Part 19 (2/2)
I had planned to play hooky and head over to Old City Hall for the beginning of the Emanuel Jaques murder trial. But everything had changed, and now I was going downtown to find Ricky at the courthouses. I didn't expect Terri to be home studying for her high school exams. The school secretary might call home or try to catch my mother at work, and if she did call my mother at work, my mother would call me at home and I'd have to lie and tell her I was in bed because I wasn't feeling well. My mother might come home and that's why it was better to let my sister call the school and nip it in the bud.
”Just hurry!” I said, finding it more difficult to breathe from the pressure as she leaned in to swoop at my other eyelashes.
”Such a pretty boy. You need to accentuate your long lashes.”
This wasn't the first time she had done this to me, but it had been a while and I was getting too old for it. She had me by the b.a.l.l.s, though; I needed her help.
I looked into her face. It was round, like my father's, and you could barely make out her light eyebrows and eyelashes, and no matter what she did to her hair-home perms, was.h.i.+ng it with eggs, mola.s.ses, or beer-it always looked limp and fine.
”Ricky won't be there,” she said, reading my mind. ”They don't put kids in the slammer with adults.”
”I need to know if he's okay.”
”It's called patricide, you know. When a kid kills his father. I'm studying for my English exam. It's what Zeus did to his father, Cronus.”
”I don't care what it's called. It's not his fault.”
”It's what lots of kids think of doing but you never tell anyone or they'll lock you up in the mental hospital.”
”Enough! I gotta go.”
Every time she leaned in for another pa.s.s at my eyelashes, the pressure on my chest increased.
”Zeus wanted power and control so he killed his father. It's what men do when they have no power. I know, I know, Ricky didn't want power. He's not like you and your pal Manny.”
”You're nuts!”
”If I tell you something, you promise not to tell?” She didn't wait for a yes. ”I'm going to get away from here. Soon. I wasn't meant to live in a box. Edite says so. I'm going to New York. I'm going to be a dancer.” She had a fire in her eyes that made me believe her.
”Dad'll kill you.” I squirmed into a better position to throw her off me.
”You ask me, I think Ricky's dad had it coming to him. I saw her, you know,” she added. My sister smiled as if the information was delicious.
”Who?”
”Agnes. Late one night, crossing the street from her house and going into the lane.”
”So?”
”Where's the baby?”
I tried to look relaxed. I knew the question would come up sooner or later, and I had practised what I would say when it did. But I stammered and then thought it was best just to shut up.
”She had the baby, didn't she?”
I had been holding on to the secret for so long I thought I was going to burst. I puffed out my cheeks to pop my ears.
”Did she give it away for adoption?” I could tell the tears were building.
”Ask Agnes,” I blurted.
”I wouldn't blame her if she did.”
”Or why don't you ask Edite. She tells you everything.”
”Edite's been a bit weird lately.”
”What do you mean?”
”For starters she looks like c.r.a.p,” Terri said.
”Once she finds Johnny-”
”There is no Johnny, stupid. Now hold still.” Terri gripped my jaw while taking another swipe at my eyelashes. ”Long and thick.”
”What do you mean about Johnny?” I said.
”You don't know?”
”Get off me!”
”I thought you knew. He's dead. He was killed in Vietnam. I heard Me and Edite talking about him ages ago. Around the time Emanuel was murdered.”
”That's bulls.h.i.+t.” My heart pounded and the blood swooshed between my ears. Another lie. I was so stupid.
”I got to tell you, brother, you may have gotten the eyelashes but thank G.o.d I got the brains.”
”Are we done?”
”Maycomb had nothing to fear but fear itself.”
”What the h.e.l.l-”
”To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Terri took three or four pumps of the tube before she dropped the gooey brush on my eyelashes. They were so heavy with goop, they almost stuck together.
”Edite snooped around, called some of her contacts at 52 Division, and word is they're not going to charge Ricky. It's a sin to kill a mockingbird, you know.”
”Where is he, then?” I stopped moving. Why didn't Edite tell me where they were holding him? He was my friend.
”They found his mom back in So Miguel. He's going to live with her.”
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