And he led her out the building. As they walked he couldn’t help but notice that he’d heard her refer to him as her boyfriend and it made him smile. They turned a corner and Carl was immediately confronted with the wild, curly hair of his old friend Chuck.
“Shit Carl! I’ve been walkin’ around all over lookin’ for you,” the young man was complaining but still had a huge smile across his face.
He pulled Carl into a bear hug and smacked him on the back.
“Long time no see buddy,” he ran his hand through his curls.
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Carl was still holding onto him.
Then Chuck noticed the impossibly pretty girl next to his friend and grinned. Meanwhile Anna looked him up and down cautiously.
CHAPTER 22
Carl and Chuck were becoming reacquainted and spoke quickly as they updated each other on their lives.
“Yeah man I was discharged a few years back,”
“Ah, that’s tough. Hey, I can’t believe you’ve not met my wife yet,”
Meanwhile Anna was lagging behind with her hands stuffed into her pockets. She worried about who the new guy was and why he was suddenly an addition in their runaway plan. Feeling like a third wheel, she let the guys get on with their catching up.
She watched from behind at the way the new guy walked. A mean swagger propelled him forward with his arms swinging wildly. Anna thought he looked more animal than man especially with the shock of fair, curly hair that swung in the wind. And she couldn’t decide what look he was going for. Giant leather boots with huge metal buckles travelled halfway up his legs and a baggy, black coat covered the rest of him. He must have been part of some type of subculture but Anna hadn’t been exposed to any of them.
Chuck pulled a big set of keys from his inside pocket as they approached a warehouse somewhere on the edge of the city center. Anna immediately didn’t like the look of it. The building was dark and tall with bricked up windows and barbed wire covering the perimeter.
“What’s with all the secrecy?” she asked Chuck.
He tapped the side of his nose. “Shhh…. I’ll tell you once we’re inside,” and he looked nervously to a delivery truck that drove passed innocently.
Anna thought he was insane or at least paranoid. She watched as he rolled up a metal shutter. The noise made her jump but Carl squeezed her hand. He looked down to her.
“It’s ok. I’ve known this guy forever,”
“Why didn’t you tell me about all this?” she was angry and whispered through gritted teeth.
“I just… just wasn’t sure it would pan out,”
“Whatever,” she let go of his hand and crossed her arms in a huff.
“This way guys,” Chuck spoke softly and led them inside the building.
From what Anna could see it was a warehouse and as he rolled down the shutter behind them she jumped again.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Chuck bowed dramatically and laughed.
“Still good to see you’ve got the operation up and running,” Carl walked over to a large piece of metal equipment.
Anna didn’t know what it was and she joined him, running her hand over the smooth surface.
“What’s this for?” she asked.
“It’s a printing press,” Chuck explained. “You never seen one before?”
She shook her head.
“Well there’s a first for everything,” he smiled and moved in closer to her.
Anna edged herself away. “What do you print? Like newspapers?”
“Almost…. Magazines,”
“About what? Why is it all so hidden? What’s going on?” she looked up to Carl angrily.
He moved next to her and kissed the top of her head. Taking hold of her hand again he looked into her eyes and then nodded at Chuck.
“Well I guess it’s time we brought you up to date,”
~
Through the back of the warehouse was a large industrial kitchen, but it had been made homely by Chuck and his wife Mathilda. She was a thin, ethereal blonde with a doll’s face peppered with freckles and a penchant for the rockabilly style. She brought plates of food over to the table as she smiled through her vivid red lipstick.
“Here you go guys! Vegan lasagne and gluten free bread rolls,” and she sashayed away.
Anna looked to her plate and realized how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days and she dug her fork in eagerly.
“You OK baby?” Carl asked as he ran a finger through her hair.
She nodded as she chewed and Carl thought she looked beautiful despite her cheeks becoming fat as she stuffed them with bread.
“So,” he continued. “I think it’s time I officially introduce you to Chuck. This guy here is one of my best buddies,” Carl outstretched an arm to his friend. “Known him since my old Navy training days,”
“Yup! Except I was never cut out for a life in the military,” Chuck chuckled as he mopped up sauce with a piece of bread.
“So what did you do instead?” Anna asked.
There was an awkward silence across the table before finally Mathilda sat down and answered.
“He illegally prints an anti-government conspiracy magazine. Don’t you sweetheart?” she kissed him on the cheek and he blushed.