"When I go, don't cry for me."

"Roark?" Nina called out from the bedroom. A pair of grey ears perked up at the sound of the name. Rocky looked down at the small batch of flowers he had picked on the way over. Two blue eyes turned their attention toward Aunt Nina. He could tell something was wrong, and his aunt had been crying, but there was a lot going on these days that he didn't understand. Shoving himself off the sofa, young Rocky quickly went to his aunt's side with a two-year-old Freckle waddling close behind.

Nina looked into both of their eyes, attempting to give them a smile in the vain hope of keeping the mood positive between them. However, reality was closing in fast for them all. Nina was going to be a mother of two far sooner than she had expected. Taking Rocky's hand, she leads him gently out to the back porch. Rocky's eyes light up as he sees a familiar bushy tail swishing back and forth gently in the breeze.

"Mommy!" He exclaims, prompting the woman to partially rise from where she is resting. Their eyes lock and a smile spread across Sophie's face. "My little Rocky! Come here, honey."

Rocky looks up for permission from his aunt who nudges him forward before turning around to tend to her own son. He is so excited… but something is wrong. As he crawls up onto the porch bench with his mother, he notices that she looks tired. Very tired. Concern spreads across his face as she coughs hard into a handkerchief. But soon Sophie's smile returns.

"Look at you, growing like a weed. Here, Rocky, let me hold you." Sophie says as she wraps up her boy in her arms and pulls him in close. Rocky nuzzles into her bosom but notes that her breathing is harsh and heavy. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

Looking down at her boy, she soothes his worries by petting down the back of his head and ears. "I'm alright, Rocky."

"What's a toober closes?" He asks, innocently.

Where did he hear that? Surely not from her sister, she was good at hiding such things from young ears. The doctor, on the other hand, often spoke loudly. She can barely find the strength to tell him, but this might be the last time her son will see her before she's laid up in a hospital bed. "You're picking up so many big words already! It means that I have trouble breathing, dear. Soon I'll have to go away for a while."

"Will you get better soon? When can I come home? I miss you, mommy."

"And I've missed you too, Rocky. But your aunt will take care of you, I know she will."

Remembering the flowers, Rocky holds them up. Most were damaged by rough handling, but Sophie didn't mind. Taking the bunch of flowers from her boy, she did her best to smell them. Her senses were beginning to fail, but even so she could still make out the summer rain. Looking through the flowers, she found a small one that was still in perfect condition. She pulled it out and trimmed down the stem.

"These are beautiful, Rocky. Where did you get them?"

"From Aunt Nina's garden!" He proudly exclaimed. Sophie laughed at the thought of her serious sister finding a bare spot in her flower bed. "We'll keep that our little secret, shall we? Now, this one here is my favorite, and I want you to keep it." Sophie placed the little daisy behind her son's ear before cradling her face. Rocky snuggled closer to his mother,

"Can we go to the park?" He asked.

"How about we look at the garden for a while? Just you and me?" She suggested, making sure part of her quilt covered her son up too. She even moved her tail so that it curled around her boy. Their markings were the same except for color. His little face looked so much like hers, except for his eyebrows. It was a reminder of her heartbreak. Ransom was rarely around and didn't seem to take much interest in their son. After a night or two of passion he'd be gone with the rising sun.

After some time, the sun was beginning to set. Sophie snuggled her son even closer. Rocky had been putting things together in his young mind, and all clues were pointing to a conclusion he was afraid to admit. But the sudden realization came that soon he'd be facing a world without his mother. Tears began to stream silently down his face. "Mommy, I don't want to be alone?"

"Alone?" Sophie replied, concern growing for the little boy she'd love and protect until her dying breath. "Sweetie, you aren't going to be alone."

"Dad isn't here, and you need to go too."

"Yes, but you have your aunt, your uncles, and your baby cousin. Calvin already thinks you're his big brother."

"But I won't have you..."

That much was true. She wasn't going to be physically there. Squeezing him tight with her arm and tail, she wiped away a tear as her boy looked up at her. "You'll never be alone, my dear Rocky. In a way, I'll always be there. But I want you to promise me something."

"Anything!" He said, desperately hoping such a gamble would help his mom get better.

Sophie smiled, stroking his little cheek. "When you grow up, I want you to find friends and make a family."

"I promise, mom!" He said, sadness in his eyes. Sophie leaned down and kissed her son on the forehead. "If you do that, you'll never be alone. You have so much love to give, Rocky. Don't let the world take that from you, it's what makes you special. My special little boy."

Rocky again buried his face into her chest, feeling and listening to the heartbeat of his mother. "Don't go." He whispered.

Up With the Sun

His eyes suddenly shot awake. The morning sun crept through the window above his head. The dream played again in his head and tears formed in his eyes once more. "Don't go, please." He repeated in vain. It was nothing more than a memory of a forgotten time when life was simple. The sound of chopping wood echoed through the trees, and slowly his surroundings spoke to Rocky of the new day that was upon him. Sitting up with a groan and wiping away his tears, he looked across the room and noticed that his cousin's bed was empty. Opening up the window, Rocky reluctantly stood up and stretched. "Well look who's finally up!" came a shout from the backyard. Below him was Ethan and Freckle making firewood. It needed to be chopped, seasoned, and stacked before the weather turned cold. Ethan bent down to pick up the pieces Freckle was splitting on an old stump.

I looked up once more and noticed that Rocky wasn't completely awake yet. "Hey, could you get the coffee going downstairs? We'll be done here in a minute." I suggested. A thumbs up was the only response, unusual for a cat that always seemed to have something to say.

"Huh, what's with him? Normally Rocky is talking circles around us." I asked myself, but Freckle overheard.

"Ethan, what day is it?" Freckle asked me.

"Uh, September 5th, I think. Why?"

"Oh…" Freckle muttered before going back to work. Now he was being odd as well.

"What's so special about today?" I innocently asked.

Freckle hesitated to respond. "I-uh… you should probably ask him. He doesn't tell many people about it, and it isn't my place."

"Alright… In that case, how about we clean this firewood. I'll get Riley up while you get the car out of the garage."

Soon we had a cord of split logs underneath the lean-to. Going in the back door, I kicked off my boots before climbing the back stairs to the second level. Knocking softly on the door at the end of the hall, I opened it and peaked in. "Riley?" I said. A little ear twitch confirmed that she was trying to stay in. "Come on, kiddo. We got to get going soon."

A small groan was followed by Riley willing herself to sit up. "Do I have to get up?" She asked.

"Of course, you remember what today is, right?"

"Monday?"

"Yes, and it's the first day of school. Now come on. We got to get you down to the school house before 8:30."

"Aww…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But it's either you go to school or do chores around the farm with Rocky keeping an eye on things. So which is it going to be?"

"School…"

"That's the spirit! Now get dressed, I'll have some kind of breakfast ready in a couple of minutes."

Walking down the front stairs, I came into the kitchen where I was greeted with the smell of roasted coffee boiling in a small kettle, cowboy style. "Morning Rocky, thanks for getting that going."

I didn't get much of a response, so I quickly broke out a loaf of bread and butter. "Okay Rocky, I can tell something's off. Didn't sleep well?" I asked, somewhat concerned.

Rocky sighed and shook his head. "No, I slept fine. It's just, well, I looked at the calendar..."

"What, dreading a pick-up for Mitzi?"

Again, Rocky shook his head. "No… but I will meet Kehoe later. There is another appointment I need to keep. I can't be late."

"Well, I apologize for prying into anything that's not my business, but—"

"You're right, it isn't your business." He replied. Rocky didn't raise his voice or even look up from his empty cup. In the months I had known him, never was Rocky that cold in his mannerisms. There was a touch of anger in his voice, but it was clear he wasn't trying to direct it at me, so I backed off.

"I'll drop the subject, then. Just know that you can tell me anything, okay?"

There was the slightest hint of a smile under that frown, but the front door swung open as Freckle came inside, shirtless and sweaty from the morning chores.

"Alright, buddy. Rocky got the coffee going and we got our exercise in for the morning. Here, you got some dirt on your forehead." I said as I tossed him a kitchen rag to wipe his face with.

"Do I have time to clean up before we go?" Freckle asked. Both boys wanted to get a move-on it seemed.

"Oh yeah, we've got time. But don't get too clean though. Rocky is going to get us another batch of the low-grade stuff and we'll need to make room in the speakeasy."

"Two minutes." he said as McMurray went in the back. Rocky reached a ladle into the kettle after the grounds had settled and sipped from the hot coffee, taking care not to burn himself. He couldn't have a lot of coffee without… complications, but today he looked like he needed something to get him going.

I grabbed a cup myself and buttered some bread, offering Rocky a piece. "Here. I know it's not pancakes but it's at least something."

"Thanks." He said, solemnly.

"Hey, if it cheers you up, we can go get pancakes for lunch."

"No. There is no time. When we get downtown, I need to take the car."

"Okay… if you say so."

A small yawn from across the room brought my attention to Riley. Rocky's ears perked up too, they were like two peas in a pod this summer. I often worried that he'd do something that could get her hurt, but Rocky always made sure my sister was safe. Something I was grateful for and made me respect the young cat. Riley was still rubbing her eyes, but at least she was fully dressed and a bag of books in tow. "Good morning, sister. Here, have some milk and bread. We'll roll out in a few minutes."

"Ugh… is there a school that doesn't start so early?" Riley asked, taking both food and drink from my hands.

"No, but it does get easier. You just have to go to sleep earlier."

"Aw, but I like staying up and hearing stories!" She protested.

"And I love that too, but the days are getting shorter, and school comes first. Now, all we're waiting on is—"

"I'm here!" Freckle said, coming in from the back, buttoning up a green flannel.

"Looking sharp, Freckle. It matches your eyes; I'm sure Ivy will approve."

I climbed into the cab of the truck with Riley while Freckle and Rocky got in the bed. As I set off, I looked back to make sure they were both settled in. Driving down the road, Freckle lifted his head and analyzed his cousin's face. He knew exactly what was wrong, but Rocky pulled through every time before, he just had to wait. It was odd though to see him so somber. Usually Rocky was running circles around everyone else.

The Lackadaisy Returns

I put the truck into neutral at the base of the hill and coasted to a stop. Down in the bottomlands of the Mississippi was the schoolhouse. I ran my hand through Riley's hair and couldn't help but let a tear form in the corner of my eye. We somehow did it! We made the move from Montana and found a life here. Riley was going to school, I had a job, we both had a place to call home, and all was right in our little world. I smiled at the thought. "Our mom and brothers would be proud of you, Riley. Have a good first day at school and try to make some friends, alright?"

"Thanks Ethan!" She beamed. Sixth grade awaited just beyond the gate. As she skipped off, I envisioned Sean and Liam walking shoulder to shoulder with her. They'd protect her when I couldn't. Sighing, I shook my head before tapping on the glass. "Okay boys, there's enough room for both of you up here."

The two climbed out of the back and got in the cab. Rocky on the passenger side with Freckle wedged between us on the bench seat. "Could you guys remind me to pick her up at three?" I asked, both nodded a 'yes'. "Great, let's get to work, shall we?"

By the time we got to town it seemed that Rocky was starting to sort himself out. He still wasn't chipper and talkative like usual, but at least he wasn't outwardly sullen and sad. Parking the truck in the back, Freckle and I unlocked the garage and turned on the lights. As McMurray descended into the depths of the caves, I stopped to straighten a picture of Viktor on the wall above his old workbench. His tools were still here, servicing the vehicles he cared for. One of many little tributes we left for him.

The old garage door opened with a series of pops and creaks. Rocky struggled to push them open himself so I stepped in and aided him. "Thanks" was all he said as he got into the sedan. Before he could start it though I knocked on the window. Rocky rolled it down and looked at me with a neutral expression. "Just in case, where are you meeting Kehoe at?"

"Usual spot in the cove South of the city."

"Good. Say, I may not know what's wrong, but you'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I just need to take care of something."

"Alright, I trust you. Good luck, stay safe, call us if you've got problems, you know the spiel."

He nodded and started the engine. Slamming the car into first, Rocky left through the alley. I brought the truck inside and closed the doors before heading down the cellar entrance. Ever since Wick bought the building, we've had to use the garage as the main entrance. The garage in the alley was the only piece of property left of Atlas May's once vast empire. But it suited us just fine and Mitzi seemed okay with it too. At least she gave us that impression, anyway.

Walking into the speakeasy, it felt old and new all at once. The furniture and bar were new, yet the rocks above told quite the story. A reconstructed painting of Atlas hung over the bar, a gift to Mitzi from Wick. Sable was sure trying to impress her, but none of us were all too sure if he'd be rewarded for his efforts. Still, Mitzi did enjoy Wick's company at least so at a minimum they were becoming good friends. There were some dents to hammer out in their relationship, however, as evidenced by the boss lady sitting half-asleep on a lounge chair near the stage.

"Morning Miss M!" I greeted her.

Mitzi opened her eyes and stretched. Like a gentleman, I offered my hand to help her out of the chair. "Good morning, Ethan dear." She said, yawning afterwards.

"I see you didn't get the preferred amount of sleep." I commented with a smile.

"Yes, well, I do hope you never live with someone who insists on getting to work so early."

"Oh no, when did Wick drive you two in?"

"He had Bix drop us off at 6:30. I've been trying to catch up on sleep for the last two hours."

"Well, if you'd like, Freckle and I can be quiet. I take it Zib, and the boys are passed out in their bunks?"

"You know their patterns well, but they can sleep after this past weekend. What time is it, hon?"

"Just after nine, Miss M."

"Finally, we've come to a reasonable hour to conduct business. I'll have to balance the books, what are you and the boys up to?"

"Rocky is already on his way to go see Kehoe. Freckle and I are here to make room in the back for the new stuff."

Mitzi walked over to the bar and began pulling out the books from a cabinet underneath. "Why must we continue getting that awful stuff?" She asked with disgust in her voice. I knew what she meant; Kehoe's stock tasted like the river water he floated on. Sure, she used it to get by, but now things were on the upswing and we didn't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel so much anymore.

"Take it from the son of an Irishman, a lot of our customers will happily drink whatever they can get, and as you know that low-grade stuff gives us a better profit margin. Besides," I walked over to help Mitzi pull out the file box, "that just means more of the good stuff for you, Wick, and any of your high-roller friends you manage to lure in."

She gave me a disappointed expression. "You talk as if the high rollers were unwelcome. Some of them are our oldest clients."

"I won't apologize for not having more faith in the fat cats who jumped ship when things got tough. At least you can trust the boys and men from the local neighborhoods to stick around."

"And I, of course, am grateful for their patronage. But cheap stock isn't going to bring in as much money."

"Maybe not, but if Asa Sweet or anyone else in this town got the idea to attack this place, you'll be grateful for more than their patronage. There's a couple of regulars I'd like to hire as security."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. They're veterans. Both from the infantry, both good with rifles. They're also honest men who want to keep a place like this around, so they've got somewhere to relax with old friends."

Mitzi cracked open the ledger and began to write down numbers. "I'll happily discuss that subject more, but we both have other things to do. I'm sure Freckle could use some help."

"I'll put a pin in it for now, then."

One thing I was surprised by after getting involved with Lackadaisy is all the paperwork and hard labor that was required to keep an establishment open. Who knew that even a criminal enterprise had to keep accounting books and inventory? It was probably the most honest part of the job. An hour later we had cleared out enough space for the newest shipment. At least we were moving the product at a good pace. Freckle noted the time and immediately went to tidy up.

"Is it 10 already?" I asked.

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "Ivy gets out of class in less than an hour."

"Here, take some money for a street car. Where are you two lovebirds going to lunch, anyway?"

Freckle shrugged his shoulders. "Ivy's choice."

"Have fun, try to be back here by 2:30."

He nodded his head before rushing upstairs. I shook my head with a smile as wide as the river. Mitzi also shook her head. "She still hasn't told her father about the boy."

"I got a feeling that McMurray could win anyone over. Those two are a match made in heaven."

The phone suddenly rang, startling us both. "Jeez, who could that be?" I asked. Mitzi picked up the receiver. "Hello? Who- Rocky? What's wrong? Calm down, dear, where are you? Okay, Ethan is on his way. I'm sure that whatever it is, you'll make your appointment on time- I promise he'll hurry over as quick as possible." Mitzi then hung up the phone and looked at me.

"I take it Rocky ran into trouble?"

She sighed. "It's just a flat tire, but that boy is always so dramatic. You've got the spare upstairs, right?"

"Yeah, I'll load it into the truck. Better go put out another fire."

Sixteen Years

Rolling down Watson Road I soon spied our sedan parked by the curb with a punctured tire. Coming to a stop, I got out and fetched the tools from the back. Rocky was acting very anxious about something. "Here, let me help." He said, grabbing stuff. The only trouble was he had no mechanical abilities whatsoever. In a few seconds, everything was a mess under the car. Still, Rocky didn't seem to notice. It was like he was distracted.

"Whoa, whoa, Rocky, slow down buddy. All you're doing is getting our tools all over the side of the road. It'll take us longer to get everything cleaned up than to change out the flat."

Rocky grabbed my collar. "Please, Ethan. I can't be late!"

"What, for Kehoe? If the old crustacean can't wait five minutes for a couple hundred dollars, then he's—"

"No, my other appointment! I've never been late before! Please!" He said, pleading with me.

"Okay, Rocky. I'll be as efficient as I can. Just… clean up the tools I don't need, got it?"

He nodded and started working like a well-oiled hurricane. I'd have to sort out the tools later, but for now I just had to get him back on the road. Whatever it was, I've never seen Rocky in such a tizzy. Luckily for him, I had the tire changed and the car ready to go in ten minutes. He waved, only saying "Thanks Ethan!" as he sped off. Now this was just getting ridiculous!

Hopping into the cab, I followed him from a distance, trying to figure out what it was. A girl? No, the poor guy is hopeless when it comes to romance. Was someone threatening him? Nah, he'd run to me for help long before getting so worked up. After crossing the bridge he hung a left and entered in the Catholic Cemetery. I did the same, taking care to not be spotted. I looked at my watch. It was two minutes to eleven.

From a distance I could see Rocky running up the hill, but then it was like he got lost. He was soon running in circles, desperate to find something. It then hit me; he was looking for a grave. However, as the time ticked by, he looked more and more distressed before sitting down on the top of the hill with his head in his knees. I no longer cared about keeping my distance, Rocky looked like he needed a brother right then. Getting out of the truck, I started walking up the hill. When I reached him, I could hear the poor guy sobbing. I knelt down next to him and ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey, Rocky. What's the matter? You weren't acting like yourself this morning, but now you look like you're going to have a heart attack."

"I can't find her." He said, not picking his head up.

"Can't find who?"

He finally lifted his head up. But instead of looking at me, he looked up in the sky, tears running down his face. "My mom!"

"Oh…" I said. "You mean—"

"Her grave. She died sixteen years ago today. I've been coming here to visit her every year since coming back to town."

"But you don't know where her grave is?" I asked, confused. Surely someone who had been coming to the same spot year after year would know where it is.

"The headstone looks like all the others, but there used to be a tree on top of this hill. They must have taken it out this summer."

I looked out across the hill and saw the extent of the problem. Headstones seemed to stretch for several acres around us. "Okay, you stay here, let me have a look." I stood up and patted him on the head before starting my search. I slowly passed grave after grave looking for an indication. A death-date or a shared name. Nearly a half an hour passed, but in the corner of my eye I caught the name "Rickaby". Walking over, I leaned down and read the headstone.

"Sophie Rickaby

June 17th, 1885 – September 5th, 1911

Daughter, wife, mother."

That was it. I looked back up the hill and, in fairness to the poor guy, it was quite a walk from where he was at the top. There were no other nearby landmarks to use, she was just a name in a sea of working-class people who died far from their homelands. Taking my hat off, I walked back up the hill and outstretched a hand. "I found her; I think."

"I'm still late… he mourned."

"I think you're mother of all people will forgive you. Now are you coming or not?"

Rocky grabbed my hand and I pulled him up. Guiding him, we came upon the headstone, and I stepped back to give him space. Rocky sat down and felt the top of the headstone. I'd never seen him treat anything with such reverence. It might be the only ten square feet on this planet he considered sacred, hallowed ground.

"Hi mom, sorry I'm late." He said quietly. "I still miss you, but I'm doing okay. Aunt Nina is still mad at me, but Freckle and I found a new home. I know you can see us, but I wish you could be here. I still need you."

After about five minutes of silence, he pulled out a single daisy and laid it at the base of the head stone before standing up. Wiping away a tear, he turned to me and walked up to my shoulder. He didn't make eye contact. "I'm sorry about earlier, it's just—"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Rocky. Not for that. Just tell me next time, okay?"

He looked up and smiled at me. "I think I'm ready to go." He said before walking toward the car. I stayed put, though. Getting down on my knees, I made the sign of the cross just as I had been taught to do many years before. Placing a hand on the head stone, I bowed my head. "Don't worry about your baby boy, Mrs. Rickaby. I'll be there for him, that's a brother's promise."