NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? part 8

NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? Part eight

Max

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NOW WILL YA LEAVE ME ALONE? Part eight

Max

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Then leaning over the table toward his nephew, gently placing his broad hand on Tommy’s arm, Jimmy asked in a teasing sort of way, “By the way, who’s Mary Ellen?

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Tommy, with a mouth full of food, looked up at his uncle. Slowly and with deliberate motion, he chewed his mouthful of scrambled eggs, then with one big gulp, swallowed it all.

“Uh! Just a girl I met a few days ago. I was walkin’ Max, and she came over and started pettin’ him. She’s okay, I guess. Then quickly added, pretending disgust, “For a girl!”

After he paused for a few long seconds, with a softness that his uncle never heard hm use, Tommy said, “Uncle Jimmy, I fell kinda sorry fer her. She told me her dog got killed by a car last year. On her birthday, yet! So, I thought I’d meet her at the park now and then and let her play wit Max. Guess it makes her feel better.” Tommy shrugged his shoulders as an afterthought and took another mouthful of eggs, dismissing the subject.

Showing pride in his nephew, Jimmy said, “That’s real nice of ya, Tom. I’m proud of ya.” Yet, in addition to his pride, he refused to let the opportunity to tease his nephew pass. He smiled and said, “So, tell me. boy, is she pretty?”

Tommy was taken aback at his uncle’s question and almost choked on his eggs.

“Uh, I dunno. Maybe. Yeah, I guess when ya think about it, she is. I know that she’s got some real beautiful eyes. They’re just, I dunno, beautiful. Different. Blue, and, just different. But she’s fun ta be around. She makes me laugh.” Then Tommy realized, delightedly, Yeah, she does make me laugh.

“So, when do I meet ‘er? Ya do intend ta bring ‘er here once in a while, right?”

Silence filled the room for a minute or two. As if reading his nephew’s mind, while looking around the shabby apartment, Jimmy lowered his head and asked in a quiet, sad tone of voice, “Are ya ashamed of it here, Tommy? This is how we live, not who we are inside. Money don’t make the man. The man makes the money. Ya do ya best, and make do the best ya can. Never ferget that, boy.”

They lived in a small rundown three room apartment: two small bedrooms and one large room that doubled as kitchen and living room. The small bathroom encased an old iron tub surrounded by an oval ring that held the shower curtain. The sink and toilet faced each other at the side of the claw-footed tub.

They washed the walls and washed and waxed the old linoleum floor weekly and painted frequently to eliminate the musty odor that seemed to permeate the entire building. Although small and shabby, Tommy and his uncle kept it neat and clean and found it adequate for their needs. Facing the truth about how they lived, made Jimmy feel more sorrowful for his nephew.

Poor kid! He should have so much more. If only his folks were alive. He wouldn’t have ta live like this. He shouldn’t have ta live like this. If only I had a better job. If … He shook his head as his thoughts continued, too many “ifs”.

Tommy, now looking at his uncle’s sad and tired face, read his uncle’s mind. He knew Jimmy did his best and became determined not to hurt his uncle for anything – especially a girl!

Tommy’s reply broke Jimmy’s melancholy thoughts, “No, Uncle Jimmy. I’m not ashamed o’ living here. There’s nothin’ wrong wit this place. It’s just that I never thought about bringin’ her here. I dunno if her folks would even let her come. After all, she lives on the other side o’ town. I’ll ask er, but no promises. Okay?”

Tommy placed his hand on his uncle’s gnarled knuckles and continued, “We do okay, Uncle Jimmy. Maybe we don’t have lots o’ money, but we got each other. We’re family and that’s what counts. And besides, we don’t need much. We do okay, we really do.”

As these words came from his mouth, other words entered his head. Uncle Jimmy thinks like me. How can I bring Mel here? We clean up a lot, but compared ta Tuppler Street, it’s still a small shabby place ta live.

Tommy, brushing his teeth in the small bathroom, looked at his reflection in the old worn mirror. Geez! I know we don’t got much, and I always thought she had everythin;. True, she does have more than me, but she don’t have everything’ After all, I’m the one wit the dog. Poor kid! She don’t even have that. All she’s got is parents and from what I hear at work and school, everybody seems ta know that sometimes, even they ain’t fun ta be wit.

Walking past the bathroom, Jimmy called out, “Come on. We gotta get going. We’ll be late.”

“Oh. I almost fergot. I got somethin’ real important ta do before school. I’ll explain later. Is it okay?”

Jimmy finished putting the breakfast dishes in the sink. “Well, okay. Just don’t be too long. Don’t want ya getting’ in no trouble.”

“I won’t, Uncle Jimmy, I promise.” Tommy drank the last of his coffee in one big gulp, put his cup in the sink and said as he hurried out the door, “Uncle Jimmy, I’ll do the dishes later. See ya.”

Tommy knew that Mary Ellen’s neighborhood was only a short distance from his apartment. A few blocks, a small bridge, and past the park, he found himself on Tupper Street. A nice, clean road lined with beautiful tall oak trees, and different colored Tudor style home, all with wooden picket fences, some of which were now painted to match the colors of the houses they surrounded. Some others, Like Mary Ellen’s still displayed a sparkling white to offset the color of the house.

Mary Ellen had told Tommy that she lived in a wheat-colored house with a beige roof and white shutters. He remembered the white picket fence under which Kat dug her hole. Mary Ellen’s house became easy to find.

Tommy started walking down the street, his hands in his pockets, when he saw Mary Ellen leaving for school. Not wanting her to see him, he darted behind a large, old tree. Carefully, he peeked around the massive trunk and waited until she turned the corner. Looking at the beautiful houses and the clean street with its majestic oaks, he knew that Mary Ellen came from a well-to-do family.

In his mind, he saw his own reflection: hand-me-down clothes and shoes with holes beginning to appear in the soles. In addition, his lack of knowing what to say and how to say it.

His need of an education started to bother him and suddenly saw how he must appear to others, and for the first time in his short eleven years of life, felt ashamed. For a few minutes, he leaned against the large tree, lost in his own reflective thoughts and self-pity.

Tommy hung his head and almost turned and walked away with thoughts of saying goodbye to Mary Ellen and the happiness their friendship gave him. However, the emotion he felt when she cried as she told him about Kat, suddenly broke his cloudy mood and compelled him to take care of the business that brought him to Tuppler Street.

He stood tall and proud, with a new-found determination, and walked to her front door. Still feeling extremely nervous, with shaky fingers, he reached out, rang the bell, and waited for an answer.

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Thank you for reading Now Will Ya Leave Me Alone? I’m working on another segment. Please stay tuned to see what else might happen to Tommy and Mary Ellen.