I don't own Home Alone
Enjoy!
Marv did not go to the diner the next morning. The bruise was still fresh on his face that he didn't want his coworkers to question about what he had been through. Without his presence, he wondered what Tom was going to tell Amy. He prayed that Tom would keep Marv's actions to himself and just leave the discussion between them. Before Amy had officially left for work, she had cashed Marv's check at the bank and taken the twenty dollars as she had promised. The remainder of his bonus check, she had left of the table next to him. Marv wished that she had taken all the money and did whatever she wanted with it. He couldn't look at that money. No matter how much a part of him was thirsty for it, he just couldn't bear the idea that he didn't deserve it, no matter how hard he had worked for it.
He couldn't believe it. What would Harry think if he would ever have the chance to see that Marv had gone soft? Marv couldn't help but scoff at that idea. At first, he would refuse that he had gone 'soft.' Spending six years in jail could do anything to a man. It would make them tough or break them. In his situation, Marv didn't feel that he had become tough. He felt that he had the same personality as before, but being broken? He didn't believe that either. He had been able to survive, mostly with some help, which he was grateful for.
Marv didn't know where he would be if it wasn't for Amy. He couldn't believe how she had been willing to help him even after what he and Harry had done to her and how much she had gone through. A sentence came into his mind when she had asked him about that night where he and Harry had cornered her to the park.
I've always wondered why you stopped Harry from shooting me. I thought you were loyal to him.
He could have let Harry execute her but something deep inside made him stop Harry before he did it. His answer of not wanting her to be involved had been a slight stretch. She may have not known his intention behind it, but it was a secret with a deeper reason. The number of times where he had controlled his actions around her, it made him wonder why a woman like her would be with someone like Harry? She beheld this pure innocence in her heart that it killed him when it had been taken away from her because of them. It was something that she was never going to get back no matter how much she removed it from her mind.
Just her situation, Marv was never going to get back those six years that he had spent in jail. He had to admit to himself that, yes, it had been a hard adjustment no matter how much Amy congratulated him in situating better than anyone else did. He knew that he couldn't change the past, but at least he could try and write a better future for himself. So far, he thought that it was doing a decent job at keeping himself out of jail…even though he almost blew that chance.
After a while of lounging around the apartment, Marv finally concluded to head out for some fresh air. He looked back at the table where Amy had left the cash. Even though he didn't want it, perhaps we could put it to good use…for once. The moment he stepped out the apartment, the air was crisp and cold and Marv wished that he was wearing anything else other than the old coat that he had for years. He had seen how New York was in the daylight hours plenty of times, but comparing it to last night, he preferred it this way more. That didn't mean that crime didn't happen in the daylight hours but he felt more secure when the sun was shining.
Marv made his way down the street and walked past Tom's diner. He stopped in his tracks for a moment and saw the waitresses busy at work with the number of customers that were in the diner. When Anne passed by a table, Amy had been behind her tending to another table. She had that smile and cheery disposition on her face. When he had met her, he thought that she a naturally cheerful person but the more he had learned about her, the deeper the wounds she had that she was been trying to hide. Marv watched as she went from one table to another, keeping herself busy until her time was over, whenever that would be. He watched as she stopped when one of the waitresses said something to her and she let out a laugh. A laugh that was loud enough to be heard past the windows where he was and one that could fill a room with joy.
What am I doing?! Marv thought when he realized that he had been standing there for a long couple of minutes than he had intended to…doing nothing but staring at her. Taking one more look through the window, he noticed that she had disappeared and before anyone noticed, he took his leave.
As he walked down the street, his feet led him over to the bus stop. One of the great things about taking the bus was that you either had a destination or didn't. Marv didn't know where he wanted to go. If only the bus provided the escape from his mind, he would've taken it a long time ago. He took his place on an empty seat and watched as a swarm of people entered inside. People from various ages that included the old as they sat down reading the newspaper, the adults that were heading to work, the teenagers who listened to their Walkman and chewed bubblegum, and the kids who were escorted by their parents to school. It seemed these people had a goal in their mind and he didn't.
That was the issue that he had struggled with. What was his goal in getting out from jail? What was he supposed to do? He wouldn't be working in the diner forever. People were bound to change their jobs every now and then and reach towards their goals. He looked over at one of the passengers and watched what she was doing. The length of her red hair covered her face as she scribbled away whatever she was drawing on her sketchpad. He wondered how her life was like or what it was going to be if she was in the path of an artist. Was she bound to change it?
The bus came to a halt as some of the passengers began to file out of the bus. He looked over when the redhead headed outside and greeted her family. He watched as she smiled to her mother and brother…and yet, he couldn't help but feel some familiarity with that family. It was a flashback to Christmas of 1992 where he had last seen them and six years later, they were living their life and accomplishing whatever goals they had planned out for themselves.
Seeing these people and comparing the life that they had to his own, made his feel uneasy. He was sure that these, what may be considered 'successful people,' didn't have a history like he did. Yet, he couldn't find it in his position to fit in with society…no matter how hard he tried. They may not know what he had gone through and no matter how much he would lie to fit in, it would always be something heavy on his shoulders.
The bus came to another stop once more and this time, Marv looked over at a familiar building that he had been to just about four days ago. He reached down into his pocket and felt the handful of cash in there. It was money that was worth spent even if it was not meant for him.