"I don' know what I was thinkin'. He don' love me, he nevah did. He
jus' pretended it," I said for what must have been the fifteenth time that
day.
Patch comforted me anyway. "I'm shuh he did. He was jus' noivous. He didn' know what ta do. Can ya blame 'im?"
"Yes," I stated before walking off to try to sell another paper with the headline "People intentionally start tenant fiah! Caught by police!" which truly said, "Barbecue fires cause safety hazards, police crack down on barbecues."
"Dat's a good one," Patch said, before shouting out the same headline in German, attracting a multitude of new buyers. I tried my at translating it into French, the only other language I knew, and I only knew that from school. My botched translation attracted many buyers however.
"I loined from da best," I said, clapping her on the shoulder. "But back ta da problem at hand please. What da hell am I gonna say ta Spot?"
"Nothin' if ya can help it. He may figuah it out but I doubt he'd suspect enough ta notice."
"What if-?" I stopped, not daring to think of the thought that crossed my mind. "Patch, I gotta tell ya somethin'. I was talkin' ta Spot one day, an' he tol' me dis: I'se tellin' ya now an' ya ain't evah gonna heah it again. Havin' a baby with someone makes it woise for da relationship. Jus' remembah dat if ya evah tempted. Oh, Patch, I promised 'im, an' I defied 'im."
"Oh, sweetie," she said, letting me rest my head on her shoulder. "Cry if ya need ta, jus' go ahead an' cry."
"Thank ya," I whispered into her shoulder. She stroked my hair slightly to comfort me before taking me into Tibby's. Driving me straight for the bathroom she walked to the basin inside and instructed me to wash my eyes to hide the red marks. "What would I do without ya?"
"Probably you'd be a lot bettah off, but we don' exactly get a choice now do we?" I laughed and thanked her once again. I hugged her for a minute. "All righ', all righ', stop wit' da huggin', le's jus' get back out dere before dey send a search party."
"Sit heah," Sprite said, motioning to the seat next to her. "Now listen, I gots a plan for ya safety." Just as I was about to yell at Slider for telling her about earlier, she added. "Ya know, from Chant." I sighed in relief. That was all she was talking about. "I'se got an uncle, an' he said ya can stay wit' him an' 'is daughtah for a while so dat you'se safe. Ya can still visit, but dat gives ya a place ta stay when it gets too dangerous."
"What about you all?" I asked. I had been wondering since the beginning why I was getting special treatment. "Why are ya hidin' me away an' not yaselves. Ya don' t'ink I can defend meself?"
"It ain't dat." Sprite said softly. She ended abruptly and I could tell she was hiding something from me.
"Well, den what is it?"
Sprite looked uncomfortable and then Slider cut in. "Jus' tell 'er."
"Spot got a lettah from Chant an' 'is goons, an' he was threatenin' ya. Guess dey knew he was ya weak spot. But eithah way, ya ain't safe heah. Jus' watch yaself." Sprite looked relieved that she had gotten it out.
"Dis jus' ain't good timin', is it?" Mouth whispered into my ear. I nodded. "I'se always heah for ya," she whispered again. I smiled, glad to know I had my friends on my side at least.
Just then, Spot ran into Tibby's. "Sli, ya need ta hide Spark wit' Sprite's uncle. It ain't safe heah no more for her. Is dat gonna woik? He ready?"
"Its good," Sprite answered for her. "I'll get her dere right away. What's da problem?"
"Chant's threatenin' us again an' I'se worried for her. I brought her stuff dat was still at Brooklyn, let's get her off right away." I looked at Spot and saw the true worry in his eyes, and I knew I couldn't protest. He sincerely cared about my safety; I had to obey. "Spark?"
"Okay," I agreed without so much as one objection. I allowed myself to be dragged off towards a house - of which I don't even know the location, as I followed like a zombie - where a tall man stood beside his skinny, raven-haired daughter.
"Hey Sprite. That one's Spark?" the man said.
I noticed he was pointing to me and I spoke. "I'm Spark." I reached out my hand, and he shook it (without spitting in it, I might add).
"Is that your daughter?" I asked, pointing the girl standing beside him.
"Yeah, she's mine. A spitting image of her mother."
I noticed that he was drifting of into his own world when the girl stepped up. "Da name's Boidy. Why don' ya come inside?"
"Sounds good to me," I said, turning to look at Slider and Sprite behind me.
"We ain't comin' too. We'll visit soon." With that, they were off, and I was left with the two people I had only met a moment before. Knowing they were related to Sprite is what kept me from running after her.
"Let's go," I said and then followed them into the apartment.
A/N: Okay, I know this is short, but I wanted to get this over and done with and posted before my trip (I leave for the airport in an hour!). Oh, and Birdy, sure you can use me.
Have a good week!
Ciao,
Spark Higgins
Patch comforted me anyway. "I'm shuh he did. He was jus' noivous. He didn' know what ta do. Can ya blame 'im?"
"Yes," I stated before walking off to try to sell another paper with the headline "People intentionally start tenant fiah! Caught by police!" which truly said, "Barbecue fires cause safety hazards, police crack down on barbecues."
"Dat's a good one," Patch said, before shouting out the same headline in German, attracting a multitude of new buyers. I tried my at translating it into French, the only other language I knew, and I only knew that from school. My botched translation attracted many buyers however.
"I loined from da best," I said, clapping her on the shoulder. "But back ta da problem at hand please. What da hell am I gonna say ta Spot?"
"Nothin' if ya can help it. He may figuah it out but I doubt he'd suspect enough ta notice."
"What if-?" I stopped, not daring to think of the thought that crossed my mind. "Patch, I gotta tell ya somethin'. I was talkin' ta Spot one day, an' he tol' me dis: I'se tellin' ya now an' ya ain't evah gonna heah it again. Havin' a baby with someone makes it woise for da relationship. Jus' remembah dat if ya evah tempted. Oh, Patch, I promised 'im, an' I defied 'im."
"Oh, sweetie," she said, letting me rest my head on her shoulder. "Cry if ya need ta, jus' go ahead an' cry."
"Thank ya," I whispered into her shoulder. She stroked my hair slightly to comfort me before taking me into Tibby's. Driving me straight for the bathroom she walked to the basin inside and instructed me to wash my eyes to hide the red marks. "What would I do without ya?"
"Probably you'd be a lot bettah off, but we don' exactly get a choice now do we?" I laughed and thanked her once again. I hugged her for a minute. "All righ', all righ', stop wit' da huggin', le's jus' get back out dere before dey send a search party."
"Sit heah," Sprite said, motioning to the seat next to her. "Now listen, I gots a plan for ya safety." Just as I was about to yell at Slider for telling her about earlier, she added. "Ya know, from Chant." I sighed in relief. That was all she was talking about. "I'se got an uncle, an' he said ya can stay wit' him an' 'is daughtah for a while so dat you'se safe. Ya can still visit, but dat gives ya a place ta stay when it gets too dangerous."
"What about you all?" I asked. I had been wondering since the beginning why I was getting special treatment. "Why are ya hidin' me away an' not yaselves. Ya don' t'ink I can defend meself?"
"It ain't dat." Sprite said softly. She ended abruptly and I could tell she was hiding something from me.
"Well, den what is it?"
Sprite looked uncomfortable and then Slider cut in. "Jus' tell 'er."
"Spot got a lettah from Chant an' 'is goons, an' he was threatenin' ya. Guess dey knew he was ya weak spot. But eithah way, ya ain't safe heah. Jus' watch yaself." Sprite looked relieved that she had gotten it out.
"Dis jus' ain't good timin', is it?" Mouth whispered into my ear. I nodded. "I'se always heah for ya," she whispered again. I smiled, glad to know I had my friends on my side at least.
Just then, Spot ran into Tibby's. "Sli, ya need ta hide Spark wit' Sprite's uncle. It ain't safe heah no more for her. Is dat gonna woik? He ready?"
"Its good," Sprite answered for her. "I'll get her dere right away. What's da problem?"
"Chant's threatenin' us again an' I'se worried for her. I brought her stuff dat was still at Brooklyn, let's get her off right away." I looked at Spot and saw the true worry in his eyes, and I knew I couldn't protest. He sincerely cared about my safety; I had to obey. "Spark?"
"Okay," I agreed without so much as one objection. I allowed myself to be dragged off towards a house - of which I don't even know the location, as I followed like a zombie - where a tall man stood beside his skinny, raven-haired daughter.
"Hey Sprite. That one's Spark?" the man said.
I noticed he was pointing to me and I spoke. "I'm Spark." I reached out my hand, and he shook it (without spitting in it, I might add).
"Is that your daughter?" I asked, pointing the girl standing beside him.
"Yeah, she's mine. A spitting image of her mother."
I noticed that he was drifting of into his own world when the girl stepped up. "Da name's Boidy. Why don' ya come inside?"
"Sounds good to me," I said, turning to look at Slider and Sprite behind me.
"We ain't comin' too. We'll visit soon." With that, they were off, and I was left with the two people I had only met a moment before. Knowing they were related to Sprite is what kept me from running after her.
"Let's go," I said and then followed them into the apartment.
A/N: Okay, I know this is short, but I wanted to get this over and done with and posted before my trip (I leave for the airport in an hour!). Oh, and Birdy, sure you can use me.
Have a good week!
Ciao,
Spark Higgins