Twenty

Sammy had been climbing the walls, taking clean sheets to make a tent, spilling water, then pouring flour into it to make paste so that he could glue a picture to the door.

“Sarah, take Sammy to the playground,” Rifke said, “or he’ll drive us all crazy.”

Fanny surprised Sarah by volunteering to go too.

Sammy ran out of the door ahead of them and climbed onto the garbage box. “I’m bigger than you are,” he shouted.

“That stinking box is going to make you sick again!” Sarah caught hold of his arm and dragged him off.

“Old Mendel has two horses now,” Fanny said. “You know what that means!”

Sammy scooted ahead of them.

“Look how thin his legs are. I wish we could get him to eat more.”

“He will someday,” Sarah said, thinking about Charley and his two-sandwich lunches.

Fanny was opening and closing her hands as she walked, something she did when she was nervous. “Sarah, I want you to do something for me.”

“What?” Sarah asked suspiciously.

“I don’t want to see Sean anymore. It’s the saloon break-ins. He lied to me about how bad it was.”

They reached the park and Sammy ran to the monkey bars. He climbed to the third bar from the ground with the agility of a monkey.

“How did you find that out?”

“It doesn’t matter. First the boys just started going to the saloons and pretending they were getting beer to take home to their fathers. They’d go out in the alley behind the saloon to drink it all up and play cards. When the saloon owner caught them, they got mad and decided to rob him. Sean didn’t go along that first time, he was just there when the police caught them. But they talked him into joining with them the next time they robbed a saloon. They all got caught and he’s in jail now.”

“I read about the break-ins in the Tribune.”

Fanny frowned. “You didn’t tell me.”

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“Bring a note to Sean’s house. I’ll tell you how to get there. Ask whoever answers the door to give the note to Sean when they visit him.”

“I need a push,” Sammy called, climbing down and running to a swing. “High as pie in the sky!”

Fanny lifted Sammy’s swing and ran under it as she pushed. Sammy squealed and begged for more. After three more “undies” Fanny gave the job over to Sarah and sat one swing over, pumping herself so high that one of her shoes flew off. Sarah gave Sammy one last “undie,” then jumped onto a swing next to him and pumped herself as high as Fanny. A breeze feathered against her cheek and lifted her hair from her neck. She looked toward the sky and the heaviness, as solid as Fanny’s shoe, fell away. Swinging high… letting her head fall back, her hair fly…swinging free of all the evil and ugliness in the world.

“My swing stopped,” Sammy cried. “Push me, Sarah.”

Please, God, she prayed. Please don’t let Sammy do bad things like Sean.

“Sarah! Push!”

She jumped down and pushed.