MC: Callahan (6 page)

“How come the school didn’t call?” I ask Billy. He shrugs, making me irate. They should have called. What the hell are they thinking? I get a bag of corn from the freezer and hold it to his face. “What happened?”

“It was the bullies from my grade again, they got him at lunch. By the time the Little Brothers saw them he was already on the floor,” José says. “I wish I had their lunch, I could sit with them so they’re not alone.”

Jason raises his hand as if he’s still in school. I nod to him. “They said they’ll be back tomorrow. Can we bring our lunch?”

I look at him. “You sit alone at lunch? I thought all the Little Brothers and Sisters sat together?”

Billy fist pumps, drawing my attention. “We can sit with them?” He’s smiling, which looks pathetic with his bruised cheek and eye.

I push his hand up, putting the corn back on his face. “Of course, you should be sticking together. The Little Brothers will make sure you’re taken care of. Why weren’t you sitting with them?”

José looks down. “I always sit with them, but Claire thought they were a bad influence.” That freakin’ woman!

“You sit with them every damn day from now on, no excuses! You got me? You are not punching bags for bullies!” All three of them nod, smiling like they just got a birthday present.

I pull granola bars out for snack and hand them one each. I’m thinking I need to go to the office tomorrow and find out why I wasn’t called.

Sheila and Ricky come in and see Billy on the counter. Sheila rushes over and hugs him. Ricky throws his book bag down. “Same kids?” He’s pissed. Tiny walks in behind him. “This is getting worse every f—freakin’ time!” He looks at me. “Can I go talk to little Ben?” I look at Tiny. He nods.

“Yeah. I want them sitting with the Little Brothers every day.” He throws chin, walks around Tiny, and is out the door.

Sheila gets her backpack. “I need to get my homework done. I’ll be out back.” I nod and hand her a granola bar and an apple.

Tiny lifts Billy’s chin and looks at his face. “You have lessons starting tomorrow with CJ for martial arts. Saturday you start riding lessons. Tomorrow morning I’m taking you to school.” Billy jumps off the counter, dropping the corn and starts jumping around. José and Jason follow his lead. All I can do is smile as José lands on the bag and corn flies. They all freeze and look at Tiny. “It’s corn, costs like a dollar.” He shrugs. I smile, getting the broom and dustpan. He’s so easy going at the best of times. I hand the broom to José and the dustpan to Billy. “Who hit you, Billy?” he asks while they clean up.

“Kids from José’s grade, it’s always the same three.” He dumps the corn and puts the broom and dustpan away.

Tiny looks at José. “Where were you?”

“I have the next lunch. Nancy said they have to sit with the Little Brothers from now on. They won’t be getting picked on anymore, everyone is afraid of Jeremy and Jacob.”

Tiny looks at me pissed, schools his face, and looks down to the boys. “Stick with your Brothers, there’s safety in numbers. Once you learn how to defend yourselves the bullies will leave you alone.” The boys nod with big smiles again.

“This happened at lunch, no one called me,” I tell him.

“They never called Claire,” Jason says.

Tiny looks at him then me. “I’ll sort it out tomorrow.” He looks back at them. “Anything else I need to take care of while I’m there?”

José looks down embarrassed. “We get free lunch but it’s not always good. Sometimes we just get a cheese sandwich if we don’t like what they have.”

“You need money for lunch?” he growls out.

José looks up fast. “No, we can just eat what they give us,” he says, scared.

Tiny wipes his hand down his face. “No, you’ll eat what you need. How does the lunch money work?”

“You pay online and we get to use it when they have the gross stuff,” Billy says.

“You need something, you tell us so we can get it. We don’t know just because we’re big. Yeah?”

The boys look relieved. “We need PE clothes and shirts for Spirit days,” Billy says. I laugh. The other boys are nodding.

“Let’s make a list so we don’t forget anything.” I grab the magnetic pad from the fridge and a pen.

Ricky comes in. “The Little Brothers will watch out for you. If you have a problem you go to Aaron or Jacob, they’ll get help from little Ben.” He looks at me and Tiny. “They always sit alone on the other side of the cafeteria, the other kids leave them alone, but they don’t bother with them.” He takes a breath, he’s pissed again. “At all.” Damn.

Tiny nods at him. “Come take a walk with me.” He walks out the door with Ricky following.

“Okay, what else do you need, guys?” I ask, getting their attention away from Ricky and Tiny. They actually need a lot. Once the list is done they go out to play. Some of CJ’s kids come over and keep them busy.

When Sheila comes in I ask her if she needs any of the things on the list. We decide to go shopping after dinner and I tell her about the lunch money. She thanks me over and over with tears in her eyes. I’m pissed but try and hide it. They were treated like second class citizens. I bet that’s why the school didn’t call, no one cared. We’ll be fixing this tomorrow!

I decide we should go out for dinner, they’ve probably never been anywhere but the Diner. We can go shopping after we eat. I hear a horn and go to the door. Patches is dropping off Sandy. She comes running around the truck as I’m walking toward the driveway. I wave at Patches and the kids just before Sandy jumps on me, making me laugh. Every day it has been the same, she’s happy with the new routine.

Tiny and Ricky come in an hour later. “I decided to go out for dinner, then we can get what we need from the mall; there is quite a list on the fridge.”

Ricky smiles. “They deserve it, Nancy.” I nod, I’m not going to bad mouth the old parents, but we’re going to fix this and fix it quickly.

“Brothers are taking all the kids to school tomorrow. Danny will show me the lunch thing and Cloud will talk with the office about calling for a fuckin’ paper cut or dealing with the MC. Jason has cans of food under his bed in case he gets hungry. Don’t know what to do about that?” He’s still pissed.

I think for a minute. “I do.” I go to the back and call Jason in. “I heard you have cans of food under your bed.” He looks nervous. “If you’re hungry, you get a snack or fruit. If you’re starving and need to eat from your stash you’ll be in trouble,” I tell him, walking him into the kitchen with me. I open a cabinet and pull the electric can opener out. “You’ll need a way to open them.” I open the silverware drawer and hand him a fork. “And something to eat with. We don’t normally allow eating in the bedrooms, but if you’re starving you got to do what you got to do.” His eyes are huge. I clamp my teeth together to stop from smiling.

Ricky cracks up. “Go put your stuff away;
I’m
starving and we’re going out.” Jason nods and runs up the back stairs.

Tiny laughs. “Fuckin’ woman.”

We eat at a mall restaurant and Tiny takes the boys for sneakers and PE clothes. I have Sandy and Sheila shopping as quickly as possible. Tiny isn’t a patient man when it comes to shopping. I call him as we’re leaving our last stop; he’s got the boys at the arcade, so we meet up there. I laugh when I see him at a table watching the kids play. There are bags everywhere. “Did you leave anything in the store?”

“No, bought every color shirt and shorts and three pairs of shoes. They need boots for riding so we got them while we were there.” He pulls out twenty dollars and gives it to Sheila. “Drop your stuff and go play.” He gives Sandy ten and a kiss. “Stay where someone can see you.” She nods and runs to catch up to Sheila. “Fuckin’ parents didn’t treat them good, Tiny Dancer. CJ gives more than enough for them to get clothes and lunch. She’s pissed that she didn’t know. Everyone is fuckin’ pissed.”

“We’ll make it better.” I don’t know what else to say. He smiles and throws me chin.

Every kid is on the back of a bike. Brothers with no kids are here. There has to be thirty of us. Love the fuckin’ Brotherhood. All the bikes are pulled to the side. Brothers are leaning on them and a Prospect is delivering a round of coffees. Little Ben, Jessie, and Darren are waiting at the drop off with the Little Brothers. Aaron points out a kid as the parent pulls away. Little Ben goes over to him then calls my boys over. He talks to the kid then points at me and the Brothers. Two boys go over to him and I can see they’re spoiling for a fight. The Little Brothers stand behind little Ben, making the big Brothers proud. I walk over to them. “Problem, little Ben?”

He looks at me with a smile. “Nah, Uncle Tiny, I was just telling these boys they don’t want to mess with our Little Brothers anymore. It seems that your boys don’t wear their cuts to school so they didn’t know they were protected; now they know.”

The smart ass boys back down when they look up at him then me. “He’s your uncle?” one of the boys asks.

Little Ben smiles down at him. “More importantly he’s their new father. Those are his Brothers over there. They came to show him support while he dealt with the school this morning; they’re just waiting for the principal.” The boys step back. I notice my boys stand tall and I smile.

Danny slaps my back. “Let little Ben deal with the kids, we got adult shit to do.” Cloud follows us into the building. “Lunch room is just past the Office.” I follow him, trying to maneuver around little tiny bodies.

“Kids got new clothes and shoes on,” Cloud says from my side.

“Yeah, took them last night. Nothing against used clothes but they need some of their own too.” They shouldn’t have
only
hand me downs.

“They look good.” I don’t know what to say to that, so I throw him chin.

“Let’s get lunch squared away first,” Danny says, walking by the Office and straight into the cafeteria. Kids are eating breakfast, they stop and stare; no one is talking or even looking at their food. Danny just keeps going, so I keep following. I hear Cloud laugh behind us. At the cash register Danny introduces me to Sierra.

I nod at her. “My kids need to be able to buy food when they need it.” I give her their names and fifty for each. “Tell me when they need more and I’ll put more in. I don’t want them eating cheese sandwiches anymore. You the person that will make sure it don’t happen again?” She nods, looking like I’m going to jump her. “Thanks.”

Danny walks back out to the big room; the Little Brothers are dropping their stuff on a long table. Jason, José, and Billy are with them. “Little Brothers, you keep your Brothers backs,” Danny yells across the fuckin’ room. Jeremy smiles.

“Jeremy says always, Dad,” Aaron yells.

We throw them chin and walk out the door. Fuckin’ Danny, making sure the kids are covered. In the Office a sour-pussed woman is behind a counter. “He’s not in yet,” she says before anyone even asks her a question.

I ask her, “Are you the one that makes the call when kids get hurt on school property?” She looks surprised.

“Yes.”

I give her the boys’ names. “They get hurt you call. Billy was hurt yesterday at lunch and we didn’t get a call. I don’t give a fuck they get a paper cut, you call.”

“You can’t talk to me like that!” She’s just about shrieking. I look at Danny; what the fuck is up with her?

“Boy got hurt on more than one occasion and no one calls his parents is leaving you open to a lawsuit,” Cloud says.

She’s moving her hands but nothing is coming out of her mouth. The door opens and she look even more scared; fuckin’ woman knows she’s wrong. I look back to see who’s here. I’ve seen him before but can’t place him. “Danny, Cloud, Tiny, what can I do for you?” He knows me? He smiles at me. “I’m an Associate. I don’t get to many meetings. I’ve been taking care of my sister the last couple of months.” I throw him chin.

“What’s wrong with your sister?” Danny asks.

His smile changes to a weary frown. “Her husband died, cancer, she’s bipolar. She was doing good on her meds, but when he died she came off of them. She’s got two kids; my wife moved them in with us. It’s been rough.”

Fuck. Danny looks at him. “Brothers are here for you, Dave, you let us know shit like that. I’ll have Keith get with you, we can schedule you some help so you and your old lady can have some time. If you need more you let us help. Get the kids in with the Little Brothers, they’ll help too.”

Dave looks relieved. “I didn’t know you help Associates. I’ll take all the help you can give me.”

“Your wife work?” Cloud asks.

“No, she took a leave of absence to help with the kids and my sister.”

Danny puts his hand on Dave’s shoulder. “I’ll have Kate call her. There’s help at the Women’s Center. It’s free to members, all members. Yeah?”

“Thanks, Brother.” He takes a breath and swallows. “You didn’t come in here for that; what can I help you with?” He looks relieved to change the subject.

“My kid came home with bruises on his face and eye from bullies at lunch yesterday. I told this woman to call me if my kids get a paper cut. He should have at least got some ice. All he got was sent back to class.”

Dave looks surprised; he looks around us at the bitch. “He came into the office and no one told me there was a fight in the cafeteria?”

“It was one of the foster kids; they’re always fighting with someone. He comes in every other week,” stupid bitch says.

Cloud steps closer to the counter. “Those kids have been coming in here every other week and no one did anything to help them?”

“Just the two smaller ones. They fight all the time; the mother said it’s what the boys do.”

“Every student involved in fighting is reported to me. When did I change a rule that was handed down by the Superintendent? I’m sure it will be his first question when he gets handed a lawsuit!” His voice rises and the stupid bitch shrinks. He looks at us, clearly pissed. “I will fix it. I’m sorry this is an ongoing problem, it will stop today and your kids will get apologies from Ms. Marples here, verbal and written.” The bitch glares at him. “Is that what all the Brothers are doing here?”

“Yeah, seems my kids are an easy target for three boys in a higher grade. They get caught at lunch; sometimes they go without eating because the bullies take their lunches,” I tell him, giving the bitch a look.

“Fuckin’ bullies,” Danny says. “Can you make sure they’re covered, Dave? They’re fosters, already in bad, they don’t deserve more because of lousy parents. Little Ben was here with the crew earlier, the Little Brothers have them covered from kids. They need a little extra from the ignorant assholes that don’t see they didn’t ask to be where they are. If Marples didn’t call, the teacher or lunch monitor should have said something. With you clueless, I’m seeing a bigger problem than kid bullies. These are good kids, good grades, good attitudes. No one was protecting them here.”

“I’ll take care of it, Danny. I’m sorry for it coming to this, let little Ben know I’m on it.” He looks at the bitch. “Get me their names and schedules.”

“You need help dealing with this call Keith at the office, we have a teacher and plenty of CORE’d members to help,” Cloud tells him. I guess the background checks are important everywhere.

“Thanks, Brothers, feels good to know you’re there.”

I slap his shoulder. “It only works when you reach out, Brother. Reach out.”

He smiles and his face softens. “I will.”

We walk out the doors and see the Brothers are the only ones around. Danny swings his finger around, throwing chin and everyone takes off. When we get to our bikes he stops us. “I’m going to the Superintendent. I built his house. He needs a heads up so this doesn’t take forever to fix. That Marples broad isn’t going to change.”

“You want company?” Cloud asks.

Danny looks at me. “I want you to go, but this guy is not a good person to drop in on. I figure alone I can get in and not get stonewalled by his pit bull. With you I don’t stand a chance.”

I nod and look at Cloud. “Breakfast?” Cloud smiles.

“Fuckin’ Brothers!” Danny takes off while we’re laughing. He hates missing a meal.

*  *  *