The Past III Part 1

The Past III
Part 1

July 20, 1982

Dan left Garibaldi’s with a skip in his step and smile on his face. He was really enjoying his job. As he was getting ready to leave, Mr. Garibaldi had complemented his work, and told him to bring Tess by on the way home for an ice cream cone. Life was looking good.

As he approached St. Augustine, Dan saw the police car. He froze. He recognized Mrs. Ramirez, and as Tessa was led to the car, she looked directly at him. In his head he heard her say, “Run!” although her lips never moved. By the time she was all the way in the car, Dan was halfway back to the apartment.

Luke Clevik watched Dan run from St. Augustine, as Tessa was loaded into the police car. He gloated quietly to himself, confident that he had Mangan exactly where he wanted him. Luke wasn’t sure why he was so obsessed with Dan’s refusal to cooperate. It would have been a lot easier to just leave the younger boy alone, but he couldn’t. Dan was a Cowhand. He’d taken the oath--not willingly, maybe, but taken it he had. Luke wasn’t going to lose face with the big boys over a disobedient brother. He had too much to lose if that happened. One way or another, Dan was coming back to the Cowhands. All that was needed was a little not-so-gentle persuasion.

Dan’s heart was beating hard as he reached the apartment building. He could see no signs that he had been followed, but he took the stairs, just to be safe. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in an elevator with a cop. Stealthily, he let himself into the apartment. Yaya was speaking to someone on the telephone. Tears were streaming down her face, and the words coming from her mouth were a mix of Russian and English. She turned when she heard Dan close the door. Quickly she ended the call and opened her arms to him. Dan accepted her embrace, and allowed her to lead him to the sofa.

“Daniel,” she began, “the authorities have found Tessa and contacted her uncle.”

“I saw them take her from the church,” Dan told her shakily. “She saw me too, and I swear, I heard her tell me to run. Should I have stayed?” He looked at Yaya desperately. “Am I a coward for running?”

“No, Daniel,” Yelena reassured him. “You did right to come home. You couldn’t do anything for Tessa.”

“They’ll come here next,” Dan said. “For me. I should leave now.”

“It is possible that they will come, but you do not need to leave. Sister Margaret has called Father Paul, and I have spoken to Nika, my son. He had an idea.” Yelena squeezed Dan’s hand. “For now you will stay here and let the adults figure this out. We will have answers soon.”

Dan escaped to his room and started checking his emergency bag. He tried to tell himself that he trusted both Yaya and Father Paul, but he was afraid. He was afraid for Tessa, afraid that it wasn’t her uncle waiting for her at the police station, and he was afraid that Archie was coming for him. He could not, would not, go back to Archie.

Nikodim Maxim arrived first. Dan stayed quiet in the study as Nika spoke seriously to his mother in her native language. They disappeared into Tessa’s room, and then Nika left, carrying Tessa’s duffle bag. Dan was still in the study when Father Paul arrived around eight o’clock that evening.

“It is indeed Tessa’s uncle.” Father Paul spoke those words before even saying hello. “I met him. I spoke to him, and I also spoke to Tessa. She’s fine, Daniel, and so are you.”

“You’re sure?” Dan asked. “The guy was really her uncle?”

“Yes,” Father Paul assured the boy. “He was away when Tessa’s mother died, and he didn’t find out until after the two of you ran away. He’s had private investigators looking for her since February. He seems quite relieved to have found her.”

“Do they know about me?”

“No. Tessa kept insisting she didn’t know where you were. I gather that she’s being very stubborn.” Dan grinned as the priest continued, “And Nikodim showing up ranting about Tessa deceiving his mother into thinking that she was one of Yelena’s grandchildren was the finishing touch. You know,” the priest lowered his voice, “She did defend you. She told them that you kept her from being raped by Kawolski.”

“Did they believe her?” Dan asked hopefully.

“I don’t know. All I know is that, for now, you are still good to keep living here.” Father Paul tousled Dan’s hair. “Now go to bed. You look very tired, and I know that I am.”

“Goodnight, Father. Thank you.” Dan retired to his room, relieved, yet feeling empty. He dreamed of Tessa.

July faded into August. Without Tessa, Dan zombie-walked through life. He ate and slept on automatic pilot and continued to work at Garibaldi’s. His emergency bag remained packed and close at hand, right under his bed. Every Friday, Mr. Garibaldi gave him eighty-four dollars. Dan put forty dollars in his bag, kept four out for personal expenses and gave the remaining forty to Yaya. Yelena Maxim graciously accepted the money. She did not need the boy’s money, but neither did she wish to hurt his pride. When school started, Dan would only work on Saturdays and Wednesday afternoons.

The week before school was to begin, Luke made his move. Dan was walking home from a grocery errand, when he was grabbed from behind and dragged into an alley.

“You’re a hard man to find, Danny-Manny.” Luke’s voice was taunting. “What happened to your little girlfriend? She decide she needed a real man?”

“Leave her out of this!” Dan retorted. “She’s none of your business, and neither am I anymore!”

“I’m hurt,” Luke said mockingly. “Of course you’re my business, boyo. You’re my brother. A Cowhand.”

“Not anymore.” Dan turned to walk away, but Luke grabbed him again, and slammed him up against the wall.

“Once a banger, always a banger,” Luke told him. “You don’t just get to leave.”

Dan struggled vainly against Luke’s hold. “You’re the one who left me on the church steps. Dump and run. The priest set me up in a better place. It’s over.”

“Danny, Danny, Danny.” Luke shook his head sadly. “It ain’t over until I say it’s over.” He shook Dan sharply, knocking his head back against the wall. “I’m willing to cut you a deal, though. How about you get me a car, and we’ll consider your dues paid for this month? You can stay with your cozy granny, and go back to school. For a while, that is.”

“I don’t want to steal you a car.” Dan didn’t like the look in Luke’s eyes, but he didn’t want to back down, either.

Smack! Luke’s open hand connected sharply with Dan’s face, sending his head once again into the wall. It swung back again, slapping the other side. “Either way, you pay dues, Manny. You can pay them with a car, or with a beatin’. I don’t care too much, one way or another. You choose.” Methodically, Luke rolled up the sleeves of his jacket.

Dan watched, cautiously. He knew how to fight, but Luke was four inches taller, and outweighed him by at least twenty pounds of pure mean. Sighing, he said, “Fine. Pick a car, then leave me alone.”

The Corolla was ridiculously easy to steal. The owner had left it unlocked, with the windows rolled down. As darkness fell, Dan slid into the driver’s seat, popped out the ignition, and wired the car to start. He drove it three blocks down the road, and turned it over to Luke. Luke took over with a grin, a wave and an ominous, “I’ll be seeing you, Mangan.”

Dan walked back to the apartment feeling like a filthy coward. The guilt was nearly overwhelming. He spent twenty minutes under the shower, trying to wash it all away.

Luke didn’t give up. True to his word, he appeared again, two weeks later. In typical Luke fashion, he jumped out of the shadows as Dan was walking home from school. “Hey, buddy,” he sneered. “Nice tie.”

This time, Dan was ready. Hefting his book bag, he said, “Go away, Luke. I’m not interested.”

“But, Danno,” Luke said mockingly. “It’s pay-up time. Pay up!”

Dan swung his bag hard into Luke’s side, following up with a one-two punch to the body, and a hard jab to the jaw. Luke, taken completely by surprise, fell to the ground. Dan stepped back and took a ragged breath. “I said to go away, Luke. I meant it. Go. Away.”

Luke sat up, rubbing his jaw. “You’ll pay for that, Mangan. I promise you.”

Dan turned and walked away. He was a little shocked that he had bested Luke in a physical fight, and more than a little shaken by the threat the gang leader had issued. He could hope that it was all a bluff, but he would need to be on guard. Dan seriously doubted that Luke would really just go away and leave him alone.

As Luke watched Dan walk away, his eyes narrowed. He hadn’t really expected Dan to fight back. Luke knew that Dan was a pretty scrappy fighter, but he hadn’t expected him to turn on him. Luke was used to being able to intimidate his minions. What if one of the Vice Lords had seen what had just happened? Luke was trying hard to get in with the bigger, better known gang. Getting smacked down in public, by a scrawny ninth grade parochial school student, wasn’t going to help his cause.

Luke needed some leverage. Dan was by far the best car thief he had in his gang. Part of Luke’s dream was to graduate up to the Vice Lords: The big boys. Luke needed to show his leadership, before he could attain the ranks of Lieutenant in the Vice Lords. The name, the boots, all of it was about climbing the ladder. Finlay had told him he needed to show his worth in three ways; by keeping his gang in line, by bringing in the loot, and by killing a rival to show his loyalty. The clock was running, and Luke needed Dan and his thieving skills to accomplish the looting. The last part, Luke would handle all by himself--he already had a target in mind. Right now, he needed to quell the rebellion in his ranks by getting Dan Mangan back into the fold.

He made his way onto the subway and headed back across the river. Maybe he was handling this the wrong way. Threatening Dan’s person was becoming less effective. Luke remembered Dan’s reaction when Luke had grabbed the girl. Maybe he had been too hasty in getting rid of the skirt. Dan seemed to have an unnatural attachment to people. Perhaps that was what Luke needed to corral Dan again. He just needed to find the right leverage.

October 6th, 1982

The telephone rang at five in the morning, waking Dan from a sound sleep. Dragging himself out of bed, he stumbled into the living room to find Yaya on the phone, a serious expression on her face. “Yes, of course,” she was saying. “No, I understand completely, and under the circumstances, I don’t see what else can be done. Why don’t you give me a list to call? Very well.”

She looked up and saw Dan. “Just a moment, Sister. Daniel is awake, so I will ask him.” She covered the receiver with her hand and spoke. “Daniel, someone vandalized St. Augustine’s last night. They did a lot of damage, spray-painted graffiti and set some things on fire. School has been canceled for today, and a work party is being called to fix the damage. Will you be helping?”

Dan nodded, feeling the blood rush from his face. “I...I’ll...uh...go get dressed,” he mumbled, beating a hasty retreat to his room. Vandalism at the church. Coincidence? Luke had vandalized St. Cecilia’s after Dan had turned him down. Now the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the school affiliated with it had been vandalized, two weeks after Dan had turned Luke down again. What were the odds, indeed?

It was after seven in the evening when Dan stumbled into his room. He had been at the church since six in the morning. Any hope of the vandalism being random had been quashed as soon as he arrived. There, spray-painted across the back wall, were the words “GETYOUMANNY ”.

Dan had attacked the wall with desperate vigor, scrubbing away all traces of the graffiti. When Sister Margaret complimented him on his diligence, Dan flushed guiltily, and turned his attention to a new job. He had continued to move from place to place around the school and church, taking on any job given him, completing it and moving to the next task.

Everything that could be repaired had been by four in the afternoon. Dan took a sandwich and an apple from the buffet table set up for the volunteers, and headed down to Garibaldi’s for work.

Mr. Garibaldi greeted him cheerfully. “You look tired, Daniel. Hard day?”

“Just busy sir,” Dan replied. “Somebody vandalized the school last night. I was there helping out, you know, fixing things and cleaning up and stuff.”

“Yes, I heard about the vandalism. Pah!” The shopkeeper wrinkled his face. “It is getting so that nowhere is safe. Here.” He pulled out a cone and handed it to Dan. “Help yourself before you get started. I just got in a shipment of cola. You’ll need the energy to get them all stocked.”

Dan grinned wearily. “Thanks, Mr. G. I’ll get started right away.”

“Take your time, sonny. It’s not going anywhere,” Mr. Garibaldi said as he turned to greet a customer. Dan helped himself to some Rocky Road, and headed off to the back, wondering if his own path was destined to always mimic his favorite ice cream.

October 20th, 1982

Two weeks had passed since the vandalism at St. Augustine, and Dan had not heard or seen any sign of Luke. In and of itself, that made Dan very nervous. He tried to focus all his attention on his schoolwork and his job, but he couldn’t help wondering when and where Luke would reappear. Worry was making Dan distracted and jumpy, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate.

At six o’clock, Mr. Garibaldi locked the front door to the store and started counting out the register. Dan flipped the plastic sign in the window from “Open” to “Closed” and began closing the blinds. As he turned away from the window, a brick came crashing through, shattering the glass, and nearly hitting Dan. Shards of glass flew through the air, and tires could be heard squealing on the street as the culprit jumped into a car and peeled away.

“Damned punks!” Mr. Garibaldi shook his fist at the car as it sped off into the fast falling twilight. “New York plates! Stay on your own side of the river, punks!” Turning, he asked, “Daniel, are you hurt? Did the brick hit you?”

“No, sir,” Dan responded slowly. “I don’t think so. But I’m covered in glass.” Dan shook himself gently, sending shards from the window tumbling to the ground.

“Stay where you are while I call the police. Then I can dust you off and make sure you aren’t cut.”

“No!” Dan nearly shouted. He calmed himself. “I mean, it’s okay, sir. I’m not bleeding or anything, and I’d really just rather go home before Yaya starts to worry. I didn’t see anything, anyway. I wasn’t looking when they threw the brick, and after, I had my eyes closed because of the glass.”

“Are you sure?” Mr. Garibaldi asked.

“Yes, sir. I’m sure.” Dan leaned forward and shook his head, causing more slivers to fall. “I can come in tomorrow morning, before school, and help you clean up. I just still have homework to do, and Yaya likes to have dinner on the table at six-thirty, sharp.” Dan held his breath, hoping; the last thing he wanted to do was have an interview with the police. Even though people in the neighborhood believed him to be Daniel Maxim, one of Yelena’s many grandsons, the possibility of discovery was still very real, and very frightening.

“Very well,” Mr. Garibaldi said, as he began dialing the telephone. “Go home, but make sure your grandmother checks you for cuts. And don’t worry about cleaning up. I’ll have the glazier in to fix the window tomorrow anyway. I am sorry about this Daniel, I hope I’ll still see you on Saturday.”

“Of course,” Dan told him. “I’ll be here at ten sharp. Goodnight, Mr. Garibaldi.”

The storekeeper simply nodded, already explaining his situation to the police dispatcher. Dan slipped out the back door, grabbing his bag as he left.

October 21, 1982

Dan had crept into the apartment the night before, and, after a quick explanation to Yaya, headed directly to the shower. He was virtually mute throughout the meal, shaken by his near miss, and worried about the message.

It had been a message. Luke hadn’t forgotten about him, that much was clear. Dan sat through class after class, trying vainly to concentrate on the lessons, but ended the day unable to repeat a single thing he had been taught.

This time Luke was waiting for him inside the lobby of the apartment building, sprawled out in one of the chairs next to the elevator.

“How did you get in here?” Dan asked, his voice weary and resigned.

“Some geezer with a dog let me in.” Luke said. “His wife thought I was charming.”

“Mr. Peterman,” Dan sighed. “And all you have to do for Mrs. Peterman is say something nice about Pookie.”

“Pookie?” Luke grinned slyly. “I hope that’s the dog’s name.”

“Mean little snot,” Dan said. “Stupid cocker spaniel likes to chew on anything not tied down.” He glared at Luke. “Mrs. Peterman thinks Pookie is charming, too.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed at the implied insult. “Watch yourself, Danny. Next time, I won’t miss.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Did you get all the glass out of your hair?”

“Yes, no thanks to you.” Dan hefted his bag, looking for an opportunity. “Luke, go home. I got your message, but I’m not coming back. I don’t know why you won’t just let me go. You don’t need me.”

“I keep telling you, it ain’t that easy.” Luke pulled himself out of his sprawl. “You belong to the gang. I can’t have you running around freelancing now, can I? You’re being disloyal, and I can’t let you disrespect me like that. I’ll go home, when you come back home, all sorry and ready to play nice.”

Dan stared at him, shaking his head. Luke rose to his feet and slung his arm over Dan’s shoulders. To the outside observer it was a friendly gesture; to Dan, it was a chokehold. “Get this through your stupid, thick Irish head, Mangan. I’m letting you go and do some thinking, but I want you back on our side of the river. If you can’t make that choice, the right choice, your only choice, then you leave me with no choice.” Luke looked around the lobby. “Nice place. Old too, probably all wood framed. I bet this place would go up like a box of matches. What do you think, Danny-Manny? Poof!”

Luke stepped away from Dan and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He lit up, took a puff, and blew smoke in Dan’s face. “Think about that, Manny. Poof!” Luke flicked ashes at Dan, causing him to flinch. Luke strolled out the door and down the street. Dan could hear his ominous laughter.

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