The Protector
Marty watched in fear. Some older boys had snatched Sara Beth from her arms. They were laughing as they tossed her back and forth. They were acting like it was a game of some kind.
"No please!" Marty cried out. "Give her back to me! Please!"
"You're not going to get her back," said the leader of the boys, a burly teen by the name of Zach.
The boys were tossing poor Sara Beth around like a hot potato. All the while, Marty was begging for them to stop. "She's my doll," Marty implored. "My mommy and daddy gave her to me for my fifth birthday!"
The boys snickered as they continued to play the game with the doll. "She looks ugly," one laughed.
"Ooohhh poor mommy's baby," Zach said cruely.
"Please! Just stop. She's all I have left!" Marty whimpered as hot tears squeezed out of her eyes.
One of the boys threw Sara Beth out into the street. She hit the ground with a sickening crunch. Marty ran to grab her beloved doll, but the boy named Zach swiped her up. He was ready to throw Sara Beth again when another boy intervened.
"What do you think you are doing?" asked the newcomer, who seemed to have arrived from out of nowhere. "Give the little girl back her doll."
Zach held tight to Sara Beth as he glared at the boy coming to Marty's defense. "What's it to you?" he challenged.
Marty looked at Sara Beth in Zach's grip as she desperately tried not to cry.
"I said give her the doll back," the boy repeated.
"What are you gonna do?" Zach taunted. "Make me?"
The other boys laughed; they didn't think that anyone would go up against Zach. He was the biggest bully in the neighborhood.
"If you don't give her that doll back in five seconds, I am going to punch you," the boy threatened.
Suddenly, Zach looked scared. He knew that the other boy meant it. Zach had been in a lot of scrapes, but this new kid looked like he might do some serious damage. Zach didn't want to go home with a bloody nose.
"Give it back now," the boy insisted. Zach had no other choice to comply.
"Here, cry-baby," he said, reluctantly tossing the doll to Marty.
She scrambled for Sara Beth. She clutched her doll and hugged her. As she stared down at Sara Beth, she realized her beautiful face had been marred. It was so sad. Poor Sara Beth.
Gently Marty traced the crack on Sara's Beth's face. To her, her doll was still just as lovely despite her shattered cheek.
"Thank you," Marty said, looking at the boy who had helped her. Realizing they were defeated, the other boys and Zach were walking away.
"You're welcome," the boy answered as he gave her a smile.
"What- what's your name?" Marty asked cautiously. She hadn't talked to the other kids on the streets, not much anyway. Most seemed almost feral. Marty didn't fit in somehow. She was too civilized, and she was afraid of the others. This boy, the one who saved Sara Beth, seemed different. He had kind eyes. He didn't seem to act out of desperation. Although his clothes were dirty and he was clearly a boy of the streets, he seemed wise beyond his years. Something drew Marty to him, almost immediately. It was as if they were somehow connected.
"I'm Todd," he said. "Is your doll okay?"
"She's cracked a little," she said, showing him Sara Beth's injured face. "But she'll be alright. Thank you for saving her."
Todd nodded, then he turned on his heel. He made a move to walk away, but Marty followed him. "Wait!" she called out.
She rushed to catch up with Todd. "Where- Where are you going?" Marty asked.
Todd turned to look at the girl following him. He was almost a head taller than her. Used to being on his own, he didn't tend to hang out with other kids. It wasn't his style. "No where," he said, frowning. "Don't you have somewhere you have to go?"
She shook her head, looking miserable. Now that she had met someone who actually paid her some attention and had been her savior, she didn't want him to leave so quickly. "Perhaps we could be friends," she said in an almost-whisper.
Todd shrugged. He didn't know if he should let himself get attached to anyone, but there was something about her.
"Please?" Marty asked quietly. "I have no one. No Mommy, no Daddy. I have no where to go." She didn't mean to sound so desperate but she just wanted a friend, someone to be around, someone she could to talk to.
"Well, maybe you could hang out with me... for awhile," Todd said cautiously. She looked so sad as though she was about to cry. Ever since helping Michelle, Todd had a soft spot for adorable little girls; that is why he stopped to help her in the first place when Zach and the others had taken her doll.
"Where would you like to go? What would you like to do?" Todd questioned.
Marty perked up, not feeling as sad all the sudden. Todd was going to be her friend! She was sure of it!
"I'm hungry," she told him softly. "I haven't eaten in a long time."
"Come on," Todd said nodding his head. "We'll see how much we can earn," He was actually feeling hungry himself. He hadn't eaten in awhile.
Marty followed Todd to the park which was one of his favorite places to beg. He stood on a busy sidewalk as many people passed. "Let's make it a contest," Todd said. "We'll see who can earn the most pennies... Then when we are finished, we'll use whatever we earn to buy ourselves some food."
Marty nodded. It sounded like a fun challenge. She hoped they earned enough to buy a hot meal. She was really hungry; she couldn't remember when she had eaten her last meal.
As people were coming through the park or passing by them, the two young children were asking for pennies.
"Pennies please?" Marty asked sweetly to a mother and daughter who were walking on the sidewalk.
Sadly, most of the people turned up their noses at them. Very few stopped. The afternoon wore on and so far, Marty only had three pennies. Todd was faring just a little better, because he had four. It was starting to get late, almost dark, and Todd knew they had to hurry to find their food and shelter for the evening. It wasn't safe to be out wandering after dark.
"I haven't eaten all day, Mister," Todd said to a wealthy businessman. "Please, could you spare some coins?"
The man reached into his pocket and fished out a shiny new dime. He placed it in Todd's grubby hand. "Thank you so much!" Todd said with an immense smile. They had more than enough now to buy a meal.
"We have seventeen cents," Todd said as they walked through the park. "We should get something warm and tasty, then find shelter for the night."
Marty's tummy was making funny noises. "I'm so hungry," she said. "I hope we find something yummy." She was so happy that they had managed to earn seventeen cents.
Todd stopped at a food cart. He purchased a small bag of peanuts, two apples, and large salted pretzel. There was nothing left over after buying the items. Not even a single penny. "That looks so good," Marty said as she and Todd walked over to a park bench to enjoy their meal. It wasn't much, but it would do for awhile. They ate every last crumb, then they went to the water fountain for a long drink of water.
"Thank you for sharing the food with me," Marty said. "You earned the dime and four pennies. I only earned three. All I could have gotten was an apple."
"I couldn't let you eat just the apple; you'd be starving," Todd explained. He felt the need to take care Marty; he wasn't sure where this need was coming from, but he knew he had to look after her.
Marty gave him a smile. "Well, thank you," she said. "Hopefully I can earn more tomorrow."
"Yeah, we'll be alright," Todd said. "Let's go find a place to sleep."
He took Marty's hand and began leading her away from the park. They were lucky; the temperature was warmer tonight. They could sleep soundly, knowing they wouldn't freeze. Todd had purchased a blanket weeks ago from a shoppe. It was old and dirty, but it was all he had to keep him warm at night. He was willing to share it with Marty.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a huge weeping willow tree right beside a small pond. "Is this where you sleep?" Marty asked.
Todd was getting comfortable on the ground. He had piled up some leaves under the tree. He had been coming to this location the past several nights.
"It's peaceful," said Todd. "And there is water nearby."
"I like it," said Marty as she lay down next to Todd. He covered them both with the blanket.
"Let's try to get some sleep; you'll be safe here," Todd promised her. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"Thank you for being my friend," Marty said softly as she settled down.
"Go to sleep," Todd said into the near-darkness. With a full belly, the two went to sleep. They slumbered side by side, sheltered beneath a weeping willow tree.