“Can you even tell the time?” I asked.
“Of course I can tell the time, dumbass, but I don’t have a watch.”
“We need a watch, it might be too early.”
“We’ll buy a watch, now get your lazy ass up.”
I groaned and grumbled as I sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Robert was already busy making his bed, tidying away his small pile of clothes and opening the window to let yet more cold air into the room.
“Shut the fucking window, at least,” I said.
“Fresh air, Trav. We need fresh air, it stinks in here. And you need a wash.”
He was like my bloody mother. No, he was nothing like my mother, he cared for me. I grabbed my clothes from the screwed up pile on the floor and made my way to the small bathroom. By the time I had splashed some water over my face and dressed, he had folded all my clothes and placed them on his bed, leaving mine still unmade. Apparently he didn’t like the mess; he looked at me and then the messy bed until I got the hint and made it.
It wasn’t long after that Evelyn and Joe arrived. We dived into the breakfast she brought then waited for instructions on the jobs we were assigned that day. It was the usual, deliver a package and collect the money. Robert and I headed off. We held our breaths as we climbed the stairs in a dank and dark hallway, the block looked like it was about to fall down. When we came to the apartment we were looking for, there was no need to knock, the door was hanging off its hinges. It was pure filth. The apartment block I had lived in, in New York, would have been called a palace compared to where we found ourselves.
A guy was slouched on a sofa and it was obvious he was a druggie. He had that same look Slider had towards the end, his eyes and nose were red and watery, and he had that faraway look, just staring into space. He didn’t even care that we had just walked in, not that he had anything worth stealing anyway. I noticed Robert look around in disgust. It wasn’t that he was a snob but he did have a thing for cleanliness and order.
I stood and watched as he asked for payment and chuckled when the druggie refused.
“Fuck off,” he told us.
“I want the money, and you know I can’t go back to Guiseppi without your payment,” Robert replied.
What I liked the most about Robert was that he never raised his voice, he didn’t shout, in fact, his voice got lower the angrier he was. It was quite chilling if you wasn’t used to it.
“Beat it, kid,” the man said with a laugh.
I watched as Robert pulled back his fist and quick as a flash, punched the guy square in the face. Blood squirted from his nose and he slid off the sofa. Robert nodded to me and signalled with his eyes to a small table. I spotted the money and decided to take an extra $10. Why not? I handed the money to Robert, minus the $10 dollars at first. Robert just looked at me with his hand outstretched until I handed it over.
“Why can’t we keep it?” I asked as we made our way back to the office.
“Wait and see,” he replied.
I had learnt over the past year what he meant when he said ‘wait and see’. I knew whatever he had planned, Robert would cut me in; we shared everything. As we walked back to the office I noticed people stare at Robert, their attention drawn by the fresh blood splattered on his shirt and his fists.
Paul was sitting in his usual chair just inside Joe’s office door with a cigarette hanging from his lips. He nodded as we walked in. Jonathan sat opposite Joe and the two goons, whose names I never knew, we sat down in the corner. Robert held out his bloodied hand with the bills, I watched Joe look at his hand and then back up at his face.
I smiled as Robert recounted the tale of how we had gotten the money and then as he asked for the $10 back as a bonus because we had done an extra job. If he hadn’t have hit the guy, Joe wouldn’t have been paid. Joe was laughing so hard he had to wipe a tear from his eye. He gladly offered the $10 back. Paul was then sent to remind the guy that he always had to pay; it didn’t take a genius to know what that meant.
“Kids, tomorrow I want you to meet someone,” Joe said.
Later that evening Evelyn arrived with dinner. She served from plastic containers and sat with us at her father’s desk as we ate.
“Travis, I want to ask you something and I don’t want you to be embarrassed,” Evelyn said.
I looked from her to Robert. “Can you read?” she asked.
I didn’t answer at first, I was embarrassed. Robert knew, but to confess to Evelyn was not something I was comfortable with. I used the excuse of having a mouth full of food to delay my answer.
“Yes, a bit,” I replied.
“Would you let me help you learn?” she said.
I looked at Robert who nodded very slightly to me. I knew that if we were to succeed in whatever plan Robert had up his sleeve I ought to be able to read properly.
“I’m not going to school,” I said.
“I’m not suggesting you go to school, although it’s a shame you don’t. There is a great one locally you both could attend.”
“No school,” Robert said firmly.
“Okay, no school. But I can teach you. One night a week maybe, we’ll have dinner and learn, no one will know, just us,” she said with a smile.
I was hesitant but after a while nodded.
****
The following morning we waited for Joe as usual.
“I wonder who we’re going to meet?” I asked.
“Don’t know, sounds interesting though,” Robert replied.
We heard the car pull up outside, its throaty exhaust making it easy to recognise, and we made our way down the stairs. The car was huge and as I slid across the leather seats I nodded in appreciation. I vowed that I was going to own a car as big as this one someday. Joe was sitting in the back with us, puffing on his cigar. Robert was trying to cough discreetly and cover his face. Up front was the driver and one of Joe’s goons. I would have to find out his name, not that he ever spoke to us.
We pulled up outside a run-down warehouse. That wasn’t surprising, every building in the neighbourhood was run down. Goon got out first and opened the door for us. I liked that and smiled up at him, but as usual he ignored me. We entered through a small metal door and found ourselves in a cavernous space filled with boxing equipment. There was a ring, punch bags hanging from the ceilings, mats and weight equipment. There were also quite a few very large guys working out.
Joe signalled to an older man, who made his way over. He had a broken nose, short grey hair and a cigarette in his mouth. With one eye half shut against the smoke swirling around his face, he smiled at us.
“Kids, this is Ted. Ted, these are the kids I told you about,” Joe said.
Ted reached out and shook our hands. He had huge hands with gnarled fingers. Joe told us that he had been one of his best fighters and that he was going to teach us to box. I had seen Rocky; I knew what to do and was very excited by the prospect. Robert stood and looked around before nodding. We were shown to a changing room and handed some shorts and a vest to wear.
“What do you think of this?” I asked Robert.
“Looks cool. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Bet I can beat you,” I said.
He just looked at me with that expressionless look he always had and did his signature sigh before turning around and leaving the changing room.
“I can, you know. You’ve never seen Rocky have you?” I called after him. Fighting was something I knew a lot about.
We stood on the mats and I warmed up well, to be honest I threw some punches in the air and danced around a bit. Robert looked at me with raised eyebrows; I figured he was impressed with my skills already. I tried not to puff and pant too much but could already feel the sweat beading on my forehead.
“Now boys, I’m gonna teach you to dance,” Ted said as he called over one of the largest guys I had ever seen. He made Goon look like a child.
“Fuck off mate, we don’t dance,” I replied. Dancing was for girls
, I wanted to box.
Ted introduced us to Mack, who I guessed to be in his twenties, and I couldn’t help but stare at his muscles. He had to be a heavyweight for sure. Mack took us off to a corner away from everyone and taught us how to stand, where to hold our hands, how to defend and how to throw a punch. I knew all this, or I thought that I did. Mack had Robert and I square up against each other; we were not allowed to hit but only throw soft punches so the other could learn to deflect it. I went first. As I threw my fist forward Robert moved, so my arm swung through thin air. I tried again. Rob didn’t need to block my punches, I wasn’t getting anywhere near him. He was fast and before I knew it, it was his turn. I hadn’t had a chance to blink before one of his ‘soft’ punches caught me on the side of the head.
Mack had to repeat that we were not allowed to put force behind the punch and when Robert told him he hadn’t, I took a sharp breath in; that had stung a little. If that was a soft punch I would need to tighten my game before we really sparred. It seemed that we had only been there five minutes before Mack looked over at the door. Joe had arrived back and was calling us over.
“How long have we been here?” I asked.
“Couple of hours, I think,” Robert replied.
“Shit. Do you think Joe will let us come back?”
“I hope so, that was about the most fun I’ve ever had,” he replied.
“You can come back tomorrow after you’ve run some errands for me,” Joe said as we caught up with him, he’d obviously heard our exchange.
Both Robert and I had huge grins on our faces as we made our way to the changing rooms.
“Thought you said you could beat me,” Robert said as we pulled on our clothes.
“I bet I can. I was just testing you out there. You know, make you sway about a bit.”
“Really?”
I chuckled. “One day, bro, one day.”
He stilled and looked at me, I wasn’t sure why. He had a strange look on his face.
“What?” I said.
“What did you call me?”
“Bro, why?”
He smiled, not one that reached his eyes, more a sad smile at first.
“Yeah, brothers in all but blood. That’s what we are,” he said before heading out.
At first I didn’t understand the significance of what either he or I had said. But then, watching him walk away it dawned on me. We were brothers, street brothers, we were the only family we each had.
****
The following days were pretty much the same. Deliver a package, return with the money, then hit the gym. We trained every day and I soon realised I knew nothing about boxing. I never had the same level of aggression Robert displayed. Sometimes just the look on his face when he hit the punch bag sent a shiver up my spine. He seemed to enjoy every punch he delivered in a way I couldn’t begin to understand.
In one way, we got the most exercise being the delivery boys. We walked for miles each day. Joe would often offer us a car and someone to drive but Robert preferred to walk. On occasion, we would visit Evelyn in her office. We would collect items from her and take them to restaurants or houses. Most days it was a joy to see her, but not always. She could be pushy, especially with me.
“Good morning boys, how are you both today?” she said as we entered her office.
“Great. It’s a lovely morning, Ev, you should get out and about,” I replied.
She peered at me. “Come here, Travis.”
I stepped forward and before I knew it she had one of my ears in her hand.
“When was the last time you washed your ears?” she asked.
“I don’t know, two years ago?” I joked.
Using my ear as a handle, she pulled me behind her. Robert was chuckling at my discomfort. We made our way into the ladies restroom thankful she was the only lady so we wouldn’t bump into another. Wetting some tissue she shoved it into my ear. I twisted and turned trying to get out of her hold. She was like a dog with a bone, she just wouldn’t let go. Robert was openly laughing until she glared at him. He promptly cleaned his own ears.
“Show me your teeth, did you clean your teeth?” she asked. I clamped my mouth shut.
“Travis, do you remember how sick you got? Please don’t make me come to that office every day to check that you have washed and cleaned your teeth, okay? If you don’t look after yourselves you will get sick.”
I nodded. Who cleaned their teeth every day anyway? But if it meant avoiding having my ears torn off, having her hands trying to pry open my jaw, I would make sure I cleaned my teeth and washed my ears. When she was satisfied I was clean, she let me go. I grumbled as I followed her back to her desk.
We were to collect some boxes from Evelyn’s office and deliver them to a restaurant nearby. They weren’t particularly heavy boxes, and Paul would meet us there to collect whatever payment was required. The restaurant was empty; it was too early in the day for diners. Hearing voices, we made our way to the kitchen. Paul was talking to the person I assumed was the owner.
“I’ve got to take a piss, let Paul know we are here,” Robert said.
He left me to push through the kitchen door. Before I could make myself known I watched as Paul took a stack of bills from the guy. He counted out some, separated them off and placed the two stacks in two different pockets. At first it didn’t bother me. I didn’t really understand what I was seeing. On hearing the door open fully, both turned to look at me.
“Trav, put those boxes just down there, and where’s Rob?” Paul asked.
“Taking a piss, anything else you need?”
“No, I’ll walk back with you.”
We caught up with Robert as he exited the toilets and made our way back to the office. Paul was quiet on the journey but I did catch him looking at me a few times, and so did Robert. As we fell very slightly behind Paul, Robert looked over to me, his brow furrowed in question and I shrugged my shoulders. Paul was never the most talkative, but he was looking at me as if he wanted to say something, yet he never did.
We climbed the stairs to Joe’s office and found him sitting behind his desk, with Jonathan seated to the side. I watched as Paul removed the larger stack of money from his pocket and hand it over to Jonathan. As he turned to leave, Paul glanced at me. I held his gaze but kept my mouth shut. He hadn’t handed over all the money he had received.
I was unsure whether to say anything, or even if it was my business to speak up. Perhaps that was normal; maybe that was Paul’s cut and Joe was aware of it. I could be a snitch and tell, and if I fucked up I’d be on the wrong side of Paul. And if the guys thought I would run to Joe every time I saw something I didn’t understand, would they shun us? I decided to think on it some more.
Evelyn arrived later that day with a meal for us, not just a meal but some comics as well. We ate as Robert and I flicked through the comics. He wasn’t really interested in them but as Evelyn sat beside me we read aloud. The comics were old and had belonged to her brother, Joey. Although I found the stories dumb, they were a fun way to learn to read. If I stumbled over a word, Evelyn corrected me. Robert would lie on his bed and leave us to it. It was nice to have her teach me and I appreciated the effort she took. It reminded me of days with my sister and I enjoyed the time we spent together, just the two of us.
Chapter Five
Robert and I were walking through Columbia Heights; we had a small package to deliver. From the corner of my eye I noticed Robert half turn his head, as if to look over his shoulder before he turned to me. He nodded his head slightly to the left, indicating that someone was behind us. We continued at the pace we had already set until we saw an alley just to our left.
“Down there,” Robert said quietly. “Trav, keep walking, I think the cops are on to us.”
“How do you know?” I said, turning to look behind.
Robert grabbed my arm and told me not to look.
“You sure it’s the cops? Wouldn’t they have picked us up by now?” I said.
As w
e rounded the corner we ran. A couple of blocks away we found a pizza place and pushed through the door. Its glass windows were steamed up from the cooking and we took a seat in the far corner but with a view of the door.
“What do you think they wanted?” I asked, craning my neck to see if I could see anyone outside.
“I don’t know but I can’t get picked up by the cops, Trav, not ever.”
“Why?”
“I just can’t. I’ll tell you but not here. Let’s eat and then get to the gym.”
We shared a pizza, ignoring the stares of the other diners. We must have looked odd sitting there with one pizza and one bottle of soda between us. The one pizza and soda was Robert’s idea, because we were still saving as much of our earnings as possible. I was yet to find out what we were saving for, but it was nice to know I had a stack of money sitting in the safe at the office.
When we thought we had been there long enough, we paid the bill and made our way out. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, we headed for the gym. By then we knew our way around most of DC like the back of our hands, and it didn’t take long to get to where we were going. The usual guys were there and Mack looked like he had already done ten rounds with someone. Robert asked Ted to call Joe and explain why we didn’t make the drop. He knew what we were delivering by then and I also knew he wasn’t at all pleased about it. I didn’t have any feelings one way or another, as long as we didn’t end up in a jail cell; I could still remember the stories Slider told us about that.
Ted taped up our hands and we left to change while he made his call to Joe. Robert had decided to take a run on one of the treadmills and I worked with Mack on the heavy bag. I was getting faster and bolder with my moves and enjoyed working out with him. He would swing the bag towards me, making me duck and swerve out of its way while following up with a couple of punches.
I took a breather and watched as Robert made his way to the bag. Something was bugging him, that much was obvious. Maybe it was the cop thing, but he hit that bag over and over with such force Mack had to hold on tightly. To be honest, I was in awe watching him, totally speechless until I saw the look on his face. He wasn’t in the gym, he wasn’t punching a red leather heavy bag hanging on a chain from the ceiling, he was someplace else. He was fighting back.
Travis: To accompany the Fallen Angel Series - A Mafia Romance Page 7