Frank… and me… How could you not tell me?’
Charlie reached for me again… I guess to try and comfort me. But I wouldn’t let it happen.
‘I just thought you were so young,’ he explained, ‘I figured you wouldn’t remember . I hoped and I prayed you wouldn’t remember.’ He began to sob, again. ‘But I saw it in you. I saw that it had left its marks in you, Tony. Everything about the way you act just says it all to anyone who can read the signs. I tried to deny it, but I’m the one who studied psychology. I’m the one who’s supposed to know and understand this stuff. And I knew, and I understood it…and I still tried to deny it.’ Charlie’s tears were coming even harder now. ‘I’m sorry.’
I looked at the two of them for a moment. Then I turned around and started to run for the lot.
‘Where are you going?’ I heard Murphy yelling after me.
I turned, only for a moment, to see Murphy trying to pull Charlie up to his feet. My pops looked more broken and defeated than I had ever seen before – but I wouldn’t let myself stop. Not even for a moment.
‘I’m going to find out the truth,’ I yelled back at them. ‘And I’m not going to stop until I get it straight from him… No matter what it takes!’
And then I ran all the way here to get you, greenie. Now I want you to come over here with me… I’m going to call out Frank. I’m going to get the truth. And I’m going to do something about it all. Stick close to me, son – it’s time I set some things right.
CHAPTER 11
Are you all right? Hey! Greenie! Wake up, now – are you all right? Sit up a bit… just take it easy.
You gave us a scare, son – I’ll tell you that for nothing. Do you remember what happened? Well, what do you remember? OK, OK. I got it – right? Here, let’s get you up and off the midway. I’ll get you a cup of coffee and then fill you in on what you missed. After all, it’s important we get our stories straight in case the law comes around, asking questions.
How are you feeling now? Good. That’s real good. You took a pretty good coupleof knocks there, but it wasn’t your fault. I appreciate that you were there. I really do. It’ll be a while before Murphy and Charlie come back. Just have another cup and I’ll tell you what happened after I sent you off to get Big Mike.
Well, after you ran off, I searched a couple more places and didn’t make it a secret to anyone who I was looking for. Of course, I didn’t say why. I was waiting for that one. I figured if I made enough noise, he’d come looking for me. And he did.
I was right in the middle of the midway’s back end, walking pretty quick, right? Checking each joint as fast as I could, trying to track him down, when I heard him speak up behind me. He was saying something he must’ve thought was tough, like ‘What do you think you’re doing, kid?’ or something just as dumb.
Tell you what, right then and there I made my choice. There was no way I was going to let him talk down to me, let him think for even a moment that he had someupper hand or something over me.
So I stop dead in the dust. Then I turn around nice and slow. And I’m looking at the ground when I turn, see, so I can let my eyes travel up to meet his, nice and slow – like in one of those western movies – because I’m figuring I’ll show him how tough I really am with this.
But as soon as I looked at him I felt… well, I felt weak, I guess. Sick. I don’t have any other word for it. Here I was, looking into the eyes of a guy who’d tried to kill me. And he did, you know. He did when he switched-out my fuels during that show, the one where I caught fire, remember? And it wasn’t just that; there was also what he’d done to Charlie and my mom… and what he’d done to me. And he’d never paid for any of it.
His eyes were cold. Blue. Cold and dead, dead as the sky gets sometimes when it’s lit up by the sun you can’t ever see. And for a moment – just a moment
Charlie reached for me again… I guess to try and comfort me. But I wouldn’t let it happen.
‘I just thought you were so young,’ he explained, ‘I figured you wouldn’t remember . I hoped and I prayed you wouldn’t remember.’ He began to sob, again. ‘But I saw it in you. I saw that it had left its marks in you, Tony. Everything about the way you act just says it all to anyone who can read the signs. I tried to deny it, but I’m the one who studied psychology. I’m the one who’s supposed to know and understand this stuff. And I knew, and I understood it…and I still tried to deny it.’ Charlie’s tears were coming even harder now. ‘I’m sorry.’
I looked at the two of them for a moment. Then I turned around and started to run for the lot.
‘Where are you going?’ I heard Murphy yelling after me.
I turned, only for a moment, to see Murphy trying to pull Charlie up to his feet. My pops looked more broken and defeated than I had ever seen before – but I wouldn’t let myself stop. Not even for a moment.
‘I’m going to find out the truth,’ I yelled back at them. ‘And I’m not going to stop until I get it straight from him… No matter what it takes!’
And then I ran all the way here to get you, greenie. Now I want you to come over here with me… I’m going to call out Frank. I’m going to get the truth. And I’m going to do something about it all. Stick close to me, son – it’s time I set some things right.
CHAPTER 11
Are you all right? Hey! Greenie! Wake up, now – are you all right? Sit up a bit… just take it easy.
You gave us a scare, son – I’ll tell you that for nothing. Do you remember what happened? Well, what do you remember? OK, OK. I got it – right? Here, let’s get you up and off the midway. I’ll get you a cup of coffee and then fill you in on what you missed. After all, it’s important we get our stories straight in case the law comes around, asking questions.
How are you feeling now? Good. That’s real good. You took a pretty good coupleof knocks there, but it wasn’t your fault. I appreciate that you were there. I really do. It’ll be a while before Murphy and Charlie come back. Just have another cup and I’ll tell you what happened after I sent you off to get Big Mike.
Well, after you ran off, I searched a couple more places and didn’t make it a secret to anyone who I was looking for. Of course, I didn’t say why. I was waiting for that one. I figured if I made enough noise, he’d come looking for me. And he did.
I was right in the middle of the midway’s back end, walking pretty quick, right? Checking each joint as fast as I could, trying to track him down, when I heard him speak up behind me. He was saying something he must’ve thought was tough, like ‘What do you think you’re doing, kid?’ or something just as dumb.
Tell you what, right then and there I made my choice. There was no way I was going to let him talk down to me, let him think for even a moment that he had someupper hand or something over me.
So I stop dead in the dust. Then I turn around nice and slow. And I’m looking at the ground when I turn, see, so I can let my eyes travel up to meet his, nice and slow – like in one of those western movies – because I’m figuring I’ll show him how tough I really am with this.
But as soon as I looked at him I felt… well, I felt weak, I guess. Sick. I don’t have any other word for it. Here I was, looking into the eyes of a guy who’d tried to kill me. And he did, you know. He did when he switched-out my fuels during that show, the one where I caught fire, remember? And it wasn’t just that; there was also what he’d done to Charlie and my mom… and what he’d done to me. And he’d never paid for any of it.
His eyes were cold. Blue. Cold and dead, dead as the sky gets sometimes when it’s lit up by the sun you can’t ever see. And for a moment – just a moment
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