

"Well I'd be better looking after school kids ... with high energy... that would probably be my speciality."

"Sure. You could put an ad online." Daniello offered.