Mom's gentle hands pressed on the tender, bleeding area around Johnny's

Mom's gentle hands pressed on the tender, bleeding area around Johnny's
bruising eye. His parents hadn't beaten on him in a while, but glory did they
ever make up for that this afternoon. I handed Mom the first aid kit, careful
to avoid Johnny's charcoal eyes. I'd never understood how a parent could hate
their own kid so much.

She riffled through the kit, quickly finding a pair of tweezers that had
picked glass somewhere out of everyone at one point. Johnny closed his eyes as
mom set to work, picking out shards of greenish glass, her face set firm with
concentration. Johnny didn't wince, even when mom pulled out a piece of glass
that was nearly two inches long.

I dabbed rubbing alcohol on a clothe for mom, and Johnny didn't move as she
gently cleaned away the blood and dirt, being careful of any pieces of glass
she may have missed.

"Does it hurt, Johnny?" Mom asked softly, but with a serious edge. It was
astonishing, really. She could be lighthearted and soft, and yet still manage
to be serious and firm.

"Not so bad," he said quietly, but I knew he was lying. When all a kid has is
his pride, he's not about to admit when something as seemingly small as
physical pain is hurting him.

Mom managed to get the bleeding to slow down, giving her and myself a
clearer view of the gash. And gosh, was it ever huge. It started at the far
end of his right eyebrow and cut almost into his hairline. Mom grimaced as she
threaded a needle. Johnny still had his eyes closed.

"Johnny," she sighed, dipping the end of the needle in some rubbing alcohol
for good measure. She carefully pressed the tip of the needle to one end of
the gash. "Just sit tight, honey, it'll be over before you know it," she said
reassuringly when Johnny flinched back a little. He gave a small, shy smile
mom could make anyone smile and said,

"Thanks, Mrs.Curtis." I could tell he really meant it, and so could mom,
which got her smiling even more as her gentle hands worked carefully on
Johnny's wound.

The door slammed, and I nearly jumped right out of my skin as Dally Winston
the toughest hood in Tulsa came in letting off a sting of cusses. Boy, did
that guy have a foul mouth on him. He glared at me, and smiled faintly at my
momma. Dally didn't smile much, but when he did, it was something nice. I
didn't like him none, an half the time I wondered why I even put up with him.
But in the end, I figured it was just a mutual thing between the two of us. I
kept my mouth shut, he didn't give me grief. The more I thought about it the
more I realized that the only reason I knew any of these boys was because of
my brothers.

"What the hell happened to you, Johnnycakes?" Dally asked in a rough, cold
voice as he struck a match on his chain and lit the cigarette that had been
tucked behind his ear. My mom shot Dally a warning glare, and he stubbed out
his cigarette on the bottom of his boot and shut his mouth. Mom had that
affect on people. Don't ask me how, I could never tell you.