Read Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca? for Free Online Page B

I'll respect your confidence. But I
haven't agreed to anything. Understood?"
    "Understood," he said quietly.
    He searched my face. I felt like he was going through my pockets. I
remembered the stories my old man used to tell me about Tim's style. How he
used to advise people not to borrow money from him. How he used to make sure
they were every bit as desperate for cash as they thought they were before
lending them any money. How he'd advise them that unless they were absolutely
certain they could at least make the vig payments every week, this was going to
be the worst mistake they'd ever made. No threats. Nothing specific anyway. He
let the customer's imagination do the rest.
    "Caroline Nobel - that's my granddaughter - she come back here to live with
me a little over a year ago. She and Gene just couldn't stand each other no
more."
    He waved himself off. "Wait, you need some background here so's you'll
understand. Gene, she's  . . . well she's . . .Hell, she's working on
either her fourth or fifth husband now, I've lost track. Some fag of an
Englishman. Claims to have a title. Spends most of her time commuting between
Europe and Palm Springs. Fancies herself a real jet-setter. Never wanted the
kid. She's been farming the kid out to private school since Caroline was
six."
    He wiped the corners of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger.
    "This mess is probably my fault for giving Caroline that damn trust
fund, but you know, I figured she didn't have nothin' you could call parents,
so I figured she might as well have some money. So what does she do? She gives
the fucking money to these Save the Earth assholes."
    He shook his head sadly.
    "It probably would have been better if I'd let her find her own way,
like your old man did, but you know, Leo, we all want it to be better for our
kids than it was for us."
    I gave him the reinforcement he was looking for. He continued.
    "Anyway, about a year ago, she calls me one night. She's been kicked
out of her fancy private school. Asks if she can come and live with me, go to
high school here. I almost shit. I mean, I don't need no high school kid
running around, you know what I mean, I was still heavily into things then, not
like now. But she's family, so what can I say? I tell her if it's all right
with Gene, I guess it's all right with me. I'm figuring Gene will put the
kibosh on it, but Gene she don't give a damn. She wants to get rid of the kid
as bad as the kid wants to go, so what am I gonna do? I tell her, okay, come
one." He leaned back to his former reclining position as if gathering
himself.
    "I figured it was time to scale back anyway. Hell, I was damn near
eighty. So I let most everybody go. All that's left is Ricky and Nicky."
    "And Frankie," I amended.
    "Frankie's like family. He don't count as help." He sat up again.
"She did okay for a while. Got pretty good grades. Hell, I even went to
one of those parent-teacher conferences once." I looked at him
quizzically. "Frankie waited in the hall," he said immediately. The
image held a certain manic appeal.
    "Then, about four months ago, it all changed. She started getting
political. Started hanging out with scumbags. Rallies, demonstrations. Got
herself arrested a few times. Seemed like she had a new cause every week."
He spread his gnarled hands. "No problem, you know, I figure it's all part
of growing up. Your old man and I spent a few nights inside together." He
smiled as remembered. "The last time she got busted was for throwing blood
on some old lady wearing a fur coat down at Westlake. Animal rights, some shit
like that." He was having trouble finding an end to the story. I tried to
give him a hand.
    "So, what's she into now?" I asked.
    "God only knows."
    "What makes you think she needs any help?"
    "I was getting to that," he snapped. He was tiring. "So after
I bail her out the last time, she announces that she's moving out. She's had
enough of my meddling." Tim shook his head. "Like getting her ass out
of jail is