"We're speakin' English." He'd make a really good rent boy, probably, maybe she should introduce him to Dolly.

"English. How about -" He says a couple phrases in the other languages he heard spoken.

"I don't know, all Greek to me, but if you don't figure out where your dinner's coming from soon you're gonna get real hungry and then you'll look like you have AIDS and nobody'll want you."

"There is not enough food?"

"What kinda Commie bullshit did you grow up on in Kenya? Gotta earn your supper somehow."

"I can go get food in the not-city if people are hungry. Is there not food in the not-city."

"You wanna go camping and eat a poisonous mushroom that's your lookout. I still think you should go for the rent boy option. You're pretty enough you could make fuckin' bank, live in an apartment."

"Camping might be better than apartment if apartment is as ugly as everywhere else."

Snort. "If you're that picky maybe run back to Daddy."

"I would. No locking people up and we have food, we could send you food. But I don't know how."

"Guess you could go to the cops and tell 'em you're a missing person."

"No locking people up."

"I don't think they lock you up for bein' a runaway. Dunno, myself."

"Dunno not good enough. I - hide here a day, listen, learn English better, then go work and learn how hungry people."

"You mostly talk fine, maybe don't try to work in a call center but you could do a cash register okay."

"How do I do a cash register."

"They'll show ya, there's buttons and you make change and tell people to have a nice day and shit."

"Where will they show -"

"Oh, if they hire ya. Just gotta convince them you won't steal outta the cash register and that's way easier before you look too homeless."

"I don't know steal."

"Takin' shit without payin' for it."

"- I could just not take shit out of the cash register at all, would that work? I don't know payin for it."

She laughs. "You'll do fine. They might think you're slow, maybe they have you collect carts." She gives her cart a kick.

"But they won't the cops?"

"Not if you don't take their stuff."