Page 11 of My Rock Star Neighbor
I hastily scribble that down.“Wow.So she implied it was someone high up in the Infrastructure Department?Did she say anything more about who it was?”
“She implied it was someone very senior who had all the power.She said, ‘He runs the district.’”
It must be Commissioner Johnson or one of the deputy commissioners.How am I going to figure that out?
“Did you ever report it to the Infrastructure Department?”I ask.
“No.She seemed confident,” Dulce says.“I don’t want to lose my apartment.”
“Beatrice seemed cozy with all the government officials who showed up for the ribbon cutting a few weeks ago,” Tasha says.“They should be here again at the concert on January 25th to celebrate this new playground.”
I note down the date to attend.“If it is someone senior at the Infrastructure Department, then it’s probably widespread.Do you have any friends at other buildings with similar issues?”
They both shake their heads.
I ask a few more questions and then wrap up the interview.Hopefully, I can help them.
Both kids are now sitting in Nick’s lap, where I was sitting last night.
My cheeks heat up.Stop it.We’re friends.
“Can we hire him for babysitting?”Tasha asks.
“Seriously,” I say.“He’s full of hidden talents.”
The three of us walk over to Nick.The kids clamber out of his lap and return to playing in the sand.I thank Tasha and Dulce for their help, asking them to call me if they discover anything more that would be helpful to prove this.
One child cries out, saying he hurt his finger on something sharp in the sand.We search the sand but don’t find anything.I give him a Band-Aid from my bag, and he stops sniffling.
As Nick and I walk away, I offer to pay for lunch, but Nick passes because he has to get back downtown.I tell him about the allegation that someone senior is behind this.
“That makes sense,” he says.
“There are three deputy commissioners, so that narrows it down somewhat.”I stop suddenly.“Didn’t you say your next performance was to celebrate some playground renovation?”
“Yeah, Amira booked us the gig,” Nick says.“Some joint Infrastructure Department and Parks Department deal.”
“Could it be this playground?The ceremony is January 25th.”
“I’ll check, but that date sounds about right.”
As we turn the corner of the building, ahead of us a woman stops a man with a toolbox.It looks like Beatrice!I pull Nick back out of sight against the brick wall.
“That’s the woman.C’mon.”I slip back around the corner, holding tight to the wall.A huge dumpster next to the wall blocks her view of us and ours of her.
I pull Nick by the hand and quickly scuttle up behind the dumpster.And then I take a deep breath as my ankle painfully reminds me that I don’t have full mobility.
Wow.It smells rank—as if it’s holding a million dirty diapers and poorly closed dog poop bags.I hold my nose.
“The smell…” Nick gags.
“Shh.”I hobble closer to where they are standing on the other side, but I also can’t get too close to the side of this dumpster because who knows what it’s been coated with.Other than dog piss.I can definitely smell that.
“Thanks for repairing that shower so quickly,” Beatrice says.“I have another job in 11J.”
The man says something, but I miss his reply because a car honks at that exact moment.
A phone rings, and Beatrice says, “I have to take this.”
