Chapter 4: Reliving the Past
Todd opened the door to his room when they got upstairs. Hope it's ok if you sleep in here for a night or two til I get another room set up for ya, he said, flipping on the light. Morty followed him in, still holding onto the fiddle for dear life, and sat down heavily on the bed. Her brother set the bag onto the floor and hopped over to his sister. Todd wrapped his arms around her for the second time that night, petting her head and trying to stop her silent tears. Eventually, Morty set the fiddle off to the side before using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away her tears.
Todd started quietly, shifting nervously, Where've you been all this time? Why'd ya leave me?
She sighed as she drew back to look Todd in the face. Ya want the truth? Todd nodded before she took a rattled breath.
The night I left, I woke up and went to go get a drink when I heard Mom and Dad talking...you know that dad never really liked me. He blamed me for us bein' poor. He kept telling mom, She's too expensive! That damn daughter of yers needs new clothes!' and shit like that. I knew he didn't love me, but I figured that at least I had mom...but I heard her say that she wished I hadn't been born. If she wasn't around we'd prolly be ok. At least Todd can steal well so we can afford to eat. That little shit can't even steal right!' was what she told dad. Said that you could've had such a good life if I wasn't around...then y'all woulda had more money to live off of. I wanted ya to have a good life. So I left...
After that, I headed into the Apple. I figured if I could make it anywhere, it'd be in New York City. I set myself up a little in an abandoned section of The Projects. Word got out that I was good, and soon I had businessmen givin' me a hundred dollars a session. You wouldn't believe how many guys out there like em real young. I didn't like havin' to whore myself out but, there's only so much a street girl can do y'know? I kinda hope that, maybe, my services helped keep some poor little kid from gettin' raped by one of them sick, old fucks...
I did that til I was little over 14. Then, I met a mutant that was my age. Jeff Hilland was his name. He was a street musician that'd moved into the area. We hit it off real well and I quit my job. Him and I lived together, making a livin' offa our savings, stealin', and his music. Jeff gave me that fiddle for our six month anniversary. He actually remembered me saying that I woulda loved ta learn how to play one... Him and I used to sit in the house, him on guitar and me with my fiddle, and people'd hear us singin' Flogging Molly til all hours of the mornin'. Those were the best times... She paused, making sure that her voice wouldn't betray the sorrow that she felt at talking about Jeff before she continued. So, after we'd been together awhile, I started tellin' him bout you and the promise I'd made to come back. A month ago he gave me another surprise. Jeff had found all of the information that we'd needed to find you. He said that he couldn't wait to go because then we could be a real family. So we came here.
Todd's eyes had grown red from silent tears as she told her story. He hated his parents for driving away his only friend and loved one. And he was beginning to hate himself for not having gone after her and stopping her from becoming a New York whore. But he pushed those thoughts away before asking, So where's this Jeff now? He took care of you, didn't he? I wanna meet him, yo.
Morticia's eyes closed, trying to hold back a fresh flow of tears, before choking out, He got killed...couple hours ago... This information sank into Todd's mind as he watched his sister, in her grief and frustration, punch the wall next to her, scratching her knuckles bloody against the stucco wall. Unconsciously, they reached out to each other and cried themselves to sleep just as they had when they were children.
