Chapter 11
The Pawn Shop - Charlie
I felt so refreshed after the shower, but my body still hummed with pain. Those guys really did a number on me. I got to brush my teeth, Artemis gave me a toothbrush and toothpaste. It was good to finally get rid of the metallic taste in my mouth. After my shower, I noticed some clothes laid out on the sinks with a note that read ‘For Charlie’. I tried them on, they were loose fitting but did the job. They gave me a thin stretchy turtleneck sweater, a loose knit jumper for extra warmth over the top, and a pair of pants that fit surprisingly well. The pants were figure hugging, but stretchy enough that I wouldn’t be afraid of ripping them when I sat down. I made my way out of the bathrooms with my dirty clothes in hand and noticed that Gage was waiting for me.
“Charlie! Feeling any better?” Gage asked with a soft smile.
“I definitely feel better now that I’m clean” I respond. These clothes were a little itchy though.
“I’ll show you where the beds are, I’m sure you’re exhausted after today”
“That’s for sure” I agree.
I followed behind Gage with my dirty clothes, but we didn’t have to go very far before we got to the sleeping quarters. There was a stencil of a male stick figure spray painted on the door, and when we walked in, I saw how communal these sleeping quarters were. It was a large room filled with multiple single beds, and half of them were occupied. The beds didn’t look very comfortable, but I suppose it’s better than sleeping on wet concrete. Gage ushered me to an empty bed, telling me that it’s right next to his and if I ever feel unsafe, I can wake him up. It felt nice to be doted on by these people. I’m still wary about them though, I can’t be sure if their kindness is genuine or manipulative.
I tried to make myself comfortable in the single bed and get some sleep. I had a blanket and a doona that kept me warm, but the flat pillow and lumpy mattress were cumbersome. I feel lost without my phone. When I’m trying to go to sleep, that’s when I get the best ideas. I tried to sleep as best I could, but between the unfamiliar environment, the loud sporadic snoring and howling wind, it was proving itself a difficult task. I normally rely on using my phone to exhaust my brain, it was difficult to quieten the noise in my head without it.
By the time the sun was up, I didn’t feel very rejuvenated. My neck and back felt stiff, at least I had some rest. I had breakfast with them, a simple dish of eggs and beans on toast. It was lovely, but we were in a hurry. Gage insisted that we left as soon as possible to get to the pawn shop when it opened. So, we scoffed down our food and made our way.
Gage escorted me through the city, passing empty streets and rounding corners. I still felt a little sore from yesterday, but the medicine Artemis gave me before we left helped a lot. It didn’t take us long to get to the pawn shop. “Big Jerry’s Pawn Shop?” I read out loud. It looked eclectic and manic. There were mannequins in one window wearing some expensive clothes, and the other window was filled with big ticket items like guitars and other instruments.
“Yeah! It’s a neat place! I come here all the time” Gage beamed. We walked in through the glass doors and upon walking in, this place is even more cluttered than it seemed from the outside. There were shelves upon shelves full of knick knacks, a table full of antique finds, clothes racks filled to the brim and more shelves covered in shoes. Behind the desk and display cases were televisions, real expensive ones. I worry about how much of this stuff has been stolen.
“Gage! My boy! You are a sight for sore eyes!” the sales clerk bellowed from behind the cash register.
“Jerry! Haven’t seen you in a while, my friend!” Gage beams, walking over to the man and shaking his hand. The man, who I assume is Jerry, looked real sleazy. His hair combed over his bald spot, his skin oily and he was wearing a white tank top that was mottled with mysterious stains.
“I’ve been saving some vinyls just for you, my friend. I got Black Sabbath’s self titled debut record” Jerry offered, wiggling his bushy eyebrows at Gage.
“Fuck, I’ll have to come back for it! I’m on a specific mission today Jerry” Gage let out. I take a quick look around. Maybe I could find a notebook in here, something to jot down my ideas. Maybe even to write down my experiences? Or I could make some poetry.
“What can I do for ya?” Jerry smiled.
“My friend and I are looking for a phone” Gage adds. He turns to me and sees me looking through the store.
“Yes, looking for an XPhone. The U70+ model” I pipe up.
“I got plenty of phones, XPhones are a dime a dozen these days. They’re all in the display case right here” Jerry gestures his hands around wildly as he talks, tapping on the display case he mentioned. I walk over and look behind the glass, and sure enough, there were plenty of XPhones. But they were all outdated by a couple of years at least, one of them in the case was over ten years old. The U70+ is the latest XPhone on the market right now, none of these are even close.
“You’ve got plenty of U68’s, U67’s, but no U70+’s. Do you have any phones in the back?” I ask politely. Jerry looks me up and down, chewing on his lip.
“Maybe” Jerry let out.
“Jerry, brother, we don’t want your old stock. We’re looking for something that just came in, possibly yesterday. You got anything like that?” Gage bargained.
“Possibly” Jerry hums.
“I’ll pay you top dollar, my man” Gage offers.
“Eh, what’s this uh… oo seventy plus look like?” Jerry asks and Gage turns to me again.
“It’s silver on the back with half of it covered by the camera module. The screen looks matte from the side” I describe.
“Matter of fact, I saw one of those come in just before close yesterday” Jerry lets out. Gage and I both breathe a sigh of relief.
“That’s perfect, can we see it?” Gage asks.
“I don’t know, still gotta price da thing” Jerry looks around. Gage sighs and reaches into his pocket.
“How about now?” Gage offers, sliding some chromes across the desk. Jerry picks up the cash and counts it in front of his face. Satisfied, he smiles and pockets the money.
“Tough luck kid, sold it just before ya got here” Jerry smirks.
“Who bought it?” I ask.
“Oh jeez, so many people come in and out of dis store. How am I supposed to know everyone’s name?” Jerry feigns ignorance. Gage slipped him some more cash. Jerry smiles again with satisfaction.
“It’s that Blair girl. You know her, short thing, hard body, crazy energy” Jerry describes.
“Wait, Blair Nimble?” Gage parrots.
“That’s the one. She comes in and buy phones and electronics off me all the time” Jerry talks a lot.
“Fuck. Okay, we can deal with this… Hopefully. Thanks for your help, Jerry” Gage looks stressed.
“Hey, Jerry. Do you have any notebooks?” I ask sheepishly.
“Blank ones? I don’t sell ‘em but since I like your friend I could sell ya one of mine I got in da back” Jerry scratches his chin before going into his storage closet, leaving the door open.
“How much, Jerry?” Gage asks loud enough for him to hear in the other room, reaching into his wallet again.
“Actually, ya know what? Forget about it. I’m already making a profit here. Take it” Jerry smiles as he makes the short distance back, putting a notebook on the counter.
“Wow! Thank you so much, Jerry!” I beam. I take the notebook and hold it in my hands.
“No problem, kid. Ay, before you go, take Black Sabbath wit cha. I feel kinda bad I couldn’t help you out more with your phone situation. It’s the least I could do” Jerry offers, handing over the vinyl. Gage’s eyes lit up.
“Jerry! You sentimental kook. I owe you!” Gage beamed, handling the record like it was priceless.
“Good luck wit cha phone, kids” Jerry smiles, waving us out of the store.
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