Chapter 5

Driving back to the camp, Mom was grim and stoic. I think she realized we were in no state to argue after the sex marathon we just finished. However, everything went to shit when we got back to the camp. There were obvious signs of a disturbance, and we found Ziggy had a black eye and possibly a hand injury. Weird Larry was pacing around, obviously agitated.

“Larry! My girls?”

“They’re fine. Slept through the whole thing. What happened was that two enemies came from the edge of the camp. They might have seen them walking around bare-assed and decided they could have some ‘fun’ with them.

“I could tell they had bad intentions, and I got in their way.” It did not go well; they were younger and stronger, and I’m not the soldier I used to be. I’m sorry, Thea.”

“Larry, I’m grateful to you for stepping up. But then what happened?”

“That’s when I pulled out my KA-BAR, my knife. But I was still at a disadvantage because they were split. They’re coming at me from two directions. Then one of the bastards lashed out and kicked my arm to disarm me. I was in big trouble. That’s when my buddy Eason showed up. Uh, Ziggy. He came up behind the kicking asshole and practically stove in his head with heavy rock.

“Then we wheeled on the first guy; I picked up my knife and threatened him, and he started to run. I almost threw my knife at him, but I didn’t want to have the hassle of replacing it, so we watched him disappear. The other guy woke up from being rocked, and he ran away too.”

“Larry, that’s an amazing and complicated story. Did you add anything? Change any details? Ziggy, is he being accurate?”

I couldn’t hear his account without considering all the many times he told his unbelievable stories to Ziggy around the main campfire.

“He’s telling the truth, Rubin.”

I jumped a little at the unexpected, small voice at my elbow.

“Cherise, you saw all this?”

“We both did. We were scared shitless by those creepy guys. I think they were going to...”

She clutched at me, shivering. Her sister also joined the huddle.

“Larry, you’re our heroes, you and Zig, uh, Eason. Thank you for everything!”

“Mom, I know they said tomorrow night, but we’re going tonight. We need to get these girls to a safe place where they can recover. Let’s grab our stuff and go.”

This stressful event turned out to be a huge turning point in our lives. Lena had given me a tremendous boost to my confidence. Harry, with just a few comments and instructions, had suddenly opened the door for me of another way of living. After what happened with the girls that night, I reached a breaking point.

After everyone was set up in the motel, the next morning I went to the public library and used their computers. The first thing I looked up was the rules and systems applying to what they called at-risk or neglected children. An uncertain feeling that we were on the wrong path transformed into a despairing certainty: if the authorities discovered our upbringing, Thea could immediately lose custody of us, face criminal charges, and place us into government care.

What’s more, I realized our mother over the years was indulging some kind of weird fantasy for herself. She thinks being homeless is a virtue, coming at the expense of our health and happiness. We’d never lived in a home or seen a doctor. We were eating from dumpsters, and instead of attending school, she was grooming me for prostitution. Followed by my little sisters!

My world heaved on its axis. Everything I knew, everything I was told—it was all a lie.

Sitting there in that public library, I had to push away the keyboard, put down my head, and sob. After a few minutes, a librarian or assistant came over and pulled up a chair next to me. She was maybe 50 years old and thin with wispy black hair and soft brown eyes.

“Please, can I help you?”

“I don’t know. Um, my family’s in trouble, and I need to know where I can go for help. Someplace not official, because that, uh, they could make things worse; worse for me and for my younger sisters.”

“Can you tell me how old you are?”

“I’m 15, they are twins, now 13, 14 next month.”

“You realize that your ages are a problem. I can give you a couple of names and places you can talk to, but whoever has legal responsibility for you will become involved at some point. Oh, I’ve got a better idea. I know a priest; he has a legal privilege to not repeat anything you tell him to the government, so you can talk to him without risking anything. And he’s,” she chuckled, “wicked smart, if you’ll pardon the expression. I’m Lucy Layton. I can get you an office with a phone to talk with him. You’ve got nothing to lose.”

She was right; I had nothing to lose. Father Verdi talked to Lucy for a moment, then she handed me the phone and left. I was surprised. I couldn’t tell his age, but he sounded like a radio guy. He had this deep, buttery voice that made me feel trusting as we talked.

I gave him a brief description of our lives, focusing on the past six months spent living behind the store in the woods.

“I honestly don’t know what to do, Father, but I can’t watch my sisters grow up this way!”

No doubt, he could hear the anguish in my voice.

“You can’t, and you won’t. Rubin, what you three are facing is illegal and intolerable. For pity’s sake, has your crazy mother never heard of...”

He went on for a few minutes, describing options from his church and the government. I explained to him that a wealthy family had bought us a week of motel time, although I didn’t explain the reason why. He made me promise that if I couldn’t find another resolution, that I would come to his church for help.

“Remember,” he said firmly, ‘Saint Caecilia’s on the Palmetto Highway; you can’t miss it.’ Rubin, please be the brother your little sisters deserve. I will be praying for you.”

On my way out of the library, Lucy stopped me to ask if her friend had helped.

“He really did, and I’m grateful to you. Bye, Lucy.”

It was 7:30 in the evening, and the four of us had just returned to the motel from dinner at the “Olive Garden,” an inexpensive so-called “casual dining” restaurant featuring Italian food.

“How are we feeling, good?” I asked, receiving three nods.

“OK. Now, we’re going to have a meeting. A family meeting. The couple that we saw the other night was extremely generous and kind to us. That’s why we had the Italian food, why we’re here in the motel this week, and why we have the old car instead of sleeping another night out in the woods.