One Among Us

by Paige Dearth

  Maggie sat down in one of the two chairs in the office and put her head in her hands. After gathering her courage, she looked up at the nurse. “Mrs. Booker, we don’t have a doctor. I’m sure you can appreciate that we are on our own. We don’t have the money to afford a luxury like a doctor.”

  Maggie paused, letting her words sink in, before she spoke again. “I do have a good friend who knows someone who works at a lab. He can get Seth’s blood tested if someone can take his blood.” Maggie sat back and watched as Mrs. Booker processed exactly what was being asked of her. Maggie silently prayed, Please God, let her help us; please God, let her help us.

  Mrs. Booker sat behind her desk and stared down at the neat pile of papers in front of her. She’d done a lot to help the children of Kensington over the years, but nothing like this. This would be the first time she would do something that wasn’t legal. She pondered that thought for a moment. Was it illegal? Then she shook her head to bring herself back into the present.

  “I’ve never done anything like this before, Maggie. I don’t have the tools to draw his blood,” Mrs. Booker said.

  Maggie opened her purse and pulled out a needle and three vials. She laid them on Mrs. Booker’s desk and sat back in her chair.

  “I won’t ask who gave these to you,” the nurse said.

  “They came from the lab,” Maggie responded. “They’re all sealed, so they’re sterile,” she pointed out.

  “Yes, I see that. Listen, honey. I haven’t drawn blood in a long time. I’m not going to be very good at it,” the nurse stated, feeling ashamed the second the words left her mouth.

  Mrs. Booker wanted to help children. That was why she chose to be a school nurse in Kensington. She’d received other offers in affluent school districts in the suburbs, but her need to help the less privileged made her accept the offer in the shit hole town of Kensington.

  “Don’t worry about it. Just do your best. Look, Mrs. Bookman—” Juju said.

  “Booker, it’s Mrs. Booker,” Maggie corrected.

  “Right, Mrs. Booker. We need your help, and there ain’t nobody else around this place we can ask. You’re all we got, so if you don’t help us, we’re fucked,” Juju said.

  Mrs. Booker was amused by Juju’s brutal honesty.

  “So, let me get this straight. You need me draw Seth’s blood, give you the vials, and not say anything to anyone about what I’m doing?” Mrs. Booker asked.

  The girls nodded in unison. Maggie added, “We’re just asking you to cut us a break. All we’re trying to do is make sure that Seth is getting whatever he needs to feel better. That’s all…”

  “OK, fine. But don’t you girls make me regret doing this. Don’t breathe a word to anyone, you hear? Not even your friend in the lab,” Mrs. Booker stated.

  The girls lit up. “You got it,” Juju confirmed. “We’ll take the secret to our fuckin’ graves.”

  Mrs. Booker smiled at both girls. She was doing something completely out of character, even for her. But she was certain that she was doing it for the right people.

  Mrs. Booker picked up the phone. “Can you please send Seth down to my office?”

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

  Maggie and Juju stood in the nurse’s office while Mrs. Booker drew Seth’s blood.

  “Why do I have to do this?” Seth complained.

  “Because you may need medicine to take care of whatever it is you got,” Juju fired back.

  Seth had a death grip on Maggie’s hand as Mrs. Booker inserted the needle. To her disappointment, she missed the vein. “Damn it,” the school nurse breathed. “Sorry, Seth. Hold on. Mrs. Booker is a little rusty.”

  Seth wiggled in his seat and looked at Maggie with eyes that screamed, Get me out of here!

  “It’s OK, Mrs. Booker. He’s OK,” Maggie said, giving Seth a look that screamed, Sit still, or I’m going to really make you squirm!

  Seth closed his eyes and bit down. He felt the needle go in again and waited for what seemed an eternity. Then he heard, “Got it!”

  Seth opened his eyes as the blood gushed into the vial, and he watched Mrs. Booker fill the other vials with his blood. When it was finished, he looked at Mrs. Booker. “When I grow up, I wanna be a nurse like you,” he said with a smile.

  Mrs. Booker smiled back at him and patted his knee. “When you grow up, you can be anything you want to be. All you have to do is focus on what you want and believe. Put in the work, and it’ll pay off. Trust me, sweetheart,” the nurse confirmed.

  Once Seth went back to his classroom, Mrs. Booker handed the vials of blood to Maggie. “OK, here you go. Remember not tell anyone I did this for you. I could lose my job, which in itself doesn’t worry me as much as I would worry about some of these kids if I wasn’t here to keep an eye on them,” Mrs. Booker stated.

  “That’s not a problem.” Maggie lowered her eyes to the floor and then looked up at Mrs. Booker again. “Thank you. I know what we asked you to do for us is a big deal. Juju and I just want Seth to get better, that’s all.”

  “Of course you do, and so do I. Now, go on and get those vials to the lab,” Mrs. Booker instructed, touched by Maggie’s sincerity.

  Maggie and Juju left the school and got on a bus that would take them into the city, to the Melrose Diner. They saw Colby walking down the street toward the diner long before he saw them. Maggie reached into her purse and pulled out the brown lunch bag in which the vials were stored. As he approached, Maggie walked to him and hugged him, her hand holding the bag in the center of her body. She pressed the bag into his stomach, and he reached in, squeezed the bag, and put it into the pocket of his leather jacket.

  “How long?” Maggie asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll find out when I bring them the vials. I suspect no longer than a week to get the results,” Colby responded.

  There was no small talk between them that day. The tight lines around Maggie’s eyes were a dead giveaway that she was stressed out. It wasn’t easy to ask normal, everyday people for favors, as she had the school nurse. It was even harder knowing that at any moment, someone could make her life a living hell by telling Rock about all of the sneaking around she was doing.

  Maggie said, “Thanks. I’ll see you soon,” meaning that she’d see him at Rock’s apartment or at Doubles.

  Juju raised her hand and gave Colby a small wave before they walked back to wait for the bus to take them into Kensington.

  Sitting next to each other on the bus, Maggie focused on the hum of the bus wheels rolling forward against the road as she thought about Seth. The thought of him brought warm feelings of love and connection. He was a sweet child and so protective of Maggie and Juju. He was growing up to be a really nice guy. She felt a jab of pride knowing it was she, and to a certain degree, Juju, who had instilled in Seth the qualities that would make him a man worth knowing.

  Suddenly, the thought of Joey popped into her head, and she felt deep gratitude to the young girl for keeping an eye on Seth. Maybe Seth is right, Maggie thought. Maybe someday he and Joey will get married.

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two

  At Doubles a few days later, Maggie gave Emma an update on Seth’s condition.

  “Well, it’s good you’re getting his blood checked. How has he been feeling for the last few days?” Emma asked.

  Emma knew what it was like to be a teenager with way too much responsibility; she quickly remembered how difficult life could be.

  “He’s been good, seems to be getting back to normal,” Maggie said with relief.

  “You know, girl, you’re nineteen years old, and you’re gonna need to decide what you wanna do with your life. Look, you’re one smart cookie. None of these other nitwits know the kind of shit you know. You kept yourself educated…that’s cool shit,” Emma offered.

  “Well, I read a lot, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t mean I’m educated. It just means I’m informed,” Maggie said.

  “Bullshit! Go get your damn GED and go to college, just
like you told Seth to do,” Emma said.

  “It’s not that simple, Em. Sure, I could get my GED, but Rock would never let me go to college. It’s not like I have any money to pay for it, anyway,” Maggie argued, her voice trailing off.

  “Rock’s a brainless dildo! I want you to listen real good to what I’m about to tell you. If there ever comes a day when you can’t handle Rock, then you need to talk to Tony and Vincent. I don’t know if they could help you, but if there was ever a chance for someone to go up against that piece of stank dog shit, it’s the two of them. You hear me?” Emma said.

  Maggie considered Emma’s advice. She couldn’t see herself asking others to get involved with Rock because it wasn’t just him they’d have to contend with; there were all of the people who worked for Rock, too—dangerous people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone.

  “Yeah, sure. If it I ever get desperate enough, I’ll talk to them,” Maggie said, just to appease her friend.

  When Maggie ran into Tony and Vincent at the bar later that night, she gave each of them a big hug.

  “What’s up, guys?” Maggie sang.

  “Same ol’ shit, little Maggie,” Tony said, toying with her.

  Vincent’s eyes grew serious. “Emma told us your kid ain’t been feelin’ too good. How’s he doing?”

  Maggie lit up. “He’s doing much better now. It seems like whatever he had is finally working its way out of his system. The school nurse thinks it might be mononucleosis.”

  “Hey, ain’t dat the kissin’ disease? What? Ya got a little Casanova goin’ ’round kissin’ all the girls?” Vincent joked.

  Maggie laughed along with him. Then, curiosity peeked by her earlier conversation with Emma, she asked, “So what do you guys do for a living, anyway? We never talk about you. It’s always about me.”

  Tony studied her body language and offered, “We’re businessmen. We run a lot of businesses in Philly. Why, ya lookin’ for a new job?”

  “Ha! I’d love a new job. But for now, this will have to do. So what kind of businesses do you run?” Maggie probed.

  “All different kinds. Ya writin’ a book or somethin’?” Vincent poked.

  “No, not yet. I’ll tell you what, though. I could write a crazy book with all the things I’ve been through and have seen in my life.”

  Maggie pondered the idea of writing a book. She certainly read enough of them, but to write one would be much, much different. She put it on the bucket list that she kept deep in the recesses of her brain.

  Tony’s tone grew serious. “Is everything all right wit’ cha?”

  He sensed that Maggie had something she wanted to say. Maggie sat on the barstool between them. She thought about how difficult it had been working both jobs and trying to care for Seth. She didn’t mind her job at Doubles so much, but she hated selling herself for sex. Even though she’d done it since she was a young girl, the anger and resentment never dulled. Some days, she’d sit and fester about John William. Maggie would always blame him the most for all that had happened to Seth and her. There were others, too, like Myles. She hated him with a deep passion. When she was alone in the quiet of the night, she’d pray for superpowers that she could use to obliterate both of those scum-sucking pigs from the face of the earth.

  “Hey, ya all right?” Tony asked again.

  Maggie came out of her stupor. “Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

  “I asked ya if everything is all right,” Tony repeated.

  “Yeah, sure, everything’s fine. I’m tired, that’s all,” Maggie said, trying to downplay her feelings.

  “Well, dat look on your face a minute ago made me think ya wanted to rip someone’s nose off,” Tony said, studying her expression more closely.

  “Nah, I wouldn’t mind neutering a couple of people, but they can keep their noses,” Maggie teased.

  “Ouch!” Tony responded and grabbed his crotch.

  Maggie giggled. “I wish I had enough power to get even with some people.”

  Vincent asked, “Don’t cha wanna ever call your mom and dad? They gotta still be lookin’ for ya.”

  Maggie shook her head. “That’s not really an option. Like I told you, Rock is a dangerous man. It would be too big a risk. He would like nothing more than to have a reason to cause me more pain. I keep a low profile with Rock and his guys…I’ve learned the hard way how cold-blooded they can be.”

  Before Tony or Vincent could speak again, the bartender gave Maggie a nod, indicating that her set was about to start.

  Maggie jumped off the barstool and said, “See you later,” as she walked to the other side of the room.

  Vincent turned to Tony. “Ya think it’s time we talk to Salvatore about this Rockhead motherfucker?”

  “Not yet, Vin. Emma was gonna tell Maggie to ask us if she ever needs our help. For now, we sit tight. We can’t get involved until it’s impossible for us not to get involved,” Tony said.

  “Yeah, you’re right. But she’s such a nice kid,” Vincent commented.

  The two of them sat silently, watching Maggie and Emma put on their show for the men who sat around the bar. Tony and Vincent wondered what would become of Maggie and whether there was any future for her to become something more than what she was.

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three

  Seth’s blood test results came back a week later. Colby scheduled an appointment with Maggie at Rock’s apartment.

  “There was no sign of mono,” Colby explained. “Some of his counts, or whatever they are, were off, but nothing that showed he has a problem.”

  Maggie let out a long breath. “Thank God! I just want him to be well. He’s such a good kid, and he’s already had too much shit in his life. He deserves to feel good and be happy.”

  When Maggie looked up, Colby was smiling at her. His facial expression made her feel special and valued. It felt like that moment when the sun peeks up over the horizon to begin a new day.

  “What are you looking at?” Maggie said, her pouty pink lips looking irresistibly tasty.

  “Oh, just admiring the scenery. You’re very special, Maggie. I’ve met a lot of people in my short career—people who have been forced to do what you’re doing now—and they’ve all had good things about them. Most of them worked with me to get out of their own shitty circumstances. But you seem to care more about everyone else around you than you do about yourself. I think it’s brave and selfless. But sometimes you need to consider your own happiness before others’.”

  “I do think about my happiness, Colby. It makes me happy when Seth or Juju or Joey has joy, and it gives me comfort to know that Rock will leave my family alone as long as I stay put. It’s as simple as that. I’m not any kind of saint; I just know what it’s like to feel raw fear—the overwhelming fear that eats away the lining of your stomach and makes you feel as though death would be a great relief. I’ve watched friends die. I know how it feels to lose someone that you love…someone who you could count on and who counted on you…I was just a baby,” Maggie finished, her eyes glistening with tears at the memories.

  Colby grabbed Maggie and held her tightly. While he couldn’t imagine the fear Maggie described, he was able to empathize with her.

  “You’re a good egg, Maggie. Someday you’ll bring remarkable changes to the world,” Colby assured her.

  Maggie laughed. “Yeah, sure I will,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

  “I know these things,” he joked, rubbing an imaginary crystal ball. “I have the ability to see into the future.”

  Maggie wished that Colby was serious. She hoped with all her being that he was right, and someday she would find meaning in her life and the reason why God was punishing her.

  During the next five months, everything went back to normal for Maggie, Seth, and Juju. All of Seth’s symptoms had disappeared, and he was feeling better than ever. He had just come out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was chattering about a project his social studies class was working o
n. In the small apartment, where privacy was nonexistent, Seth dropped his towel to the floor and started to get dressed.

  Maggie had been reaching for a box of cereal from the counter and turned around just as the towel hit the floor. Seth was facing her as he continued to describe his role in the project. Maggie’s eyes shifted down to his torso.

  “Um, are you sure you actually washed yourself in the shower?” Maggie asked.

  “Yeah, why?” Seth responded.

  Maggie walked over to him to get a closer look. Seth’s torso was covered in a red rash.

  “Is that itchy?” she asked.

  Seth looked down and studied the rash. “Nope. I didn’t even know it was there.”

  “Oh great! Now you have cooties,” Juju mocked.

  Maggie gave Juju a stern look as Seth walked toward her like a zombie with his arms spread to give her a big hug.

  “Ew,” Juju squealed. “Don’t touch me. I don’t want to catch cooties.”

  By then, Seth was hugging her tightly, and Juju broke down laughing and pulled him into her. Maggie watched them with amusement, but her mind was drifting back to some of the articles she’d read when Seth was so sick.

  “Come over here, Seth,” Maggie said in a calm voice.

  Seth obeyed her, still stark naked. He stood in front of her, knowing she wanted to inspect his rash.

  “Aggie, it doesn’t hurt, and it doesn’t itch,” Seth protested before Maggie began to look him over.

  “That’s fine, but I still want to see it. Do you know how long you’ve had it?” Maggie asked.

  “Nope, this is the first time I’ve seen it,” Seth responded, distracted by thoughts of getting to school on time.

  “OK, get dressed. You have to eat breakfast before you go,” Maggie told Seth.

  Maggie knew what she needed to do. Colby was going to meet her at Doubles later that evening, and she decided not to dwell on it until she talked with him.

  “Colby, I need another favor,” Maggie started when they were alone in the lap dance room.