Chapter 54
Edward poured over the documents, bit by bit, filing everything in its proper place. He created two groups of binders - one black, one white - to distinguish which job the papers concerned. Little by little he moved the chess pieces, seeing the result miles ahead. It was like one great puzzle of dominence, time, and influence, and he was helping Oswald win. He was Oswald's bishop.
A secretary's shadow over his desk revealed just how much time had passed. It had seemed like only a few minutes had gone by since he'd seated himself. Quickly overcoming his surprise, he held out a few envelopes still warm from the printer. "These go directly to the city clerk's office." As the woman tucked them into her pocket, Edward carefully reached forward and took a cardboard box, long and slender. A twisted rope wet with petrol stuck out on one end. The words 'custom-made for YOU' were painted elegantly on the side. "And this," he said, "should be left outside Nicky the Nail's place. Knock twice, light it, and then run." Seeing the lady's stunned expression was almost better than the explosion would have been. "Oo-kay." She said with uncertainty as she carefully took the box. Hurried out of the saloon.
As she passed through the arch, Oswald emerged. With one of his polished walking canes in hand, and dressed in deep blue, he looked as elegant as a lord. The tie he wore was a profound azure, with silver swirls stitched into the design. The shirt was freshly ironed, his black leather shoes gleaming like dark diamonds. His hair was slicked back into characteristic spikes. Sitting on his Adam's apple was the zircon that Ruby had given him, its silver string tightened.
Edward smiled at him as he rose. "Good morning, Mayor Cobblepot."
"Good morning to you, my Chief of Staff." Oswald grinned.
Chuckling, the taller man held out two separate documents in his hands. "These are your schedueles for the day. This covers your duties as mayor, and this as kingpin of the underworld." He wiggled his wrists to indicate which papers he meant. Oswald took them both, icy-blue eyes scanning before looking up at Edward. "You really are settling into your role here, aren't you Ed?"
"And yet I still have so much to learn from you." Edward replied somewhat bashfully, his hands folded in front of him.
Oswald blushed as he looked away. Edward cleared his throat, averting his gaze. For a moment, peculiar silence fell over the two men. It was not tense, necessarily...but odd. Something sat between them, heavy, just waiting to be spoken. Whether it was the same to both would never be known.
Swallowing, Edward broke the silence. "I...came up empty tracking down Butch."
Oswald looked at him. Alert. Curious.
"Somehow, that one-handed ape managed to escape. I suspect he's hiding out with his old crew." When Oswald did not answer right away, Edward tore his gaze away. "I'm sorry for letting you down."
Oswald stared at him. "You have done nothing of the sort! I would be lost without you and Ruby."
Edward winced slightly at the mention of the first deputy mayor, but quickly smiled at the better half of Oswald's words.
Oswald swallowed so hard it hurt. "In fact, um...there is something that I need to tell you. Something very important." Edward turned to his superior, watching and waiting. The criminal kingpin just stood there, looking almost scared, with his mouth opening and closing like a puppet in the wind. As the seconds ticked by without a word being spoken, Edward at last attempted to prompt the shorter man. "What is it, Oswald?"
Oswald hesitated before shaking his head. He gave the Chief of Staff a toothy grin. "You know what? I forget! In and out of my head just like that!" He chuckled nervously. Edward's shoulders dropped slightly as the mayor continued. "Don't you hate it when that happens?"
"That never happens to me." Edward bluntly replied.
"You know what? I believe that." With another awkward chuckle, Oswald buried his nose in the files. "So, uh, where are we off to first?"
"PS 1-34." Edward replied, his tone slipping back into professionalism. "You're touring a school. The press will be there, so we'd better get a move on." He walked past Oswald, who sighed. "Great. I love children." As he followed his employee out of the saloon, he cursed silently and batted himself on the head.
Once they reached the entrance hall, where the front doors yawned open, Oswald paused. Turning back towards the stairs, he filled his lungs with air. "Ruby!" He called. "My dear, we have to get going!"
"Coming!" Ruby's voice sounded rough. Or perhaps it was just the distance.
A second later, a shadow moved within the blackness. It slowly took form, possessing a familiar gait. As it drew nearer to the foggy morning light, it shed its nebulous hues in favor of color. Ruby at last stepped into the light, slipping on a pair of sunglasses as she did so. Oswald grinned at the sight of her. "Ruby, great to see you." Ruby bit her lip. Nodded. Oswald gently placed a hand on her back, ushering her outside. He had done this a thousand times before. But never before had he felt her skin literally crawl beneath his touch. Oswald frowned, then looked at Ruby. She was staring dead ahead, her posture stiff and her expression rigid. Oswald's hand moved from her back to her shoulder. "Ruby," he lowered his tone, "is something wrong?"
"N-no." Ruby swallowed. "Just...sorry. I think I'm coming down with something." She patted her forehead and cheeks as if feeling for a fever.
"Oh," Oswald squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry. If you like, you can stay home-"
"No." Ruby swallowed. Still refusing to look at him. "Thanks, but...no. I have responsibilities now, too. I can't just blow the off for a little cold." Her voice, which already sounded as rough as sandpaper, dropped to a whisper. "I can do this. I...need distraction. From the cold." She quickly added.
Oswald sighed, seeing that his friend's mind was set in stone. "Very well. But if you begin to feel seriously ill-"
"I'll tell you. Promise." With some hesitation, Ruby's hand found his. Squeezed quickly before dropping it. As though their shared contact burned. Question marks floated in Oswald's head, but he simply pushed them aside and guided Ruby to the limousine. The young woman hugged herself as they walked, as if cold.
Or...fearful.
St. Peter's Public School was a fine building indeed. The kind that Ruby would have liked to attend in childhood. It was a great, sprawling structure of marmalade-shaded bricks and shining windows that let the light stream in. Cracks in the ceilings and walls spoke of age and violence, but all in all, it was better than many other institutions. In the back of the school, there was a great playground. A rusting jungle gym stood amongst the slides and swings. Home to hundreds of imagination-filled hours. Ah, the innocence of youth.
The tour trudged on as slowly as a snail on a salt-covered asphalt. Each classroom was filled with bustling activity, thanks in no small part to the photographers and journalists. Oswald posed for more pictures than most models, with Edward and Ruby occasionally joining in. Ruby loved and hated those moments. In those brief flashes, when they both faced the cameras, their arms wrapped around each other, she could almost forget what she'd heard that morning. But then, Oswald would steal a glance at Edward and reality would come barging in again.
Kindergarten, first, and second grade passed by without a hitch. Oswald mostly spoke with the teachers while Edward loitered around, looking at each room, and Ruby eyed the children. A small sting in her heart grew with every new classroom. Looking away, she turned to the only point of the rooms that lacked children: the teacher's desk. An iPod sat amongst the graded papers. Curious, Ruby took one of the headphones and held it to her ear. A simple thrum, probably from an electric guitar, played while a voice sang softly,
"Maybe you're better off with him.
I think he's better for you.
I forgot how great it felt to be 'us'.
I jus thought we could be more."
Ruby froze. The tears that she'd been hiding behind her sunglasses threatened to spill over. But even so, she couldn't stop listening to this song. It was almost comforting that some musically-inclined stranger was able to understand how she felt. The music still ringing in her ear, Ruby turned to look at Oswald. He was, it seemed, asking Edward's opinion on something. The sight of them together hurt more than any sword.
"I got jealous over him, I sure did,
But it's nothing compared to now.
I see a future built out of my own fear,
And it's all completely wrong.
Is there something I can do?
Can I please turn back the clock?"
Oswald felt her gaze and turned. When he saw her, he smiled shyly and raised a hand in greeting. Ruby sighed. Dropped the headphone and returned the salute. A single tear slid out from underneath the dark glass, collected at her chin, and plopped on the polished wood.
"And this is our third-grade classroom!" The teacher announced happily as she walked through the door. Oswald and his entourage were at her heels, along with the media's lapdogs. Within seconds, photos of the children's artwork were being taken and sent to the newspapers. The place smelled of glue, markers, and paper. A smell of childhood creativity. Ruby, who'd done her best to avoid the journalists, began to wander through the room. Peering down at the children's work and patting their heads when their drawings gleamed with talent. All the while, she tried to keep her hurt hidden. Tried to make the most of this trip, lest she risk crying again. Oswald and Edward remained close to the door, where they could see everything without getting involved. "How many more grades do we have to visit?" Oswald whispered.
"This is a K through 12 building." Edward answered mechanically.
Oswald's eyes bulged. "12?" He echoed in shock. "Well, we don't have to see every single class, do we?"
"Mayor James used to read to the children." The teacher grinned.
Oh, hell no! Oswald thought. Instead, he said, "Aubrey James is an illiterate man. It's well-documented."
"Perhaps we should move on." Edward quickly piped up. Oswald stopped, his eyes trained on something. His expression growing curious, he pointed. "What's wrong with that boy there?"
At the end of his finger's direction was a young boy sitting alone at a table separate from the main one, where his classmates busily worked. His face was ashen and plump-cheeked. His eyes were sewn to his piece, acting as though the rest of the world didn't exist.
The teacher sighed. "That's Luke. He's new here." She sounded a bit disappointed. In what? In the boy himself? Or the way the other kids may have treated him? Well, it did not matter. With refreshed determination Oswald limped towards the child. Stopping with a squeak of his shoes when a little girl with pigtailed passed him by. He raised his hands to avoid touching her, even by accident. Once she had returned to her seat, Oswald resumed his journey. Before long, he was standing before the sullen-eyed boy. "Hello, Luke. I am Mayor Cobblepot." The boy looked unimpressed. Wow.
Oswald decided to get to the point. "Why aren't you playing with the other children?"
That seemed to get through to Luke a bit. His eyebrows scrunched together. "What if they don't like me?"
Incredible. It was just like talking to himself from over twenty years ago. Well, with a little luck, he could spare this boy some of the heartache he'd experienced first-hand. "Well, how will you know unless you give it a try?" Oswald asked rhetorically. Then, as an afterthought, he leaned forward. His hands found the cool wood. "And if they don't like you," he whispered confidentially, "wait for them to turn their backs and push them down the stairs."
Luke bit his lip, his face filling with a familiar, mischievous joy. Oswald gave him a playful glare. Dropping the gray Crayola marker that he'd been using, the boy got up and scurried towards the crowded table. An approaching Edward eyed the little boy, then gave Oswald a questioning look. Oswald winked at him. "Little guy needed a push, that's all."
From the other side of the room, Ruby chuckled and shook her head.
Edward did the same thing, though for different reasons. Behind his wide glasses, his brown eyes shone like polished sardonyx. "I continue to be in awe of you, Oswald." The mayor stared up at his employee with hopeful eyes. His instinct forced him to act, to speak. He did so, feeling like he was jumping from a skyrise. "Ed?"
Edward turned to look at him.
"There is something I would like to discuss in a more...private setting. Say, dinner at the mansion? Eight o'clock?" Oswald asked, praying that he didn't sound too forward. His heart beat at a million rates per second, the anticipation borderline torture.
The answer was as sweet as mead. "I'll pick us a nice bottle of wine."
Oswald grinned with excitement.
Ruby quickly turned away, rubbing her eyes beneath the shades. "Excuse me." She whispered to the teacher before exiting the room, shoulders squared and eyes lowered.