Unlikely Hero-18

1

Refresher: When we last left young Garth Ahern, he was angry because his uncle Matt deserted him. Still, the boy was anticipating his new caregiver Matt’s assistant Kayla Smith.2

Chapter 163

New York 19794

The downpour bombarded most of the East Coast just after dark and lasted through the night. The rain fell especially heavy in New York City and the surrounding areas. Garth had been running by the large window on the landing when the first splatters hit it. The sight of the silver tears running down the pane was little comfort to the angry child. Hugh had put his foot down and ordered Joel back to sleeping in his own room. Kayla instead of giving way to Garth’s tantrum, agreed with Hugh. 5

“bitches, itches, itches…” Garth finished his escape. He slammed and locked his door before he gave way to his own tears. This time when he sent the clothes rack into flight it smashed into the wall.6

“Garth!” Kayla had followed him. Now she rapped on the door. “Garth let me in!”7

He ignored her. He threw himself lengthways across the bed he’d considered Joel’s and pounded at the mattress.8

“Garth, Hugh isn’t being mean. Joel has his own room, his own possessions. It’s not fair that he always does what you want. Please let me in. I want to talk to you.”9

Kayla Smith was made of soft smiles and little-girl giggles that camouflaged her thirty years of life. Her slender frame carried only enough flesh to generate appealing curves. The top of Garth’s head reached the dimple on her chin. Short-cropped golden hair, aided by exertion, quickly turned into unruly curls and fit naturally with the animation in her big blue eyes. In their games she easily kept up with the boys. For two weeks, Garth has loved her. 10

When they sat around the dinette table eating supper she said, “Hugh’s right. Joel should sleep in his own room. Garth, if you’re afraid of the dark, we’ll leave a light in the hall.” 11

The warmth he’d felt for Kayla turned cold and suddenly Garth hated her. 12

***13

The storm, roaring out of Canada to plague the East Coast of the United States, turned the night into her private war zone. Exploding thunder blasted the earth, constantly jarring Kayla awake. Lightening, the aftermath of the shelling ignored the drawn drapes and lit up her room. She remembered pulling the comforter over her head and curling into a ball beneath it--like a scared child. 14

Her shame actually made her cry last night. Because of her a little boy suffered alone in his room. The storm had to be frightening, but Garth was so stubborn, so angry, he wouldn’t let her comfort him.15

What had she been thinking? She shouldn’t have sided with Hugh. Maybe he was right, but that didn’t matter, the last thing she needed was to make an enemy of Garth. Mathew, so taken with his darling nephew, was unlikely to agree the boy needed some restraints put on him.16

”He’s been abused so much, Kay, he’s like a little old man. He’s my responsibility. I want Garth to be able to laugh and play the way a nine-year-old should.”17

She had heard the pain in Mathew’s voice. A little boy could bring tricky and tough executive Matt Ahern, who controlled other men, crushing them when it suited his goals, to his knees. The idea made her smile for the first time since Garth began swearing at her as he fled the supper table. The boy had called her a bitch. Darlene must have loved that.18

And Joel. Here she’d come to his rescue and the kid reacted to her like she was the onset of the plague.19

She needed to do some heavy-duty repairs before Mathew came home. 20

After the miserable evening and restless night Kayla Dawn Smith was in no mood to confront the hassle of New York traffic. She caught the six-thirty morning train into the city.21

Laying her head back while the train rumbled along towards the city, she divided her thoughts into categories. Part of the time she fantasized about her relationship with a man she loved; the rest was spent on devising schemes to get back on good terms with the boy that man cared about.22

The train pulled into Penn Station. Kayla ignored the taxi queue when she saw a line formed up and hurried to the subway entrance. She wanted to be back at the house by noon. The information Mathew needed from the files, she could dig out in no time. The three tickets to the circus, delivered yesterday by courier, would be waiting at her office. An afternoon with clowns should put a smile back on Garth’s face.23

They’d been lingering at the doorway when she entered the car. One had pretended to stumble so he could rub up against her butt. When she snapped at him, he’d giggled and his buddies snickered. She’d taken the first open seat, while they sashayed down the aisle in a nasty mimic of her walk. The young hooligans moved to the next exit and turned. She felt their stares. For some stupid reason she looked up. Three of them rubbed at their groins and the other licked his full lips. She dropped her eyes and pretended to concentrate on some papers in her briefcase.24

The heavy-breasted black lady next to her said, “Ignore them.”25

“That’s what I’m trying to do. It’s not so easy.”26

“They’s just kids having some fun with you.”27

“Yeah, right.” Kids the size of men. The smallest dwarfed her five foot one, hundred and five pounds.28

The lady beside her apparently wasn’t interested in conversation. She’d gone back to reading her magazine. Two businessmen across the way, were into a heavy discussion, either they hadn’t noticed the encounter or were ignoring it. Funky teenage boys were just another New York nuisance. She tried not to look up. But every time the subway train pulled into a station her eyes disobeyed her brain. Shit, they were still there joking and jostling one another as if they owned the world. Why did it have to be early Saturday morning? A weekday and the brats would be locked away in their school. There were plenty of seats. How in hell long were they going to stand leering at her? Damn what gave them the right to use her as a distraction for a boring morning. She decided she had plenty of time and walking sure as hell beat this uncomfortable situation.29

She slipped to the edge of her seat as the train pulled into the next stop. She waited until the moment when the doors started to close and then jammed her briefcase shut and bolted out the opposite exit from where the boys stood. 30

Half way up the stairs, she heard the noise behind her. “Hey pretty lady! Got a couple bucks. We’re hungry.” The voices were jumbled into one long sentence mixed with laughter and suggestive catcalls. She ignored them. She breathed a sigh of relief as she made it through the subway opening into the sunlight. Then an empty street mocked her.31

Briskly swinging her briefcase, Kayla walked rapidly on her mid-heel ivory pumps. She kept count of their clicks as they hit the New York pavement along the block across from the Lincoln Center. She had to concentrate on something ridiculous to keep from breaking into a run. She couldn’t see them but she could hear they were still behind her. Maintaining the same distance they had since she left the subway. ‘Why in God’s name hadn’t she caught a cab from Penn Station? Too damn impatient, that was her problem.’ She should have waited two more stations before she exited the train. Then she could have made a dash for the office and security. 32

As she rushed past the dozens of sparkling windows on the buildings along Columbus Avenue, in the shiny panes she saw the mirrored images of the four black youths doing their hip-hop dance behind her. It was crazy. Why should she think they deliberately followed her from the subway? 33

She came abreast of Dimitri’s. The closed sign laughed at her. Damn. The snickering behind her grew louder or else they were getting closer. The air was cool from last night’s storm. Still, she was building up a nervous sweat. She felt the breeze from the road traffic but the sidewalk ahead of her remained empty of pedestrians. “Dear God,” she whispered and then she was actually praying. 34

***35

Last night, long after Kayla had finally given up attempting to coax him into opening his door, Garth had killed and killed and killed…. He transferred his anger to the Atari game system. His fingers moved rapidly on the controller while the little round heads with their big teeth chomped their way across the TV screen. Eyes fogged by angry tears, Garth soon saw the targets as people and a number of them wore Kayla’s face.36

“Hugh’s right! Hugh’s right! You’re scared!” Her words mixed and mingled in his mind with rancid thoughts. Ugly, fuckin’ bitch! He’d show her-- scared. Kill the wench! Chop her, gobble her, tear her apart! And his Pacmen joyfully continued to chomp. Garth wasn’t certain when they ceased to be little yellow heads and became images of full-grown men. The Ghostly men marched across the TV screen, arms flung wide, and the blades in their grasps striking out at their targets. 37

The tears on Garth’s cheeks dried causing the skin to pucker and itch. He rubbed at them. The intensive stare made Garth’s eyes burn. Kayla’s fairness soon blurred into Leona’s darkness. The heroes were red with the blood splattering them and Leona still screeched ‘Gareee’. 38

Over and over, “Gareee…Garee….” It grew to a loud pounding noise in his head. “Sure, you’ll rot an’ die in a prison like ‘im.” 39

Leona would get him--drag him back. Drag him back to die in prison. Stupid he was, bloody stupid, to think it could be different. His Uncle Matt couldn’t save him. America wouldn’t save him. She’d followed him here. There would be nowhere to run. There would be nowhere to hide and not a soul to help him. He’d die in the bloody prison even if his pa was no longer with the heroes. 40

He wasn’t aware that when he staggered half-asleep to collapse on Joel’s bed, his heroes had become Pacmen again waiting patiently for him to resume the game. ‘Gareee’ Leona wouldn’t shut up! Grabbing the pillow he jammed it over his head.41

Garth woke late to a quiet house; it was so silent he found himself creeping down the back stairs. The anger gone now, the child had a sudden need for companionship.42

He plopped at the table in the dinette. He shifted the sugar bowl so the cover rattled making as much noise as he could. About to start on the napkin holder, he let his hand fall away when Darlene came though the kitchen entrance. 43

“So the prince is finally up.” She smiled with her toothy mouth. “I suppose you want something special for breakfast?”44

“Where’s Kayla?”45

“She doesn’t check in with me. You could say good morning.” 46

Garth leaned his elbows on the table and propped his chin up with his palms. “Yeah, right, good mornin’”47

“That wasn’t so hard?” Darlene said. “I believe Kayla mentioned to Hugh, she was going into the office. She’d be back by noon. Could I interest you in waffles, the batter’s made.”48

“Rather have sausage and eggs—scrambled ones and lots of toast with jam. Where’s Joel?” He called out for she was already moving back into the kitchen.49

“Helping Hugh. Some boys do have chores.”50

Garth heard the phone ring. It didn’t matter much; she was always talking on the phone. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but felt better just hearing Darlene talking pleasantly to someone. Then she called out. “Garth, your uncle’s on the phone.”51

The boy flew into the kitchen and nearly tore the receiver from her hand. “Uncle Matt! When you coming home?52

“Why so long?” He continued to listen to Mathew’s explanation. He tried to justify his own actions when Mathew asked why he’d become so upset the previous night. “We were having a great time. Kayla is lots of fun and we been doing things together—all three of us. I know. But I didn’t want it to stop. Okay. I’ll behave.”53

When he finally hung up he glared at the squealer. Darlene’s toothy smile surfaced. “If you hadn’t blew up last night,” she said. “You would have gotten your way.” She dumped his scrambled eggs onto the plate that held four sausage links, crispy the way he liked them. “I couldn’t see anything wrong with Joel staying in your room. He wanted to and you liked having him there. I told Mathew that. I assured him I’d set things right today.”54

‘Yeah, sure.’ Garth followed her as she carried his breakfast plate into the dinette. He figured his Uncle Matt told her what to do. “Joel and I have fun together,” he said. 55

“And that’s fine.” She set his food on the table. “But you are both still children. You better apologize to Hugh and Kayla for the names you called them.”56

Garth slipped into his chair. “Looks good,” he said. “Is Kayla awful mad at me?”57

“She’ll get over it. She already told me she has a surprise for you boys for this afternoon. Now eat before it gets cold. Then you had better shower and change. What did you do, sleep in your clothes?”58

***59

The ABC news building was still a half a block away. Kayla’s second ‘Hail Mary’ was tapering off into ‘blessed is the fruit of thy womb…’ when a sign flicked on in the window at her right. She made a rapid choice and headed to the door. Instantly she regretted the action. The fellow she pushed by had to be sixty or better. Her eyes flitted nervously around the empty café and came back to rest on the short, plump and balding man who offered her a “Good morning.”60

When she turned around she saw the four youths doing their jiving outside the window. The door stood open; its iron security bars having slid back against the wall it offered entrance to all. What a damn fool. She hadn’t found sanctuary. She’d simply offered up a second victim. 61