Payback (11 page)

Rico tries to go to his ma but Annie throws her arms about him and half lifts, half drags Rico out of the kitchen.

Blackbeard is like a madman. He charges out into the back yard to search for his keys. Mango chases after him.

Joanna stirs feebly on the floor.

I run to the wall telephone. With trembling fingers I punch the 911 emergency number.

“Come quick!” I yell into the phone. “Police and ambulance!” I'm shaking. “Eighteen-eighty-eight Acorn Street. Come quick! Kidnap! Robbery! Come quick!”

Mango bursts into the kitchen from the back yard, Blackbeard's car keys in his jaws.

Stupid dog!

I'm still holding the phone when Blackbeard comes thumping along fast behind Mango. He sees the phone in my hand and grabs it and pulls, ripping
the cord from the wall. He hurls the phone at Mango and grabs the keys from his jaws.

Mango sinks his teeth into Blackbeard's ankle again and hangs on.

He rips Mango off his ankle by grasping him by the collar in one big hand and cutting off his air. Mango releases his hold. Blackbeard hurls him at the wall.

“Aaarrgh!”

I go to kick him but he swats me with the back of his hand. “Hup!”

I go flying, crashing into the table and falling to the floor. Mango whimpers with pain, trying to stand.

Blackbeard runs to the bathroom, smashes open the locked door, sweeps Rico up and comes running, almost tripping over himself in his haste, back toward the kitchen, Rico tucked under one arm.

Mango isn't finished yet. With the last of his strength he comes at Blackbeard again, gluing himself to his leg.

Blackbeard heads for the shattered kitchen door, trying to make his escape, dragging Mango along with him.

I stagger up from the floor. My jaw feels broken and my back has surely snapped in half.

My sword! I forgot about my spud peeler! I reach down and pull it from my sock and block Blackbeard's path, pointing the blade at him.

But he just keeps coming, waves me out of the way and bashes me on the shoulder with the hard edge of his meaty hand.

I stab at the giant's thigh as I go down, but I pierce his out-flung hand instead. The peeler skitters off along the floor. Blackbeard drops Rico and the car keys.

I painfully snatch the car keys off the floor, stagger into the bathroom through the smashed door, hurl the keys down the toilet and reach for the lever to flush them away. Blackbeard grabs me from behind and pulls. I shoot backwards into the hallway and hit the wall.

I try to get up but my legs won't support me. I see Blackbeard plunge his hand into the toilet and grab the keys.

Then, with the keys in his hand, he runs and drags a screaming Rico from behind the living-room sofa, where he and Annie are trying to hide. He
makes for the kitchen door, Rico under his arm, wriggling and yelling, “Momma! Momma!”

And then the police are suddenly there, bursting into the kitchen — four cops with guns drawn.

“Police! Hold it right there!”

“Back against the wall!”

“Put the kid down nice and easy!”

Blackbeard takes one look at them and gives up. He releases Rico and slumps to the floor, back against the kitchen cupboards, all the fight gone out of him. A policeman slips handcuffs onto his wrists, ignoring the blood.

Rico runs to his ma, who is barely conscious.

“Momma!”

I stagger to my knees, groggy with pain. Annie comes out from behind the sofa and throws her arms around me and I fall again, taking Annie down with me.

“Charley!” she cries. I lean my back against the wall, sucking air.

Two ambulance men arrive. The kitchen is crowded. They start strapping Joanna onto a stretcher.

“You'll be all right, ma'am. Just you relax now.”

One of the ambulance men turns and looks at me.

“Stay where you are, son, and don't move, okay?”

Which is fine with me. I don't want to move. Ever.

Annie crouches down beside me and takes my hand. She's got a bloody swelling on her forehead.

The ambulance man takes a good look at me and Annie, who keeps holding my hand. Then he takes a look at Blackbeard's bleeding wounds while a policeman stands over them. Rico kneels beside his ma's stretcher, trembling with fright, staring over at the man who came to take him away.

The kitchen is quiet.

Blackbeard, sitting slumped on the kitchen floor, back against the cupboards, stares at the boy.

“My little Rico,” he groans softly.

His dark eyes are swimming with tears.

All I remember about the hospital is white-coated figures fussing over me while I worry if Annie is okay.

The next thing is I'm home at Aunt Maeve's.

In bed. In the dark.

I know it's Aunt Maeve's because of the nightlight in the Blessed Virgin holy water font. Every time I wake up I see the orange light and shadows flickering on the wall and ceiling, and Ma watching over me.

The next morning I slide out of bed. My legs are so weak I can hardly stand. Takes me ages to get to the bathroom.

The mirror shows me a Frankenstein monster.

I look deadly. I'm shocked. My left eye is completely closed and there's black-and-blue swellings all over my mug, including my lip. My face is a different shape altogether, like the map of Ireland.

“Oh, Charley!” says Annie, coming in behind me. “Aunt Maeve says you must stay in bed today.”

“I'm fine.”

She grabs me by the wrist and walks me back to bed.

I'm not fine. The bed looks grand. All I want to do is sleep.

I climb in and Annie pulls up the covers and then leans over me, whispering, “Will I bring you some ice cream? Aunt Maeve bought a new carton. It's your favorite — chocolate pecan.”

I must have gone off because I don't remember eating any ice cream.

Annie and Aunt Maeve are there when I wake up. I close my eyes again. Then it's just Annie there. I notice the swelling on her forehead.

“How's your head, Annie?”

“It's nothing. Just a bump. Would you like me to read to you? I could read whatever book you want. Or your bike magazine?”

“I think I'll just close my eyes again for a few minutes, Annie.”

I stay in bed for the rest of the day. Annie keeps popping in and out keeping me company and driving
me crazy, bringing books and food and board games.

Joanna telephones. Aunt Maeve brings the phone into the bedroom.

“I called to thank you for what you did, Charley. For saving Rico. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

My jaw feels stiff. I can hardly speak.

“Look, Joanna...I've got to talk to you, okay?” It's an effort. “Tomorrow. I'll be there in the morning.”

I don't get up until the afternoon.

I call Joanna and then walk over. I don't trust myself on my bike.

I take my time because I'm terrible stiff. It's Sunday and the street is quiet.

I knock on the door. No barking Mango.

Joanna lets me in. The side of her face is all bruised, and she's got a black eye.

When she sees my face she says, “Oh, Charley!” Her eyes round as Frisbees. “I'm so sorry!” Big hug.

I just go limp, arms by my sides while she moans over me.

“I'm okay. How's Rico?”

“Rico is fine. Hardly a bruise on him, thank heaven.”

I follow her into the living room but she keeps looking at me, horrified.

I don't see the cats anywhere.

Rico comes running and throws his arms around my legs. I try to lift him up but quickly put him down again because my back and arms and shoulders are wrecked.

The gnomes and trolls and gargoyles and all the rest know why I'm here. I can tell by the looks on their faces, leering and jeering at my misery and guilt.

And why shouldn't they? They are Benny's creatures, after all.

I follow Joanna into the kitchen. The first thing I see is the smashed door. I think of Blackbeard coming through it like a tank.

I ease myself into a chair. Joanna has been cleaning up, but the kitchen is still a mess. One of the lower cupboard doors is missing.

“Where's the table? And two chairs are missing.”

“The legs are broken. I put them outside in the back.” She hands me a can of pop from the fridge, and a glass. Rico returns to his jigsaw puzzle in the living room.

“Where's Mango?”

“At the vet's. He'll be okay.” She sits.

“He's the number one grandest guard dog. You should've seen him. Ferocious. Kept rushing in. Tore half of the guy's ear off.” I don't tell her about the keys.

She nods. “He's a wonderful dog, all right.”

I look around.

“What about Pineapple and her kittens? Are they okay?”

“Yes. She's moved them to a new spot — under my bed.”

“I don't see your sewing machine.”

“It fell and broke. I can get it repaired. It shouldn't be a problem. But I can't stop looking at your poor face, Charley. I'm so angry at —”

“Rico's father.”

“Yes.”

“What will happen to him?”

“I don't know. The police and the immigration office will decide. They'll deport him, I hope.” She
shrugs. “If you hadn't stopped him yesterday...” Tears flood her eyes. “I have so much to thank you for, Charley.”

I shake my head. “No, you don't. I —”

This is it. I've got to tell her. I take a sip of pop. Then I clear my throat.

“Joanna, there's something I've got to tell you, something you don't know about me. I tried to tell you that very first day but —”

She reaches out a hand and places it over mine.

“There's no need, Charley.” She sighs. “I already know.”

“You already know?”

“Yes, Charley.”

“You know I wasn't Benny's friend?”

She shakes her head. “Benny had no friends. If he had he would have told me. Besides, a friend would have helped him.”

My heart is crushed at her words. But she's right. Benny didn't get any help from me.

She knew all the time and never said anything!

“So why did you let me keep coming here?”

“I saw your pain, Charley. That's all. I couldn't turn you away.”

I thought I was helping her but she was helping me? Is that what she's saying?

“I didn't stand up for him. I just watched.”

“Don't blame yourself, Charley. I'm the one. It was my entire fault. I'm more to blame for poor Benny's death than anyone.”

“What do you mean?”

The words flood out of her.

“I pushed him to go to school, to face up to his problems, to be responsible, to be a man, but I should have protected him. I'm his mother. I thought I was doing what was best for him, but I should have known. The evidence was under my nose all the time but I couldn't see it. So much time sleeping. He wasn't reading, and he stopped making his gnomes and elves, kept to his room, wouldn't eat —”

By now she's sobbing, and I feel my eyes prickle as I watch her.

“I could have kept him home,” she says to me, her voice flat. “I could have kept him safe. I will never forgive myself. Not in a thousand years will I ever forgive myself.”

Da gets home early in the afternoon.

When he sees me his jaw drops.

He already knows about me and Annie being in the hospital. Aunt Maeve told him last night on the phone.

“You look terrible!” he says. His face looks like there's a vacuum inside his skull sucking the skin tight around his cheekbones.

“I know, but I'm okay.”

Aunt Maeve comes over to our house and tells Da the story again, this time with my help. You wouldn't believe the number of questions my da asks.

When it's over, Da says, “You're a brave boy, Charley. But I don't approve of you putting yourself in harm's way. It's not a dead hero I want for a son, you hear me? I still don't quite understand why you and Annie were over at the Mason place so much —
yes, I know you told me how you were trying to help, but it doesn't quite add up. I'd like to meet that woman myself.”

Now I've got to tell my da the truth.

I take a deep breath and give it to him straight, tell him the whole story, my part in Benny Mason's death, how I could've stuck up for Benny but didn't.

Telling Da is hard. But telling Joanna was harder.

“I'm one of the reasons Benny killed himself. When the others were slagging him I stood by and let it happen. I should have said something. It's like I helped kill him.”

After Da has heard everything, he says, “Life is about choices, Charley. What you did was wrong, saying nothing. You made the wrong choice. But Benny Mason's wrong choices were fatal. He could have asked for help from his mother or from the school. Instead, he chose to jump off a bridge to his death. He chose the wrong way to solve his problem.”

I tell Da about the fire alarms.

Da says, “It's a pity no one was listening. Look, I admire you for taking responsibility, Charley, but you can't pay for Benny's wrong choices. It's over. It's finished. You helped the boy's ma. You tried to make
amends. You're a grand boy, Charley. I'm proud of you. And if your ma was here she'd be proud of you, too.”

He reaches out and gives my shoulder a squeeze.

“Now you've got to put it behind you and move on, you understand?”

Seems to me moving on won't be as easy as it sounds. For starters, I'll never forget Benny Mason.

••••

Me and Annie drive with Da over to the Mason place in the late afternoon.

Joanna and Da shake hands and then Joanna introduces Rico, who is holding one of Pineapple's kittens. Mango is back home in his basket, but he isn't well enough for his barking routine at the front door.

Annie kneels on the floor and baby-talks him. “Is the brave Mango home again where he belongs?” She nuzzles the dog's ruff and Mango's tail twitches feebly as he flicks a couple of jaded licks at Annie's face.