Chapter 3: Sacrifice of Innocence
"Alejandro." Angela began, hoping this time she could get the man to open up a little.
"Yes, Senora?"
"You are a skilled fighter, no?"
"I would not have been assigned to protect you if I were not."
"Is there any particular weapon or technique in which you excel?"
"Why do you ask, Senora?"
"Just curious."
"I am especially skilled with knives, Senora."
She paused for a moment to consider the gamble she was about to take. "Would you teach me?" she asked at last.
"Senora, I don't think…"
"There may come a time when you will not be able to protect me. Would I not be safer if I could protect myself?"
"Yes, but…"
"Good. Then tomorrow, during my afternoon ride, we will find a secluded place, and you will begin teaching me."
"I don't think your husband would approve, Senora."
"Then we won't tell him."
"Senora, I…"
"Alejandro. I am not a willing bride. I came here under duress. I will defy Carlos Espinosa in any way that I can great or small."
She heard him sigh. "You have but to command me, Senora."
"Thank you. My friend."
The memory had come, unbidden, to her in her dreams. In truth, she was surprised that she could sleep at all in this soggy cardboard box. Last night's rain had done little to erase the stench in the alley. Quite a change from a pampered wife in the Venezuelan countryside.
The first bus out of New York had brought them to Chicago. The money Alejandro had given them was long gone, and now they were begging for food on the streets. All they had left were a few ragged changes of clothes, a couple of Kurz' toys and a few precious documents her mother had left her.
She had their original birth certificates—the ones the doctor had actually signed before Father had them altered. The documents listed their names as Angela Renee Weber and Kurz Vincent Weber, the children of Natalie Weber and an undisclosed father. Father changed them to Angelina Sophia Rizetti and Vincent Nicholas Rizetti, the children of himself and his wife Eleanor.
Angela also had the original copy of her mother's will. It stated that if anything were to happen to her, that Angela would have custody of any other children she may have. If Angela were not of age, then the children would go to Helen Weber, their grandmother. Rizetti had all other copies of it destroyed. Angela and Kurz had never met their grandmother, and so had no idea where to find her, or even if she were still living.
Finally, she had all of her diplomas. Angela had been a child prodigy, earning three PhD's before her sixteenth birthday. Her specialties were languages, diplomacy and psychology—all three subjects her father thought might be useful to him one day. Since he was paying her tuition, she took the classes even though her interests were in physics and engineering.
Angela had a spark of an idea to make use of these documents to pull the two of them out of this limbo and into a place where their father couldn't touch them.
Angela was shaken out of her thoughts when she realized that Kurz wasn't with her. She searched frantically for a moment until she spotted him at the entrance to the alley. She approached quietly, not wanting to startle him. As usual, he had turned on the tears and was begging for breakfast.
"Pwease," he said, turning on the charm and pretending he couldn't talk very well. "It's my birfday today an' my sissy can't affowd to buy me a pweasent." He sniffed noisily and started to pout. To her amazement, more people than ever before were throwing money his way. Angela hung back until she spotted a police officer headed their way.
"Kurz, sweetheart," she said, acting embarrassed. "You mustn't bother these nice people."
"But, sissy," he said, his lower lip beginning to tremble. "I jus' wanted a birfday pweasent."
She hugged him gently, producing a tear or two of her own. "I know sweetie. Maybe next year." A few more people threw them money. Quickly, she scooped up the cash and her brother and left the scene before the officer could reach them.
They ducked into a nearby shopping mall and headed for a quiet corner to count their earnings. Kurz' little display had brought them just over two hundred dollars! "Not bad, kiddo!" she told him.
"Do you think I was too pathetic?"
"Not at all. You were perfect." She ruffled his hair. "Now go into the bathroom and clean up."
"Are we gonna have lunch at the food court today?"
"No. With this much money, we can have a real birthday dinner in one of the real restaurants."
"Really? Wow! This is gonna be the best birthday ever."
Angela suppressed the anguish the thought produced and smiled widely for her brother. "I think you're right, kiddo." Was I right when I did this to him?
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It was the best meal he had ever tasted. Angie let him have a big hamburger and fries and pop and even dessert! She kept smiling at him the whole time. Since they ran away, he had often felt that his sister's smiles were fake, but today, they were all real.
Normally, when they were in the mall, they would just look in the windows of the stores and talk about all the things they were going to buy someday when they were rich and famous. Today, they went into the thrift store and they each got a new set of clothes. Then they went into a really big bookstore where the two of them would sometime hide from bad weather. Angela bought some books, but he didn't see what they were until later when they had gone to the park near their alley.
They sat at an empty picnic table where she gave him a present. It was wrapped in pretty paper with a huge bow, and the tag had his name on it. "Wow!" he exclaimed as he tore into the paper. Inside, he found three books. He could read just enough to see that they were teaching books for reading, math and science.
"I thought that you and I could go through them together," Angie said.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he cried and threw his arms around her.
"You're welcome, munchkin."
"Can we start now?"
She smiled. "Why not? Which one do you want to do first?"
"This one," he said, handing her the reading book. He snuggled up to her as she guided him through the first lesson.
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Nightfall found them back in their alley, the box having dried in the afternoon sunshine. "What was your favorite birthday present?" she asked as she did every year.
He thought for a moment before answering. "Um. My new books. What was yours?"
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the forehead. "You are."
Kurz fell asleep happier than he had ever been.
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They were awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of a struggle. Angela motioned for Kurz to stay hidden as she peered out of the box. A group of four young toughs had cornered a young woman walking alone in the night. The leader had her pinned against the wall and was tearing at her clothes. The woman was screaming and crying the same way Angela had on her wedding night.
Angela dug deep into a secret pocket inside her bag for the pair of knives Alejandro had given her when he had begun teaching her, motioned once again for Kurz to stay put and ventured out.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said calmly. "Idon't think you really want to do that."
"Oh yeah?" the leader sneered. "You wanna be next, little girl?"
Brilliant conversationalist, she thought primly. I'll bet he's head of the class at reform school. "I want you to leave this woman alone and get the hell out of my alley."
"This is our turf, bitch. We're in charge here."
She stepped closer, keeping the knives hidden from view. "Not for long."
The boy grinned evilly. "Get her!"
The boys never knew what hit them. They were on the ground almost immediately. Angela had the leader pinned to the wall, a knife at his throat, before the last of his comrades fell. They would all live, though one of them might never be able to reproduce. No loss there. "Leave," she growled menacingly.
The boy wet himself before nodding in agreement. She released him, and he ran off, the other three limping behind him. Angela turned to the girl who was cowering on the ground. "You shouldn't be out here alone, Miss."
The girl started at the sound of her voice. "Wh-who are you?"
"I'm no one," she replied. "Kurz! You can come out now. Bring our stuff. We need to find a new place." She held out a hand to the girl. "Come on, We'll walk with you."
The girl took her hand gingerly, and Angela hauled her to her feet. By that time, Kurz had joined them.
"Where are you headed?" Angela asked her.
"H-home. My place is just down the street."
"Let's go then."
The girl's "place" turned out to be a brothel. Angela had been avoiding this place like the plague, hoping to stay away from that kind of work.
A middle-aged woman met them at the door. "Kari! Where the hell have you been?"
"I'm sorry, Belle. I just wanted to go for a walk."
"A walk! At three o'clock in the morning? What the hell were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry."
Belle noticed Angela and Kurz for the first time. "You're those two kids who moved into that alley a few months back. You looking for work?"
"No," Angela answered firmly. "We're just walking Kari home."
"Belle, you should have seen it! She took out Billy's gang all by herself."
"This little thing?"
"It's true," Kari continued. "It was amazing."
Belle examined Angela more closely. You don't look like much of a fighter."
"She's exaggerating. I got lucky."
"There she is!" Angela turned to see the three boys from earlier returning with reinforcements.
"Kurz, go inside. Don't come out until I tell you." He complied without a word.
Once her brother was safe, she jumped into the melee. She was joined almost immediately by a stranger who dispatched the gang members as efficiently as she did. The boys were soon driven off.
"Well," the man said when the last of them was gone. "I've never seen a chick fight like that. You must be one big bad bitch from hell! You hardly got a mark on you."
She said nothing.
"You ever been to an organized fight?"
"No."
"You'd be great."
"Not interested." She started to walk away.
"You could make some serious money. Enough to feed your kid."
She turned back to face him. "And who would watch him while I'm getting my face bashed in?"
He grinned. "Belle and the girls can watch him."
"Not for free we won't!" Belle interjected.
"I don't do that kind of work," Angela told the woman.
"You do now," she shot back. "Here's the deal. On nights you fight, your kid gets a hot meal and a warm bed. In exchange, you work here the rest of the night."
"I haven't agreed to the fights," she answered flatly.
Belle leaned closer. "You plan to keep begging for the rest of your life?"
Angela growled in frustration, knowing that they were both right. "Fine!" She turned to the man "What do I need to do?"
He grinned crookedly. "Just leave it to me, girl. I'll make sure the 'Hell Bitch' will go down in history."