A/N: Blahhhhhhh
Disclaimer: Read above ^
~*~
Something was nagging at the back of my mind, like when I forgot to do something, or when I was beating myself up over not betting more on a sure win. For a few days I couldn't put my finger on it, I was begging God to let it smack me in the face. Oh, boy, did it ever.
I snuck off to the tracks that night. I don't know what made me do it, it's an addiction. Anyway, this real snooty mug (A/N: tee hee) decides to park it right in front of me, completely blocking my view. So I'm trying to get his attention when who should show up at my elbow but Miss Hoity-Toity herself? (A/N: See a pattern developing here?) Well she's telling me something but it's kind of a habit of mine to ignore people I dislike, you know? With the crowds being real noisy, I couldn't quite hear her, plus the added tension of the last lap, and, well...let's just say I wasn't paying one bit of attention to her.
Anyway, my horse came in second, and I was too disappointed over losing that day's profit to wonder what the hell she was doing down at the tracks until she grabbed my shoulders and whirled me around. Then I was too shocked by the tears in her eyes to yell at her to go away, but she cried "Haven't you been listening to me? She could die and you're more concerned with gambling? Racetrack! Listen to me!"
My mind was off and spinning. Who was dying? Then it hit me harder than a punch from Knuckles Mc Elroy.
Nonna.
Oh, God.
Matilda grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd, rambling to me over her shoulder as we raced over the streets. "I've been trying to find you for over an hour, when I left her she was calling for you, I didn't know what to do, so I ran to that lodging house of yours asking for you and some of the boys laughed at me, you've got some rude friends, you know that- "
Even in the middle of a crisis, she found time to criticize!
"-But this one with a cowboy hat told me to try the Sheepshead and to brush my hair, but I ignored him...well, I went to the tracks, but I mean, my hair was tangled from running-"
"Get ta da point!" I shouted. My nerves were already stretched beyond their capacity and her panicky chatter wasn't helping.
"Sorry!" she gasped out in front of me, breathing hard from running all over the city. "I'm worried...Aaghh! We've missed the block!"
She swerved down an alley, me just barely keeping on her tail, and clambered haphazardly up the fire escape. When she got to the top she threw open the window and turned to let me in first, tears streaming down her face. "Racetrack, I'm really sorry about before-"
I ignored her, my heart racing. Nonna was lying on her bed, surrounded by Mr. Jenkins, a doctor, and a tall, snobby looking woman I didn't recognize. Paying no attention to them, I rushed to Nonna's bedside. "Nonna, you Ok?"
She wearily raised her eyes to meet mine. "Anthony" she managed to croak out before her eyelids drooped again.
I whirled on the doctor. "What's happenin', she gonna be all right?"
He had a deep, grave voice. He glanced to see that Nonna was asleep, drew me away from the group, and said quietly "She's taken an unexpected turn for the worse. At times like these you can't tell how much time is left." Noticing my horrified face, he said "Could be longer then anyone thinks, she's a strong woman. But it is requisite that she stay in bed, understand?"
'Yeah, yeah" I muttered, afraid. I took it that the meaning of the word 'requisite' was 'keep her there', and felt a small pang through the numbness for shouting at Matilda before. My thoughts jerked back to Nonna. "So what's I gotta do?"
"Bed rest," he said, rummaging through his black bag. "Here's my address, come and find me if anything goes wrong." Then he left.
I rolled my eyes (big help he was) and turned around. The tall woman from before was hissing in Matilda's ear, and she looked ashamed beyond belief. It seemed like they were arguing and Matilda was losing. And I thought she was impossible.
I'd just turned me attention back to Nonna when a loud bang made me jump. "Lord, what d' hell ya think ya doin'? I asked, looking around at the people crammed into the room. Mr. Jenkins looked a little lost, while the lady was scowling at the window Matilda had just gone out. "I'd better be going, I've got company coming later," she said to Mr. Jenkins. "Goodbye Raymond, send her home when she can mind her mouth." And with that, she swept dramatically from the room.
I stared. Who the hell was that? Must be Matilda's aunt.
After a while, Mr. Jacobs started murmuring to himself, so I decided to leave him at it. There was a cigar in my pocket so I went out to the fire escape. There was a funny sound coming from the steps, kind of like someone stepping on a cat. I was leaning over the edge looking for a cat when I caught sight of black curls against the metal. Matilda. Damn, I forgot she was out here.
I felt bad for being mean to her, but I wasn't about to go apologize, so I went down and sat on the step next to her, smoking. She turned halfway towards me, then looked away.
It was a while before either of us spoke. Finally she said, "You hate me, don't you."
'You bet' I thought, but said "Nah" because she was crying.
She sniffed. "I'm sorry for throwing the food away, I was worried about her and all alone and I didn't know what to do, I just-"
"Why didn't ya get yer aunt?" I interrupted, still not looking at her.
She sighed. "Because I knew she wouldn't care. I'm just another mouth to feed to her, ever since my parents...well...I couldn't have stayed with them."
I decided not to ask. What did I care, anyway? She was looking at me expectantly. Shit, it was my turn.
"I'm...sorry too." I said heavily. "Thanks for gettin me tonight, yeah. Thanks."
She looked satisfied. I exhaled smoke, and we sat there for a long time in silence. Then she kinda half turned towards me, and held out her hand. "Truce?" she asked hopefully, looking very serious behind her deep blue eyes. Something in her expression caught me off balance; there was something I didn't recognize in the way she looked at me. It was nice, though. I spit in my hand and took hers, finally tearing my eyes away.
For a few seconds she looked at me funny, like she'd swallowed something rotten. Then she burst out laughing.
I stared. She was crazy, this one.
She continued to laugh as she climbed through the window, then turned and smiled at me. Despite the fact that Nonna was sicker, my heart felt lighter. Like soda on a hot day. I grinned. Crazy, crazy girl.
*
Nonna wavered in and out of sleep at strange times, making it impossible for me to time my day around seeing her. The boys all seemed curious about where I went every day, but none asked. They did ask about the crazy girl that ran in here screaming my name. I laughed when I heard that. "Yeah, she's crazy, aright." I told them, rubbing my face dry with a towel. (A/N: He gave Skittery a buck)
Things were easier back at Nonna's. It was kind of a relief not having to avoid Matilda and all. She smiled at me when I came in, and I realized suddenly how long it had been since I'd used the door. "She's not awake yet," said Minna when I walked in. My thoughts froze. Minna? Matilda. Matilda. Matilda.
"She's been sleeping all morning," she continued, closing the door behind me. "I didn't want to wake her...here, let me take those." She took the papers from my wet hands as I took off my hat.
"Cold, for April" I commented, peering out the window into the rain. She didn't answer. I turned around, half expecting her to scold me for something, but she was gone, andato, vanished.
A strangled gasp came from Nonna's room. Suddenly her curls swung out of the doorway, framing a face that was anxious and worried, like.
"Racetrack" she said desperately, "Come here now!"
~*~
A/N: I'm so evil. Short chappie compared to others, I took a brave stab at Race's accent, which I think was inconsistent. I imagine everyone with a Philly accent, either that or sounding like Rivers Cuomo. Whatever, just review. ^_^ (oh and 'andato' is Italian for 'gone') lalalala *hums to herself* No, I'm not insane... Aghh! another note-Knuckles Mc Elroy, what's with him? He just kind of popped up. I was gonna do Spot, but, I'm a little too obsessed. So to prove my sanity...Knuckles got his cameo.
Disclaimer: Read above ^
~*~
Something was nagging at the back of my mind, like when I forgot to do something, or when I was beating myself up over not betting more on a sure win. For a few days I couldn't put my finger on it, I was begging God to let it smack me in the face. Oh, boy, did it ever.
I snuck off to the tracks that night. I don't know what made me do it, it's an addiction. Anyway, this real snooty mug (A/N: tee hee) decides to park it right in front of me, completely blocking my view. So I'm trying to get his attention when who should show up at my elbow but Miss Hoity-Toity herself? (A/N: See a pattern developing here?) Well she's telling me something but it's kind of a habit of mine to ignore people I dislike, you know? With the crowds being real noisy, I couldn't quite hear her, plus the added tension of the last lap, and, well...let's just say I wasn't paying one bit of attention to her.
Anyway, my horse came in second, and I was too disappointed over losing that day's profit to wonder what the hell she was doing down at the tracks until she grabbed my shoulders and whirled me around. Then I was too shocked by the tears in her eyes to yell at her to go away, but she cried "Haven't you been listening to me? She could die and you're more concerned with gambling? Racetrack! Listen to me!"
My mind was off and spinning. Who was dying? Then it hit me harder than a punch from Knuckles Mc Elroy.
Nonna.
Oh, God.
Matilda grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd, rambling to me over her shoulder as we raced over the streets. "I've been trying to find you for over an hour, when I left her she was calling for you, I didn't know what to do, so I ran to that lodging house of yours asking for you and some of the boys laughed at me, you've got some rude friends, you know that- "
Even in the middle of a crisis, she found time to criticize!
"-But this one with a cowboy hat told me to try the Sheepshead and to brush my hair, but I ignored him...well, I went to the tracks, but I mean, my hair was tangled from running-"
"Get ta da point!" I shouted. My nerves were already stretched beyond their capacity and her panicky chatter wasn't helping.
"Sorry!" she gasped out in front of me, breathing hard from running all over the city. "I'm worried...Aaghh! We've missed the block!"
She swerved down an alley, me just barely keeping on her tail, and clambered haphazardly up the fire escape. When she got to the top she threw open the window and turned to let me in first, tears streaming down her face. "Racetrack, I'm really sorry about before-"
I ignored her, my heart racing. Nonna was lying on her bed, surrounded by Mr. Jenkins, a doctor, and a tall, snobby looking woman I didn't recognize. Paying no attention to them, I rushed to Nonna's bedside. "Nonna, you Ok?"
She wearily raised her eyes to meet mine. "Anthony" she managed to croak out before her eyelids drooped again.
I whirled on the doctor. "What's happenin', she gonna be all right?"
He had a deep, grave voice. He glanced to see that Nonna was asleep, drew me away from the group, and said quietly "She's taken an unexpected turn for the worse. At times like these you can't tell how much time is left." Noticing my horrified face, he said "Could be longer then anyone thinks, she's a strong woman. But it is requisite that she stay in bed, understand?"
'Yeah, yeah" I muttered, afraid. I took it that the meaning of the word 'requisite' was 'keep her there', and felt a small pang through the numbness for shouting at Matilda before. My thoughts jerked back to Nonna. "So what's I gotta do?"
"Bed rest," he said, rummaging through his black bag. "Here's my address, come and find me if anything goes wrong." Then he left.
I rolled my eyes (big help he was) and turned around. The tall woman from before was hissing in Matilda's ear, and she looked ashamed beyond belief. It seemed like they were arguing and Matilda was losing. And I thought she was impossible.
I'd just turned me attention back to Nonna when a loud bang made me jump. "Lord, what d' hell ya think ya doin'? I asked, looking around at the people crammed into the room. Mr. Jenkins looked a little lost, while the lady was scowling at the window Matilda had just gone out. "I'd better be going, I've got company coming later," she said to Mr. Jenkins. "Goodbye Raymond, send her home when she can mind her mouth." And with that, she swept dramatically from the room.
I stared. Who the hell was that? Must be Matilda's aunt.
After a while, Mr. Jacobs started murmuring to himself, so I decided to leave him at it. There was a cigar in my pocket so I went out to the fire escape. There was a funny sound coming from the steps, kind of like someone stepping on a cat. I was leaning over the edge looking for a cat when I caught sight of black curls against the metal. Matilda. Damn, I forgot she was out here.
I felt bad for being mean to her, but I wasn't about to go apologize, so I went down and sat on the step next to her, smoking. She turned halfway towards me, then looked away.
It was a while before either of us spoke. Finally she said, "You hate me, don't you."
'You bet' I thought, but said "Nah" because she was crying.
She sniffed. "I'm sorry for throwing the food away, I was worried about her and all alone and I didn't know what to do, I just-"
"Why didn't ya get yer aunt?" I interrupted, still not looking at her.
She sighed. "Because I knew she wouldn't care. I'm just another mouth to feed to her, ever since my parents...well...I couldn't have stayed with them."
I decided not to ask. What did I care, anyway? She was looking at me expectantly. Shit, it was my turn.
"I'm...sorry too." I said heavily. "Thanks for gettin me tonight, yeah. Thanks."
She looked satisfied. I exhaled smoke, and we sat there for a long time in silence. Then she kinda half turned towards me, and held out her hand. "Truce?" she asked hopefully, looking very serious behind her deep blue eyes. Something in her expression caught me off balance; there was something I didn't recognize in the way she looked at me. It was nice, though. I spit in my hand and took hers, finally tearing my eyes away.
For a few seconds she looked at me funny, like she'd swallowed something rotten. Then she burst out laughing.
I stared. She was crazy, this one.
She continued to laugh as she climbed through the window, then turned and smiled at me. Despite the fact that Nonna was sicker, my heart felt lighter. Like soda on a hot day. I grinned. Crazy, crazy girl.
*
Nonna wavered in and out of sleep at strange times, making it impossible for me to time my day around seeing her. The boys all seemed curious about where I went every day, but none asked. They did ask about the crazy girl that ran in here screaming my name. I laughed when I heard that. "Yeah, she's crazy, aright." I told them, rubbing my face dry with a towel. (A/N: He gave Skittery a buck)
Things were easier back at Nonna's. It was kind of a relief not having to avoid Matilda and all. She smiled at me when I came in, and I realized suddenly how long it had been since I'd used the door. "She's not awake yet," said Minna when I walked in. My thoughts froze. Minna? Matilda. Matilda. Matilda.
"She's been sleeping all morning," she continued, closing the door behind me. "I didn't want to wake her...here, let me take those." She took the papers from my wet hands as I took off my hat.
"Cold, for April" I commented, peering out the window into the rain. She didn't answer. I turned around, half expecting her to scold me for something, but she was gone, andato, vanished.
A strangled gasp came from Nonna's room. Suddenly her curls swung out of the doorway, framing a face that was anxious and worried, like.
"Racetrack" she said desperately, "Come here now!"
~*~
A/N: I'm so evil. Short chappie compared to others, I took a brave stab at Race's accent, which I think was inconsistent. I imagine everyone with a Philly accent, either that or sounding like Rivers Cuomo. Whatever, just review. ^_^ (oh and 'andato' is Italian for 'gone') lalalala *hums to herself* No, I'm not insane... Aghh! another note-Knuckles Mc Elroy, what's with him? He just kind of popped up. I was gonna do Spot, but, I'm a little too obsessed. So to prove my sanity...Knuckles got his cameo.