The Stars
The weeks passed and Marty was always with Todd. He looked after her. When she was cold, he kept her warm. When she was hungry, he brought her nourishing food. When she was scared, he held her and comforted her. She trusted him and one day she hoped she would have the courage to tell him her deepest, darkest secrets.
Todd had secrets, too... and he hadn't shared them with anybody. He was afraid he'd be sent back to New York with his mother or be forced to get on the train to Llanview to live with his aunt and uncle. If anyone asked, he claimed he was an orphan. Everyone thought his parents had taken sick and died. He didn't tell them the awful truth... that he was unworthy and unloved.
"Todd, do you think one day we won't have to live on the streets?" Marty asked him. It was one of her big wishes to live with a family again; people who would love her and care for her.
Todd was sitting by the pond, washing their clothing in the cool, clean water. Every few days, they washed out their clothes. They didn't want to be dirty all the time. Sometimes at night, they'd take baths in the little pond. It was getting colder, so they didn't like to bathe that often now. Sometimes they only washed their face and hands. Marty missed a nice, hot bath.
Todd shrugged as he wrung out Marty's sweater and hung it in a tree to dry. She was wearing her bloomers and one of his old shirts. Her hair was a tangled blond mess of curls. They didn't even have a hairbrush, so they had to comb it out with their fingers.
"Someday I will be a grown up," said Todd. "And I will get a real job... and a house to live in."
"Can I live there with you?" Marty asked.
Todd seemed startled by such a question. "You'll grow up one day, too, and some guy will come and take you away," he told her. " You won't have to worry about having a house."
Marty thought about the story she had read where the prince lived with the princess in the crystal castle after slaying the evil dragon. She had always thought of Aunt Kiki as the awful dragon, but now she was starting to think of Todd as the prince. She blushed and a little giggle escaped her lips.
"I don't want some guy to take me away," Marty stated. "I want to stay with you."
Todd smiled gently. "We'll just have to wait and see." That was all that he could say. He had no idea what she would want by the time that she grew up, because by then she might want someone to take her away.
Marty reached for Sara Beth who was lying beneath the blanket where she and Todd slept. "Sara Beth wants to stay with you, too," she told him. "You saved her from the mean boys, so now she wants to stay with you FOREVER."
Todd nodded, playing along. "Why don't you and Sara Beth stay here and finish washing the clothes? I'll go out and get us some breakfast," he proposed.
"Okay," Marty agreed. "I'll do a good job."
"I know you will," he said before he left in search of breakfast.
Marty continued the job of washing their clothes, wringing out the water and hanging the items up to dry. She worked diligently, doing a really good job just like she had the sheets at Miss Priscilla's.
Soon all their clothing was clean and hanging in the tree to dry. She tidied up their sleeping place and placed Sara Beth in her suitcase. When Todd came back, she was sitting next to the pond.
Todd handed her a mug of hot coffee. "It's good," Marty said as she took a tiny sip. It was very hot. It burned her tongue a little, but it tasted yummy and sweet. Todd knew she liked it with cream and sugar. After a couple of drinks, she handed the steaming mug to Todd. The coffee was delicious. It kept them warm.
Todd sit down next to Marty, withdrawing two sweet rolls from a brown paper bag. They were huge and covered with icing. "They look so good," Marty said.
"Eat slowly, Marty," Todd said, seeing her gobble up the food. They were hungry so often that she tended to inhale her meals. Todd wanted her savor every bite. He didn't know when they'd have enough coins to eat again. This food might be the last they'd have for awhile.
She ate slowly and after awhile she looked at Todd. "Can I tell you a secret?" she finally asked him. She was afraid to tell anyone, but she knew that she could trust Todd.
Todd paused before taking another taste of his sweet roll. "Sure, you can tell me later," he said. "How about tonight?" He thought he could trust her enough that he could tell her his secrets, too.
Marty liked the idea of that. She'd tell him tonight. "Okay," she agreed." I will tell you at bed-time."
She hoped he wouldn't laugh at her when he found out her secret or make her feel bad about it. She wanted to tell him though, because after all he was the only person that she could count on now.
Todd nodded. "As soon as our clothes are dry, let's go to the park," Todd suggested. "We can see how many coins we can earn."
"Alright. I hope we get enough for a really nice dinner. I'm hungry again."
Marty had just devoured her sweet roll and already she was hungry. There was never enough food to go around. Todd too hoped they earned enough for a small feast. Just like Marty, he was starved.
By the time their clothes had finished drying, the two kids had gotten dressed. They were walking to the park together. Marty could only think about food and more food; she hoped to be able to keep her tummy from grumbling till dinner-time.
They arrived at the park and began their usual begging routine. They stayed till it was almost dark, asking the people in the park for any coins they could spare. By evening, they had earned a whole 25 cents. Todd was ecstatic. They'd have enough for dinner and breakfast!
Todd went to purchase some food from a vendor before they returned to their usual sleeping spot. "I will have 2 oranges, a bag of peanuts, and 2 slices of bread," said Todd.
"That will be 15 cents," said the vendor.
Todd counted out the coins carefully and paid for their items. "Dinner is served," said Todd as he handed over the meal to Marty.
Marty smiled as Todd gave her the food. She was absolutely starving. They had worked all day for this meal. Begging was very hard work; yet there were times that despite their best efforts, they didn't get enough to eat.
Marty sat with Todd and enjoyed the food, slowly this time, starting with the orange. It tasted so good! It was so fresh and succulent. This orange actually better than the awful food at Miss Priscilla's.
"This food is yummy, Todd," Marty said appreciatively. "We work so good together... as a team."
"We sure do," Todd agreed as he was munching on some peanuts. They were warm and salty.
Marty tried the bread. It was so delicious. It was covered in honey butter. Marty savored every morsel, eating slowly as Todd had gently warned her. When the last crumb was gone, Marty licked her fingers.
"Thank you so much for dinner," Marty told him as she lay down on the grass beside him. Todd was still eating his peanuts.
Todd nibbled on the last peanut. His stomach was no longer rumbling. He thought he could get a good night's sleep. "We better head back to our tree," he urged, taking Marty's hand into his. "It will be dark soon."
Bad men came out after dark. Todd and Marty needed to get to a safe place. When the sun went down, it would get chilly. They'd need their warm blanket.
Marty nodded. "Okay," she said, sitting up. She got to her feet so she could walk with Todd back to their tree.
Todd threw their garbage into a nearby receptacle. As the sun was sinking slowly in the sky, he and Marty made their way through the park toward the pond and their weeping willow tree. Hidden under the leaves were their suitcases. Inside was their extra clothes and the warm blanket. Todd withdrew the blanket. He set up their bed upon the ground. Marty retrieved Sara Beth and lay down under the tree next to Todd.
Todd lay down beside her, getting settled. When he looked up into the sky, he saw stars sparkling. "Hey look," he said with a smile. "Do you see that, Marty?"
Marty raised her eyes to the heavens, gazing upon the beauty of a hundred stars. They looked like twinkling jewels. "I see them," she said to Todd. "They are amazing."
Todd pulled her closer to keep her warm. "Remember you said you had a secret," he said softly.
"Yes," she said. "I want to tell you... but what if you don't believe me?"
"Why wouldn't I believe you?" he asked with surprise. She didn't seem like the type who would lie, so he had no reason to not believe whatever it was that she was going to tell him.
"Because it's really, really bad," she said in a soft little whisper.
For a minute, Todd thought Marty was going to cry. He hugged her, trying to comfort her. "I'll always believe you," he said. "Tell me your secret."
Marty took a deep breath and then just let it all out. She had been holding in her secrets so long. It was time to tell Todd everything about her life.