Business is business, and the ATC is doing pretty good.  Sometimes it’s slow for hours and peaceful, then it’s like someone throws back the flood gates and everyone drops by all at once.  It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed when that happens but so goes it.

I’ve hired in a few people, some better than others.  Sarah has turned out to be a hell of a find.  She’s a firecracker, takes no shit from no one, least from what I’ve seen.  But if she’s anything like me, she wears about 10 different hats, each one dependent upon who she’s working with or speaking to.

I duno what happened to that bag of dicks Red, last I saw him was a few nights back when he was slinging insults like a drunk taking a leak.  With any luck he fell off the long dock into the deep end and wont resurface anytime soon.  Next I see him he’s canned, I don’t need shit like that branding ATC so negatively.

The fisherman Donovan that I tried to hire, or boat captain, whatever he aims to call himself moved on.  Or so I hear tale of… didn’t come back long enough to actually get himself settled into the job I offered anyways, and now is walking around up at the Dollhouse like he owns the place.  Good riddance I spose, got no room for folks that don’t pull their own weight.  Daniel had a bad feeling about him anyways, and while I don’t always see eye to eye with the man, he’s usually got a nose for whose gonna sit around burning time, and whose gonna actually get out there and get shit done.

Got a few others I seen lurking about and one pretty cute soldier guy.  I toss out job openings, especially for that dude, he knows how to talk guns and lately that seems to be my language.  I bet I could sell a lot with him touching all over them for the ladies to fawn over.  He was in with his buddy and they had some steel dipped nuggets danglin between their thighs.  Said something about… guns for favors.  HA!!  I was like… dude, I don’t trade guns for blowjobs.  Seemed funny to me then, and hell I’m still giggling about it.

Giggling – What a stupid word.

I saw a picture of a cardinal today and it reminded me of home.  I miss the mountains but I swear when I think back to how things were once, it’s like I’m remembering someone elses life.  It doesn’t seem real anymore.  Instead I’m here in my new mansion.  A one room efficiency on the second floor of some old island resort feeling blessed that I made it so far as I have.  I’m surrounded by candy bars and a tower of canned goods that I store here instead of at the ATC just in case I gotta hole up for a few days or so.  Hell I near feel guilty about how good I got it compared to some of these folks rolling into town.  “Near” being the operative word.  We all gotta pay our dues, and I paid mine far as I’m concerned.

Maybe I’ll take a few things down to the shelter. They seem like alright people, I just hate the stupid dog they keep out there.  It’s always looking at me like it’s about to break loose and take a bite out of my hide.

So far a few folks now know about the parasite leaching off of me.  I’m trying real hard not to think about it like it’s going to live, or become a… anything.  The other night I felt movement though.  It feels like tiny little wings fluttering around in my stomach.  Still haven’t told Daniel.