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“Who did this to you?” asked Gaspar.
“The other boys.”
“Why?” He said nothing at first, then looked at the men with big tears.
“I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take the stuff to Mr. Tolbert. I knew what y’all were planning. I wasn’t happy about other kids getting all that stuff, and I was getting nothing, but I wasn’t gonna punish them.”
“So, where did you put all the stuff?” asked Nine.
“They asked me to drive it to a warehouse downriver, but I couldn’t do it. I picked the locks on two empty storage units in the same space and put them in there. I’m sorry. Am I going to jail? Please, I don’t want to leave my grandpa.” He started crying, and Wilson looked up at his two friends.
“You did a very brave thing, Joshua,” said Nine. “The first part was stupid. Following boys just to get popular isn’t smart, but it was brave of you to return the items to a safe place. What are the unit numbers?”
“Six-twelve and Twelve-six. Grandpa’s birthday and mine. June twelve and December six.”
“Smart,” smirked Angel. “It’s a good way to remember things.”
“Those boys are gonna kill me,” he said. “I just wanted friends.”
“Don’t you have friends at school?” asked Angel.
“Some. Not many. One. I might look like some stupid, poor black kid, but I make good grades, and I want to be a doctor one day. The other boys made fun of me, and I just wanted friends. This was what they asked me to do to be part of their group. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. Please don’t take me from Grandpa. He needs me.”
“We’re not taking you from him, son. I don’t agree with what you did, but the outcome was the right one. I’m going to talk to the sheriff and see if we can get you out of here. Since all of the items are returned safely, we can verify that you stole nothing.”
“Them boys will kill me. Mr. Tolbert told them to kill me if they caught me doing anything wrong.”
“You let us worry about Mr. Tolbert,” said Wilson, placing the bandage over the cut on his arm.
“What if they come to our house? Mr. Grant and the others have been workin’ real hard to fix the house up. It’s gonna be real pretty when they’re done.”
“We’ll take care of that too,” said Nine. “For now, let’s get you home.” Gaspar looked at Nine, grinning with that scary grin he often had.
“I tell you what,” said Gaspar. “Why don’t you help us with all of this?”
“Really?” he said excitedly.
“Really. I think you could help us figure out what some of these boys and girls need. You’re what, sixteen? Seventeen?”
“Sixteen, sir. I’ll be seventeen in a few days.”
“Alright, then, you’re old enough to understand how this works. You help us get all the things we need to finish this surprise for the children, and that will be your debt paid.”
“Are you gonna tell my grandpa what happened?” he asked with a frown.
“Nope,” said Gaspar. “You are.”
“Damn.”
CHAPTER TEN
Ray stared at his grandson with tears in his eyes as he retold the story of what he’d done. He apologized after every sentence, swearing it would never happen again. When he was done, he told him that he’d be working for the men to repay the debt.
“Why didn’t ‘ya tell me?” asked Ray.
“I couldn’t, Grandpa. You have enough to worry about. You didn’t ask for this. You didn’t ask to have a kid at your age and have to go back to work. What Mom and Dad did to you wasn’t fair. I’m a burden, and those other boys said if I told anyone I’d be dead, or they’d hurt you.”
“Who the hell told you that you’re a burden?” he scoffed. “You ain’t no burden, Joshua. You’re the only thing keepin’ me goin’ most days. You make me feel useful again. Helpful. I have a purpose every day ‘cause I get up and know I’m providin’ not just for me but for us. You’re my whole world.”
