In Place is a chapter from my novel-in-progress Needle Pictures, book six in my Skye Wright Rise and Fall series.

This piece is a work in progress. Any feedback is welcome!

In Place

     Skye brushed her hair back as she collected the pugs’ leashes. The protest meows of the we’re-still-hungry cats echoed in the background as she peered out onto the landing.
     Harp was sitting in a lawn chair, reading a book. Skye looked around, trying to see if there were any signs of Sussy.
     She hurried the pugs along as she wanted to get away from the cats who were trying to ply her for food, trying to make sure she did not get suckered into feeding them too early.
     She found her old, fraying high tops as she reminded herself, once again, that she needed to get around to buying some new walking shoes.
     The pugs hopped in place as she looked through the window once more. Harp had traded her book for her smartphone, and there was still no sign of Sussy.
     Skye strained on the leashes as the pugs shot out of the door.
     “What’s up boss,” said Harp without looking up from her phone.
     “Wanna come with us?” asked Skye as the pugs skittered in circles.
     Harp looked towards her apartment. “Maybe later. I wanna stick around. For a bit, anyways.”
     “She doin’ okay?” asked Skye quietly.
     “Eh. The usual ennui.” Harp glanced towards her apartment door once more. “Still makes me edgy though.”
     “You gonna bring her to the show?”
     “I think I got to. If she don’t get out more she’s gonna go psycho, an’ probably take me with her.”
     “Got it,” said Skye as she headed for the stairs.
     “Ain’tchoo supposed to be at Butt Fork?”
     “Naw. One a’ my days off.”
     Harp gave a thumbs up and then looked back down at her phone.
     The wind kicked up as the pugs skittered up to the sidewalk trees to relieve themselves. She wondered if she should have tied her hair back, or at least brushed it back as matted strands of her wild, dyed-black hair flew in her face.
     She took the pugs on their usual route, hoping the friendly Jack Russel that they occasionally ran into might be walking by. Or perhaps they would chance to run into some of the familiar neighbors who liked to stop and say hello to Juan and Juanita. She made a point of going by several of the neighborhood little libraries, which made the walk longer, yet more bearable.
     She tried as much as she could to distract herself, but the nagging thoughts kept intruding, as sales figures, distribution reports, and studio scheduling floated like unwelcome guests through her mind. She knew Colleen and Larry were there all day, and she knew them and trusted them well enough to feel that her business was in good hands.
     She tried to keep her mind on the local little libraries. She had no desire to spend another day there, but the thought of taking a quick subway ride out to San Francisco to check in on the place for an hour or two was nagging at her, as the conundrum of not wanting to deal with the technical headaches of running a record label collided with her fretting over her business.
     She wondered if she was turning into Tandasil, but that wonder only lasted for a moment.
     She had hoped that the first little library would provide enough of a distraction, but she could not find anything interesting among the usual books and the discarded textbooks.
     Going up a familiar side street, the cracked sidewalk was strewn with flat and damp leaves from the intermittent rain. Skye ran her eyes around the patterns as the leaves bled their colors into the sidewalk, making the cracked and pock-marked concrete look as if it were a painting.
     Squinting, she looked farther up the street, towards the next main street. She could not see anyone else out and about. The street looked abandoned.
     A woman with a pair of corgis rounded the next corner, and Juan and Juanita bounced around, snorting and jumping as they bumped noses with the two excited corgis for a few minutes.
     Moving on after the corgi romp, Skye wondered if Harp had gone back inside her apartment as a colder wind started blowing, or if she was braving the elements to avoid the countenance of the conflicted Sussy.
     She looked down at the pugs and wondered if they could endure a walk to Rusty Lisa’s, the vegan bakery up on Adeline. She had their chocolate cupcakes on her mind, as well as their colorful doughnuts.
     The pugs skittered along, having been reenergized by their quick playtime with the corgis.
     She quickened her walking pace, taking advantage of the pugs’ adrenaline rush. Another strong gust prompted Skye to make note of the dark clouds moving in overhead. The clouds were menacing enough for her to consider turning around so they would not get caught in a shower.
     She pressed on. Juan and Juanita slowed down after a few minutes of walking, but they were only a few blocks away so Skye marched them on.
     Skye knew the vegan bakers would not mind if she walked in with the pugs. Walking into the small darkwood bakery, there was a short line of people ahead of her. One of the owners, the one with the mane of curly red hair and vintage glasses, came out to say hi to Juan and Juanita as Skye scanned the pastry cases, feeling her heart drop when she couldn’t find any of the cupcakes she had been pining for.
     She kept a tight rein on the leashes and held down her gall as the college student couple in front of her got the last of the maple doughnuts. She tried to console herself with a few almond torts and lemon squares.
     As she walked out of the store, a rotund woman with short hair and tight, wrinkled gray clothes walked up to Juan and Juanita.
     “Can I pet your dogs?” asked the glassy-eyed woman with a grin.
     “Sure. They’re super friendly.”
     The woman kneeled down with some difficulty. Skye could tell from her clothes and her rough skin that she was going through hard times. Her clothes were somewhat ratty and her skin was pockmarked with blemishes.
     “When did you get these dogs Skye?”
     Skye’s skin stood on edge. She was quite surprised to hear the woman call her by name.
     “They were my neighbors. I adopted them when she passed away.”
     The woman looked up at her as she pet the pugs. “You mean that place y’got on San Pablo?”
     At first Skye thought the woman might have been a fan. Now she realized she was someone she knew.
     “They’re such nice doggos,” said the woman as the pugs hopped around, happy to get attention.
     Skye’s mind raced as she tried to remember who she was.
     The woman slowly stood up, hoisting herself with some difficulty. “I ain’t seen you since Grazey’s parking lot show.”
     It suddenly hit Skye.
     It was Joop, the former bass player for The Bee Stings, a college radio art band that somehow managed to get a few dates at Gilman, opening for some noise bands.
     Skye tried her best to contain her surprise. Joop used to have long hair, and she had gained a lot of weight. Skye had not seen her in years, and she surprised herself at being able to recognize her now.
     “Yeah, how’ve you been?” asked Skye.
     “Okay. I’m livin’ with my boyfriend in an old motorhome that his uncle used to own.”
     “An uncle gave you a motorhome?”
     “Well, it’s more like a camper. But at least we can still claim we live indoors.”
     Skye noticed Joop was missing a couple of teeth when she smiled.
     “You playin’ for anybody?”
     “Eh. I had to sell my bass an’ all my equipment. That’s why I hadda drop out of Kitter Kits, some drag that Julie Drop Out was putin’ on.”
     Skye nodded as if she knew what she was talking about. Joop tended to run in different circles in the music world than her.
     “You still in a band?” asked Joop as Juanita pawed at her for more pets.
     “You could say that,” said Skye as casually as she could.
     “What you guys called?” asked Joop as she knelt down to pet the pugs again.
     “You know, my old band, The Dynamite Chicks.”
     Joop looked at Skye with surprise. “No shit? That’s your gig? I thought that was Annie’s thing!”
     “Well, yeah, she’s basically the one who got it back together.”
     Joop stood up. “Well fuckin’ a’, let me know when you’re playin’. Maybe my new band can open for ya’.”
     “I thought you sold your bass?”
     “Frieda asked me to be in her new band. She’s gonna loan me a bass.”
     Skye felt flush as she took out her phone. “I might be able to help you guys out. I… work at a studio in the city. Sometimes we help out new acts.”
     Joop’s eyes brightened. “No shit? That would be fuckin’ awesome!”
     Skye exchanged contact information with her old friend. She also cajoled her into taking the lemon squares, telling her that she bought too many pastries and she didn’t want to end up eating them all.
     Skye made a slow walk back to her place. She could tell the pugs were tired, and she didn’t want to push them.