“all right, i think i get it,” ruby said, after two minutes of joanie’s attempt at explaining what a theoretical sociologist was.
“you do?’ joanie smiled. “that’s great. not too many people think it is that interesting, but i do.”
“what i get,” said ruby, “is that there is nothing i can help you out with with that stuff.”
“oh.”
“but i have something else i think i can help you out with.”
“and what’s that?” joanie asked. she was a little disappointed, but not really surprised, that ruby was not really interested in sociology. “some kind of job?’
“a way to maybe make some money,” ruby said.
“like what? trying to sell something? i don’t think i would be very good at that.”
ruby looked around. there was no one else in the cafeteria except the woman behind the small display case, who was leaning on the counter behind her and looked like she was falling asleep.
ruby lowered her voice. “ have you ever thought of trying your luck in the big city?”
the big city! the “big city” was about four hundred miles north of the imperial city. it had, supposedly, at one time been the largest city not only in the empire but in the world. but it fallen on hard times, mostly as a result of gradually sinking into the atlantic ocean. now it was fabled as a lawless “wide open” town, the background of endless tv shows and trashy novels.
and it could only be reached by traveling through the even more notorious “barbary coast” or “hell’s highway”, a place where, at least on tv, the sun never shone except to reveal, at dawn, the dead bodies and other detritus of the fearful night.
“well?” ruby asked, when joanie did not answer right away.
“um - it might give me some interesting material for a study, i suppose, “ joanie said. “but i don’t suppose that is what you have in mind.”
ruby laughed. “i see you have a sense of humor, kid. no, what i have in mind is this - me and a couple of pals want to go to the big city to see if we can hook up with a carnival.”
“a carnival?’
“yeah, one that would work the barbary coast maybe, or maybe up north, in the bad lands. carnivals and traveling shows are big up there, where they don’t get such great tv reception.”
this sounded even scarier to joanie, but after all it was just talk, they were sitting safely in the young ladies hostel in the imperial city, so she just asked. “where would i fit in? i don’t know anything about carnivals, i am not even sure what they do.”
“no, honey, you have the one thing the carnies are always looking for and can’t get enough of.”
joanie thought she knew where ruby was going, but asked, “and what might that be?”
“looks, kid, you got the good looks.” and, ruby did not add, the innocent good looks - the stuff dreams are made of.
joanie took a sip of her tea, which was almost cold. “these pals of yours,” she said, just to be saying something. “what do they do? do they have good looks?”
“ha, ha! they have looks all right, but not exactly good looks.”
“wait! are they - are they men or women?”
“oh, they are women all right, don’t worry about that.” ruby glanced over at the woman behind the display case, who looked sleepier than ever.
joanie felt relieved. not that she was really interested in ruby’s proposal anyway, but the idea of traveling up the barbary coast with a couple of men - or even one man - that would have been totally beyond thinking about.
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