At a certain point during the day he heard some children playing, be became curious and neared the happy sounds. He saw a dozen of children playing outside a big building under the watchful eye of a young woman. He observed them longingly; he really didn't envy them since he had never experienced school, but he wished he could have a least a friend of his age. Back in Strawberry he wasn't allowed to have friends; the main reason was that he simply didn't have time for them, even more so the parents would never have allowed their children to mingle with a person such as him.
He simply sat observing, wondering what would be to attend school and learning new things. After awhile he decided to move on, he started to draw unwanted attention.
He had planned to remain hidden for a week until Mr. Barkley's return. During the next several days he explored every single nook and cranny of Stockton. Each day he liked to spend some time observing the school children during recess. He wasn't aware that the pretty teacher had noticed him. She was tempted to go and ask the little boy why he wasn't at school, but she had to look out for her pupils and she was able to spot the boy only during the recess even though she had looked for him after school. In her opinion all children should be allowed to attend school but sadly some parents thought that it was only lost time and of money.
Every night Heath changed his sleeping spot, sometimes he spent the night under the boardwalk, other nights in a alley. He was marveled that here in Stockton the temperature was so warm compared to Strawberry, in the first hours of the morning it was cold but still bearable.
'Maybe I won't need a new pair of shoes, so I won't need to ask Mr. Barkley for a new pair or maybe he will deduct them from my pay,' he thought. He was well aware that his uncle kept all his wages. Maybe Mr. Barkley would be different, after all he was a friend of his mama and she would have never send him to someone like his uncle.
Finally the day arrived, in the previous days he had spent a lot of time at the station and he had learned that there was a daily train from Sacramento at noon. He had decided to go directly to the Barkley ranch at mid-afternoon.
After washing his face, a lesson he remembered from his mama, she always stressed on cleanliness. He packed all his stuff and wandered for the last time around Stockton.
Something shining on the street draw his attention; a whole penny! Someone had lost it, after checking around he decided to pick it up. In his whole life he had never had money at first he wanted to keep it but suddenly he stopped in front a candy store, many times during the previous week he stopped in front of its window to peek inside, sometimes the owner had come out and told him to go away that he wasn't welcomed but now he reasoned he had money and he could enter to buy something.
He slowly opened the door and entered he was marveled by vast choice of candies and cookies, he really didn't know what to chose, suddenly an old memory resurfaced; just a few day before his mama's death she had bought some licorice, here in front of him there was a big glass jar filled with licorice.
"Sorry, but I was in the back, how I..." The plump woman stopped at mid-sentence when she recognized the street urchin she had seen several times in front of her shop, she looked around to check if something was amiss.
"Excuse me I'd like to buy one penny of licorice." He politely asked.
"Your kind isn't welcomed here."
"But I have money," he replied showing the shining penny in his palm.
"You money is no good here and for sure, you have stolen it!"
"I ain't a thief, I found it!"
"Anyway, as I said before your kind isn't welcomed here, now I have to clean where you touched with your filthy hands. Are you stupid? Go away or I will call the sheriff."
"But...I have money…" he feebly replied with gleaming eyes with unshed tears.
"Go away!" She shouted while handling a sweep to push away Heath. "Hell will freeze over before I will sell something to you!" she added.
On his way out Heath bumped into the lovely teacher Miss Jones.
"Sorry Miss, it's my fault," he stammered when he realized that he bumped in someone.
The young woman was passing by Mrs. Olsen's shop when she heard yelling coming from it, and she stopped curious to see what had caused all the ruckus.
"Don't worry, what's happened? Are you all right?" She inquired hoping to get more information when she realized that the boy she bumped in was the same one she observed during recess.
"Don't worry I's all right."
"Did you buy something good?"
Her gentleness was his undoing, he had seldom met nice people and she seemed to really care about him.
"No, Miss, I wanted to buy some licorice but the lady inside didn't want to sell me anything."
"Oh my…she was rude."
"It doesn't matter, I's used."
"It matter to me!"
"But you don't know me, I was wrong to enter in the shop, why does it matter to you?"
"You are right, I don't know you, I see a kid in front of me who wasn't allowed to buy a little bit of licorice and this isn't right. Since Mrs. Olsen doesn't want to serve you, I will get the licorice for you."
"Thanks," said Heath with eyes brimming with tears. "here the penny, I don't accept charity."
"There's no need…" Miss Jones tried to say, but the stubborn expression on Heath's face changed her mind.
The little exchange wasn't missed by Mrs. Olsen, she was a very narrow-minded person, who thought that everyone had to stay in his or her place, and when she saw Miss Jones talking with the urchin she had just drove away from her shop she thought that a talk with the sheriff was in need. She left the shop in the hand of one of her children and left from the back door.
Miss Jones entered the shop and bought one penny worth of licorice, she was relieved that Mrs. Olsen wasn't here.
"Here one penny of licorice as I promised." Said Miss Jones handing the small package to Heath.
"Thanks, you didn't have to." Said a surprised Heath, still unsure on why people were nice to him.
"You are welcome. My name is Mary Jones and yours?"
"Heath…Heath Thomson, Miss."
"Are you new in town? And where are your parents? I noticed you all week long during recess, you should attend school."
"My mama died two years ago and I have no papa."
"And you are all alone here in Stockton?" Asked a surprised Mary.
"I arrived one week ago, it's not that much time. I's looking after myself since I was a little kid. I could have gone to a friend of Mr. Keller, but I reckoned that I didn't want to bother him for only a week. I have a letter of my mama for a friend of hers, I will work for him."
She wanted to reply that he was far to young for working, but something in Heath's expression stopped her.
"And where is your mama's friend?"
"He wasn't here when I arrived, he arrive today."
"And what's his name, if I may?"
He wasn't sure if it was safe to reply but she had been nice to him so he decided to trust her.
"Thomas Barkley, Miss." When she heard the name she was surprised, she was far from any gossip, and she didn't want to jump to any conclusion but this boy's eyes were the same ones of Thomas Barkley and now observing more closely she noticed small little things that screamed that this boy was Mr. Barkley' son. She opted for the only logical choice; take this child to her fiancée who was one of Tom's childhood friends.
"Heath, you are very lucky, my fiancée is an old friend of Thomas Barkley, they knew each other since they were your age. I'm sure he will help you."
"But I don't need any help, I know where Mr. Barkley lives." Said a stubborn Heath, unsure of so much kindness.
"The Barkley ranch is far from town if you are on foot and anyway he planned to go there to meet his friend on his return," lied Mary.