Extra-Chica (The Girl) (A Chapter of Gratitude for Your Generosity)
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Jackie Welles came from a terrible family.
When he was little, his father often beat him and his mother with a belt. But that was Jackie—he refused to lose.
He fought back hard, put the bastard in the hospital for a few peaceful days, and after that, it was just him and his mom.
At fifteen, Jackie slipped a ring from the Valentino gang onto his finger. Young Jackie was always dreaming of making it big, until a Maelstrom punk’s bullet came to rest near his heart.
He realized that no matter how far he made it, nothing mattered more than giving his mother peace of mind.
He became obsessed with working out, building himself up. He pulled on a pair of boxing gloves and had a hell of a fight with a man named Viktor in the ring at Night City’s Devil’s Boxing Club.
“Whoever beats you into an idiot is the one you become friends with.”
And so Doctor Viktor and Jackie clasped hands, pressed their chests together, and sealed a friendship between men. Sometimes it really was that simple.
It was also the first time Jackie felt that hard work could bring rewards—including friendship.
He loved riding his motorcycle and was even planning to compete in the Gunfire and Horseback Show. He treasured that Nazaré above all else. Fresh off the production line in 2075, the bike suited his life as a rising street legend perfectly.
Jackie Welles had known a girl since childhood. Of course, she was nothing like Camila or Misty.
She came from a privileged family, born to make a living in the corporate world.
Driven, fiery, and utterly incapable of giving up—in truth, she and Jackie had a lot in common.
…
“Damn it… Jackie, this miserable cleanup job has landed on our counterintelligence department again.”
V was complaining over the phone.
“My mom always says to be patient. There’s always a reward in the end—and it’s usually a good one.”
Jackie often comforted V that way.
“But this job seems to be eating you alive.” Jackie hated seeing his partner growing more haggard by the day. All he could do was watch as the once-vibrant V changed from her sunny self into someone noticeably more melancholy, occasionally lapsing into silence.
“Why not come out? There’s plenty of money to be made on the streets.”
On Jackie’s holo-call, V was still busy working. He, meanwhile, had just finished another job and was sitting in his usual open booth at Lizzie’s, nursing a drink.
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“I want a promotion, I have to work overtime, and somehow I feel like I have everything and nothing at the same time.”
V sighed and shook her head with a bitter smile.
Jackie straightened up. “Your boss—the one, uh, what’s his name again?”
“Arthur Jenkins…”
“Oh, right. Keep running with those bastards and sooner or later they’ll sell you off piece by piece… But when you’re off the clock, come by Lizzie’s—”
“Have a drink of this stuff, and you’ll forget all your troubles.”
Jackie raised his glass, recited his toast, and drained it in one go.
“I sell you out, you sell me out—that’s just how Arasaka works, right? We’ve got a project lately… that kennel in Dogtown. I’m like an old woman worrying over everything, checking into this and that, making some idiot who isn’t exactly thrilled about bleeding for the company investigate it.”
“Those street punks have too many tricks up their sleeves. Hard to keep them on a leash.”
V told him everything.
She never kept anything from Jackie. Whatever was on her mind, she said it plainly.
Whenever the conversation reached this point, Jackie would start quoting old sayings. To him, Mrs. Welles’s words were gospel.
V found talking to Jackie far more relaxing than seeing a therapist or doing yoga.
“Smile, chica… There’s no obstacle you can’t get past.”
V nodded. “How are things with you and Misty?”
Whenever the subject came up, Jackie became less lively.
He scratched his head.
“I don’t really understand the things she likes—but I support her, you know? When you’re chasing a girl, a little patience never hurts.”
Before hanging up, Jackie Welles said with complete seriousness:
“Girl, whatever happens between us, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t be timid or afraid of trouble.”
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V’s fighting spirit flared up at once. “Then wish me success in my career, brother.”
Jackie burst out laughing. “I’ll have to see when I can make it to the Afterlife—”
“The chance to make a name for yourself is waiting right there! And if I get to work with some badass fixer… Oh, say, Dexter! Just thinking about it gets me fired up!”
A corporate drone and a street kid.
Night City had never seen a stranger friendship than theirs.
Right, chica?
Jackie Welles murmured silently to himself.
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Camila: Jackie Welles’s ex-girlfriend and Mrs. Welles’s favorite choice for a daughter-in-law.
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