‘She was here first,’ the young man told the little tramp.
‘Well, I got my Visa card out, ready to go. Nobody tells Divinity what to do. Why you think they call me that? Because I am as divine as Jesus, that’s why.’
‘A terrible way to talk!’ Miss Sink exclaimed. ‘You better pray for forgiveness.’
‘You better pray I don’t take that tongue of yours and tie it around your old-ass neck.’
‘That’s enough!’ the young man said to her.
‘Fuck you, pretty boy.’
Miss Sink was trembling when she finally found her credit card. She promptly dropped it on the sidewalk. She almost lost her balance as she snatched it up, her heart drilling. She fumbled and dropped it again while the nasty young woman named Divinity made exaggerated sighs and swore.
Miss Sink managed to insert her MasterCard into the machine, and typed in her PIN and answered all questions. She could smell Divinity’s cloying perfume and feel her evil spirit as ten twenty-dollar bills were ejected from the machine.
‘That’s a lot of bus money,’ Divinity said to her sarcastically.
‘Please leave me alone,’ Miss Sink said in a shaky voice.
‘Don’t you tell me what to do, old bitch,’ Divinity said in a tone mean enough to break the skin.
‘Come on,’ the young man said to Miss Sink. ‘I’ll walk you to “your car, ma’am.’
‘Oh thank you.’ Miss Sink almost grabbed his hand. ‘Oh you’re so nice. I can’t thank you enough.’
Miss Sink caught a glimpse of Divinity tearing off a strip of duct tape and slapping it over the money machine’s camera.
‘We should call the police!’ Miss Sink whispered to her escort as he opened the driver’s door for her.
She didn’t understand why he went around and opened the passenger’s door, too.
‘I want to ride with you maybe half a block just to make sure you’re okay,’ he explained as Divinity hung around the money machine, waiting to cause trouble for the next poor person who showed up, Miss Sink assumed.
She turned around to check on Loraine. Thank goodness she was sleeping. Miss Sink started the engine and locked the doors.
‘I don’t like the looks of that girl,’ the young man said. ‘Sometimes people like that work in pairs, like snakes. I’m worried there might be someone else around. You know, there’s just something about all this that doesn’t feel right. And I guess you’ve heard about these ATM robberies.’
‘Oh, yes!’ Miss Sink exclaimed. ‘Thank God you came along when you did! You must be my guardian angel. I don’t believe I know your name.’
‘People call me Smoke.’
‘Well, I hope you don’t. Once upon a time I did. Can’t tell you how hard it was to quit.’
‘That’s not why they call me that.’
Miss Sink backed up as the camera’s blind eye observed nothing.
‘They call me Smoke because I used to burn up things when I was a kid,’ he said between clenched teeth as he snatched a gun out of the back of his pants and rammed it hard into her ribs.
‘Oh dear God!’ Miss Sink exclaimed. ‘Oh no!’
‘Keep driving,’ Smoke snapped. ‘That way. Around the back of Kmart.’
‘Oh please, for God’s sake,’ Miss Sink begged. ‘There’s a child in the car. Just take what you want and leave us be.’
‘Shut up, bitch!’ he said.
Smoke watched Divinity drive the Escort from behind the bank, where it had been hidden. She inserted herself into the solid line of traffic creeping toward downtown, early morning light winking off windshields. He smelled shit and pee and at first thought it was the kid in the back seat.
‘Fuck,’ he said when he realized his victim had lost control of her bowels and bladder. ‘I wish you hadn’t done that.’
‘I’m sorry. Please don’t…’
‘Shut the fuck up, bitch. You’re going to drive real normal and you try anything I’m gonna blow your sweet little baby’s brains all over the back of the car while you watch.’
‘Take anything,’ she cried. ‘Just don’t hurt her. Anything you want. Oh please! Anything… !’
‘Shut up!’ Smoke hissed.
Miss Sink was crying so hard her teeth were chattering. They drove behind Kmart and parked where asphalt gave way to acres of woods. Smoke grabbed her wallet out of her purse. He took the ten crisp twenties she had gotten from the money stop.