Nick's Journey

by SUE FINEMAN

  The boys backed away, laughing, while Gina ran home.

  “Mommy’s little girl,” the boys called after her.

  As soon as Sophia got inside the house, she said, “I told you to stay away from those boys and then you sneak out to see them. They’re trouble, and if I hadn’t gone looking for you, they might have raped you.”

  “They were just teasing, Ma.”

  “No they weren’t. You’re grounded. I told you to stay away from the gangs, and I meant it. If I can’t trust you on this, you’ll have to stay in the house all summer.”

  Gina burst into tears.

  Sophia wrapped her arms around her beautiful daughter, so young and innocent. And willful. “I love you so much, I don’t want to see you hurt, and those boys will hurt you.”

  “They won’t h-h-hurt me,” Gina said, sobbing.

  “You know that little girl over on the next block, the one they call Cookie?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She was raped last week by the monsters in that gang. When she tried to fight them off, they beat her. Her mother told me Cookie thought she just had to be ‘nice’ to the boys and her boyfriend would get into the gang. She’s not the first girl in the neighborhood they’ve hurt that way. When I tell you to stay away from them, I have good reason.”

  Gina sniffled. “Okay, I’ll stay away from them. Am I still grounded?”

  “Yes.” Sophia would die if anything happened to any of her kids. More than ever, she wanted to get her family out of the neighborhood. Before her daughters got hurt. Before her sons became one of them.

  <>

  Nick watched the scenery out the window while the trucker drove toward Amarillo. At the rest stop, he studied the map of Oklahoma and Texas on the wall between the bathrooms. He found Amarillo in the panhandle.

  Some lady was giving out coffee and donuts. He didn’t much like coffee, so he took a donut and a bottle of water. The air smelled different out here, and the tumbleweeds blew everywhere. He touched one and it cut his finger.

  “Watch out,” the woman called. “Those things are sharper than they look.”

  Nick sucked the blood off his finger and finished his water. Then he climbed back into the truck, strapped himself in, and waited for the trucker to pull his rig out on the highway. The sun was going down and pretty colors streaked across the sky. He couldn’t remember ever seeing a sunset in New York. When it started to get dark there, the street lights came on, so it was never really dark outside. Out here, the only lights were from the trucks and cars and a sliver of moon. Sitting up high in the cab of the truck, he could see everything.

  After a while, Nick grew sleepy. He leaned his head on the side window and gazed out at the stars, smiling at his good fortune. He knew he’d done the right thing when he ran away from New York. Whether his aunt wanted him or not, he was better off in California or anywhere else. He’d never, ever go home to his mother again.

  The trucker turned on the radio and Nick let the rumble and sway of the big truck lull him to sleep. When he woke, the truck was stopped, but still running, and the man had his hand inside Nick’s pants. Nick tried to push him away, but the man was too strong. So he leaned over and bit the man’s arm. The guy let go, swearing worse than Nick’s mother had when she’d run out of scotch. Nick unsnapped his seatbelt, grabbed his backpack, and opened the door.

  The man grabbed Nick’s arm and yanked him back. “You owe me, you little brat, and I’m gonna collect.”

  At the last foster home, some kid had given Nick a switchblade. He had it out in a flash, stabbed the trucker in the hand, slid off the seat, and ran for his life. He didn’t know where he was, but it didn’t matter. If he’d stayed in the truck, he could be in bigger trouble than being alone in the middle of nowhere.

  The trucker yelled a few more nasty names, slammed the door, and pulled back onto the highway. Shaking, Nick pulled up his zipper. It was the first time he’d ever stabbed anyone, but he had to do it. That man could have hurt him. Or killed him.

  He glanced around. This looked like a truck weigh station. The outside lights were on, but no one was here. He used the bathroom, washed the blood off his knife, then sat on the concrete and leaned back against the wall. He didn’t know whether he was in Oklahoma or Texas, but he knew he couldn’t walk all the way to Aunt Sophia’s house from here.

  Hands still shaking, he pulled the money from his pocket and counted forty-seven dollars and ninety-five cents. Enough for a few meals, but not enough for a bus ticket. He wouldn’t have any idea how to get to a bus station anyway. Maybe somebody would stop and give him a ride, although the thought of getting into another truck scared him spitless.

  His eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them back. He was twelve, too big to cry.

  Chapter Three

  Long after the kids had gone to bed, Sophia listened to her daughters talking in the next room. Maria said, “Those guys are trouble, Gina. Ma said to stay away from them.”

  “I know, but—”

  “But nothing. You don’t see me hanging around with gang bangers, do you?”

  “That’s different.”

  “Why? Because I’m not as pretty as you?”

  “You’re just jealous.”

  “Of what? Of them bragging about what they did to Cookie? Of them talking about doing the same thing to you?”

  “They won’t rape me.”

  “Why? You giving it away?”

  “At least I won’t be the only girl in school besides you who hasn’t done it.”

  “Gina, listen to me. Cookie’s boyfriend didn’t just rape her, he passed her around to the other members of the gang. She had to have sex with every one of them. That’s how a guy gets into that gang.”

  “Snake wouldn’t let them do me that way. Besides, he’s already a member of the gang.”

  “Yes, I know. But he wants to move up, and to do that, he has to have sex with a virgin while everyone watches. They call it ‘popping a cherry.’ If she doesn’t bleed enough, the others get a shot at her, and before they’re finished, she’ll definitely be bleeding.”

  Gina gasped. “You’re wrong. He wouldn’t hurt me like that, and he wouldn’t let anyone watch.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Shut up and go to sleep, Maria.”

  Sophia stood by the door, hand over her mouth, her worst fears realized. Gina was planning to have sex with that boy. That monster. If Gina got gang raped, she’d never trust anyone again.

  On her knees, Sophia prayed, rosary beads clicking through her fingers. “Please, God, take care of my little girl. She’s only fourteen, so young and innocent. Please keep her that way for a few more years.”

  <>

  Traffic whizzed by on the highway. Nick thought about sticking his thumb out to get a ride, but if a cop came by, he could end up back in New York. He couldn’t let that happen.

  Shivering, he looked up at the sky, wondering if there really was a God. His last foster mother seemed to think there was. She went to church twice a week and they said grace at every meal. He shoved his cold hands in his coat pockets, closed his eyes, and asked God to help him get to California. According to the last map he saw, he was halfway there, more or less.

  He dozed off and when he woke, he was stiff and cold from sitting on the concrete. And he was hungry. A soft light came from what he assumed was the east. Dawn already? Time to start thinking about how to get the rest of the way to L.A. Two truckers stopped to use the bathroom, but by now Nick was afraid to ask anyone for a ride, afraid he’d end up with a pervert like the last guy he rode with.

  An hour later, warm sunshine fell on his face. A highway patrol car whizzed by on the highway, then another one, sirens blaring. A fire truck and another patrol car followed them. Traffic slowed to a crawl. Two big trucks pulled off and the drivers got out to talk with each other. When they walked toward the men’s room, Nick asked, “Is there an accident up ahead?”

  One man nodded while the othe
r asked Nick, “Are you here alone?”

  “Yeah. I’m on my way home to L.A. I lost my money and my bus ticket, so…” He shrugged. “I guess I’m walking the rest of the way.”

  “If you’re looking for a ride…” The trucker shook his head. “My company says no passengers. Insurance don’t cover it, ya know.”

  “That’s okay.”

  The trucker propped his hands on his hips. “How’d you get out here in the middle of nowhere?”

  Nick told him the truth. “I had a ride with someone, but he put his hand on…I mean he wanted…so I got out and ran away.”

  “Good for you, son. Good for you. Did he hurt you?”

  “Nah. I didn’t let him get that far.” Nick figured the pervert had more in mind than touching him, but even that part gave him the creeps.

  The man nodded. “We should call the police and report it.”

  Nick waved toward the highway. “Seems like they’re busy enough with the accident and all, and he didn’t hurt me.”

  The man cocked his head and asked, “Where did you say you were from?”

  “L.A.”

  “Not with that accent. New York?”

  “My family lives in L.A.”

  “All your family?”

  “Yeah.” All the family he had now was in L.A. His mother was as good as dead, and for all he knew, his old man was dead, too. Nick hadn’t seen his father since he was five. He had a big fight with Nick’s mother and walked out without saying goodbye.

  Traffic started to move again. Both men got in their trucks and pulled out into traffic, leaving Nick alone again. Minutes later, a small panel truck pulled off. The driver got out and walked straight to Nick. “You the kid going to L.A.?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m on my way to Vegas. You can ride with me.” He leaned in closer. “Chuck told me what happened, and I promise I won’t mess with you. Okay?”

  Nick thought it over and decided to risk it. “Okay.” He couldn’t stay here, and he’d always wanted to see Las Vegas.

  <>

  Sophia baby-sat four kids full time. Two others went to pre-school in the morning and spent the afternoons with her. But she was more worried about her own kids.

  Vinnie had been living in his own apartment, but his place wasn’t much to speak of. Sophia missed her son, but he came by often for a hot meal and to do his laundry. The other kids missed him, too, especially Angelo and Alessandro. Tony had taken on the role of big brother in Vinnie’s absence, but he was only twelve, too young to handle much responsibility.

  Sophia worried about Gina and the rough gang boyfriend who had chased all the nice boys away. Snake, she called him, a fitting name for a boy like him. She wanted him gone for good, but Gina was smitten. He was older, confident and exciting. It was easy to see how a girl Gina’s age could be attracted.

  Sophia couldn’t keep her little girl locked up forever. She was growing up and wanted to make her own decisions. But not this one. Please, God, not this one. She knew her kids would become sexually active at some point, but she didn’t want it to happen this way. Gina wouldn’t have the romantic experience she anticipated. She’d be humiliated and probably gang-raped.

  Late Friday evening, after she’d put Angelo and Alessandro to bed, someone tapped on the door. Tony opened it, with Sophia right behind him. There stood a skinny boy with a crooked nose and a big scar through his eyebrow. “Oh my God!” she whispered.

  Nicky.

  Sophia reached out and pulled him into a big hug. “Nicky, I’m so glad to see you. How did you get here?”

  “I took the bus part way and caught rides the rest of the way.”

  “Oh, honey.” What a dangerous thing to do. He could have been hurt or killed. But he was here now, skinny and dirty, but safe. “Come in, come in. Are you hungry?” He looked like he needed a good meal.

  “Yeah.”

  Tony said, “Hey, I’m Tony.”

  “Hey,” Nicky said softly.

  Sophia took the boys to the kitchen and poured them each a glass of milk. “Does your mother know where you are, Nicky?”

  He shook his head. “The judge said I had to go home, that Ma promised not to hit me again, but when I got home, she hit me.” He drank half his milk. “So I left. I won’t go back there. If you don’t want me to stay, that’s okay, but I won’t ever go back to New York.”

  “Don’t want you?” Sophia’s eyes filled with tears. She could never send this brave boy back to that horrible woman. “You don’t have to go back. You belong to me now, and you’ll always have a home with us. I love you, Nicky.”

  “Yeah, with Vinnie gone, we got plenty of room,” Tony said.

  Nick wiped his eyes, and Sophia hugged him again. “You’re part of my family now, and you’re staying with us. Okay?”

  Nick didn’t want to cry, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d come here not knowing what to expect, and Aunt Sophia offered a safe, loving home.

  She warmed something in the microwave and put it on the table in front of him. Spaghetti and meatballs, the best he’d ever eaten. Then she handed him and Tony some homemade chocolate chip cookies. Everything tasted so good.

  After he filled his empty stomach, Aunt Sophia took him into the bathroom and started the tub running. “Tony, find Nicky something to sleep in. He’s about your size.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “Nicky, take a bath and wash your hair. Then brush your teeth. I’ll fix up your bed.”

  “I never had my own bed before, except in the foster homes.”

  “Then where did you sleep?” Tony asked.

  “On the sofa mostly. If Ma passed out in the living room, I slept in her bed or on the floor.”

  Tony’s eyes grew bigger. “Jeez, I always had my own bed. How many foster homes?”

  “Three.” If the judge hadn’t sent him back home the last time, Nick wouldn’t have run away. He would have stayed with the nice family in his last foster home.

  The hot water felt good on his tired body. Nick scrubbed his face and body, then started on his hair. It was so dirty, he had to shampoo it three times to get it clean. He hadn’t had a real bath since he’d left his last foster home.

  When he finished in the bathroom, Aunt Sophia took a dry towel and rubbed his head. It felt so good to have someone touch him like this, he almost cried again. He was clean and full for the first time in days. As soon as his hair was dry, she took him into a bedroom with two sets of bunk beds. Two smaller boys were sleeping on one side of the room, and Tony was in the top bunk on the other side. Aunt Sophia pointed to the bottom bed under Tony’s bunk. “This is your bed now. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Now say your prayers and go to sleep.”

  Prayers? The only thing he could think to say to God was “Thank you. Thank you for bringing me here. Please let me stay forever.”

  Chapter Four

  After Sunday mass and a big Italian dinner, Aunt Sophia sat down at the piano and they sang church hymns and popular songs Nick heard on the radio. Angelo had an amazing voice for a little kid. He sounded like he belonged in a famous choir.

  Vinnie had a pleasant voice and so did Tony, but Nick couldn’t sing worth spit.

  He really liked Maria. Gina was too busy pouting to be friendly, but Maria talked to him like he was an important person. She said, “I’m glad you’re here, Nicky. Ma has been worrying about you for the longest time. She wanted to go to New York to get you, but we didn’t have enough money for the plane tickets.”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t come up with that much money either. I had to hitch rides most of the way, but I got here.”

  She smiled. “Yes, you sure did.”

  Nick wondered if Aunt Sophia could afford to feed another kid. Maybe he could find a job mowing lawns or delivering newspapers or something, anything to help out.

  “If you need anything, just ask,” said Maria. “You’re my brother now.”

  Warmth sprea
d through him. Nobody ever called him brother before.

  <>

  A few days later, Tony and Nick lay in bed talking when Maria came in. “Gina’s gone. I think she snuck out to see Snake. If Ma finds out…”

  Tony jumped down from his bunk and grabbed his jeans. “I’ll go find her.”

  Nick dressed quickly. “Where does the gang hang out?”

  “In that abandoned warehouse over on—”

  “I know where it is.” Tony pulled his shoes on and grabbed his shirt. “Maybe we can get her home before Ma finds her gone. She’s in the garage with Vinnie, doing laundry.”

  Seconds later, Nick and Tony quietly slipped out the front door and ran to the warehouse a few blocks away. As they neared the broken board on the side door, Nick heard Gina yell, “No! Stop it! Don’t touch me!”

  Nick peeked in and saw five guys standing around laughing and staring at Gina while another guy put his hands inside her shirt. She tried to pull away and one of the other guys grabbed her arms and held them behind her. Gina struggled and kicked while they ripped her shirt off and unfastened her bra.

  “Jeez,” whispered Tony. “They’re gonna rape her.”

  Nick motioned to the right, to the stacks of old lumber and junk, and Tony crept that way. But one of the gang bangers spotted him and yelled, then they all went after Tony. While Tony fought them off, Nick grabbed Gina’s arm and whispered, “Run home and call 911. Hurry.” If she didn’t hurry, these bozos would kill him and Tony for sure.

  Nick ran toward the guy hitting Tony, head butting him so hard the guy fell against the stack of lumber, starting a loud landslide. The others jumped back, all but the one kicking Tony.

  In the seconds that followed, Nick punched and kicked and bit. He took a few punches himself, but he’d learned a few tricks in New York, and he used every one of them.