Rule 2 - Domino

Age 19

"Georgie! Is that you?" A scratchy voice from across the park made both my Black Lab and me turn our heads to see our old friend, Johnny Blue. I stood and let Georgie run to him while I waved. My friend laughed and waved back. "And you! It"s so good to see you!"

Johnny came over and sat across the picnic table from me. We took each other in. It had been so long since we'd been together.

"You look great, Johnny. Wow."

He massaged his scruffy chin and grinned wildly. "I know right. I"m close to five full years on T. The beard is coming in nice."

"Your voice too!" I laughed. "It"s so low." I lowered my voice an octave to mimic his new, testosterone-altered voice.

"I know, I love it. It"s been quite the journey. Now enough about me. How are you doing?" He reached for my hands across the table and squeezed. "The last time we saw each other?—"

"I was adopting Georgie." I leaned over and petted my beloved dog"s head. The silly goof let out his tongue and dropped his head to my lap for more scratches. "So... two years?"

"He was so little then! He"s humongous now," Johnny teased.

"He"s the only one who gets fed every day." I laughed, but he didn"t join me.

"Domino," he scolded.

I rolled my eyes.

I waved off his concerns. "It"s a joke, calm down. I"m fine. Seriously. Georgie and I are both are happy, healthy, and if I do say so myself, have great manes." I flipped out my hair.

"You do look good," he admitted. "Thin… but you"ve always been thin. I worry about you though. Always have, always will."

"Well, you don"t have to, I assure you. If you keep this up, I"ll never visit," I teased.

"No, you"ll just keep shipping me boxes and boxes of photos." He rolled his eyes. "I"m going to need a storage unit soon just for pictures!"

I reached for my camera around my neck and quickly snapped his dazzling smile before he could get mad. I captured a look of pure surprise, and it made my heart soar. We'd have that image forever now.

"Either way, I am so happy you made it back, even if it"s just for a few days. Tell me everything. Where have you been, my wandering friend?"

We spent that afternoon watching kids play in the distance, while we caught up on everything we"d been doing since we last saw each other.

"It"s like a breath of fresh air. I"ve missed you!" I exclaimed, after we left the park. He wanted to take me to dinner, so we were off to find a place that was Georgie-friendly.

"Same here, dear." He squeezed my hand. "It feels like just yesterday when my grandma stopped the car and picked you up on the side of the highway and brought you home with us." Together, we crossed ourselves.

"Rest in peace," we both said.

"Yes, it"s almost like a fever dream. She was the first person to stop for me." I"d been walking all night and was beginning to worry that I"d still be walking when the sun came up and they"d find me.

"You looked so exhausted, and we were all the exact opposite. We"d just spent the entire weekend at Risky Rush Park. Do you remember that place? Did you ever go there?" He laughed.

I pushed down the uneasiness in my belly. "Yeah, I know about that place."

"That was the last time we ever went. That place was so much fun, but jeez, I"m surprised none of us got hurt. It"s a death trap."

Johnny took us to a hot dog cart and we had our fill of dogs, chips, and soda. He insisted I order a bag full of food to take with me, as I was only in town for the day, and he wanted to make sure I was okay.

"Why are you so worried about me?" I asked. "Do you know who I am? I"m Domino. I always land on my feet." I wiggled my toes in my shoes.

"Yes, speaking of, I love the new shoes. I didn"t realize they made LLD hi-tops."

"You like?" I kicked my leg in the air, showing off my black, leg length discrepancy Chuck Taylor. "Special made, of course, but so worth it. And, I can mix and match." I pointed to my other foot, where I was wearing a red hi-top.

"I love it. It"s so you. You must be doing well, considering the cost of them. Unless..." Johnny paused to wiggle his eyebrows and nudge me suggestively. "Did my Domino find a sugar daddy?"

I rolled my eyes. "I thought you were calling them Kings of Pentacles."

He shuddered. "Don"t get me started on my witchy phase. We"re over that. You"re avoiding the question, Domino. Have you done that thing you said you"d never do?" He made a popping noise with his lips and made lewd hand gestures.I grimaced.

"I never said I"d never do that," I corrected. "Just that, I didn"t want to do that with any of the people you suggested. And no, that hasn"t changed. I"m still very much..."

Waiting.

Waiting for people who aren't even an option.

We found a bench and I plopped down directly in front of a pawn shop. It had been a long day. I was ready to hop on the train and sleep until Georgie and I reached... wherever my ticket was for.

"Alright, stay pining for whatever their names are…"

Koi and Swayze.

I didn't answer.

"Anyway, you"re good financially, and whatever the reason is, I"m happy for you." He came to sit with me and rested his head on my shoulder.

"I worked until I had the money. Just like I did with the train ticket. I can always find a way to make money." My thoughts went to just exactly how I"d earned the money for the shoes and then the train ticket. A little waitressing here, farm work there. It was boring and sometimes took a toll on my body, but I loved my life and had no intention of stopping my wandering. I wanted to explore the world.

"I wish I had your work ethic. You know how long I"ve been saving for my top surgery?" He pressed his hands against his bound chest. "Since I started T. Paired with the economy and all my other bills and life things, I don"t have even two red pennies to rub together. I"ll never get rid of these fucking things."

I stared at his hands and then looked up at him. Out of all the people I"d met in my journey, after seven long years of traveling the country, seeing all sorts of kinds, I"d never met someone as beautiful, inside, and out, as Johnny Blue.

I reached for my necklace, pulling out the ring my dad had given me on my tenth birthday. I"d never told anyone where I"d gotten it, but it was the only thing other than my camera that I"d kept from my past. I looked up at the storefront sign in front of us, and then back at the ring.

"I want to do something for you," I said, standing up. "Come on, Georgie."

Johnny protested the entire way as I walked into the pawn shop and removed the chain from around my neck.

"I"d like to sell my ring, please."

The dealer eyed me suspiciously as he pinched the ring in his fingers. I raised an eyebrow. He was going to try to lowball me, but I knew how much that ring was worth.

"That camera"s nice. You sure you don"t want to sell that instead?"

I clutched my camera protectively. "No. Just the ring, please."

He went to his computer and started typing furiously. "Let me look into some things. Stick around a bit?"

Johnny and I went to look around the shop while he did his thing. I assumed it might take some time, as the ring was unique. Only two had ever been made. My dad had bragged about how expensive it'd been to design. After a while, I began to worry. The door chimed, and two police officers came in and went directly to the counter. My heart jolted, and I began to sweat. I hurried to the counter and put my hand out.

"I"ve changed my mind. I don"t want to sell it to you."

The three men gave me the side-eye and looked at something on the dealer"s screen, and then back at me.

"No, I think you"re right," an officer said.Alarm bells rang in my head, and I called for Georgie.

"Just give me my ring. I have to go. I"m late for something." I smacked the glass counter.

The officers put their hands on their belts, and I froze.

"Oh, you"re not going anywhere, Domino Risky."

I jumped. How did they know my name?

"We"ve already called the proper channels to get this all sorted out."

"What are you talking about? That"s my ring. I want my ring!"

"Oh, we know it"s yours. It"s expensive too. I almost bought it, but then I saw the bigger price tag. I want that money instead." The dealer sneered.

"What bigger price tag? For what?" I shook my head.

"Not what. Who. You. Haven"t you seen the reward money?"

He rotated the screen, and there I was, in my seventh-grade school photo next to an age progression image. The resemblances to the updated version were startling, but not as surprising as the price tag of a quarter million dollars for whoever found me.