ALAN AND TARA'S DAY IN THE CITY
Chapter Fifteen They headed east again through a more run down part of the city, abandoned and decaying buildings were on either side of the street and trash littered the sidewalk. The Doctor stared at the garbage with disgust and slowly shook his head. Everyone was keeping their eyes open for a clothing store while the Doctor spoke to Juliet. "Do you have any family?" he asked her. "I do but they don't want anything to do with me now." "Why?" Tara asked. Juliet gave her a sad smile. "Because I used to be a crack addict and I lied and stole from them to feed my addiction. I got clean and tried to make amends but they had their fill of me." "Are they here in the city?" Alan asked her. "No, they live up in Dearborn. I lived there too until I lost my house. Lived with a man while I was smoking crack and he beat and abused me until I finally got away from him. Now I'm trying to get back on my feet but if you're thinkin' there's a family member I can stay with, there isn't." "Well, maybe someday they'll talk to you again," Tara said to her. "I hope so, child, but right now I'm not gonna stir up anything. I'll let them come to me if they want to be in my life again," Juliet said. Rose frowned and looked at Juliet. "Is there a Wal-Mart around here?" she asked. "In Detroit? Lord no, there's nothing like that. You gotta go out to the suburbs before you find one of those big stores." Everyone stared at her in shock. "No Wal-Mart? I thought you couldn't go five feet without bumping into one," Rain said. "Crap. Well, we'll have to try to find something but in the meantime at least you're in here where it's cool." "I thank ya for all this," Juliet said. "No thanks necessary. I'm just thankful we found you before you died," the Doctor replied. "It's far too hot for anyone to be walking around in heavy clothes like that." "I know but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to survive," Juliet replied. The Doctor nodded. "Trust me, I know all about that," he said to her. "I was the same way," Tara said to her. "These Satanist killed my mom and abused me till I ran away and became homeless and my mommy and daddy found me." "No, you found us," the Doctor corrected. "Jesus," Juliet said. "You poor child." "It's okay now cause mommy and daddy and everyone are great. 'Cept for the weirdo driving the car up there. He's a meanie." "Rose, can you throw Tara up here so she can drive the car and be the weirdo," Alan said to his wife. "I'm just kidding. He's fun to be around," Tara said. "We're all having fun driving around." "That's good," Juliet said. "Where ya'll from though?" "England," the Doctor said. "Some of us are from America but we live in England." Juliet frowned. "Why'd ya come to Detroit? No offense but there's not that much to do anymore. The city's run down and there's a lot of crime. Not the type of place you wanna take a vacation." "We were just curious. I came here in the 1960's and I wanted to return and show my family the city." Juliet stared at his youthful face. "Well, ya'll must have been a baby then because you don't look that old," she said to him. "Oh, I'm older than I look. I have a very youthful face," he said as everyone giggled. "I'll say. You don't look much older than late thirties," Juliet said. "Yeah, I'm in my early fifties. I came here as a small child," the Doctor said. "Lord, I wish I could look as good as you when I reach fifty but I have a feeling I won't," she said. The Doctor frowned when Alan suddenly slowed the car down and began to pull over. "Brother?" he said. "Look out the windows; did we just cross into a completely different part of the state?" Alan said. They looked out the windows and noticed that unlike the run down, trashy section they had been driving through now they were in a nice, well kept section of the city with nice homes and green trees and shrubs everywhere. They looked back and their eyes widened when they noticed that there was almost an invisible dividing line between the run down part of the city and well kept part. "This is the beginning of the suburbs," Juliet explained. "Sorry to say, but most of the black people live in the city and the whites live in the suburbs and you can tell which is which. This is Grosse Pointe South, the beginning of the Grosse Pointe area." They all looked around. "It's like we wandered into a completely different city now," Alan said. "Sorry, mates, it was a bit jarring driving through all those rundown buildings and rubbish and now we get all this." He looked at Juliet. "You said the shops are here?" he said. "Lord no, they're further up. There's nothing here but houses," Juliet said. Alan nodded. He glanced back and pulled out into traffic. He drove for two miles and saw a sign that indicated he was now in Grosse Pointe Farms. His eyes boggled when he noticed the houses were now even bigger, fancier and most of them had black wrought iron fences around them. He slowed down again and pulled over to the curb. They noticed a woman and man on the other side of the street pushing their baby in a pram. The man was dressed in a grey polo shirt and blue jean shorts but the woman had on a fancy long green summer dress with high heeled sandals. "Wow, she's dressed up for someone that's just going on a constitutional," Alan said to Rose. The woman noticed them. Alan smiled and waved and was taken aback when the woman gave them a look that could melt ice. "What? What did I do?" Alan muttered. "You're not from around here, "Juliet said. "Lot of these folks don't like outsiders, especially if they're not rich." "Well, up your nose with a rubber hose, you frock wearing baaaaaaaaaaa….iiiiiiii….chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." They all giggled when Alan grinned at all of them. "You get my meaning. Anyway, let's go on and find a shop somewhere," he said, pulling back out into traffic. He drove on, glancing at the elegant houses and well kept surroundings. He noticed the street ended up ahead with a gated community on the left side and a side street on the right. He turned right and noticed three blocks up ahead was a large lake with sailboats sailing across it. "Aha, this is more like it," he said, pointing to it. "We'll stop for a moment and have a look-see." "If you're thinkin' of going up and parkin' on the riverbank, you can't," Juliet said. "They don't allow folks to park or stand there." "What?" Alan said, glancing back at her. "Why?" Juliet shrugged. "Rich folks don't want people standing there all day blockin' their view, I guess," she said. "Um…Call me nuttier than a squirrel's winter hidey hole but I'm pretty sure the rich folks don't own the lake," Alan said angrily. "I don't believe in keeping others from seeing the wonders of nature if it's not a part of their property." He parked just before he got to the other road in a shady spot near the curb. "I wanna have a look see at this posh community myself," he said to the others. "If they don't allow us to park then I'm gonna stand there and defy them and get a view of the lake. They wanna arrest me for standing and looking, fine." Grumbling about selfish people, he opened the door. The others glanced at each other and started to do the same. "Will you be alright here, Juliet?" the Doctor asked her. "We won't be a minute." "That's fine, I'm better now, Doctor. Go on ahead, I'm gonna take a nap." He squeezed her shoulder and got out the side door. They shut the doors and walked up to the intersection while Juliet leaned her head against the side window and shut her eyes. As the group walked up, they noticed a man in front of them was out watering his lawn. He locked eyes with them and glared at them before he walked behind his high hedge, hiding himself from view. "What?" Jack said. "Is he afraid we're gonna jump him or something?" Alan grinned as they passed by the hedge. "HELLO IN THERE!" he yelled. "NICE DAY FOR A GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK!" They walked up to the intersection and turned left. Their eyes bulged when they saw mansion after mansion after mansion. "Blimey, we hit the big time," Alan muttered. They were on the left side of the road. The right side had no pavement, just a thin strip of land and the lake beyond. They noticed a sign on the other side and stopped to read it. No Parking "No standing," Tara said. "Dang! Juliet wasn't kiddin' about them not wanting people to stay there and look at the lake." "Oh my God," Jack said, feigning panic. "We're standing everyone! Hurry before we get shot by crazed people!" All of them ran for about twenty feet before they slowed and went back to walking. The houses on the left side were all big grand mansions with well manicured lawns and neatly trimmed hedges. Cars zoomed by them as they walked and a few people in the cars taunted them as they passed. "I'm so glad I'm not filthy rich and snobby," Jack said, rolling his eyes. They slowed when they saw a university nestled in between the mansions. They looked up at a sign on a pole. "Grosse Pointe University," Jack said. "Wonder what they teach?" Madison said. Jack grinned. "Probably how to wear polo shirts, play croquet and be rude to your lessers," he said. They started to walk up the sloping hill in front of them to get a better look at the university when they saw a sign posted near the top of it. PRIVATE PROPERTY. NON-STUDENTS WILL BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED. "Jesus, they're really anal here," Rose said. The Doctor grinned. He did a bunny hop onto the grass and bounced back. "There! I trespassed on your university! Arrest me!" he yelled as they laughed. They walked on. "Gee what a shame. We won't find out what Grosse Pointe University teaches," Ianto said. "Personally I wouldn't go to any university that had Grosse in its name," Jack said while they snickered. As they walked, they noticed a few people walking and riding bikes. Some glared at them or ignored them but most said or nodded a hello as they went past. "Nice to know not everyone's a snob here," Rain said. They kept on walking and saw a couple of teenage girls on bikes coming the other way. The lead girl's eyes bugged out and she let out a giant gasp. "HI-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She said in a high-pitched squeal while she waved her left arm recklessly around her head. "Um, hi," the Doctor said to her. "OOOOOOOOO," the girl squealed to her friend. "HE SAID HI-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" They stood still and let them pass. The two girls slowed their pedaling and looked at them. They saw Tara standing behind the Doctor. "HI-EEEEEEEEEEEE LA-DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" They said to her. "Hi, Dorkbutts," Tara muttered as the others snickered. The two girls looked back at them. " LA-DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she squealed. "Goodbye disturbing child who's obviously consumed too much LSD," Alan said as they started walking again. As they walked, they kept glancing at the lake across the busy road. "Be nice to actually go over there and enjoy it but apparently we have to keep walking lest we end up in jail," Alan said. Rose suddenly giggled. "What, Starlight?" She pointed to a marina about a half mile away. There were about fifty sailboats and speedboats and a tall white lighthouse that jutted up above them. Beside it was an enormous white two story building and a dock that surrounded it. "Okay, you're not allowed to stand over on that side but they have a marina there. How do you get into your boat then if you can't stand around?" "My guess is you stand at the very edge of the marina, run like hell, jump with all your might and the moment your bum slams down into your boat, you head towards the lake as fast as you possibly can," the Doctor said. They walked a bit further. "Um…anyone notice there are no benches around for people to sit on?" Jack said. "No standing," Tara said to him. "That's not standing, it's sitting and they didn't prohibit that," Jack replied. They passed by two more bikers. "Well no wonder everyone's in motion then. No one can stop and stand still," Madison said. Alan suddenly jumped up, spun around and landed hard on his feet. "STAND IN THE PLACE WHERE YOU AAARE!" he sang loudly. "NOW FACE NORTH! THINK ABOUT DIRECTION, WONDER WHY YOU HAVEN'T NOW STAND IN THE PLACE WHERE YOU WERE, NOW FACE WEST, THINK ABOUT DIRECTION WONDER WHY YOU HAVEN'T BEFORE!" He waved at an elderly man and woman who had been walking towards him but now stopped and stared at him silently. "Afternoon, lovely suburb," he said to them. "I was just singing about standing here even though that sign over there says not to on pain of death." The man and woman glanced at each other, shook their heads and hurried past them. "Buh-bye," Alan said when they were out of earshot. "Well, as much as I'd like to continue the self tour of Poshville, I think we better head back and be on our way so we can find Juliet some clothes," the Doctor said. "Yeah, we better check on her in case Paranoid Hedge Guy thought she was a monster threatening his very life and throttled her with a badminton racket," Alan replied. They turned and headed back the way they came.
No Fishing
No Standing.
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