“hello. do i know you?” pablo asked the young woman he thought might be the long ago joanie.
“maybe,” she quickly replied, turning to look him directly in the face. “have you heard me talking? down in the square?”
“”uh - no, i don’t tihnk so.”
“is this guy bothering you, joanie?’ pablo heard the voice of the neanderthal looking coffee shop manager behind him.
joanie!
“no, it’s cool, ralph,” she told him. “so where do you know me from, my friend?” she asked pablo.
pablo told her as quickly as possible about his meeting with the young woman on the deserted road in the heartland. she listened without interrupting, keeping her blue eyes on his face the whole time.
“was that you?’” pablo finished his tale. “do you remember it?”
“yes, i remember it. let’s get out of these people’s way here.” she nodded to one of the small tables. a teenaged boy and girl brushed past pablo’s back.
pablo and joanie sat down at the table.
“i remember it,” joanie said. “i don’t think i would have remembered you. you are all grown up.”
“well, i am not a little kid any more,” pablo agreed.
“i guess it must be you, how else would you know about it?”
“it’s a small world,” pablo said, desperate to keep the conversation going. he had completely forgotten about watching the professor, and his reason for being in the coffee shop.
“yes, it is,” joanie agreed. “excuse me while i get myself a cup of coffee.”
“all right. hey, it’s on me,” pablo said. he fumbled in his pocket for his two thousand dollar coffee card and handed it to joanie. “here, buy anything you want with this.”
“anything? how about a coffee and a donut?” joanie turned the card over in her fingers.
“sure.” pablo started to explain about the two thousand dollars but thought better of it.
joanie quickly returned with her coffee and donut and gave the card back to pablo.
“so, what are you doing here in the imperial city?” she asked pablo. “are you prospering?”
“a little bit of this, a little bit of that ,” pablo answered the first question. “how about you, what are you doing?”
“saving the world.”
“oh,” pablo was a little surprised, but not totally. he had met a lot of people saving the world, in jail and out of it. “i remember you told me you were going to be a soci - soci - something .”
joanie laughed. “you have a good memory.”
“sure i remember. it was the scariest thing that ever happened to me, and i was just a kid. and you saved me. i remember everything. i’ll never forget it.”
“that’s very nice of you,“ joanie said. she took a sip of her coffee.
“i mean it,” pablo said. “i would do anything for you!” he blurted out. “i would follow you anywhere.” he looked around to see if anyone had heard him and was laughing, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention, not even ralph, the neanderthal manager.
joanie smiled at him, really smiled at him for the first time. “you will have to excuse me but it has been a long time. what did you say your name was?”
“pablo.”
“it’s a funny coincidence, pablo, but i have been looking for a faithful follower. a true faithful follower who, as you say, will follow me anywhere.”
“that’s me,” pablo said. he suddenly remembered mister brown, but decided just as suddenly to forget all about him.
“do you have anywhere you have to be?” joanie asked. she had finished her coffee and pushed an uneaten half of the donut aside.
“no.”
“then come on down to the square with me. i will explain my - our - mission to you.”
“that sounds great.”
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