by C. Kennedy
“I get bored easy. That ass, Chase, still givin’ you trouble?”
It made sense that Drifter was one of Smitty’s guys, but Michael thought it more than a little absurd that a biker could blow delicate glass. One of these things is definitely not like the other. “Not solved,” he said, hoping to close the subject before Christy began to ask questions.
Drifter made a face. “Smitty ain’t gonna put up with it much longer before he thumps him.”
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Jake said.
Drifter glanced at Jake. “No kiddin’.”
Thimi had left the wheelchair and joined Christy and Zero in studying the creations behind the window. Thimi said something in a whisper and held up the purple marble.
“That’s a nice piece,” Drifter complimented.
Christy smiled. “It is the favorite toy of Thimi since he is young.”
“Want me to make you a stand for it?”
Christy translated, and Thimi responded. “He says the thank-you, but it is not necessary. It is always in the hand.”
Drifter smiled wide before digging beneath the wooden counter and bringing up a bag of multicolored glass marbles. He dug beneath the counter again and came up with a single white marble before shoving both toward Thimi. “Ever play a game of marbles?”
Surprise filled Christy’s face. “It is the game?”
Drifter chuckled. “Yeah, it’s a game.”
“How do you play this?”
“I’ll show you when we get home,” Zero said quickly.
“How much money for the marble?”
“Don’t sweat it.”
Christy turned to Michael, confusion plain on his face.
“He means don’t worry about it.”
Christy turned back to Drifter. “I must pay for the marble.”
Drifter shook his head. “Like I said, don’t sweat it.”
“It is a gift, Christy,” Sophia explained.
“Thank you, Mr. Drifter.”
Drifter laughed aloud. “No mister. Just Drifter.”
Thimi handed his empty cotton candy cone to Christy and retook the chair, pleased to try the ice cream. A hoarse “Bravo!” left Thimi, and it startled everyone.
Christy laughed one of his rare laughs. “Ah, see? I knew you would like the ice cream.”
They continued down the boardwalk past a hard candy booth, and Michael spied twelve-inch rainbow swirl lollipops. “Hold up, bro. I’ll be right back.”
Jake stopped with everyone and watched Michael trot away.
“Where’s he off to?” Lisa asked.
Jake answered with one word. “Candy.”
Michael was back within minutes bearing three large lollipops, and Zero’s eyes went wide. “Wow. Those are huge.”
“Put these in the backpack, Christy.”
They continued down the boardwalk, and Thimi yawned.
“Time to head home?” Michael asked.
Christy translated, and Thimi shook his head.
“How about if we head home and come back another day?”
Christy translated, and the disappointment that filled Thimi’s eyes would have melted even the coldest of hearts.
Lisa looked down at him. “You can come back anytime, Thimi. We’re here all summer.”
“We come back, and I take you to the Ferris wheel when it is open,” Christy promised.
Thimi still looked unhappy.
“We can play marbles when we get home,” Zero said.
This seemed to bring a little light to Thimi’s sad eyes.
“Okay, we go now, and we come another time,” Christy said with finality.
THIMI WAS asleep with his head in Christy’s lap by the time they returned to Wellington. His ice cream was gone, but he held as tightly to the plastic spoon as he did to his marble.
“Thimi?” Christy tried to wake him as Tad opened the door.
Thimi didn’t budge, and Rob leaned into the car. “Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. They said we can go back anytime,” Zero said as he got out of the front seat.
Rob chuckled. “I’m sure they did. Nice shark.”
“It’s a killer whale.”
“My mistake.”
Christy gently pried the plastic spoon from Thimi’s hand. “He does not wish to wake.”
Michael snickered. “Try taking the marble from him.”
Christy turned to Michael with a frown.
“Seriously. He’ll wake up.”
Christy began to pry Thimi’s fingers open and, sure enough, Thimi woke with a start.
Michael drew a small line in the air with a fingertip. “Point.”
Jake snorted. “Mean.”
“Hey, it worked.”
Sophia lightly batted Michael’s shoulder as she climbed out of the car.
Thimi sat up, his lips a startling purple from the cotton candy, and Rob chuckled. “Looks like you ate your cotton candy all in one bite.”
“Pretty much,” Michael said through a laugh.
Christy held the plastic spoon out to Thimi, and he took it before climbing out of the car. Christy followed and went around to the trunk to get the backpack. Tad withdrew the wheelchair and snapped it open for Thimi to take a seat.
“How’d it go?” Rob asked.
“Great.” Michael dug the plastic bag of medication from his pocket and handed it to Rob. “He didn’t need anything.”
“He was supposed to take it with lunch. Did you eat?”
Oops. “Ah, well, yeah. A cotton candy and ice cream lunch.”
Rob rolled his eyes.
Michael lowered his voice. “Thimi had an accident with too many people around so we headed to the bathroom and then straight to the cotton candy to cheer him up. And Christy took some Tylenol for his foot and ribs.”
Rob nodded his approval.
Christy wheeled Thimi to where they stood. “I go to put Thimi in the bed, Michael.”
Again, Michael was disappointed. He’d hoped to spend the afternoon with Christy. “Ah, okay. Um, see you tomorrow?”
“Yes. Thank you for the very nice time.” He stood on tiptoe and pecked Michael’s lips.
“No problem.” He looked down at Thimi. “Thanks for going with us.”
Thimi said something, and Christy translated. “He wishes to know when we go back.”
Michael smiled. “Yours to handle, babe.”
Now Christy smiled. “I see this is for me.”
Michael looked at Zero. “Thanks for hanging with us, man.”
Zero nodded. “Thanks.”
“Oh, and hey, the lollipops are for Thimi, you, and Darien.”
“Thanks!”
Michael watched as Christy pushed a sleepy Thimi around the side of the main house, and Zero followed. He then turned to Rob. “Thimi was a little dizzy after riding the carousel.”
Sophia laughed softly. “This is what happens when you ride the painted horses for a solid hour.”
Rob’s brows shot up. “Surely you jest.”
Jake laughed. “If it were up to Thimi and Zero, we’d still be on it.”
“I don’t know whether to thank you or scold you,” Rob said with a grin. “Part of learning to take care of one’s self is discipline, and it sounds as if you set a fine example of wild abandon.”
“Come on, don’t be harsh. It was their first time,” Michael teased through an equally big grin.
Rob ran a hand down his face and shook his head in feigned disappointment.
“We’ll see you tomorrow for the barbecue.”
“I can’t wait,” Rob said, sarcasm thick in his voice.
Michael and Jake burst into laughter before Jake turned to Sophia. “Are you staying or going?”
“I will stay, if it is all right with you. I would like to get to know Thimi a little more. Ariel will want to know more of him too.”
Jake handed the balloon dragon and hat to her and kissed her cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEV
EN
“I FEEL bad for Thimi,” Jake said as he looked out the car window and watched the city pass by.
“I do too, but I think of him like I do Christy. I don’t think he wants pity. I think he just wants to get better,” Michael said quietly.
“I can go along with that. Zero is an interesting kid.”
“Rob says he’s been on the streets since he was a toddler.”
“Man, that’s rough. Why is he at Wellington?”
Michael shook his head. “Don’t know. Christy told me it was none of my business.”
Jake chuckled. “God love him.”
“After seeing Zero’s reaction in the car today, I’d guess he had to deal with survival sex and got hurt a few times.”
Jake turned to him now. “What do you mean?”
“Kids end up on the street, have no money, and have to survive, so they deal in sex.”
“Like prostitution?”
“Don’t call it that. They wouldn’t be doing it if they had basic necessities. And people take advantage of ’em because they’re throwaway kids. Nobody cares if they get hurt or go missing.”
Jake pinned Michael with his dark eyes. “That’s seriously fucked-up and just plain cruel.”
“Yep.”
“No wonder he had trouble in the car today.”
Michael shrugged a shoulder. “I could be wrong. Did you see his face when Pappy gave him that killer whale? He was thrilled.”
Jake smiled. “Yeah. Thimi really liked the dragon too.”
“We did good today, Jake. We made everyone happy.”
“Yeah, we did.”
They pulled into Jake’s gated home and didn’t miss the undercover police car in the driveway.
Michael rolled his eyes. “Davis’s car?”
“Looks like. Let’s go see what’s up now.”
“Man, I’m really starting to hate Rich. And I asked Detective Davis not to talk about this shit in front of Mom.”
“For whatever it’s worth, my mom isn’t doing much better after my car blew up.”
“Dammit, Jake. This needs to freakin’ stop.”
They entered the parlor to find Bobbie on the phone, and Anna, Nero, Mac, and Detective Davis conferring in low tones.
“What’s up?” Jake asked.
“Have a seat,” Nero said.
They plopped into chairs and waited expectantly.
“Do you recall that Jason’s father, Mr. Whitman, owned the old meat-packing plant in the field?”
They nodded.
“Mr. Whitman also owned the house Rich’s family was renting. He sold it to pay Jason’s bail bond and left them homeless.”
Michael let his head loll back against the chair and swore under his breath.
Mac cleared his throat. “They have four girls under the age of twelve and went to a shelter. Because Rich is eighteen, he was left on his own.”
“At the same time, Rich’s father lost his job,” Nero explained further.
Jake swore under his breath this time. “I don’t mean to sound harsh, but get another job.”
“He’s trying, Jacob.”
“Okay, and?”
Detective Davis sat forward. “The family is struggling, and according to Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle, Rich believes none of this would have happened if Michael wasn’t gay.”
“Oh come on!” Michael erupted.
“Keep your voice down,” Mac said sternly.
Michael shut his mouth in exasperation and gritted his teeth. “Who’s Mom on the phone with?”
Mac continued, “Rich’s mother is an ER nurse at St. Elizabeth’s. Your mother arranged for her to receive a raise in pay and is now speaking with a lab technician who owns a home about three blocks from us. He’s retiring and moving to Florida, and your mother is trying to convince him to rent it to the Carlisles for a nominal sum until they get back on their feet.”
“Okay, so what does all this mean to us?” Jake asked.
“We’re hoping that Rich moves home with his parents and his association with the motorcycle club stops,” Detective Davis said evenly.
“What about Tony’s death?” Michael asked.
“That’s a separate matter.”
Bobbie hung up and did a fist pump. “Yes!”
Michael almost smiled. “What’s up, Mom?”
“He’ll rent it to them for a year at half rate.”
Anna smiled and applauded. “Well done, Bobbie!”
Detective Davis stood. “They’ll be very grateful for everything you’ve done, Mrs. Sattler.”
“It has four bedrooms. The girls can share two rooms, and Rich will have his own room. They can move in next weekend,” she said excitedly.
“Would you like to give Mrs. Carlisle the good news?”
Bobbie paused as she sat next to Anna on the couch. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You probably shouldn’t say I had anything to do with it.”
Detective Davis nodded. “I understand. One more thing. The fire department’s forensics report indicates the incendiary fuel used to set your home afire was aviation fuel.”
Michael and Jake gaped in tandem before Michael asked, “Did you tell Smitty?”
“I’m on my way to speak to him now.”
DARIEN WAITED at the screen door with Mel, and he looked as if he had ants in his pants. Christy smiled. “You are good with the rule now?”
“Yeah. Promise.”
“Good. Then you come, but you must be silent and not interrupt the game of marble for Thimi and Zero. It is the serious game.”
“’Kay. Promise.”
Christy opened the screen door, and Darien tiptoed in. “Sit there on the floor, but do not interrupt the game.”
Darien did as instructed. Though he fidgeted and wriggled, he otherwise remained quiet and didn’t leave his place on the floor.
Zero carefully studied the marbles, his tongue avidly worrying his upper lip while Thimi looked on, unmoving, but keenly studying the game.
Christy dug in the backpack and withdrew the large lollipop Michael had purchased for Darien. He bent and held it in front of him. “It is the lollipop. Michael gives this to you.”
Darien’s eyes went wide. “It’s giant!”
His shout startled Zero, who missed his shot and promptly became irritated.
“You must be quiet.” Christy placed the pop in Darien’s hand, and he nearly dropped it. “Hold with two hands.”
Thimi said something in Greek, and Christy translated for Zero. “He says to make the new shot because of Darien.”
A smile played at the edges of Zero’s lips. “Thanks.” He took the white marble and returned it to its original position. Tongue in action, Zero aligned his finger and shot.
“I want to eat it now!” Darien shouted.
Zero’s marble skidded off the radar.
Christy squatted next to Darien. “I will open the pop for you, but if you make another sound, you must leave.” Christy tore the cellophane wrapper from the pop and handed it to Darien. “No sound. Do not move. Eat the pop.” He looked at Thimi, who gestured for Zero to try again. “Do this again,” Christy encouraged Zero.
Zero smiled and looked at Darien before repositioning the white marble.
“He will not make the sound,” Christy promised before leaning down to Darien. “Do not make the sound or you leave. No more chances.”
“’Kay,” Darien whispered as he fought to hold the lollipop upright with one hand.
“Two hands,” Christy instructed. “We will wash if you have the sticky. No sound.”
“’Kay,” Darien whispered.
Zero aimed and shot, expertly bouncing a colored marble out of the masking-tape circle on the floor.
“This is the good shot,” Christy admired.
Zero took his next shot and missed.
Christy turned to Thimi. “Thimi?”
Thimi studied the remaining marbles in the circle, positioned the white marble, and glanced at Darien.
/> “He will not make the sound,” Christy promised.
Thimi took his shot awkwardly thanks to the cast on his wrist, but bounced a colored marble from the circle.
“Ah, this is very good. Okay, like this, you have the new shot,” Christy instructed.
Thimi positioned the white marble and was about to shoot when Darien dropped the lollipop. True to his word, Darien covered his mouth with a hand and didn’t say a word, but his expression twisted into one of excruciating disappointment.
Christy took it to the sink, rinsed it off, and returned to Darien. “Two hands.”
Darien gripped it fiercely.
“Okay, we continue.” He gestured to Thimi.
After fifteen more minutes of serious marble competition, the game ended with Thimi as the declared winner. Christy thought Zero had let him win, and that was a wonderful thing for Thimi. He smiled from ear to ear for the remainder of the evening.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
AT THE barbecue on Sunday, Michael sat in his usual spot next to Christy at the end of the row of picnic benches. Thimi sat next to Christy in a second chair at the end of the table, and Zero sat next to Thimi on the bench seat.
Michael continued to smash Gummy Bears on a paper plate to form a round platform as Thimi and Zero looked on with interest.
Lisa grinned her toothy grin. “What are you doing, Mike?”
“You’ll see.”
“It is the gift for Thimi,” Christy explained.
“Our boys here shot a pretty mean game of marbles last night,” Mel said.
Zero gestured to Thimi. “He won.”
Thimi’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he tried to hide his smile.
“All right!” Jake put his fist out to Thimi for a bump.
“Make the fist like this and touch the fist.” Christy fist-bumped Jake.
Zero fist-bumped Jake next, and Thimi awkwardly folded his hand and touched Jake’s fist lightly.
Christy nodded his approval. “It is like the high five with the fist.”
Thimi asked a question in Greek, and it became obvious he didn’t know what a high five was because Christy held a hand up.
Jerry reached over and high-fived him. “Ow. Hey, that hurt.” He squeezed the last two fingers on his hand. “Hey! I got feeling back in my fingers!”