albert

I__ trying to make a profit. I__ using batteries, toilet paper, and paper towels as currency. Each is something that will eventually be in short supply.___ou__e trying to get all the toilet paper in town?_ Astrid shrilled. __re you kidding?___o, Astrid, I__ not kidding,_ Albert said. __ook, right now, kids are playing with the stuff. I saw little kids throwing rolls of it around on their lawns like it was a toy. So____o your solution is to try and take it all away from people?___ou__ rather see it wasted?___eah, actually,_ Astrid huffed. __ather than you getting it all for yourself. You__e acting like a jerk.__lbert__ eyes flared. __ook, Astrid, now kids know they can buy their way into the club with it. So they__e not going to waste it anymore.___o, they__e going to give it all to you,_ she shot back. __nd what happens when they need some?___hen there will still be some left because I made it valuable.___aluable to you.___aluable to everyone, Astrid.___t__ you taking advantage of kids dumb enough not to know any better. Sam, you have to put a stop to this.__am had drifted away from the conversation, his head full of the music. He snapped back. __he__ right, Albert, this isn__ okay. You didn__ get permission____ didn__ think I needed permission to give kids what they want. I mean, I__ not threatening anyone, saying, __ive me your toilet paper, give me your batteries._ I__ just playing some music and saying, __f you want to come in and dance, then it__l cost you.____ude, I respect you being ambitious and all,_ Sam said. __ut I have to shut this down. You never got permission, even, let alone asked us if it was okay to charge people.__lbert said, __am, I respect you more than I can even say. And Astrid, you are way smarter than me. But I don__ see how you have the right to shut me down.__hat was it for Sam. __kay, I tried to be nice. But I am the mayor. I was elected, as you probably remember, since I think you voted for me.___ did. I__ do it again, man. But Sam, Astrid, you guys are wrong here. This club is about all these kids have that can get them together for a good time. They__e sitting in their homes starving and feeling sad and scared. When they__e dancing, they forget how hungry and sad they are. This is a good thing I__ doing.__am stared hard at Albert, a stare that kids in Perdido Beach took seriously. But Albert did not back down.__am, how many cantaloupes did Edilio manage to bring back with kids who were rounded up and forced to work?_ Albert asked.__ot many,_ Sam admitted.__rc picked a whole truckload of cabbage. Before the zekes figured out how to get at him. Because we paid Orc to work.___e did it because he__ the world__ youngest alcoholic and you paid him with beer,_ Astrid snapped. __ know what you want, Albert. You want to get everything for yourself and be this big, important guy. But you know what? This is a whole new world. We have a chance to make it a better world. It doesn__ have to be about some people getting over on everyone else. It can be fair to everyone.__lbert laughed. __veryone can be equally hungry. In a week or so, everyone can starve.

ot everyone liked Albert. Not everyone was happy that he had become the most important person around. Lots of people were jealous that Albert had a girl to clean his house and the porcelain basin where he did his business at night when he didn__ want to go outside to the only actual outhouse in Per-dido Beach. And that he could afford to send his clothes to be washed in the fresh water of the ironically named Lake Evian.And there were definitely people who didn__ like working for Albert, having to do what he said or go hungry.Albert traveled with a bodyguard now. The bodyguard__ name was Jamal. Jamal carried an automatic rifle over his shoulder. He had a massive hunting knife in his belt. And a club that was an oak chair leg with spikes driven through it to make a sort of mace.Unlike everyone else Albert carried no weapon himself. Jamal was weapon enough.