Kate gives me a tired smile as we sit down during lunch break inside the strip club where she waits tables. I do my best not to watch the strippers as they dance about. Surprisingly, the strip club actually has pretty decent food. I’ve been here before, but I’ve never been for the food in the past –obviously. Who comes to a strip club just to have lunch? Me now, I suppose. Kate told me she used to strip here before getting demoted to server due to a hip injury that took place while giving a customer… some extra services. I shiver at the thought. I can’t remember whether or not I’ve been here while Kate was stripping. I hope not. That’s my brother’s sister, and finding out she worked at a club I had made regular stops at really freaks me out.

“Thanks for lunch.” She says shyly as I do my best not to look at her breasts that are squished into this really sexy outfit. She might as well be my sister if she is Eddie’s. Do not, I repeat, do not look at her breasts, James. Stop being such a creep. Just pretend she’s your sister.

“Of course.” I say.

She smiles, “And I really appreciate you telling me the good news about Eddie. I’m so glad he woke up. Even if just for a little while; maybe he will get better? I can’t wait to tell Bobby. I know he needs to hear it.”

“I don’t know if you should, to be honest.” I say, “I would hate for you to get his hopes up and then something happen.”

“I know, but he deserves to know.” Kate props her chin up onto her palms. She looks sad and tired. I know there is something I could do for her and for her kids, I just am not sure what just yet. I suppose Eddie has been helping out, but now with him hurt the way he is it’s probably getting rough.

“I know he does. And it’s none of my business, I suppose.” I study her face. She’s too young to have wrinkles under her eyes like that. “Listen,” I say, preparing myself to get to the point, “I asked you to have lunch with me for a reason. I was wondering if anyone has told yours and Eddie’s father about what is going on.”

I see Kate flinch slightly. “I haven’t.”

“I don’t know much about him, and I know he sounds like a real prick, but he is Eddie’s father. He hasn’t come to the hospital to see him, so I wasn’t sure if he even knew what was going on.” I push my plate of food away, no longer feeling hungry now that the conversation was taking a more serious turn.

“He probably doesn’t know,” Kate says. “None of us really speak to him. And to be honest, James, I don’t want to start.”

“Is he that big of an ass?” I ask.

“He just doesn’t want anything to do with us, I don’t think. And yes, he’s an ass.” Kate stops eating as well. She has this dazed look about her; she is staring off into space as though she is thinking seriously about something.

“I know you don’t want to talk to him, but if you know where I could find him I would like to pay him a visit and let him know what’s going on.” I wait for her to respond. She just stares blankly at me as though she thinks that I’m an idiot. I just stare back at her, and it’s like we’re locked in an old fashioned staring contest.

Finally, she releases a loud exhale. “If you want to, but I don’t think anything good is going to come out of it.” She grabs a napkin and scribbles down an address and hands it to me. “I don’t have a phone number or anything, but this is the last place I know of where he was staying.” She suddenly stands up. “I have to get back to work. Thanks again for lunch.” She leaves after only eating half of her plate, clearly having become uncomfortable talking to me.

Looks like I’m going to be paying a visit to this Ricardo Smith character. I leave the server a decent tip and head out of the strip club and into the blinding light that is the parking lot. My driver spots me and pulls up in front of the building, and I climb into the back before he has a chance to hop out to open my door for me. “Where to, Mr. Mont?” he asks.

“Not sure. I need to make a call. Just get us out of this parking lot. I don’t need anyone seeing me here right now,” I say, and he pulls out of the parking lot. I pull out my phone and flip the switch to pull up the privacy window so that I can have a private conversation. I call Éclair, and she answers. She always answers.

“What now, James?” she asks, bypassing the proper hello’s and how are you’s.

“I need a favor,” I say.

“Oh?”

“I am going to go meet Eddie’s dad and tell him what’s going on. I was wondering if you would go with me?” I ask.

There is a long pause. Her tone tells me she is a little annoyed. “Why not ask that girlfriend of yours you keep telling me about? What’s her name –Sylvia?”

I knew she was going to throw that in my face eventually. Éclair is not the jealous type, but I did make things pretty awkward the last time we had sex when I ran out like a little bitch. I had talked to her on the phone since then to tell her about Eddie’s younger brother overdosing, but that is the last we have spoken. She probably did not expect me to ask for a favor any time soon. “Look, I know I’ve pissed you off, but I need your help. Sylvia… I don’t know how she would handle something like this. You –you’re good with words. I trust you, Éclair. I don’t really know how to handle this by myself. I don’t know what to expect. You’re good with people… and you always have my back.”

There is another long pause. I wait as patiently as I can. “Fine,” she says, “When are you going?”

“Whenever you can,” I say.

“All right. I have a few hours to kill. Come pick me up at my office and we can go,” she says, and I thank her before hanging up.

I roll the privacy window down and tell my driver to head to Éclair’s office building. My driver nods, and I can tell there is a slight judgmental thought running through his head. “She’s helping me with something,” I say so he doesn’t think we’re going to get her just so I can screw around.

“I’m sure she is, sir.” My driver says.

Man, this guy is a real asshole. I ought to punch him in the back of the head. I lean forward and hand him the napkin that Kate had written down the address down on. “After we pick up Éclair, this is where we are headed.”

My driver looks at the address curiously. “Um… that’s a pretty dangerous neighborhood, sir. A lot worse than the one you paid a visit to the other day to visit with Ms. Kate.”

“I know,” I say, “But I have something to take care of.”

“And you’re taking Ms. Éclair there?” My driver asks.

“I am.” I say.

“If you say so, sir.” He pulls out of the gas station’s parking lot he had parked in after leaving the strip club. We head to Éclair’s office complex, and the closer we get the more nervous I become. I hope she can help me come up with something to say when I talk to Eddies’ biological father.