Shit. “That guy behind you. He was kicking a puppy. But no need to turn around and look! He ran away and so did
the puppy and that is the end of that story.”
“Probably no duck, though,” Ryan said, turning back to Tina. “Some people might be allergic. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Oh, come on!” I said loudly.
“Excuse me?” Ryan said, looking confused.
“Puppy kicker came back. But he ran away again. Man, that guy is so fast.”
“Mervin,” Tina said, grinding her teeth. “Would you at least try and act like a normal person?”
“Only if you try and find a way to disappear and never return.”
She turned back to Ryan. “I must apologize for Mervin,” she said. “He’s not as… cultured… as the rest of us are used to.”
“I’ll show you cultured,” I said, and Ryan laughed again, quickly covering it up with a cough as Tina frowned.
“You’ll see,” she said. “You’ll get Justin back, slay the dragon, and then you’ll be married.”
“I guess,” he said. He smiled at her, but it was forced now. They couldn’t see it because he was good at hiding. But I saw right through it. I almost felt bad for our fight earlier. The weight of Justin’s kidnapping was weighing hard on him.
He graciously agreed to sign autographs before he left, saying he needed to finish preparing for his trip. When he got to me, I just sat there and stared at him. The girls were too busy gushing to each other over what Ryan had written to listen to us.
“Do you need me to sign anything?” he asked.
“This must be fun for you,” I said.
“It’s not bad,” he said. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just… I swear I know you from somewhere. Where did you say you were from again?”
“I didn’t,” I said. I was starting to feel really sweaty because he was studying me way too closely and knowing my luck, my beard would fall off, followed by my underwear.
“Oh, where are you from, then?” he asked.
“I grew up in the slums,” I said, voice harsh. “You wouldn’t know anything about that.”
He looked surprised. “You did? How old are you?”
“Eighty-seven.”
“Right. So, early twenties?”
“Why?”
He shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Maybe that’s where I would have known you—” He cut himself off.
My jaw dropped. “You grew up in the slums?” How had I not known that? How had I not known him?
“Look, do you want me to sign anything for you?” He was starting to fidget.
“Here,” Mary said, sliding a piece of paper in front of me. “Mervin is so forgetful sometimes. And I know he’d be furious if you didn’t give him your autograph.”
“I wouldn’t be furious,” I assured him. “There would be no level of fury.”
“Good to know,” he muttered. He reached down and took the pen from Mary and wrote something on the page and slid it over to me. He quickly said his good-byes and, with one last look at me, headed back into the crowd.
“What did you do?” Tina growled at me. “You chased him away? How dare you! I have half a mind to ban you for life, Mervin!”