Sudden Independents

Hunter picked up the pace and arrived at the cafeteria just as the doors were opening. All the early birds pushed their way inside, but Patrick was not among them. With time to spare, Hunter slowed his way to the entrance and stood at the back of the crowd.

Inside, he gave his last casino chip to the dirty-faced girl on the stool. Her angry stares from the night before were now sleepy and bored.

After receiving his plate of runny eggs and slightly rotted fruit, Hunter found a table to himself. The eggs tasted a lot better compared to the food he’d eaten last night, and he was surprised this city managed to keep enough chickens around to have eggs. He finished breakfast and waited.

Kids filtered in and out over the next hour. Hunter eavesdropped on a dozen conversations ranging from the quality of sleep, food, and life in general. Several kids contemplated leaving for the California coast now that it was almost springtime. They discussed the possibility of crossing the Rockies and finding Disneyland or even catching some waves in the ocean. A small boy asked what an ocean was and the group broke out in laughter.

“Well, what is it?” he asked again and wiped an indignant hand across his face, spreading a strand of snot over his cheek in the process.

Everyone at the table continued laughing as they gathered their trays and disposed of their trash. They handed their dirty plates over the counter to a thankless dishwasher and left to start their day. The little boy gazed at their backs with sad, hurtful eyes. Then he acknowledged Hunter’s staring interest by smearing snot across the other cheek.

Hunter smiled and waved the boy over. The kid looked behind him and then turned back and pointed at his chest.

“Do you want to know what an ocean is?”

The kid scooted off his seat and brought his tray over. “You’re the one that beat up Tommy the Perv last night, aren’t you?”

Hunter cocked an eyebrow. “Do you know what a perv is?”

The kid nodded vigorously. “It’s a person who does mean things to girls, right?”

“That’s right. What’s your name?”

“Billy. What’s yours?”

“Michael.” Hunter held out his hand and Billy shook it with his small, dirty one.

Then Billy eyed Hunter suspiciously. “So what’s an ocean?”

“An ocean is a large body of water. It’s what separates the continents from each other.”

“What’s a continent?”

Hunter frowned. “How old are you, Billy?”

“Nine,” Billy said. He puffed out his little chest and then it fell again. “I think. I lost track about a year ago when I was eight, I think.”

“Isn’t there a school here for the younger kids to go to?”

Billy’s snot-encrusted face went blank. “What’s a school?”

Hunter opened his mouth twice before he could find the answer. “A school is a place where you learn about things like how to read and write; how to use math and science.”

Billy scratched his head, releasing a downpour of dandruff. He glanced around at the other dining hall dwellers like he was bored. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Hunter sighed and also used the moment to survey the crowd, wondering if Patrick had bothered to show up yet. Still no sign of him, he looked back at Billy.

“A continent is a giant land mass. There are seven continents. You are in the middle of the continent known as North America, which is probably why you’ve never seen an ocean. There are four oceans that separate the continents. If you go over the mountains and follow the setting sun you will eventually run into the Pacific Ocean. If you go east where the sun rises, you will find the Atlantic Ocean. To the north is the Arctic Ocean and to the south is the continent of South America.”

A line of drool hung from Billy’s mouth to the table. Hunter handed him a napkin.

“Where are the edges?” Billy asked.

“What edges?”

Billy’s face shifted from moronic to self-righteous. “You know, the edges of the world, where you fall into space.”

Time stretched until Hunter noticed a small, dirty hand waving in front of him. He blinked his eyes. He allowed a maniacal sounding chuckle to escape and noticed several kids turn to stare at him with worry.

Billy placed his hands on the table and leaned back like he may need to bolt suddenly. “Are you okay?”

“Sure,” Hunter said, sitting up straight. “You do know the world is round?”

Billy frowned, collected his tray and stood. “It’s not cool to mess with people’s heads,” he said before stalking off.

“Wait, I was telling the truth.”

“Sure. Next thing you’ll tell me is the egg came before the chicken.”

Hunter discarded his trash and dropped his plate on the growing stack that the dishwasher ignored. Only a couple other kids were left finishing their breakfast. The serving line was closed and the girl with her can of casino chips had already cleared out. Patrick was a no-show and Hunter was now void of options that would lead him to Catherine.

“Hey, Billy,” Hunter called once outside, trying hard to keep up with the little kid. “I need to ask you something.”