James Ford headed over to the far side of the hotel lobby with his daughter, Clementine Phillips, in tow!
They both sat down on one of four couches by a front window, looking out upon a busy city street.
“What in the hell are you doing here!” Ford angrily asked, “you’re supposed to be in school!”
“School’s a clunker!” Clementine replied, “a real drag down! I wanted to hang with you and see what you’re up to!”
“Well, you can’t hang with me right now!” Ford sternly replied.
“How come?!” Clementine whined.
“Cause you just can’t,” Ford said, “I told you, I’ve got some business to take care of and I can’t have a kid hanging around, even if she’s my own!”
“I’m not a kid!” Clementine corrected, “I’m almost 16!”
“You’re kid enough!” Ford replied.
Just then, two people, a very attractive middle-aged woman and a much younger man, walked up. Both Ford and Clementine glanced up. Ford smiled a smile of recognition. Clementine smiled a smile at the young man.
“Hello, James!” the woman said.
“Hey,” Ford replied.
“Is this the girl you’ve decided on?” the woman asked.
“What?!” Ford replied, confused.
“The girl to join our business venture?!” the woman said.
Ford nervously laughed, “Uh, no! This is actually my daughter. She was just leaving to go back to school!”
Clementine gave Ford a chilled look!
“Oh, that’s too bad,” the woman replied, as she and the young man took a seat on another couch, “I noticed her at the fashion show! She seemed to have potential!”
“Yeah,” Ford mumbled, “potential for trouble!”
“Hey!” Clementine replied, acting insulted.
“What’s your name, sweetie?” the woman asked.
Clementine glanced over to Ford.
“Its okay to tell her your real name,” Ford stated.
“Clementine!” Clementine cheerily answered.
“Very pretty, isn’t she?” the woman said to the young man.
The young man nodded.
Clementine smiled.
“You tell her why you’re here?” the woman asked Ford.
“She don’t need to know!” Ford replied.
Clementine frowned.
“Well, I like her” the woman said, “and since I’m the one organizing this group, I’m going to let her know what’s going on!”
“Please do,” Clementine replied.
“Then lets all go up to my Suite and I’ll fill you in, Clementine!” the woman said, as they all got up and headed to the elevator.
Ford just shook his head in frustration.
They stepped out of elevator and onto the fourth floor and entered Suite 42. Inside, it was luxurious! Clementine felt like she had just entered a castle.
“Would any of you like something to drink?” the woman asked.
“Nothing for me right now!” Ford answered.
“I’ll have a beer!” Clementine replied.
“She’ll have nothing!” Ford said, giving Clementine another stare down.
Clementine pouted, as she sat down on a comfy recliner.
Ford didn’t like this but what could he do? This woman was helping to sponsor his little venture and he needed her knowledge and talent to help him out. He just hoped that once she had finished explaining to Clementine what this was all about, Clementine would get too scared or too bored and want to go home.
Clementine, meanwhile, was thinking whatever it was they were all up to, it had to be a million times better than sitting in Algebra class!
Next: Chap. 7 “The Wire Mob”