Four: Deciding
Now with a name to call herself by, another thought came into Russell’s head – just what knowledge did she possess, exactly?
Whenever Tati would run around outside with the other children, she’d have to be told how to play every game, how to sing certain songs, and what exactly slang phrases meant. Her knowledge was scattered and would sometimes produce odd information, but for the most part, it seemed like she was a blank slate.
And if she was ten, that wasn’t going to work.
“You likin’ the parent life, Dahl?” a voice asked him as he watched Tati and the kids play. Russell inhaled his cigarette before peering to where the voice was coming from.
“Oi, Kimmler,” he replied to the man, jerking his head as a greeting. “You out doin’ something special? You don’t come around here just for kicks anymore.”
Brent Kimmler shook his head, his shaggy dark hair moving with him. “Naaah, not really. I just heard rumors about some kid you picked up. I was out anyway and wanted to see what the heck was up with that. Turns out to be true?”
“I guess,” Russell answered, removing the cigarette from his mouth to exhale. “Oh – where are my manners.” He rummaged through his pocket and withdrew the pack of cigarettes, offering them to Brent. “Feel free to have one.”
“C’mon, you know I don’t smoke anymore.”
“Oh, right, sorry.” He shoved them back in his pocket. “Just forget, y’know? Well, on that matter – how’s Gertrude doing?”
“Good, actually. Just a few more months to go.” Brent bounced anxiously. “Doc says it’s a girl – hey, kinda like you, huh?” He grinned and chuckled, to which Russell rolled his eyes. “But anyways – what’s up with that kid? She just…showed up?”
“Yeap, pretty much.” Brent made a face, to which Russell snorted. “Okay, I know it sounds off, but honestly, that’s what it is. She just…showed up one morning on the front step here.” He paused. “Besides, you think I wanted this to happen? I’m not exactly fatherly material, Kimmler.”
Brent looked at his friend before his voice became quiet. “I dunno…you and Tatiana were…”
“…Maybe…” Russell murmured, his eyes lingering on the smoke trail from the end of his cigarette. He sighed before flicking it to the ground, grinding it with his foot. “But this is where I am now. And actually…I’m glad you’re here.”
“Woah hey, that’s something I don’t get to hear,” Brent said with a confused grin. “Wha’cha need, Dahleroo?”
Russell grimaced but shook it off. “This kid. Tati. She –”
“Wait, wait, hang on – that’s her name? Really?”
“I named her that, alright? Keep yer mouth shut about it.” Brent locked his mouth but still smiled. “Ugh…anyway…Tati, she’s about ten years old, least so I figured. And when she showed up, she knew nothing – man, nothing.”
“How much ‘nothing’ are we talking exactly here?”
“Like blank slate. Not her name - which is why I had to give her one - or her age - which is why I guessed. Nothing about parents and nobody came looking for her. She didn’t know where she was, or how she got there, or really what most things were. But like – if you led her to a bathroom, she knew what to do there, it seemed. Like something connected in her brain and she remembered how.”
Brent just stared at him, eyebrows raised. “That’s…interesting. Ever stop to think she’s just lying?”
Russell shook his head. “You need to see her eyes, Kimmler. They ain’t lyin’ eyes, and trust me, I’ve seen more than my fair share of those.”
“Okay okay, I’ll say I believe you but - what do you need from me?”
“Gertrude still teachin’?”
“Some neighborhood kids, yeah.”
“Think she can take in another student?”
“What, you mean Tati?”
“No, I mean me – of course I mean Tati you dope. The kid needs to learn stuff and I ain’t gonna be able to teach her all of it.”
Brent paused before shaking his head. “Well, her grammar isn’t going to be any better if she hangs around you, that’s a given…”
Russell rolled his eyes. “Can she do it or not?”
“Probably.” Brent paused, observing the child as she attempted to shimmy up a light-pole to avoid being tagged. “Although…you know how my wife operates, eh? If she sees the kid, she’ll probably be more easily swayed.”
“If she’s going to be difficult about it, then I’m not interested. I can teach the kid myself.” Russell folded his arms across his chest as he imagined the various arguments the woman would bring up – especially to him. He had known her far too long to think she would let him off easy on anything.
“But this is different, Russ. The favor’s not for you, it’s for the kid.”
“It’s still her. And don’t call me Russ!”
Brent grinned, waving off the remark. “Fine fine – but seriously. Swing by sometime, bring Tati with you. I don’t think it’ll be hard, but just in case…”
With a sigh, Russell put his hands in pockets and nodded. “Yeah yeah…”
“Hey, why you getting defensive?” Brent landed a light punch to Russell’s shoulder. “You’re the one that brought it up.”
“It’s not for me. It’s for the kid.”
“Hey hey, using my lines.”
“Are you aware of half the things that come out of your mouth?” Russell asked, stealing a glance at the younger man before rolling his eyes again. “Alright, fine…we’ll come over after the shop is closed, alright? So anytime after seven.”
Brent smirked. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to visit us every once in a while.”
“I know…”
“Hey, look.” Brent shifted the weight on his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I know you know I know that you’re not the same as you used to be. But you know…” He looked out at the street, only to see Tati come running, leaping over the curb and crash-landing onto Russell, attaching herself to his waist.
“RussellRussellRussellRussell!” she jabbered out before bouncing up and down, staring at him eagerly. “It’s food time!”
“Eh? How d’y’know that?”
“I’m hungry!” She paused. “And the sun’s directly overhead! And you told me that when it’s like that, it means it’s noon, which is – which is – lunch! That’s it!”
Russell grinned. “I like the way you think, Tati.” He detached her from his waist, holding onto her hand as she swung around her point of attachment. “We’ll be there, a’ight? See you tonight.”
“Cool beans. See you then.”
The girl gave an enthusiastic flap of her arm before leading the way inside the shop. Brent smiled and returned a small wave to their backs before he let out a whistle throw his nose. Running a hand through his mop of black hair, he tapped his foot in thought before resuming his walk back down the street and towards his own home.
“A blank slate…”
