He doesn’t know why he has to pee outside or why he can’t just sit down and eat his granola bar. Luckily, he’s learned not to complain. I grab my purse, stuff the blanket into the grocery bag and get going. We have to get out of Cypress—the farther out, the better. I walk as fast as I can—or rather as fast as Elliot can. It doesn’t take me long to realize we have to do better than this. I see a white-haired lady coming toward us. “Excuse me,” I say. She looks up and smiles. “I lost my wallet, and my little brother’s late for his doctor’s appointment. I hate to ask—but would you mind lending us bus fare?” Her smile fades a bit. I doubt she really believes me—but Elliot is pretty irresistible. She hands me five dollars. I thank her. I wait until she’s out of sight before I try the same trick on someone else. We’ll use some of the money for bus fare, some for food. It doesn’t take long to collect twenty-three bucks. We could get more, but I don’t want to be greedy.
